GENERAL BAQUEDANO was built in 1898 and was used as a training vessel for young sailors. In 1931, GENERAL BAQUEDANO visited Sydney during a training cruise of Pacific nations that included New Zealand and Suva, Fiji. One hundred days out of Valparaiso, Chile the training ship arrived in Sydney. GENERAL BAQUEDANO was commanded by Captain Luis Alvarez and his crew consisted of seventeen officers, three sub-officers and 292 men including a number of ratings.
Two members of the Chilean crew participated in a boxing match at the Sydney Stadium in Rushcutters Bay on the night of the 25 July. Hector Villarroel (a lightweight) and Victor Reyes (a bantamweight) were both beaten in their matches by Bill Wooller and Keith Tangye respectively. This photograph depicts either Villarroel or Reyes posing on the deck of GENERAL BAQUEDANO.