 At the age of 16, on March 1, 1879, he joined the Military Academy, where he remained until 1881, when he transferred to the Naval Academy to finish his studies.By 1883, he already was a second-class ensign and joined the crew of the ironclad "Blanco", under the command of future president Jorge Montt.During the remainder of the War of the Pacific, he served in the "O'Higgins", "Chacabuco" (blockading Pacocha, in northern Peru), "Abtao" (patrolling the extreme south of Chile), "Cochrane" and "Pilcomayo".