HE was the Scottish admiral whose sword stroke helped Chile to cut ties with Spain and set it on the path to nationhood as an independent country.

And now the 19th Century nobleman Thomas Cochrane has been honoured in both his home and adopted countries with statues depicting the moment of his greatest triumph.

The larger-than-life bronze effigies are the work of Leonie Gibbs, a Highlands sculptor, who was commissioned by Chilean businessman Manuel Ibañez.

The first has been erected on Mr Ibañez estate at Kilchoan in Argylle, while three others will be placed at sites connected to the roving admiral in the South American country.

Cochrane remains revered in Chile to this day, and the statues are part of the country’s celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of its declaration of independence.

The Herald:

The statue in place at Kilchoan

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Chile officially broke from Spain on February 12, 1818, and was recognized on April 25, 1844. However, by tradition, Chileans celebrate Independence Day on September 18, the day in 1810 when the First Government Junta was established and the war of independence which Cochrane fought in began.

Born in Annsfield, near Hamilton in Lanarkshire, Cochrane, the 10th Earl of Dundonald, grew up at his family’s estate at Culross in Fife and joined the Royal Navy aged 18 in 1793.

From this point on his life reads like a Boys’ Own adventure tale - and it is said he was the inspiration for the fictional naval hero Horatio Hownblower.

With the French Revolutionary wars in full swing, Cochrane soon proved himself as an able sailor and took command of his own ship, HMS Speedy, and burned, captured or ran aground 53 French vessels in 13 months.

As the wars wore on he as involved in a number of daring actions, but developed a reputation of being difficult with his superiors.

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Like many wealthy men of the era, he dabbled in politics and was elected to Parliament in 1807, but was expelled in 1814 over his connections to the Great Stock Exchange Scandal.

This incident saw a number of men cash in on a sudden spike in stock prices caused by rumours that Napoleon had died in Russia, which were later revealed to be an elaborate hoax.

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Cochrane benefitted by around £8m in today’s money from selling stock, but always denied he had been involved. He was later acquitted of any wrongdoing, but his reputation was left in tatters and he left for South America in 1818.

He was invited to Chile by Supreme Director Bernardo O’Higgins, a cofounder of the country’s independence movement, and was placed in charge of the navy.

In 1820 he led a brilliant amphibious assault at night-time on the town of Valdivia, in southern Chile, overcoming a vastly superior Spanish force.

But is was his capture of the Esmeralda, a 44-gun frigate, in the port of Callao and the most powerful Spanish warship in South America, which cemented his fame in Chile.

Leading the surprise attack during the dead of night, Cochrane was wounded when he was shot in the thigh but still managed to prevail despite a furious fight on deck.

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Ms Gibbs described how she tried to capture this moment with her statue, saying: “Cochrane is a hero in Chile and is regarded as delivering them from the Spanish to freedom. When he cut the mooring rope on the Esmeralda it was the moment that freed the Chileans from the Spanish and it was an incredibly brave thing for him to do.

“It was a very dramatic moment to work on for a sculpture, and I hoped to portray something of his audacity, courage, and determination.”

Cochrane died in London in 1860 aged 84. He is buried in Westminster Abbey, where each year the Chilean navy honours his memory.

Dougilas Dundonald, the current earl of Dundonald and Cochrane's descendent, said that his forbear had helped establish a relationship between Chile and Britian which endures to this day.

He said: "You can hang on the hat of Thomas and the navy the relationship which came after him between the two countries. 

"The Chilean navy have a realy close relationship with the Roay Navy, and do a lot of training here while a lot of Chileans come here for their education.

"There is a very strong link and we can thank Thomas for that."