[1] In 1824, at the age of 18, Coe joined the Chilean fleet, then commanded by Lord Cochrane, and served on board the brig Protector during the Peruvian War of Independence.

[2] Serving as an officer in the Argentine fleet[broken anchor] under Admiral William Brown, he achieved distinction in the battles of Juncal and Monte Santiago in the Cisplatine War that led to the Uruguayan independence in 1828.

[3] Following these reverses, President Rivera appointed Italian skipper Giuseppe Garibaldi to the rank of colonel and created the command of the 2ª División de la Escuadra Oriental, transferring most of Coe's ships to the new fleet.

Coe, aboard the steamer Constitución, defeated a Buenos Aires flotilla 30 miles off Martín García island on April 18, 1853, when his squadron captured the enemy brigs Enigma and 11 de Septiembre with 22 officers and 200 men.

[4] On June 26, however, Coe deserted to the United States aboard the American sloop USS Jamestown after being bribed by Buenos Aires' citizens.