Texan schooner San Jacinto
Encyclopedia
The Texan schooner San Jacinto was a two-masted schooner of the Second Texas Navy
from 1839-1840. She was the sister ship of the San Antonio
and the San Bernard
. In 1840, San Jacinto was part of the Texas Navy flotilla led by Commodore Edwin Ward Moore
which was dispatched to assist Yucatecan rebels that had taken up arms against Mexico
. In a storm, San Jacinto
ran aground at Cayos Arcas
and was wrecked. The crew were rescued by the flagship Austin
.
s: Invincible
, Brutus
, Independence
, and Liberty
. These ships, under the command of Commodore Charles Hawkins
, helped Texas win independence
by preventing a Mexican
blockade of the Texas coast
, seizing Mexican ships carrying reinforcements and supplies to its army, and sending their cargoes to the Texas volunteer army. Nevertheless, Mexico refused to recognize Texas as an independent country. By the middle of 1837, all of the ships had been lost at sea, run aground, captured, or sold. With no ships to impede a possible invasion by Mexico, Texas was vulnerable to attack.
In 1838, President Mirabeau B. Lamar
responded to this threat by forming a second Texas Navy. Unlike Sam Houston
, Lamar was an ardent supporter of the Texas Navy and saw the urgent need for its continuation. The second Texas Navy was placed under the command of Commodore Edwin Ward Moore
, an Alexandria Academy graduate who was recruited from the United States Navy
. One of the ships of this second navy was the San Jacinto along with her sister ships, the San Antonio and San Bernard.
s at the Schott and Whitney shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland and called Viper, she was one of the smallest of a class of schooners and brigs built specifically for the slave trade between 1820 and 1850. A group of six schooners, including La Amistad
was built in Baltimore around 1836. They were identified as being "Purposely built and fitted out for use in the slave trade by the United States Consul General in Havana", and Viper was typical of the class.
and seize enemy ships. On 20 August, the San Jacinto rejoined Commodore Edwin W. Moore's flotilla and remained with them until being detached to Galveston with dispatches for the government. In search of drinking water, the San Jacinto called at Cayos Arcas. A violent cold front approached but Lt. O'Shaunessy nevertheless went ashore, leaving Lt. Alfred G. Gray as senior officer on board. When the ship's anchor failed to hold, Gray displayed great ingenuity and seamanship in an attempt to save it, but even a piece of the ship's artillery used as an additional anchor could not save the San Jacinto from being swept ashore by gale winds.
The survivors of The San Jacinto were rescued by the Austin on 31 October 1840 and the ship was declared a loss.
Texas Navy
The Texas Navy was the official navy of the Republic of Texas. Two Texas Navies were naval fighting forces. There is a “Third and Honorary” Texas Navy, in which officers are commissioned by the Governor of Texas as Admirals, Commanders and Lieutenants....
from 1839-1840. She was the sister ship of the San Antonio
Texan schooner San Antonio
The Texan schooner San Antonio was a two-masted schooner of the Second Texas Navy from 1839-1840. She was the sister ship of the San Jacinto and the San Bernard. In 1840, San Antonio was part of the Texas Navy flotilla led by Commodore Edwin Ward Moore which was dispatched to assist Yucatecan...
and the San Bernard
Texan schooner San Bernard
The Texan schooner San Bernard was a two-masted schooner of the Second Texas Navy from 1839-1840. She was the sister ship of the San Jacinto and the San Antonio. In 1840, San Antonio was part of the Texas Navy flotilla led by Commodore Edwin Ward Moore which was dispatched to assist Yucatecan...
. In 1840, San Jacinto was part of the Texas Navy flotilla led by Commodore Edwin Ward Moore
Edwin Ward Moore
Edwin Ward Moore , was the commodore of the Second Navy for the Republic of Texas.-Early life:...
which was dispatched to assist Yucatecan rebels that had taken up arms against Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In a storm, San Jacinto
ran aground at Cayos Arcas
Cayos Arcas
The Cayos Arcas is a chain of three tiny sand cays and an accompanying reef system in the Gulf of Mexico. It is located approximately 130 kilometers from the mainland, west of Campeche. Their aggregate land area is 22.8 hectares...
and was wrecked. The crew were rescued by the flagship Austin
Texan sloop-of-war Austin
The Texan sloop-of-war Austin was the flagship of the Second Texas Navy from 1840-1846. Commanded by Commodore Edwin Ward Moore, she led a flotilla in the capture of Villahermosa in 1840. After a period of inaction in port, Austin participated in the Naval Battle of Campeche in 1843...
.
Background of the Texas Navy
The Texas Navy was officially formed in January 1836, with the purchase of four schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s: Invincible
Texan schooner Invincible
The Texas schooner Invincible was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . She began her service in January, 1836 and immediately began attacking ships supplying the Mexican army in Texas, including capturing the United States merchant vessel Pocket and later the British ship Eliza...
, Brutus
Texan schooner Brutus
The Texan schooner Brutus was one of the four ships of the First Texas Navy that wreaked havoc on towns along the coast of Mexico, blockaded Mexican ports, and captured ships bound for Mexico with goods and munitions of war during the Texas Revolution.Her final, and most controversial, voyage was...
, Independence
Texan schooner Independence
The Texan schooner Independence was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . In 1836, Charles Hawkins, a veteran of the United States and Mexican navies, visited Texas Governor Henry Smith, seeking a commission in the new Texas Navy...
, and Liberty
Texan schooner Liberty
The Texas schooner Liberty was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . She served in the Texas Navy for only about 6 months, capturing the Mexican brig Pelicano loaded with weapons for their army in Texas. Later that year, she sailed to New Orleans accompanying the wounded Sam Houston,...
. These ships, under the command of Commodore Charles Hawkins
Charles Hawkins
Charles Hawkins was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1838 to 1845....
, helped Texas win independence
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
by preventing a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
blockade of the Texas coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
, seizing Mexican ships carrying reinforcements and supplies to its army, and sending their cargoes to the Texas volunteer army. Nevertheless, Mexico refused to recognize Texas as an independent country. By the middle of 1837, all of the ships had been lost at sea, run aground, captured, or sold. With no ships to impede a possible invasion by Mexico, Texas was vulnerable to attack.
In 1838, President Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar was a Texas politician, diplomat and soldier who was a leading Texas political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was the second President of the Republic of Texas, after David G. Burnet and Sam Houston.-Early years:Lamar grew up at Fairfield, his father's...
responded to this threat by forming a second Texas Navy. Unlike Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, Lamar was an ardent supporter of the Texas Navy and saw the urgent need for its continuation. The second Texas Navy was placed under the command of Commodore Edwin Ward Moore
Edwin Ward Moore
Edwin Ward Moore , was the commodore of the Second Navy for the Republic of Texas.-Early life:...
, an Alexandria Academy graduate who was recruited from the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. One of the ships of this second navy was the San Jacinto along with her sister ships, the San Antonio and San Bernard.
History of the San Jacinto
Originally built as one of the Baltimore clipperBaltimore Clipper
Baltimore Clipper is the colloquial name for fast sailing ships built on the south-eastern seaboard of the United States of America, especially at the port of Baltimore, Maryland...
s at the Schott and Whitney shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland and called Viper, she was one of the smallest of a class of schooners and brigs built specifically for the slave trade between 1820 and 1850. A group of six schooners, including La Amistad
La Amistad
La Amistad was a ship notable as the scene of a revolt by African captives being transported from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba. It was a 19th-century two-masted schooner built in Spain and owned by a Spaniard living in Cuba...
was built in Baltimore around 1836. They were identified as being "Purposely built and fitted out for use in the slave trade by the United States Consul General in Havana", and Viper was typical of the class.
Blockade duty and wreck
On 26 June 1840, the San Jacinto sailed from Galveston with instructions to blockade the Mexican port of VeracruzVeracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
and seize enemy ships. On 20 August, the San Jacinto rejoined Commodore Edwin W. Moore's flotilla and remained with them until being detached to Galveston with dispatches for the government. In search of drinking water, the San Jacinto called at Cayos Arcas. A violent cold front approached but Lt. O'Shaunessy nevertheless went ashore, leaving Lt. Alfred G. Gray as senior officer on board. When the ship's anchor failed to hold, Gray displayed great ingenuity and seamanship in an attempt to save it, but even a piece of the ship's artillery used as an additional anchor could not save the San Jacinto from being swept ashore by gale winds.
The survivors of The San Jacinto were rescued by the Austin on 31 October 1840 and the ship was declared a loss.
Commanders of the vessel
The San Jacinto was commanded by:- Captain John T. K. Lothrop, June—November 1839
- Lt. James E. Gibbons, February—April 1840
- Lt. Alexander Moore, April—May 1840
- Lt. William R. Postell, May—September 1840,
- Lt. James O'Shaunessy, September—31 October 1840.