USS San Jacinto
Encyclopedia
Three ships of the United States Navy
have been named USS San Jacinto, after the Texas
battle of San Jacinto
in 1836, and the navy considered acquiring a fourth ship of the name:
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...
have been named USS San Jacinto, after the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
in 1836, and the navy considered acquiring a fourth ship of the name:
- The first was an early screw frigateScrew frigateSteam frigates and the smaller steam corvettes were steam-powered warships.The first vessel that can be considered a steam frigate was the Demologos which was launched in 1815 for the United States Navy....
of the navy, launched in 1850. Bombarded the Taku Forts in support of British and French troops on the ground during the Second Opium WarSecond Opium WarThe Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
. Active during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, but wrecked at the beginning of 1865. Also known for its role in the Trent AffairTrent affairThe Trent Affair, also known as the Mason and Slidell Affair, was an international diplomatic incident that occurred during the American Civil War...
.
- The U.S. Navy considered acquiring a civilian passenger-cargo ship, SS San JacintoSS San Jacinto (1903)SS San Jacinto was an American commercial passenger-cargo ship chartered by the United States Army for World War I service and considered for acquisition by the United States Navy as USS San Jacinto ....
, for use during World War I as USS San Jacinto (ID-1531), but never acquired or commissioned her.
- The second was a light aircraft carrierLight aircraft carrierA light aircraft carrier is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only ½ to ⅔ the size of a full-sized or "fleet" carrier.-History:In World War II, the...
that saw action in the latter half of World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was decommissioned in 1947.
- The third is a guided missile cruiser commissioned in 1988 and is in naval service .