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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 all applicants become admirals.

First Texas Navy

During the Texas Revolution, government officials in Washington-on-the-Brazos decided to establish an official navy. In January 1836, agents purchased four schooners: Invincible, Brutus, Independence, and Liberty.

Under the command of Commodore Charles Edward Hawkins they helped win independence by preventing a Mexican blockade of the Texas coast, seizing dozens of Mexican fishing vessels and sending their cargoes on to the Texas volunteer army.

By the October of 1837, all of the ships had been lost at sea, sunk by the Mexican Navy, run aground, captured, or sold, and replacements were being procured.

Second Texas Navy

In 1839, in response to Mexico's continued refusal to acknowledge the independence of the Republic of Texas, the Texas Congress acquired six new vessels and placed them under the command of Commodore Edwin Moore, a mid-level officer in the United States Navy, who left for the opportunity to lead the Texas Navy. The six vessels were known as the second Texas Navy.

For three years the Texas Navy raided the Mexican coast and kept the Mexican fleet focused on defending its own coastline. In the Naval Battle of Campeche on 16 May 1843 the Texas Navy sloop-of-war Austin and brig Wharton, supported by ships from the rebellious Mexican State of Yucatan, engaged Mexican naval vessels including the steamships Montezuma and Guadalupe. This battle is believed to be unique, marking the only occasion in which a sailing warship engaged and fought a war steamer to a draw. The battle, which raged over several days, was a tactical draw, but a strategic victory for the Texan Navy, which forced the Mexicans to lift their blockade of Campeche and assured security in the mean time for the rebels in Yucatan. Other ships of the Texas Navy at the time included the brigs Potomac and Archer, the schooners San Jacinto, San Antonio and the San Bernard, and the Zavala, the first steamship-of-war in North America.

When Texas joined the United States in 1846 the Texas Navy was merged into the United States Navy.

Third Texas Navy

In 1958 Governor Price Daniels formed a “Third and Honorary” Texas Navy with headquarters in Houston. They held Annual Admiral Balls at the Houston Yacht Club and the Governor would review the fleet each year at the San Jacinto monument. The fleet consisted of every conceivable type of vessel from luxury cruisers to canoes. All who applied were made Admirals in the Texas Navy. This organization was intended to be a type of coastal surveillance service to the State of Texas in its defense.

The Texas Navy, Inc., later the Texas Navy Association, was formed by an act of the 63rd Texas Legislature in 1973. It states that it is a non-profit organization devoted to preserving the history of the three Navies of Texas. The headquarters moved from Houston to Galveston, Texas in 1973. Membership is open to anyone who holds a commission as an Admiral in the Texas Navy from a Governor of the State of Texas.

References

1. Official Website of the Texas Navies
2. Official Website of the Texas Navies
3. Official Website of the Texas Navies
4. Texas Navy Association
5. Texas Navy Association website: brief history

Wells, Tom Henderson. Commodore Moore & The Texas Navy. University of Texas Press, Austin. 1960.

v t e Ships of the Texas Navy
First Texas Navy (1836–1838)	Schooners Brutus Independence Invincible Liberty
Second Texas Navy (1839–1846)	Sloops-of-war Austin Schooners San Jacinto San Antonio San Bernard Zavala Brigs Archer Potomac Wharton

• Use dmy dates from September 2010
• Texas Navy
• Texas Revolution
• Military units and formations established in 1836
• 1846 disestablishments