The

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''María Chica'' was one of the first armed Dominican naval vessels of the

Dominican War of Independence The Dominican War of Independence () was a war of independence that began when the Dominican Republic declared independence from the Republic of Haiti on February 27, 1844 and ended on January 24, 1856. Before the war, the island of Hispaniola ...

and is claimed to be one of the founding vessels of the Dominican Navy. She was captained by Commander Juan Bautista Maggiolo during the Dominican War of Independence. Before the war, the schooner was owned by Catalan merchants José and Francisco Ginebra.

See also