The was a ship of the Second Texas Navy that never sailed as a warship. For a while, in 1838, she was the only ship in the Texas Navy. She was decommissioned in 1843.

Background of the Texas Navy

The Texas Navy was officially formed in January 1836, with the purchase of four

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

s: ''Invincible'', ''Brutus'', ''Independence'', and ''Liberty''. These ships, under the command of Commodore Charles Hawkins, helped

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

win independence by preventing a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

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 Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

, 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 (July 15, 1810 – October 5, 1865), was an American naval officer who also served as commander-in-chief of the Navy of the Republic of Texas. Early life Moore was born in Alexandria, Virginia. His grandfather and uncle had ...

, an Alexandria Academy graduate who was recruited from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. One of the ships of this second navy was the ''Potomac''.

History of the ''Potomac''

The merchant brig ''Potomac'' was bought for the Texas Navy by the Secretary of the Navy from Capt. L. M. Hitchcock in early 1838 for $8,000. It was the only ship in the navy until the '' Texan schooner Zavala'' was purchased in November 1838. The Secretary of the Navy,

Memucan Hunt, Jr. Memucan Hunt (August 7, 1807 – June 5, 1856) was the first Minister of Texas to the United States, Texas Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Texas Navy, and an unsuccessful candidate for President of the Republic of Texas, Vice-President o ...

spent over $10,000 equipping the ''Potomac'' for service, but as the sale had never been completed due to the

Texas Congress : ''For the current Texas legislative body, see Texas Legislature.'' The Congress of the Republic of Texas was the national legislature of the Republic of Texas established by the Constitution of the Republic of Texas in 1836. It was a bicameral l ...

not having approved the expenditure of funds to purchase ''Potomac'', the work was suspended without being completed. Eventually, President Lamar completed the purchase, but the ''Potomac'' was never completely fitted out for service. By 1840, her crew was ordered aboard the ''Wharton'' and she was in use in Galveston as a receiving ship.Alex Dienst, ''The Texas Navy'' (Tucson, AZ: Fireship Press, 2007) 80-81. In 1843, with the ''Potomac'' unfit to serve as a warship, she was transferred to other public use with the Galveston Harbormaster as a

pilot ship A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots are regarded as skilled professional ...

. She ended her career in the Texas Navy never having left port or fired a weapon in conflict.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potomac Naval ships of the Republic of Texas Ships of the Texas Navy 1836 ships