The

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 ...

''Separación Dominicana'' was the first and

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

vessel of the early

Dominican Navy The Navy of the Dominican Republic ( es, Armada de Republica Dominicana (ARD)), is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force. History After the Dominican Republic gained i ...

, which was formed in 1844. She saw action in the Dominican War of Independence, including the notable

Battle of Tortuguero The Battle of Tortuguero was the first naval battle of the Dominican War of Independence and was fought on 15 April 1844 at Tortuguero, Azua Province. A force of three Dominican schooners led by Commander Juan Bautista Cambiaso defeated a force o ...

History

During the Dominican War of Independence, after the February 1844 Dominican declaration of independence from

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

, Haiti responded with a blockade of all of the Dominican Republic's ports in early March 1844. In the

on 15 April 1844,

Juan Bautista Cambiaso Juan Bautista Cambiaso (September 12, 1820 – June 21, 1886), also known as Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Cambiaso, was a Genoese-born explorer, admiral and sailor in the Dominican Navy The Navy of the Dominican Republic ( es, Armada de Republica ...

commanded the five-gun

''Separación Dominicana'' and two smaller schooners, decisively defeating a Haitian

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

and two schooners. As a result of the battle's outcome, Haitian president

Charles Rivière-Hérard Charles Rivière-Hérard also known as Charles Hérard aîné (16 February 1789 – 31 August 1850) was an officer in the Haitian Army under Alexandre Pétion during his struggles against Henri Christophe. He was declared President of Haiti on ...

was ousted from power and Haitian naval operations against the Dominican Republic were suspended. On April 23, 1844, the Junta Central Gubernativa (Central Government Board) ordered that all three schooners be incorporated into the newly created

, and Commander Cambiaso was named admiral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Separacion Dominicana Dominican War of Independence Schooners of the Dominican Navy 1840s ships