AH-WR-0576

Royal Yacht

Pilot Schooner · Confederate States · Lost 1861 · Texas & the Western Gulf

Reputed the fastest schooner on the Texas coast, Royal Yacht was boarded and burned by a Union raiding party outside Galveston harbor in November 1861.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Royal Yacht, a small Confederate-chartered pilot schooner captained by Thomas Chubb, patrolled the approaches to Galveston harbor during the early Union blockade. On November 8, 1861, a Union boarding party from USS Santee, seeking to reach the Confederate steamer General Rusk, instead surprised and captured Royal Yacht at anchor off Bolivar Point after a sharp fight, then set her ablaze. The hull survived intact enough to be towed to safety by Confederate crews and repaired. Refitted for blockade running, the schooner was eventually recaptured by USS William G. Anderson in April 1863 and condemned by a prize court.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 40
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Charles Chubb (part owner); chartered by the Confederate States Navy

Loss

Date: November 8, 1861
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Outside Bolivar Point Lighthouse, Galveston harbor, Texas
Water: Galveston Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 1
Master: Thomas Chubb

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 29.36° N 94.78° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Bolivar Point, Galveston, Texas
Region: Texas & the Western Gulf

General area only: coordinate of Bolivar Point (outside which this vessel was lost, near the lighthouse), from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (82/100)

Naval History and Heritage Command, Royal Yacht
Build/charter details, capture, and later service.
Lieutenant James E. Jouett's official report, USS Santee, November 14, 1861
Primary account of the capture and burning.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Point Bolivar
coordinate of the named place of loss