AH-WR-0578

Hannah Elizabeth

Schooner · United States · Lost 1835 · Texas & the Western Gulf

A gunrunning schooner for Texas's revolutionary army, chased aground at Pass Cavallo by a Mexican warship in 1835 and broken up in the surf.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Hannah Elizabeth, built in 1829 in Connecticut, was chartered in 1835 to carry munitions and trade goods from New Orleans to Matagorda in support of the newly formed Texian army, including supplies meant for Colonel Fannin's forces. On November 19, 1835, the Mexican warship Montezuma sighted and chased her along the Texas coast; she ran aground at Pass Cavallo while trying to reach the safety of Matagorda Bay. Boarded and partly captured after her crew jettisoned much of the cargo, she was recaptured by the small Texan vessel William Robbins when severe weather forced Montezuma to retreat, but Hannah Elizabeth herself rolled over and broke up in the breakers. Divers rediscovered and explored the wreck site around 1999–2001, recovering artifacts consistent with her cargo of arms.

Vessel

Built: 1829
Builder: Not established
Yard: Stonington, Connecticut
Material: Wood
Length: 67 ft
Beam: 20 ft
Tonnage: 74
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Chartered by Peter Kerr, Fernando de Leon, and Jesus Carbajal

Loss

Date: November 19, 1835
Cause: Grounding
Location: Pass Cavallo, entrance to Matagorda Bay, Texas
Water: Matagorda Bay
Voyage: New Orleans, Louisiana → Matagorda, Texas
Cargo: Muskets, field cannons, gunpowder, and ammunition (partly jettisoned before capture)
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Site explored by divers; artifacts recovered
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1999 (during a search for L'Aimable); further explored 2001
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 28.38° N 96.38° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Pass Cavallo, Calhoun County, Texas
Region: Texas & the Western Gulf

General area only: coordinate of Pass Cavallo, entrance to Matagorda Bay, the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, not a surveyed wreck position.