AH-WR-1466

USS Firebrand

Naval Schooner · United States · Lost 1819 · The Gulf of Mexico

This New Orleans-based Navy schooner hunted Barataria pirates and smugglers along the Gulf coast before a night gale destroyed her at anchor near Pass Christian, killing 36.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Firebrand was purchased at New Orleans in 1815 to patrol the Gulf coast against piracy and to enforce federal revenue laws. She recaptured vessels taken by pirates near Isle Cayes, captured an armed schooner commanded by one of the Barataria pirates, and in 1819 seized smugglers' boats off the Sabine and the buccaneer schooner La Maison. On the night of 28 July 1819, while anchored near Pass Christian, Mississippi, to take on provisions, she was driven onto Square Handkerchief Shoal in a heavy gale and wrecked, killing 36 of her crew.

Vessel

Built: 1815
Builder: Not established
Yard: New Orleans, Louisiana
Material: Wood
Length: 70 ft
Beam: 21 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail, schooner rig
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: July 28, 1819
Cause: Storm
Location: Square Handkerchief Shoal, Mississippi Sound
Water: Gulf of Mexico
Voyage: Pass Christian, Mississippi
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 36
Master: Lieutenant T. S. Cunningham (earlier commander; commander at time of loss not confirmed in sources reviewed)

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Pass Christian, Mississippi
Region: The Gulf of Mexico

Square Handkerchief Shoal is named as the loss site but no surveyed wreck position is documented.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

The wreck's precise position and the identity of her commanding officer at the moment of loss are not established in the sources reviewed.

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (Naval History and Heritage Command)
Note: correct DANFS entry consulted was for Firebrand via mirrored archive listing; build, anti-piracy service, and loss circumstances, date, location, and casualties.