AH-WR-0564

Zavala

Sidewheel Steamer · Republic of Texas · Lost 1842 · Texas & the Western Gulf

The Texas Navy's first steam warship, run aground in Galveston Bay in 1842 after years of neglect and later rediscovered by Clive Cussler's NUMA team.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1836 in Philadelphia as the passenger steamer Charleston, the vessel was purchased by the Republic of Texas in 1838, renamed Zavala, and armed as the first steamship-of-war in the Texas Navy. She served in the 1840 Tabasco campaign but fell into disrepair from lack of funding. In May 1842 she was run aground in Galveston Bay to prevent sinking, and by 1844 she was broken up for scrap. Her remains were located in 1986 by a National Underwater and Marine Agency expedition led by Clive Cussler.

Vessel

Built: 1836
Builder: John Vaughan and Son
Yard: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Material: Wood
Length: 201 ft
Beam: 24 ft
Tonnage: 569
Propulsion: Steam, sidewheel
Owners: Navy of the Republic of Texas

Loss

Date: May 1, 1842
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Galveston Bay, Texas
Water: Galveston Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Archaeological site 41GV95; hull remains documented by underwater archaeologists in 1986.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1986
Protection: Texas Antiquities Committee archaeological landmark (site 41GV95)

Position

Coordinates: 29.57° N 94.94° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Galveston, Texas
Region: Texas & the Western Gulf

General area only: coordinate of Galveston Bay, the named body of water recorded as the loss location for this vessel, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)

Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas, Zavala
Build history, service, loss, and rediscovery.
National Underwater and Marine Agency, Zavala expedition records
Rediscovery narrative and vessel background.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Galveston Bay
coordinate of the named place of loss