When Mexico ruled the waves

April 1843: A small plotilla ships travel on the beach of the Ugadon Peninsula separated from Mexico. The ships fly the Mexican flag, and their purpose is to fight the Texas naval ships, and later in the region.

In 1843, Mexico is fighting the economy of freedom of freedom, political instability and suppression. However, in the center of the Mexican army, Quadaloop and Mogdezuma are the world’s most modern ships. The story of both technology and politics is how these ships came to the Mexican Navy.

The crisis of the 1840s

In the middle of the 1800s there was a turbulent time around the Gulf of Mexico, and today the boundaries we recognize have not yet been established. Texas has been independent for just seven years, whether it will be incorporated by the United States, continued as an independent nation, or confrontation with Mexico. The Mexican government has seen enemies on all sides: the US to the north, Texas And their Philiposters. There were the imperialist forces that threatened France throughout the Atlantic, It hit Mexico in 1839And England, which had a colony on the Southern Ukadan Peninsula. Spain tried to rebuild Mexico in the 1820s, and only recognized the freedom of Mexican in 1836.

Then there were internal enemies. In 1835, Texas split from Mexico in the midst of federalism and separatist movements, which were installed by the establishment of the Central Republic in 1835, a few years later, the Yukadan followed. In October 1841, State Representatives declared independence, Establishment of Urukadan Republic for the second time. The two separate republics made a contract: the Texas Naval UK will protect the sea from the Mexican Mexican attacks, and the Ugadon Texas will pay US $ 8,000 a month in exchange.

Mexico needed a modern, professional army to defend itself and to regain its insurgents, and the threat put forward by Texas and Yukadan in the Gulf in the Gulf, the country needs a new navy in a hurry. It left Mexico in a weak position In 1839 Frenchmen attacked Varagruz and captured their navy. The government of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who returned to power in the same month of the independence of Ugadan, must rebuild its fleet with a limited fund. However, they did not need a large ships, and they went shopping for cheap replacement on small ships.

Revolution in the Shipment Building

This is the right time to be on the market because three new technologies revolutionize the ship building: Iron Hall, Steam Machine and Gunnels thrown bombs. If these technologies work, the big warships will no longer sit when the air falls. They no longer have to beat each other after an hour with artillery balls. The maneuver and destruction will reach new conditions.

Many British companies were experimenting with steam ships. However, the person who finally ties the iron and steam together John Laart. He fled the law to join the family company that created steel boilers. He found the same technique used to make boilers to build a ship’s crust. However, the fact that iron would be a better ingredient: the experience of the centuries has turned the wooden warship into an incredibly difficult construction, while the early tests suggested that iron plating, especially in the artillery balls, did not support artillery balls.

Steam engines also caused difficulties: early designs swallowed at the rate of coal. Like any new technology, steam engines were attached. As a result, the first steam ships carried a full sailor, and the two of these must be broken to save coal and backup when the favorable air was. Also, the first steam ships are operated by paddles; Large, brittle objects sitting in the middle of the ships, where they may be affected. Nevertheless, the benefits of steam were more or less clear to release a ship from unpredictable air.

Mexico buys a fleet

Layt, who created some small steam -driven ships, took a casino and started work on a large ship. When finished, he will be 183 feet long with 878 tonnes of space. Hull is worn in iron, and she will be operated by steam through large side paddles. While the British Navy was not interested in buying his ship, Learard welcomed an overdose from the Mexican government. As far as Firebower is concerned, the Mexican people returned to France, where the fleet is now using the pixons rifle, which threw the first explosive bombs in a new generation of weapons. While working on the Ship Building at Laird, which now dubbed Quadalup, he discovered the second steam -powered paddle ship built in the Blackwall yard of London. She was also bought and named Moptezuma.

The procurement made a diplomatic Rambas, and William Kennedy, the Republic of the Republic of Texas in London, opposed the British government. After considering the struggle, it approved the sale of British vessels as business vessels, and they are fully aware that the guns carried in the Hels will be fitted when they passed the Atlantic. Britain was walking in a better order to be neutral.

The issue was brought before the English courts when the texans learned that the ships were not only sold to Mexico, but also when the texans knew that British authorities should command them. The sale, Texas, was a violation of the Foreign List Act, which provided armed ships to war against a country in peace with the UK. Customs officials detained the quadoloupe until the issue was resolved. British officials have ordered that if the big guns have been removed and the crew cuts a business ship, he will be free to travel.

War in the Gulf

Under the command of Captain Edward Charloud, when Quadaloop traveled on July 4, 1842, his crew was still uncertain about their goal, although they seem to be expected to be China. On July 18, it was reported for the first time that they were going to Mexico to team members while at sea. “The place is besieged by a collection of half -ethnicity that calls themselves Texans,” Charloud said. “I am determined to break my way.”

In Mexico, negotiations between the national government and the Yukatcons in the Republic were only on the condition that the UK could retain a level of autonomy, including the possibility of trade ties with Texas. In August, Santa decided to take the Peninsula again with a strength and sent ships to capture the Chidat Dell Garmen.

Moptezuma finally before the month of December. In January, he began to carry the Mexican troops from Varagruz to Yukadan, at one point to board the Texon ship.

Texans have taken care of Mexico’s new ships with bookings, not sure that Mexico is not planning a coastal attack on their young nation. The Texon Navy is not better than the Mexican people, and of course there is no better financing. In fact, they had only two ships at any level, the slope of the war Austin And brig Warden. Texas’s second president Sam Houston was elected in December 1841, and from the beginning, he opposed the security agreement with Ugadan. C.The Texas Naval has been transformed into unlikely and expensive and ordered the Houston Naval to be sold again to the port. This is unacceptable Texas Commodore Edwin Ward MooreHe made a huge personal debt that he tried to float the navy.

As his forces diminished, Moore found a solution to save his ships: he made a contract in which the Urukkans would pay directly to protect the Peninsula. Moore ignored his own government and traveled to the Mexican naval blockade of the port of Kampech in the spring of 1843.

The war of the Campech

Mexican heard that Moore came from Ugadan beach and came in search of him. In addition to their two steam ships, the Mexican Navy sent four sailing ships. The Texon Navy reached the coast of the Navy, which traveled south of the mild wind, to find out that Mexican ships were found 50 kilometers away. Come day on April 30, Texans saw the Mexican swimming towards them.

Texans were very aggressive – expected, because their commander had violated his own president there – while Mexican was fully used to the movement given by Mexican’s steam engines. They kept texans in the distance and they turned into air whenever they wanted to break the action. There was an hour long firing, but the wind was falling in the morning, which made the task of texons even more difficult. As for the Mexican people, the fuses of pixhans bombs have proved frustrating, and many are not explosive. One day of fighting was undoubtedly.

On May 16, when the texans were approaching, the navy crashed back when two Mexican ships suffered heavy casualties. Commander Charloud, who is in charge of Quadalub, felt his ship was standing well. Quadaloop, later he wrote, was attacked six times without any major damage and created a good gun base. He wrote that their accurate shooting was that Austin was expelled out of war. At this point the two sides broke up and traveled home, where the ships could be repaired. Upon their return, the texans were welcomed as heroes, and the court-Kamador Moore was stealthily destroyed.

Two Mexican Steam Ships continued to serve, but when the Ukadan moved to rejoin the Republic, they were no longer needed. 1847-1848 When Mexico needed funds during the war against US Spanish Navy And awarded Cuba. Renewed as Castilla and Leon, they will see more measures in the Mediterranean. It was a surprising long life for ships that pionee such new technology, and made the Mexican fleet the most modern in the world for a while.

Bob Batman The historian, the librarian and the life of Mexico -based historian. He is the teacher In the newspaperHashing International Historical Magazine.