On Saturday, April 22, members of the Hawkins Squadron visited the Spanish ship El Galeón at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston, and presented her master, Pablo Gonzales Nuñez, with a certificate designating him an honorary “Commodore” of the Texas Navy, and an engraved wooden plaque naming El Galeón as part of the squadron’s “Hawkins Fleet.” El Galeón is a replica of the 16th century Spanish merchant ship sailed by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (1519-74), a Spanish admiral and explorer known for planning the first regular trans-oceanic convoys, and for founding St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565.
El Galeón‘s officers also recieved a Texas Navy Association pennant and Texas Navy ensign, signed by members of the TNA Board of Directors at their last quarterly meeting. Pictured above are (l. to r.) Adm. Dennis Miller, Adm. Bill Rouse, Captain Gonzales Nuñez, Commander Paula Morris, Adm. Chester Barnes, unidentified Senior Bosun’s Mate, and Adm. Bill Turner.
You can read more about the event at Guidry News. Photo by Robert Mihovil.
Charles E. Hawkins Squadron 