USS Decatur, c. 1853

There aren’t any known photographic images of Texas Navy vessels, but this one comes close. This is a c. 1853 Daguerreotype of the U.S. 18-gun Sloop of War Decatur of 1838, designed by Francis Grice, who also designed the flagship of the Second Texas Navy, the Sloop-of-War Austin, that was built about the same time. The ships’ measurements were slightly different, but in general appearance they would have been very much alike. Original image in the collection of the George Eastman Museum, via The Daguerreian Society.