Archer was built in
Baltimore, Maryland at the Schott and Whitney shipyard. Originally called the
Galveston, she was rechristened in honor of
Branch Tanner Archer, a diplomat of the
Republic of Texas. She was the last ship of the Texas Navy to be delivered under a contract with the shipbuilding firm Schott and Whitney. She was constructed in Baltimore and was delivered on April 25, 1840. In response to the raids of Mexican generals
Rafael Vásquez and
Adrián Woll, she was commissioned in 1842. In April of that year she was sent to
New Orleans, Louisiana for refitting and re-arming, most of her guns having been transferred to the
Austin and the
Wharton. The
Archer was never sent to sea on a major cruise.
Transfer to the U.S. Navy When the United States formally annexed Texas on May 11, 1846, the
Archer was transferred to the United States Navy, which in turn sold the ship for 450 dollars on November 30, 1846. ==Commanders of the Vessel==