USS Truxtun ( 1842 ) The first USS " Truxtun " was a brig in the United States Navy . She was named for Commodore Thomas Truxtun , and was an active participant in the Mexican - American War . The Ship . " Truxtun " was laid down in late December 1841 at Portsmouth , Virginia , by the Norfolk Navy Yard , launched on 16 April 1842 ; and commissioned on 18 February 1843 , Lieutenant George P . Upshur in command . Prewar History . On 16 June , " Truxtun " stood out of Hampton Roads for her first cruise . The brig reached Gibraltar on 9 July , received a visit from the American consul on the 16th , and sailed on the 18th to continue her cruise . On 26 July , she hove into sight of Majorca and , the following day , dropped anchor in Port Mahon . She remained there until 28 August when she resumed her cruise . During the ensuing month , the brig proceeded to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and visited several Aegean ports before putting into Constantinople on 29 September . There , she conducted several missions for the American chargé d ' affaires before departing the Levant late in October . Sailing via Port Mahon again , " Truxtun " left the Mediterranean in mid - November and headed for Norfolk , Virginia where she arrived on 28 December . In mid - January 1844 she moved to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , where she was decommissioned on 6 February . On 13 June 1844 , " Truxtun " was placed back in commission , Commander Henry Bruce in command . Two weeks later , she sailed down the Delaware River and passed between the capes into the Atlantic . After visiting Funchal , Madeira , the warship joined the African patrol . She took up station off Tenerife in the Canary Islands to begin duty suppressing the slave trade . For 16 months , " Truxtun " patrolled off the Atlantic bulge of the African continent . During that time , she visited Monrovia , Liberia ; and Sierra Leone as well as the islands of Maio , St . Jago , and St . Vincent . She also took at least one prize , a schooner which was outfitted and taken into the United States Navy as " Spitfire " . On 30 October 1845 , the brig weighed anchor at Monrovia , and she headed west toward the United States . On 23 November , she arrived at the Gosport Navy Yard where she was decommissioned once again on 28 November 1845 . Mexican - American War service . In mid - May 1846 , war broke out between the United States and Mexico . " Truxtun " was recommissioned at Norfolk on 8 June under the command of Lt . Edward W . Carpender . On the 15th , she passed El Morro castle and anchored in Havana harbor , Cuba . For the next six weeks , the brig operated off the coast of Cuba . On 2 August , the warship cleared Havana and , on the 9th , joined the blockading American fleet just off the Mexican coast at Sacrificios Island . On the 12th , Lt . Carpender received orders instructing him to relieve sloop of war " John Adams " on station off Tampico . Early in the evening on 14 August , the brig was heading north in a gale about 100 miles from her destination . She turned in towards land in order to be able to provision ashore the following morning . That maneuver brought her dangerously close to Tuxpan Reef , and she soon ran hard aground . The gale continued to blow and drove her harder upon the reef . Still , her officers and crew tried to free her and declined a Mexican offer to surrender . On the morning of the 15th , she dispatched one of her cutters to the anchorage at Anton Lizardo to seek help . Though stuck fast on the reef , the little warship refused to strike her colors and prosecuted the blockade to the best of her ability . On the 16th , she sighted a sail on the horizon . With the gale still churning the sea , " Truxtun " dispatched a cutter to investigate the stranger . The boarding party discovered that she was Mexican and promptly seized her . They sailed the prize toward " Truxtun " in an effort to help the stricken warship but could not get close enough to assist her . Lt . Carpender finally determined that further effort to save his ship would be fruitless . He sent some supplies to the men on board the captured Mexican and ordered them to Anton Lizardo with the prize and with a message indicating his intention to surrender to the Mexicans . After putting the Mexican crew ashore at Tuxpan , the prize headed for Anton Lizardo . En route , she encountered a schooner . A long sea chase ensued ; but , late in the evening of the 18th , " Truxtun ' s " prize claimed one of her own . With a prize crew of four on board the new captive , the two small ships set off for the American anchorage . Though they became separated in the night , both prizes reached their destination — the first , on the 22nd ; and the second , a day later . Meanwhile , " St . Mary ' s " had entered Anton Lizardo after having previously picked up the cutter and crew " Truxtun " had dispatched for help on the 15th . In response to the information given him by " St . Mary ' s " , Commodore David Conner , the commander of the Home Squadron , ordered " Princeton " and " Falmouth " to " Truxtun ' s " aid . " Princeton " hove into sight of the grounded brig early in the afternoon of the 20th and sent a landing party ashore under a flag of truce . The landing party learned that Lt . Carpender and the remainder of his crew had surrendered three days earlier . The following day , " Princeton " sent a boarding party to " Truxtun " ; but they did not succeed in getting on board until 22 August . Finding that the Mexicans had already taken most of what was salvageable , they took the rest and set fire to the ship . She burned to the waterline and was subsequently struck from the Navy list .