[1][2] The Texas Navy was officially formed in January 1836, with the purchase of four schooners: Invincible, Brutus, Independence, and Liberty.

Unlike Sam Houston, Lamar was an ardent supporter of the Texas Navy and saw the urgent need for its continuation.

[4] After the successful Texas revolt, other parts of Mexico had rebelled against the regime of Santa Anna, including the Yucatan peninsula.

[6] During the cruise off the Yucatan, Zavala never engaged the enemy directly, but she proved invaluable in the only action that the flotilla saw.

[6] Badly damaged, Zavala was laid up in Galveston harbor awaiting repairs, which due to the state of the Republic's finances were not forthcoming.

Clive Cussler, founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, located the hull of Zavala (archaeological site 41GV95) beneath a parking lot in the former Bean's Wharf area of the harbor in 1986.

In Clive Cussler's NUMA Files series of adventure novels, one of the main characters is named Jose 'Joe' Zavala after the ship.