During the beginning of the Texas Revolution, a naval force was quickly assembled based out of Quintana and Velasco. Even before Texas declared its independence, in late 1835 the provisional Texian government adopted laws to create a navy, but its actual creation was carried out largely through the efforts of Quintana merchants Thomas Freeman McKinney and Samuel May Williams, who supplied much of the needed cash and personal credit. The first four schooners acquired—Independence, Liberty, Brutus, and Invincible—helped defend the coast during the revolution and the dangerous months following the victory at San Jacinto. During the revolution and the early days of the republic, Quintana and Velasco served as a principal base of the Texas Navy because of their position at the mouth of the Brazos River and easy access to areas settled as part of Austin's Colony. Later, Galveston was designated the navy's primary base because of its sheltered anchorage and growing commerce, but Quintana and Velasco remained critical strategic points on the vulnerable Texas coast.