On September 28, 1839, the sloop-of-war H.M.S. Racer encountered a hurricane in the Caribbean and ran with the storm until it reached the Yucatan Peninsula four days later.
The storm would become known as the Racer’s Hurricane of 1837 and would be one of the most destructive and famous storms of the century.
It would cross the Yucatan Peninsula and emerge in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico then stall off the Mexican coast.
The storm would then move northeast slowly, curving along the entire Gulf Coast until it made final landfall between Mobile and Pensacola on the morning of October 7.
Damage was extensive all along the track, including Galveston and New Orleans, with damage reported a far east as St. Joseph, Florida.
Racer’s Hurricane would add another footnote of infamy as it passed offshore into the Atlantic on October 8th. The rejuvenated hurricane wrecked the paddle wheeler “Hope” off of Cape Hatteras. Ninety passengers, including many women and children were drowned in the heavy seas.
Only two life preservers were on board the ship. The disaster would lead to a law requiring all American vessels to carry one life preserver for each passenger.
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