Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Shark (I)

Schooner:

Built at Washington Navy Yard

Launched, 17 May 1821

Commissioned, USS Shark in June 1821 at Washington Navy Yard, LT. Mathew C. Perry in command

USS Sharks' first assignment in July 1821 was to transport DR. Eli Ayers to Sierra Leone in west Africa

Shark returned by way of the West Indies to New York, 17 January 1822

Assigned to the West Indies Squadron, sailing 26 February 1822

25 March 1822, LT. Perry took formal possession of what is now Key West, FL.

Shark was next assigned to another cruise off the coast of Africa, returning to Norfolk, 12 December 1822

The ship returned to duty with the West Indies Squadron in February 1823

Returned to New York for repairs, 9 July 1823

Sailed from New York 5 October to determine if the area at Key West was fit as a place to establish a naval base

Returned to Norfolk, 16 November 1823 to debark the survey party

Repaired at New York, 13 May to 5 October 1825, returning to duty in the West Indies

Returned to Norfolk, 29 August 1826

Shark departed Norfolk, 28 November 1826, proceeding to the west coast of Africa to ensure liberated slaves were safely established at Liberia

Returned to New York, 6 July 1827

Shark next sailed 24 July 1827, to the Newfoundland fisheries to defend American interests

The ship next resumed her duties in the West Indies in October 1827

Reassigned to the Mediterranean in 1833

Returning to Norfolk, 24 March 1838

Shark next sailed for duty with the Pacific Squadron, 22 July 1839

USS Shark passed thorough the Strait of Magellan from east to west, 13 December 1839, becoming the first United States man-of-war to do so

For the next five years the ship spent most of her time along the coast of Peru to protect American citizens from civil disturbances

Shark overhauled at Honolulu before conducting an exploratory voyage up the Columbia River

Final Disposition, when re-crossing the bar at the mouth of the river, 19 September 1846, while outbound to sea Shark struck an uncharted shoal and was swept into the breakers by a swift tide. The ship was a total loss but her crew was saved.

Specifications:
Displacement 198 t.
Length 86'
Beam 24' 7"
Depth 10' 4"
Draft unknown
Speed unknown
Complement 70

Armament

ten 18-pdr carronades

two 9-pdr guns

Propulsion sail

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
	92k	Drawing by J.M. Caiella of the hull of USS Shark	Tommy Trampp
	76k	Watercolor by Gunner William H. Myers, of USS Cyane, showing the Squadron's ships sailing in line abreast, 1842-43. Ships are (from left to right): USS United States, USS Cyane (II), USS Saint Louis (I), USS Yorktown (I) and USS Shark (I) Copied from Journal of a Cruise on the USS Cyane, 1842-1843, by William H. Myers. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 54488	Tommy Trampp
	501k	Watercolor of USS Shark under way, by David Harrison Wright. From the Key West Maritime Historical Society.	Tommy Trampp
	273k	USS Shark circa 1846, U.S. Navy photo. Image from Flickr courtesy of Florida Keys Public Libraries photo # MM00000860x.	Robert Hurst
	214k	BW Photo of a watercolor of USS Shark crossing the bar at Lisbon, Portugal, by James Evans. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 108763	Tommy Trampp
	117k	Cannon recovered from the wreck of USS Shark. From the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum, Oregon.	Tommy Trampp
098625708 NH 42838	71k	Model of the schooner USS Shark built by Eliphalet Remington, Cazenovia Ship Studio, in 1937, for Miss Jane Perry Tiffany, granddaughter of Commodore Matthew C. Perry. She presented the model to the Naval Historical Foundation in October 1939. Photographed in October 1939. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo # NH 42838.	Robert Hurst
098625709 NH 42839	166k
098625710 NH 42837	79k
	233k	Model of the schooner USS Shark at the U.S. Navy Museum, taken, 27 December 2011, by Sturmvogel 66 (real name unknown).	Robert Hurst

USS Shark (I)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
The Original Cannon and the US Navy Schooner Shark

Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page

Back To The Old Navy" Steam and Sail Index

Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.

This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 3 December 2021