ship record
United States Navy · Pacific
USS Essex
Frigate and commerce raider
Essex rounded Cape Horn, attacked British whaling, operated from the Marquesas, and was captured near Valparaíso in March 1814.
Why this record matters
No other American warship makes the conflict’s Pacific geography so vivid.
Follow the evidence
Evidence behind this record
- The War in the Pacific, 1813–April 1814Naval History and Heritage Command · digital exhibition
USS Essex, Pacific prizes, Nuku Hiva, and Valparaíso.