AH-WR-0056

USS Alligator

Naval Schooner · United States · Lost 1822 · The Florida Keys

A U.S. Navy anti-piracy schooner burned by her own crew after grounding in the Florida Keys, giving her name to Alligator Reef.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

USS Alligator was a topsail schooner built in 1820 for the U.S. Navy's campaign against piracy and the slave trade in the West Indies. In November 1822, after her captain was mortally wounded in an engagement with pirates, the schooner ran aground on a reef in the Florida Keys. Unable to free her, the crew set her afire to keep her out of enemy hands. The reef where she was lost still bears her name.

Vessel

Built: 1820
Builder: Not established
Yard: Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts
Material: Wood
Length: 86 ft
Beam: 24.75 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: November 19, 1822
Cause: Grounding
Location: Near Alligator Reef, Florida Keys
Water: Straits of Florida
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: William Howard Allen (mortally wounded shortly before the grounding, in an earlier engagement with pirates)

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Scattered remains; stone ballast covers sections of wooden hull structure.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Position

Coordinates: 24.85° N 80.62° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Alligator Reef, Upper Matecumbe Key, Florida
Region: The Florida Keys

General area only: coordinate of Alligator Reef from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

The precise wreck site has not been conclusively confirmed despite archaeological survey work.

NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Build details, service history, loss circumstances.
National Park Service
Vessel history and service description.
Naval History and Heritage Command
Wreck site status and search history.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Alligator Reef, Florida
coordinate of the named place of loss