The surviving chronology is unclear because USS Shark did not officially commission until 1821, yet several sources place Farragut in a lieutenant's role connected with the schooner from 1819. He may have joined a party overseeing her construction. Matthew Perry became Shark's first commander when she commissioned, creating a plausible setting for the two officers to work together. That early familiarity helps explain why Perry later requested Farragut and trusted USS Saratoga to operate independently during the Mexican-American War.
Notable Point · 40:29-45:22
USS Shark begins a career-long Perry connection
Farragut's reported pre-commissioning work on USS Shark may have begun the professional relationship with Matthew Perry later visible in Mexico.