USS Essex may refer to:
, was a 32-gun sailing frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

 launched in 1799, participated in the War of 1812, and captured in 1814

• • Essex Junior
    Essex Junior
    The sloop Essex Junior, formerly the British whaler Atlantic, was captured by the frigate Essex, Captain David Porter, off the Galapagos Islands on 29 April 1813...
    
    , was a British whaler captured by Essex and put into service until recaptured in 1814

, was an ironclad steamer during the American Civil War and sold in 1865
, was a wooden screw steamer launched in 1876 and sold in 1930
, was an commissioned in 1942 and served through World War II, the Korean War, and Project Apollo before decommissioning in 1969
is an amphibious assault ship commissioned in 1992 and currently in active service

See also

• Essex (whaleship), the ship destroyed by a sperm whale