1950s
| Name, Age | Date | Species | Location; Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lt. James C. Neal, 26 | August 15, 1959 | Unconfirmed | Neal was free-diving with four friends in the Gulf of Mexico about 6 miles (9.7 km) off Panama City, Florida. Neal's friends surfaced and threw him a line after entering their cruise boat; Neal, however, failed to climb up. One of the men, Gary Seymour, 21, went back into the water to search for Neal, but was "attacked by two big sharks", managing to escape by hiding in a crevice in the coral reef. Navy divers from the U.S. Naval Mine Defense Laboratory found Neal's swim fins, face mask, and lead diving weights, all showing bite marks. Neal's swim trunks and parts of his undershirt were also found, bloodstained and ripped. His body was never recovered. Charter boat captain Charles House reported his crew baited and hooked two 12-foot (3.7 m) sharks some 300 feet (91 m) from Neal's last known location about an hour before he vanished. |
| Robert Lyell Pamperin, 33 | June 14, 1959 | Great white shark | Pamperin was free-diving with a friend, Gerald Lehrer, 30, for abalone at Alligator Head, La Jolla Cove, La Jolla, California. The men were 55 yards (50 m) from shore, diving at a depth of 36–42 feet (11–13 m); the water temperature was 68 °F (20 °C) with 23 feet (7 m) of visibility. Around 5:10 p.m., Lehrer heard Pamperin screaming for help, his thrashing body momentarily upright and waist-high out of the water before submerging. Lehrer dove and spotted a 20–23-foot (6–7 m) shark thrashing Pamperin in its mouth. Lehrer dove several times in a futile effort to scare off the shark before swimming to land. The attack was witnessed by several people onshore. An extensive search by police divers and the Coast Guard failed to recover Pamperin's body; only a single swim fin was found. He was seen being swallowed whole, feet-first. |
| Albert Kogler, Jr., 18 | May 7, 1959 | Great white shark | Kogler was killed while swimming in less than 15 feet (4.6 m) of water off Baker Beach, San Francisco, California. |
| William S. Weaver, 15 | December 13, 1958 | Tiger shark | While surfing near the Mokulua Islands off Lanikai, Oahu, Hawaii, Weaver was killed when his leg was severed. Rescue personnel recovering his body two hours later observed a 15–25-foot (4.6–7.6 m) shark in the vicinity. |
| Sailor from tuna vessel, 22 | December 12, 1958 | Tiger shark | A sailor who was cleaning the hull of tuna vessel No. 12, the Taiyo Marei, fell overboard at approximately 11:00 a.m. in Pago Pago Harbor, Tutuila, American Samoa. His body was recovered from the wharf at the Van Camp Seafood Company's tuna cannery with bite wounds to the left thigh and hip. |
| Angel Escartin, 35 | July 10, 1958 | Unconfirmed | Autopsy report concluded Escartin was bitten by a shark off Key West, Monroe County, Florida while still alive. |
| Rupert Wade, 57 | July 15, 1957 | Great white shark | Wade was killed while swimming in the surf at Atlantic Beach, Salter Path, Carteret County, North Carolina. |
| Peter Savino, 25 | April 28, 1957 | Great white shark | Savino was killed at approximately 1:30 p.m. while swimming with a friend, Daniel Hogan, 22, off Atascadero Beach, Morro Bay, California. After being swept out some 300–600 yards (270–550 m) from shore by a strong tide, the two started a swim back, though Savino began to tire. As Hogan towed Savino, a shark appeared and nudged Savino with enough force to draw blood. Aware of the imminent danger, the men started a furious race to shore, but when Hogan looked back to check on his friend, Savino had disappeared. The U.S. Coast Guard sent a launch to the area, and Executive Officer James C. Knight reported seeing a 20–21-foot (6.1–6.4 m) shark swim by, though by the time the crew had returned to the spot with armaments, the shark had disappeared. Despite the following day's search, Savino's body was never recovered. This attack bears similarities to the attack on Robert Pamperin in June 1959. |
| Sailor from tuna vessel, 28 | August 8, 1955 | Blue shark | A sailor received fatal bite wounds to the abdomen while taking a morning swim in Pago Pago Bay near the Van Camp Seafood Company tuna cannery, Tutuila, American Samoa. |
| Capt. Kosuo Mizokawa, 27 | January 6, 1955 | Unconfirmed, probably a tiger shark | Mizokawa was attacked after diving overboard and swimming near the stern of the Japanese-flagged trawler near the Van Camp Seafood Company tuna cannery in Pago Pago Harbor, Tutuila, American Samoa. |
| Harold Souza, 15 | July 26, 1953 | Tiger shark | Souza was killed while spearfishing off Maile Beach, Oahu, Hawaii. A 10-foot (3.0 m) shark was observed in the vicinity. |
| Leonard Gant | April 15, 1953 | Tiger shark | Gant was killed by a shark off McGregor Point, Maui, Hawaii swimming after canoe he was in became swamped. |
| Gordon S. Chun | April 8, 1953 | Unconfirmed, probably a tiger shark | Swept into the sea while fishing from shore, Chun's recovered body was mutilated by sharks. He may have drowned near Wailupe, Oahu, Hawaii. |
| Arthur Barry Lyle Wilson, 17 | December 7, 1952 | Great white shark | Wilson was attacked at approximately 2:00 p.m. while swimming near Lover's Point, Pacific Grove, California with a friend, Brookner W. Grady, Jr., 15. Wilson was some 25 yards (23 m) from shore in 30 feet (9 m) of water. Wave faces averaged 8 feet (2.4 m), with 6–8 feet (1.8–2.4 m) of visibility in the 55 °F (13 °C) water. Suddenly, a 12–15-foot (3.7–4.6 m) shark attacked Wilson, thrashing him and lifting him several feet into the air. Grady swam to his friend's aid and began gouging the shark's eye with a hunting knife. Four other swimmers helped pull the unconscious Wilson onto an inner tube, reaching shore some 20–30 minutes later with the shark circling the entire way. By then, Wilson had bled to death. His right leg was nearly bitten off in the attack; he also suffered a severed femoral artery, gashes to his left thigh, torso, and back, and a large chunk was torn out of his right buttock. The wounds suggest Wilson was bitten at least four times. The attack, which was witnessed by scores of beachgoers, is the first "authenticated" attack on the California coast. |
| Gerbacio Solano, 40 | December 3, 1952 | Tiger shark | Solano was killed by an extremely large shark described by witnesses as being in excess of 22 feet (6.7 m) while swimming from his fishing boat, setting nets, at Maile Beach, Oahu, Hawaii. |
| Shigeichi Kawamura | August 3, 1952 | Tiger shark | Kawamura disappeared while swimming between the Ala Moana channel and Kewalo Basin, Oahu, Hawaii. A shark bite was found on the right side of his body. |
| Male Pan Am pilot | 1952 | Unconfirmed | Killed while swimming near Key West, Florida, the man was bitten in the groin area. |
| Alejandro Nodura | June 25, 1951 | Tiger shark | Swept out to sea while fishing at Kapehu Beach, Hawaii, the victim was last seen in the shark's mouth. |
| Gilbert S. Hotta | January 16, 1950 | Tiger shark | While fishing, Hotta was swept into the sea by a large wave near Kahakuloa, Maui, Hawaii. Three large tiger sharks were seen in the area the day of the accident. His torso was recovered from a "huge tiger shark" caught there three days later. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Fatal, Unprovoked Shark Attacks In The United States