The Sea Hawk (1924) features five ships that were specially-built for the production at a reported cost of $250,000. This was done by outfitting the wooden exteriors of existing craft to the design of Fred Gabourie, known for his work in constructing props used in Buster Keaton slapstick films. The Moorish Galleass, The Spanish Galleon, and two English frigates called The Silver Heron and The Swallow.
The sailing ships were towed by a U.S. Navy destroyer, which also served the role of feeding the crews on all of the ships.
This film was restored and preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive and the Library of Congress.
In the 1925 movie The Lost World (1925), there is a shot of Piccadilly Circus in London in which the London Pavilion has a neon sign advertising FRANK LLOYD'S "SEA HAWK". This is seen after the intertitle "Later - In London", which immediately follows the expedition's South America adventure.