Existing comment:
Taking on Tripoli -- August-September 1804
With Philadelphia removed, Commodore Preble determined on more forceful action to persuade Tripoli to free its prisoners and settle with the United States. On August 3, he launched an attack on the city. While the frigate Constitution used her heavy guns to reduce the city's batteries and bomb vessels lobbed exploding shells, American and Tripolitan gunboats dueled.
While dramatic, the Battle of Tripoli did not produce the conciliatory results Preble was hoping for. He agreed to another daring venture, this time using Intrepid as a giant bomb ... with disastrous results.
To the Shores of Tripoli -- April 1805:
Soon after the Intrepid explosion, a new commodore arrived [to] take command of the Tripoli situation. Samuel Barron continued the blockade, but ended naval assaults. He did sanction a plan to oust Tripoli ruler Yusuf Karamanli.
Meanwhile, American army and marine forces gathered in Egypt and marched to the city of Derna. The Navy provided support from the brigs Argus and Hornet and schooner Nautilus. Derna fell on April 28, 1805, after a fierce two-hour battle. Facing imminent overthrow, Karamanli accepted an offered payment and released Philadelphia's kidnapped crew.
The Tripoli Monument at the Naval Academy is the oldest military monument in the United States. It honors six young officers who lost their lives, including Richard Somers, commander of Intrepid. |