USS Philadelphia burned 1804

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Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia, 16 February 1804

The capture of USS Philadelphia by the Tripolitans at the end of October 1803 seriously reduced the U.S. Navy's Mediterranean force and potentially increased the enemy's seagoing offensive power. Though it turned out that Tripoli lacked the resources needed to operate the captured frigate, this was by no means clear at the time, and Commodore Edward Preble began planning to eliminate the problem. The idea of recapturing the Philadelphia in Tripoli's well-fortified harbor offered little chance of success, but her destruction appeared feasible, if heavy losses by the raiding party were accepted.

There was no shortage of volunteers for this hazardous mission. Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, Commanding Officer of the schooner Enterprise, was appointed to lead the operation, which would be conducted using a recently captured local ketch that was appropriately renamed Intrepid. With a crew taken from Enterprise and the flagship Constitution, plus a Sicilian pilot who was familiar with Tripoli harbor, Decatur sailed from Syracuse on 3 February 1804. Storms kept Intrepid at sea for nearly two weeks, with her people enduring much from crowded circumstances, poor food and the generally filthy condition of their vessel.

On 16 February Decatur approached Tripoli, keeping all but a few of his men below decks to maintain Intrepid's appearance as a local trading vessel. That night, navigating by moonlight, he sailed into the harbor and, claiming to have lost his anchors, requested permission to tie up alongside the Philadelphia. This was granted, but the disguise was discovered as the two came close and an alarm cry rang out. Decatur immediately ordered his men to board, which they did so swiftly that the frigate's guards had no time to organize resistance. Most jumped overboard and swam ashore, while the Americans rapidly prepared to burn their prize. Less than twenty minutes later the Philadelphia was blazing brightly. Casting off just ahead of the flames, the Intrepid's men rowed out of the now well-lighted harbor, pursued by gunfire. The operation was a complete success: Philadelphia burned to the waterline and sank, while none of the raiders were killed and only one injured. In the words of British Admiral Horatio Nelson, this was "the most bold and daring act of the age".

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Remember, Africa Was the Original Front in the War on Terror
News media forgets U.S. military’s long history in Africa
Joe Trevithick & Lt. Col. Jason Nicholson
2/14/14

In November, Andrew Bacevich, a retired Army officer and well-known commentator on military affairs—and outspoken critic of U.S. foreign policy—wrote an op-ed entitled, “The U.S. Army Discovers Africa.”

More recently, Brookings defense expert Michael O’Hanlon said the U.S. needed to “step up [its] game” with regard to military engagement and assistance on the continent.

In light of this commentary, you could be forgiven for sensing “newness” in recent media coverage of U.S. military involvement in Africa.

 

(Snip)

 

Like it or not, for decades American economic security rested on the evil of the triangular trans-Atlantic slave trade, meaning that U.S. foreign policy from its very inception was economically, politically and militarily linked to the continent

As a result, trade on the high seas—and the freedom to conduct this trade—was of paramount importance.

Not surprisingly then, the first wars America fought in foreign lands and seas were against pirates in Libya—forever immortalized in the Marine Corps hymn as “the shores of Tripoli.” The Navy owes much of its very existence to the threat posed by these North African corsairs.

These operations in turn resulted in long-lasting relationships. Morocco was the first sovereign state to recognize the newly independent United States. The 1786 Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship is Washington’s longest unbroken foreign treaty.

 

 

(Snip)

 

Africa was essentially the original front on the War on Terror, but even after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the Pentagon declined to highlight operations there. The Sahel—that semi-desert region separating North Africa from the sub-Saharan portion of the continent—and the Horn of Africa were of particular concern.

Fear of what terrorists might be doing in the Sahel’s traditionally “ungoverned spaces” compelled the U.S. to form partnerships and otherwise setting up shop in Africa in 2002. With American troops chasing Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, this largely went unnoticed despite official statements and press briefings.

Given the generally low profile of all counter-terror operations outside the two major war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, it’s virtually guaranteed that any U.S. military actions in Africa will attract even less attention.

 

(Snip)