On the evening of Feb. 16, 1804, a damaged Maltese merchant vessel flying British colors limped into Tripoli Harbor — or at least that’s what it looked like. In fact, the ketch was USS Intrepid, bearing Decatur and 70 Navy volunteers. The small ship drifted up to Philadelphia as if in need of help, and 60 raiders quickly boarded the captured frigate, dispatching 20 of its Tripolitan guards with swords and knives so as not to alert defenders with gunfire.
The sailors hurried below decks, set fires that quickly began to spread, and then waited until they were sure the ship was doomed before scrambling back aboard Intrepid. The ketch raced toward the harbor entrance, with cannonballs and rifle bullets whizzing overhead, and somehow it emerged into the Mediterranean undamaged. No Americans were killed, and only one sailor was wounded. Decatur and his sailors had proven American naval power was a force to be reckoned with.
U.S. Navy Facts
Establishment: On Oct. 13, 1775, the Continental Congress created the Continental Navy. On that day, it authorized the purchase of two vessels — Andrew Doria and Cabot.
Disarmament: After the Revolutionary War, from 1785 to 1794, the Continental Navy was disbanded and its ships sold.
First warships: On March 27, 1794, Congress authorized the original six frigates of the U.S. Navy with the Naval Act of 1794 at a total cost of $688,888.
After that mission, Lawrence took command of Enterprise and distinguished himself in several battles with the Tripolitans. During the war, he also served as first lieutenant of USS John Adams, and in 1805, he piloted the small Gunboat No. 6 across the Atlantic into the Mediterranean, an extraordinary feat considering the boat was not made for a transatlantic crossing.
After the war with Tripoli ended, Lawrence was appointed first lieutenant on USS Constitution, followed by USS Vixen, USS Wasp, and USS Argus. When the War of 1812 broke out, he was given full command of the sloop of war USS Hornet. On Feb. 24, 1813, Lawrence engaged the brig sloop HMS Peacock off the coast of Guyana, and although out-gunned by the larger vessel, he sent it to the bottom with a series of broadside fusillades. At home, he quickly was becoming a maritime legend, but his impressive string of victories was about to come to an untimely end.
Date with destiny
Near the end of May 1813, in Boston Harbor, Lawrence was given what would be his last command, the 49-gun frigate USS Chesapeake. He found her crew inexperienced, poorly trained, and undisciplined, but the British had set up blockades of American ports up and down the East Coast, and Lawrence knew he would have to deal with them — no matter the state of his crew. On June 1, the inevitable showdown began.
SEPTEMBER 2013 MILITARY OFFICER 97
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