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The U.S. Navy History PodcastAuthor: Dale Robertson
Become a Paid Subscriber: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dale-robertson/subscribe History of the United States Navy from the Revolutionary War to Modern times. Language: en-us Genres: History Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Burning the USS Philadelphia: Stephen Decatur’s Raid on Tripoli Harbor (1804) and the First Barbary War
Sunday, 22 February, 2026
Dale and Christophe discuss the First Barbary War and the 1803 loss of the 44-gun frigate USS Philadelphia, commanded by Captain William Bainbridge, after it struck an uncharted reef while pursuing a Tripolitan corsair into Tripoli Harbor and was captured with more than 300 sailors taken prisoner. With the captured ship refloated and positioned under Tripoli’s harbor defenses, 25-year-old Lt. Stephen Decatur volunteers to prevent it from being used against the U.S. Navy. Using the captured ketch renamed USS Intrepid and disguised as a Maltese merchant vessel, Decatur leads 67 volunteers into Tripoli Harbor on February 16, 1804, relying on deception, silence, and hand-to-hand weapons only. After being allowed alongside and then detected, the Americans board, secure the deck in about 20 minutes with no American combat fatalities, and set the Philadelphia ablaze when escape under sail proves impossible. The Intrepid rows out as Tripoli’s defenses fire; the burning frigate later explodes, eliminating Tripoli’s prize and restoring U.S. naval honor. The episode explains how the raid reshaped perceptions of the young U.S. Navy, influenced naval doctrine on denying assets to the enemy, and became part of Marine Corps tradition (“to the shores of Tripoli”), while noting the war continued until 1805 and prisoners remained captive until later negotiations that included a ransom payment. The hosts also answer questions about the deception, likely multilingual communication at sea, and typical ketch crew sizes, and reflect on scuttling as preferable to enemy capture. In the closing tribute segment, they honor Fireman Third Class John Lammers of Osberg, Wisconsin, who enlisted in June 1918, trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and died of Spanish influenza at the Great Lakes Navy Hospital on September 25, 1918; an American Legion post in his hometown is named in his honor. The episode ends with listener contact information (email, X/Twitter, and Discord) and a request for ratings and reviews.
