Decatur’s Bold and Daring Act: The Philadelphia in Tripoli 1804 (Raid Book 22)

Hortatio Nelson, himself one of naval history's boldest actors, called the burning of the frigate Philadelphia by the United States Navy in 1804 "the most bold and daring act of the age." It is one of the classic examples of a naval raid, a cutting-out action intended to deprive the enemy of a ship. It made Stephen Decatur a household name, both in Europe and the United States. This Raid title describes the mission to retake the Philadelphia, providing the necessary background to understand the raid and following Decatur and his party on a minute-by-minute account as he approached, took, and burned the Philadelphia. It is a worthy supplement to Osprey's other books about the Federal Navy, making it of interest to both serious collectors and new readers. Hæftet beskriver et af de mest berømte raids i begyndelsen af 1800 tallet. I gennem flere hundrede år har europæiske stater og USA været involveret i kampagner med Nordafrikanske sørøvere, kalder Barbariet, som først sluttede, da Frankrig besatte Nordafrika. Fra 1801 til 1805 var USA i krig med Tripoli i det nuværende Libyen. USA havde sendt en eskadre med fregatten Philadelphia som flagskib. Philadelphia var en af den tids mest moderne fregatter. Philadelphia gik den 31. oktober 1803 på grund ud for havnen i Tripoli under en blokade aktion mod havnen. Det var ikke muligt for de amerikanske at trække den fri inden araberne reagerede og endte med at erobre Philadelphia og tage dens besætning til fange. Problemet for amerikanerne var, at Tripoli med Philadelphia var stærkere end amerikanerne. Den 16. februar 1804 lykkedes det amerikanske krigsskib Intrepid under kommando af Stephen Decatur at liste sig ind i Tripolis havn og sætte Philadelphia i brand, så skibet blev helt ødelagt. Dermed fik USA atter overtaget og i 1805 blev der sluttet fred med Tripoli On a dark night in 1804, Lt. Stephen Decatur and a team of hand-picked men, slipped into Tripoli harbor in a small boat. Their target was the USS Philadelphia. Captured by the Barbary pirates four months previously, the Philadelphia had been refitted to fight against her former masters. Decatur's mission was to either recapture the ship, or failing that, burn her to the waterline. This book recounts one of the greatest raids in American military history, an event that propelled Stephen Decatur to international renown, and which prompted Horatio Nelson to declare it 'the most bold and daring act of the age'. INTRODUCTION......Page 4 ORIGINS......Page 7 INITIAL STRATEGY......Page 15 THE PLAN......Page 23 THE RAID......Page 33 AFTERMATH......Page 60 ANALYSIS......Page 64 CONCLUSION......Page 71 FURTHER READING......Page 74 GLOSSARY......Page 77 INDEX......Page 80 Cover; Title; Contents; Introduction; Origins; Initial Strategy; The Plan; The Raid; Aftermath; Analysis; Conclusion; Further Reading; Glossary; Copyright.