Something about a ship taken by arab's and sailed down to some port/castle/fort, marines invaded,got back there people and ship,and held the castle/fort for a week or something, untill washington denyed reinforcements.Anyone know this story?
Burning of the USS Philadelphia by Edward Moran (1897)In command of the captured and newly named ship, the Intrepid, Decatur used this vessel to capture and set afire the USS Philadelphia which had been captured by Tripolian forces after it ran aground on an uncharted reef on October 31, 1803. Deactur, with eighty volunteers from the Intrepid and the Syren sailed for Tripoli with the plan to enter the harbor with the Intrepid without suspicion for use to board and set ablaze the frigate USS Philadelphia. The Syren, commanded by Lieutenant Charles Stewart, accompanied the Intrepid to offer supporting fire during and after the assault. Before entering the harbor, eight sailors from the Syren boarded the Intrepid, including Thomas Macdonough who had recently served aboard the Philadelphia and knew the ship's layout intimately.On February 16, 1804, at seven o'clock in the evening under the dim light of a new moon the Intrepid, slowly sailed into Tripoli harbor, while the men hidden below were in position and prepared to board the captured Philadelphia. Decatur's vessel was made to look like a common merchant ship from Malta and was outfitted with British colors. To further evade suspicion, on board was one Salvador Catalono who spoke Arabic. As Decatur's ship slowly made its way into the harbor, Catalano called out to the harbor personnel in Arabic that their ship had lost its anchors during a recent storm and was seeking refuge at Tripoli for repairs. After obtaining permission, Decatur docked and tied the Intrepid next to the captured Philadelphia. By 9:30 the Decatur's ship was within 200 yards of the Philadelphia, whose lower yards were resting on the deck with its foremast cut away. The men were divided into groups, each one assigned to secure given areas of the Philadelphia, with the instruction to not use firearms unless absolutely necessary. Decatur had to casually position his ship close enough to the Philadelphia, allowing his men to board while not creating any suspicion. When the two vessels were finally close enough, Decatur surprised the few Tripolians on board when he shouted the order "board!", signaling the crew to storm the other ship. Without losing a single man, Decatur and 60 of his men, dressed as Maltese sailors or Arab seamen and armed with only swords and boarding pikes, boarded and reclaimed the Philadelphia in less then 10 minutes, killing at least 20 of the Tripolian crew, capturing one, and forcing the rest to flee by jumping overboard. Only one of Decatur's men was slightly wounded by a saber blade. There was hope that the small boarding crew could launch the captured ship, but the vessel was in no condition to set sail for the open sea. Commodore Preble's alternative order to Decatur was to destroy the ship where she berthed. With the ship now secure, Decatur's crew began placing combustionables about the ship with orders to set her ablaze. After making sure the fire was large enough to sustain itself, Decatur abandoned the ship and was the last American and the last man to set foot on the Philadelphia. While Intrepid was under fire from the Tripolians who were now rising to occasion, the larger Syren was nearby returning support fire at the Tripolian shore batteries and gunboats. Decatur and his men left the burning vessel in Tripoli's harbor and set sail for the open sea, escaping in the confusion. After learning of Decatur's daring capture and destruction of the Philadelphia Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson of Britain claimed that it was "the most bold and daring act of the Age."
