Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade

Author:Brian Kilmeade
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

The Philadelphia Disaster

After giving up the chase in pursuit of the cruiser, striking on the rocks was as unexpected to me as if it had happened in the middle of the Mediterranean sea.

—Captain William Bainbridge, November 12, 18031

Cruising off Tripoli according to Preble’s orders, Captain William Bainbridge met up with no pirate ships for nearly the entire month of October. The few suspicious ships sighted remained out of reach, staying within the protection of the gun batteries that lined the city walls overlooking the harbor.

At nine o’clock on the morning of October 31, some fifteen miles east of Tripoli, a suspicious sail was sighted near the coast, headed for Tripoli. The Philadelphia gave chase. As if to taunt the much larger warship, the unidentified vessel hoisted the Tripolitan colors; it was a Barbary ship trying to slip the blockade, and now the race was on.

The Philadelphia was soon at full sail. Though well offshore, Bainbridge aimed to cut off the smaller vessel before she reached port. Increasing speed, the Philadelphia gained on the corsair and, as eleven o’clock neared, Bainbridge judged the little ship might be within range. He ordered the firing of the cannon mounted at the front of the ship. Wary of the unfamiliar waters off Tripoli—other American captains had reported uncharted obstacles and unpredictable winds near shore—three sailors took repeated depth soundings. They reported a depth of forty feet and more, roughly twice the draft of the Philadelphia. The ship was in no danger.

The American gunners kept a constant fire as they chased the ship. By eleven-thirty, the city grew closer and the fortress walls could be plainly seen. Rather than put his ship at risk of coming within range of the shore guns, Bainbridge reluctantly ordered the helmsman to change course. To his frustration, he had to accept that he could not overtake the Tripolitan pirates, and the Philadelphia began a long, slow turn into the wind, away from the city. The chase was over, and the pirates would go unpunished.

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