Home > Stephen Decatur

Stephen Decatur, Jr. ( January 5, 1779 - March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer notable for his heroism in actions at Tripoli, Libya and in the War of 1812.

He was born in Sinepuxent, Maryland, and was appointed midshipman in the Navy on April 30, 1798, serving in United States. His father, Stephen Decatur, Sr., was also a Naval officer, having commanded several ships.

He was active during the undeclared war with FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. over the next two years. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1799Events March 1 Federalist James Ross becomes President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate. March 7 Napoleon captures Jaffa in Palestine and his troops proceed to kill more than 2,000 Albanian captives. March 29 New York passes a law aimed at graduall. Given command of the brigIn sailing, a brig is a vessel with two masts at least one of which is square rigged. In modern parlance, a brig is square rigged on both masts, and this is the standard name for such a vessel. Previously, brig has been used as an abbreviation of briganti ArgusThe first USS Argus was a brig in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. Argus was laid down as Merrimack on 12 May 1803 at Boston, Massachusetts, by Edmund Hartt; renamed Argus on 4 June 1803; and launched on 21 August 1 in 1803Events January 30 Monroe and Livingston sail for Paris to discuss, and possibly buy, New Orleans. They end completing the Louisiana Purchase. February 24 The Supreme Court of the United States, in Marbury v. Madison establishes the principle of judicial r, he took to the Mediterranean for warFebruary 16, 1804 by Edward Moran, painted 1897, depicts a naval action of the First Barbary War . The First Barbary War ( 1801 1805, also known as the Barbary Coast War or the Tripolitan War was one of two wars fought between the United States of America service against Tripoli. Once in the combat zone, Lieutenant Decatur commanded the schoonerA schooner is a type of sailing ship characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. Schooners were first used by the Dutch in the 16th or 17th century, and further developed in North America from the time of the American Revolution. Enterprise and, on 23 December 1803, captured the enemy ketch Mastico. That vessel, taken into the U.S. Navy under the name Intrepid, was used by Decatur on 16 February 1804 to execute a night raid into Tripoli harbor to destroy the former U.S. frigate Philadelphia, which had been captured after running aground at the end of October 1803.

This daring and extremely successful operation made Lieutenant Decatur an immediate national hero, a status that was enhanced by his courageous conduct during the 3 August 1804 bombardment of Tripoli. In that action, he led his men in hand-to-hand fighting while boarding and capturing an enemy gunboat. Decatur was subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain, and over the next eight years had command of several frigates.

On October 25, 1812, now commanding United States, he captured HMS Macedonian. In 1814 he flew a pennant as Commodore commanding USS President and three smaller vessels in the West Indies. Unfortunately he fell in with the British West Indies Squadron January 15, 1815, and had to surrender President after a fierce fight.

In May 1815, Commodore Decatur sailed his squadron to the Mediterranean Sea to conduct the Second Barbary War, which put an end to the American practice of paying tribute to pirate states.

Between 1816 and 1820, Decatur was a Navy Commissioner .

In 1820, Commodore James Barron challenged Decatur to a duel. They fought in Bladensburg, Maryland, on 22 March 1820. Decatur was mortally wounded and died shortly afterwards.

Decatur is famed for his toast "Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong."

Five U.S. Navy ships have been named in his honor, along with numerous locations.

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.