Today in History
February 16, 1804
Pirates of the Mediterranean
A sneak attack by U.S. forces sets fire to the USS Philadelphia, a 36-gun Navy frigate that had run aground and been captured by enemy forces off the coast of Tripoli (now Libya) in the Mediterranean. The ship had a short life; it was commissioned in April 1800 and served one mission in the West Indies before it was sent to help blockade the Barbary Coast of North Africa in 1802 as part of the four-year Tripolitan War. The war was sparked by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson's decision to stop paying Barbary Coast rulers for protection from pirates.
Today's Feature History Article
The Pirate Hunters
As buccanneering is back with a vengeance, stepped-up law enforcement and high-tech tools work to help protect shipping on the high seas
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