Within days, the corsairs had refloat- the Navy. Legend has it that he quashed by David Porter) and Ho rnet, commanded ed the frigate , recovered her guns from two mutinies during this time by himself by James Lawrence. The newly-formed squadron was instructed to proceed to the bottom, and moved her to an anchor- using just his fists. When the war with England began sea, double Cape Horn to enter the Pacific age closer to the fort defending Tripoli's harbor. They kept the battery loaded and in June of 1812, he returned to the Navy, Ocean, and rake British merchants and whalers. manned the ship with Now this man, a small crew of sailwho had previously ors. '/ lost two ships to the For the Amerienemy, spent time in can prisoners, life was foreign prisons, and hard. To his credit, been humiliated by a Captain Bainbridge foreign power, would and his officers did find his luck changtheir best to help their ing once again; in sailors until such time December of 1812, as the seamen were he commanded Conseparated from the stitution to her seco nd officers, but meager glorious victory over rations, abuse, ina Royal Navy frigcluding being forced ate, HMS Java. This to work as slave labor time (the third for the on what was known fledgling American as the "English Fort" Navy-Stephen D e(due to all the capcatur had taken HMS tured seamen forced Macedonian in single to build it), fo llowed "Philade/,phia at Tripoli, October 31, 1803" (Watercolor by Irwin John Bevan.) ship combat just a for nearly two years. Despite Captain Bainbridge's efforts to Lighten his ship, she remained hard aground few months befo re), Repeated bombardat the bow, vulnerable to attack from the corsairs. H e surrendered the ship and spent ment of Tripoli's the battle rook place most ofthe next two years in an Algerian prison with his officers and crew. harbor and fort by off the coast of South the American fleet, including USS Constitution and the fireship Intrepid (which, under the command of Richard Somers, exploded prematurely with the loss of all hands) , seemed to accomplish little in convincing the ruler to negotiate for the release of the Philadelphias. Ir would not be until the summer of 1805 that the Bashaw agreed to a peace with the American government and, after payment of ransom, the release of Bainbridge, his officers, and crew. Upon his return to United States soil, a court of inquiry strangely acquitted him of any blame for the disaster. Subsequently, Captain Bainbridge was given command of the Navy Yard at New York, but after nearly two years of captivity, his embarrassed circumstances obliged him to relinquish the command and rejoin the merchant service. In an effort to restore his personal prosperity, he spent most of the next seven years commanding merchant vessels, interspersed with short stints in various ass ignments in
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seeking a frigate command. He received, instead, command of the Navy Yard at Charlestown (Boston), Massachusetts. He was still commanding the Navy Yard in August of that year when Isaac Hull commanded USS Constitution to a smashing victory over HMS Guerriere. Upon Hull's triumphant return to Boston, he learned his brother had died and requested a shore assignment, so as to properly serrle his brother's affai rs and provide for the widow and children. Hull suggested to Secretary Paul H amilton that he be allowed to exchange commands with William Bainbridge. Naturally, Bainbridge was only too happy to help our his colleague and return to sea in command of the most famous warship in the American Navy! Nor only did Secretary of the Navy H amilton see fir to approve the exchange, he made Bainbridge a commodore, giving him command of, not only, Constitution, but also the frigate Essex (a previous command for Bainbridge and now captained
America, where Commodore Bainbridge had established a rendezvo us with the other members of his squadron. After destroying Java and sinking the hulk, he determined that he should return to Boston, leaving Hornet and David Porter's Essex to fend for themselves. Captain Porter, who had not made the rendezvo us before Bainbridge's departure, subsequently fo llowed his original orders and took Essex around Cape Horn, making him the first American Naval officer to sail the route. He carried out his orders, sailed in the Pacific, and ravaged the British whaling fleet until the Royal Navy caught the American ship in a neutral port and pounded her into matchwood. Lawrence found a British naval brig in a Brazilian harbor, enticed her captain to engage in single ship combat with him , and, in a widely-acclaimed victory, turned the brig into a hulk in short order and then sunk her. He, too, returned to Boston a hero. By 1813 Commodore Bainbridge had resumed his command of the Charlestown SEA HISTORY 11 2, AUTUMN 2005