Combat· First Barbary War
John Adams operations off Tripoli
Through the spring of 1803 the frigate USS John Adams operated off Tripoli as part of Commodore Richard Morris's squadron, engaging Tripolitan small craft and shore positions over a period of weeks, with Marines aboard taking part throughout.
This activity belonged to the war's middle phase, before Commodore Edward Preble arrived to take command and prosecute the campaign far more aggressively. The John Adams was among the ships present in late June 1803 when the squadron destroyed the corsair Meshouda, and the squadron's raids and engagements in this period kept up a steady pressure on Tripoli even before the heavier bombardments of 1804.
Podcast episodes on First Barbary War
Record no. 206