Tripoli was/is on the coast of north Africa.  Libya sounds about right.

Similarities with War of 1812 are that the Constitution class frigates 
were main characters in both stories.  (Class may have been 
Constellation, not sure.)  The frigates in the class were the 
Philadelphia, (burned by U.S. Marines in Tripoli after it had run 
aground and been captured), the Chesapeak (captured by the Brits in the 
War of 1812, the Constellation, the Constitution, the President and the 
United States.  (This is all from memory, so take off them boots when 
you jump on me.)

These ships were a pack of trouble for anyone who had to deal with them 
from an adversarial point of view, including the French (Undeclared War 
with, immediately after the Revolution), the pirates in the Caribean, 
the Brits in the War of 1812, slavers and of course the Barbary 
Pirates.  They generally were faster than comparable european naval 
vessels, manned by crews who were volunteers and had a high level of 
seamanship skill, carried a half dozen or more cannon than their 
european counterparts, the cannon had longer ranges, the cononeers did 
not consider war a gentlemanly occupation, and therefore did not object 
to the use of chain shot or bar shot.  Also, the marines on board were 
sharp shooters with rifles, and did not consider it unfair to aim at 
specific officers on opposing vessels...like the competant ones.

All of that would have been enough to cause some headaches.  But the 
Brittish had at least two more disadvantages.  As the ruler of the 
seas, their officers considered it there duty to engage any enemy ship 
of the same class.  Each time a one on one engagement was arranged, 
(except for the Chessapeak incident), the U.S. Vessel would stay out of 
range and pound the living ____ out of the opponent.  And of the 
Brittish navy could never get their crew numbers up to where they 
needed to be to fight those ships effectively.   There attempt to get 
those numbers up was one of the reasons given tot he public for the war.

Check out the the losses on U.S. ships of the period relative to their 
opponents.  Its kind of one sided.

It seems to me I'm forgetting at least one of those frigates' name.


On Sunday, August 17, 2003, at 11:59  AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> In a message dated 8/17/2003 8:01:59 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Hey, Ralph - the shores of Tripoli are in Lebanon (the country in the 
> ME) - whats the connection to the war of 1812 in your mind?
>
>
>
> Jim,
>
> The shores of Tripoli are in Libya  (I think;  having been found to be 
> more in error of late than I prefer, I am a little timid [or teapot] 
> today).
>
> I thought (mistakenly, it would appear) that the connection between 
> the Shores of Tripoli and the War of 1812 was that TWET included the 
> unpleasantness with the Burberry Concrete-Pouring Pyrates, who were 
> based on the shores of Tripoli (formerly, I think, Tripolitania).  But 
> evidently those were discreet conflicts.
>
> I hang my head in shame; however, my eyes have not turned brown.
>
> Ralph
John Callan, Architect, Inc.
Historic Preservation and Museum Services
784 Deerwood Circle
Lino Lakes, Minnesota  55014-5433

(651) 486-0890
[log in to unmask]