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The Battle of Tripoli Harbor was a naval blockade which took place during the First Barbary War between the United States Navy and the forces of Tripoli.
Commodore Edward Preble had assumed command of the U.S. Mediterranean Squadron in 1803. By October of that year Preble had begun a blockade of Tripoli Harbor. The first significant action of the blockade came on October 31 when the USS Philadelphia ran aground on an uncharted coral reef and the Tripolitan Navy was able to capture the ship along with its crew. In February, 1804, Stephen Decatur, Jr. led a small group of sailors into the harbor and successfully burned the Philadelphia denying its use to the Tripolitans. In July the Intrepid was packed with explosives and floated into the harbor with the intention of being detonated and destroying the Tripolitan fleet. The Intrepid was destroyed prematurely and little damage was done to the fleet in the harbor. The actions against Tripoli harbor continued to prove indecisive until September when Commodore Samuel Barron assumed command of the Mediterranean Squadron and focused the fleet's attention on supporting William Eaton's attack on Derne.
Several of the United States' early naval heroes served in the blockade including Stephen Decatur, William Bainbridge, Charles Stewart, Isaac Hull, David Porter, Reuben James and Edward Preble. Many of these officers would play a significant role in the upcoming War of 1812.
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