USS Enterprise captures Tripolitan corsair Tripoli

Background. In 1801, payments demanded by Tripoli from the United States significantly increased. On 10 May 1801, Karamanli declared war on the United States by cutting down the flagstaff at the US Consulate. Although Congress did not vote on a formal declaration, it authorized the president to instruct commanders to seize Tripolitan vessels. This authorization allowed American ships to protect commerce and chastise insolence by destroying enemy vessels.

Prelude to Action. USS Enterprise, a 12-gun, 135-ton schooner built in 1799, had previously served in the Quasi-War. In February 1801, Navy Secretary Benjamin Stoddert recommended selling Enterprise to reduce expenses. However, she sailed from Baltimore in February 1801 for Mediterranean service. She reached Gibraltar on 26 June 1801, joining other American ships fighting in the First Barbary War, setting the stage for her first action.

Aftermath. Following the victory, Congress resolved on 3 February 1802 that Lieutenant Andrew Sterret receive a commemorative sword. The rest of Enterprise's crew received a month's pay. The action was described in the National Intelligencer in November 1801. Enterprise was later ordered to return to Baltimore with dispatches in October 1801, before resuming Mediterranean patrols in 1803.