Action of 1 August 1801 1801
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 1 August 1801 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1801 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Libya | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | First Barbary War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Tripoli eyalet, United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 32.8762, 13.1875 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The action of 1 August 1801 was a single-ship action of the First Barbary War fought between the American schooner USS Enterprise and the Tripolitan polacca Tripoli off the coast of modern-day Libya.
As part of Commodore Richard Dale's Mediterranean Squadron, Enterprise had been deployed with the American force blockading the Vilayet of Tripoli. Enterprise, under the command of Lieutenant Andrew Sterett, had been sent by Commodore Dale to gather supplies at Malta. While cruising towards Malta, Enterprise engaged Tripoli, commanded by Admiral Rais Mahomet Rous. Tripoli put up a stubborn fight and perfidiously feigned surrender three times in an engagement lasting three hours before the polacca was finally captured by the Americans.
Although the Americans had taken the vessel, Sterett had no orders to take prizes and so was obliged to release her. Enterprise completed her journey to Malta and received honor and praise from Dale on her return to the fleet. The success of the battle boosted morale in the United States, since it was that country's first victory in the war against the Tripolitans. The opposite occurred in Tripoli, where morale sank heavily upon learning of Tripoli's defeat. Despite Enterprise's triumph, the war continued indecisively for another four years.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Action of 1 August 1801 (revision 1370425773), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Fall of Tripoli (1289) 1289 · 0 km
- Battle of Tripoli (1911) 1911 · 1 km
- Second Battle of Tripoli Harbor 1804 · 3 km
- Siege of Tripoli (1551) 1551 · 3 km
- Battle of Tripoli (2011) 2011 · 3 km
- Action of 22 June 1803 1803 · 3 km
Other battles of the First Barbary War
- First Battle of Tripoli Harbor 1802
- Action of 22 June 1803 1803
- Second Battle of Tripoli Harbor 1804
- Battle of Derna (1805) 1805
All 5 battles of the First Barbary War →
Browse more: battles in Libya · Africa · 19th century battles