Action of 22 June 1803 1803
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 22 June 1803 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1803 | 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 | 32.9022, 13.1858 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The action of 22 June 1803 was a naval battle between the United States Navy and the Tripolitan Navy during the First Barbary War. Two ships from the American squadron blockading Tripoli, USS John Adams and USS Enterprise, met and engaged a Tripolitan polacre along with nine gunboats. After fighting a sharp action for forty-five minutes, the gunboats veered off, and the polacre was abandoned. The Tripolitians later retook the polacre and were reengaged by the Americans before the vessel was destroyed in a large explosion.
The destruction of the Tripolitan polacre was a great victory for the American navy. Unfortunately for the Americans, this victory convinced the US commodore, Richard Valentine Morris, that the blockade of Tripoli was no longer needed, and four days later, he raised the blockade headed towards Malta, allowing the Tripolitans to regroup and attack US merchant ships. His action angered the US president, Thomas Jefferson, and removed him from his command.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Action of 22 June 1803 (revision 1370426265), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Second Battle of Tripoli Harbor 1804 · 0 km
- Battle of Tripoli (2011) 2011 · 0 km
- Siege of Tripoli (1551) 1551 · 0 km
- 2025 Tripoli clashes 2025 · 0 km
- First Battle of Tripoli Harbor 1802 · 1 km
- Battle of Tripoli (1911) 1911 · 2 km
Other battles of the First Barbary War
- Action of 1 August 1801 1801
- First Battle of Tripoli Harbor 1802
- 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