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DECATUR JUST DESTROYED PHILADELPHIA
Decatur promoted to Captain Preble was able to get to work on the
blockade without fear Not any easy job several factors worked
against himHarsh weatherDifficulty with suppliesMen quitting due to conditionsPaperwork
He was not a patient man and decided upon action
Borrowed small gun boats from the King of Naples Along with 100 men
His plan to attack Tripoli Aggressive or desperate move?
Fragile wooden ships against well defended stone fortresses
Aim not to destroy Tripoli Simply to force the Pasha to
count the cost of war and lower demands for peace
Once again Stephen Decatur was to play a major role
He was given command of the small gun boats
His duty to attack pirate ships in the harbor
As the bombardment form the large ships gave cover
He led his men in and managed to destroy several ships
Eventually he captured one Began towing it out as a useful prize Told that his brother had been mortally wounded Decatur abandoned the ship headed back to the battle Eventually killing the pirate captain that had
killed his brother
As autumn arrived Preble continued the attack He tried one last attempt to force a negotiation Filled the captured ship with explosive Now a 7 ton grenade Sent it to blow up in harbor Exploded just before entering the harbor
Despite setback Preble continued blockade But ended the attack
Short time after Samuel Barron his successor arrived
But Preble had left his mark and set the standard of behavior
Unrelenting in determination Courageous Leader Good leader and teacher of men Most of his subordinate became
major players in War of 1812
Samuel Baron arrived to take control of a fleet that had survived on the back of Preblerun down and worn out
Baron inspired the men and pushed them to continue the blockade
The winter weather was vicious and the ships and men began to deteriorate further
People on board and back in congress were not sure what to do
After Preble’s return to America he
Remained in the Navy
Was treated as a war hero
Offered the position of Secretary of War Declined due to ill
health Died 1807
Navy and congress wanted to continue but,
Thought the threat of blockade would compel the Pasha to negotiateThey were wrong
Thought a small force could blockade the portThey were wrong
Thought a blockade alone would workThey were wrong
Piracy still rampant and American shipping still being attacked
America was learning how to fight a naval battle from distant
It was a slow learning curve
Gradually the weather improved
But Baron’s health weakened
He moved to land and left Captain John Rodgers in command
Rodger’s leader in the Preble mode Active, brave, a good leader, and careful
with his crew
Each evening under the cover of dark he headed out in a small boat
Getting close enough to hear sentries talking
All the while taking depth sounding and charting the region
BEFORE BARRON RETURNED TO ACTIVE CONTROL RODGERS WAS APPROACHED BY TWO MEN
WILLIAM EATON AND JAMES L. CATHCART
Cathcart and Eaton men who had led interesting lives
Cathcart amongst first Americans to be taken captive by Arab pirates
Along with others paraded through the streets of Algiers to the courtiers
One expressed surprise that they looked a lot like Englishmen
After being given his flea infested clothing he was sent to work in the gardens of the Dey
Shortly thereafter sent to the harbor put in chains to be worked on defense construction
Gradually as slaves began to die or were exchanged he advanced his position
learned Arabic became a coffee-brewer then clerk to the harbor And finally to clerk of the bagnio galeria
The slave prison
As Clerk of the prison area allowed to open a tavern and keep ½ profits opened more taverns with the profits
After a while business acumen brought him to the attention of the Dey
Appointed chief secretary to the Dey And to better living conditions
As chief Secretary responsible for ransom negotiation Including his own
Finally sent to America by the Dey to arrange the final payment travelled in a boat he himself owned
William Eaton joined continental army at 15Set to washing dishes and doing
chores Quit and went home Attended college Taught for a while, tried politics, then
re-entered army After an argument with superior offices
Just avoided court-martial He was appointed American Consul to
Tripoli
Not a good choice Had “noting but contempt for
the rulers of the Barbary states”
From arrival he plotted and planned
1st plan Capture the Admiral of Tripoli Use him to entice Pasha on board
and….. No takers
2nd Plan 3,000 troops and a few cannon landed behind
Tripoli could take the city President nor Congress had desire to raise a
force of 3000 and send them overseas to fight 3rd Plan revolved around one man The Pasha’s older brother Hamet Who had fled Tripoli to Tunis when he
suspected an assassination plot
Eaton paid Hamet an allowance and began to get to work
His plan Get rid of Yusef
current Pasha
replace him with Hamet who would be friendly to America
Pasha found out offered his brother the Governorship of a city called
Derna and sent a body of 40 men
With pressure Eaton was able to persuade Hamet that his brother planned to kill him
But could not entice him to retaliate
Eaton became ill and left Tunis Hamet, in the absence of Eaton,
took up his brothers offer Eaton recovered returned to find
both Hamet and himself expelled from Tunis
Not deterred he suggested kidnapping Hamet on the sea journey to Derna
But, the captains “old women” as effective as “quaker meeting houses” could not be persuaded
Eaton and Cathcart headed of to Washington to gather support
Had to persuade Congress, President, and Secretary of
State James Madison that it was OK to use one brother
against anotherParticularly when one supported
America Madison, author of the bill of rights,
was finally convinced
“although it does not accord with the general sentiments of views of the United states, to intermeddle in the domestic contests of other countries, it cannot be unfair, in the prosecution of a just war, or the accomplishment of a reasonable peace, to turn their advantage, the enmity and pretensions of others against a common foe”
Other vocal supporter of plan was Preble eventually Eaton
returned to the Mediterranean.
After a long struggle Eaton persuaded the ill Barron to support his plan
Promised the use of the Argus and a small group of Marines under the command of Lieutenant Presley O’ Bannon
Hamet by now had fled in to EgyptA country wracked by conflict
Eaton was delayed and detained on his attempt to contact Hamet
Eventually came into contact with
Eugene Leitensdorfer Deserter from three different
armies Leitensdorfer promised that
he could deliver Hamet for $50
Surprisingly he did just that
After a chaotic, confused march over the desert
With his makeshift army of 400 Greek artillery unit Mounted Arabian cavalry Moors Frenchman Bedouins Austrians Italians And small group of marines
Eventually arriving outside Derna Eaton sent a letter demanding surrender Governor replied ending the letter “My
head or yours”
After an equally chaotic and confused battle
They took Derna At this time the Pasha began to have
second thoughts Asked if Americans would be willing to
discuss peace terms Answer Yes No more raids on American Shipping Return of captives For $60,000
Once Eaton learned of the peace he was furious
Our aim, he informed Barron, was “to chastise a perfidious foe, rather than to sacrifice a credulous friend”
also realized he had been abandoned in a dangerous position
silently took all Christians and Hamet out of the town under cover of darkness
leaving the town’s people to face the wrath of the retuning Governor
The war was over The United states Navy
retained a presence in the region
Insurance rates dropped for shipping
Things would flare up again during the war of 1812
As British again tied up US Navy and blockaded Mediterranean
INTO THE 20TH CENTURY
I’ll collect papers later
Asia Early 20th C China
in turmoil entered a civil
war end with a shift to
a communist government
dominated by Mao Zedong
The chaos of war saw the rise of yet another warrior
The pirate Lai Cho
San
Lai Cho San another on the list of female pirates alongside the two we have already examinedAnne Bonny Mary Read
Unlike these two women Lai Cho San was born into crime and piracy
we also have a real image of her
Her father was a mixed industry criminal
Running numerous gambling houses on land
And during the early 1900s a fleet of seven armored Junks
By the time we get our knowledge of Lai Cho San
She had inherited her fathers business and increased size of fleet to 12
A lot of what we know of Lai Cho San comes from the pen of western Journalist
Aleko E Lilius Journalist born in Russia who grew up in
Finland World traveler
1920s and 1930s found Lilius roaming North Africa, Asia and Mexico
In Mexico photographer accompanying the linguist Rudolf Schuller investigating American-Indian languages and dialects
Morocco among the souks and bazaars In post war Tangiers with smugglers
But Lilius… Also had a little of the Captain Johnson in him
After a number of incidents of piracy were reported in China he headed off
To get a good story And a little excitement
Date Ship Incident
Oct 4th 1921 San On (steam launch)
Pirates smuggled guns on board in a clock and stole all the money and jewelery from the passengers.
Jan 13th 1925 S.S. Hong Wa Pirates came aboard disguised as passengers and took 53,360 in H.K. dollars
Nov 15th 1926 S.S. Sunning One of the most famous incidents. Pirates seized the ship having got on board disguised as passengers. The crew were overpowered but later regained the ship at the expense of several dead. The ship had to be abandoned when the pirates set it on fire.
A few mishaps Lilius able to secure a translator and a period of time upon Lai Cho San’s Junk
Lilus described her on shore in the following manner:
What a woman she was! Rather slender and short, her hair jet black, with jade pins gleaming in the knot at the neck, her ear-rings and bracelets of the same precious apple-green stone. She was exquisitely dressed in a white satin robe fastened with green jade buttons, and green silk slippers. She wore a few plain gold rings on her left hand; her right hand was unadorned.
She told Lilius a little of her life Her father was born penniless but was “a brave lad, and probably ruthless.
He got into the good graces of a brigand chief”
Eventually taking over when the chief died became a strong and powerful leader in the
region Eventually dominating the region to such
a degree that he was appointed “Inspector” of the seas
by the local authorities Charged with keeping out other raiders
State sponsored protection racket?
Her father later died in battle Lai Cho San inherited the fleet of
seven Junks and then "acquired" a few more, and that
to-day she actually owns twelve large armoured junks.’
Lilius wrote that she was rich, probably rich beyond
comprehension. She owns a house in Macao which she occupies occasionally, but her home is in one of the villages on the West River.
after spending time with her
Lilius wrote of his experience
I sailed with Chinese Pirates
1st published by J.W. Arrowsmith in 1930
Reprinted Oxford University Press in 1991
A meeting with a mysterious woman pirate chief, Lai Choi San, with several thousand ruthless buccaneers under command, is described in the volume I Sailed With Chinese Pirates, which is published today by D. Appleton & Co. Aleko E. Lilius, English journalist, while traveling in the Orient, according to the publishers, succeeded in winning the confidence of this unusual woman, and he accompanied her and some of her desperadoes on one of their expeditions on a junk equipped with cannon. Mr. Lilius's publishers describe him as the only white man who has ever sailed with these pirates... New York Times Review 1931
Thought that Arthur Ransome Swallows and
Amazons Based Missee Lee
on book
Milton Caniff Author of Terry and the
Pirates popular comic strip of the
1930‘s used a glamorized
version of Lai Choi San, The Dragon Lady, as one of his main villains.
Interestingly we see social difference between the (alternative/sea) pirate life and the (normal/land) land life of Lao Cho San
In her dress and in her children a lilius writes what a different Lai Choi San ! Yesterday I had seen her in a white
satin robe, with green jade ornaments; to-day she was entirely transformed. Now she wore a jacket-like blouse and black trousers made of the strong, glossy material commonly used by coolies for garments. . .As soon as she stepped on board she kicked off her slippers, and for the rest of the voyage padded about bare-footed.
Without doubt clothing she now wore was more practical
It was also more piratical
She had shed the ‘normalcy’ and law abiding nature that she represented on land
You can also see the difference in the life she chose for her children (Land based)
‘One [the legitimate son of her first husband] was in Shanghai . . . [in] school. He was twenty now, and a fine boy. He was going to marry the only daughter of the richest man in Shekki. . . There would be a wonderful wedding with a dragon procession, and all the presents would be carried on lacquered trays along the streets of the city. There would be many, many dollars' worth of fire-crackers burned, too, and she would give him rich gifts of money, and her house in Macao to live in.
A second son – water based was going to be a sailor all
right. He was already in training on another of her junks. One day he was going to inherit all her ships and the "trade" He was a real little man, she explained, and a brave chap. He smoked like a man too. She did not want him to sail with her on her ship; it was better that he should stay away from his mother. But whenever the junks were in harbour at any of the islands she always had him brought over.
SON A Legitimate Land based Marriage to
daughter of land wealthy land dweller
Given a house in the city of Macau
SON B Illegitimate Sea based No talk of
marriage Hyper-
masculine – smoking, brave
Due to inherit the “trade”
Lao Cho San’s last reported battle December 1937 during Chinese-Japanese War Japan attacking China to gain land and sea
power Journalist described it thus On the one side were Japanese
Torpedo Boats of the modern sort. . . Each equipped with six cannon. On the other side were . . . Junks with strange sails . . . [By the next day] not only did the entire [pirate] fleet now lie on the ocean floor; but its captain had gone down with it
US Constitution
Article 1 Section 8 To define and punish Piracies and Felonies
committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water
October 11, 2001Washington, DC
Congressman Ron Paul
Presented Congress with the "Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001" legislation
designed to give President additional tool in the fight against terrorism
WWII
Supporting convoys in Atlantic
In December 1941 - first months of 1942 Goodyear blimp
Resolute operated as an anti-submarine privateer based out of Los
Angeles only US craft to operate under a Letter of Marque since the War
of 1812 armed with a rifle and flown by its civilian crew, patrolled the seas for
submarines
Pirate Radio 1950s
In the 1950's, music radio stations in Britain did not exist.
Literally no musical entertainment to be heard on the radio other than the BBC's 'Light Programme’
BBC's music shows mainly consisted of bland cover versions of popular hits played by the Northern Dance Orchestra.
Ronan O'Rahilley wealthy young
entrepreneur financed a record by Georgie Fame.
Attempts to obtain airplay for the record failed
decided to set up his own Radio Station
Set up Radio Caroline began transmitting on
Easter Sunday 1964
Broadcast from MV Frederica
located a few miles off the Essex coast.
Caroline immediately successful soon a whole fleet
of ships joined them.
Some even set up home on old sea forts in the Thames Estuary.
Marine Broadcasting Offences Act became law in August 1967
BBC launched it's national pop music station Radio One a month later.
Jump forward to 1990 Cologne, Germany First day of the Rhineland Carnival Luxurious old steam ship the City of Cologne
floats offshore
Used to take VIPs on tour of city A group of women suddenly appear on deck Dressed as pirates
Actions to condemn housing shortage
demand more rights for women in Cologne
After six days of negotiation Mayor hints that he may use force
to clear ship Pirates disappear Symbolism used to challenge for
equality
Founded 1999 by Rebecca Gomperts
to bring reproductive health services, particularly non-surgical abortion services, to women in countries with restrictive abortion laws.
Another group of women using the sea to defy land based laws are
Women on Waves