The Battle off Cape Gata, which took place June 17, 1815, off the south-east coast of Spain, was the first battle of the

Second Barbary War The Second Barbary War (1815) or the U.S.–Algerian War was fought between the United States and the North African Barbary Coast states of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers. The war ended when the United States Senate ratified Commodore Stephen De ...

. A squadron of vessels, under the command of Stephen Decatur, Jr., met and engaged the flagship of the Algerine Navy, the frigate under Admiral Hamidou. After a sharp action, Decatur's squadron was able to capture the Algerine frigate and win a decisive victory over the Algerines. Panzac, 2005 pp.270-271

Background

Stephen Decatur Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer and commodore. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County. His father, Stephen Decatur Sr., was a commodore in the Unite ...

's squadron had left New York on May 20, 1815, with orders to destroy Algerine vessels and bring the

Dey of Algiers Dey (Arabic: داي), from the Turkish honorific title ''dayı'', literally meaning uncle, was the title given to the rulers of the Regency of Algiers (Algeria), Tripoli,Bertarelli (1929), p. 203. and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 o ...

to terms for attacking American shipping. He reached the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...

on June 15, 1815, and began his mission. After learning that several Algerine cruisers had crossed the

shortly before he did, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr. decided to give them chase and cut them off before they could reach Algiers.

Battle

Commanding a fleet of nine vessels, he encountered the Algerine flagship ''

Mashouda The ''Mashouda'' or ''Meshuda'' was the Regency of Algiers, Algerian fleet flagship of admiral Raïs Hamidou during the Second Barbary War. Stephen Decatur captured her in June 1815 at the Battle off Cape Gata. This created a favorable American po ...

'' (also spelled 'Mashuda' or 'Meshuda') of forty-six guns off Cape Gata, Spain. Being heavily outnumbered the admiral,

Rais Hamidou ( ar, رئیس), plural , is an Arabic title meaning 'chief' or 'leader'. It comes from the word for head, . The corresponding word for leadership or chieftaincy is . It is often translated as 'president' in Arabic language, Arabic, and as 'boss' ...

, decided to try to flee to the port of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

, but was overtaken by the American squadron. After receiving damage from the and the admiral himself being wounded, the Algerines instead decided to change course and try for the safety of a neutral port along the Spanish coast. The ''Constellation'' and the sloop were able to close in and hammer the Algerine frigate. The Algerines resorted to replying with musket fire at close range, but Decatur was able to get his flagship, the , alongside the Algerine frigate. Firing a devastating broadside, the ''Guerriere'' crippled the enemy and killed the Algerine admiral. Decatur ceased firing, expecting the Algerine ship to surrender. Instead the Algerines continued to fight hopelessly with muskets as long as they were able. As a result, Decatur had the sloop fire nine broadsides into the ''Meshuda'' with disastrous effect. The bloodied Algerines then struck their colors and ended the battle. London, 2005, Chapter XI

Aftermath

Four hundred and six Algerines were captured, with most being wounded as well as thirty killed. The American losses were remarkably light, with only four dead and ten wounded (all on the ''Guerriere''). Most of the American casualties were due to a gun explosion, but a few were due to enemy action. After sending the captured frigate off to Cartagena, Decatur continued to cruise towards Algiers. However, his squadron encountered another Algerine cruiser off

Cape Palos Cape Palos ( es, Cabo de Palos) is a cape in the Spanish municipality of Cartagena, in the region of Murcia. It is part of a small range of volcanic mounts that form a small peninsula. The Mediterranean islands of Grosa and the group known as ...

. After engaging and capturing the cruiser Decatur was finally able to make it to Algiers. The loss of the ''Meshuda'' and Admiral Hamidou greatly weakened Algerine morale as well as their naval capabilities. Once the American squadron reached Algiers they met no further opposition and by a mere show of force were able to bring the

Dey Dey (Arabic: داي), from the Turkish honorific title ''dayı'', literally meaning uncle, was the title given to the rulers of the Regency of Algiers (Algeria), Tripoli,Bertarelli (1929), p. 203. and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 o ...

to terms, thus ending the war.

Bibliography

Url

Url
*"Victory in Tripoli", by Joshua E. London pgs, 237-239

References

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Cape Gata Cape Gata ( "cat cape", "falcon cape") is the south-eastern cape of the Akrotiri Peninsula on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located within the British Sovereign Base Areas, and is the southernmost point of the island. However, the ...

Naval battles involving Ottoman Algeria Conflicts in 1815 1815 in Africa 1815 in the Ottoman Empire July 1815 events