Storms of Amber, 1803, USS Philadelphia, after Achenbach

Storms of Amber, after Achenbach is In Progress. In 1803, the USS Philadelphia was run aground while chased Tripolitan gun boats along the Barbary coast. Captain Bainbridge immediately ordered his crew to unload the boat and reduce the draft--hoping the USS Philly would release from the shoal. Underfire they threw chests, cargo, cannons, and finally the entire foremast.

Unfortunately, the USS Philly was taken by the Tripolitans into Tripoli Harbor with Captain Bainbridge and the crew.

Captain Stephan Decatur executed a brazen night mission of the USS Philly and set it afire.

Captain Bainbridge and the crew were guests in the Barbary prison for 1.5 years. A $60,000 ransom set them free. (The USS Constitution cost $300K to build--$60K was a lot of money.)

Bainbridge went on to captain the USS Constitution, going against the HMS Java in the War of 1812. The remarkable resilience of this man cannot be comprehended by my first-world brain.

His is brave, and I hope he'd like this tribute to his skill and bravery.

In concert with in-depth research, I've taken a bit of license with USS Philly's wreckage.