| Unit Name: | Mediterranean Squadron |
| Dates: | 1801–1865 |
| Branch: | United States Navy |
| Type: | Naval squadron |
| Garrison: | Mahón (1815–1840) |
The Mediterranean Squadron, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was part of the United States Navy in the 19th century that operated in the Mediterranean Sea. It was formed in response to the First and Second Barbary Wars. Between 1801 and 1818, the squadron was composed of a series of rotating squadrons. Later, squadrons were sent in the 1820s to the 1860s to suppress piracy, primarily in Greece and to engage in gunboat diplomacy.[1] In 1865 the force was renamed the European Squadron.
See main article: First Barbary War. The Barbary pirates' seizure of American merchant ships went back to just after the victory over Great Britain in 1783. When the Dey of Algiers demanded tribute, the Americans refused and thus began a long series of conflict between the Barbary states and the United States lasting from the 1780s to 1815. The Mediterranean Squadron was created for the protection of American merchant ships sailing in Mediterranean waters.The first squadron sent was under the command of Commodore Richard Dale. His command included the frigates,, and as well as the sloop-of-war and the schooner . During the squadron's deployment from 1801 to 1802, it operated by convoying merchant ships. Commodore Dale did not have orders to capture enemy vessels and could only respond to the North African's attacks if fired upon first or if coming to the aid of a merchant ship. On August 1, 1801, the twelve gun schooner USS Enterprise under the command of Lieutenant Andrew Sterett encountered the fourteen gun Tripolitan polacca named Tripoli. USS Enterprise captured Tripoli after a long and bloody fight but because the squadron could not legally make a prize of the ship, it was stripped of its fighting capabilities and released.As attacks on merchantmen continued, the United States government eventually authorized the United States Navy to send a second squadron to blockade Tripoli and attack their ships. In May 1802 Captain Daniel McNeill in USS Boston assisted two Swedish frigates in a battle while blockading Tripoli. In the action several Barbary vessels sortied and the Americans and Swedish frigates fought off the attack which then forced the Tripolitans back into harbor. In June 1803, USS John Adams and USS Enterprise defeated nine enemy gunboats and a polacre near Tripoli. The polacre was sunk and the gunboats forced to flee, the Americans suffered no casualties. The second squadron returned to the United States in 1803 and that same year another force was sent and operated until 1804. On October 31, 1803, USS Philadelphia grounded on a reef just off Tripoli Harbor. Under heavy fire from enemy shore batteries the Americans attempted to refloat their ship but she was hard aground. When Tripolitan gunboats approached for her capture, her commander surrendered his ship and was made a slave along with the crew. Philadelphia was then manned by the Tripolitans as a sort of harbor defence until February 16, 1804. On that night Lieutenant Stephen Decatur in the ketch boarded and recaptured Philadelphia and scuttled her by fire. This was the most remembered action in the battle for Tripoli. Decatur became famous immediately after this and had a long career of serving the American navy with distinction. He later commanded American forces during the Second Barbary War in 1815.
At the final engagement of the war in April and May 1805, the brig, the schooner and the sloop provided gun support for ten American marines and soldiers leading a mercenary army against Derne. During the battle the Mediterranean Squadron vessels under Oliver Hazard Perry bombarded the city while the land forces besieged the Tripolitan garrison. When the city finally fell, the Dey of Algiers surrendered and the First Barbary War was over.
See main article: Second Barbary War. The Mediterranean Squadron continued to operate until 1807. That year the squadron was withdrawn which tempted the Barbary corsairs to attack American ships again. It was not until the end of the War of 1812 in 1815 that the United States Navy resumed operations against the Barbary coast. Now a commodore, Stephen Decatur led the main squadron of ten vessels including the frigates,,, the sloops and, the brigs,, and the schooners and . A second force under Commodore William Bainbridge included the ship of the line, the frigates, and with eight smaller vessels but these warships did not see combat. Only two battles were fought during the Second Barbary War. Decatur's squadron captured the Algerian flagship Mashouda of forty-six guns off Cape Gata on June 15 and later defeated the twenty-two gun Estedio off Cape Palos on June 19. After, the squadron arrived at Algiers and prepared for battle but before fighting began the enemy surrendered and the short war came to an end.
Commanded by Commodore Richard Dale. Deployed in 1801, and returned to the United States in 1802.
| Name | Type | Guns | Captain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 guns | Daniel McNeill | |||
| 12 guns | Andrew Sterett | |||
| 32 guns | William Bainbridge | |||
| 24 guns | John Shaw | |||
| 36 guns | Samuel Barron | |||
| 44 guns | James Barron |
Commanded by Commodore Richard Valentine Morris, and later Commodore John Rodgers, who took command after Morris was relieved of duty by the president for inaction—he was later recommended for a court martial, but the president declined to pursue the matter. Deployed in 1802, and returned to the United States in 1803.
| Name | Type | Guns | Captain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 guns | Hugh Campbell | |||
| 28 guns | Daniel McNeill | |||
| 36 guns | Isaac Chauncey, James Barron | |||
| 36 guns | Alexander Murray | |||
| 12 guns | Andrew Sterett, Isaac Hull | |||
| 24 guns | John Shaw | |||
| 28 guns | John Rodgers | |||
| 36 guns | James Barron, Isaac Chauncey |
Commanded by Commodore Edward Preble. Deployed in 1803, and returned to the United States in 1804.
| Name | Type | Guns | Captain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 guns | Isaac Hull | |||
| 44 guns | John Dent, Thomas Robinson(Lieutenants acting as flag captain to Commodore Preble) | |||
| 12 guns | Stephen Decatur | |||
| 4 guns | Stephen Decatur, Richard Somers | |||
| 28 guns | Isaac Chauncey | |||
| 12 guns | Richard Somers, John Dent | |||
| 36 guns | William Bainbridge | |||
| 16 guns | John Dent, Ralph Izard | |||
| 16 guns | Charles Stewart | |||
| 12 guns | John Smith | |||
| N/a | two bomb-vessels[2] | |||
| N/a | nine gunboats |
In 1843, the squadron comprised four ships, Columbia, Cumberland, Fairfield and Plymouth.
| Name | Picture | Rank | Assigned (Orders) | Assumed (On Station) | Relieved (Orders) | Relieved (On Station) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COM Richard Dale[3] (First Squadron) [4] | May 20, 1801 | July 1, 1801 [5] | ? | ? | |||
| 2 | COM Richard Morris (Second Squadron) | ? | May 25, 1802 [6] | June 21, 1803 | September 11, 1803 | |||
| 3 | COM John Rodgers (Second Squadron) | June 21, 1803 | September 11, 1803 | ? | ? | |||
| 4 | COM Edward Preble (Third Squadron) | May 19, 1803 | September, 1803 | 1804 | ? | |||
| 5 | COM Samuel Barron (Fourth Squadron) | April, 1804 | September 10, 1804 | May 22, 1805 | May 24, 1805 | |||
| 6 | COM John Rodgers (Fourth Squadron) | May 22, 1805 | May 24, 1805 | ? | May 27, 1806 | |||
| 7 | COM Hugh Campbell (Fourth Squadron) | ? | May 27, 1806 | ? | ? | |||
| COM Stephen Decatur | ? | June 14, 1815 [7] | 1815 | 1815 | ||||
| COM William Bainbridge | 1815 | ? | ? | 6 oct 1815 [8] | ||||
| COM John Shaw | ? | 6 oct 1815 | ? | ? | ||||
| COM Isaac Chauncey | ? | 1816 [9] | ? | February 1, 1818 | ||||
| COM Charles Stewart | ? | February 1, 1818 | ? | 1820 | ||||
| COM William Bainbridge | ? | ? | ? | June 4, 1821 | ||||
| COM Jacob Jones | ? | June 4, 1821 | ? | 1823 [10] | ||||
| COM John Creigton | ? | ? | ? | 1824 [11] | ||||
| COM Thomas MacDonough | ? | Nov 24, 1824 | ? | Apr 30, 1825 | ||||
| COM John Rodgers | ? | April 30, 1825 | ? | May 31, 1827 | ||||
| COM William Crane[12] | ? | 1827 | ? | ? |