Sterett (DLG 31) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE TRADITIO LIIEUIHIIIIIII fllItll'l'1l' Sn-rc!! ta., i,.,,-,, ,, John and Dt-horah Ritlgt-ly Stt-rt-tt. .Xntlrt-w Stt-rt,-tt's fathcr, a sutfccssful shipping merchant and owner of a large t-state. st-rvt-tl as captain ol' a company during tht- Revolutionary VVar. The fourth of ten n Z7 .lanuaiy 1778 in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Children. AlNll't'W inht-ritt-tl suhstantial propt-rty lironi his fatht-rg howcvcr, his intcrcst led him tothe sea, and he entered tht- Navy as a 1.it-utt-nant on 25 March 1798. 'l'hc ncwly t-ommissiontztl c'0lI5fl'1lLlfflII1 had just gotten to st-a as tht- lirst of st-vt-ral lirigatt-s ortlt-rt-tl hy tht- fledgling llcpartmcnt of the Navy, and Andrew Ste-rt-tt hccamt- ht-r '1'hirt1 l.it-utt-nant. I.t-ss than a ycar latt-r ht: trommandt-d a battery of the Constellatimzfv grt-at guns ina hattlt- against tht- 1141-gun 1 rt-nch frigatc L'ln.surgt'n1t'. The outcome marked the first victory at st-a for tht- lfnittetl Statt-s Navy and inspirctl tht: nation in its undeclared war with France for frt-t-tloln of tht- st-as. By February 1800 Stt-rt-tt had rist-n to 1 irst 1.it-utt-nant on hoartl tht-t'w1.m'Il11t1'mi. llis ship's stunning triumph over tht- powt-rlul 53-gun 1'lrt-nch liritgatt- 1,41 lv't'II.Q't'tlIIl'l' in that saint- month won a Congressional vote of thanks and incrt-asctl rt-spt-ct lor tht- nt-w nation throttgliout tht- world. 1.att-r in tht- yt-ar Sic-rvtt left the C'0nxtt'lltzt1'on to st-rvc as tfotnniotlort- '1irnxtnn's 1 irst 1.it-utt-nant in tht- frigatt- 1,l't'.Nl'tll'lIf. and hy the end of tht- yt-ar ht- had his own coinntantl, tht- schoont-r l':llft'l'fJl'I..W', tht- lirst of tht- Navy's wrirships to bear the namt-. After capturing two lirt-nch privatt-t-rs in st-paratc t-ngatgt-int-nts, tht- young captain st-t sail for the Mediterranean in a squadron connnantlt-tl hy t'onitnotlort- Richard llalt-, '1'ht-ir aim: to forct- tht- 'liripolitan pirates to ceast- tht-ir attacks on 1Xint-rican ships, ln a furious t-ngagt-int-nt against tht- pirate warship Trzfoli, commantlt-tl hy Ras Mahonit-t lions, Stt-rt-tt fought till' thrt-t- attt-nipts to hoard his ship and twice skirted disaster wht-n tht- piratt- captain lialst-ly struck his colors to makt- tht- .Xmericans put down their arms in expectation ol' surrt-ntlt-r. lfinally, thrt-t- ol' his ship's masts shot away. Ras Mahomt-t Rous threw his flag into tht- st-a and ht-ggt-tl lor qttartt-r. Stt-rt-tt pt-rsonally hoardt-tl tht- t-nt-my ship and had her guns. anchors. and cahlt-s thrown ovt-rhoartli l.t-:tying ,l'l'lif'0lIi with a singlc spar and sail. Sterett sailed on. He was prt-st-ntt-tl a swortl hy l'rt-sitlt-nt lhonias .lt-1'1't-rson and his mt-n won a month's extra pay for their heroic action. ln following yt-ars Stt-rt-tt cotninantlt-tl tht- l'f11tt'rpri.w' in a hlockatlt- of tht- coast of Tripoli and parti- cipated in convoy opt-rations in tht- Mt-tlitt-rrant-an, llt- lantlt-tl linitt-tl States Consul James Simpson at Tan-giers for nt-gotiations that rt-snltt-tl in tht- lirin t-stahlishnit-nt of pt-acc with Morocco on 15 August 1802. Ste-re-tt continnt-tl to carry tliploniatic tlt-spatcltt-s antl to allortl prott-t-tion to the growing American merchant traffic in tht- Mt-tlitt-rrant-an. .Xltt-r an t-ngagt-int-nt in which I'fntt'rpr'i.w' captured an enemy ship Dying the imperial flag ol' tht- lit-y til' lnnis, Sit-rt-tt rt-tnrnt-tl hotnt- in March of 1803. Re-signing from the Navy in 1805, ht- ht-gan a t-art-cr in tht- nit-rchant tnarint- which was tt-rminatt-d by his premature death, at Lima, l't-ru, on 9 ,lnnv 18117 Andltw Ste-rt-tt's re-pntation thtl not tlit- with hiin. 'l'ht- llnitt-tl States and its young Navy had BCCGBR- Plisbed what tht- gre-at powt-rs ol' lfnropt- had ht-cn powt-rlt-ss to do: tht-y had humhled the Barbary piratm lad Bild! ponsihltt pt-an-ltil tratlt- in tht- Nlt-tlitt-rrant-an. ln tht- yt-ars to comt- names like Andrew Suefttl, Ricblrd Dale, and Stt-pht-n llt-catnr would gain in staturt-3 and tht- tlauntlcss spirit that triumphed in the miwl'l'll18Qfl would livt- on in tht- suhniarinc-inft-stt-ti watt-rs of tht- North Atlantic. at Midway, in h C931 S, If lm'htm, and totlay in tht- tinll' ol' il-Hllliill. ,Qty .. f., . .fa , I 15,1 I ta -,Q , ' ' 3 3' , K - -is , Lf. ,., . ,.. ,bfi ia. if i 55 -H. , sw. ' fr,-. 5 ,I s, H fa-H