Richard Somers
Encyclopedia
Richard Somers was an officer of the United States Navy
, killed during a daring assault on Tripoli
.
, he attended school in Philadelphia with future naval heroes Stephen Decatur
and Charles Stewart
. He was appointed midshipman
on 25 April 1797 and served in the West Indies during the Quasi-War
with France
on the frigate
United States
with Decatur and Stewart, a ship commanded by Captain John Barry. Promoted to lieutenant
on 21 May 1799, Somers was detached from United States on 13 June 1801 and ordered to Boston
on 30 July 1801. He served in the latter frigate in the Mediterranean. After Boston returned to Washington, DC, Somers was furloughed on 11 November 1802 to await orders.
On 5 May 1803, Somers was ordered to Baltimore, Maryland, to man, fit out, and command , and when that schooner
was ready for sea, to sail her to the Mediterranean. Nautilus got underway on 30 June, reached Gibraltar
on 27 July, and sailed four days later to Spain
. He then returned to Gibraltar
to meet Commodore Edward Preble
, in Constitution
, who was bringing a new squadron for action against the Barbary pirates. Nautilus sailed with Preble on 6 October to Tangier
where the display of American naval strength induced the Europeans of Morocco
to renew the treaty of 1786. Thereafter, Tripoli
became the focus of Preble's attention.
Somers' service as commanding officer of Nautilus during operations against Tripoli won him promotion to Master Commandant
on 18 May 1804. In the summer, he commanded a division of gunboat
s during five attacks on Tripoli, during the First Barbary War.
On 4 September 1804, Somers assumed command
of fire ship
Intrepid which had been fitted out as a "floating volcano" to be sailed into Tripoli harbor and blown up in the midst of the corsair
fleet close under the walls of the city. That night, she got underway into the harbor, but she exploded prematurely, killing Somers and his entire crew of volunteers.
Somers is buried in Tripoli, Libya. In 2004, the New Jersey
state assembly passed two resolutions calling for the return of his remains. It is hoped that with the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya in August 2011 that the effort to repatriate the remains will finally be successful.
Since 1804, six ships of the US Navy have successively been named the USS Somers
in his honor.
The town of Somers, New York
, located in Westchester County is named in his honor. Somers Point, N.J.
, is named after Richard's great-grandfather. Every year there is a Richard Somers Day celebration in Somers Point, which is co-sponsored by LibertyandProsperity.org and the Somers Point Historical Society. The event is Sunday 12 September in 2010.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, killed during a daring assault on Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
.
Life
Born at Great Egg Harbor, New JerseyEgg Harbor, New Jersey
Egg Harbor, New Jersey can refer to:* Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey* Egg Harbor City, New Jersey* Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey...
, he attended school in Philadelphia with future naval heroes Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
and Charles Stewart
Charles Stewart (1778-1869)
Charles Stewart was an officer in the United States Navy.Born at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stewart went to sea at the age of thirteen as a cabin boy and rose through the grades to become master of a merchantman. He grew up with Captain Stephen Decatur and Richard Sommers...
. He was appointed midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on 25 April 1797 and served in the West Indies during the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
United States
USS United States (1797)
USS United States was a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy and the first of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794...
with Decatur and Stewart, a ship commanded by Captain John Barry. Promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 21 May 1799, Somers was detached from United States on 13 June 1801 and ordered to Boston
USS Boston (1799)
The third USS Boston was a 32-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate of the United States Navy. Boston was built by public subscription in Boston under the Act of 30 June 1798. Boston was active during the Quasi-War with France, the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. On 12 October 1800, Boston...
on 30 July 1801. He served in the latter frigate in the Mediterranean. After Boston returned to Washington, DC, Somers was furloughed on 11 November 1802 to await orders.
On 5 May 1803, Somers was ordered to Baltimore, Maryland, to man, fit out, and command , and when that schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
was ready for sea, to sail her to the Mediterranean. Nautilus got underway on 30 June, reached Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on 27 July, and sailed four days later to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He then returned to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to meet Commodore Edward Preble
Edward Preble
Edward Preble was a United States naval officer.-Early life and Revolutionary War:Preble was born at Falmouth, Eastern Massachusetts, now Portland, Maine, 15 August 1761, the son of Gen. Jedidiah Preble. As a boy, his home was destroyed in the burning of Falmouth by British Naval Commander Henry...
, in Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
, who was bringing a new squadron for action against the Barbary pirates. Nautilus sailed with Preble on 6 October to Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
where the display of American naval strength induced the Europeans of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
to renew the treaty of 1786. Thereafter, Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
became the focus of Preble's attention.
Somers' service as commanding officer of Nautilus during operations against Tripoli won him promotion to Master Commandant
Master Commandant
Master commandant was a rank within the early United States Navy. The rank of master commandant was slightly higher than lieutenant, and a master commandant would often command warships too small to justify the command of a full captain. In the United States Navy, the rank was shortened to...
on 18 May 1804. In the summer, he commanded a division of gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s during five attacks on Tripoli, during the First Barbary War.
On 4 September 1804, Somers assumed command
Master Commandant
Master commandant was a rank within the early United States Navy. The rank of master commandant was slightly higher than lieutenant, and a master commandant would often command warships too small to justify the command of a full captain. In the United States Navy, the rank was shortened to...
of fire ship
Fire ship
A fire ship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, deliberately set on fire and steered into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy ships, or to create panic and make the enemy break formation. Ships used as fire ships were usually old and worn out or...
Intrepid which had been fitted out as a "floating volcano" to be sailed into Tripoli harbor and blown up in the midst of the corsair
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
fleet close under the walls of the city. That night, she got underway into the harbor, but she exploded prematurely, killing Somers and his entire crew of volunteers.
Somers is buried in Tripoli, Libya. In 2004, the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
state assembly passed two resolutions calling for the return of his remains. It is hoped that with the fall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya in August 2011 that the effort to repatriate the remains will finally be successful.
Since 1804, six ships of the US Navy have successively been named the USS Somers
USS Somers
USS Somers may refer to:, was a schooner that fought on Lake Erie and Huron during the War of 1812. She was captured by the British in 1814., was a brig launched in 1842 and sunk in 1846...
in his honor.
The town of Somers, New York
Somers, New York
Somers is a town located in northeastern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 20,434...
, located in Westchester County is named in his honor. Somers Point, N.J.
Somers Point, New Jersey
Somers Point is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 10,795.The City of Somers Point is in the eastern part of Atlantic County, southwest of Atlantic City.-History:...
, is named after Richard's great-grandfather. Every year there is a Richard Somers Day celebration in Somers Point, which is co-sponsored by LibertyandProsperity.org and the Somers Point Historical Society. The event is Sunday 12 September in 2010.