Source: Good News Network
American US Navy Lt. Stephen Decatur led a successful raid into Tripoli harbor to burn the U.S.S. Philadelphia so the captured ship, which had fallen into pirate hands, could not be used against them during the First Barbary War. Together with a crew of 84 men, Decatur sailed into the harbor pretending to be lost and stormed the Philadelphia. They set it ablaze and fled, barely escaping being caught in the flames themselves… (1804)
His spirited initiative made Decatur an instant hero and earned him a promotion to captain at age 25. The young officer would later go on to become one of America’s great naval heroes during the War of 1812.
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