On this day, October 31, 1803 Libyan sailors captured the American frigate USS Philadelphia.
Back then, captains of the Libyan navy, led by admiral Zureik, went out on several small dhows and lured the frigate USS Philadelphia to shallow rocky waters, where it was suspended and immobilized about 3 km off the coast of Tripoli.
The Captain of Philadelphia, William Bainbridge, tried to refloat the frigate, which was subjected to a violent attack from the boats of the Libyan navy, but he failed, so he and his soldiers decided to surrender after they threw their guns into water and destroyed what they could destroy.
As a result, 307 American sailors fell into the grip of the Pasha of Tripoli, who placed officers under house arrest at the American Consulate, while other sailors were exploited in hard labor, and all remained in captivity until the end of the war.