From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country’s battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marines.

Until recently, I think most people in the U.S. assumed piracy died in the Age of Sail, years before the U.S. even existed as an independent nation, but piracy has existed to varying degrees even to modern times.  The Straights of Malacca near Singapore have long been a haven for piracy but the dramatic rise of piracy off the Horn of Africa has been shocking.   As bad as our economy seems to be, it’s disturbing to think of how far a society can fall when the only way to sustain a living is to resort to piracy.  It’s hard to dissuade the lifestyle when the Somalian pirates who succeed can live like kings and are considered celebrities in their hometowns.

The dramatic rescue of Capt Phillips this weekend was simply amazing: Navy SEALs sniping in sync from the USS Bainbridge in rough water to take out three pirates simultaneously on another vessel is straight out of any action movie.  For me, the historic connections to the event is just as interesting.  Despite our current claims of “never negotiating with terrorists”, US foreign policy wasn’t always so idealistic.  Can you imagine if we paid Al-Qaeda 20% of our taxes so they would stop attacking us?  Well, in 1800, 20% of the US Government spending was directed toward paying tribute to the Barbary Pirates so that they wouldn’t destroy our nascent merchant trade.

The main difference between now and then, of course, is that for the first 100-150 years of its existence, the U.S. was (rightfully) considered a primitive backwater and had little, if any, means of dealing with any foreign power.  It took us quite awhile to develop into a nation of any significant military strength.

I doubt many Americans know this but the US Navy was created not to fight other countries but to protect against the pirates of the Barbary Coast.  The Barbary Coast was made up of essentially pirate republics which were a major player on the international stage for hundreds of years.  Little noted in the history texts but the first international war for the United States was the First Barbary War — which included the Battle of Tripoli, referenced in the Marine Hymn above.

At the time, British, French, and others all saw American ships as “easy” targets that could be attacked with impunity.  The Undeclared War against France in the 1790s and the War of 1812 against Britain were all caused in part by our inability to protect our merchant vessels.  However, only the Barbary Coast existed solely as pirate republics and they were a constant thorn in the side of all other nations.

The US Navy was first organized in 1794 when Congress signed into law the Naval Act which funded the first U.S. naval force of six frigates.  Their mission was to protect US merchant interests overseas, primarily against the Barbary pirates.  One of the first officers and an emissary to the Barbary states was William Bainbridge — for whom the USS Bainbridge that rescued Capt Phillips is named.  After two conflicts with the Barbary pirates, the US finally stopped paying tribute to the Barbary pirates in 1815.  Eventually, the Barbar menace was removed for good when France conquered Algeria in 1830.  I wonder how long, if ever, it will take to pacify the piracy off the Somalian coast.