Edward Preble

Edward Preble (15 August 1761 - 25 August 1807) was a U.S. naval officer.

Related Topics:
15 August - 1761 - 25 August - 1807 - U.S.

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Preble was born at Falmouth, Eastern Massachusetts, now Portland, Maine, 15 August 1761. In 1779 he was appointed to the Massachusetts State Marine, becoming an officer in the 26 gun ship Protector. Becoming a British prisoner, when that ship was captured in 1781, he was held for a time in prison ship New Jersey. On his release, he served in Winthrop and led a boarding party to capture a British brig at Castine, Maine, and worked it out to sea despite heavy shore fire.

Related Topics:
Portland, Maine - 1779 - Massachusetts State Marine - British - 1781 - Brig - Castine, Maine

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Fifteen years of merchant service followed his Revolutionary War service and in April 1798 he was appointed 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. In January 1799 he assumed command of the 14 gun brig Pickering and took her to the West Indies to protect American commerce during the Quasi-War with France. Commissioned Captain 7 June 1799, he took command of Essex in December and sailed in January 1800 for the Pacific to provide similar protective services for Americans engaged in the East Indies trade.

Related Topics:
1798 - 1st Lieutenant - 1799 - ''Pickering'' - West Indies - Quasi-War - France - Captain - 7 June - ''Essex'' - 1800 - East Indies

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Given command of the 3rd Squadron, with Constitution as his flagship, in 1803, he sailed for the Barbary coast and by October had promoted a treaty with Morocco and established a blockade off Tripoli in the First Barbary War. Stephen Decatur, William Bainbridge, Charles Stewart, Isaac Hull, and David Porter served under his command at Tripoli.

Related Topics:
''Constitution'' - Flagship - 1803 - Barbary coast - Morocco - Tripoli - First Barbary War - Stephen Decatur - William Bainbridge - Charles Stewart - Isaac Hull - David Porter

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While commanding in Tripoli, Preble masterminded the burning of the USS Philadelphia, preventing the impressive warship from falling into enemy hands. Had Tripoli gained the use of the Philadelphia, the entire blockade would have been wasted. Stephen Decatur and his younger brother, James Decatur, were involved in the actual operation.

Related Topics:
USS Philadelphia - Stephen Decatur - James Decatur

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James Decatur was killed in the fighting later that year aboard one of the squadron's attack craft. Story has it that upon hearing of his brother's death, Stephen Decatur swung at Edward Preble on the deck of the US Constitution. The fanciful tale continues that afterwards the two officers retired to Preble's cabin and drank many toasts to the men killed in action in the Mediterranean, including Stephen Decatur's brother. No disciplinary action was taken for hitting a superior office, evidence of the relaxed regulations in the US Navy at the time.

Related Topics:
James Decatur - US Constitution

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Over the course of his career, he helped establish many of the modern Navy's rules and regulations. Described as a stern taskmaster, he kept high discipline upon the ships under his command. He also dictated that his ships be kept in a state of readiness for any action while under sail, something many US Naval officers at the time did not insist upon. The men listed in the previous paragraph took his procedures to heart at the time when the US Navy was highly unregulated. Though John C. Stennis is known as the ?Father of the modern United States Navy", many of Preble?s procedures became doctrine after the establishment of an official US Navy. The officers serving under him during his career also went on to become most influential in the Naval department after his death.

Related Topics:
John C. Stennis - Father - United States Navy

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Preble's Mediterranean cruise led directly to the US governments firm anti-negotiation stance. Many Mediterranean states, including Tripoli, had been pirating American shipping vessels, ransoming the sailors, and demanding tribute to prevent future pirate attacks. The tribute rose after each successful payment, as did the brutality and boldness of the attacks. With a successful campaign against the Barbary coast proving America?s might, the US government was able to essentially say, ?We do not negotiate with terrorists.?

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In September 1804, Commodore Preble requested relief due to a long time illness. He returned to the United States in February 1805 and became engaged in the "light duty" of shipbuilding activities at Portland, Maine, where he died of a gastrointestinal illness on 25 August 1807.

Related Topics:
1804 - United States - 1805

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