[Tell It Right]

Why in the world did we name a ship after Tripoli? Is our next ship going to be the USS Japan?

[Dan in Wichita]

In the early 1800's, President Thomas Jefferson sent the Navy and the Marines to vanquish the Tripoli pirates, who had been terrorizing the Mediterranean and forcing shippers to pay "tribute" (i.e. extortion money).

The Americans were also paying tribute for a while, but when Jefferson announced we were no longer paying extortion money, the pirates sacked the U.S. embassy in Tripoli. It wasn't easy, but the Navy and Marines wiped them out and forever rid the world of that scourge. This victory is immortalized in the Marine Corp hymn... "to the shores of Tripoli".

Having a mighty Navy ship named after the victory at Tripoli is indeed appropriate and worthy.

[rlmorel]

The reference to Tripoli in the Marine Corps Hymn, was an effort led by the USA, was one of the first major pushbacks on Islamic slavers in the late 18th and early 19th century to throw off the yoke of tribute.

Even the British, who were in the forefront of eradicating the slave trade to the New World, at the time were paying tribute to the Barbary Pirates (muslims) instead of fighting them. For the USA the tribute money was coming to 10-20% of the entire US budget at the time.

That is where the "Shores of Tripoli" in the Marine Corps Hymn came from.

It is also where the slogan "Millions for defense, but not a damned penny for tribute." came from.

[Carriage Hill]

USS Ukraine

[Vermont Lt]

Have you read ANY US history?

Do you understand how these ships such as these are named?