squadron of American Marines with 10 gunboats crossed the Atlantic, landed at Tripoli, and ravaged the port, burning the docked ships. The problem was that for several years, the pirates, under the protection of the Ottoman Empire, had been attacking primarily American ships in the Mediterranean to avoid the retaliation of British, Spanish, and Dutch gunboats. The American coup was a resounding success, earning Admiral Nelson’s praise: “the most daring action of our entire age.” The episode even entered the Marines’ anthem as the first verse: “From the Halls of Montezuma, To the shores of Tripoli.” The war against the pirates continued for several decades until the establishment of an American base (the first in Europe), providing logistical support, in La Spezia in 1852. An American war cemetery (also the first in Europe) also stands at Camposanto dei Genchi (a corruption of Yankee).
