An affair in Morroco.

[Bligh]

Introduction.

With the Major Nations of Spain, France, and England engaged in the struggle for supremacy in the Med, the Moroccan Corsairs saw it as a prime opportunity to indulge in a bit of piracy and seizure of slaves whilst the main policemen were otherwise occupied. Raids on small settlements in Italian states, Greece, Sicily and Malta increased, as did the seizure of merchant ships of all nations, even forcing Great Britain to adopt a defended convoy system. The big mistake, however, was to begin to prey upon the merchant ships of the United States, in the mistaken belief that its fledgling navy was too weak and too far away to respond. The result was that several sorties were made on various occasions by the US Navy over this period.
In the picture below we see one such small squadron of US ships reconnoitring a Corsair stronghold with a view to a punitive action. Please note the lack of reaction from the fortification's guns despite the American ships trailing their coats within long range.
The full tale will follow shortly.
Rob.