Richard Somers & the Barbary Pirates

Master Commandant Richard Somers, USN
b. September 15, 1778 Somers Point, New Jersey d. September 4, 1804, Tripoli

Richard Somers & The Barbary Pirates - 200 Years at Martyr's Square

Master Commandant Richard Somers, USN is buried outside the walls of the old castle fort at Tripoli in what is now known as Martyr's Square, the epicenter of the Libyan revolution.

The bones of Richard Somers lie in the hard, sunbaked sand alongside the remains of two other officers - Lt. Henry Wadsworth and Lt. Charles Israel, not far from the grave that contains the remains of the volunteer seamen who died together aboard the USS Intrepid in Tripoli Harbor on September 4, 1804.

The recent revolution in Libya, the passage in the House of Representatives of the Rogers/LoBiondo Amendment to the 2012 Defense Authorization bill calling for the repatriation of these men, and its consideration by the Senate and evaluation by the Joint Armed Services Committee Conference has raised hopes that the remains of these American heroes will be someday repatriated home.

Since all three of the published biographies of Richard Somers - by James F. Cooper, Dr. J. B. Somers, M.D. and Barbara E. Koedel are currently out of print, I have pieced together this synthesis of the previously published works with the latest known research, put it into chronological order and compiled it all together, with the anticipation of increased public interest in the subject, and the hope that it will someday be published and perhaps made into a documentary film.

William E. Kelly, Jr.
billkelly3@gmail.com
(609) 425-6297