4.4K views · 514 reactions | On this day in #NavalHistory USS Constellation fights in the Barbary Wars, USS Valley Forge strikes N. Korean targets, and Sealab I submerges off Bermuda. https://youtu.be/nNsLkLwnCy0 | Naval History & Heritage Command | Facebook

Stephen Decatur Jr. was born in Maryland on January 5, 1779, and became one of America's most celebrated naval heroes. He joined the U.S. Navy at age 19 in 1798 and was promoted to captain at 25, making him the youngest person ever to reach that rank in Navy history. Decatur gained international fame in February 1804 when he led a daring nighttime raid into Tripoli harbor, where he and 75 sailors destroyed the captured USS Philadelphia by setting it ablaze. British Admiral Horatio Nelson praised