Action of 9 November 1822

Action of 9 November 1822
Part of West Indies Anti-Piracy Operations, Piracy in the Caribbean
USS Alligator
Date 9 November 1822 Location Approximately 45 mi (72 km) east of Matanzas, Cuba Result Indecisive Prizes recaptured Pirates escape
Belligerents
United States	Pirates
Commanders and leaders
William Howard Allen †	unknown
Strength
1 schooner 3 boats	3 schooners
Casualties and losses
4 killed 3 wounded	1 schooner captured ~14 killed
Five captured merchant ships were liberated by American forces after the action.

The action of 9 November 1822 was a naval battle fought between the United States Navy schooner USS Alligator and a squadron of three pirate schooners off the coast of Cuba during the Navy's West Indies anti-piracy operation. Fifteen leagues from Matanzas, Cuba, a large band of pirates captured several vessels and held them for ransom. Upon hearing of the pirate attacks, Alligator under Lieutenant William Howard Allen rushed to the scene to rescue the vessels and seize the pirates.

Upon arriving at the bay where the pirates were said to be, Alligator dispatched boats to engage the enemy vessels, as the water was too shallow for the warship to engage them directly. With Allen personally commanding one of the boats, the Americans assaulted the schooner Revenge. Although the Navy was able to force the pirates into abandoning Revenge, the buccaneers managed to fight their way out of the bay and inflict seven casualties. With their commander mortally wounded, the boats ceased pursuit of the pirates, but were able to recover the vessels that had been held in the bay.