Birds Eye View - Tripoli Grave Sites

For documentation, news articles and more information please see: Intrepidproject.org

A Bird's Eye View of Tripoli Harbor - Old Castle Fort and Martyrs Square to the left (2)
- Old Protestant Cemetery to to the Right (1) -

The Original Grave Site dug by a party of American prisoners of the captured frigate USS Philadelphia, led by Dr. Jonathan Cowdery, "one cable's length" (720 Feet) from the walls of the old castle fort, consisted of two mass graves - one for the three officers and the other for the ten seamen.

The Original Grave Site is now known as Martyrs Square, but the only real martyrs buried there are US Navy heroes, buried in an unmarked mass grave under a parking lot where the Libyan people gather on holidays and to hold their rallies. It's Tripoli's Time Square.

At some point some of the remains of these men were exhumed and reburied at the nearby Old Protestant Cemetery about a mile east along the shore. Some research suggests that some of the men may have been originally buried at this location. The walls of the cemetery were constructed in 1830 around some preexisting graves.

Ground view of Old Protestant Cemetery.

An ancient map of old Tripoli Harbor with the castle and old city.

Nautical Chart of Old Tripoli Harbor with depths, rocks and old city.

The Path of the Intrepid on its final mission, to the left through the rocks, and on its previous mission under the command of Lt. Stephen Decatur, to sink the captured frigate USS Philadelphia.