Bainbridge Name Game {Updated}
The moniker "Bainbridge" is part of a historical Masonic name game that is in the news again. The USS Bainbridge , which organized the US Navy rescue of an American ship captain from Somali pirates, was named for Commodore William Bainbridge, who was held prisoner by North African Barbary pirates from 1803 to 1806. William Bainbridge (May 7, 1774 – July 28, 1833) was a Commodore in the United States Navy and a Congressional Gold Medal winner. He was also a Freemason, initiated into Lodge No. 51, Philadelphia, on June 10, 1810 (according to 10,000 Famous Freemasons from K to Z By William R. Denslow and Harry S. Truman). In 1800, Bainbridge was sent to carry the tribute which the United States still paid to the dey (local ruler) of Algiers to secure exemption from capture for its merchant ships in the Mediterranean. Upon arrival in the 24-gun USS George Washington , he made the tactical mistake of anchoring in the harbor of Algiers--directly under the guns of the fort. The dey...