Alderfers to Auction Historic Naval Hero Richard Somers Letters

Hatfield, Pennsylvania - On December 9, 2015 the Alderfer Auction Company will offer at auction a collection of letters from Naval hero Richard Somers as part of a “Legacy Auction – Rare & Important Autographs and Historical Documents” to be held in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Somers would be killed in Tripoli harbor in September of 1804 while trying to attack Barbary pirates.

The archive collection contains fourteen letters and various documents detailing Somers’ naval career from 1798 thru 1804. His letters give glimpses of his thoughts and experiences of battle, of home, and his life in general. It is a truly a fine collection of a rare and little known period in American history. Richard Somers would die commanding a “volcanic” ship packed with explosives whose mission was to detonate within the harbor and destroy the pirate fleet. For an unknown reason the ship detonated prematurely killing Somers and his crew. His body and those of his crew were buried in a cemetery in Tripoli, and for many years various groups have sought to repatriate the bodies back to the United States. Somers’ heroism has been honored over the years by naming towns after him as well as the U.S. Navy naming a schooner, a brig, a torpedo boat and three destroyers after him.

This historic archive holds a pre-sale estimate of $1,500 to $2,000. For additional information contact: 800.577.8846 or info@alderferauction.com