Catalano kept the conversation flowing, buying time for the Intrepid crew to attach ropes to the Philadelphia to pull the vessels together. The Corsairs on board the Philadelphia became suspicious and realized this might be an attack, shouting: “Americanos.” Once the alarm sounded 60 men from below Intrepid’s deck rushed out to join the fight with Decatur in the lead while the rest stayed on board to defend the ketch. Caught by surprise and unprepared for the ferocity of the American attack, the Corsairs lost 20 men, a wounded sailor was taken prisoner, and the rest jumped into the harbor. There were no American casualties, with one wounded. The parties assigned to fire the ship did their work well and soon there was a sharp crackling of flames and plumes of smoke billowed from the ports and hatches. Decatur ordered his men back and was the last man to return to the Intrepid to make their rendezvous with the Siren, ready to fend off any counterattack. None came, as the Corsairs had been stunned by the stealth and surprise of the mission.7 In the official report of the action, Decatur related how relatively easy it had been to leave the harbor with light cannon fire with only one ball that passed through a sail. He glowingly praised the officers and crew and then stated: “It would be an injustice in me to pass over the services of Mr. Salvadore, the pilot, on whose good conduct the success of the enterprise in the greatest degree depended.”8

Catalano came to the United States in 1805 and according to the Daily National Intelligencer (Washington, D.C.), was admitted to the U.S. Navy as a reward for this brave and heroic service, on the recommendation of Captain Stephen Decatur.9 Catalano became a naturalized American citizen and the U.S. Navy appointed him Master of Sails at the Navy Yard in 1809, a position he held until his death in 1846. Catalano settled in the residential neighborhood adjacent to the Navy Yard and in 1813 married Martha Carbery from a devout Catholic family.10 Her brother Thomas Carbery was a well-known figure in the nation’s capital as the president of its largest bank, Washington National Bank, and as mayor of Washington from 1822-1824.11