Prompted by your question, I have picked up my copy of "Thomas Jefferson & The Tripoli Pirates" by Kilmeade and Yeager. My apologies in advance... I read it a few years ago, when I was recovering from a pretty serious illness. And my memory may be off. Anyway, the answer is "depends". The US did actually pursue ransoming some of the sailors, and despite a lack of funds, did manage to free some. I think as many as 90. Others died in captivity. A few escaped. A few were actually just released by their captors. And a very few "went native". Because Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli were all Muslim countries, they felt that they had every right to attack ships from non-Muslim countries, seize ships and cargo, and enslave the crew. Because... infidels. However a number of sailors converted to Islam while being held. And because they were no longer infidels, they could no longer be held as slaves. I am sure some of them did this to gain better treatment, or maybe slip off at some point. But I believe a few actually stayed and settled. Actually, one of the Corsair captains was a Scottish sailor, who was seized years earlier, and did just that. And oh, There was Captain Richard O'Brien, who was one of the first Americans to be taken. Because he was not just a common sailor, He was given better treatment and better tasks to do. He was able to learn the local languages, and become the representative of the local "Dey" (regent) in Tunis, to the British Consulate. When his crew was finally ransomed, he stayed behind and became the the US Consulate for the whole region. He would often dress in native clothing, and sometimes carried a scimitar. And was extremely dedicated to assisting sailors being held, as well as the American military/political effort in the region. As I mentioned, I am now re-reading the book, and highly recommend it. A mix of political intrigue and swashbuckling military history!