Clear for Action!

By Noel Gerson

David Glasgow Farragut was one of the boldest and most heroic naval commanders. At just 13, during the War of 1812, the ship under his temporary command sank or captured more than fifty times its own tonnage. But it was during the Civil War, when he uttered his famous words, “Damn the torpedoes! … Full speed ahead!”, that his place in American history was assured. Sculpted from historical records, here is his story, showing him to be a great innovator and risk taker, but also a man of extraordinary integrity.