It was during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, when Admiral David Farragut ordered what would eventually be a successful run through a minefield and eventually lead to an important Union victory and the capture of Mobile Bay, the final Confederate-held port east of the Mississippi River. When Farragut, lashed to the rigging in order to see above the smoke of the battle, saw his ships slow as they approached and was told there were torpedoes (mines) in their path, he was reported to have said, "Damn the torpedoes! Go ahead!" or "Full speed ahead!" No one is sure exactly what Farragut said that day, but the saying became part of naval tradition and lore from that point forward.
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