“Damn the Torpedoes…or the Birds”

The Farragut Statue sits in the apporpriately namedFarragut Park in Washington D.C. and was sponsored by Congress in 1872. The statue and memorial park is preserved and maintained by the National Park Service as part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. Admiral Farragut, famous for his naval victories during the American Civil War uttered the famous “Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead” during the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864.

President and Mrs. James Garfield attended the unveiling of in 1881, yet today the statue of this famous naval comamnder stands in a busy urban setting, trying to escape birds, not torpedoes!