Ben Wolf, age 13, of Jamestown, N.Y., for his question:

WHO SAID 'DAMN THE TORPEDOES?'

An American naval officer won fame and became a national hero in1862 at the Civil War battle of Mobile Bay with his cry: "Damn the torpedoes. Full steam ahead:"

David Farragut entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman at the age of 9, was captured by the British during the War of 1812 and served in the Mediterranean Sea from 1815 to 1920. For the next 20 years he held successively responsible commands, advancing to the rank of commander.

In the Mexican War he participated in the blockade of Mexican ports on the Gulf of Mexico. He established the Mare Island Navy Yard at San Francisco in 1854. The next year he was promoted to the rank of captain.

Farragut immediately declared his loyalty to the Union on the outbreak of the American Civil War. In 1862 he massed his fleet and defeated a Confederate flotilla, forcing the surrender of New Orleans. Congress rewarded him by promoting him to the rank of rear admiral.

Congress rewarded him following the victory at Mobile Bay with the rank of vice admiral in 1864 and finally in 1866 created for him the rank of full admiral.