Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·57 of 348
"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"
They never said that.
What people say
"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"
What was actually said
"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!" Admiral David Farragut (attributed) — Battle of Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864
Why it stuck
Witness-reconstructed after Mobile Bay, 1864. No primary transcript; Farragut himself never published the line.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.