page_title: Hispanics in the United States Navy
section_title: Union Navy
hierarchical_section_title: Hispanics in the United States Navy / American Civil War / Union Navy
caption_attribution_description: English: 3rd Assistant Engineer Cipriano Andrade of U.S. Navy in uniform in front of painted backdrop showing balustrade and courtyard] / Wm. Shew, No. 423 Montgomery St., San Francisco. Photograph shows identified sailor, who served aboard USS Lancaster and USS Pontiac and later became an admiral.
context_page_description: Hispanics in the United States Navy can trace their tradition of naval military service to men such as Lieutenant Jordi Farragut Mesquida, who served in the American Revolution. Hispanics, such as Seaman Philip Bazaar and Seaman John Ortega, have distinguished themselves in combat and have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration of the United States. Hispanics have also reached the top ranks of the navy, serving their country in sensitive leadership positions on domestic and foreign shores. Among those who have reached the highest ranks in the navy are Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy, of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewish descent, who participated in the War of 1812 as an assistant Sailing master; Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, for whom the rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy was created during the American Civil War; and Admiral Horacio Rivero, who led the navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
context_section_description: During the American Civil War, the government of the United States recognized that the rapidly expanding Union Navy was in need of admirals. Therefore, on July 16, 1862 Congress proceeded to authorize the appointment of nine officers to the rank of rear admiral, making Flag Officer David Glasgow Farragut the first Hispanic-American to be appointed said grade.
  David Glasgow Farragut (1801–1870) was born on at Campbell's Station, near Knoxville, Tennessee, to Jordi and Elizabeth Farragut. After Farragut's mother died from yellow fever in his 1808, his father gave him up for adoption, and he was adopted by future-U.S. Navy Captain David Porter.
  On December 17, 1810, Farragut entered the navy as a midshipman aboard USS Essex. He was 12 years old when, during the War of 1812, he was given the assignment to bring a ship captured by USS Essex, safely to port.  
  In April 1862, Farragut was the "flag officer" in command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. With his flagship, USS Hartford, he ran past Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip and the Chalmette, Louisiana, batteries to take the city and port of New Orleans, Louisiana. This victory was an influential factor when in 1862, Congress created the rank of admiral and named Farragut and eight other naval officers (which also included his foster brother David Dixon Porter) as rear admirals. Thus, Farragut became the first Hispanic-American admiral in the United States Navy.
  
  Farragut's greatest victory was the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. Mobile, Alabama, at the time was the Confederacy's last major port open on the Gulf of Mexico. The bay was heavily mined with tethered naval mines, also known as torpedoes. 
  When USS Tecumseh, one of the ships under his command, struck a mine and went down, Farragut shouted through a trumpet from his flagship to USS Brooklyn, "What's the trouble?" "Torpedoes!" was the reply, to which Farragut then shouted his now famous words "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" The fleet succeeded in entering the bay. Farragut then triumphed over the opposition of heavy batteries in Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines to defeat the squadron of Admiral Franklin Buchanan. Farragut was promoted to vice admiral on December 21, 1864, and to full admiral on July 25, 1866, after the war, thereby becoming the first person to be named full admiral in the navy's history.
  Third Assistant Engineer Cipriano Andrade  (1840–1911) was born in Tampico, Mexico. He joined the Union Navy in 1861, and served on board USS Lancaster. During the Civil War, Andrade served on board USS Lancaster (1861–1863); and USS Pontiac (1863–1865) as a Third Assistant Engineer. His position was the most junior marine engineer of the ship. responsible for electrical, sewage treatment (resulting in the pejorative pun "turd engineer"), lube oil, bilge, and oily water separation systems. Depending on usage. and his position sometimes required that he assist the third mate in maintaining proper operation of the lifeboats. On July 1, 1901, he was transferred to the retired list of the navy with the rank of rear admiral.
caption: Cipriano Andrade (retired in 1901 with the rank of rear admiral)
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