IN 1822, MASTER Commandant John Porter was second-in-command at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. He had served there since 1820 after arriving from his previous post at the Washington (D.C.) Navy Yard. Porter and his family lived in a rented house in Portsmouth, N.H., directly across the bay from Kittery.
Porter had been relegated to shore duty ever since his first ship, the USS Boxer, had been wrecked in an accident near the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1817. In early 1823, Porter was assigned command of a second ship, the USS Greyhound. This two-masted schooner would be one of 16 vessels in the newly organized West Indies Squadron, which was tasked with suppressing the illegal slave trade and protecting American merchant vessels in the Caribbean. It became known as the Mosquito Fleet.
Porter’s older brother, Commodore David Porter, commanded this ambitious effort. Midshipman David Glasgow Farragut, the commodore’s 22-year-old foster son, was assigned to the Greyhound. His role aboard ship would be to function as a lieutenant in assisting Porter. In future years he would rise up in the ranks and would be assigned to a series of important commands, including during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Civil War (1861-1865). Farragut became the Navy’s first full admiral in 1866.
When the Mosquito Fleet left Norfolk, Virginia, on Feb. 12, 1823, it headed straight into a violent gale. In his 1879 biography, “The Life of David Glasgow Farragut,” Loyall Farragut quoted his father’s account of what happened on the Greyhound: “We had not a single officer on board who had ever sailed before in a schooner, except myself, and only for a short time…” Eventually, all the vessels in the squadron reefed their sails to maintain stability [rolled up or folded the sails back to reduce the area of the canvas exposed to the wind] -- except for the Greyhound.
The ship “…dashed away…like a flying-fish skipping from sea to sea.” The squadron was soon out of sight. Farragut observed Porter sitting on the deck, “perfectly composed, not seeming to notice that the vessel was over-pressed…It was ridiculous to see the captain…wrapped up in his cloak, and the first lieutenant…bundled up, with an umbrella over his head…I never expected to see daylight again…” After a time, Porter decided to go below decks, so he ordered Farragut to take over. The young seaman promptly adjusted the sails as needed, and got the Greyhound under control.
In a few days the schooner caught up with the squadron off the coast of Puerto Rico. Porter was sent on a mission to deliver a diplomatic letter from his brother to the Spanish Governor, Miguel de la Torre, in San Juan. After the message was received, the Greyhound and the USS Beagle remained at anchor when the USS Fox came into the harbor to await an answer to the letter. The Spanish suddenly fired at the Fox, killing its commander,Lt Cmdr. W.H. Cocke. This resulted in an enormous diplomatic headache for the commodore.
Whether due to Porter’s bad judgment during the gale, or because of some mistake he may have made in San Juan, by mid-May 1823, Porter had been relieved of his command of the Greyhound and had been replaced by a more capable and experienced officer, Capt. Lawrence Kearney.
After this disappointment, Porter returned to the Portsmouth Navy Yard where he continued as the second-in-command until 1826. After that year he could no longer work due to a chronic illness or other personal issue, and so spent the next five years effectively on a leave of absence. The only exception to this was in 1829 when Porter was assigned to manage the “receiving ship” at the Boston Navy Yard. This was an unseaworthy old vessel that was used as temporary housing for new recruits. Porter was unable to handle even this modest job.
On Sept. 2, 1831, Porter died at the age of 37 in Watertown, Mass. His death, according to the Navy, was the result of a “protracted illness.” Despite his difficulties, Porter had never been either demoted or removed from the service, and he had retained his 1820 commission as master commandant.
Next week: John Porter’s family leaves Portsmouth, but his son Fitz John Porter later returns to New Hampshire to attend Phillips Exeter Academy.
