Commodore David W. Porter

Commodore David W. Porter. David Porter went to sea in his youth with his father on merchant vessels. He entered the Navy in 1798 as a midshipman serving with distinction in the naval war with France and the war against the Tripoli pirates. He became a national hero during the War of 18 12 and during his service he was promoted to the rank of captain and assigned to the Naval Board. In 1822, he was given command of the West Indies Squadron and on April 23, 1823 he established the Naval Station at Key West the newly acquired Territory of Florida. This was the first permanent settlement on the island. The mission of the squadron was suppressing piracy in the West Indies. Pirates were operating freely near the coasts of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Commodore Porter assembled a Mosquito fleet of eight shallow draft schooners and five 20 oared barges to be used together with the USS Sea Gull, the first steam vessel to see active service. Porter was now able to follow the pirates into their havens in the shallow waters and channels of the islands Porter’s authoritarian style did not make him popular in Key West or in Congress. After an unauthorized altercation with the Spanish Government in Puerto Rico, Porter was court marshaled. In 1830, a new administration asked Porter to return and appointed him Consular General of Algiers and later Minister to Turkey serving in that post until his death. By freeing the sea of piracy and and establishing the first Naval Station, Porter was one of the founding fathers of Key West. He also began the long standing tradition of Key West as a Military outpost. , Donated by , Friends of the Key West Navy League . Monroe County Veterans Council . Marine Corps League Detachment 745 . Navy League Key West Council , All Who Served The Armed Forces of the United States.