have read a lot of civil war history but wasn’t familiar with Porter:

"On 6 February, Essex joined the rest of Foote’s gunboat squadron in the attack on Fort Henry. Porter’s ship, second in line, sustained heavy fire from shore batteries and received at least 15 direct hits. About half an hour into the fray, Essex took a 32-pound shot through her bow shield. It pierced her boilers, releasing steam which severely scalded 28 men. Commander Porter—himself blinded and scalded—continued to conn his ship until she was clear of the action.

Though still severely hampered by his injuries, Porter directed the extensive repair and renovation of Essex from his sick bed. At the same time, he also superintended the construction of two other warships, the ironclads Lafayette and Choctaw."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_D._Porter

shame his legacy was kinda wacky lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_William_D._Porter_(DD-579)

the torpedo accident is a hilarious story.

As a result of this incident, US ships would routinely greet the destroyer with the joke “Don’t shoot! We’re Republicans!”