David Farragut was born James Farragut, the son of a Spanish merchant captain and Revolutionary War veteran, but was adopted in 1808 by David Porter after the death of his mother and the death of Porter's father on the same day. Happy to have been adopted, the young Farragut changed his first name to David. He was captured at age 12 by the British during the War of 1812 and served during the actions against the Caribbean pirates in 1822.
David Porter served his country in the undeclared war against France, the Barbary Coast War, the War of 1812. While serving in the West Indies in the action to stamp out piracy (1823-1825), the period covered in this film, he invaded a Spanish town in Puerto Rico to avenge the jailing of one of his officers. The U.S. government did not sanction the action, and he was court-martialed. As a consequence, he resigned his commission to accept the post of Commander of the Mexican Navy (1826-1829).
While 'Errol Flynn' was recovering from a broken ankle while filming Against All Flags, Universal took advantage of the standing sets by putting together this modest epic during the hiatus.