Wrong century.
Warfare's just a tad different. And Farragut wasn't 16.
The sea hasn't changed at all, but you're right about Farragut's age; he was twelve when he accepted his first command.
I was a boy Midshipman (technically a Cadet Midshipman), one of the last in the Commonwealth.
They let us join the Navy as children. They let us do a lot of things as children.
But they also always made sure that there was somebody there who had a chance of getting us out of trouble in an emergency.
That’s how it was for the 300 years that boys were allowed to train as officers. It’s a very different situation from the one Ms Sunderland found herself in.
Adults should allow children the chance to fall - but always be there to try and catch them when they do.