October 2, 2021 - USS Constitution
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The first item on today's agenda was to visit Old Ironsides -- the USS Constitution -- oldest active ship in the U.S. Navy. It has long been on my bucket list, of course.
You have to go through security at center, and then there is a small, but interesting museum about the Boston Naval Shipyard on the right.
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And there she is!
USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate (44-gun) of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship of any type still afloat. HMS Victory -- a 104 gun, First-Rate, Ship Of the Line -- is the oldest commissioned vessel by three decades, but she has been in dry dock in Portsmouth, England since 1922. Lynnette and I toured the HMS Victory in 2018: Link.
USS Constitution was built and launched in Boston in 1797, one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed. The other five frigates were: Chesapeake (Norfolk), President (New York), United States (Philadelphia), Congress (Kittery, Maine), Constellation (Baltimore). Ian W. Toll wrote an excellent book about them titled "Six Frigates".
Note: The Frigate Constellation floats today in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. But the original Constellation was struck in 1853 and broken up. Some timbers were re-used in the building of a new Constellation, and it was claimed that it was a "repair" of the original ship (a common dodge of the time for political reasons) leading to uncertainty over which ship was preserved in Baltimore until it was proven in 1999 to be the second Constellation. -- Wikipedia |
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The masts and rigging look sharp.
Joshua Humphreys designed the frigates to be the young Navy's capital ships, and so Constitution and her sister ships were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period. They were designed to overpower any other frigate while having the speed to escape from a ship of the line.
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USS Constitution's first duties were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War.
Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships: HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane, and Levant. The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname "Old Ironsides" and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping.
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| This cutaway of the frigate show how thick the sides were. All wood. |
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Lynnette preparing to fire one of the 24-pounders.
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Looking aft. Notice how the Captain's cabin hangs out over the side.
USS Constitution continued to serve as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons, and she circled the world in the 1840s. During the American Civil War, she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy. She carried American artwork and industrial displays to the Paris Exposition of 1878.
Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 and served as a receiving ship until being designated a museum ship in 1907. In 1934, she completed a three-year, 90-port tour of the nation. She sailed under her own power for her 200th birthday in 1997, and again in August 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere.
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Request permission to come aboard!
USS Constitution is a fully commissioned Navy ship. Her crew of 60 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies, educational programs, and special events while keeping her open to visitors year round and providing free tours. The officers and crew are all active-duty Navy personnel, and the assignment is considered to be special duty.
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| Working aloft not for those who don't like heights. |
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Looking forward at the bowsprit.
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Looking aft.
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| Part of the Captain's stateroom. |
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| The other half of the Captain's stateroom. It's good to be the Captain. |
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| The main gun deck. |
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The big stove where all hot meals were cooked.
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| Hammocks for sleeping. |
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| Look at those massive oak elbows. |
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| Officer country. Officers had little staterooms with doors. |
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| Tools used for loading and firing the guns. |
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The ship's wheel.
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Removable hatches to lower supplies and guns into the gun deck area.
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A good look at the stern area.
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| Another look at the bow. |
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| USS Constitution drawing 19 feet of water. |
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| Head-on view. |
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A Lego model of the USS Cassin Young.
The ropewalk supplied cordage used in the Navy from the time it opened in 1837 until the Yard closed in 1975. The Yard closed after the Vietnam War.
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| Diorama of the Boston Naval Shipytard. |
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| Aerial photograph of the Boston Naval Shipyard. |
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| After visiting the Constitution and Boston Naval Shipyard museum, we walked a short distance to the U.S.S. Constitution Museum. |
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A beautiful model of Old Ironsides.
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| Another larger model of the USS Constitution, this one with all the sails deployed. |
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Yet another model of the Constitution, this one how she looked as a training ship when quartering Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1860.
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The old Dry Dock 1 - built in 1883 -- at the Charleston Navy Yard.
In the background to the right is the museum ship USS Cassin Young (DD-793), a Fletcher-class Destroyer. This ship is named for named for Captain Cassin Young (1894–1942), who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and killed in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in the fall of 1942. The following link tells the story of this great naval officer: Link.
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Painting of the USS Constitution being launched in Boston in 1797.
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| The USS Constitution underway under sail power! --- Wikipedia |
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| Aerial shot of the USS Constitution passing by downtown Boston. -- Wikipedia |
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| USS Constitution is a heavy frigate. The picture below shows what a Ship Of The Line looks like. It is the HMS Victory in Portsmouth, England. |
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