USS Constitution | History, Battles, & Facts
By: This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
USS Constitution - History, Battles, & Facts
Constitution , warship renowned in American history. One of the first frigates built for the U.S. Navy, it was launched in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 21, 1797; it is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat. (The HMS Victory is older [1765] but is preserved in a drydock at Portsmouth, England.)
The Constitution 's overall length is 204 feet (62 metres), its displacement is 2,200 tons, and its gun range is 1,200 yards (1,100 metres). The bolts fastening its timbers and copper sheathing on the bottom were made by the silversmith and patriot Paul Revere. Rated as a 44-gun frigate, it ordinarily carried more than 50 guns and a crew of some 450. Original cost of the vessel exceeded $300,000, including guns and equipment.
War of 1812: USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere - The USS Constitution battling the British frigate HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812. (more)
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USS Constitution, escaping from the British fleet off the coast of New Jersey, July 18, 1812; detail of a painting by F.C. Muller. (more)
In the successful war against the Tripoli pirates (1801-05), the Constitution was Commodore Edward Preble's flagship, and the treaty of peace was signed aboard it. During the War of 1812 it achieved an enduring place in American naval tradition. On August 19, 1812, commanded by Captain Isaac Hull, it won a brilliant victory over the British frigate Guerriere . Tradition has it that during this encounter the American sailors, on seeing British shot failing to penetrate the oak sides of their ship, dubbed it "Old Ironsides." Several other victories added to its fame.
The USS Constitution sailing in Boston Harbor, August 2012. (more)
When in 1830 the ship was condemned as unseaworthy and recommended for breaking up, public sentiment was aroused by Oliver Wendell Holmes's poem "Old Ironsides." The ship was preserved, its rebuilding was provided for in 1833, and in 1844 it began a circumnavigation of the globe. The Constitution was removed from active service in 1882, and in 1905 it was opened to the public in Boston Harbor. After a restoration (1927-31) the ship was recommissioned; although it did not sail under its own power, it called at 90 American ports on both coasts and was visited by more than 4.5 million people. Since 1934 it has been based at the Charlestown Navy Yard (now part of the Boston National Historic Park). In celebration of its bicentennial, the newly renovated Constitution sailed again in July 1997. It also sailed in August 2012 to mark the 200th anniversary of its victory over the Guerriere during the War of 1812.
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Even though the USS Constitution is one of the greatest classic ships of all time, I posted this for another reason as well, and that is because around 35 years ago I experienced the privilege of boarding the ship one of the times that I was in Boston.
The same ship used in Star Trek: Generations. If I remember correctly.
When I watched "Generations" I didn't notice the whole ship being shown but the parts that were seen appeared to be genuine. I need to watch it again to see.
I never had the chance to board her but I would sure love the opportunity to.
If you're in Boston again, make sure you watch a Red Sox game in Fenway Park - yet another great experience.
We toured the Constitution when we visited Boston. It was really interesting.
Other than visiting Harvard, touring the USS Constitution and attending a Red Sox game in Fenway Park are IMO the three most important things to do in Boston. It's not important to eat baked beans.
In addition to the Constitution we visited Harvard, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It is also well-worth taking a day trip to Salem and visiting the outstanding Peabody Essex Museum, and taking a day trip to the very cool old seaside town of Rockport. But I think the most important thing to do in Boston is walking the Freedom Trail which takes you past several sites significant to the American Revolution. The night we got back to our hotel after walking the Freedom Trail Pres. Obama came on TV and announced the death of Osama bin Laden. We were ecstatic, of course, and I thought it was very fitting given our experience that day.
A law school classmate and I had driven to Boston, Cape Cod and New York City one summer vacation and we were given a tour of the Harvard law library by its senior librarian, and we took in a class on Contracts given by a professor at the Law School. The style of teaching was new to us - the whole was spent on the professor firing questions at different students One question that the students couldn't answer was about the rule in Saunders vs Vautier, and it killed me that I had to keep my mouth shut and couldn't contribute the answer that I knew.
LINK -> Saunders v Vautier