The History of the USS Constitution

The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship that is still afloat in the entire world. In fact, not only is she still afloat, but she is still relatively seaworthy. Because she is a symbol of one of the wars for freedom in the United States and a relic from the very beginning of the United States Navy, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been put into her restoration over the course of more than 100 years. It has now been nearly 213 years since the USS Constitution was christened and launched at Edmond Hartt’s Shipyard in Boston, and she can still be seen gracing the Boston Harbor to this day.

In 1794 Congress ordered six frigates to be built; among them was the USS Constitution. The USS Constitution, as well as the five other frigates, was designed by a man named Joshua Humphreys. The 204 ft. long ship was meant to be very sturdy, so the frame and other wooden parts were made from live oak. Other specialty woods were used as well, some coming from as far away as Maine and Georgia. An estimated two thousand trees were used in the construction of the 44-gun frigate. Interestingly, all of the rolled copper and copper hardware used in the construction of the USS Constitution came from the forge of none other than Paul Revere.

She was christened and launched on October 21, 1797 and went on her first sea voyage the following year. In 1803 the USS Constitution became the flagship for the Mediterranean Squadron and became involved in the Tripolitan War. In this capacity she was part of five battles and numerous patrolling operations. The peace treaty with Tripoli was signed aboard the USS Constitution on June 3, 1805. The squadron stayed in the waters of the Mediterranean for a little longer, but by 1807 the USS Constitution was back in the Boston Navy Shipyard being refitted.

In 1812 the United States’ Second War for Independence or the War of 1812 began. The roughly three years that the war lasted would prove to be the most productive years that the USS Constitution saw as a commissioned warship. During the war, she was involved in seven incidents where a British ship was either destroyed or captured. One of these incidents was a battle with the British frigate the “Guerriere”; it would be the battle that earned the beloved ship its nickname, “Old Ironsides.” Witnesses of the battle said that enemy fire bounced right off of the sides of the ship, as if she were made of iron and not wood.

The USS Constitution spent the next roughly twenty-seven years between the Mediterranean Squadron, the Home Squadron, the Pacific Squadron and the Boston Navy Yard. Then, between 1844 and 1846, she circumnavigated the globe. About nine years later she went to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to be converted into a training ship. Between 1860 and 1870, she was a training ship in Annapolis, Maryland and Newport, Rhode Island. Between 1871 and 1877, she was repaired in Philadelphia and then used as a training ship there for about a year.

In 1878 the USS Constitution went on a journey to Paris and then returned the following year. Shortly after its return to the United States, three crewmen were awarded the Medal of Honor for “gallant conduct aboard the USS Constitution” when they repaired a rudder under dangerous conditions. That year, the frigate was used again as a training ship, this time on the Atlantic, but that only lasted until 1881. In 1897 she was moved back to the Boston Navy Yard because she was need of repair. The repairs do not begin until 1906 and are finished in 1907.

In 1916 it is discovered that the hull of the USS Constitution is deteriorating and the ship has substantial leaks. Workers manage to keep the ship afloat until 1927, when it is slotted for extensive repairs. In 1930 the USS Constitution is finally put back in the water. The following year she began a three-year tour of the coastal United States, but was towed for the entire journey. In 1934, the USS Constitution returned to her home in the Boston Harbor and has remained there ever since.

Meanwhile she has undergone extensive repairs to maintain the integrity of her structure and return her to as close to her original state as possible. On July 21, 1997, the USS Constitution sailed without being towed for the first time in 116 years. In 2003 the new Medal of Honor flag was unveiled aboard her and 50 Medal of Honor recipients were on the ship for the demonstration.

The USS Constitution still resides in Boston Navy Yard (now known as the Boston Naval Shipyard) in Charlestown, MA. Visitors can see the ship in the harbor and even tour the USS Constitution Museum. If you would like to see the USS Constitution out in the water, then visit on the Fourth of July when she has her annual underway demonstration and see America’s oldest Navy vessel sailing in the harbor of one of the United States’ oldest and most historic cities.

The closest address to the site of the USS Constitution is 1 Constitution Road, Charlestown, MA 02129.

For visiting hours and information go to www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/VisitorInformation.htm

Sources

USS Constitution, retrieved 9/9/09, history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/History.htm

The USS Constitution, retrieved 9/9/09, chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/constitution/iron-hist.html