"To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace."

-George Washington

Named by the first U.S. president, George Washington, the USS Constitution is probably most famous for defeating numerous British warships in the War of 1812. It was during this war, in the battle against the HMS Guerriere, the ship earned the nickname “Old Ironsides,” when the crew of the British ship noticed their cannon shots simply bounced off its hull they proclaimed: “Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!” The USS Constitution is the United States official Ship of State.

Today the ship is berthed at Pier 1 of the Charlestown Navy Yard, which is now a National Park and is located at the end of the Freedom Trail in Boston. It is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat in the world. The wooden-hulled, 3-masted frigate of the US Navy was launched from Hartt’s shipyard in Boston’s North End on October 21, 1797. One of six frigates authorized by Congress in the Naval Armament Act of 1794, and designed to be more heavily armed and better constructed than the standard ships of the period.

Old Ironsides served initially served in the French-Quasi war and later became the flagship of the Mediterranean fleet, fighting its first engagement against Barbary pirates of North Africa. It fought bravely winning numerous victories over the Royal Navy during the War of 1812. Later, it continued to serve as a flagship in the Mediterranean, African, and Pacific fleets into the 1850s. During its time as an African Squadron flagship, it captured its last prize, the slave ship H.N. Gambril in 1853. Later, it was a training ship during the Civil War, carried freight to the Paris World Fair of 1878, until it finally retired from active service three years later, continuing light work until designated a museum in 1907.

The ship returned to port in Boston, and received numerous visitors over the years, but deteriorated and required extensive restoration work again. President Roosevelt placed the ship on permanent commission in 1940, which protected the vessel somewhat from further deterioration, and it was assigned to serve as a brig for officers awaiting court-martial.

Today, the ship keeps a crew of 60 officers and sailors to aid in its mission to promote the understanding of the US Navy’s role in war and peace. The crew is all active-duty Navy sailors — an honorable special duty assignment. It is also crewed, maintained, and restored by the civilian Navy staff of the Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston. They have nearly finished another ongoing maintenance and restoration project replacing rotten wood, copper hull sheathing, rigging, and more.

Name: USS Constitution

Nickname: Old Ironsides

Class and type: 44-gun United States-class frigate

Displacement: 2,200 tons

Length: 304 ft (93 m) bowsprit to spanker 207 ft (63 m) billet head to taffrail 175 ft (53 m) at the waterline

First commander: Captain Samuel Nicholson

Location: Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts

Status: Inactive service

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