The USS Constitution

The U.S.S. CONSTITUTION

Ahoy CCA Fall Meeting Skippers: This is the bicentennial observation of the War of 1812; a war that was significantly shaped and won by the fledgling United States Navy. The USS CONSTITUTION, a 44 gun Frigate, proved to be invincible in battle and offered hope to the young Republic as she captured and destroyed warships of the British Royal Navy around the world in several seminal naval engagements off the coasts of Spain, Brazil and Nova Scotia. We hope you enjoy this brief history of the USS CONSTITUTION and the dvd “Old Ironsides Sails� which we were fortunate to film aboard the ship in 1997 when she set sail in Boston Harbor for the first time in 116 years. We hope that these will help stir your historical imagination as you tour and dine aboard the oldest commissioned warship in the world.

Chris and Shawn Otorowski

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“CONGRESS AUTHORIZES CONSTRUCTION OF SIX FRIGATES” 1794 USS CONSTITUTION was developed and built in response to the threat of Barbary corsairs, which threatened American merchant shipping off northern coast of Africa. Following the American Revolution, the United States' Continental Navy had disbanded, leaving the new nation without a credible seapower to defend its interests abroad.

Signed into law on March 27, 1794 by President George Washington, the Naval Armament Act called for the construction of six frigates, to be built at shipyards along the eastern seaboard. The 44-gun USS CONSTITUTION, built in Boston, was launched on Oct. 21, 1797.

Text courtesy of U.S. Navy website: CONSTITUTION, America’s Ship of State

Joshua Humphrey’s design: diagonal stringers

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The CONSTITUTION is a frigate, or intermediate class warship, designed by Philadelphia shipbuilder, Joshua Humphreys. His design with diagonal stringers aimed to prevent “hogging” of the keel and was to be lighter and shallower than a ship of the line but with more firepower than a privateer.

The six frigates were to be built in different cities to spread the economics of construction. The beams and decks were made of Carolina pine, the planks of red cedar and the key hull structures would be from live oak, found only in the Southeastern U.S.

Charleston Navy Yard and Boston Harbor, 1870

A 24 pounder.

GUN Material- Cast Iron Length- 10 feet 9 1/8 inches Maximum outside diameter- 24 inches Weight- 4,275 pounds CARRIAGE Material- White oak with cast iron wheels Width- 4 feet 10 inches Wheel diameter- 18 inches Weight- 1,215 pounds GUN AND CARRIAGE ASSEMBLED WEIGHT 5,490 POUNDS

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The Story of the CONSTITUTION CONSTITUTION, one of six frigates authorized by act of Congress, approved 27 March 1794, was designed by Joshua Humphreys, and built at Hartt's Shipyard, Boston, Mass., under the supervision of George Clag-horn with Captain Samuel Nicholson as inspector.

She was launched on 21 October 1797 and christened by Captain James Sever.

Into the trim frigate's construction went timbers from States ranging from Maine to Georgia, as well as copper bolts and spikes supplied by Paul Revere. A ship of beauty, power, and speed thus was fashioned as a national expression of growing naval interest, and a symbol auguring the dedication, courage, and achievement of American fighting men and ships.

CONSTITUTION put to sea on 23 July 1798, commanded by Captain Samuel Nicholson, the first of many illustrious commanding officers. Following patrols along the Eastern Seaboard she became flagship on the Santo Domingo station, making several captures including the 24-gun Niger, the Spencer, and the letter-of-marque Sandwich. At war's end, CONSTITUTION returned to the Charleston Navy Yard where she was placed in ordinary.

In 1803 amid growing demand for tribute and increasing seizures by the Barbary pirates, CONSTITUTION was recommissioned under Captain Edward Preble and sailed as flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron on 14 August. Preble took command of the squadron and vigorously brought the war to Tripoli, executing well-laid plans with brilliant success. On CONSTITUTION's decks tactics for destroying the captured frigate, PHILADELPHIA, were laid as well as those for blockading and assaulting the fortifications of Tripoli.

The small United States fleet on 3 and 7 August 1804 bombarded the enemy's ships and shore batteries with telling results.

Commodore Samuel Barron and later Captain John Rodgers were next to command the squadron and CONSTITUTION, continuing to blockade and take prizes. Naval action thus generated a favorable climate for the negotiation of peace terms with Algiers, ending for a time our tribute payments. After the Tunisians agreed to similar terms in August, CONSTITUTION spent 2 years patrolling in maintenance of the peace. She sailed for home under Captain Hugh Campbell and arrived Boston in November 1807. Placed out of commission, the frigate was repaired in the succeeding 2 years.

In August 1809 she was recommissioned and became flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron, Commodore J. Rodgers, and in 1810 Isaac Hull was appointed her captain. The following year she carried U.S. Minister, Joel Barlow, to France and returned to Washington in March 1812 for overhaul. War with Britain impended and CONSTITUTION was readied for action. On 20 June 1812 the declaration of war was read to her assembled crew and on 12 July she took the sea under Captain Hull to rejoin the squadron of Commodore J. Rodgers.

On 17 July CONSTITUTION sighted five ships in company; supposing them to be Rodger's squadron, Hull attempted to join up.

By the following morning, however, the group was identified as a powerful British squadron which included the frigates GUERRIERE and Shannon. The wind failed, becalming within range of the enemy who opened fire. Disaster threatened until Captain Hull astutely towed, wetted sails, and kedged to draw the ship slowly ahead of her pursuers. For 2 days all hands were on deck in this desperate and successful attempt at escape, a splendid example of resolute command, superior seamanship, and indefatigable effort.

During the war, CONSTITUTION ran the blockade at Boston on seven occasions and made five cruises ranging from Halifax, Nova Scotia, south to Guiana and east to Portugal. She captured, burned, or sent in as prizes nine merchantmen and five ships of war. Departing Boston on 2 August she sailed to the coast of Nova Scotia, where she captured and destroyed two British trading ships. Cruising off the Gulf of St. Lawrence on 19 August, she caught sight of GUERRIERE, a fast British frigate mounting 49 guns.

GUERRIERE opened the action, pouring out shot which fell harmlessly into the sea or glanced ineffectively from the hull of CONSTITUTION whose cheering crew bestowed on her the famous nickname "Old Ironsides," which has stirred generations of Americans. As the ships drew abreast, Hull gave the command to fire and successive broadsides razed GUERRIERE's mizzen mast, damaging her foremast, and cut away most of her rigging. GUERRIERE's bowsprit fouled the lee rigging of CONSTITUTION, and both sides attempted to board, but the heavy seas prevented it. As the ships separated GUERRIERE fired point blank into the cabin of CONSTITUTION and set it on fire, but the flames were quickly extinguished. GUERRIERE's foremast and mainmast went by the board and she was left a helpless hulk.

The flag of GUERRIERE was struck in surrender and when the Americans boarded her they found her in such a crippled condition that they had to transfer the prisoners and burn her. It was a dramatic victory for America and for CONSTITUTION. In this battle of only half an hour the United States "rose to the rank of a first-class power"; the country was fired with fresh confidence and courage; and union among the States was greatly strengthened.

CONSTITUTION, under command of Commodore William Bainbridge, stood out from Boston on 26 October. On 29 December 1812 she added to her conquest the British 38-gun frigate, JAVA, whom she engaged off the coast of Brazil. Despite loss of her wheel early in the fighting, CONSTITUTION fought well. Her superior gunnery shattered the enemy's rigging, eventually dismasting JAVA, and mortally wounding her captain. JAVA was so badly damaged that she, too, had to be burned. The seemingly invincible "Old Ironsides" returned to Boston late in February for refitting and her wounded commander was relieved by Captain Charles Stewart.

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The Story of the CONSTITUTION CONSTITUTION departed on 31 December for a cruise in the Windward Islands. On 15 February she seized and destroyed the schooner, Pictou, and 9 days later chased the schooner, Pique, who escaped. She also captured three small merchantmen on this cruise, characteristically successful despite a close pursuit by two British frigates along the coast of Massachusetts.

CONSTITUTION moored safely at Boston only to be bottled up for nearly 9 months by the vigorous British blockade.

In December 1814 CONSTITUTION braved the forces of the enemy, and headed southeast. She seized the merchant brig Lord Nelson and later captured Susannah with a rich cargo on 16 February 1815. Four days later she gave close chase to the frigate CYANE and the sloop LEVANT bound for the West Indies. CONSTITUTION opened the action firing broadsides; as the contestants drew apart she maneuvered adroitly between the two, fighting each separately and avoiding raking by either. In less than an hour CYANE struck her colors and soon thereafter LEVANT surrendered. Sailing in company with her prizes, CONSTITUTION encountered a British squadron which gave chase but was able to retake only LEVANT. En route to New York, she received confirmation of the ratification of peace terms and on 15 May arrived, confident in her success as protector of freedom of the seas.

Ordered to Boston, she was placed in ordinary for 6 years, undergoing extensive repair. In May 1821 she returned to commission, serving as flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron, under Commodore Jacob Jones, and guarding United States shipping until 1823. A second cruise on that station lasted from 1823 through July 1828, with a succession of commanding officers including Captain Thomas Macdonough and Daniel Patterson.

A survey in 1830 disclosed CONSTITUTION to be unseaworthy. Congress, considering the projected cost of repairs, relegated her for sale or scrapping. Public sentiment, engendered partly by the dramatization of her history in Oliver Wendell Holmes' memorable poem, elicited instead an appropriation of money for reconstruction which was begun in 1833 at Boston, where once again she was captained by the redoubtable Isaac Hull.

Returned to commissioned status in 1835, she served well in the ensuing 20 years in a variety of missions. In March 1835 she sailed to France where she embarked the U.S. Minister to France, Edward Livingston, for return to the States. In August she entered upon a 3-year tour as flagship of Commodore Jesse Elliott in the Mediterranean protecting trade and maintaining good relations. She served as flagship for the South Pacific Squadron from 1839 to 1841; and for the home station from November 1842 to February 1843. In March 1844 she began a memorable 30-month circumnavigation of the globe while under the command of Captain John Percival.

The Fall of 1848 brought a resumption of duty as flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron, Commodore W. C. Bolton.

Decommissioned briefly in 1851 she sailed under Captain John Rudd in 1852 to patrol the west coast of Africa in quest of slavers until June 1855. Five years of decommissioned status followed. In August 1860 she was assigned to train midshipmen at Annapolis, and during Civil War at Newport, R.I. Among her commanding officers in this period are listed Lieutenant Commanders David D. Porter, and George Dewey.

In 1871 CONSTITUTION underwent rebuilding at Philadelphia; she was commissioned again in July 1877 to transport goods to the Paris Exposition. Once more she returned to duty as a training ship, cruising from the West Indies to Nova Scotia with her youthful crews. In January 1882 she was placed out of commission and in 1884 was towed to Portsmouth, N.H., to become a receiving ship. Celebration of her centennial year brought her to Boston in 1897 where she was retained in decommissioned status.

A public grateful for her protective services once again rescued her from imminent destruction in 1905 and she was thereafter partially restored for use as a national museum. Twenty years later, complete renovation was initiated with the financial support of numerous patriotic organizations and school children.

On 1 December 1917, CONSTITUTION was renamed Old CONSTITUTION to permit her original name to be assigned to a projected battle cruiser. Given first to CC-1 (renamed Lexington (q.v.)) then to CC-5 (originally named Ranger (q.v.)), the name CONSTITUTION was restored to "Old Ironsides" on 24 July 1925, after the battle cruiser program had been canceled under the Washington naval treaty. CONSTITUTION (CC-5) was some 13.4 percent complete at the time of her cancellation.

On 1 July 1931, amid a 21-gun salute, CONSTITUTION was recommissioned. The following day she sailed on a triumphant tour of 90 United States' ports along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, where thousands of Americans saw at first hand one of history's greatest fighting ships. On 7 May 1934 she returned to Boston Harbor, the site of her building. On 8 January 1941, CONSTITUTION was recommissioned. She underwent additional restorations over the years including most recently 1995-1997 and 2010-2012. The CONSTITUTION is the oldest ship on the Navy List, proud and worthy representative of the Navy's great days of fighting sail, and symbol of the courage and patriotic service of generations of Americans at sea where much of the Nation's destiny will always lie.

(Adapted from the Naval Historical Center)

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THE WAR OF 1812

Captain Edward Preble was Captain of the CONSTITUTION from May 1803-October 1804 and was heavily engaged in action in the Mediterranean in Tripoli and the Barbary War resulting in peace with the Bashaw of Tripoli.

In 1812, Britain was at war with France and had imposed restrictions on trade between the U.S. and France. England also had been impressing U.S. sailors into the Royal Navy and supporting the American Indians in their resistance to the expansion of the American frontier. National honor was at stake in the U.S. On June 18, the U.S. declared war against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The first major battle on the seas was the USS CONSTITUTION’S capture of GUERRIERE on August 19.

On December 29, the CONSTITUTION sank JAVA off the coast of Brazil. The treaty of Ghent ending the war was signed on December 24, 1814. While still out to sea, on February 20, 1815, the final naval battle for the CONSTITUTION occurs off the Spanish coast when the CYANE and LEVANT are captured.

The USS CONSTITUTION at left, being towed by its crew in rowboats, escaping the British Fleet in no wind on July 17, 1812, under the command of Captain Isaac Hull.

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Cutaway View- Courtesy of National Park Service

CONSTITUTION CAPTURES AND BURNS “GUERRIERE” August 19, 1812

The 44-gun frigate USS CONSTITUTION was actually outfitted with 55 guns when she encountered the 38-gun frigate HMS GUERRIERE (armed with 49 at the time) off the coast of Nova Scotia, at about 2 p.m. Closing the distance of several miles between the two warships, HMS GUERRIERE raised three British ensigns as an invitation to a duel; USS CONSTITUTION’s Capt. Isaac Hull answered with four American ensigns.

CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL

In the course of this 35-minute battle, an astonished sailor observed British 18-lb. iron cannonballs, bouncing harmlessly off USS CONSTITUTION’s 25-inch oak hull, and he cried out, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!”

Henceforth, USS CONSTITUTION carried the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

Aboard HMS GUERRIERE, Capt. James Dacres ordered his small but highly experienced crew to begin firing broadsides early. USS CONSTITUTION’s commanding officer chose to hold fire until just after 6 p.m., Hull wrote soon after the engagement, “…within less than a Pistol Shot, we commenced a very heavy fire from all of our Guns.”

In the course of this 35-minute battle, an astonished sailor observed British 18-lb. iron cannonballs, bouncing harmlessly off USS CONSTITUTION’s 25-inch oak hull, and he cried out, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!”

Henceforth, USS CONSTITUTION carried the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

USS CONSTITUTION’s 24-lb. shots were devastating, bringing down the English warship’s masts, and entangling the two ships when they collided. The first United States Marine Corps officer to die in combat at sea was Lt. William Bush, who was shot on USS CONSTITUTION’s taffrail while attempting to board HMS GUERRIERE

USS CONSTITUTION’s 24-lb. shots were devastating, bringing down the English warship’s masts, and entangling the two ships when they collided. The first United States Marine Corps officer to die in combat at sea was Lt. William Bush, who was shot on USS CONSTITUTION’s taffrail while attempting to board HMS GUERRIERE.

By 7 p.m., a wounded Dacres ordered a gun fired to leeward, signaling HMS GUERRIERE’s surrender to the American frigate.

Drawing by John Charles Roach as published in “A Most Fortunate Ship” by Commander Tyrone G Martin.

“The GUERRIERE was so cut up, that all attempts to get her in would have been useless,” Capt. Dacres explained in a letter to his superiors in England. “As soon as the wounded were got out of her, they set her afire, and I feel it my duty to state that the conduct of Captain Hull and his Officers to our Men has been that of a brave Enemy.”

HMS GUERRIERE sank into the sea in flames on Aug. 20, and USS CONSTITUTION returned to Boston on Aug. 30, to great fanfare.

The British reaction was summed up by the London Times, which stated, “It is not merely that an English frigate has been taken, after, what we are free to confess, may be called a brave resistance, but that it has been taken by a new enemy, and enemy unaccustomed to such triumphs, and likely to be rendered insolent and confident by them. …how important this triumph is in giving a tone and character to the war. Never before in the history of the world did an English frigate strike to an American.”

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THE BATTLE WITH “JAVA” OFF THE BRAZILIAN COAST December 29, 1812 Captain William Bainbridge

Less than five months after sinking HMS GUERRIERE, USS CONSTITUTION engaged a second British frigate during the War of 1812, this time about 30 miles off the coast of Brazil. Under the command of Capt. William Bainbridge, "Old Ironsides" was outfitted with 54 guns, and sailed under Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton's directive: "to annoy the enemy and afford protection to our commerce."

At 2 p.m., USS CONSTITUTION opened fire on HMS JAVA, a 38-gun ship that was smaller and faster than her adversary and commanded

by Capt. Henry Lambert. HMS JAVA's opening salvo damaged USS CONSTITUTION's rigging and spars and wounded Bainbridge. Raking fire from HMS JAVA to the American frigate's stern shattered the helm and killed or injured the four helmsmen. Wounded a second time in the thigh, Bainbridge passed steering orders to Marines in the ship's tiller room, who moved the rudder using block and tackle.

Setting the fore and main courses, USS CONSTITUTION closed fast and delivered a broadside that destroyed HMS JAVA's bowsprit cap, jib boom and head sails. When the British frigate's bowsprit became entangled in the opposing vessel's mizzen rigging, Bainbridge seized the opportunity to fire a final broadside.

USS CONSTITUTION's boarding party salvaged the helm from the dismasted HMS JAVA, to be outfitted aboard "Old Ironsides."

In his journal kept aboard USS CONSTITUTION, Bainbridge described the final moments of the battle that led to HMS JAVA's surrender at 5:25 p.m., shortly before sinking: "Got very close to the Enemy in a very effectual Raking Position, athwart his Bows, and was at the very instance of Raking him, when he most prudently Struck his Flag; for had he suffered the Broadside to have Raked him, his additional Loss must have been extremely great, as he laid an unmanageable Wreck upon the Water."

As many as 60 British seamen were killed in action, including Capt. Lambert. USS CONSTITUTION lost nine.

Following this battle, the British Admiralty then the world's foremost maritime superpower - decreed their warships would no longer engage American frigates in combat unless in squadron force - that is, two or more to one.

Drawing by John Charles Roach as published in “A Most Fortunate Ship” by Commander Tyrone G Martin.

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Text courtesy of U.S. Navy website: CONSTITUTION, America’s Ship of State

THE CAPTURE OF “LEVANT” AND “CYANE” OFF MADEIRA February 20, 1815

Captain Charles Stewart

Drawing by John Charles Roach as published in “A Most Fortunate Ship” by Commander Tyrone G Martin.

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LATER YEARS.......

CONSTITUTION has undergone many refits and rebuilds and has served the nation in many capacities. She has been rescued from decay several times and now serves proudly as our Ship of State, in Boston Harbor.

Portsmouth, NH, 1858

Naval School Wharf, Annapolis, 1860 Philadelphia, 1873

Boston Navy Yard, 1907

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1882

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REBUILD: 1925-1931 AT CHARLESTON NAVY YARD In 1925, John Abel Lord, at the age of 53, was placed in charge of rebuilding the

John Abel Lord

CONSTITUTION. The rebuilding took place between 1927 and 1931 at the Charleston Navy Yard in Boston. When the CONSTITUTION departed drydock in 1931, he was appointed the rank of full naval constructor. He retired in 1932 after 30 years in the Navy Construction Corps. He was recalled to active service in 1941 working first at the Bath Iron Works, where he had previously supervised construction of many ships for the Navy and then retired at the rank of Commander in late 1943.

He passed away two years later.

During his charge rebuilding the CONSTITUTION, he thoroughly documented the entire process including drawings and photographs. Here are a few of his photographs depicting various interestIng aspects of the rebuild.

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REBUILD: 1925-1931 AT CHARLESTON NAVY YARD

CONSTITUTION in Seattle in 1933 during its three coast tour after the rebuild of 1925-1931.

Transiting the Panama Canal, 1933 Photos courtesy of John Abel Lord collection; USS CONSTITUTION Museum

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1995-1997: REBUILD FOR THE 200 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONSTITUTION

From 1995 to 1997 a substantial rebuilding of CONSTITUTION took place at a cost of over $12 million. Included were replacing the diagonal stringers originally designed by Joshua Humphreys that worked so well to eliminate hogging of the keel. In July 1997, the CONSTITUTION was under sail for first time in over 100 years going from Boston Harbor to Marblehead and back.

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1995-1997: REBUILD FOR THE 200 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONSTITUTION

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Further Reading, Links ■

A Most Fortunate Ship: A Narrative History of "Old Ironsides". Naval Institute Press. 1997. ISBN 1-55750-588-8. OCLC 243901224.

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Undefeated: Old Ironsides in the War of 1812. Chapel Hill: Tryon Publishing Company. 1996. ISBN 1-884824-19-6. OCLC 36330743.

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Creating a Legend. Chapel Hill: Tryon Publishing Company. 1997. ISBN 1-884824-20-X. OCLC 37713196.

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Humphreys, Assheton Y. (2000). Tyrone G. Martin. ed. The USS CONSTITUTION's Finest Fight: The Journal of Acting Chaplain Assheton Humphreys, US Navy. The Nautical & Aviation Publishing. ISBN 1-877853-60-7.OCLC 44632941.

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A Signal Honor: The Men of CONSTITUTION. Chapel Hill: Tryon Publishing Company. 2003. ISBN 1-884824-31-5. OCLC 62156072.

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The Naval War of 1812. (Orig. Publ. 1882) (1996). Theodore Roosevelt. Random House. ISBN 0-375-75419-9

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Old Ironsides: The Rise, Decline, and Resurrection of the USS CONSTITUTION(1993). Thomas C. Gillmer. International Marine, Ragged Mountain Press. ISBN 0-07-024564-9

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The USS CONSTITUTION: A Design Confirmed. Salem Massachusetts: Peabody Museum of Salem. 1997. OCLC 88264025.

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Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy. (2006). Ian W. Toll. W. H. Norton Publishing. ISBN 13:978-0-393-05847-5

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Eriksen, Olof A. (2009). Tyrone G. Martin. ed. CONSTITUTION: All Sails Up and Flying. Outskirts Press. ISBN 978-1-4327-3160-1.

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Charleston Navy Yard, Official National Park Handbook

You Tube Links 1950’s Newsreel about USS CONSTITUTION http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK8I0UMEzas&feature=related Story of the War of 1812 with Anne Grimes, President, USS CONSTITUTION Museum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W4CMJclZv8&feature=related War of 1812- US Navy Visual News Service http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMdBWWDWRQ8&feature=related Gun Drill Aboard USS CONSTITUTION http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQSBxQiLSyQ&feature=related USS CONSTITUTION Sailing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69kr5WpYjgA USS CONSTITUTION’s Orlop Deck and Ship’s Hold http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS0Y89yozGk&feature=related USS CONSTITUTION’s Aft Magazine and Filling Room http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhemZbGg7CY&feature=endscreen&NR=1 USS CONSTITUTION Pike Drill Team http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amLM6E0o_mc&feature=relmfu USS CONSTITUTION’s Sail Loft http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZM4hnDRN4M&feature=relmfu USS CONSTITUTION’s Sick Bay http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=gpEmrQqzRbQ USS CONSTITUTION Sails Again- Bennett Marine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReJD98SLeRw

Commander Tyrone Martin receiving Queen Elizabeth II aboard CONSTITUTION in 1976 during the Bicentennial.

Acknowledgments and credits for drawings and photos belong to the US Navy, USS CONSTITUTION Museum, Commander Tyrone Martin and the US Navy Museum.

Website Links USS CONSTITUTION Museum http://www.ussCONSTITUTIONmuseum.org US Navy- CONSTITUTION http://www.history.navy.mil/ussCONSTITUTION/

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