Hull's decision . .. established the ability and determination of the young republic to . .. stand up to ... a global power. And we have never looked back from that tradition. of four frigates, a ship of the line , a brig and a schooner. It was only by towing the Constitution with the ship's boats , and then warping her ahead with her anchors , that she managed to keep out of shot of the enemy. When the wind finally came up , Hull's seamanship and a brilliant feint finally allowed the Constitution to elude her pursuers after a chase of more than sixty hours. Hull gave credit for the successful flight to the determination of his officers and crew. But Admiral Sir Philip Broke reported to the Admiralty that the Constitution " escaped by very superior sailing , though the frigates under my command were remarkably fast ships. " Hull then made for Boston where he provisioned his ship . But fearing that he might be blockaded by the British , he sailed before receiving his orders . It is too much to say that the outcome of the war hung in the balance of this decision; but things certainly would have gone differently had he lingered. When the orders did get to Boston , they were for Hull not to sail, and the ship might well have waited out the war there . This was the fate of the Constellation which spent the duration of the conflict bottled up in the Chesapeake . But what was crucially significant about Hull's decision and his success is that they established the ability and determination of the young republic to successfully stand up to the threat posed by a global power. And we have never looked back from that tradition . After two weeks crui sing around the Banks and the Gulf of St. Lawrence , the Constitution ran in with the Guerierre, under' Captain James Dacres. Dacres ' appreciation of the situation was what one might fairly expect from an officer of the Royal Navy. After all , they had mastered the seas for some time. And Dacres himself came from a family of Navy men . His father was an admiral , and he confidently expected that a victory over a Yankee ship would catapult him into that stratum , too. Dacres ' crew were so overconfident that prior to the battle they are said to have prepared a batch of switchel to serve their prisoners when they came aboard . Hull, whatever his decision to flee Boston might suggest , was not a rash man ; but he was a bold one, and he bore down on the Guerierre with studied calm , three times refusing to order his gunners to commence firing. " No firing at random ," he admonished them. " Let every man look well to his aim. " The Guerierre loosed two broadsides to little effect as Constitution yawed to avoid their full force. Dacres then ran down before the wind to wait for the Constitution to come within range, and then fired again , aiming to cripple the rigging . Only when within pistol shot did Hull give the command to fire. The effect was immediate , and within a quarter hour someone shouted , " Huzza , my boys , we ' ve made a brig of her! " " Give her another one , " replied another man , " and make her a sloop." To this Hull , who was so caught up in the action that he had split his breeches, is said to have ordered , " No , no! Her spars are going fast enough. Aim for the yellow streak , that's where her guns are. Hull her boys! " And hull her they did, although a few stray shots managed to bring down the main and foremast . At the end of the battle, the Guerierre was so riddled with shot that she could not be taken in tow , and on the following morning Hull ordered her blown up . After their return to a hero's welcome in Boston , command of the Constitution passed to Commodore William Bainbridge. Bainbridge labored under the twofold ignominy of having been the first American officer to surrender an American ship to the enemy- the Retaliation to the French in the Quasi Warand of having lost the Philadelphia at Tripoli. Whether these mischances contributed to an already difficult personality ,
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Bainbridge was known as a harsh disciplinarian and there was little love lost between him and his crew . Although Bainbridge never gained the affection of his men , he at least earned their respect after the Constitution's action with the Java off the coast of Brazil. As was true against Guerierre , despite a real superiority in armament , it was the effect of Constitution's superior gunnery that brought about a swift conclusion to the battle . In fifty-five minutes, Java had lost her bowsprit and jibboom, foremast , maintopmast and mizzenmast , and her hull was riddled beyond repair. Again , the damage to the Constitution did not diminish her fighting ability (although her helm was smashed) ; her casualties were less than one-quarter those suffered aboard the Java . Lieutenant Henry Chads of the Java later said that the Constitution had been so well fought , " it made me regret she was not British." Both captains were among the injured: Henry Lambert, who died of his wounds, and Bainbridge who was wounded twice and , as a result, relieved of his command when Constitution returned to Boston late in February. Constitution spent the remainder of 1813 undergoing a major refit. In December, she began a four-month cruise to the Windward Islands under the command of Charles Stewart. At the conclusion of this she just barely avoided capture by two frigates off the coast of Massachusetts . Arriving back at Boston in April , she was blockaded there for another nine months. She slipped the blockade in December and sailed off for what would be her last wartime action. This was an extraordinary fight against two ships, the sloop of war Levant (20 guns) and the frigate Cyane (34 guns). Encountering the two vessels towards dusk, Stewart forced the engagement before the light failed . He maneuvered his ship between the Cyane and Levant and managed to fight both separately while avoiding being raked by either. After forty minutes, Cyane struck her colors and was followed shortly by the Levant. For once, Constitution had not destroyed her opponents and prize crews could be put aboard both ships, and the three made for Cape Verde . There they were sighted by a British squadron and they split up to avoid capture . Although the Levant was eventually recaptured, both Cyane and Constitution made it safely back to America, where the former was added to the Navy list. The War of 1812 was well over by the time of their return, and in fact this last engagement had taken place after the United States had ratified the Treaty of Ghent.
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The War of 1812, in which the Constitution and her men played such a pivotal role, ratified the independence won at Yorktown and permanently confirmed the articles of Constitution whose bicentennial we celebrate this year. The Constitution's captains are linked by having served in her with great distinction at a time when our grasp of independence was anything but firm. We are fortunate as a nation to have not only the memories of their gallantry, but to have preserved their ship , as a newspaper of the day suggested, "in honorable pomp, as a Glorious Monument of her own , and our other Naval Victories. " w
Ambassador Middendorf, a descendant of William Stone, who commanded the original Hornet during the Revolution, served as Secretary of the Navy from J974 to J976. Formerly Ambassador to the Netherlands and to the Organization of American States, and a sometime painter and composer, he currently heads an international investment firm in Washington , DC. SEA HISTORY , SUMMER 1987