USS Constitution Reborn by Patrick Otton n September 1995, USS Constitu- 3. Standard midship knees : On the Bosto n modeled the fi ve hi stori ca l struction return e d to th e wa te rs of lower deck, twe lve compos ite knees on tural components using a I : 16 scale Boston Harbor after three yea rs and each side carry the weight of the over- mode l. A I 0 percent increase in hull one day in drydock for repairs and resto- head cannon on the gun deck do wn to sti ffness was shown. The Detac hment ration to ready her for her bicentenni al the lower deck and onto the diagonal prove d the effecti ve ness of the design celebration thi s year. Because major riders beneath. The new knees take the and e xte nded the drydock re pair to in structural members were rein stated in pl ace of what was ori ginall y a pair of clude th e restorati on o f those fi ve comthe hull , this is the most signifi cant struc- grown hang in g and s tand ard knees . pone nts. These knees are 13 inches thick, the The drydock re pair consisted of both tural restoration in the ship 's hi story. Hi story can attest th at Constitution is body reaching the gun deck c lamp, the reha bi I itati on (the repair of deteriorated a successful design. Joshua Humphreys; arm 6 feet long and bo lted with eight structure) and restoration (reinstating the components of her ori ginal config udesigner of the US Navy's first six fri g- bolts 11/4 inch diameter. ates, had two criteria to sati sfy: to out- 4. Additional Stanchions: T wo add i- ration ). Restoring the structural compogun the next rate ship, and to out-sail tional ro ws of stanchi ons on the lower nents during the 1992 drydock was a j us ti fi ed ex penditure ofl abor and adversaries. The solution required m ateri als. But due to the limited a truly new design . This will be the first time since 1881 avail Humphreys understood the obability ofnatural timber, glue that Constitution will travel under lamination was used to provide vious conflict between the fin e enof the wood specifi ed by try and run required for sailing her own sail ... topsails, jibs and much Humphreys. qualities and the weight of a heavy armament. Combining the we ight spanker ... in a salute to the nation. In 1797, while observing the launch of USS United States, of heavy guns and the buoyancy curve of a fast sailing hull res ults in a deck work in co njun cti on with th e Joshua Humphreys wrote to the Secreforce that distorts the hull resultin g in midship standard knees to support the tary o f W arthat " ... without straining o r hogg ing-the bending along the length cannon overhead. Made of turned white hogging more than one and a quarter of the keel which causes the bow and oak and copi ed from the centerline stan- inch, as yo u will see by the encl osed stern to droop and the midbod y to ri se. chions, they are fitted under each over- certifi cate, to my great and unspeakable The Humphreys Solution head gun deck beam beneath the thick sati sfaction . T he fiimn ess of the ship is Humphreys needed to stiffen the hull to strake above and stand on the lower deck a convinc ing proof to me of the utility of prevent hogging, and he used fiv e com - thick strake. the diagonal riders in long ships."* The ponents to achieve thi s. The modern 5. Diagonal riders: ¡The di ago nal riders same may be said for Constitution torestoration has replaced Humphreys' s are the unify ing members jo ining the day . When undocked in September 1995 , ori ginal grown knees and timbers with hull sections together and greatl y sti ff- the hog was meas ured to be less than two laminated white oak. While in repa ir, ening the hull to res ist hogg ing. A total inches. The effecti veness of the strucmany other items were restored to orig i- oftwelve diagonals of white oak 12 x 24 tu ra l components is again shown with nal spec ification s. The fiv e components inches and appro ximately 34 fee t long, "convinc ing proof " and " unspeaka bl e noted here were not part of the ship 's six per side, three sweeping fo rwa rd , sati sfacti on." structure when drydocked in 1992. Joshua Humphreys is owed credit fo r three sweeping aft. They are through1. Thick strakes: On the g un deck and bolted through the hull every two fee t the innovati ve des ign that led to the lower deck, four pairs oflaminated white with 11/s inch copper bo lts, ongo ing 200-year story of thi s great ship. In turn , US S Constitution has beoak deck planking, thicker by 2 inches Second-guessing the Designer than the decking , 5 1/2 inches thi ck and O ve r the past 200 yea rs, as Constitu- come a symbo l of American determinanot less than 10 inches wide, bolted and tion' s fun ction changed fro m fi ghting ti on and innovati on. jogg led into each other and over and into wa rship to training vesse l to receiving USS Constitution, symbo li c fl ags hip the beams and ledges by two inches. ship to dockside ex hibi t, so did the shi p 's of the US Navy , is now being readied to sai l in ce le bra ti on of her bi centenni al on The thick strakes run fore and aft along- config urati on. The five structural comside the hatches, and midway between ponents were ex pensive in materials, 2 1July 1997. Thi s will be the first time the hatches and the waterways, port and techniques and la bo r, so as earl y as 1820 since 188 1 th at Constitution will trave l tarboard . These thick deck strakes add the di agonal riders were not renewed in under her ow n. sail , crui sing in Massalong itudinal strength to the hull. Constitution' s repairs, and the other com- chu setts Bay under topsa il s, jibs and 2. Standard knees: At the bow and ponents were al so eventuall y e limin ated. spanke r- her battle confi gurati on- in a stern on the lower deck , long laminate Over the years, Constitution began to salute to the nation . white oak knees are fitted at the end of show her age. By 1992 the ship had each pair of thick strakes. These knees deve loped over 13 inches o f hog. Many unite the thick strakes to the hull. The suggesti ons were proposed for support- Mr. O tt on is the Technical Writerfor the knees are joggled over two deck beams ing the hull : air bags, steel g irders, and Nava l /-I istorical Center Detachment and bolted to the bow and stern with 1 /s space fra mes. None of these were hi s- Boston . /-le keeps the historic record f or in ch bolts. Two addition a l sta ndard tori ca ll y acc urate and none we re con- the ship and does the historical research needed f or the ongoing work. knees, one reaching from the bow to the gruent with the fab ric of the ship. foremast, the other from the tran som to In 1993 , recogni zing th at Humphreys the mi zzen mas t, a lso strengthen the hull had a lready provided the answers, the * J. Hum phreys¡ Letter Book. 1797-1 800. p. 26. dated at the ends. Nava l Hi stori ca l Center Detac hment May I I, 1797. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
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SEA HI STORY 8 1, SPRING/SUMM E R 1997