Finding Jack Tar-USS Constitution's Crew by Matthew Brenckle, USS Constimtion Museum
SS Constitution was one of the first six ships built for the new United States Navy in 1797. Constitution, a wooden ship, is often called "Old Ironsides," a nickname she got in battle during the War of 1812 when sailors watched in amazement as cannonballs bounced off her thick oak sides. The famous frigate is still aRoat today; nearly a million people visit her every year in Boston Harbor. When you step on board Constitution, the first thing you notice is how big she is. She stretches 207 feet long and the mainmast towers 210 feet high, as rail as a 20-story building. All three masts could carry a total of 44 sails-almost an acre of canvas. When she sailed in battle, she carried as many as 5 5 heavy cannons on two decks, making her a force to be reckoned with. If you walked the deck 200 years ago, you would have noticed how crowded it was. Today, the active-duty US Navy crew numbers between 60 and 70 men and women, but when Constitution set sail from Boston during the War of 1812, she carried more than 480 officers, sailors, and Marines. The ship needed most of those hands to control the sails and fire the guns, but the officers also knew that they would need extra hands; some men would
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Two young Constitution
SEA HIST O>RY 138, SPRING 2012