Omar Bennett
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy and the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. Built in 1797, it has served the United States for over two centuries, seeing action in one undeclared war and two official wars. During the American Civil War, the USS Constitution was evacuated to Newport, Rhode Island, from April 1861 to August 1865.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of construction | 1797 |
| Year of launch | 1798 |
| Cost of construction | $302,000 |
| Hull thickness | 21 inches (530 mm) |
| Length between perpendiculars | 175 ft (53 m) |
| Overall length | 204 ft (62 m) |
| Width | 43 ft 6 in (13.26 m) |
| Number of masts | 3 |
| Hull material | Wood |
| War record | 1 undeclared war, 2 official wars |
| Role in the Civil War | Evacuated to Newport, Rhode Island, from April 1861 to August 1865 |
| Recent repairs | 390 sheets of copper replaced |
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What You'll Learn
The USS Constitution was evacuated during the Civil War
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. It is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. The ship was launched in 1797 and was built at Edmund Hartt's Shipyard in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts. The USS Constitution was built using pine and oak, and its construction required 60 acres of trees.
The USS Constitution was evacuated to Newport, Rhode Island, during the American Civil War, from April 1861 to August 1865. Before the Civil War, the ship had been used as a training ship for midshipmen at the US Naval Academy. However, at the outbreak of the war, the Constitution was relocated further north due to threats made by Confederate sympathizers. Several companies of Massachusetts volunteer soldiers were stationed aboard for her protection. The ship was then towed to New York City, where it arrived on April 29, 1861.
During the Civil War, the USS Constitution did not see any direct combat action. Instead, it served as a training ship and was used for educational purposes. After the war, the ship remained in commission and was assigned a commanding officer and a crew of about 30 sailors to perform maintenance and provide guided tours to visitors.
The USS Constitution has a long and illustrious history, seeing action in one undeclared war and two official wars. It first went to sea to defend the rights of American seamen and merchants during the Quasi-War with France, which lasted from 1797 to 1801. The ship also played a crucial role in defeating the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War, protecting American merchants from the powers of the Barbary Coast of North Africa.
The USS Constitution underwent extensive repairs and maintenance throughout its years of service. In the 1850s, the ship was converted into a training ship, and classrooms were added to its spar and gun decks. After the Civil War, the ship continued to undergo repairs and was put on display for the centennial in 1876. Despite facing deterioration and the disappearance of items due to souvenir hunters, the USS Constitution remains a symbol of American naval history and is currently docked in Boston, its official home port.
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The USS Constitution's role as a training ship
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. It is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat, having been launched in 1797.
The USS Constitution played a significant role as a training ship, particularly during the American Civil War. In the years leading up to the Civil War, the Constitution underwent a transformation into a training vessel. In 1857, the ship was moved to dry dock for conversion into a training ship, with classrooms added to its spar and gun decks. Despite being a training ship, at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the Constitution faced threats from Confederate sympathizers, leading to its relocation further north to New York City, accompanied by Massachusetts volunteer soldiers for protection.
During the Civil War, the Constitution served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy, which had been relocated to Newport, Rhode Island, due to its proximity to the front lines. The ship provided a platform for midshipmen to receive on-the-job training in leadership, seamanship, and warfighting. They led sections of the crew in gunnery and sailing maneuvers while also learning navigation skills. The Constitution's role as a training ship during this period is evident through the preservation of midshipmen's journals, which offer valuable insights into the lives of these future officers and supplement the official records of the ship's activities.
After the Civil War, the Constitution continued its educational mission. In 1879, it became part of the Apprentice Training Squadron, a new navy program. However, by 1871, the ship had deteriorated significantly, leading to its retirement as a training ship. Despite this, the Constitution's legacy in training persisted, and in 1897, its role expanded beyond naval training to encompass broader school topics. Over the years, the ship has hosted thousands of school groups, providing educational programs in collaboration with the USS Constitution Museum and National Park Service rangers.
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The USS Constitution's construction and materials
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. It is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. The ship was launched in 1797 and was the third of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. The keel was laid down on November 1, 1794, at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts, under the supervision of Captain Samuel Nicholson, master shipwright Colonel George Claghorn, and Foreman Prince Athearn of the Martha's Vineyard Athearns.
The Constitution's hull was built 21 inches (530 mm) thick, with a length between perpendiculars of 175 ft (53 m) and an overall length of 204 ft (62 m). The width of the ship was 43 ft 6 inches (13.26 m). In total, 60 acres (24 ha) of trees were needed for its construction, with primary materials consisting of pine and oak, including southern live oak cut from Gascoigne Bluff and milled near St. Simons Island, Georgia. The use of enslaved workers to harvest the oak and other materials for the ship's construction has been acknowledged by the USS Constitution Museum historian Carl Herzog, who stated that "the forced labor of enslaved people was an expediency that Navy officials and contractors saw as fundamental to the job... enslaved people were essential to the construction of naval warships built to secure the very American freedoms they were denied."
The ship was designed by Joshua Humphreys to be larger and more heavily armed than standard frigates of the period, serving as the young Navy's capital ship. Its first duties included providing protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and defeating the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War. The Constitution successfully carried out these missions, protecting American merchants and hunting down French privateers during the Quasi-War, which lasted from 1797 to 1801. In 1803, the Constitution sailed to the Mediterranean Sea to confront the Barbary powers once again, remaining there for four years. The highlight of her military action in that conflict was the bombardment of Tripoli with the rest of the U.S. fleet in late summer 1804.
Over the years, the Constitution experienced deterioration due to limited funds, and items began to disappear as souvenir hunters targeted portable objects. However, the ship has undergone several restorations and repairs. In 1940, it was recommissioned at the request of President Franklin Roosevelt, and in 1972, funds were approved for another restoration, which included replacing large quantities of red oak that had been added experimentally in the 1950s. The ship is currently maintained by the Naval History and Heritage Command Detachment Boston, who aim to preserve her 1812 configuration as closely as possible.
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The USS Constitution's maintenance and repairs
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. The ship was launched in 1797 and saw action in one undeclared war and two official wars. The USS Constitution has undergone numerous "re-fits", "rebuilds", "overhauls", and "restorations" across its more than 220-year career.
The ship was constructed in Boston, Massachusetts, and regularly returned to the Boston Navy Yard for repair and maintenance during its active sailing career. The USS Constitution's first duties were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War. The ship's hull was built 21 inches thick, with a length of 175 feet between perpendiculars and a width of 43 feet 6 inches.
In 1801, after its service in the Quasi-War, the USS Constitution underwent an extensive refit, including stern work and new copper sheathing made by Paul Revere. In 1804, while undergoing repairs and resupply in Malta, Captain John Rodgers assumed command of the ship. The USS Constitution then resumed the blockade of Tripoli, capturing a Tripoline xebec and two other prizes. In 1805, a peace treaty with Tripoli was signed aboard the ship.
In 1814, the USS Constitution was held in Boston by a squadron of British ships. By mid-December, the British had reduced their blockade, and Charles Stewart, now in command, set a course to the south in search of British warships. The ship continued its patrol, approaching Cape Finisterre in rough seas and narrowly avoiding a collision with a Portuguese frigate.
In 1876, the USS Constitution underwent an overhaul, but the quality of the work was poor, and in 1881, the ship was deemed unfit for service. With a lack of funds for another overhaul, the ship was decommissioned and moved to the Portsmouth Navy Yard, where it was used as a receiving ship. The ship's condition continued to deteriorate, and only minimal maintenance was performed to keep it afloat.
In 1905, Secretary of the Navy Charles Joseph Bonaparte noted that due to the extensive alterations to the ship since 1812, it was "not the vessel" that had captured the Guerriere. Bonaparte suggested that the ship did not need to be preserved but could be used as a target for the North Atlantic fleet. However, President Theodore Roosevelt, a sympathetic naval historian, allocated funds for the ship's first "restoration" in 1906-1907.
After World War II, the USS Constitution remained at the Boston Navy Yard and was open to the public. A commanding officer and a crew of about 30 sailors were assigned to perform maintenance and provide guided tours. In 1972, funds were approved for another restoration, and the ship entered dry dock in April 1973, remaining there for a year. The privately-run USS Constitution Museum opened in 1976, and the ship continues to undergo maintenance and restoration by the Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston.
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The USS Constitution's involvement in the Barbary Wars
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. It is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat, having been launched in 1797. The USS Constitution's involvement in the Barbary Wars began with its first duties, which included providing protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and defeating the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War.
The First Barbary War (1801-1805), also known as the Tripolitian War or the Barbary Coast War, was the first of two wars fought by an alliance of the United States and several European countries against the Northwest African Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States. These were Tripoli, Algiers, the independent Sultanate of Morocco, and Tunis. The war began during Thomas Jefferson's term when he refused to pay an increased amount of tribute to the Barbary States. In response, Jefferson wrote, "I was very unwilling that we should acquiesce in the European humiliation of paying a tribute to those lawless pirates." Instead, in February 1802, he sent the Navy to Tripoli, with Commodore Richard Dale commanding the first two naval squadrons.
In September 1803, Commodore Edward Preble arrived in Tripoli on board the USS Constitution and began reshaping the conflict. The highlight of the USS Constitution's military action in the First Barbary War was the bombardment of Tripoli with the rest of the U.S. fleet in the late summer of 1804. The Barbary powers were subdued shortly after the attack, and peace was achieved.
The Second Barbary War in 1815, also known as the U.S.-Algerian War, resulted from a brief repudiation by Algiers of earlier agreements, but it was ended quickly by the arrival of an overwhelming American naval force. The USS Constitution did not participate in the Second Barbary War, as it was placed in ordinary in Boston in January 1816.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the USS Constitution did not fight in the Civil War. However, it was ordered to relocate to Newport, Rhode Island, from April 1861 to August 1865 to protect it from threats made by Confederate sympathizers.
The USS Constitution fought in one undeclared war and two official wars. Its first duties were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War. The ship also saw action in the Mediterranean Sea, protecting American merchants from the powers of the Barbary Coast of North Africa.
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. It is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat, having been launched in 1797.
