Simone Lawson
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. It was launched in 1797 and has served the United States for over two centuries. During its illustrious career, the USS Constitution saw action in one undeclared war and two official wars, defending the interests of American seamen and merchants. While the exact number of ships sunk by the USS Constitution is unclear, it is known for its encounters with French privateers and its role in the First Barbary War. It is said to be the only remaining frigate of the original six constructed and the only ship in the US Navy's arsenal to have sunk an enemy combatant, which was likely a Tripolian gunboat during the Age of Sail.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of enemy combatant ships sunk | 1 or 2 |
| Names of the enemy ships sunk | Tripolian gunboat(s) |
| Names of other ships damaged | HMS Guerriere, HMS Java |
| Other notable actions | Bombardment of Tripoli in 1804, seizure of H.N. Gambrill |
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What You'll Learn
The USS Constitution is the only US Navy ship to have sunk an enemy combatant
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is the only ship in the US Navy's arsenal to have sunk an enemy combatant. The USS Constitution 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 was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and was built at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts.
The USS Constitution saw action in one undeclared war and two official wars, serving as a powerful arm of the United States military. 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. During the Quasi-War, the USS Constitution defended American merchants and hunted down French privateers who were seizing merchant vessels bound for England. In 1803, the USS Constitution sailed to the Mediterranean Sea to protect American merchants from the powers of the Barbary Coast of North Africa. The highlight of her military action in that conflict was the bombardment of Tripoli in late summer 1804.
While the USS Constitution is known for its long and illustrious history, it is specifically renowned as the only remaining frigate of the original six. Its sister ship, the United States, was abandoned by the Union and captured by Confederate forces, leaving the USS Constitution as the sole survivor. This distinction adds to the significance of the USS Constitution's achievements, including being the only US Navy ship to have sunk an enemy combatant.
It is believed that the enemy combatant sunk by the USS Constitution was a Tripolian gunboat or two during the Age of Sail. It was rare for ships to be sunk in combat during that era unless they caught fire or their magazines blew up, often a combination of both. While the USS Constitution is the only US Navy ship to have sunk an enemy combatant, other American ships have also sunk enemy ships, such as the USS Washington, which sank the Kirishima, and the Iowa and New Jersey, which sank the cruiser Katori. However, many of these ships have since been scrapped or retired, leaving the USS Constitution as the sole active vessel with such a distinction.
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The USS Constitution's role in the Quasi-War with France
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 USS Constitution played a significant role in the Quasi-War with France, which lasted from 1798 to 1801. This conflict arose from ongoing wars between Great Britain and France, and it centred on American neutral trading rights. The Quasi-War was an undeclared and limited naval war against French privateers who were seizing U.S. merchant vessels, particularly in the Caribbean.
The USS Constitution was launched in 1797 and was one of the first six American frigates authorized by the Naval Armament Act of 1794. When the Quasi-War began, the USS Constitution was ready for action, and it played a crucial role in protecting American merchant shipping. The ship was deployed to the Caribbean, patrolling the heavily travelled passages among the islands and taking up stations off the main trading ports.
The USS Constitution was instrumental in recapturing captured American ships and engaging French vessels. On 27 March 1799, the USS Constitution recaptured the American sloop Neutrality from France and subsequently captured the French ship Carteret. The USS Constitution also played a role in the capture of the powerful French privateer L'Egypte Conquise in the West Indies on 8 October 1799. This privateer was considered the most formidable in the Caribbean, with 250 men onboard, while the USS Constitution's crew numbered about 70.
The Quasi-War officially ended with the Convention of 1800, also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine, which reasserted the United States' right to free trade. The USS Constitution continued its mission to protect American merchant shipping after the conflict, sailing to the Mediterranean Sea to safeguard American merchants from the Barbary Coast powers of North Africa.
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The USS Constitution's battle record
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. Authorized by Congress in 1794, built in 1797, and launched in 1798, the Constitution has served the United States for over two centuries. During this time, she saw action in one undeclared war and two official wars, defending the rights of American seamen and merchants.
In the late 18th century, French privateers were seizing merchant vessels bound for England, in an attempt to damage British trade. The Quasi-War between the French and the Americans took place from 1797 to 1801 in the Atlantic and the West Indies. The USS Constitution's mission was to protect American merchants and hunt down French privateers.
After peace was arranged with the French, the Constitution sailed to the Mediterranean Sea in 1803, where she remained for four years. Her task was to protect American merchants from the Barbary Coast states of North Africa, who demanded tribute from countries with ships in the Mediterranean. The highlight of her military action during this conflict was the bombardment of Tripoli with the rest of the U.S. fleet in the late summer of 1804.
The USS Constitution is the only ship in the US Navy's arsenal to have sunk an enemy combatant. She sank a Tripolian gunboat or two during the Age of Sail. It was rare for ships to be sunk in combat during this era unless they caught fire or their magazines exploded. While they were not sunk outright in battle, HMS Guerriere and HMS Java were so badly damaged in their confrontations with the Constitution that they were burned and sunk soon after.
The Constitution also played a role in the African Squadron's efforts to stop and seize suspected slave traders. In 1819, the Navy was authorized to seize American ships involved in the slave trade, and in 1820, the slave trade was declared piracy. The seizure of the H.N. Gambrill was the first and last capture of its kind for the Constitution and the last prize taken by the ship.
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The USS Constitution's sister ships
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. It was launched in 1797 and was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. The Constitution and its sister ships were larger, more heavily armed, and built than standard frigates of the period.
The five sister ships of the USS Constitution were:
- United States: Designed by Joshua Humphreys and Captain Thomas Truxtun, it was the first to be launched out of the six frigates. It was commissioned on 11 July 1797 with American Revolution hero Captain John Barry in command.
- Constellation: It was launched on September 7, 1797, and first sailed to the Caribbean in 1799 to protect American ships. It defeated three French ships in the Quasi-War with France and participated in action against Tripoli with the Constitution.
- Congress: It captured nine prizes in the War of 1812 and four enemy ships off the coast of Brazil in 1813. It was the first American naval ship to visit China from the US. In 1834, it was broken up in the Norfolk, Virginia navy yard.
- Chesapeake: It was engaged in battle with the British ship HMS Shannon outside Boston Harbour and was captured and recommissioned as the HMS Chesapeake in the British Navy.
- President: It was designed by Joshua Humphreys and Captain Thomas Truxtun.
The six frigates served similar missions in their early days, fighting piracy in the Mediterranean during the Barbary Wars in the early 1800s. The USS Constitution saw action in one undeclared war and two official wars and was a powerful arm of the US military.
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The USS Constitution's role in the First Barbary 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 one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794.
In 1795, the United States had agreed to pay tribute to the Barbary States of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli to ensure the safety of American merchant ships. However, by the early 1800s, Tripoli declared war on the United States, and President Thomas Jefferson responded by sending a naval squadron under Commodore Richard Dale to protect American ships and citizens. In September 1803, Commodore Edward Preble arrived in Tripoli aboard the USS Constitution and took an aggressive stance, setting up and maintaining a blockade of the Barbary ports while seizing and harassing their fleets. The highlight of the USS Constitution's military action during this war was the bombardment of Tripoli in late summer 1804, alongside the rest of the U.S. fleet.
The First Barbary War ended in 1805, and the USS Constitution played a crucial role in ensuring the safety of American merchant vessels and challenging the power of the Barbary States.
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Frequently asked questions
The USS Constitution is the only ship in the US Navy's arsenal to have sunk an enemy combatant. During the Age of Sail, it was rare for a ship to be sunk in combat unless it caught fire or its magazine blew up.
No, but the HMS Guerriere was so badly damaged in battle with the USS Constitution that it was burnt and sunk shortly afterwards.
No, the USS Constitution has been in service for more than 200 years and is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat.
In 1905, Secretary of the Navy Charles Joseph Bonaparte suggested that the Constitution be towed out to sea and used as target practice, after which she would be allowed to sink. However, a businessman from Worcester, Massachusetts, Moses H. Gulesian, initiated a public campaign to purchase the ship and restore it.
The highlight of the USS Constitution's military career was the bombardment of Tripoli with the rest of the U.S. fleet in late summer 1804.
