Simone Lawson
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. The keel of the USS Constitution was laid on 1 November 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. The keel was finished laying on 16 May 1795 and was 156 feet in length. The USS Constitution was launched in 1797 and is still in active service today.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date when the keel was laid | 1 November 1794 or May 16, 1795 |
| Length of the keel | 156 feet |
| Material of the keel | White oak timber |
| Number of pieces of timber used for the keel | 4 |
| Length of each piece of timber used for the keel | 150 feet |
| Place where the timber was harvested | Trenton, New Jersey |
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What You'll Learn
The keel was laid in 1795
The keel of the USS Constitution was laid in 1795. The keel is the "spine" of a ship, and the one belonging to the USS Constitution was made of four large pieces of white oak timber, equaling 150 feet in length. This oak was harvested in Trenton, New Jersey. The keel was laid 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 USS Constitution was launched in 1797 and is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. It is still in active service today.
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. The name "Constitution" was among ten names submitted to President George Washington by Secretary of War Timothy Pickering. Joshua Humphreys designed the frigate to be larger and more heavily armed than standard frigates of the period, as he intended for it to be the young Navy's capital ship.
The USS Constitution underwent its seventh major overhaul from 1992 to 1995. The most complex aspect of this overhaul was the return of innovative structural elements that had been removed in the 1870s and contributed to its decommissioning in 1881. The diagonal riders and associated structures that Humphreys had originally included in the ship's design gave it the ability to resist hogging and related hull distortions.
The USS Constitution's keel has experienced hogging, or a downward curve at the bow and stern, due to a combination of the vessel's weight, internal forces, and buoyancy. This is a significant structural problem for wooden vessels, as it can cause the keel to break if left unchecked. During the 1927-1931 restoration, Lieutenant John A. Lord noted that the keelson, made of layered live oak, was decaying and broken in two just abaft the foremast mast step. Despite these issues, the USS Constitution remains a significant part of naval history and has earned its place as the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat.
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The keel was made of four pieces of white oak timber
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. The keel of the USS Constitution was laid on 1 November 1794 at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts, and finished on 16 May 1795. The ship was launched in 1797.
The keel of the USS Constitution is made of four pieces of white oak timber, equalling 150 feet in length. The keel is the bottom-most part of a ship's hull, providing the main support to the full weight of the ship and its cargo. The keel of the USS Constitution was harvested in Trenton, New Jersey, and was built 21 inches thick.
The entire keel structure is made up of several layers of wood. From bottom to top, the layers are: the white oak keel, the live oak V-shaped floor timbers, and the white oak keelson. The keel is protected by a sacrificial "false keel" made of white oak, which acts as a bumper and takes the impact if the ship runs aground.
The hull of the USS Constitution was originally made of white oak and live oak. The hull consisted of three layers, with the outer and inner horizontal layers made of white oak and the centre vertical layer made of live oak. This live oak gave the ship its iron-like strength, earning it the nickname "Old Ironsides".
Due to the importance of white oak in the restoration and maintenance of the USS Constitution, a specially designated forest of about 80 to 150 white oak trees was planted in the 1970s at the Naval Support Activity-Crane base in Indiana.
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The keel was 156 feet in length
The keel of the USS Constitution was laid down on 1 November 1794 at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts. The keel was laid straight and level, and it was made of four enormous pieces of white oak timber, measuring 156 feet in length. The oak was harvested in Trenton, New Jersey, and the keel was built to be 21 inches thick, with a length between perpendiculars of 175 feet and an overall length of 204 feet.
The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was launched in 1797 and was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. The frigate was designed by Joshua Humphreys to be larger and more heavily armed than standard frigates of the period. This was to make up for the young Navy's lack of numbers compared to the French and British armies.
Over time, the weight of the vessel, internal forces, and buoyancy caused the keel to hog or curve downwards at the bow and stern. This structural issue is common in wooden vessels and can lead to the destruction of the ship if left unchecked. The USS Constitution underwent several dry dockings and restorations to address this issue, with the hog in her keel ranging from 13 to 30 inches at different points in time.
The ship's hull is now made of white oak, while the deck, ceiling, and deck beams are made of Douglas fir. The USS Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat.
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The keel was straight and level when laid
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 keel of the USS Constitution was laid on 1 November 1794 at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts. The keel was made of four large pieces of white oak timber, totalling 150 feet in length, harvested in Trenton, New Jersey. When laid, the keel was straight and level.
Over time, the combination of the vessel's weight, internal forces, and buoyancy caused the keel to hog or curve downwards at the bow and stern. This is a significant structural problem for wooden vessels, as it can cause the keel to break and the ship to be destroyed. The USS Constitution underwent repairs to combat this issue, with the first recorded instance of restoration work taking place during the 1927-1931 restoration.
The USS Constitution has undergone multiple periods of restoration and renovation, including a seventh major overhaul from 1992 to 1995, where innovative structural elements were returned to the ship. The most recent restoration work took place in 2015, where new copper was installed according to the keel shape that resulted from a stable six-inch hog.
Despite the extensive repairs and replacements, the original keel of the USS Constitution remains in place, with the ship still in active service today.
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The keel was replaced during a restoration in 1927-1931
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 keel of the USS Constitution was laid down on 1 November 1794 at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts.
Over time, a combination of the vessel's weight, internal forces, and buoyancy caused the keel to hog, or curve downwards at the bow and stern. This is a significant structural problem for wooden vessels, as it can cause the keel to break and the ship to be destroyed. Restorers at the Charlestown Navy Yard worked to combat the recurring hog in her keel for most of the 20th century.
During the 1927-1931 restoration, Lieutenant John A. Lord noted that the keelson, made of layered live oak, was decayed and broken in two just abaft the foremast mast step. As a result, both the keelson and upper keelson were replaced during this restoration. Lord was careful to preserve as much original material as possible during this process, and approximately 15% of the old material remained in the ship.
The USS Constitution entered dry dock on 16 June 1927, and emerged on 15 March 1930 with approximately 85% of the ship having been replaced to make her seaworthy.
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Frequently asked questions
The keel of the USS Constitution was laid on 1 November 1794.
A keel is the spine of a ship.
The USS Constitution's keel was made of four pieces of white oak timber, totalling 150 feet in length.
The keel was laid at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts.
The keel was laid under the supervision of Captain Samuel Nicholson, master shipwright Colonel George Claghorn, and Foreman Prince Athearn.
