© 2008 Michael Thompson
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© 2008 Michael Thompson
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 USS Constitution
During the War of 1812, the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution defeated the British frigate Guerrière in a furious engagement off the coast of Nova Scotia. Witnesses claimed that the British shot merely bounced off the Constitution's sides, as if the ship were made of iron rather than wood. By the war's end, "Old Ironsides" destroyed or captured seven more British ships. The success of the USS Constitution against the supposedly invincible Royal Navy provided a tremendous boost in morale for the young American republic. The Constitution was one of six frigates that Congress requested be built in 1794 to help protect American merchant fleets from attacks by Barbary pirates and harassment by British and French forces. It was constructed in Boston, and the bolts fastening its timbers and copper sheathing were provided by the industrialist and patriot Paul Revere. Launched on October 21, 1797, the Constitution was 204 feet long, displaced 2,200 tons, and was rated as a 44-gun frigate (although it often carried as many as 50 guns). In July 1798 it was put to sea with a crew of 450 and cruised the West Indies, protecting U.S. shipping from French privateers. In early May, 1800 the frigate Constitution was cruising off the island of Hispaniola searching for French prizes when her captain, Silas Talbot, spotted a French Corvette anchored near the mouth of the harbour. As her rigging had all - except for the lower masts - been lowered to the deck, she was obviously being used to supplement the small fort at Purto Plate near Cape Haitien. Commodore Talbot identified this ship as the Sandwich, which had been a British packet that was captured by the French and had spent several years sailing as a very successful French privateer. Realizing that the Constitution, a heavy 44-gun frigate, was too large to enter the small port, Talbot decided to commandeer a small merchant-ship named the Sally which had been trading between the islands and was expected to return to the port. With 90 men hidden in her hold and under the command of Talbot's first lieutenant Isaac Hull, the Sally entered the port at noon. Suddenly she turned and struck the bow of the French ship. In a flash, her hatches opened and the American sailors and marines swarmed across the decks of the Sandwich Without any loss of life, the ship was captured and the marines headed ashore to spike the three large cannons mounted on the fortress, making it impossible for them to be fired. Knowing that it would be several hours before it would be possible to leave the harbour due to the winds, the Americans carefully went about the business of setting up the rigging and getting the ship ready for sea. Several boats came out under a flag of truce to try and argue about capturing a ship from a harbour without a clear declaration of war. Hull answered that he was only following his Commodore's orders. By midnight, the Sandwich was ready and the land breeze began to blow, so the anchor was hoisted and she sailed out to meet the Constitution. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson ordered the American warship to the Mediterranean to fight Barbary pirates off the coast of Tripoli. The vessel performed commendably during the conflict, and in 1805 a peace treaty with Tripoli was signed on the Constitution's deck.
One month later, on August 19, the Constitution caught the British warship Guerrière alone about 600 miles east of Boston. After considerable maneuvering, the Constitution delivered its first broadside, and for 20 minutes the American and British vessels bombarded each other in close and violent action. The British man-of-war was de-masted and rendered a wreck while the Constitution escaped with only minimal damage. The unexpected victory of Old Ironsides against a British frigate helped unite America behind the war effort and made Commander Hull a national hero. The Constitution went on to defeat or capture seven more British ships in the War of 1812 and ran the British blockade of Boston twice.
In 1855, the Constitution retired from active military service, but the famous vessel continued to serve the United States, first as a training ship and later as a touring national landmark. Since 1934, it has been based at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. Over the years, Old Ironsides has enjoyed a number of restorations, the most recent of which was completed in 1997, allowing it to sail for the first time in 116 years. Today, the Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat.
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After
the war, Old Ironsides served as the flagship of the navy's
Mediterranean squadron and in 1828 was laid up in Boston. Two years
later, the navy considered scrapping the Constitution, which
had become unseaworthy, leading to an outcry of public support for
preserving the famous warship. The navy refurbished the Constitution,
and it went on to serve as the flagship of the Mediterranean, Pacific,
and Home squadrons. In 1844, the frigate left New York City on a global
journey that included visits to numerous international ports as a
goodwill agent of the United States. In the early 1850s, it served as
flagship of the African Squadron and patrolled the West African coast
looking for slave traders.
