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USS Constitution

The Constitutional History of the USS

The constitution of the USS is a product of changing American politics. Having just ended the Revolutionary War decades ago, the U.S. Navy has few ships capable of protecting its merchant marine forces and their interests from French aggression and piracy.

The final design initially included about six ships with significant firepower, but was eventually narrowed down to the USS America, USS Constellation and USS Constitution.

At the heart of the USS Constitution is a three-masted battleship of traditional appearance, with an oak hull protected by copper plating. She carries 32 x 24-pdr (pounds) long guns - complemented by 20 x 32-pdr carronades and 2 x 24-pdr bow fighters, making her a 44-door heavy frigate. The crew consists of 450 people, although today the ship is supported by only 55 people, mainly in ceremonial roles.

She was partially launched on September 20, 1797, when her weight prevented her from officially launching. As a result, the revised Constitution was solemnly enacted again in Boston Harbor on October 21, 1797.

The following year, the USS Constitution actively patrolled the waters off the southeastern United States. During this period - a period of quasi-war with France, a conflict that was never officially declared and that was surprisingly conducted entirely at sea - she saw action in support of naval forces, and earned honor in that conflict. By 1803, the ship was in service in the Mediterranean, fighting along the coast of North Africa against African nations that demanded a tax on U.S. use of local Mediterranean trade routes. As the unrest in the Mediterranean subsided, a conflict with the British began to brew. In 1812, the USS Constitution fought the HMS Guerriere, which earned the Constitution the nickname "Old Ironclad", when British shells appeared to bounce off the American hull.

After several years of legendary engagements, and many more years of repairing the damage caused by those engagements, the Constitution underwent a major reconstruction, completed in 1835 at the request of the U.S. Congress.

The Constitution came into play again in the American Civil War, although it was not used in anger, only moved to a safe place to protect it from attack from the South. The iron-fisted "New Iron Faces" continue to fight in their name. With the end of the war and the advent of steam-powered ships, wind ships like the USS Constitution became less and less and spent their days as training ships at the Annapolis Naval Academy. After traveling the world, the ship will again be docked at the dock for refits and repairs.

On July 21, 1997, she will be attending her 200th celebration. Constitution's journey will eventually find her in a house at the Charleston Navy Yard.

While a "showboat" in many respects, the USS Constitution was actually flown by active duty sailors and commanders, and serving selected people on and below her deck was considered a kind of honor. The ship was first ordered in 1794, laid the same year and launched in 1797. Current U.S. President George Washington named the ship after the U.S.

Constitution. Constitution completed the circumnavigation of the globe in March 1844, a feat that took about 30 months to complete. Interestingly, she is still the only ship to sink an enemy ship with real artillery fire.