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The Fantastic USS Constitution: The Oldest Boat Still Afloat
By JUSTIN OWEN
Founding The U.S. Navy
The United States Navy was created on March 27, 1794, when Congress passed the Act to Provide a Naval Armament in response to pirate attacks on U.S. ships near modern-day Libya.
President George Washington signed the bill into law and created the Navy with a mandate for six new frigates, including the USS Constitution.
Building The Ship
Construction on the USS Constitution began in 1794 and ended on October 21, 1797. Builders made the ship from white oak and live oak with a three-layer hull.
The U.S. built the Constitution and the others to be the best of the period, using high-quality timber and advanced engineering. Its cost was $302,718, or about $7,249,190 today.
Naval Service
The Constitution started its service by helping defend American ships that were being seized by the French, followed by four years of bombing pirates in Tripoli.
While there was a period of peace after Tripoli, the USS Constitution would soon find itself facing off against the mighty British Navy in the War of 1812.
Important Battles
The ship participated in many battles during the War of 1812, earning the nickname “Old Ironsides” after the HMS Guerriere’s cannon fire bounced off its hull.
Other significant battles include defeating both the HMS Cyane and HMS Levant off Spain’s coast. Despite its challenges, the USS Constitution remained unbeaten.
Decline
The ship had a long service record and eventually became technologically obsolete. It may have been scrapped if not for Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.’s poem “Old Ironsides.”
The USS Constitution was eventually retired in 1855 and later used for various purposes, like as a training vessel, before it returned to Boston to celebrate its centennial.