America’s most famous ship is celebrating yet another birthday in Boston, as the iconic USS Constitution turns 219 years old today.
UNITED STATES (Jun. 3, 2015) USS Constitution Summer 2015 Command Photo.
Also known as Old Ironsides, President George Washington himself named the ship, which quickly became an important part of the new U.S. Navy.
For now, the USS Constitution is resting in dry dock as it undergoes a three-year restoration to repair certain parts and replace its copper sheathing. The work is expected to end in 2018.
Here’s a look at the ship’s fascinating history, and its connections with President Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, John Kennedy and even a Pope!
1. George Washington got the ball rolling on creating the USS Constitution and five other early Navy ships. An act signed by Washington in 1794 authorized the construction of six top-line ships, including the Constitution, to protect American shipping interests in close to home and in the Mediterranean.
2. This Constitution was launched on October 21, 1797. President John Adams was at the launch ceremony in Boston. The following summer, the USS Constitution assumed a lead role in the West Indies, where it saw action in the Quasi-War with France.
3. The Constitution was dispatched to fight pirates. President Jefferson sent the Constitution, after it was retrofitted with new copper sheathing supplied by Paul Revere, to fight the Barbary pirates from 1803 to 1805. There, it bombarded the harbor at Tripoli.
4. Old Ironsides and the War of 1812. The USS Constitution took on and defeated four British Navy ships during the hostilities, including two at the same time! The ship got the name Old Ironsides for its ability to avoid damage during these conflicts.
5. A famous poem helps saves the USS Constitution. A young student, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., was upset in 1830 after hearing about the Navy's plans to scuttle the ship. His iconic poem, "Old Ironsides," caused a public sensation and helped saved the USS Constitution - and launch Holmes's literary career.
6 The Pope meets Old Ironsides. The Constitution remained in and out of service for several decades. In April 1849, Pope Pius IX visited the Constitution while it was docked in Gaeta, Italy.
7. The Constitution vs. the slave trade. The ship’s final engagement was in the capture of a ship transporting slaves. The slaver N. Gambril was captured south of the Congo River by the Constitution in 1853.
8. President John Kennedy’s grandfather helped to save the Constitution. A young Massachusetts congressman, John F. Fitzgerald, asked Congress in 1896 to allow the ship to be preserved, and not sunk. Over the next decade, various efforts led to the Constitution being classified as a museum ship.
9. The Constitution still sails, on occasion. When it is not in restoration mode, it can be sailed for special events. It is also the world’s oldest commissioned warship that can be used afloat.
10. The Constitution is the only commissioned American warship that has sunk another ship in battle. According to the Washington Post, with the decommissioning of the USS Simpson, the Constitution is the only remaining Navy ship that has sunk an enemy vessel that is still in service.
