USS Constitution

In the Boston harbor is the USS Constitution. It was commissioned on October 10,1797, and launched on October 27,1797. Basic statistics are that it displaces 2200 tons, is 204 feet in length, and has a draft of 14.3 feet. It carries 32 of the 24 pound long gun cannons, 20 of the 32 pound carronades, and 2 of the 24 pound bow chasers. It was first put to sea on July 22, 1798 to patrol the southeast coast of the United States during the lesser known war with the French.

The nickname 'Old Ironsides' was earned during a skirmish with the British Frigate HMS Guirriere off the coast of Nova Scotia on August 19, 1810. It seems that the British were stunned to see their shots just bounce off the sides of the ship. The reason this happened was that the ship was made from the hardest Oak to be found, which came from Southern Georgia. It was over 14 inches thick, and could not be penetrated by the cannon's of the day.

On July 21,1997, as part of her 200th birthday celebration, this magnificent ship sailed unassisted for over an hour and then rendered a 21 gun solute. It was the first time she has sailed on her own in over a century.