USS Monitor/History

History: » USS  Monitor

The USS Monitor was the first commissioned ironclad ship by the United States Navy. Her fame comes mainly from her participation in the naval battle between two iron warships. The battle was called the CSS Virginia Battle of Hampton Roads and occurred on March 9, 1862 during the American Civil War. In this battle, Monitor fought with the  from the Confederate States Navy. The Monitor was the first to battle the Virginia when it comes to iron ship battles. The term “monitor” refers to a broad class of European defense ships. He ironclad ships, however, were a recent innovation that started with the French battleship La Gloire in 1859. After the invention of the ironclad warships, the design of ships and nature of the naval battles changed drastically and forever.

The USS Monitor was one of the three ironclad ships that was ordered by the U.S. Navy. The other two were Galena and New Ironsides. She was designed by a Swedish engineer by the name of John Ericsson. She was described as a “cheesebox on a raft” because of the heavy, iron, round revolving gun turret on the deck. It housed two 11 inch Dahlgren guns that were paired side by side. Originally, the ship used a system of heavy metal shutters to protect the gun ports while the crew reloaded the weapons. However, the shutter showed to be useless and the crew members that operated the guns simply began to rotate the turret away from the oncoming fire while reloading the guns. The crew learned how to fire the guns while the turret rotated past the target. Though this did decline accuracy, the ship was always in close range and so accuracy was not a necessity.

The deck full of armor was right above the waterline. Most of the bulk of the ship was below the waterline to prevent any damage from cannon fire. The turret had eight layers of 1” plates that were bolted together, with an additional night plate inside that acted as a sound shield. What turned the turret was called a steam donkey engine. The deck was heavily armored and extended beyond the waterproof hull that was only 5/8: thick. Therefore, the vulnerable parts of the ship were perfectly protected. The hull of the Monitor was built at the Continental Iron Works in Greenpoint; a section of Brooklyn, New York. The Monitor was launched from there on January 30, 1862. Currently, there is a statue in Monsignor McGolrick Park in Greenpoint. The statue faces Monitor Street, which commemorates the great ship.

The construction of the Monitor was just as innovative as her design. Parts were made in nine different foundries and brought together to build her. The entire building process took approximately 120 days. Aside from the “cheesebox”, the rotating turret, she was also the first naval ship that was fitted with Ericsson’s marine screw. Ericsson used some aspects of submarine designs by placing all the important features of the Monitor underwater, which made her the first ship that was semi-submersible. The CSS Virginia, which was also thought to be great, was simply a wooden ship covered with iron plates and had fixed weapons. The Monitor was much more superior in many ways.

The Battle of Hampton Roads on March 8, 1862, Virginia attacked the Union squadron in Hampton Roads, Virginia and destroyed the USS Cumberland and Congress and forced Minnesota aground before it could even withdraw. That same night, the Monitor arrived from Brooklyn under the command of Lieutenant John L. Worden. When Virginia returned the next day to destroy Minnesota and the rest of the U.S. fleet, the Monitor sailed forth to stop the attack and protect the other ships. The battle went on for about four hours and neither ship was able to sink each other or cause any serious damage. The battle was called a draw in tactics. However, strategically, the Monitor had victory.

The mission of the Virginia was to break the Union blockade and their mission failed. The Monitor’s mission was to defend the U.S. fleet and it did. The Virginia did occupy the “battlefield” after the strategic retreat by the Monitor because the captain got hit in the eyes with gunpowder. The two ships never fought again. The Virginia did however go out to Hampton Roads every now and then to challenge the Monitor.

The USS Monitor now became the perfect prototype for the monitor class of warships. Many more similar ships were built and included river monitors and deep-sea monitors. These new ships played key roles in Civil War battles on the Mississippi and James Rivers. Some of the ships even had two or three turrets and later had improved in their seaworthiness. Three months after the Battle of Hampton Roads, the design of the Monitor was offered to Sweden and in 1865, the first Swedish monitor ship was built in Motala Wharf in Norrköping and was named the John Ericsson, honoring the man who engineered her. Fourteen more monitors followed her and one of them, the Solve, is currently preserved at the Marine Museum in Gothenburg. The very last U.S. Navy monitor type warship was erased from the Navy List in 1937.

The design of the Monitor was very suitable for combats on river. However, her low freeboard and very heavy turret made her very worthless in rough sea waters. This feature was the reason behind the very early loss of the Monitor. She went under during a heavy storm when she was swamped by very high waves and sank on December 31, 1862 in the Atlantic Ocean off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. She also lost 16 out of 62 men during her death in the storm. The name “Monitor” was later once again given to the troop carrier USS Monitor (LSV-5) that was present late in World War II. She primarily served in the Pacific theater and was later scrapped for parts.

The original historical Monitor was rediscovered in 1973 on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean about 26 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; where it had sunk. The site of wreckage was made into the first marine sanctuary in the United States. Monitor Sanctuary is the only sanctuary out of the current thirteen national marine sanctuaries that was created and focuses on protecting a cultural resource rather than a natural one. The propeller of the Monitor was raised in 1998 to the surface. On July 16, 2001, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary brought up the 30 ton steam engine. Later, in 2003, the revolutionary revolving run turret was salvaged after 41 days of work by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the help of a team of U.S. Navy divers. The remains of two trapped crew members were discovered before the turret was removed. The remains of the dutiful sailors received given a full military funeral by the U.S. Navy for their courageous on duty death.

The NOAA now supervises the site and many of the artifacts from the Monitor, such as the turret, propeller, anchor, engine, and some personal items of the crew, are being conserved and are displayed at the Mariners’ Museum of Newport News, Virginia. In 1989, the Monitor was names a National Historic Landmark. It is also of three accessible monitor wreckages in the world. The other are Australian vessel HMVS Cerberus and the Norwegian KNM Thor. In order the honor the USS Monitor even more, the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable is creating a campaign to persuade the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Navy to name a Virginia class submarine after the USS Monitor. Despite the fame and greatness of the original warship, there was not been a ship names the Monitor in the Naval Vessel Register since 1961. It is time to once again name a ship after the great Monitor.

History USS Constitution Frigate (via Gonautical’s Blog)

History: USS Constitution Frigate Frigate: displacement: 2,200, length between perpendiculars 175′; beam 43’6″; depth (in hold) 14’3″; speed 13 knots; complement 460; armament 28 24-pounder, 10 12-pounder. Constitution, one of six frigates authorized by act of Congress, approved 27 March 1794, was designed by Joshua Humphreys, and built at Hartt’s Shipyard, Boston, Mass., under the supervision of George Claghorn with Captain Samuel Nichols … Read More

via Gonautical’s Blog

Civil War ship CSS Virginia

History: CSS Virginia

The hulk of the steam frigate USS Merrimack was found on April 20, 1861. At that time, the Norfolk Navy Yard was evacuated by Federal forces and Virginia authorities took over it. The ship has sunk and was burned to the waterline, but the lower hull and machinery were perfectly intact. For the rest of the year and some of 1862, the Confederate States Navy raised, docked, and turned the ship into a new war ship that promised to be better than all the current war ships the Union has had.

The ship was named the CSS Virginia in mid-February of 1862. She was one of the strongest ships around at the time. She had iron armor that made her completely invulnerable to the regular gunfire. She contained ten funs, a seven-inch pivot-mounted rifle on each end, a broadside of two six-inch rifles, and six nine-inch smoothbores. Her greatest weapon was the iron ram that was attached to her bow. This made her a weapon all on her own.

The first battle Virginia went into was on March 8, 1862 going down the Elizabeth River. She demonstrated her power over the wooden ships by sinking the U.S. Navy and shelled the Congress into complete submission. This battle made the officials of the Federal Government in Washington D.C panic because they were now convinced that Virginia could easily destroy they Union sea power and posed a serious threat to the coastal cities. However, they did not know that she did indeed have weaknesses. Her major weakness and limitation was that she had limited operational capabilities. She has a deep draft, a weak onboard power plant, and very bad sea keeping and this restricted her to only be able to use deep channels in calm water around the inland waterways. She could not go out to sea.

Virginian met her match on her next battle on Hampton Roads when she battles the steam frigate Minnesota. Minnesota was the Unions own iron ship, the USS Monitor. They two fired away at each other, without any mortal damage. Eventually, both called it quits and a draw early in the afternoon on March 9, 1862. This was the second historic battle that Virginia went into.

The two ships spent the next two months under repair. Virginia was being repaired and strengthened at the Norfolk Navy Yard and once again entered the Hampton Roads for battle on April 11 and May 8. However, there was no more battle with the Monitor. The Confederates at that time began to abandon their positions in the Norfolk area and Virginia was in threat of losing her home and base. A big effort was put into lightening the ship enough to be able to move her up the James River. However, the effort failed and on May 11, the formidable ironclad queen was destroyed by her own crew near Craney Island. Craney Island was about six miles from where she had come to greatness through the battle of March 8 and 9. The wreckage of the CSS Virginia was mainly removed throughout the next ten years, between 1866 and 1876.

Nautical Decor And Ship Models

If you love the sea and boating, why not bring your passion into your home with a nautical decor scheme?  However, nautical decor isn’t just for sailors. It’s an ideal choice for apartments and dorm rooms with white walls. White is the perfect background color for nautical decor and so many rental units are white with no color changes allowed. So incorporating a nautical decor theme into a rental unit provides glamour on a low budget. For those who do have a choice, sand beige, pale blue and pale green are also appropriate background colors for nautical decor theme.

Nautical decor is also a great choice for kids’ rooms as they have an inherent love for the beach and the sea and are attracted to the bright colors. And what toddler doesn’t love building castles in the sand and sailing ships in rain puddles?

A nautical decor scheme is easy to achieve as well as inexpensive. It can all be done with accessories so if you change your residence, you can pack up your decorating scheme and take it with you. Ships’ wheels provide a dramatic center of interest that changes any room from boring to chic. Add nautical clocks in your kitchen, living room and bedrooms. And you can enhance the appearance of a nautical clock by trimming it with sea shells. You can also add a nautical touch to mirrors and picture frame by trimming them with sea shells.  However, ships’ wheels and nautical clocks don’t need to be confined to the house. They’re also perfect for a patio or deck.

Then complete your nautical decor with ships’ models. Ships’ models are also versatile. Not only do they complement nautical decor but they add a touch of tradition to practically any decorating scheme. You can find early sailing ships’ models and civil war ships’ models that are beautiful displayed on a mantle or on top of an armoire. In a child’s room you can display a collection of ships’ models on a wall shelf that is mounted above the windows. Ships’ models come in different sizes and styles. If historical models don’t appeal, sleek modern ships’ models are also available to add a little pizzazz to modern minimalist decor.

Once you have chosen your accessories, you can complete your nautical decor scheme with the addition of brightly colored cotton pillows and a throw rug or two.

The people at goNautical.com are happy to help you with your nautical decor

Black Prince

Pirate Ship “Black Prince”

The first ship to gain Benjamin Franklin’s American privateering commission was the “Black Prince”, a French-owned vessel so named for it’s black hull and near-legendary prowess and speed as a rumrunner. The Black Prince was crewed by Irish smugglers who would split the profits from the venture with the vessel’s owner. Franklin himself took no profit from privateering. His sole interest lay in the procurement of British prisoners for trade.

The Black Prince underwent extensive improvements to prepare her for this daunting task of Benjamin Franklin’s. She was approximately sixty-five feet in length by twenty feet in her beam (width). Her hold was retrofitted to accommodate fifty or more hammocks and small sleeping cubbyholes for her officers. She was armed with sixteen 4-pounder guns and thirty swivels.

The Black Prince enjoyed a brilliant solo career, capturing an impressive thirty-five vessels before being joined by the Black Prince, who served as her consort ship. The Black Princess was “…a cutter of 60 feet keel & 20 feet beam mounting 16 three pounders and 24 swivels & Small arms with 65 men all Americans and Irish under the command of Capn Edward Marcartor of Boston.”

Together, the two ships terrorized British merchant shipping channels, thwarting all attempts to stop them and successfully capturing twenty prizes. “…we continue to insult the Coasts of the Lords of the Ocean with our little cruisers” Franklin wrote to Congress when describing his fleet’s progress.  The Black Prince and Princess continued their assaults until disaster struck on April 6th of 1780, when the Black Prince met her end as she struck a reef during an engagement along the coast of France.

Lastly, the “Fearnot” joined Franklin’s black fleet, sailing independently of the Black Prince. She was “…A fine large cutter”  which was equipped with eighteen six-pounder guns and twenty swivels. Between 1779 and 1780, the three ships brought in an impressive one hundred and fourteen prizes, eleven of which were retaken, seventy-six were ransomed, sixteen were brought in, one hundred and twenty six were paroled and eleven were lost, scuttled or burned.  In the end, their reign of terror was only partially successful in respect to exchanging prisoners, for although they captured many, the British remained uncooperative for the most part, during prisoner exchange negotiations. But Franklin’s ships were successful in doing what had never been done before- wreaking havoc upon the “Mistress of the Seas”, as Britain was then known.

Ironically, toward the close of the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin attempted to have a clause added to the peace treaty with Britain, prohibiting the practice of privateering in future conflicts. But despite the efforts of the good doctor, privateering continued to flourish. Much of this was due to the fact that the fledgling United States had no significant naval force with which to defend itself and that privateering was a highly effective method of accomplishing the young nation’s means.

Privateering continued to be practiced by the United States throughout the Civil War. To this very day, our government still maintains the right “…To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.”

Benjamin Franklin’s involvement in privateering is an excellent demonstration of the old adage that “history is written by the victors.” To the British of the 1770’s, Franklin’s privateering commissions were unlawful acts of piracy and could even be regarded as a form of terrorism. Had the United States lost the revolution, Franklin’s heroics would have been a hanging offense and he might have been remembered by history not as a patriot, but as a villainous pirate. But the purpose of this article is not to point the finger of blame at Benjamin Franklin and accuse him of piracy. But rather it seeks to admire the self-less determination of a man who went to great lengths for the sake of his countrymen and walked the fine line between patriotism and piracy- privateering!

CSS Virginia Civil Warship

CSS Virginia History

On 20 April 1861, when Virginia authorities took over the Norfolk Navy Yard after its evacuatuation by Federal forces, they found, among other valuable items, the hulk of the steam frigate USS Merrimack. Though burned to the waterline and sunk, the big ship’s lower hull and machinery were intact. During the remainder of 1861 and the first two months of 1862, the Confederate States Navy raised, drydocked and converted her into a casemate ironclad ram, a new warship type that promised to overcome the Union’s great superiority in conventional warships. Placed in commission as CSS Virginia in mid-February 1862, the ship’s iron armor made her virtually invulnerable to contemporary gunfire. She carried ten guns of her own, a seven-inch pivot-mounted rifle at each end and a broadside battery of two six-inch rifles and six nine-inch smoothbores. Affixed to her bow was an iron ram, allowing the ship herself to be employed as a deadly weapon.

Virginia made her first combat sortie on 8 March 1862, steaming down the Elizabeth River from Norfolk and into Hampton Roads. In a historic action that dramatically demonstrated the superiority of armored steam-powered warships over their wooden sailing counterparts, she rammed and sank the big U.S. Navy sloop of war Cumberland and shelled the frigate Congress into submission. In Washington, D.C., many of the Federal Government’s senior officials panicked, convinced that Virginia posed a grave threat to Union seapower and coastal cities. They were unaware that her serious operational limitations, caused by her deep draft, weak powerplant and extremely poor seakeeping, essentially restricted her use to deep channels in calm, inland waterways.

However, their worries were relieved the next day. When Virginia returned to Hampton Roads to attack the grounded steam frigate Minnesota, she found the Union’s own pioneer ironclad, USS Monitor, waiting. A second historic battle ensued, with the two opponents firing away, without mortal effect, until the action ended in a tactical draw in the early afternoon of 9 March 1862.

Over the next two months, the two ironclads kept each other in check. Virginia, repaired and strengthened at the Norfolk Navy Yard, reentered the Hampton Roads area on 11 April and 8 May, but no further combat with the Monitor resulted. As the Confederates abandoned their positions in the Norfolk area, Virginia was threatened with the loss of her base. After a futile effort to lighten the ship enough to allow her to move up the James River, on 11 May the South’s formidible ironclad was destroyed by her crew off Craney Island, some six miles from where she had electrified the World through her battles of 8 and 9 March. CSS Virginia‘s wreck was largely removed between 1866 and 1876.

Civil War Ships

History Civil War Ship “USS Monitor”

USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy. She is most famous for her participation in the first-ever naval battle between two ironclad warships, the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862 during the American Civil War, in which Monitor fought the ironclad CSS Virginia of the Confederate States Navy. The Monitor was the first in a long line of Monitor-class U.S. warships and the term “monitor” describes a broad class of European harbor defense craft.

Ironclads were only a recent innovation, started with the 1859 French battleship La Gloire. Afterwards, the design of ships and the nature of naval warfare changed dramatically.

Design

Monitor was one of three ironclad warships ordered by the U.S. Navy, after Galena and New Ironsides.

Designed by the swedish engineer John Ericsson, the USS Monitor was described as a “cheesebox on a raft,” consisting of a heavy round revolving iron gun turret on the deck, housing two large (11 inch) Dahlgren guns, paired side by side. The original design of the ship used a system of heavy metal shutters to protect the gun ports while reloading. However, the operation of the shutters proved to be so cumbersome that the crews operating the guns adopted the procedure of simply rotating the turret away from potential hostile fire to reload the guns. Further, the inertia of the rotating turret proved to be so great, that a system for stopping turret to fire the guns was only implemented on later models of ships in the Monitor class. The crew of the USS Monitor solved the turret inertia problem by firing the guns on the fly while the turret rotated past the target. While this procedure resulted in a substantial loss of accuracy, given the close range at which the USS Monitor operated, the loss of accuracy was not critical.

The armored deck was barely above the waterline. Aside from a small boxy pilothouse, a detachable smokestack and a few fittings, the bulk of the ship was below the waterline to prevent damage from cannon fire. The turret comprised 8 bolted together layers of 1″ plate with an additional ninth plate inside to act as a sound shield. A steam donkey engine turned the turret. The heavily armored deck extended beyond the waterproof hull which was only 5/8″ thick. Thus the vulnerable parts of the ship were completely protected. Monitor’s hull was built at the Continental Iron Works in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York, and the ship was launched there on January 30, 1862. There is a statue in Monsignor McGolrick park in Greenpoint, facing Monitor Street, commemorating the ship.

Monitor was innovative in construction technique as well as design. Parts were forged in nine foundries and brought together to build the ship; the whole process took less than 120 days. In addition to the “cheesebox”, its rotating turret, Monitor was also the first naval vessel to be fitted with Ericsson’s marine screw. Ericsson anticipated some aspects of modern submarine design by placing all of Monitor’s features except the turret and pilothouse underwater, making it the first semi-submersible ship. In contrast, CSS Virginia was a conventional wooden vessel covered with iron plates and bearing fixed weapons.

Battle of Hampton Roads

At the Battle of Hampton Roads Virginia attacked the Union blockading squadron in Hampton Roads, Virginia, on March 8, 1862, destroying USS Cumberland and Congress and forcing Minnesota aground before withdrawing. That night, Monitor, under command of Lt. John L. Worden, arrived under tow from Brooklyn. When Virginia returned the next day, March 9, 1862, to finish off Minnesota and the rest of the U.S. fleet, Monitor sailed forth to stop her. The ironclads fought for about four hours, neither one sinking or seriously damaging the other. Tactically, the battle was a draw—neither ironclad did significant damage to the other. However, it was a strategic victory for Monitor. Virginia’s mission was to break the Union blockade; that mission failed. Monitor’s mission was to defend the U.S. fleet, which it did. The Virginia did however occupy the ‘battlefield’ following the strategic retreat of the USS Monitor, after the captain was hit in the eyes with gunpowder. The two ironclads never again fought each other, although Virginia occasionally steamed out to Hampton Roads in an unanswered challenge to the Monitor.

The Monitor-class warship

USS Monitor became the prototype for the monitor class of warship. Many more were built, including river monitors and deep-sea monitors, and they played key roles in Civil War battles on the Mississippi and James rivers. Some had two or even three turrets, and later monitors had improved seaworthiness.

Just three months after the famous Battle of Hampton Roads, the design was offered to Sweden, and in 1865 the first Swedish monitor was being built at Motala Wharf in Norrköping; she was named John Ericsson in honor of the engineer. She was followed by 14 more monitors. One of them, Sölve, is still preserved at the marine museum in Gothenburg.

The last U.S. Navy monitor-class warship was struck from the Navy List in 1937.

Loss at sea

While the design of Monitor was well-suited for river combat, her low freeboard and heavy turret made her highly unseaworthy in rough waters. This feature probably led to the early loss of the original Monitor, which foundered during a heavy storm. Swamped by high waves while under tow by Rhode Island, she sank on December 31, 1862 in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 16 of 62 crewmen were lost in the storm.

The name Monitor was given to the troop carrier USS Monitor (LSV-5), commissioned late in World War II. She served primarily in the Pacific theater, and was later scrapped.

Rediscovery

In 1973, the wreck of the ironclad Monitor was located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean about 26 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The wreck site was designated as the United States’ first marine sanctuary. Monitor Sanctuary is the only one of the thirteen national marine sanctuaries created to protect a cultural resource, rather than a natural resource.

In 1998 the warship’s propellor was raised to the surface. On 16 July 2001, divers from the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary brought to the surface the 30-tonne steam engine. In 2003, after 41 days of work, the revolutionary revolving gun turret was salvaged by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a team of U.S. Navy divers. Before removing the turret, divers discovered the remains of two trapped crew members. The remains of these sailors, who died while on duty, were given a full military funeral by the United States Navy.

The site is now under the supervision of NOAA. Many artifacts from Monitor, including her turret, propeller, anchor, engine and some personal effects of the crew, have been conserved and are on display at the Mariners’ Museum of Newport News, Virginia.

In 1986, Monitor was designated a National Historic Landmark. It is one of only three accessible monitor wrecks in the world, the others being the Australian vessel HMVS Cerberus, and the Norwegian KNM Thor, which lies at about 25 feet off Verdens Ende in Vestfold county, Norway.

Campaign to honor the USS Monitor

The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable is mounting a grassroots campaign to persuade the United States Congress and the Navy to name a Virginia class submarine after the USS Monitor. Despite the enduring fame of the original, innovative ironclad, there has not been a warship named Monitor listed in the Naval Vessel Register since 1961.

USS Constitution Frigate, History

History: USS Constitution Frigate

Frigate: displacement: 2,200, length between perpendiculars 175′; beam 43’6″; depth (in hold) 14’3″; speed 13 knots; complement 460; armament 28 24-pounder, 10 12-pounder.

USS Constitution, one of six frigates authorized by act of Congress, approved 27 March 1794, was designed by Joshua Humphreys, and built at Hartt’s Shipyard, Boston, Mass., under the supervision of George Claghorn with Captain Samuel Nicholson as inspector. She was launched on 21 October 1797 and christened by Captain James Sever.

Into the trim frigate’s construction went timbers from States ranging from Maine to Georgia, as well as copper bolts and spikes supplied by Paul Revere. A ship of beauty, power, and speed thus was fashioned as a national expression of growing naval interest, and a symbol auguring the dedication, courage, and achievement of American fighting men and ships.

USS Constitution put to sea on 22 July 1798, commanded by Captain Samuel Nicholson, the first of many illustrious commanding officers. Following her trial runs in August, she was readied for action in the Quasi-War with France and ordered to patrol for French armed ships between Cape Henry and Florida. One year later she became flagship on the Santo Domingo station, making several captures including the 24-gun privateer Niger, the Spender, and the letter-of marque Sandwich. At war’s end, Constitution returned to the Charleston Navy Yard where she was placed in ordinary.

In 1803 amid growing demand for tribute and increasing seizures by the Barbary pirates, Constitution was recommissioned under Captain Edward Preble and sailed as flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron on 14 August. Preble took command of the squadron and vigorously brought the war to Tripoli, executing well-laid plans with brilliant success. On Constitution’s decks tactics for destroying the captured frigate, Philadelphia, were laid as well as those for blockading and assaulting the fortifications of Tripoli. The small United States fleet on 3 and 7 August 1804 bombarded the enemy’s ships and shore batteries with telling results.

Commodore Samuel Barron and later Captain John Rodgers were next to command the squadron and Constitution, continuing to blockade and take prizes. Naval action thus generated a favorable climate for the negotiation of peace terms with Algiers, ending for a time our tribute payments. After the Tunisians agreed to similar terms in August, Constitution spent 2 years patrolling in maintenance of the peace. She sailed for home under Captain Hugh Campbell and arrived Boston in November 1807. Placed out of commission, the frigate was repaired in the succeeding 2 years.

In August 1809 she was recommissioned and became flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron, Commodore J. Rodgers, and in 1810 Isaac Hull was appointed her captain. The following year she carried U.S. Minister, Joel Barlow, to France and returned to Washington in March 1812 for overhaul. War with Britain impended and Constitution was readied for action. On 20 June 1812 the declaration of war was read to her assembled crew and on 12 July she took the sea under Captain Hull to rejoin the squadron of Commodore J. Rodgers.

On 17 July Constitution sighted five ships in company; supposing them to be Rodger’s squadron, Hull attempted to join up. By the following morning, however, the group was identified as a powerful British squadron which included the frigates Guerriere and Shannon. The wind failed, becalming within range of the enemy who opened fire. Disaster threatened until Captain Hull astutely towed, wetted sails, and kedged to draw the ship slowly ahead of her pursuers. For 2 days all hands were on deck in this desperate and successful attempt at escape, a splendid example of resolute command, superior seamanship, and indefatigable effort.

During the war, Constitution ran the blockade at Boston on seven occasions and made five cruises ranging from Halifax, Nova Scotia, south to Guiana and east to Portugal. She captured, burned, or sent in as prizes nine merchantmen and five ships of war. Departing Boston on 2 August she sailed to the coast of Nova Scotia, where she captured and destroyed two British trading ships. Cruising off the Gulf of St. Lawrence on 19 August, she caught sight of Guerriere, a fast British frigate mounting 49 guns. Guerriere opened the action, pouring out shot which fell harmlessly into the sea or glanced ineffcetively from the hull of Constitution whose cheering crew bestowed on her the famous nickname “Old Ironsides,” which has stirred generations of Americans. As the ships drew abreast, Hull gave the command to fire and successive broadsides razed Guerriere’s mizzen mast, damaging her foremast, and cut away most of her rigging. Guerriere’s bowsprit fouled the lee rigging of Constitution, and both sides attempted to board, but the heavy seas prevented it. As the ships separated Guerriere fired point blank into the cabin of Constitution and set it on fire, but the flames were quickly extinguished. Guerriere’s foremast and mainmast went by the board and she was left a helpless hulk.

The flag of Guerriere was struck in surrender and when the Americans boarded her they found her in such a crippled condition that they had to transfer the prisoners and burn her. It was a dramatic victory for America and for Constitution. In this battle of only half an hour the United States “rose to the rank of a first-class power”; the country was fired with fresh confidence and courage; and union among the States was greatly strengthened.

Constitution, Commodore William Bainbridge, again stood out from Boston on 29 December 1812 to add to her conquest the British 38-gun frigate, Java, whom she engaged off the coast of Brazil. Despite loss of her wheel early in the fighting, Constitution fought well. Her superior gunnery shattered the enemy’s rigging, eventually dismasting Java, and mortally wounding her captain. Java was so badly damaged that she, too, had to be burned. The seemingly invincible “Old Ironsides” returned to Boston late in February for refitting and her wounded commander was relieved by Captain Charles Stewart.

USS Constitution departed on 31 December for a cruise in the Windward Islands. On 16 February she seized and destroyed the schooner, Pictou, and 9 days later chased the schooner, Pique, who escaped. She also captured three small merchantmen on this cruise, characteristically successful despite a close pursuit by two British frigates along the coast of Massachusetts. Constitution moored safely at Boston only to be bottled up for nearly 9 months by the vigorous British blockade.

In December 1814 Constitution braved the forces of the enemy, and headed southeast. She seized the merchant brig Lord Nelson and later captured Susannah with a rich cargo on 16 February 1815. Four days later she gave close chase to the frigate Cyane and the sloop Levant bound for the West Indies. Constitution opened the action firing broadsides; as the contestants drew apart she maneuvered adroitly between the two, fighting each separately and avoiding raking by either. In less than an hour Cyane struck her colors and soon thereafter Levant surrendered. Sailing in company with her prizes, Constitution encountered a British squadron which gave chase but was able to retake only Levant. En route to New York, she received confirmation of the ratification of peace terms and on 15 May arrived, confident in her success as protector of freedom of the seas.

Ordered to Boston, she was placed in ordinary for 6 years, undergoing extensive repair. In May 1821 she returned to commission, serving as flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron, under Commodore Jacob Jones, and guarding United States shipping until 1823. A second cruise on that station lasted from 1823 through July 1828, with a succession of commanding officers including Captain Thomas Macdonough and Daniel Patterson.

A survey in 1830 disclosed Constitution to be unseaworthy. Congress, considering the projected cost of repairs, relegated her for sale or scrapping. Public sentiment, engendered partly by the dramatization of her history in Oliver Wendell Holmes’ memorable poem, elicited instead an appropriation of money for reconstruction which was begun in 1833 at Boston where once again she was captained by the redoubtable Isaac Hull.

Returned to commissioned status in 1835, she served well in the ensuing 20 years in a variety of missions. In March 1835 she sailed to France where she embarked the U.S. Minister to France, Edward Livingston, for return to the States. In August she entered upon a 3-year tour as flagship of Commodore Jesse Elliott in the Mediterranean protecting trade and maintaining good relations. She served as flagship for the South Pacific Squadron from 1839 to 1841; and for the home station from November 1842 to February 1813. In March 1844 she began a memorable 30-month circumnavigation of the globe while under the command of Captain John Percival.

The fall of 1848 brought a resumption of duty as flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron, Commodore W. C. Bolton. Decommissioned briefly in 1851 she sailed under Captain John Rudd in 1852 to patrol the west coast of Africa in quest of slavers until June 1855.

Five years of decommissioned status followed. In August 1860 she was assigned to train midshipmen at Annapolis, and during Civil War at Newport, R.I. Among her commanding officers in this period are listed Lieutenant Commanders David D. Porter, and George Dewey.

In 1871 Constitution underwent rebuilding at Philadelphia; she was commissioned again in July 1877 to transport goods to the Paris Exposition.

Once more she returned to duty as a training ship cruising from the West Indies to Nova Scotia with her youthful crews. In January 1882 she was placed out of commission and in 1884 was towed to Portsmouth, N.H. to become a receiving ship Celebration of her centennial year brought her to Boston in 1897 where she was retained in decommissioned status.

A public grateful for her protective services once again rescued her from imminent destruction in 1905 and she was thereafter partially restored for use as a national museum. Twenty years later, complete renovation was initiated with the financial support of numerous patriotic organizations and school children.

On 1 December 1917, Constitution was renamed Old Constitution to permit her original name to be assigned to a projected battle cruiser. Given first to CC-1 (renamed Lexington (q.v.) ) then to CC-5 (originally named Ranger (q.v.)), the name Constitution was restored to “Old Ironsides” on 24 July 1925, after the battle cruiser program had been canceled under the Washington naval treaty. Constitution (CC-5) was some 13.4 percent complete at the time of her cancellation.

On 1 July 1931, amid a 21-gun salute,USS  Constitution was recommissioned. The following day she sailed on a triumphant tour of 90 United States’ ports along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, where thousands of Americans saw at first hand one of history’s greatest fighting ships. On 7 May 1934 she returned to Boston Harbor, the site of her building. Classified IX-21 on 8 January 1941, Constitution remains in commission today, the oldest ship on the Navy List, proud and worthy representative of the Navy’s great days of fighting sail, and symbol of the courage and patriotic service of generations of Americans at sea where much of the Nation’s destiny will always lie.

USS Constitution Ship Model