U.S.S. CONSTITUTION

[Mervyn Mitton]

This thread will require a lot more information and - hopefully - some good pictures.

The USS CONSTITUTION is one of the great ships of the United States Navy - she was prominent in the 1812 war with Great Britain and was a great threat to our Navy. She has the nickname 'Old Ironsides' and I believe is still preserved.

The following two cutout pictures were made on the Island of Mauritius and all tourists tend to come back with them - or, full models.

My contribution - now over to the experts....

[Mervyn Mitton]

[Mervyn Mitton]

[Guest Rick Research]

The U.S.S. Constitution is still on "active duty." Stationed in the harbor of Boston, Massachusetts, where the dear old thing gets out and rotated once a year.

Due to be scrapped in the 1920s, she was saved by a national school children's campaign which raised restoration funds penny by penny. There was a time when souvenirs taken out during the restoration (bits of wood or copper bottom etc) were fairly common as fund raising mementoes around here, but I haven't seen any for years.

In my yout,' 40+ years ago, school groups were taken there at least once in the primary grades to have a tour and see how cramped (child sized) such vessels were. I can remember having to duck and squeeze through places even as a skinny 10 year old.

My other great-uncle Carl (not the one killed in the Australian army in WW1) served aboard her as a USMC guard during the Spanish-American War. I live in a grove of the same impervious oak she's made out of, and can testify from a lifetime's experience that the wretched things are the very devil to attempt to cut.

[Dmitry]

The USS CONSTITUTION was... a great threat to our Navy.

Yes, those ballistic missiles she carried could've done some major damage!!

[Dmitry]

I live in a grove of the same impervious oak she's made out of, and can testify from a lifetime's experience that the wretched things are the very devil to attempt to cut.

You must live somewhere in Georgia or South Carolina.

[TS Allen]

Rick, do you have any pictures of your great uncle on the ship as a Marine guard? Such images must be quite rare, I wasn't aware the vessel had Marines stationed on it at that time!

I'll PM you about him, I'm a USMC nut (and leaving a year from now for Annapolis to join myself!) and, coming from you, I'm sure you have lots of interesting information about him.

~TS

[Guest Rick Research]

No, just from the Massachusetts state copy (he was born in Boston while my great-grandparents were still Swedish subjects) I got of his military service record, 30+ years ago. He was a lifelong cop afterwards and none of us ever knew he was in the Marines at all until he was buried in his old uniform.

It wasn't exactly a thrilling posting--being a Marine in his own home town! Not quite "see the world!" My understanding of it was the Marines were perimeter guards for the Boston Navy Yard and "Old Ironsides"-- in sad shape by then-- was used as their barracks hulk.

Actually, as I think of it, he was discharged EARLY as "surplus to needs." Not like things today. :speechless1:

[Tom Y]

A sister ship, the Constellation, is or was in Baltimore. When I toured it twenty odd years ago it still had the WWII radio room. These old ladies were built to last.

[TS Allen]

Well, for the Span-Am War in 1898 the strength of the Corps was, as of 30 June, 98 officers and 3,481 enlisted men, it decreased slightly in 1899 to 76 officers and 3,066 men, but by 1900 the Corps balloons to 174 officers and 5,240 enlisted. I just looked up these figures to check the "surplus to the needs of the service" discharge theory, I've never heard that before (and, I actually wasn't aware of the dip in strength in 1899, although I knew the Corps was short on officers in the past-SAW expansion).

Very true though, not at all like today.

~TS

[Mervyn Mitton]

Does anyone have a picture of the ship - it would be interesting to see 'original' and 'now' status ?

[TS Allen]

Image embedding isn't being cooperative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Constitution_1997.jpg

Back in the 1890's, most of the "tops" (rigging) were actually removed, I think. Old black-and-white photos show a ship with cut-down masts and few sails (not sure if she was seaworthy), similar to what the HMS Victory looks like today and also did in that period.

For some reason, the US likes shortening its historic objects. During the Span-Am War, the US Army Corps of Engineers blew the top coupla levels off some of the Civil-War era coastal forts, to lower their profile in case the Dons showed up.

~TS

Edited June 24, 2009 by TS Allen

[Mervyn Mitton]

TS - what a pity it wouldn't print - must have been a magnificent site to see her sailing. I don't know of any British historical warships that are still floating ?

[TS Allen]

The link below it does go to the picture.

I believe the Victory is still floating, but they haven't sailed her for some time!

~TS

[Hugh]

Back in '65, I was serving as Gun Boss in the USS Hugh Purvis (which we called the Huge Pervert), and we spent a lot of time in the Boston Naval Shipyard. We had a wonderful old Chief Firecontrolman in the department who was a master of scrounging in the yard. We traded enormous amounts of coffee and .22 caliber ammo from the small arms locker, and you could get just about anything in return, including a number of repairs for which we had neither funding nor priority.

He got word that they were refurbishing the below-decks timbers on board Constitution, and brought me a chunk of wood about 10" x 10" by 20". I kept thinking that I'd get something wonderful and historic made from it, and after one of our many moves, it disappeared. All miitary families know the story - "Three moves equals a fire." Still, it was a wonderful feeling to literally have a piece of history. I'm sure many of you have comparable sea stories (or war stories for our land-bound brethern.)

Hugh

[peter monahan]

Yes, the U.S.S. CONSTITUTION is the oldest wooden (sailing) warship still in commission,afloat AND sailing. Friends of mine form part of the "crew", portraying U.S. Marines of the 1812-1815 period. Apparently it gets interesting when they enter ab active US Navy yard with guns and black powder and meet a gate guy who hasn't read all the memos before starting duty! And the don't just sail her out for a turn around, though I don't think she leaves Boston Harbour: some of my friends have actually fired a 32 pounder "Long Tom" from her deck. Way cool!

And Mr. Allan is right too: HMS VICTORY, Nelson's flagship, is still in commission and still afloat but hasn't left her moorings in decades. So, each unique in her own way.

[DulcetTone]

Yes, the U.S.S. CONSTITUTION is the oldest wooden (sailing) warship still in commission,afloat AND sailing. Friends of mine form part of the "crew", portraying U.S. Marines of the 1812-1815 period. Apparently it gets interesting when they enter ab active US Navy yard with guns and black powder and meet a gate guy who hasn't read all the memos before starting duty! And the don't just sail her out for a turn around, though I don't think she leaves Boston Harbour: some of my friends have actually fired a 32 pounder "Long Tom" from her deck. Way cool!

And Mr. Allan is right too: HMS VICTORY, Nelson's flagship, is still in commission and still afloat but hasn't left her moorings in decades. So, each unique in her own way.

Victory (like her neighbor, Warrior, in brilliant condition) is in a dry dock, not moored, and is the oldest commissioned warship. Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat.

I have been spending a lot of time aboard this year, shooting video for the present commander, CDR Cooper, who understands fully that Youtube, Facebook and similar tools are powerful ways to cheaply extend the ship's encounters with the public.

Here are some recent videos I have shot. They're taken with a sufficiently nice camera that they'd merit a click-through to play in 720P HD

tone

[Mervyn Mitton]

DulcetTone - welcome to GMIC and thanks for sharing those excellent shots. On the Lounge we have a thread about the imminent destruction of the Olympia - the USS flagship in the 1898 Spanish-American War. Please have a look - you may be able to offer some advice ? What is your firstname? Mervyn

[Hugh]

Back in the '60's, Constitution was moored right next to the Officer's Club in the Boston Naval Shipyard. Consequently, we saw a lot of her during our numerous shipyard availabilities. Later, when I was Flag Lieutenant for COMCRUDESLANT, we had change of command ceremonies for flag officers on board. I can remember standing next to my admiral on the quarterdeck on a bitterly cold day with freezing rain pouring down. The admiral was just under the edge of the awning, out of the rain...and I was not. Upon conclusion, we all went to the O' club for a medicinal tot of rum.