My Genealogy Hound

USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides", Navy Frigate, historic photos

An historic photo view of the famed Navy Frigate, USS Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides". This view is of the Constitution, ready for launching after repairs on Dry Dock Railway, U.S. Navy Yard, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on May 27, 1858. See additional photos and history of this famed ship below. This photo is by Geo. W. Hall, published 1897.

The Navy Frigate, USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides", at dock, showing her masts without sails. This historic photo is from about 1861-1865, printed 1880-1889 as a stereograph view.

A print of the Navy Frigate, USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides", port broadside, with full sails. This print is by Detroit Publishing Co., 1900-1920.

An on deck view of the Navy Frigate, USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides". Note the row of heavy guns lining each side of the ship deck. This historic photo is by Detroit Publishing Co., 1910-1920.

The USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides", is the world's oldest naval vessel still afloat. Named by President George Washington after the American Constitution, the famed ship was launched in 1797. The copper bolts and straps used on the ship were forged by Paul Revere.

Her first use in battle was in the Barbary War against the Barbary pirates. Her greatest fame was achieved in the War of 1812 when she captured numerous merchant ships and soundly defeated five British warships. In the battle between the USS Constitution and the British H.M.S. Guerriere, several shots bounced off the twenty-one inch thick wooden sides of the Constitution and she was thus given the nickname of "Old Ironsides".

Ships from the time of her construction were typically designed and built for a working service life averaging only 10 to 15 years. At several points in her long history, the ship came very near being salvaged. There were many proposals over the years to dismantle the ship as the Navy progressed to more modern ships. In 1905, the Secretary of the Navy even suggested that perhaps the best use for the old ship would be to tow her out to sea to use for target practice and allowed to sink at sea, forever ending her career.

Fortunately, every suggestion over the years to destroy the ship resulted in outcries from the public to save the ship. In 1907, the USS Constitution was retired to be used as a museum ship but is still a fully commissioned U.S. Navy ship. Since that time, the ship has been docked at the former Charlestown Navy Yard, Pier One, very near the location of the Battle of Bunker Hill and not far from downtown Boston. The ship is now a floating museum, available for tours. Over the years since 1907, "Old Ironsides" has left port several times to sail under her own power, including as recently as 2012.

You may be closer than you think to a piece of USS Constitution history. Several USS Constitution guns are located across the United States including Lexington, Missouri; Galion, Ohio; Schoharie, New York; and Seattle, Washington.