One stop I left off my road-trip-to-Boston post was the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. She first set sail in 1797, and during a battle in the War of 1812, she earned her nickname “Old Ironsides” when cannonballs of a British ship bounced off her wooden sides as if they were made of iron.
When I was deciding on road-tripping to Boston, I was browsing the Freedom Trail website. I either didn’t know or had forgotten the Constitution was in Boston, so when I saw on the website I could tour the ship, I was sold on visiting Boston. One of the reasons for my excitement was that I remember in 1997 when she set sail under her own power for the first time in 116 years to mark her 200th anniversary. Here’s a U.S. Navy photo of the event:
So when I was in Boston, I made certain I visited the ship.
She’s currently undergoing restorations and is missing her masts, hence the shortness:
The guns inside:
Sleeping quarters for the sailors:
The tour guides aboard the Constitution are members of the U.S. Navy. Their uniforms, which I neglected to photograph, are similar to those worn in 1813. This is the hat they wear:
The Freedom Trail and the USS Constitution:
Her bow:
The water line:
Aft:
The guns:
The ship, the city, and the sailors:
I will definitely return when the restorations are finished. What a remarkable, living piece of American history.
