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Built in
Boston to defend the young American nation, USS Constitution is nearly as old as
the document for which George Washington and Congress named her. Both the
document and the ship have proven to be resilient symbols of America's strength,
courage, and liberty.
| Her first mission, during the late 1790's, was to guard American commerce in
the Caribbean against French depredations. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson
sent her to the Mediterranean to protect American ships and seamen from attack
by the Barbary pirates With Captain Edward Preble in command, Constitution and
other ships of the squadron bombarded Tripoli. Thanks to such determination, a
treaty of peace was signed in June 1805 between the United States and Tripoli
onboard Constitution. After
returning to the United States, Constitution was named flagship of the North
Atlantic Squadron. In 1810, her new captain, Isaac Hull, took her to sea. Two
years later she met and defeated HMS Guerriere, the first in a grand succession
of victories in the War of 1812. It was during this ferocious battle‑that
the seamen, astonished at how the British cannonballs were bouncing off
Constitution's hull, cried out ‑ "Huzzah! Her sides are made of
iron!" Hence her nickname "Old Ironsides." |
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When her
war service ended in 1815, the battle‑scarred Constitution was laid up for
almost six years for extensive repairs, whereupon she went on two cruises to the
Mediterranean. In 1830, she was reported unseaworthy and condemned to be broken
up. A poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., entitled "Old Ironsides,"
aroused such popular feeling that money was appropriated for rebuilding her in
1833. In 1844, under the command of Captain "Mad Jack" Percival, she
began an epic around-the-world cruise and became the first American warship to
circumnavigate the globe. During the Civil War she was brought to Newport, Rhode
Island to serve as a training ship for Naval Academy midshipmen.
In 1882,
she was removed from active service and shortly thereafter retired to
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Naval Shipyard. In recognition of her centennial,
Constitution was brought back to Boston in 1897. Refitted for display and opened
to the public in 1905, she became a national monument.
Other landmarks: Christ the Redeemer, Colossus, Delhi pillar, Eiffel tower, Golden Gate bridge, Great Buddha, Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao), Guggenheim Museum (NYC), Normandy bridge, Oresund crossing, Quebec Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Thames Barrier, Titanic, Tower of the Orologio, USS Constitution, Washington Monument
