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USS Constitution
The oldest commissioned warship in the worldThis year, Harborfest focused on the USS Constitution. The
War of 1812 happened two centuries ago, and this particular ship played an important role in it. Today, I visited the star of the show.
To some historians, the War of 1812 was just as important as the American Revolution to the history of the United States. In this reading of events, after United States independence Great Britain viewed the new country as wayward colonies that had only broken away due to the interference of the French. Given a fight without outside influence, the British should easily regain control. The War of 1812 became that fight, and the world’s largest empire learned their
former colonists were a force to be reckoned with. Europe took the United States much more seriously afterward.
Boarding the ship required passing through stringent security. Metal detectors, bag searches, the works. Foreign visitors needed to show a passport. Afterwards, I passed through a small museum covering the ship and early US Navy.
The
USS Constitution was commissioned in 1797 as part of the first naval force of the United States. She was built of thick planks of live oaks, which do not rot in seawater. In the colonial days, the king reserved these trees for the British
Top deck
Cramped quarters on a colonial warship Navy.
Cannonballs bounced off the thick hull, giving the ship the nickname “Old Ironsides”. She still holds her commission, making her the oldest active warship in the world.
She saw action in three wars, all related to trade with Europe:
The XYZ Affar, the
Barbary Pirates, and the W
ar of 1812. In the last war, her crew captured five British warships, earning lasting fame. The ship then became a training ship, and held this role through the Civil War. She was then turned into a museum and deteriorated badly. In 1925, the Navy proposed scrapping her. In response, millions of schoolchildren s
ent in pennies to save the ship, ultimately succeeding a few years later. It’s been a popular attraction ever since.
On boarding the ship, some active duty military personnel, and there are many this time of year, got a surprise. Constitution is an active commissioned warship. This means military visitors needed to go through the appropriate protocol like any other vessel. Needless to say, those who forgot got a quick reminder from crew members.
Once on the ship, we got a tour from active duty officers in reproduction colonial uniforms. The tour covered the top two decks. Our guide pointed out that USS Constitution has been heavily restored
Main deck
Very cramped quarters on the USS Constitution over the years. While live oak does not rot when wet, it does rot if it gets wet and then dries out. All wood above the waterline has had to be replaced by this point, not surprising for a vessel over two centuries old. Remarkably, the remaining wood below the water is still original
A colonial sailor’s life, needless to say, was
incredibly difficult; constantly trimming sails, manning cannon, and keeping watch. Ship life was also incredibly crowded, making use of every bit of available space. Most slept in cots hanging from beams in the lower decks. Still, for most enlistees this life was an improvement on the alternative, working on a subsistence farm. .
Many think the primary goal of a naval battle in the age of sail was to sink the enemy ships. In fact, the ideal result was to capture them. Physical boats had no inherent loyalty, so all captured vessels became extra boats in the victor’s fleet! Those primarily responsible for doing so had the most difficult job on the ship,
marines. Each mast had a platform roughly half way up. Marines would stand on these platforms, and then jump onto the enemy ships when
Mess
What passed for a mess on a colonial ship they got close enough.
USS Constitution has two gun decks. We toured the upper one. It was a very tight fit; people practically banged their heads on the crossbeams. The center of this deck held what passed for a mess. Basically, it was a bunch of pots in the one place with no cannon.
Ship food consisted of things that wouldn’t spoil: cured meat, dried vegetables, incredibly hard biscuits called hardtack, and lettuce. The last provided vital Vitamin C to fight scurvy. Back on land I got to try some hardtack, which was nearly inedible.
Next to the mess was a something that has gone down in sailing legend, a large barrel holding
grog. Essentially strong rum, it was passed out in strictly rationed amounts each night. Colonial sailors often quipped that the grog was what really kept a boat going, and they were only half joking. The nightly grog really was the best part of the day.
Since the tour was focused on the lives of the crew, it did not mention the
design innovations that made USS Constitution so formidable. At the time, all European navies used three types of ships. Sloops were fast but had little
USCGS Eagle
Modern tall ship firepower. Ships-of-the-line were incredibly powerful but also slow and hard to maneuver. Frigates fell between these two. Constitution was designed as an extra-heavy frigate, able to destroy anything other than a ship-of-the-line, and those she could outrun. Apparently, these ships were so effective British admirals never found a workable response beyond forming larger fleets.
After the tour, reinactors gave a demonstration of
cannon firing. This was difficult, precise work. The cannon were mounted on dollies. A group of sailors would draw it back with ropes. One then pushed in the charges, a piece of leather, and the cannonball. The leather insured that the entire force of the charges went into the ball. The sailors then pulled the cannon into position, lit the fuse, and braced against the ropes to absorb the recoil. The blast was incredibly loud. Colonial sailors had to do this again, and again throughout a battle.
Constitution had a companion in port for the festival. The United States Coast Guard Academy owns a sailing ship used for training, the
USCGC Eagle. They call it “America’s tall ship”. Much more modern that Constitution, it was constructed in 1936 with a metal hull and wooden masts. It also has
Eagle deck
Life aboard a tall ship a motor for days with no wind. The cadets probably appreciate the modern kitchen! A trivia note is that the ship was built by Nazi Germany and seized as war spoils.
The Academy uses the ship to teach sailing. Nearly all cadets on the ship volunteer. They perform roles remarkably similar to their colonial forbears: predicting weather, trimming sails, tying knots, and navigation. Trimming sails still requires climbing the masts. The ship is about as crowded as Constitution was too, with every square inch of space put to use.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Big Ships
We saw some big ships, historical ships at the festival while we were living in Baltimore. I agree that a sailors life was tough. Those ships didn't have a lot of space and not much comfort. But they sure are pretty.