USS CONSTITUTION

The USS Constitution is the oldest warship still afloat in the world. It was built in 1798 by the US Navy following the Naval Act of 1794, which was intended to provide naval armament to the young United States, recognized as independent by Great Britain ten years earlier. The construction of six large warships was thus authorized by Congress. They are today considered the "original frigates of the United States Navy". The USS Constitution was the third to be built, and is the only one not to have been destroyed.

The frigate was christened by George Washington, the first president of the United States, and commissioned in July 1798. Equipped with 44 guns, her first mission was the protection of the country's coast. Then, when the period of conflict often referred to as the Quasi-War with the French Republic began, the USS Constitution's mission was to protect American merchant ships from French attacks and to search for enemy ships. It also played a key role in the War of 1812, which pitted the Americans against Great Britain in a fierce maritime conflict. The frigate succeeded in capturing 11 enemy ships and destroying five. The British, angry that their guns could not damage the ship's hull, dubbed it "Old Ironsides.

While the original frigates were successively destroyed by the U.S. Navy from 1818 onwards, the frigate Constitution enjoyed the support of the population who opposed its destruction. In 1833, she entered dry dock for her very first refit. She then became a flagship and, when her military career ended in 1855, she served as a training ship at Annapolis during the American Civil War. In 1907, the Constitution officially became a museum. As a ship of state, she now participates from time to time in official ceremonies and events.

In July 2015, the ship was placed in dry dock to undergo its first major restoration of the 21st century. The restoration cost more than $12 million. In July 2017, after 26 months in dry dock, the ship made her grand return to Boston waters and is expected to remain there for the next 20 years.

During your visit to the USS Constitution, you will meet with trained Marines to answer questions about the ship's history. Don't miss the museum adjacent to the ship to learn more about life on a warship in the 19th century.