USS Constitution

A 44-gun frigate built at the Edmond Hartt Shipyard, Boston, MA, in 1797. Her dimensions are 53,34×13,26×6,0 (d) meters [175'0×43'6"×16'7"] and with a displacement of 2000 tons.
1794-1797
Under construction at Edmond Hartt's Shipyard, Boston
1798
Congress votes March 27 to fit her out for sea.
1798-1801
Cruising in West Indies.
1801-1803
Laid up in New York.
1803-1806
Flagship, Mediterranean squadron, Tripolitan war.
1806-1810
Cruising in Medterranean and West Indies.
1811-1812
Cruise to Europe. Repairs at Washington Navy Yard.
1812-1815
War with Great Britain.
1812 July 17
Escapes from squadron of seven British ships.
August 18, captures the British frigate Guerriere.
December 29, captures the British frigate Java and five smaller vessels.
1813
Overhaul at U.S. Navy Yard, Boston.
1814 February-April
Captures the Picton and three smaller vessels.
Escapes into Marblehead from two larger British frigates.
Blockaded at Boston for eight months.
1815 February 20
Captured the British sloops [brigs?] Cyane and Levant.
1815-1821
Laid up at the U.S. Navy Yard, Boston. Repaird.
1821-1828
Flagship, Mediterranean squadron.
1828-1830
Laid up at Boston. Condemned by the naval commissioners.
Saved by poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
1833-1834
First ship to enter new dry dock at Boston, June 24, 1833. Repaired.
Difficulty over figurehead representing Andrew Jackson.
1835-1838
Flagship, Mediterranean squadron.
1839-1841
Flagship, Pacific squadron.
1842-1843
Flagship, Atlantic squadron.
1844-1846
Cruise to East Indies, Pacific Ocean and Coast of Brasil.
1848-1851
Flagship, Mediterranean and African squadron; visited by Pope Pius IX.
1851-1852
Laid up at New York.
1852-1855
Flagship, Mediterranean squadron, for the last time.
1855-1860
Laid up at the U.S. Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H., until reconditioned as a school ship.
1860-1871
School ship for midshipmen at Annapolis, MD, (and Newport, R.I., during Civil War).
1871-1875
Hauled out and rebuilt at U.S. Navy Yard, Philadelphia.
1876-1878
Training Ship at Philadelphia yard.
1878-1879
Last cruise in foreign waters. Carried the United States exhibits for Paris Exposition to Havre, France.
Ran aground at Swanage Point, England. Re-floated with the aid of the British Navy.
1879 May 24
Arrived home in New York.
1879-1881
Training ship for apprentice boys.
1882-1897
Laid up at the U.S. Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H., serving part of the time as receiving ship.
1897 October 21
Arrived at the Navy Yard, Boston, for celebration of her 100th birthday.
1897-1900
Permanently on exhibition at the U.S. Navy Yard, Boston.
1900 Februari 14
Repairs authorized by Congress. Money to be donated, but the response was only a few hundred dollars.
1905
Navy recommends using the decaying hull for target practice. Popular sentiment aroused to prevent this.
1906
Congress votes $100.000 for repairs and restoration.
1907-1908
Topsides restored. New spars, etc., but vessel not docked.
1909-1925
On exhibition at the U.S. Navy Yard, Boston.
1925 March 4
Congress authorized restoration, money to be raised by popular subscription.
1925-1927
Campaign for funds. For the first time a complete set of plans of the ship are commenced.
1927 June 16
Docked for complete reconstruction in the same dock she was the first to enter, June 24, 1833. During the extensive 1927-1930 restoration all of the framing from the third futtocks and upwards were replaced, as well as some fir st and second futtocks. Since 1930, laminated white oak has been used to replace the original live oak timbering.
1992 September 25
Drydocked at the Old Navy Yard in Boston for a major repair that is planned to be completed in 1997.
1995 September 26
To be floated out of the drydock.
The oldest commissioned vessel in the US Navy. Presently serving as a museum ship at the Charleston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.

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Updated 1999-05-05 by Lars Bruzelius

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