Old Ironsides Celebrates A Birthday

"Old Ironsides" is celebrating it's birthday today. The Boston Globe has a story here.

On October 21, 1797 the U.S.S. Constitution was officially launched from Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston. The U.S. frigate took part in actions against the Barbary Pirates in the Mediterranean, but the ship is most famous for the role it played in the War of 1812.

Old Ironsides defeated five British warships in a bitter war where the U.S. Navy was vastly outgunned by a superior British Navy. The U.S.S. Constitution was never defeated in war and has never been forgotten by the American people in peacetime.

The U.S. S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned Naval vessel still afloat and is open to the public for tours. The tours are given by U.S. Navy personnel at the old Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown, now a National Park.

"To the Shores of Tripoli."

"From the halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli;"

The second line in the first stanza of the Marine Corps hymn refers to the the port of Tripoli in North Africa and the role the U.S. Marines played in the Barbary Wars, a conflict where a reborn U.S. Navy fought against the Barbary Pirates. The Pirates of the Barbary Coast for hundreds of years preyed on the merchant shipping in the Mediterranean demanding ransom and tribute from the nations of Europe. Once the 13 American colonies became independent of Great Britain, the American merchant fleet was also subject to attack from the North African corsairs.

Upon the conclusion of hostilities with Britain, it was felt that there was no longer a need for an American navy. The fighting men of the Navy were cashiered and their ships were sold or given away. But as a new nation with a long coastline and a large merchant marine the United States found itself in a very vulnerable position. Americas first threat was from French privateers, which led to an undeclared war against France (1798-1800). The U.S. then had to deal with the Barbary pirates.

The large American merchant fleet sailing in the Mediterranean was a tempting target for the pirates. American sailing ships were captured and the men on board were held for ransom and kept in dungeons, subject to horrible living conditions. In response to these events and others in 1794 the U.S. had passed an act authorizing a new American Navy. Six large heavy frigates, including the U.S.S. Constitution, were ordered to be built and the American Navy and its Corps of Marines was reborn.

H.M.S. Victory

H.M.S. Victory
Portsmouth, England

The British Navy's most famous fighting ship, H.M.S. Victory, was built between the years 1759-1765 but was not commissioned until 1778. With some 230 years having passed it is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world - in drydock. (The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest naval ship in the world still afloat).

The H.M.S. Victory is also the only remaining 18th century ship of the line still in existence. A British ship of the line was a main or rated ship, one that carried between 50 and a 100+ guns. The Victory was a first-rate ship, as she carried an armament of at least a hundred guns. This made the Victory one of the super battleships of her day, a ship that very few enemy vessels could match in firepower. (In contrast the U.S.S. Constitution is a frigate and not a ship of the line and carried between 46 - 60 guns).

The H.M.S. Victory is best known for being Lord Admiral Horatio Nelsons flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar. On 21 October 1805 Lord Nelson met and defeated a combined French-Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain. On that day the British fleet sank 22 enemy ships of the line without losing a single ship. This victory ended Napoleons plans to invade England and led to complete British dominance of the seas.

Unfortunately, Admiral Nelson was mortally wounded during the battle as he stood upon the quarterdeck of the Victory. Shot by a French Marine, he died shortly after learning that the battle had been won. Nelsons body was transported to England where he was given a state funeral and honored as a national hero. He is buried in St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

In 1812 the Victory's active career came to an end and she was berthed in Portsmouth harbor. In 1922 due to the ships poor condition she was placed in N0. 2 Drydock in the Royal Naval Dockyard. H.M.S. Victory is now a museum ship with an active duty crew and is open to the public for tours.

Saving Old Ironsides

U. S. S. Constitution

The U.S.S. Constitution was launched in 1797, one of six U.S. frigates ordered built in 1794 by Congress. These frigates would be the start of a new American Navy - at the conclusion of the American War for Independence, the Navy had been dissolved. Facing threats from both French privateers and Barbary Pirates the U. S. government realized it needed a Navy to protect its vital merchant fleet and its national interests.

The U.S.S. Constitution was a heavy frigate, carrying more guns than was usual for a frigate of the time. The ability to fire heavier broadsides, along with its strong construction, were instrumental in its great success as a fighting ship. Old Ironsides, as it affectionately came to be known, was never defeated in battle.

Old Ironsides greatest victories came in the The War of 1812. By defeating the British ships H.M.S. Guerriere and H.M.S. Java, the U.S.S. Constitution won everlasting fame.

In September of 1830 the Navy announced that the Constitution, now some thirty-three years old and needing extensive repair, would be scrapped. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes of Boston wasted no time in writing and having published this poem to lodge his personal complaint. A nation-wide protest led to the decision by Congress to fund the needed repairs.

In 1924 Old Ironsides was again on the chopping block. The frigate was in very poor condition and required a complete overhaul that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. A publicity campaign by the Elks Club enlisted the help of the nations schoolchildren, who contributed thousands of dollars by literally pitching in their pennies. Congress responded to popular pressure and provided the remainder of the funds.

Today the U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned war ship still afloat in the world. It has an a complement of active duty U.S. Navy personnel and is berthed in the old Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. It is currently undergoing renovations, but it is open to the public for tours.

Fort Sewall, Marblehead, Mass.

Fort Sewall

N/E end of Front St.

Marblehead, Mass.

Originally a part of the Town of Salem, by 1622 fisherman were making use of Marblehead harbor and its surroundings. The first settlers arrived here in 1629 and soon established their own community. Years later, still seeking to become fully independent of Salem and looking to provide for their own defense, it was determined to build fortifications on what was then called Gale's Head. In 1644 the General Court provided two cannon and some ammunition and a Fort of simple earthwork construction was built.

Due to the fear of French raiders, the Fort was expanded into the size and layout that we find today. This work was completed in 1742. By the time of the American Revolution the fort had a few cannon, with some powder and it had a small garrison. But it was during the War of 1812 that Fort Sewall played in its most important, or at least its most famous, role.

On Sunday April 3, 1814 the U.S.S. Constitution was being closely pursued by two British frigates, the Tenedos and the Endymion. Outgunned by the combined firepower of the two vessels, the Captain of "Old Ironsides" chose the better part of valor and sailed into Marblehead harbor, under the protective guns of the Fort. The famous fighting ship was saved to fight yet another day.

It was in that same year (1814) that the Fort was named after Marblehead resident and Chief Justice of Massachusetts, Samuel Sewall. In 1860, with the outbreak of the Civil War and facing a new enemy, the town appropriated money to again make needed repairs to the old fort. Along with funds from the U.S. government the work was completed and the Fort was manned by men from Massachusetts.

In 1922 custody of Fort Sewall was given over to the Town of Marblehead for the creation of a public park. The cannon and the gun emplacements are now long gone. What you will find instead is a paved walkway around the "bowl" of the Fort, with benches for seating. Some of the offices and guard rooms remain, but entrance to the lower magazines is blocked off.

The park is open from dawn to dusk, providing an excellent view of Marblehead harbor. There are restrooms located on site, but parking is limited.