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USS CONSTITUTION was developed and built in response to the threat of Barbary corsairs, which threatened American merchant shipping off northern coast of Africa. Following the American Revolution, the United States' Continental Navy and disbanded, leaving the new nation without a credible seapower to defend its interests abroad. Signed into law on March 27, 1794 by President George Washington, the Naval Armament Act called for the construction of six frigates, to be built at shipyards along the eastern seaboard. The 44-gun USS CONSTITUTION, built in Boston, was launched on Oct. 21, 1797.
Following the American Revolution (1775-1783), the United States was a neutral and successful maritime trading party with England and France, countries that had been at war with each other since 1793. The British imposed embargoes and trade restrictions on America’s merchant fleet to limit trade with France, and, desperate for sailors to man her 600-ship fleet, impressed (kidnapped) more than 5,000 American sailors suspected of being former English subjects and forced them to serve aboard her ships. Also, territorial disputes over the Canadian border and America’s western frontier strongly contributed to the onset of the war.
Following the American Revolution (1775-1783), the United States was a neutral and successful maritime trading party with England and France, countries that had been at war with each other since 1793. The British imposed embargoes and trade restrictions on America’s merchant fleet to limit trade with France, and, desperate for sailors to man her 600-ship fleet, impressed (kidnapped) more than 5,000 American sailors suspected of being former English subjects and forced them to serve aboard her ships. Also, territorial disputes over the Canadian border and America’s western frontier strongly contributed to the onset of the war.
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Although the congressional act authorizing the construction of Constitution and five other frigates was signed on 27 March 1794, more than a year would pass before the first piece of her hull would be laid on the building ways. Before that could happen, a designer had to be picked, plans had to be drawn up, shipyards selected, and contracts signed for the cutting of the necessary timbers and for the manufacture of the many items needed to complete this most complex system.
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The British imposed embargoes and trade restrictions on America’s merchant fleet to limit trade with France, and, desperate for sailors to man her 600-ship fleet, impressed (kidnapped) more than 5,000 American sailors suspected of being former English subjects and forced them to serve aboard her ships.
At the outset of the War of 1812, USS CONSTITUTION had already won all of her engagements in two wars: the Quasi War with France (1798-1801) and the Barbary Wars (1801-1805). During the War of 1812, to the surprise of both the Americans and the British, she defeated four English warships, earning each of her three captains a congressional gold medal.
Upon returning to Boston from each victory at sea, the ship and her sailors were honored with parades and public adoration, and her legend grew into the national icon that “Old Ironsides” remains to this day.
As many Americans rallied around the slogan “Free Trade and Sailors’ Rights,” President James Madison declared war on England on June 18, 1812. Also, territorial disputes over the Canadian border and America’s western frontier strongly contributed to the onset of the war.
At the outset of the War of 1812, USS CONSTITUTION had already won all of her engagements in two wars: the Quasi War with France (1798-1801) and the Barbary Wars (1801-1805). During the War of 1812, to the surprise of both the Americans and the British, she defeated four English warships, earning each of her three captains a congressional gold medal.
Upon returning to Boston from each victory at sea, the ship and her sailors were honored with parades and public adoration, and her legend grew into the national icon that “Old Ironsides” remains to this day.
As many Americans rallied around the slogan “Free Trade and Sailors’ Rights,” President James Madison declared war on England on June 18, 1812. Also, territorial disputes over the Canadian border and America’s western frontier strongly contributed to the onset of the war.
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The Chase July 16-19 1812
Less than a month after the United States declared war on Great Britain, USS CONSTITUTION, under the command of Capt. Isaac Hull, was en route to New York, to join Commodore John Rodgers' squadron. Off the coast of Egg Harbor, NJ, she spent more than 50 hours outmaneuvering five English warships (HMS Aeolus, HMS Africa, HMS Belvidera, HMS GUERRIERE and HMS Shannon) in an agonizingly slow motion chase that proved her commanding officer’s leadership, her new crew’s teamwork, and her own ability to sail. In short, she demonstrated her readiness for the war and battles that lay ahead.
At about 4 p.m. on July 16, USS CONSTITUTION’s crew sighted an unknown ship to the northeast, which was joined by more ships early the next day - vessels Capt. Hulls initially believed were American. “One Frigate astern within about five or six miles, and a Line of Battle Ship, a Frigate, a Brig, and Schooner, about ten or twelve miles astern all in chase of us, with a fine breeze, and coming up very fast it being nearly calm where we were,” Hull wrote to the secretary of the Navy a few days later. “Soon after Sunrise the wind entirely left us, and the Ship would not steer…”
Greatly outnumbered and desperate outrun his British adversaries, Capt. Hull ordered the nearly 500 men under his command into action, to make the 2,200-ton ship lighter and sail faster. They discharged thousands of gallons of drinking water over the side and doused the sails with water to take full advantage of the occasional light winds. As a defensive measure, the Sailors moved long guns on the frigate’s spar and gun decks to point astern at the closing enemy vessels. Additionally, small boats were launched for a towing operation called kedging - carrying small anchors ahead of the ship to be dropped into the coastal waters, and then painstakingly using the capstan to pull the ship forward to the submerged anchors.
The English forces concentrated their own kedging efforts on moving a single ship closer and closer to the American frigate, while ineffectual shots were occasionally fired between the British warship and their distant quarry throughout July 17-18.
At about 4 p.m. on July 16, USS CONSTITUTION’s crew sighted an unknown ship to the northeast, which was joined by more ships early the next day - vessels Capt. Hulls initially believed were American. “One Frigate astern within about five or six miles, and a Line of Battle Ship, a Frigate, a Brig, and Schooner, about ten or twelve miles astern all in chase of us, with a fine breeze, and coming up very fast it being nearly calm where we were,” Hull wrote to the secretary of the Navy a few days later. “Soon after Sunrise the wind entirely left us, and the Ship would not steer…”
Greatly outnumbered and desperate outrun his British adversaries, Capt. Hull ordered the nearly 500 men under his command into action, to make the 2,200-ton ship lighter and sail faster. They discharged thousands of gallons of drinking water over the side and doused the sails with water to take full advantage of the occasional light winds. As a defensive measure, the Sailors moved long guns on the frigate’s spar and gun decks to point astern at the closing enemy vessels. Additionally, small boats were launched for a towing operation called kedging - carrying small anchors ahead of the ship to be dropped into the coastal waters, and then painstakingly using the capstan to pull the ship forward to the submerged anchors.
The English forces concentrated their own kedging efforts on moving a single ship closer and closer to the American frigate, while ineffectual shots were occasionally fired between the British warship and their distant quarry throughout July 17-18.
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By about 4 p.m. on July 18, The USS CONSTITUTION had a 3-4 mile lead over her nearest pursuer.
Hull ordered his men to shorten the ship’s sails in preparation for a squall a few hours later, and when the British ships did the same, the American captain unfurled the ship’s sails. USS CONSTITUTION raced away at 11 knots, almost her top operating speed, and the Royal Navy ships gave up the chase early the next morning. |
Battle with H.M.S. Guerriere
The 44-gun frigate USS CONSTITUTION was actually outfitted with 55 guns when she encountered the 38-gun frigate HMS GUERRIERE (armed with 49 at the time) off the coast of Nova Scotia, at about 2 p.m. Closing the distance of several miles between the two warships, HMS GUERRIERE raised three British ensigns as an invitation to a duel; USS CONSTITUTION’s Capt. Isaac Hull answered with four American ensigns.
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Aboard HMS GUERRIERE, Capt. James Dacres ordered his small but highly experienced crew to begin firing broadsides early. USS CONSTITUTION’s commanding officer chose to hold fire until just after 6 p.m., Hull wrote soon after the engagement, “…within less than a Pistol Shot, we commenced a very heavy fire from all of our Guns.”
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USS CONSTITUTION’s 24-lb. shots were devastating, bringing down the English warship’s masts, and entangling the two ships when they collided. The first United States Marine Corps officer to die in combat at sea was Lt. William Bush, who was shot on USS CONSTITUTION’s aft-rail while attempting to board HMS GUERRIERE. |
In the course of this 35-minute battle, an astonished sailor observed British 18-lb. iron cannonballs, bouncing harmlessly off USS CONSTITUTION’s 25-inch oak hull,
and he cried out, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!”
Henceforth, USS CONSTITUTION carried the nickname “Old Ironsides.”
and he cried out, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!”
Henceforth, USS CONSTITUTION carried the nickname “Old Ironsides.”
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By 7 p.m., a wounded Dacres ordered a gun fired to leeward, signaling HMS GUERRIERE’s surrender to the American frigate.
“The Guerriere was so cut up, that all attempts to get her in would have been useless,” Capt. Dacres explained in a letter to his superiors in England. “As soon as the wounded were got out of her, they set her afire, and I feel it my duty to state that the conduct of Captain Hull and his Officers to our Men has been that of a brave Enemy.”
HMS GUERRIERE sank into the sea in flames on Aug. 20, and USS CONSTITUTION returned to Boston on Aug. 30, to great fanfare.
The British reaction was summed up by the London Times, which stated, “It is not merely that an English frigate has been taken, after, what we are free to confess, may be called a brave resistance, but that it has been taken by a new enemy, and enemy unaccustomed to such triumphs, and likely to be rendered insolent and confident by them. …how important this triumph is in giving a tone and character to the war. Never before in the history of the world did an English frigate strike to an American.”
Battle with H.M.S. Java December 29th 1812
Less than five months after sinking HMS GUERRIERE, USS CONSTITUTION engaged a second British frigate during the War of 1812, this time about 30 miles off the coast of Brazil. Under the command of Capt. William Bainbridge, "Old Ironsides" was outfitted with 54 guns, and sailed under Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton's directive: "to annoy the enemy and afford protection to our commerce."
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At 2 p.m., USS CONSTITUTION opened fire on HMS JAVA, a 38-gun ship that was smaller and faster than her adversary and commanded by Capt. Henry Lambert. HMS JAVA's opening salvo damaged USS CONSTITUTION's rigging and spars and wounded Bainbridge. Raking fire from HMS JAVA to the American frigate's stern shattered the helm and killed or injured the four helmsmen. Wounded a second time in the thigh, Bainbridge passed steering orders to Marines in the ship's tiller room, who moved the rudder using block and tackle.
Setting the fore and main courses, USS CONSTITUTION closed fast and delivered a broadside that destroyed HMS JAVA's bowsprit cap, jib boom and head sails. When the British frigate's bowsprit became entangled in the opposing vessel's mizzen rigging, Bainbridge seized the opportunity to fire a final broadside. USS CONSTITUTION's boarding party salvaged the helm from the dismasted HMS JAVA, to be outfitted aboard "Old Ironsides."
As many as 60 British seamen were killed in action, including Capt. Lambert. USS CONSTITUTION lost nine.
Following this battle, the British Admiralty - then the world's foremost maritime superpower - decreed their warships would no longer engage American frigates in combat unless in squadron force - that is, two or more to one.
Setting the fore and main courses, USS CONSTITUTION closed fast and delivered a broadside that destroyed HMS JAVA's bowsprit cap, jib boom and head sails. When the British frigate's bowsprit became entangled in the opposing vessel's mizzen rigging, Bainbridge seized the opportunity to fire a final broadside. USS CONSTITUTION's boarding party salvaged the helm from the dismasted HMS JAVA, to be outfitted aboard "Old Ironsides."
As many as 60 British seamen were killed in action, including Capt. Lambert. USS CONSTITUTION lost nine.
Following this battle, the British Admiralty - then the world's foremost maritime superpower - decreed their warships would no longer engage American frigates in combat unless in squadron force - that is, two or more to one.
Battle with H.M.S. Cyane & H.M.S. Levant
February 20th 1815
The captains of USS CONSTITUTION, and the men-of-war HMS CYANE and HMS LEVANT, had no way of knowing that the War of 1812 had ended three days prior to this battle.
Sailing off the coast of Madeira, Spain, “Old Ironsides” encountered two smaller British ships in the afternoon. Outfitted with 52 guns, USS CONSTITUTION began exchanging fire with both ships, the 24-gun HMS CYANE (commanded by Capt. Thomas Gordon Falcon), as it sailed in formation behind the 18-gun HMS LEVANT (commanded by Capt. George Douglas). What followed would be one of the most brilliant examples of seamanship and tactics in the war.
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In his official report, Capt. Stewart described the battle’s beginning, at 6:05 p.m.,
“…commenced action by broadsides, both ships returning fire with great spirit for about 12 minutes, then the fire of the enemy beginning to slacken, and the great column of smoke collected under our lee, induced us to cease our fire to ascertain their positions and conditions.” |
When the heavy gunpowder smoke that enclosed the three vessels cleared, USS CONSTITUTION was sailing parallel to HMS LEVANT, and delivered a broadside that prompted HMS LEVANT to disengage for repairs. At about that time, Capt. Stewart noticed HMS CYANE coming up on USS CONSTITUTION's stern. To avoid being raked, Captain Stewart ordered his men on the masts and the yards to "back sails," or sail the ship backward into a position where he delivered a crippling broadside to HMS CYANE. Capt. Falcon attempted to disengage, but after being raked again, had little choice but to strike HMS CYANE’s colors at 6:45 p.m.
Damaged but not yet defeated, HMS LEVANT returned at around 8:40 p.m. After 90 minutes of pursuit and at a range of about 50 yards with “Old Ironsides,” HMS LEVANT struck her colors shortly after 10 p.m.
With the two prize ships in company, Stewart turned his British prisoners over to the Portuguese in the Cape Verdes, but British frigates recaptured HMS LEVANT shortly afterward. HMS CYANE was sailed to America, where she was purchased by the U.S. Navy and recommissioned USS CYANE, and served in the fleet until in 1827.
Throughout the next four decades following the War of 1812, USS CONSTITUTION secured numerous bloodless victories until she was taken out of active service in 1855. However, she is best remembered for that unparalleled string of successes two centuries ago, and she has never fired a round in combat since February, 1815, during her battle with HMS CYANE and HMS Levant.
From
http://www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/history.html
Visitors Information
http://www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/visitor_info.html
Crew 2012
http://www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/capn_crew.html
Damaged but not yet defeated, HMS LEVANT returned at around 8:40 p.m. After 90 minutes of pursuit and at a range of about 50 yards with “Old Ironsides,” HMS LEVANT struck her colors shortly after 10 p.m.
With the two prize ships in company, Stewart turned his British prisoners over to the Portuguese in the Cape Verdes, but British frigates recaptured HMS LEVANT shortly afterward. HMS CYANE was sailed to America, where she was purchased by the U.S. Navy and recommissioned USS CYANE, and served in the fleet until in 1827.
Throughout the next four decades following the War of 1812, USS CONSTITUTION secured numerous bloodless victories until she was taken out of active service in 1855. However, she is best remembered for that unparalleled string of successes two centuries ago, and she has never fired a round in combat since February, 1815, during her battle with HMS CYANE and HMS Levant.
From
http://www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/history.html
Visitors Information
http://www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/visitor_info.html
Crew 2012
http://www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/capn_crew.html
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