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IRONSIDES
USS CONSTITUTION
The Constitution--called "Old Ironsides" because cannonballs could
not penetrate her tough oak sides--was one of the first of the original six
frigates that made up the U.S. Navy. A 44-gun frigate built at the Edmond
Hartt Shipyard, Boston, MA, in 1797. Her dimensions are 53,34x13,26x6,0 (d)
m [175'0x43'6"x16'7"] and with a displacement of 2000 tons., the ship carried
a crew of more than 450. The ship served in the undeclared naval war with
France (1798-1800) Was the Flagship in the , Mediterranean squadron, in the
Tripolitan War (1801-05). In the War of 1812 the Constitution won battles
with the British frigates Guerriere and Java; the former battle took place
about 1,200 km (750 mi) east of Boston on Aug. 19, 1812, and the latter off
the coast of Brazil on Dec. 29, 1812. The Constitution made its last combat
tour in 1814-15. The ship was scheduled to be scrapped in 1830, but Oliver
Wendell Holmes's poem "Old Ironsides" inspired a public movement to save
it. Restored in 1925, the Constitution is now The oldest commissioned vessel
in the US Navy. Presently serving as a museum ship at the Charleston Navy
Yard, Boston, MA. moored in Boston
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Old Ironsides
By Oliver Wendell Holmes
September 16, 1830
Ay, tear her tattered ensign
down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar;--
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee;--
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered bulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale! |
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Americans
Build a Fighting Ship
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| "Mr. Washington was angry" begins this recounting of
the building of a ship to defend the young nation's merchant ships from pirates.
The goal was to construct a ship strong enough to be useful in war as well,
and as the nickname testified, "Old Ironsides" turned out to be just that.
The story is told through the eyes of the fictional John Aylwin, son of a
ship's carpenter, who follows the process with keen interest, chatting with
people who can shed light on particular aspects of the ship's design. The
fictionalization makes the text more readable and personal |
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