USS Constitution

Moored in the historic Charlestown Navy Yard, USS Constitution represents the early U.S. Navy at full scale rather than in diagram or model. Launched in 1797 as one of the original six frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794, this three-masted, wooden-hulled heavy frigate embodies Joshua Humphreys’ ambitious design concept: long, deep, and heavily built to outrun ships of the line while overpowering conventional frigates. Constitution’s War of 1812 record, including victories over British warships such as HMS Guerriere and Java, underpins the “Old Ironsides” legend and illustrates the strategic value of a small but technologically sophisticated fleet. Later service as a training ship during the American Civil War and as a global representative on 19th-century diplomatic and exhibition voyages traces the evolution of U.S. naval roles beyond pure combat. Now the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat, maintained by active-duty Navy personnel, she also reflects a long, contested preservation history—repeatedly saved from scrapping through public advocacy—making the ship a case study in how a nation chooses which artifacts of sea power to sustain.