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Constitution--called "Old Ironsides" because bullets 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. 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.
Made of highly polished brass with an antiquing finish and includes
the wooden base.
Length: 24" from tip of deck to stern.
Height: about 3/4 the length.
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