It’s what we do:
Sailors aboard multi-purpose assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) salute USS Constitution as she makes her annual trip through Boston in celebration of the Fourth of July. Constitution, known as
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Targets of Opportunityblog advertising is good for you Credo"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones "Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra" "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friedrich Nietzsche "A kind Providence has placed in our breasts a hatred of the unjust and cruel, in order that we may preserve ourselves from cruelty and injustice. They who bear cruelty, are accomplices in it. The pretended gentleness which excludes that charitable rancour, produces an indifference which is half an approbation. They never will love where they ought to love, who do not hate where they ought to hate."--Edmund Burke “You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”--General Sir Charles Napier "Μολὼν λαβέ" -- Leonidas "Blogito Ergo Sum" -- Neptunus Lex Amazon AssociateFor the Effort!Winnar! Subscribe CategoriesPagesTagsacademy
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I don’t know if it’s from being a veteran, an ex-sailor, or just an American, but that picture causes a swelling of the heart.
Jeez, did they have to have the tug alongside??
“and I doubt that she would wear ?
“and I doubt that she would wear ‘em.”
I think you’re right. In the summer of 2002, I was in Boston and toured the USS Constitution. A Senior Chief Hull Technician assigned to the crew told me that the last time she was under sail– for the millennium fourth, I believe it was– she almost didn’t make it back to the pier. Her sailing days were done, he said.
Had the honor of touring her once, many moons ago. Showed up all dressed to the nines in uniform as a kay-det from Woo-poo U. Sailors brought us (me and my battle buddy) to the front of the line, guided us through the proper way to board a ship of the line, and gave us a grand tour.
What a gorgeous gal. I would love to have the honor of her hosting me again in another 20 years…or more…
Pretty-sure the under-sail cruise was her 200th birthday (1997). Some pics are in her Wikipedia entry. That was her first time under wind power in 116 years.
A dear friend-o-mine, who flew the duration of WW-II (never had a carrier launch or trap, OS2-U Kingfisher offa four-stacker cruisers) has pics and memories of the Constitution visiting Monterey in the early 1930s. She was towed through the canal, up the coast to Washington, back down the coast and home to Boston.
Amazingly, Old Ironsides is one of two currently commissioned vessels to have sunk an enemy vessel with her shipboard weaponry — not aircraft. The other is USS Simpson FFG-56 (the opposing vessel being an Iranian patrol boat, the Joshan, in 1988).
Thanks for the picture. Oddly enough, I’ve been on both ships! I was able to tour the Consitution on a visit to Boston 7 or 8 years ago and the Wasp during Fleet Week this past May. I enjoyed learning more about both. Of course, the biggest thing I remember from the Wasp is “First in the Fleet” (it was everywhere).
I had the pleasure of being aboard the grand old lady on that cruise this Fourth, my dad being friends with a former skipper who gave us his tickets. What an incredible privilege and honor it was to be there.
If you click on the link in my name and page down a few blog entries, you’ll find my write-up on the experience and links to photos as well as YouTube video I posted of the firing of the 21-gun salute.
In a city of historical attractions, Constitution is by far my favorite.
Coincidentally, I was aboard the Wasp before myself, but during a port visit in Rockland, Maine, last summer.
SJBill is right too: her last sail was for her bicentennial in 1997. I live in Salem, Mass., and rose at down to photograph her in neighboring Marblehead harbor (birthplace of the US Navy, don’t you know).
She is indeed a grand old lady.
Her masts are always the first thing I look for when traveling into Boston south on I-93.
Took a tour aboard with my son and parents about 10 years ago. Grandfather, father and son were all serious sailing navy buffs, something my mom has acquired herself since she discovered the Patrick O’Brian books.
For those so inclined [prob'ly everyone here]:
http://www.sea-room.com/
Geoff Hunt’s book covers are superb
If you are really into “Old Ironsides”, go to http://www.historicships.com“. Click on to “modelshipways, or Bluejackets, or Mamoli” to find some outstanding models.
If you buy one, bring your patience with you. Best..
It was a fabulous day, we couldn’t have asked for better. I have been everywhere on that ship. I spent many Saturday afternoons running all over her decks. They used to let you do that, back in the day.
Bill C., I put together a Mamoli model of a 28-gun Brit frigate, back when I had a life. The hull was difficult work, but the masts and rigging destroyed me utterly.
For a first model, I probably should have set my sights a little lower. Someday…
I’ll be the first to say that I know next to nothing about sailing ships, rigging, etc, so here goes…
It appears to me that the maintopsail can be rigged with studdingsails? Is that true? If so, why do none of the others appear to have the same capability?
From what I understand about stun’s'ls – and I’m no square rigged sailor – they can, depending upon the winds, be boomed out aloft and alow on all three masts, or – depending upon whether a gaff or spanker is rigged on the mizzen, at least on the foremast and the main. I think there was a legitimate concern that too much sail forward might tend to press the ship down by the bow and that it would in fact be more likely to see mainmast stun’s'ls than foremast, but that would of course depend upon the ship’s trim.
In the painting linked, they’re rigged out on the fore course, the fore tops’l and the fore t’garns’l. I believe that because of the diameter of the booms above t’garns’ls – the royals and skysails in other words – unboomed “kites” were preferred to stun’s'ls in light airs.
I speak of course, under risk of correction.
You lost me after- and I?
You lost me after- and I’m no square rigged sailor.
Lex, thanks for that bit of info. I should have clarified a bit – it appears that the maintopsail has the additional booms that would be necessary for stunsails but none of the others do. Purely judging off the apparent diameter of the booms.
An addendum – the bit about royals/skysails/etc makes a lot of sense. No need to have all that extra weight up top.