When the USS Constitution first entered the Atlantic, founding father George Washington was alive, Spain’s Charles IV ruled an empire, and a 20-something Ludwig van Beethoven was composing in Vienna. While each of these figures passed more than a century ago, the USS Constitution hasn’t, nor does it plan to. Launched in 1797, historians often consider it the world’s oldest active warship still afloat. It even has an active crew of Marines.
The ship’s history mirrors that of the U.S. itself. Eighteen years after the Declaration of Independence and a decade after the Treaty of Paris, our young nation sought to establish a naval defense. Before the America won its independence, the British Royal Navy had protected U.S. ships, but following separation from England, the nation needed its own fleet to defend against pirates and foreign threats.
Recognizing the risks, Congress authorized the construction of six warships in 1794—the original frigates of the U.S. Navy. These included the United States, Constellation, Chesapeake, Congress, President, and Constitution. The USS Constitution was constructed at Edmund Hartt’s shipyard in Boston’s North End, with work starting in 1794 and the ship launching in October 1797.
A Bicentennial History
The USS Constitution didn’t have to wait long to prove its capabilities. In 1798, it joined the Quasi-War (1798-1800) between France and the U.S. Shortly after, it took on pirates in the Mediterranean during the First Barbary War.
However, according to the National Park Service, its most celebrated achievements came during the War of 1812, when it defeated four British frigates across three battles. The ship’s oak hull, famously resistant to cannon fire, earned it the enduring nickname “Old Ironsides.” Today, an estimated 10 to 15% of the ship’s original timbers remain, with significant oak reinforcements added during a restoration in the 1990s.
Over the years, the USS Constitution underwent numerous repairs, primarily at the Charlestown Navy Yard. By 1830, its deterioration led some to recommend scrapping the ship, but its symbolic value—boosted by Oliver Wendell Holmes’ poem “Old Ironsides”—ultimately saved it. The Navy restored the ship, deploying it across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific, where it even helped capture the slave ship H.N. Gambrill.
In the 1860s, the ship served as a training vessel for the U.S. Naval Academy before returning to Boston as a reception ship following another refit. Since the early 20th century, it has been a historical landmark with its own museum, celebrating the ship’s roots and drawing countless tourists as it sails to various ports.
The USS Constitution is based at the Charlestown Navy Yard, where it has been refitted over the years. In 2012, it returned to the water to commemorate the bicentennial of its greatest victory: the defeat of the 38-gun HMS Guerriere, a French-built British frigate.
With over 225 years of history, the Encyclopaedia Britannica recognizes the USS Constitution as the world’s oldest commissioned warship. It surpasses even the HMS Victory, which was launched in 1765 but remains in dry dock in Portsmouth. For the Navy, the USS Constitution is its oldest active ship.
Regarding its specifications, the ship measures 203 feet in length, displaces roughly 2,200 tons, and has a gun range of about 0.68 miles. The government initially invested over $300,000 to build this “land frigate,” which carried more than 50 guns.
Hailed by Holmes as “the eagle of the sea,” the USS Constitution now serves as a museum, offering visitors a glimpse into 18th-century maritime history.
Images | Chris Rycroft (Flickr) | The Navy
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