Huzzah! for "Old Ironsides"

Constitution Sailors Keep Alive Two Centuries of Indomitable Spirit

By DAVID VERGUN, Production Editor

During an engagement between the frigates USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere early in the War of 1812, a British seaman saw shot bounce off Constitution and is said to have shouted: "Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!" In a battle that altered the direction of the war, Guerriere was defeated in less than two hours--so damaged that Capt. Isaac Hull of Constitution chose to sink her rather than take her as a prize. It was the first time that the still-fledgling U.S. Navy had defeated the Royal Navy at sea.

Ships were not made of iron then, but Constitution's 25-inch-thick live-oak vertical frames, enveloped by white-oak planking, were very effective at deflecting shot, hence the affectionate name "Old Ironsides." Constitution's structural integrity and maneuverability--and more importantly, the esprit of the ship's 450-man crew of Sailors and Marines--were deciding factors in the ship's many triumphs in the Barbary War (1803 to 1805) and the War of 1812.

Constitution has since become an enduring symbol of America's strength and pride. Laid down in Boston in 1794 and launched on 21 October 1797, Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat today. Although Constitution is still quite seaworthy and well-maintained, as demonstrated by the number of times the ship gets underway--at least eight times this year--sailing is limi-ted to Massachusetts Bay. "Why would we want to risk putting a nearly 204-year-old icon of our Navy in possible jeopardy on the high seas?" Capt. (Sel.) William F. Foster Jr. asked rhetorically.

Foster, Constitution's 66th commanding officer, and his detachment of 13 Sailors--out of a total crew of 60--were in Cleveland for a week in late April on the last leg of a "cruise" through the Midwest. The trip was part of an educational and public-affairs outreach program, called "Old Ironsides" Across the Nation, a collaborative effort with the USS Constitution Museum. Other "ports of call" were Chicago, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh. Accompanying the Constitution Sailors were five civilian staff members, including Executive Director Burt Logan, from the private nonprofit museum collocated with the ship in Boston's Charlestown Navy Yard. Also along were three members of the Naval Historical Center Detachment Boston, who provided logistics support. Although Constitution remained in Boston, "Team Constitution" brought with them (on a flatbed tractor trailer), the 28-foot-long captain's gig--used to transport the captain and his guests to and from the ship--and a full-size replica of one of the ship's long guns, a 24-pounder.

Their mission to Cleveland: get the word out about Constitution's illustrious role in history--and, not incidentally, about the numerous career opportunities for young people that are available in today's Navy. The visit included all of the elements of the "Old Ironsides" Across the Nation program: school visits, educator workshops, speaking engagements, and demonstrations using the gig and long gun.

Treats for Students

Students at a fourth grade class at Memorial Elementary School in Cleveland gazed in awe as two of the Constitution's Sailors--wearing 1813-period official Navy uniforms--walked into their classroom to give a presentation. In addition to talking about the Navy and their ship, the Sailors held a "show and tell" session for the students. Brett Meloney, 10, and Bailey Sokal, 9, were among the several students who donned junior versions of the colorful 1813 uniforms worn by the Constitution Sailors. The two students beamed as their classmates watched them model the uniforms.

Senior Chief Yeoman Mark Johnson, Constitution's command senior chief, told the children about life aboard ship two centuries ago and how Sailors kept track of time. He displayed a bell from the ship--which student Amber Dorfeld, 10, used to ring in the time. Airman Quincy Booth, of the ship's deck department, and Michael Bonanno, acting director of education for the USS Constitution Museum, passed around a shaving kit, food, chewing tobacco, lye soap, and other essentials that typically were issued to American Sailors in the "Age of Sail."

The girls were especially interested in the ship's biscuits, which in the early 19th century often contained weevils--which Sailors ingested along with the biscuits. The Constitution's sample piece passed around the classroom, however, was vermin-free. The boys were more eager to hear about sea battles and asked how many Royal Navy vessels were defeated by Constitution in the War of 1812 (four). Johnson brought chunks of wood from the ship so the children could feel the difference between the weights of the live oak and white oak that gives the ship its "iron" sides--live oak is the heavier of the two. Although the students at Memorial Elementary are too young to join the Navy, Johnson informed them about opportunities for travel and adventure in the sea services. The visit was one of several to Cleveland-area schools by Team Constitution.

In addition to visiting schools, Team Constitution hosted teacher workshops using "All Hands on Deck: Learning Adventures Aboard 'Old Ironsides'"--a curriculum kit including lesson plans and activities for grades K-12, that was produced by the USS Constitution Museum. The lessons are designed to teach critical thinking skills--analysis, synthesis, and evaluation--in all subject areas. In physics and chemistry students learn about the characteristics of exploding gunpowder and the weight, accuracy, force, and range of cannon balls and shot--Constitution's 44 guns could each hurl shot as far as 1,200 yards. Chain shot--a split ball connected by a chain--was used to damage masts and riggings. Grape shot--a cluster of small iron balls--killed more men as a result of the shower of splinters that was created than were killed by direct hits.

For English class, there was a great deal of naval jargon to learn--such as orlop deck and hogging. There were other interesting activities in art, math, history, and geography classes. The lesson plans--in video and book format--have won numerous state and national awards, and more than 10,000 curriculum kits have been distributed free of charge to teachers in all 50 states.

Students learned that the orlop deck of Constitution is the lowest of the ship's four decks, above it are the berth deck, the gun deck, and the uppermost spar deck. Hogging refers to the sagging between the two ends of a wooden ship's hull, that creates an arch in the middle. Hogging actually had become a problem on the Constitution because key supports--called diagonal riders--extending from the keel to the top of the orlop deck had been removed years ago. During the Navy's extensive restoration of the ship from 1992 to 1996, replacement diagonal riders and other missing supports that were included in the original design were replaced and structural integrity was restored to correct the hogging condition.

Pride Still Sails Constitution

Constitution's Sailors today are all volunteers, selected from the finest of each of the Navy's three warfare communities: surface, air, and submarines. "It's an incredible honor to serve aboard 'Old Ironsides,'" Foster said. "These Sailors have undergone a stringent screening process to be here. They all have high test scores and have established top performance records. They were superstars wherever they were before coming here."

Besides performing their duties aboard ship, each Sailor represents the Navy to communities across the nation--projecting a positive image that assists the Navy in its recruiting and community-relations efforts.

The Constitution Sailors are proud of their 1813-period uniforms, and they wear them with great dignity. After several members of the crew returned to their hotel from a school visit, a hotel receptionist offhandedly commented, "Those are neat costumes." A Sailor gently corrected her: "These are not costumes, ma'am. They are official Navy uniforms."

There is much camaraderie--off-duty as well as at work. When liberty is sounded, the Sailors travel together and ensure that everyone makes it back to the ship--or hotel--safely. At work, the Sailors practice their 18th-century seaman skills over and over again until they get it right; then they practice some more.

Subs, Guns, and Gigs

For two days, museum personnel set up interpretive displays and Sailors gave gun-deck demonstrations--loading and firing the gun as if in battle--inside the Great Lakes Science Center. There was no "live fire," however, (but a tape recording of the gun discharging was played in the background). Admission was free and open to the public. Among the many guests were several members of the Cleveland Division of the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, including Cadet Seaman Recruit Drew Starr, 15, who plans to become a naval aviator. Starr cites the movie Top Gun and the examples of his Navy father and grandfather--who served aboard the aircraft carriers USS Constellation and Enterprise, respectively--as the key influences in his decision.

In addition to the gun-deck demonstrations, Constitution Sailors rowed the captain's gig on Lake Erie, attracting the attention of onlookers along the shores in front of the Cleveland Science Center and the nearby Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Foster said that if he had known earlier that the Science Center does not allow Navy recruiters inside, he would have chosen a different venue.)

There was a special moment for Constitution's crew, and for area veterans, during the Cleveland visit--the 101st anniversary of the U.S. Submarine Force and a "tolling of the bell" ceremony aboard USS Cod, a WWII submarine that is now a floating museum and memorial on Cleveland's waterfront. Following presentation of the colors by the Cleveland Division Sea Cadets, Constitution Sailors rowed their gig near Cod and laid a wreath on Lake Erie to honor the more than 3,900 submariners who have given their lives in service to the nation since 1900--during World War II about 3,500 men, or 22 percent of the submarine force, were lost. Following the ceremony a chief petty officers' and submariners' birthday ball was held at the Coast Guard Officers' Club. At the ball, Foster spoke to the group of more than 150 veterans present about the role the Navy's core values--honor, courage, commitment--have played over the past two centuries, from the glory days of Old Ironsides to today's 21st-century Navy.

The Sailors of Constitution exemplify those core values today just as they always have throughout American history: from fighting Barbary corsairs on the "shores of Tripoli" to the famous victories during the War of 1812 to bringing goodwill to the people of Cleveland and other communities across America in the 21st century. *Bringing Navy History

To the American People

"Old Ironsides" Across the Nation is a six-year tour program that began this past school year. "The purpose of this program," said Executive Director Burt Logan of the USS Constitution Museum, "is to bring the ship's history to those who might not have the opportunity to visit Old Ironsides in Massachusetts." Each year, "Team Constitution" visits four cities in a different region of the country. The city visits include such events as school visits, educator workshops, evening presentations, and naval demonstrations (on the weekends). The visits to the Midwest during the past year also included breakfast and lunch presentations by the ship's commanding officer and museum executive director to various civic groups, including the Chicago Council of the Navy League. Next year the team will visit the Southeastern United States.

Each visit is coordinated with local sea-service supporters, including potential host museums, recruiters, Navy League councils, local schools, and Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps installations in the area. During the ship's annual two-hour summer "turnaround cruise," USS Constitution salutes the focus region from the preceding school year. (Cruise participants are chosen via a lottery conducted by USS Constitution Museum.)

For more information on USS Constitution or "Old Ironsides" Across the Nation, visit the ship's website: www.ussconstitution.navy.mil, and/or the museum's website: www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org. Those interested in supporting the program in any way should contact Margaret Otte, educational outreach coordinator at the USS Constitution Museum. Phone: (617) 426-1812; e-mail: motte@ussconstitutionmuseum.org.

The 2001-2002 itinerary planned for Team Constitution is: fall 2001 - Washington, D.C.; spring 2002 - Mobile, Ala., Memphis, Tenn., and Charleston, S.C.

The exact dates for the tour will be published in a future issue of Sea Power.