The Flaggs stop on the ship’s gangway.
USS Constitution, MA
Ande Flagg
“There it is! There it is!” my son shouted in excitement.
As we approached the USS Constitution, my American-history-loving son #1 was bouncing up and down. We couldn’t walk fast enough to get to the ship he’d learned about in class, on his favorite TV show and through books. It was like he was about to meet his favorite movie star.
Walking down from the Bunker Hill monument, we could make out the masts of the USS Constitution as they peeked over the tops of the buildings. We planned to walk the Freedom Trail in Boston in reverse since we wanted to hit the USS Constitution early in our day to beat the crowds.
As we got closer, we noticed the rigging for the sails resembled spider webs with intricate crisscrossing designs. Gradually the hull and gun ports came into view.
The crow’s nest soars high above the deck.
Maybe the USS Constitution isn’t a famous movie star, but it IS a star worth checking out in our American Naval history. (Yes, even for Army folks!)
Old Ironsides
In 1797 the USS Constitution was commissioned to protect American commerce. When the War of 1812 was declared in mid-June of 1812, the frigate became more than an escort. It became a battleship.
Two months later, in August, the USS Constitution, having 44 guns, took down the HMS Guerrier which was a slightly smaller frigate with 38 guns. Upon hearing of this win, Americans’ morale was raised. The small US Navy was capable of winning in battle against the English Navy – the largest navy in the world at the time.
The ship also earned its nicknamed “Old Ironsides” during this battle. The fight was intense, but when the cannonballs hit the side of the oak-hulled ship they seemed to bounce off without causing damage.
Our view of the USS Constitution as we approached the dock with Boston in the background.
A sailor yelled, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!”
The nickname “Old Ironsides” stuck. The USS Constitution engaged in 2 more battles between 1812 and 1815. Shortly after winning the War of 1812, the United States of America was finally recognized around the world as a free and legitimate country of its own.
Realizing the USS Constitution’s historical significance in the War of 1812 and American Naval history, the US Navy retired the ship from battle and it became a ceremonial vessel. It still operates today. It has a crew and even sets sail several times a year.
Walking Through History
As we approached Old Ironsides, the sign on the gangplank confirmed her illustrious history. We stopped to take a picture. We took a lot of pictures. We couldn’t soak in enough of the beautiful sunny day on the water in a 222-year-old ship.
In Europe 222 years old doesn’t sound old. But our country was just a baby in 1797 when the Constitution was commissioned. Touching and standing on the same floor as some of those who fought for our country’s independence was surreal to me.
The kiddos reenact the life of a sailor at war.
We made our way up the gangplank to the main deck of the ship. Even though the wait to board was short, there were still a lot of people on the vessel. The boys wasted no time running to the cannons. They pretended to fire the guns and then dashed straight to the captain’s wheel where they had to wait for a turn.
Several crew members on the deck were available to answer questions. These crew members weren’t just park rangers in 1812-period costumes. They were real U.S. Navy sailors! One crew member told us this was her first assignment out of boot camp. She explained it was an honor to be selected to serve on the USS Constitution.
The boys take a turn at the wheel.
The present-day sailors’ duties included much more than just greeting the millions of people that visited every year. They made sure the ship wasn’t taking on water, maintained good repair, and told the tourists’ kiddos not to climb on the really old (and sometimes dangerous) stuff.
Next we made our way down to the captain’s quarters and the gun deck. Many of the guns were accessible to us. Those guns gave us a sense of what it must have been like to have such little maneuverability. The crew would have had a very small crack between the gun and the edge of the porthole to see out at their target.
A team was assigned to each gun but they needed plenty of space to maneuver in order to refill the cannon. The crew pulled it away from the gunport and pushed it back again – all while being jostled around on the open sea. These were big and heavy cannons. It would have been a very demanding job!
The boys wanted to see the captain’s quarters next, probably in part because the history show they like had a scene where the host had lain in the captain’s bed. The Flagg boys had no such luck, but they saw just how much better the captain lived compared to the crew. The captain had a bed and drawers to place belongings, keeping things clean and in place, even on the open sea. He even had his own head (that’s latrine in Army speak)! These quarters were small but posh compared to the living quarters we saw on the next deck down.
The lieutenant also had it a little better than the average crew member. While his quarters had a hammock instead of a bed, he had a door and a desk. Privacy was something the rest of the crew didn’t enjoy. A desk was also an upgrade from the berthing deck we would soon see, but I know I’d rather have the toilet than the desk if I had to choose!
The Flaggs stopped for a traditional family photo on the ship.
Finally, we walked toward the officer’s mess or dining room. Round tables with period cane-back chairs comprised the space. I couldn’t help wondering how often the tables and chairs slid around the room while at sea and whether the men trying to eat ate less because the of the resulting gastro-gymnastics? (These are things moms think about!)
The crew, made up of men and boys of all walks of life, slept in hammocks on the next deck down known as the berthing deck. Sometimes they had to share their hammock with others, since they worked a different shift. The crew worked hard, so perhaps that was how they slept so well even while sharing a hammock. (I just imagined the smell! Oh my!)
As we meandered around on the berthing deck, we didn’t see a place for clothes or belongings. This was a wake-up call of sorts for all of us, remembering that sometimes our predecessors really didn’t have anything except the clothes on their backs.
The crew worked tirelessly, even when the ship wasn’t at war. They had to manage about an acre of sailcloth in order to move the 204-foot-long fortress. That’s a lot of heavy material to hoist up the masts, fold and unfold, and even mend.
Anchored in History
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the sails up, but we did see one of the anchors on shore. Other boys before mine must have wanted to climb the anchors, because a sign forbid it. The 8- and 10-year-old reluctantly complied. That anchor was REALLY big! After all, it was designed to hold a 204-foot frigate in place on the sea.
That’s a really huge anchor!
Once we finished at the USS Constitution, we knew we needed to get moving. There were 16 stops on the Freedom Trail in Boston. We had just seen two. We had a lot more to see!
When asked that evening after our very full day what the boys liked the most, they both said, “The USS Constitution!”
When asked why, Boy #1 said, “It was amazing!”
Closest Military Installations
MWR Locations Nearby
Hanscom Air Force FamCamp (30 min) | Fourth Cliff Recreation Area (1 hour) | New Boston Space Force Station Recreation Area (1 hr 10 min) | Base Cape Cod RV Park (1 hr 25 min) | Carr Point RV Park (1 hr 30 min) | Westover Reserve Air Force Base FamCamp (1 hr 40 min) | Munroe House (2 hours) | Cuttyhunk Island Recreational Lodging (2 hr 40 min)
If You Go:
- Check out the whole Freedom Trail. Pick up at map at any of the National Park stops. You can also preview the trail online. I like this downloadable map, by the Boy Scouts of America.
- Make sure you take water. Boston is expensive and the cooler morning turned into a warm afternoon.
The crow’s nest and riggings soar high above the deck.
- We met up with my cousin, who was working in Boston at the time, for lunch at an old tavern known for its lobster. We learned that Boston is very walkable. We also learned that we are not fans of lobster. However, if you have never had lobster in New England, do indulge at least once.
- We stayed at Hanscom Air Force Base’s FamCamp. The campground is adjacent to the airstrip, but it was not unduly loud. It was a reasonable rate and quite clean. It took us about 25 minutes to get to the Freedom Trail in the city.