The USS Constitution was launched in Massachusetts in 1798. She is a wooden hauled three masted frigate. Joshua Humphreys designed her larger and more heavily armed than the standard frigates of the period. During the Undeclared War with France she patrolled the southeast coast of the US and the Caribean. From 1803 she was the flagship of the Mediterranean squadron and served against the Barbary States of North Africa. She participated in the war agains the United Kingdom. The ship defeated the frigate HMS Guerriere in a naval battle, badly damaging the enemy ship. The ship got the nickname “Old Ironsides” because of the strong live oak hull. Later she engaged in another victorious battle against the frigate HMS Java. In 1830 the Constitution was declared unfit for the sea, but after the indignation of the American public she was reconstructed. She patrolled the Mediterranean and South Pacific coasts and made a 30-month voyage around the world. After that she served as training ship and transported goods to the Paris Exhibition. Her centennial was celebred in Boston. She became an American icon, and during a three year visit on the Pacific and Atlantic coast of the US, she was visited by more than 4 millon of Americans. On her 200th aniversary the Constitution was restored and the ship sailed again. She is alredy in active duty and she is one of the oldest vessels in the world (the HMS Victory is three decades older).
