USS Constitution celebrates birthday with Boston Harbor tour

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USS Constitution celebrates birthday with Boston Harbor tour
By: ASSOCIATED PRESS- Published: October 18, 2019
RE: https://www.stripes.com/news/us/uss-...-tour-1.603584

Photo link: https://www.stripes.com/polopoly_fs/..._900/image.jpg
The USS Constitution is tugged through Boston Harbor to Fort Independence on Castle Island during ‘Old Ironsides' underway commemorating Independence Day, July 4, 2018.
By: CASEY SCOULAR/U.S. NAVY

BOSTON — The USS Constitution is sailing in Boston Harbor to celebrate its 222nd birthday and the U.S. Navy's birthday.

The ship is scheduled to go from Charlestown Navy Yard Friday morning to Fort Independence on Castle Island and fire a 21-gun salute.

The event celebrates the birthday of "Old Ironsides," the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat, and the Navy's 244th birthday.

Cmdr. Nathaniel Shick, the Constitution's commanding officer, says the ship has served the country with distinction and he's honored to celebrate its legacy.

The ship will turn around and return, firing another salute as it passes Coast Guard Sector Boston, the former site of the shipyard where the Constitution was built and launched in October 1797.

It's scheduled to reopen for free public tours Friday afternoon.

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Topic: Constitution’s Modern Armament (more photo's on site)
RE: https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/20...dern-armament/

Originally rated as a 44-gun frigate, USS Constitution typically carried around 54 guns. During the War of 1812, she mounted twenty-four 32-pound carronades on the spar deck, as well as a long 18-pound “chase” gun forward, and thirty 24-pound long guns on the gun deck.

Today, Constitution’s guns are replicas, not originals. When the ship returned to Boston in 1897 for her 100th birthday, she no longer carried any guns. In 1883 she had been turned into barracks and a “receiving ship” for sailors, so guns were no longer necessary. Her first 20th century restoration in 1906-1907 saw fifty-five replica guns made for the ship. All of the present guns were cast for the 1927-1931 restoration with the exception of two 1812-era replica carronades on the after quarter deck. Cast in 1981, these carronades are closer to Constitution‘s 1812 spar deck armament. The gun deck guns were cast in the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1929. The pattern of these guns was based on a British siege gun that was abandoned in Boston during the American Revolution and is currently displayed near Harvard University. The decision to cast “British” guns was made by Lieutenant John A. Lord, Supervisor of the 1927-1931 restoration. He based his decision upon inaccurate research that led the Navy to mistakenly believe that Constitution was outfitted with British guns in 1812.

Eighteen of the thirty replica 24-pounders are marked with a board arrow and cipher making them appear British in origin. The incised “broad arrow” is a mark signifying that the gun was originally “Property of the (British) Crown.” The “royal cipher” GR refers to Georgius Rex (King George II who reigned 1727-1760). The other twelve replica 24-pounders were cast from an American gun.

Note recommend you got to this site to see the history and this vessel.
They will be reinstalled on the ship at the end of the 2015-2017 restoration.

She remains our Naval History of the war of 1812. Something to be proud of.

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