Relic Wood from USS Constitution
American: c. 1941-1975
18th century wood
7 inches high, relic
8 inches high overall, including base
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Relic Wood from USS Constitution
American: c. 1941-1975, from 18th Century Wood
American: c. 1941-1975, from 18th Century Wood
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Metal plate reading "Material from US Frigate Constitution 1797 IX-21."
Relic wood from the historic battleship USS Constitution, also known as “Old Ironsides,” displayed on a custom hand made black base. Brass plate attached to the wood with two nails, as issued, bearing the stamped inscription: “Material from U.S. Frigate Constitution 1797 IX-21.” IX-21 was a hull classification symbol assigned by the Navy in early 1941, but the ship was reclassified in 1975. Therefore, this relic was probably created from the original 18th century wood during one of the restorations of the ship in that time period. The base has a conforming mold to support the relic, which may be lifted off the base for handling. Other souvenir items were made from wood taken from the ship during its restorations; find them on our site by typing “USS Constitution” in our site search engine.
The U.S. Frigate Constitution was one of the six original frigates authorized by the fledgling U.S. government in 1794, and was launched on October 21, 1797, making it the oldest commissioned warship in the world that is still afloat. It made its first sea voyage the following year. In the first several years of the 19th century, its primary mission was to protect U.S. merchant shipping from privateers and pirates. The ship received its nickname of “Old Ironsides” in a battle against a British warship during the War of 1812, in which the British ship was sunk and its surviving crew captured -- a major victory considering that Britain was the pre-eminent naval power of the era. The ship continued to play an important role in the war (which lasted until 1815), and was the only War of 1812 ship for which all of its captains were decorated by Congress. The ship was refurbished in the 1830s, and made several trips to foreign waters until 1860, when it became a training ship for the U.S. Naval Academy. The Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 and moved to the Boston Navy Yard in 1897. Some repairs were made to the hull, rigging, spars and mast, in 1907, with extensive restoration undertaken between 1927 and 1930. The ship also received significant restoration in 1954, 1972-75 and 1992-95. Since 1995 it has periodically participated in “tall ships” events and historical commemorations. The USS Constitution is now open to the public as a museum in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
References:
“USS Constitution.” U.S. Navy. http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/historyupdate.htm (14 September 2007).
“USS Constitution.” Wikipedia. 12 September 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution (14 September 2007).