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The USS Constitution, the pride of the American naval fleet as the young nation fought for its independence yet again, earned its memorable Old Ironsides nickname on this day in history, August 19, 1812.
“Huzzah, her sides are made of iron!” an America sailor shouted joyfully, as the ship’s white oak planks and live oak frame, grown in the swamps of Georgia, repelled volleys of direct cannon fire from British warship HMS Guerriere.
The Constitution, under Captain Isaac Hull, destroyed the Guerriere and forced her to surrender in the close-combat sea exchange. The British ship was so badly beaten that Hull scuttled it rather than capture it as a trophy of war.
The victory of the American-made warship over the allegedly invincible Royal Navy in the early days of the war inspired patriotic fervor across the new nation.
“Constitution sailed for Boston and arrived on August 30,” notes the U.S. Navy’s Naval History and Heritage Command in its official chronicle of the battle, with the Guerriere’s crew on board as prisoners.
Painting of the marine battle in the War of 1812 featuring the USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, and the British ship, HMS Guerrière, with its masts broken. Artist Thomas Chambers, 1845. (Pierce Archive LLC/Buyenlarge via Getty Images)
“News of Constitution’s victory quickly spread through town and throngs of cheering Bostonians greeted Hull and his crew. A militia company escorted Hull to a reception at the Exchange Coffee House and more dinners, presentations and awards followed in the ensuing weeks, months and years.”
“Huzzah, her side are made of iron!” — American sailor, August 19, 1812
The legend of Old Ironsides was only beginning.
She proved an invincible force at sea.
“The Constitution went on to defeat or capture seven more British ships in the War of 1812 and ran the British blockade of Boston twice,” notes History.com.
She earned 33 victories at sea, with zero defeats.
The U.S. brazenly declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812, in response to the empire’s repeated abuses of American maritime rights.
The USS Constitution is shown firing its cannons off Castle Island in Boston on its annual 4th of July turn around in Boston Harbor. She is the oldest commissioned warship in the world. (Associated Press)
Just weeks later, on August 2, the future Old Ironsides set sail for Halifax.
It engaged the Guerriere about 600 miles east of Boston in the open Atlantic Ocean.
The ship was ordered on March 1, 1794, in anticipation of the passage of the Naval Act of 1794, which President George Washington signed on March 27.
The act called for the nation to build six warships, the USS Constitution among them, marking the official beginnings of the U.S. Navy fleet.
The great warship was built at the former Hartt’s shipyard, in what is now Boston’s historic North End neighborhood, a short distance from the Old North Church.
On July 4, spectators wave flags as the USS Constitution fires its cannons off Castle Island on its annual 4th of July turn around in Boston Harbor. (Associated Press)
“The bolts fastening its timbers and copper sheathing were provided by the industrialist and patriot Paul Revere,” notes History.com.
The USS Constitution was launched on October 21, 1797, and served in the Quasi-War against France and the Barbary Wars in the Mediterranean.
She was part of the American fleet that bombarded Tripoli in 1804, a powerful show of force on the global stage of the naval power of the young nation.
“The Constitution went on to defeat or capture seven more British ships in the War of 1812.”
Old Ironsides is docked today at Constitution Wharf in the Charlestown section of Boston, a short distance from where she was built, and in the shadows of the Bunker Hill Monument.
The towering obelisk marks the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775.
The USS Constitution is still manned by active U.S. Navy personnel and is the oldest commissioned warship in the world.
She still takes to sea today for Independence Day and other celebrations and is a popular stop along Boston’s Freedom Trail.
Kerry J. Byrne is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.