USS Constitution and the Charlestown Navy Yard

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

One cannot discuss the custodianship of the USS Constitution by National Park Service and the United States Navy without first understanding the history of the United States and the history of the Charlestown Navy Yard and its role as the homeport to the USS Constitution and the early history of the United States Navy.  Built in Boston to accommodate 44 cannons and weighing in at 1,576 tons, the USS Constitution, along with the USS President, the USS United States, the USS Chesapeake, the USS Congress, and the USS Constellation, was one of six frigates to be constructed, following authorization by Congress in 1794, in an effort to establish a formal navy for a United States still in its infancy.[1] 

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Designated as the homeport to the USS Constitution on July 23, 1954, the Charlestown Navy Yard, in addition to serving for two centuries as a center of Boston industry, also occupies an important chapter of Boston history as a base for naval activity for the Untied States Navy.[2]  Established in 1800, the Charlestown Navy Yard consists of a ropewalk, machine shops, foundry, barracks, as well as one of the nation’s first granite dry docks built by Loammi Baldwin.  Dry Dock One, built in 1833 would be utilized by a number of ships, including the USS Constitution, in order to complete necessary ship repairs in a more safe and efficient manner.  In addition to interpreting the historical significance of the USS Constitution, the National Park Service strives to interpret the Charlestown Nay Yard as an environment, which shows a clear evolution in the maritime practices of Boston and the United States Navy. [3] Dry Dock One serves as a prime example of this evolution, as prior to the creation of Baldwin’s dry docks, the most common way of repairing a ship involved the practice of careening, or the pulling of the ship to one side so as the expose one half of a ship’s hull at any given time so that it might be repaired.  The National Park Service has stressed the significance of the Charlestown Navy Yard’s dry docks, not only as important relics of the past, but also as an advancement to the task of repairing ships in comparison to the practice of careening, which in addition to being extremely time consuming, also placed a ship at risk of being accidently scuttled, or sunk.[4]

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

Furthermore, the USS Constitution Museum, opened April 8, 1976 is a unique center for historic interpretation as it not only interpreters the Navy Yard in which it is located but also the oldest commissioned ship in the Untied States Navy, the USS Constitution, through the interdepartmental cooperation of the National Park Service and Naval History and Heritage Command.  The interpretation of the USS Constitution is greatly influenced by the mission of the Park Service to place the ship itself within the proper historic context by creating interactive and technologically oriented exhibits which shed light on the social, economic, and political makeup of the United States, and the exteriors pressures this young republic faced which led to the build up of a formidable naval force.  While a number of these exhibits focus on the USS Constitution’s long military service in the Quasi War with France, the Barbary War in North Africa, and the War of 1812, the museum itself plays host to a number of public oriented activities involving the currently underway restoration of the USS Constitution.  As of late the USS Constitution is in dry dock where the copper fittings, which protect the hull of the ship from wood boring mollusks, are being replaced with fresh rolls of copper similar to the original rolls provided from the copper foundry of Paul Revere during the ship’s construction and launching from 1794 to 1798.  An act of historic preservation, which under the auspices of the United States Navy, has involved the participation of the general public who have been given the opportunity to sign their names to the copper sheeting which is then to be fitted to the hull of the ship.[5]

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Deagle

            Overall, the USS Constitution and the Charlestown Nay Yard are two vital components to the historical interpretation to not only the maritime history of Boston, but also to the early American naval history, histories that have successfully been made available to the public through museum interpretation and the encouragement of participation from the general public.

---

[1] Thomas Charles Gillmer, Old ironsides: The Rise, Decline, and Resurrection of the USS Constitution. (Camden: International Marine, 1993), 6.

[2] National Park Service: U.S. Department of the Interior, “Charlestown Navy Yard,” (National Park Tour. Charlestown, MA, November 13, 2015).

[3] National Park Service: U.S. Department of the Interior, “Charlestown Navy Yard,” (National Park Brochure. Charlestown, MA, 2015).

[4] National Park Service’s USS Constitution Museum, USS Constitution- The Nation’s Ship. (National Park Tour. Charlestown, MA, 2015).

[5] Naval History and Heritage Command, Copper Sheathing for USS Constitution. (National Park Tour. Charlestown, MA, 2015).