USS Constitution

Promote. Preserve. Protect.

During the War of 1812, the USS Constitution's crew numbered about 450 total officers, sailors and Marines. Today, the crew includes three officers and about 75 enlisted sailors.

See what it's like to be aboard today! Watch this video:

Come Aboard!

Various weapons rest atop a wooden desk aboard an old ship.

A sailor climbs up the shrouds on an old ship.

A canon on wheels is positioned inside of an old ship with rope next to it.

A nameplate with Liberty Forever written in cursive hangs above a window under a ship's deck.

A canon is positioned next to a window aboard an old ship.

A row of battle lanterns sits on a wooden shelf.

Wooden structures are next to beams inside of a ship.

A wooden capstan, which is shaped like big cylinder, sits aboard an old ship.

A wooden desk and chairs are shown in a white cabin inside an old ship.

A ship's cabin is shown with a window and doors to other rooms.

A wooden bed stands next to a window in a ship's cabin.

A plaque with golden names hangs on a white wall.

A wooden plaque with engraved names on bronze plates hangs on a white wall.

Do You Have What it Takes to be a Crew Member?

A sailor balancing on rope drapes another rope over the mast, as seen from below.

Watch

Man all watch stations every hour of every day to continue as the nation's oldest commissioned warship afloat.

A group of sailors hang over the mast, as seen from below, under a blue sky.

Climb

Climb up to 200 feet above the waterline to maintain the masts and sails.

Sailors in historic garb stand in a line and simulate firing muskets while a crowd watches.

Participate

Conduct and participate in color guard details around the country at historic and sports events.

Three sailors in historic dress stand in front of a crowd on an old ship’s deck.

Inform

Promote and inform the public of the USS Constitution and its history.

Three sailors balance on ropes while working on a mast beam.

Support

Support the ship in any evolution and safeguard lines, anchors and hull.

Four sailors in historic garb hold flags and ceremonial swords on an outside stage.

Travel

Travel the country to connect with local communities and promote the USS Constitution and the Navy.

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Through a Sailor's Eyes

Place yourself in a sailor's shoes. Go back in time and experience, firsthand, the epic sea battle between the USS Constitution and HMS Java. Then, learn the ropes about today's USS Constitution Museum by serving as a crew member. During your journey, learn how to speak like a sailor by clicking on important terms!

Click the ship wheel to compare the two stories:

Facts About the USS Constitution

The USS Constitution was constructed at a Boston shipyard from 1794-1797, at a total cost of about $302,000. It took three attempts to successfully launch it into Boston Harbor.

A black and white drawing shows an old ship launching into a harbor.

The ship is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. "Constitution" was among 10 names submitted to President George Washington for the six original frigates constructed under the Naval Act of 1794. The other five ships were named United States, Constellation, Congress, President and Chesapeake.

USS United States

USS Constellation

USS Congress

USS President

USS Chesapeake

An old ship with brightly colored flags sails next to a tugboat while a graphic points to the top mast and main fighting top.

The Constitution's mainmast height is 172 feet, from the spar deck to the top of the mast. It has 48 sails, measuring about 44,000 square feet. Its top speed is 13 knots.

Learn More About Constitution's History

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Nautical Trivial Pursuit

Upper Right: A pamphlet shows pictures from the silent film 'Old Ironsides.' Center: The USS Constitution appears in the video game Fallout 4. Lower Left: A movie poster for the 2003 film 'Master and Commander.'

The USS Constitution has inspired video games and films alike.

The "Last Voyage of the USS Constitution" is a side quest in Fallout 4, an open-world roleplaying game which takes place in a postapocalyptic Boston.

The USS Constitution was the inspiration for Acheron, the fictional French ship that torments Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) throughout "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (2003).

"Old Ironsides" is a 1926 American silent historical war film that gives a fictionalized account of the Constitution's triumphs against pirates in the Mediterranean in 1798. The film features a young Boris Karloff.

During the War of 1812, the USS Constitution defeated four English warships even though England had the strongest navy in the world at the time.

Tyrone G. Martin, author of "A Most Fortunate Ship: A Narrative History of Old Ironsides," says the Constitution "[uplifted] American morale spectacularly and, in the process, [ended] forever the myth that the Royal Navy was invincible."

Michele Felice Corné painted the earliest known depiction of the USS Constitution in 1803.

The USS Constitution sets sail in Boston Harbor for its first cruise of the year, May 17, 2024.

The USS Constitution has been an official Ship of State since 2009.

This means it can host visiting heads of state, host the signing of legislation relating to the Armed Forces and host the signing of maritime related treaties.

Cannonballs literally bounced off Constitution's hull, made from a combination of white and live oak.

American live oak was superior to British oak.

In 1832, Levi Woodbury, secretary of the Navy, informed the U.S. House of Representatives, "The live oak is a supply 'of the best quality,' because it is superior in strength, resistance and hardness, to the celebrated British oak which forms 'the wooden walls' [Royal Navy] of England."

To repair the hull of the USS Constitution the ship is moved to a dry dock.

Former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven Giordano touches the keel, which is the center backbone at the bottom of a ship.

Chris Hanlon, bottom, and Paul Chiasson line up a new plank of white oak along the starboard side.

The USS Constitution is taken out of water for repairs periodically.

Around 10-15% of the USS Constitution is original to the warship's 1794-1797 building period.

Though the ship has needed many repairs during its over 200-year-lifespan, that the ship retains some of its original makings is a true testament to its stubborn, steadfast longevity.

Captains predicted in 1794 that the live oak "frames will be perfectly sound half a century hence, and it is very probable they may continue so for a much longer period." They were right!

Don't Give Up the Ship

A ship doesn't reach the record-breaking age of the USS Constitution on good luck and good bones alone. Demise has seemed imminent for Old Ironsides more than once over the centuries, but a singular asset has given the warship new life, time and again: the love of the American people.

War Hero

In the early 19th century, many got to know the Constitution through its storied exploits during the War of 1812, when the Constitution defeated four warships of the mighty Royal Navy. Old Ironsides returned to parades in Boston after each victory at sea, and its legend grew. After the war, though the Constitution was celebrated, it was not needed. The ship was placed in ordinary — laid up and temporarily decommissioned — in Boston for several years. In 1821, it began patrolling the seas as part of the Mediterranean Squadron, returning years later badly in need of costly repairs.

A painting depicts a ship sailing away from a sinking ship on rough seas.

A portrait shows a man in a suit and bowtie looking to the right.

Poetic Justice

Rumors emerged that the Navy planned to dismantle Old Ironsides. A Harvard University student read about it in a Boston newspaper and penned a poem celebrating the warship. The paper published "Old Ironsides" the next day, and papers in other U.S. cities followed suit. Not only did the verses bring national attention to the young poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, who went on to become a famous poet and physician, but they also provoked a public outcry demanding that Old Ironsides be saved. The Navy ordered the ship be repaired "with as little delay as practicable."

'Will You Sell?'

Fast-forward 75 years, when the warship again faced an uncertain future. Just eight years after a grand celebration for its centennial, the Constitution was rotting away in Boston in 1905, when the Navy secretary proposed using it for target practice. A businessman named Moses Gulesian fired off a telegram to the secretary when he heard the news: "Will give ten thousand dollars for the Constitution will you sell?". Told that only Congress could sell the ship, Gulesian raised his offer to $15,000. The press reported on his gesture, and the public rallied once again. A petition demanding the Constitution's preservation amassed 30,000 signatures in three weeks and Congress soon appropriated $100,000 for repairs.

A closeup of a handwritten letter is shown from December 1905.

An old photo shows a group of people and children posing in a street.

Precious Pennies

Still, by the early 1920s, Old Ironsides was once again in bad shape, with a rotten hull, masts and rigging and curving in its keel that threatened to break the ship in two. The Navy secretary put a committee together in 1924 to lead a national "Save Old Ironsides" fundraising campaign. The effort included a pennies campaign, asking children across the country to collect and donate small change. They stepped up in a big way, raising around $154,000, which helped fund a major restoration of the Constitution. To thank the nation for the outpouring of support, the Constitution conducted a three-year "National Cruise" towed by a minesweeper to more than 70 ports. More than 4.6 million Americans came out to visit Old Ironsides on the tour.

Safe at Home

Two decades later, Congress passed legislation authorizing the Navy secretary to restore the Constitution "as far as may be practicable" back to its original condition, though not for active service. In addition to codifying the Navy's responsibility for maintaining the ship, the law also identified Boston as Old Ironsides' home port. And home is where the Constitution remains almost all of the time, welcoming more than half a million visitors each year. Nevertheless, the care the ship received in recent decades enabled Old Ironsides, in 1997, to celebrate its 200th anniversary by setting sail under its own power for the first time in 116 years. A spectator fleet of hundreds of vessels joined the Constitution for the hourlong journey, and admirers around the world witnessed the historic event.

An old ship sails with two modern ships behind and six aircraft flying above.

To This Day

The USS Constitution long defended our nation on the seas. Today, it continues to serve the public as a dynamic museum. Every day, sailors play an active role in the ship's preservation and storytelling by inviting more than 600,000 visitors on board a year.

During Chief Petty Officer Heritage Weeks every year, sailors assigned to the USS Constitution host chief petty officers-select to live and learn on board.

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