For over 20 years, Navy Petty Officers 1st Class who have been selected for promotion to Chief Petty Officer travel to Boston to participate in Chief Petty Officer Heritage Weeks.
During Chief Petty Officer Heritage Weeks, the crew of the USS Constitution instructs selectees in 19th-century skills, such as gun, pike, sailing and musket drills.
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At kickoff, the USS Constitution fires a 21-gun, which can be viewed from Fort Independence on Castle Island. The USS Constitution then fires a 17-gun salute as it passes the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston, the former site of Edmund Hartt's Shipyard, where it was built and launched Oct. 21, 1797.
During normal operations, the active-duty sailors stationed aboard the USS Constitution provide free tours and offer public visitation to hundreds of thousands of tourists a year. They support the ship's mission of promoting the Navy's history and demonstrating the importance of a sustained naval presence.
The USS Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat and played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. The ship earned the nickname of "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship's wooden hull. The USS Constitution is undefeated in battle. It has destroyed or captured 33 opponents.