Charlestown – USS Constitution is scheduled to set sail Sunday, Aug. 19 for the first time since 1997, during an underway demonstration to commemorate Guerriere Day.
The underway will begin at approximately 10 a.m. and once Constitution is at Presidents Road, the crew will set up to four sails and make toward open water.? A 21-gun salute exchange will then be fired toward Fort Independence on Castle Island, and the ship is expected to return pier-side at 3 p.m.
More than 150 chief petty officer (CPO) selectees will also assist Constitution's crew in setting sails. CPO selectees will be participating in Constitution's annual CPO Heritage Weeks, a weeklong training cycle divided by two weeks that teaches selectees time-honored maritime evolutions, such as gun grills, line handling and setting sails. The training is also designed to instill pride in naval heritage in the Navy's senior leadership.
“I cannot think of a better way to honor those who fought in the war as well as celebrate Constitution's successes during the War of 1812 than for the ship to be under sail.” said Cmdr. Matt Bonner, Constitution's 72nd commanding officer. “The event also ties our past and present by having the ship not only crewed by the outstanding young men and women who make up her crew but also the 150 Chief Petty Officer Selects who join us for their Heritage Week.”
The last time Constitution sailed under her own power was to honor the ship's 200th birthday. This year's sail will honor Constitution's decisive victory over the HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812, marking the first time a United States ship defeated a Royal Navy frigate at or nearly equal size.? It's also the battle in which the ship earned her famous nickname “Old Ironsides.”
Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat and welcomes more than 500,000 visitors per year. She defended the sea lanes against threat from 1797 to 1855, much like the mission of today's Navy. America's Navy: Keeping the sea free for more than 200 years.
For more information, visit www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution or www.facebook.com/ussconstitutionofficial.
