USS Constitution sailed under her own power, downwind for one hour, for the first time in 116 years, in commemoration of her 200th anniversary.
On 21 July 1995, the USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) sailed free for the first time in almost 116 years. The venerable frigate last sailed on 15 October 1881 from Newport, Rhode Island, to just off Cuttyhunk Island, and was towed back to Newport, where the Board of Inspection and Survey found her so deteriorated that it recommended her removal from active service. She left regular service late on a rainy afternoon the following December.
USS Constitution underwent a major restoration between 1992 and 1996 which refurbished her to the most historically accurate state of the 20th century. With âOld Ironsidesââ keel straightened and hull significantly strengthened, Commander Michael C. Beckâs vision to sail her became a possibility.
Constitution could set up to 48 sails, however, for this historic sail the ship was equipped with only her âFighting Sailââthe six sails used leading into battle. Funding for these sails came from public contributions through the âOld Ironsidesâ Pennies Campaign, modeled after the original Penny Campaign of the 1920s when school children across America donated pennies to the restoration of USS Constitution.
MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF ROCHESTER
ROCHESTERMILITARY.COM
