Ace of Spades HQ

August 19, 2012

Old Ironsides Sails Again
— Dave in Texas

First time since her 200th birthday, in 1997.

The USS Constitution, named by President George Washington in 1797 is the US Navy's oldest commissioned vessel. Her first actions against the enemy were during the First Barbary War, but she distinguished herself even further during the War of 1812, when she defeated five British warships.

Her nickname is "Old Ironsides" but she doesn't have sides of iron, her two foot thick wooden hull withstood blasts from HMS Guerriere in her first engagement in the War of 1812. In that fight an American sailor supposedly exclaimed as Guerriere's shots bounced off her hull "Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!"

In subsequent engagements during the war she defeated four more British warships, Java, Pictou, Cyane and Levant.

She is now a floating museum, berthed in Boston. I've visited it many times and it's always a treat. If you're ever around there, I recommend you take the time.

Today she sets sail for a short voyage.

Can't wait to see it.

623px-US_Navy_101021-N-7642M-317_USS_Constitution_returns_to_her_pier_after_an_underway_to_celebrate_her_213th_launching_day_anniversary (440x424).jpg

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 10:21 AM | Comments (202)
Post contains 176 words, total size 2 kb.

1 Awesome. I believe she has to sail as a technicality of her commission.

Posted by: CSI Chris at August 19, 2012 10:25 AM (A8eFV)

2 A great ship.

Posted by: Velvet Ambition at August 19, 2012 10:25 AM (mFxQX)

3 Beautiful picture of a proud warship. That big period correct flag is even more beautiful.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 19, 2012 10:27 AM (STjp1)

4 This post is like, a racial dog whistle and stuff.

Posted by: Toure at August 19, 2012 10:30 AM (zMouK)

5 I like pie.

Posted by: Joe Biden at August 19, 2012 10:30 AM (zMouK)

"Her first actions against the enemy were during the First Barbary War,"

where he/she sailed to oppress brown people resisting the American hegemon. /liberal

Posted by: Jay Guevara at August 19, 2012 10:31 AM (oX7vY)

Beautiful ship.

I think the Navy should go back to uniforms from that period. CDR M would look great in a bicorne cap.

Posted by: Alex at August 19, 2012 10:31 AM (Qxj3Y)

8 Is Harvard Law School in range of her guns?

Posted by: against all enemies foreign and domestic at August 19, 2012 10:32 AM (8hBZi)

9 8 Is Harvard Law School in range of her guns?

HAHAHA

Posted by: kelley in virginia at August 19, 2012 10:35 AM (p3a8+)

10 For the liberal pansies out there, note the word. Warship. Not a museum, not a quaint snapshot of nautical memory. The mailed fist of American might. A gen-u-ine 19th century can of whoopass.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at August 19, 2012 10:36 AM (Rhie+)

I think I was 14 the last time I saw The USS Constitution.

One of the only good reasons to visit that god awful city.

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 10:39 AM (w5hzg)

12 I love that boat. It's a pity her voyage will consist of only ten minutes under sail...with tugs standing by.

Also, I believe the HMS Victory is still under commission, is it not? Flag admiral and everything? I know it's permanently dry-docked, but that ship has even more history in it's oaken hull than even the Constitution.

As an aside, while the ship was transporting the body of Admiral Nelson back to England, following his death at Trafalgar, guards were placed round the clock on his body....preserved in a cask of wine spirits...to keep the crew from tapping that keg, and getting drunk.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at August 19, 2012 10:39 AM (L7hol)

13 They ought to sail it San Francisco where there would be greater availability to rum, sodomy, and the lash.

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 19, 2012 10:39 AM (XUKZU)

14 three times as old as Pelosi and Hillary and still sexier. Probably fewer bugs, too.

Posted by: mallfly at August 19, 2012 10:39 AM (bJm7W)

15 This is just a distraction from Romney's tax returns.

Posted by: Choom 4 Obama at August 19, 2012 10:40 AM (Qxdfp)

16 13 They ought to sail it San Francisco where there would be greater availability to rum, sodomy, and the lash.

Nah, go up the east side of the Hudson and stop by W 8th Street

Posted by: mallfly at August 19, 2012 10:41 AM (bJm7W)

17 Probably in better shape now than when it was firing in anger *IF* the restorations were done correctly and more than just cosmetic. I can't imagine why they'd be afraid to sail it like a viking.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 19, 2012 10:41 AM (r4Gmb)

18 I have to wonder if Obama and Biden think DD-933 USS Barry was named for The Won?

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 19, 2012 10:42 AM (STjp1)

19 Pretty soon the whole navy will back to sails

Posted by: Beto at August 19, 2012 10:43 AM (BAnPT)

>>I can't imagine why they'd be afraid to sail it like a viking.

They should take it out to harpoon a whale at least twice a year!

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 10:43 AM (w5hzg)

Very cool.

I grew up around boats as that was the family business and I've always had a special place in my heart for anything maritime.

I would love to see a tall ship under sail. I'd love to be ABOARD one while under sail but I doubt that's gonna happen.

Posted by: ErikW at August 19, 2012 10:43 AM (xJEQg)

22 Beto, a Green navy fights under sail?

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 19, 2012 10:43 AM (STjp1)

23 Aye, as an expert worker of wood, She's an exemplary example of American craftsmanship. But of course, we didn't build that...someone else did.

Posted by: My Ass Burns...stick it out the window and cool it off at August 19, 2012 10:43 AM (t2z5E)

24 I saw her in Boston back in 2008. I love her still

Posted by: LC Aggie Sith at August 19, 2012 10:44 AM (+bSoE)

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at August 19, 2012 02:39 PM (L7hol)

---

The days of wooden ships and iron men. Admiral Lord Nelson gave an arm, and eye, and finally his life to defeat the tyranny that was Napoleon Bonapart.

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 19, 2012 10:44 AM (XUKZU)

That's a sweet sub.

How deep can it dive?

Posted by: Joe Biden at August 19, 2012 10:44 AM (w5hzg)

27 Her first actions against the enemy were during the First Barbary War Did it end?

Posted by: t-bird at August 19, 2012 10:44 AM (FcR7P)

28 Sails are very green, eco-friendly, and need a lot of people to manage/maintain them. JOBS!

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 19, 2012 10:44 AM (r4Gmb)

29 This is great news.

Posted by: Raymond Burr at August 19, 2012 10:46 AM (jucos)

They should take it out toharpoon a whale at least twice a year!

No. Sail it to the horn of Africa shell pirate havens.

Posted by: Alex at August 19, 2012 10:46 AM (Qxj3Y)

31 Obama is trying to give it to the British.

Posted by: Isophorone at August 19, 2012 10:46 AM (7HTKr)

Someone needs to restrain Helen Thomas so she doesn't swim out to meet the ship again, like after the War of 1812.

Posted by: Jay Guevara at August 19, 2012 10:47 AM (oX7vY)

33 I think we're up to about the 27th episode in the Barbary war saga. Shit's got way more legs than Twilight.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 19, 2012 10:47 AM (r4Gmb)

HIGH. SPEED. SAIL.

Posted by: Jay Guevara at August 19, 2012 10:48 AM (oX7vY)

35 Obama's opinion as to the Revolutionary War: Too bad both sides couldn't lose.

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 19, 2012 10:48 AM (XUKZU)

>>No. Sail it to the horn of Africashell pirate havens.

This. + Whale Wars + Shark Week = Ratings

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 10:48 AM (w5hzg)

37 This kind of thing always makes me tear up.

Posted by: Elizabethe from elsewhere at August 19, 2012 10:49 AM (988RT)

38 her two foot thick wooden hull withstood blasts from HMS Guerriere French for 'warrior'. I'm not sure what they were expecting.

Posted by: t-bird at August 19, 2012 10:50 AM (FcR7P)

39 A half dozen like her could put an end to the Somali pirate thing pretty damn quick...even if only armed with smooth bore muzzle loaders and black powder.

Give the fuckers taste of the grape and they'll reconsider their career choices rather quickly.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 19, 2012 10:50 AM (r4Gmb)

40 Lord she's a beautiful lady.....

Hats off Constitution, you serve the nation well.

Posted by: sven10077 at August 19, 2012 10:50 AM (LRFds)

41 That picture makes me smile. Thanks Dave. I love the history of our early Navy and regret the one time I visited Boston I didn't have time to get to see the ship. Someday, I'll get back up there and will make time to visit. Awesome.

Posted by: Yip in Texas at August 19, 2012 10:50 AM (Mrdk1)

42 6 JG,

Yeah her first job was kicking the hell out of Jihadists waging war on commerce and progress....

"what's changed?" asks the Captain.

Posted by: sven10077 at August 19, 2012 10:52 AM (LRFds)

43 Also interesting is the USS Olympia in Philly. Commissioned prior to the Spanish-American war and is the oldest American steel warship around. Sadly, as a museum ship, funds are low and it is falling apart.

Posted by: Dr. Varno at August 19, 2012 10:52 AM (znuAu)

44 They should arm it with rail-guns.

Posted by: Ostral B Heretic at August 19, 2012 10:54 AM (6uY89)

45 USS Olympia - http://hnsa.org/ships/olympia.htm

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 19, 2012 10:55 AM (STjp1)

46 They should arm it with a ballista ~~rail-guns.~~

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 10:57 AM (w5hzg)

47 With the way the Dems want to slash defense spending, this ship will be the flagship of our navy in a couple of years.

Posted by: MrCaniac at August 19, 2012 10:58 AM (1grxW)

48
#25

The days of wooden ships and iron men. Admiral Lord Nelson gave an arm, and eye, and finally his life to defeat the tyranny that was Napoleon Bonapart.

He certainly did. Many of our national heroes were cut from the same cloth. The man was proud, determined til his very last breath, to defend, and fight for his country. Even while dying from a well placed musket-ball, he refused to allow anyone to remove him from the quarter-deck. He continued to issue orders until blood loss rendered him unconscious. In that day and age, he was a goner, and he knew it. His last orders, I believe, were countermanded by Collingwood, and he didn't live to see the victory he wrought by breaking the combined French-Spanish line.

Hard to believe, isn't it, that at one time, England was the stalwart of western values? IMO, they should soak the Victory in kerosene, and strike a match.

The Constitution, in Obama's America, is not far behind.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at August 19, 2012 10:58 AM (L7hol)

Hats off Constitution, you serve the nation well.

---

That's hate speech! The constitution just tries to prevent the government from imposing social justice by taking money away from the guys that didn't build that and giving it to the guys who did build that or would have except they got high.

Posted by: Barack Obama at August 19, 2012 10:58 AM (XUKZU)

50 48 SW,

Barack Obama is about to make Silky Pony's lamentations come true.

Posted by: sven10077 at August 19, 2012 11:01 AM (LRFds)

51 49 BO,

Don't worry champ I know you usually ignore the boat like the parchment...

carry on my Kenyan son...

Posted by: sven10077 at August 19, 2012 11:02 AM (LRFds)

52 Is Harvard Law School in range of her guns?

It's worth a test fire.

Posted by: fluffy at August 19, 2012 11:02 AM (z9HTb)

53 Posted by: Barack Obama at August 19, 2012 02:58 PM (XUKZU)

Finally!

Someone around here with enough sense to understand that the era of the rugged individualist is over. The world is too complex to navigate it alone, and a more active government is the natural progression from the savage to the highly developed society that we all desire.

[Although, it is a bit disrespectful to use President Obama's name that way. You should be more deferential.]

Posted by: Linus and Peppermint Patty's first blowjob at August 19, 2012 11:02 AM (2b4yb)

to the highly developed society that we all desire.

Yes, soon we can all live in Detroit.

Posted by: Jay Guevara at August 19, 2012 11:03 AM (oX7vY)

55 What kinda radar signature would the Constitution generate?

Posted by: Count de Monet at August 19, 2012 11:05 AM (BAS5M)

56 31 Obama is trying to give it to the British.

She already gave it to them more than once.

Posted by: Beto at August 19, 2012 11:05 AM (BAnPT)

57 But when does it sail out to fight the aliens?

Posted by: richard mcenroe at August 19, 2012 11:06 AM (qvify)

But when does it sail out to fight the aliens?

Salty Dogs and Aliens

This is genius!

Posted by: Jon Favreau's Taint at August 19, 2012 11:08 AM (w5hzg)

59 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2175927/

Battleship Iowa heading off to retirement kicks alien invader ass.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 19, 2012 11:10 AM (r4Gmb)

60 #3 You're lucky they didn't keep adding stripes for every state, Anna. Think of how silly your flag would look with 57 stripes!
;^)

Posted by: andycanuck at August 19, 2012 11:10 AM (vDl/w)

61 Given how often she's been rebuilt, Constitution probably could sail under more than jib, staysail and fighting topsails. During one of the last major rebuilds, her diagonal scantlings were reinstalled. These are diagonal hull stiffeners like rifling in a gun barrel that kept the hull from sagging or hogging. She and her sister ships were built a half step between traditional frigates and low end ships of the line. Actually, they were like razee frigates, (which were cut down from line ships). The US couldn't afford to arm, man and provision line ships so created big and extremely stout frigates instead. They were built of superior wood, to a superior design, were crewed in part by paid-off Brit sailors and deserters who would hang if they lost, and had as their Marines frontier Scots-Irish who were proud that their long rifles could take the head off a squirrel while leaving the body intact. As commerce raiders, they were a failure, but they did allow a lot of privateers to run wild while the British navy was preoccupied with them.

"The Six Frigates" is a good history of how they came into being. O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin series of 21 or 22 books forms a 5000 page story arc of the life of a Brit officer in Napoleonic times. It is an excellent series - in some ways like a mash-up of Jane Austen and C. S. Forrester. Has a short account of Aubrey's misfortune to be on Java when she met Constitution, too.

ps - was pleased to see Constitution yesterday while at an engagement party within walking distance of her dock.

Posted by: chuckR at August 19, 2012 11:11 AM (UGxsK)

62 I'm wondering if the guy who can't pronounce "corpsman" correctly could tell what the USS Constitution is?

Posted by: buzzword at August 19, 2012 11:12 AM (D2pq8)

63 As an aside, while the ship was transporting the body of Admiral Nelson back to England, following his death at Trafalgar, guards were placed round the clock on his body....preserved in a cask of wine spirits...to keep the crew from tapping that keg, and getting drunk.

The cask was rum and tap it they did. Hence the nickname for rum: Nelson's blood.

Posted by: John P. Squibob at August 19, 2012 11:13 AM (kqqGm)

64 Who are the sailors? Real Navy or civilians w/ appropriate skills?

Posted by: Popcorn at August 19, 2012 11:13 AM (OOehk)

65 Nelson was in the Victory off the coast of North Africa when Constitution's squadron came in sight. He was impressed and could see "in the handling of those trans-Atlantic ships a nucleus of trouble for the navy of Great Britain."

http://tinyurl.com/8of8mj9

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:14 AM (0Db2g)

Salty Dogs and Aliens
This is genius!

*squirt*

Posted by: Baen Publishing at August 19, 2012 11:14 AM (Qxj3Y)

67 When I was around 10 my dad brought home a model kit of old ironsides. I remember sitting at the kitchen table putting it together, painting, dad did the rigging. It was a beauty when we finished it. Unfortunately it did'nt make it in the move back to the states.

Posted by: Bosk at August 19, 2012 11:14 AM (kEIyO)

68 I think the Navy should go back to uniforms from that period.

I'll bet you racists want to go back to period-correct slavery too!

Posted by: Bill Maher at August 19, 2012 11:15 AM (rPA5/)

69 But we had slaaaaveeessss and stuff back then!

Posted by: Al Sharpton at August 19, 2012 11:15 AM (/YJYi)

What kinda radar signature would the Constitution generate?

Posted by: Count de Monet at August 19, 2012 03:05 PM (BAS5M)

Interesting question. I don't know the reflective properties of oak or sail cloth but I'd guess that it provides a fairly large return, just due to the size of it.

I don't know whether or not it uses radar reflectors. I'm guessing not.

Posted by: ErikW at August 19, 2012 11:15 AM (xJEQg)

71 Bosk, 67 -

The Revell kit?

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:15 AM (0Db2g)

72 Obama didn't attempt to sink her like he has the actual constitution did he?

Posted by: buzzion at August 19, 2012 11:16 AM (GULKT)

73 So we touching this Akin thing or what?

Posted by: CSI Chris at August 19, 2012 11:17 AM (A8eFV)

Popcorn,

Real sailors.

Posted by: Baen Publishing at August 19, 2012 11:17 AM (Qxj3Y)

75 Don't remember. It was huge though, 2 feet long? This had to be about 1970-71.

Posted by: Bosk at August 19, 2012 11:18 AM (kEIyO)

76 Yes, chuckR, they were very well built and designed and with a great weight of broadsides because of the use of carronades. I recall Wiki has a good write-up about it/them.

Posted by: andycanuck at August 19, 2012 11:18 AM (vDl/w)

77 Who are the sailors? Real Navy or civilians w/ appropriate skills?

Real Navy.

Posted by: fluffy at August 19, 2012 11:18 AM (z9HTb)

>>The cask was rum and tap it they did.

There's a limey / sailor / bunghole joke in there.

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 11:19 AM (w5hzg)

Off, damn sock.

Posted by: Alex at August 19, 2012 11:19 AM (Qxj3Y)

80 Dad was in the Navy, we were stationed on Adak. It was a winter project :-)

Posted by: Bosk at August 19, 2012 11:19 AM (kEIyO)

81 Actually Baen has kinda tackled this idea. Sea power vs aliens.

One of the Posleen stories with Daisy Mae, USS Des Moines with an alien AI aboard, fights off the Posleen invasion of Panama.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 19, 2012 11:19 AM (STjp1)

82 Bosk, Sounds like the one I had.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:20 AM (0Db2g)

83 Tried to get down to see her one night. Wound up in the Combat Zone somehow. Saved by a passng cabbie.

Posted by: USS Diversity at August 19, 2012 11:20 AM (2d71t)

84 Beautiful ship. I would love to see it first hand.

Posted by: Bosk at August 19, 2012 11:21 AM (kEIyO)

85 What kinda radar signature would the Constitution generate? Just a bunch of ghost images from the brass balls of the men who used to sail that thing without instruments or communications.

Posted by: t-bird at August 19, 2012 11:21 AM (FcR7P)

86 Question: Are those flags indicative of countries she's sailed to, or just random decorations?

Posted by: LIGuy at August 19, 2012 11:21 AM (+usC4)

Tried to get down to see her one night. Wound up in the Combat Zone somehow. Saved by a passng cabbie.

---

Was there a pussy riot?

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 19, 2012 11:22 AM (XUKZU)

88 Andycanuck, yes 50 stripes plus 7 ghost stripes would be a bit overkill.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 19, 2012 11:22 AM (STjp1)

89 Was just there last month and did not make it down there. Had to Play hooky from the conference just to make it to Cheers, Fenway, and walk the Freedom Trail. Really Garrett you hate Boston? Obviously different than the mountain west and it was good to get home... But it was good to for me to see the Revolution landmarks. It reminds me why we fight so hard to preserve our country.

Posted by: small town girl at August 19, 2012 11:23 AM (ddb4x)

90 One word: TERMITES.

Posted by: Toldyasso at August 19, 2012 11:23 AM (IoNBC)

91 US Navy signal flags.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:24 AM (0Db2g)

92 Question: Are those flags indicative of countries she's sailed to, or just random decorations?

Those are signal flags. I bet some old salts on this Smart Mil Blog can read them.

Posted by: fluffy at August 19, 2012 11:24 AM (z9HTb)

93 First night I was in Boston (actually Brookline) I went on a walkabout to see what there was to see...and wound up wandering around Roxbury by accident.

God must love idiots, because I escaped alive.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 19, 2012 11:25 AM (r4Gmb)

94 @12 Sticky Wicket:

Correct. The HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned warship in the world. The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat, though.

Posted by: Dave at August 19, 2012 11:25 AM (DAe1T)

95 Those are Tibetan Prayer Flags.

Posted by: Joe Biden at August 19, 2012 11:26 AM (w5hzg)

96 One word: TERMITES.

Two words - RESIN IMPREGNATION

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 19, 2012 11:26 AM (r4Gmb)

97 LIGuy: Have at it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_flags

Posted by: fluffy at August 19, 2012 11:27 AM (z9HTb)

Those are signal flags. I bet some old salts on this Smart Mil Blog can read them.

---

Nelson's signal flags before Trafalgar read, "England expects every man to do his duty." Given that Obama is now commander in chief, I imagine these signal flags read, "Obama expects that every man will bend over and present booty."

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 19, 2012 11:27 AM (XUKZU)

99 I bet some old salts on this Smart Mil Blog can read them.
Obama expects every man to do his booty.

Posted by: andycanuck at August 19, 2012 11:27 AM (vDl/w)

100 US Navy signal flags. It better not say, "You Didn't Build That!"

Posted by: t-bird at August 19, 2012 11:28 AM (FcR7P)

101 Oh, no! Walrus Rex and I are channelling each other!

Posted by: andycanuck at August 19, 2012 11:28 AM (vDl/w)

102 Actually her (yes, her) hull below the waterline would have been sheathed with copper plates above a layer of pitch to protect from wood-boring critters.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:29 AM (0Db2g)

103 First time I saw her I was surprised by how low the ceilings were down below. Then I saw that the bunks were probably no more than 5'6" long. The guide explained that people were a lot shorter,on average, then than they were now. It impressed my Grade School self.

Posted by: Truck Monkey at August 19, 2012 11:29 AM (jucos)

104

Posted by: andycanuck at August 19, 2012 03:27 PM (vDl/w)

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 19, 2012 03:27 PM (XUKZU)

Impressive.

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 11:29 AM (w5hzg)

105 My goal for the day is to work "Huzzah!" into my conversations.

Posted by: Max Entropy at August 19, 2012 11:30 AM (AgqNF)

106

Oh, no! Walrus Rex and I are channelling each other!

---

Barney Frank too!

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 19, 2012 11:30 AM (XUKZU)

107 Dad was in the Navy, we were stationed on Adak. It was a winter project :-) Posted by: Bosk at August 19, 2012 03:19 PM (kEIyO) So you remember Adak National Forest, yes?

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at August 19, 2012 11:30 AM (Rhie+)

108 So you remember Adak National Forest, yes?

What is that, 'the tree'?

Posted by: fluffy at August 19, 2012 11:32 AM (z9HTb)

109 The USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides", as a Revolutionary War combat vessel carried 48,600 gallons of fresh water for her crew of 475 officers and men. This was sufficient to last for six months of sustained operations at sea. She carried no evaporators (fresh water distillers). According to her log, "On July 27, 1798, the USS Constitution sailed from Boston with a full complement of 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of fresh water, 7,499 cannon shot, 11,600 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum. He mission: "To destroy and harass English shipping." Making Jamaica on 6 October, she took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300 gallons of rum. She then headed for the Azores, arriving there on 12 November. There, she took on 550 pounds of beef and 64,300 gallons of Portuguese wine. On 18 December, she set sail for England. In the ensuing days she defeated five British men-of-war ships and captured and scuttled 12 English merchant vessels, salvaging only the rum aboard each. By 26 January, her powder and shot were exhausted. Nevertheless, though unarmed, she made a night raid up the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Her landing party captured a whiskey distillery and transferred 40,000 gallons of single malt scotch aboard by dawn. Then, Old Ironsides headed home. The USS Constitution arrived in Boston on 20 February 1799, 7 months after she left. On landing, she was found to have no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum, no wine, no whiskey.......and 38,600 gallons of stagnant water. GO NAVY!!!!!!!!

Posted by: jrcobbstr at August 19, 2012 11:32 AM (/Nbow)

110 Barney Frank too!
Get me John Edwards on the phone. I think I've got a case.

Posted by: andycanuck at August 19, 2012 11:32 AM (vDl/w)

111 Thanks. I wrongly assumed they were national flags because I saw the blue flag with the white cross, and thought it was the Scottish flag.

Posted by: LIGuy at August 19, 2012 11:33 AM (+usC4)

112 You better hope the 'case' is treatable....

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 19, 2012 11:33 AM (STjp1)

113 The USS Constitution arrived in Boston on 20 February 1799, 7 months after she left. On landing, she was found to have no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum, no wine, no whiskey.......and 38,600 gallons of stagnant water.
GO NAVY!!!!!!!!

Gives 'Dry Land' a whole new meaning.

Posted by: fluffy at August 19, 2012 11:35 AM (z9HTb)

114 Don't know about the Pictou, but we named a few US ships Cyane and Levant. Naming your ships for enemy vessels you defeated and retaining the names of ones you captured was fairly common in the early 19th century. It didn't extend past that, though. No US post-World War II carriers named Akagi, for example...

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:36 AM (0Db2g)

115 And the dog cemetary. Yes. Neat place to be when you're 10.

Posted by: Bosk at August 19, 2012 11:36 AM (kEIyO)

116 Not the cemetary. The island. :-)

Posted by: Bosk at August 19, 2012 11:37 AM (kEIyO)

117

By 26 January, her powder and shot were exhausted. Nevertheless, though unarmed, she made a night raid up the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Her landing party captured a whiskey distillery and transferred 40,000 gallons of single malt scotch aboard by dawn. Then, Old Ironsides headed home.

Pure embodiment of ZombieLand Rule #32. Enjoy the little things

Posted by: Count de Monet at August 19, 2012 11:38 AM (BAS5M)

118 I know this is O/T but did you guys know that I rode Harleys?

Posted by: Liz Warren at August 19, 2012 11:41 AM (/YJYi)

119 http://tinyurl.com/chdvtzh

Posted by: Liz Warren at August 19, 2012 11:41 AM (/YJYi)

120
# 63

Thanks...memory is imperfect, and Nelson's body wasn't the first transported home preserved in alcohol...nor the first funereal keg tapped by it's thirsty crew. Rum makes sense...the fleet had recently been provisioned, and they would have had rum in abundance.

I believe this is where the naval tradition of placing an 'honor guard' on the fallen stems from.

Lastly, anyone interested in that period of naval history, please do pick up the series of novels penned by Patrick O'Brian. The movie, "Master and Commander", is not a bad snapshot of the series...but they ham it up a little too much. It's still worth watching just for the taste of Boccherini they offer up at the end.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at August 19, 2012 11:42 AM (L7hol)

121 It was/is bad luck to rename a ship.

Posted by: andycanuck at August 19, 2012 11:43 AM (vDl/w)

122 Missing that Cold War vibe? Book a trip to San Diego where they have open for tours an ex-Soviet Foxtrot class diesel-electric boat.

http://hnsa.org/ships/b39.htm

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 19, 2012 11:44 AM (STjp1)

123 @109.... bwahahaa... Go Navy indeed!

Posted by: Yip in Texas at August 19, 2012 11:46 AM (Mrdk1)

124 121, andycanuck, yup, that too.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:47 AM (0Db2g)

125 #108

I'd check the dates on that log, War of 1812 and all that. The Quasi War with France fits the time period.

Posted by: mrp at August 19, 2012 11:49 AM (HjPtV)

126 Post #109, that is.

Posted by: mrp at August 19, 2012 11:50 AM (HjPtV)

127 There's a no-no going into the 6th in kc right now

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 11:50 AM (w5hzg)

128 We're still fighting the same crap-headed enemy - only now, even our brave men and women have been forced to be so frakkin' PC about it.

What a beautiful and honorable ship she is.

Posted by: Redwine - one glorious glass at a time at August 19, 2012 11:51 AM (aTGJ1)

129 whoops, that's the 7th, now.

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 11:51 AM (w5hzg)

130 How fitting - the Constitution beginning to stir, and feel brave enough to come out on its own. Coincidence?

/preference cascade

Posted by: hannitys_hybrid at August 19, 2012 11:53 AM (MmH0Z)

131

Lastly, anyone interested in that period of naval history, please do pick up the series of novels penned by Patrick O'Brian

---

Also interesting is the biography of Thomas Cochrane, british naval heor of the era and, allegedly, the inspiration for both Horatio Hornbloswer and Jack Aubrey. Cochrame was a big hero back in the day but his reputation was besmirched by a stock market fraud thyt he may have actually been inncoent of. I read a biography of him about ten years ago that was fascinating but I no longer remeber the name of the book. His life, like nelson's, was filled with derring do.

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 19, 2012 11:53 AM (XUKZU)

132 "Interesting question. I don't know the reflective properties of oak or sail cloth but I'd guess that it provides a fairly large return, just due to the size of it."

The main battery of 24 pounders + carronades might bounce back a wave or two. Not to mention anchors and anchor chains

Posted by: mrp at August 19, 2012 11:53 AM (HjPtV)

133
102 Actually her (yes, her) hull below the waterline would have been sheathed with copper plates above a layer of pitch to protect from wood-boring critters.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 03:29 PM (0Db2g)

Teredo worms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship-worm

Posted by: Ed Anger at August 19, 2012 11:54 AM (tOkJB)

134 If Harvard is within 1,200 yards of her berth, then theoretically, yes, a 24-pounder broadside could reach. Just.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:54 AM (0Db2g)

135 Posted by: jrcobbstr at August 19, 2012 03:32 PM (/Nbow)

I love the story, but those dates seem...off. What's the source?

Posted by: Militant Bibliophile at August 19, 2012 11:55 AM (51I4Q)

136 Ed, thanks. Incipient senility. It's a friggen miracle if I can remember what I had for breakfast this morning.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:55 AM (0Db2g)

137 I, for one, welcome our navy's return to wind power.

Posted by: Joe Biden at August 19, 2012 11:55 AM (IoNBC)

138 The log book dates. An Academy guy sent it so you know it is partisan, and been drinking.

Posted by: jrcobbstr at August 19, 2012 11:56 AM (/Nbow)

139 ...and bye-bye no hitter.

Posted by: garrett at August 19, 2012 11:56 AM (w5hzg)

140 If memory serves, Paul Revere's factory provided the first American-made copper sheathing for ship hulls.

Posted by: mrp at August 19, 2012 11:57 AM (HjPtV)

141 Some Moonbat moved in behind the ship and wanted the canon to stop as it was too loud. They are mental cases.

Posted by: madamex at August 19, 2012 11:57 AM (wTSvK)

142 Many people in DCO ( Direct Commissioned Officer) School in Newport RI go to Boston on their liberty weekend to visit The USS Constitution. Me I slept in that weekend and went out to eat and drink in Newport.

Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 19, 2012 11:58 AM (05RcU)

143 The Constitution and it's sister ships were built as a new, innovative class, and I must say, very American concept, the Heavy Frigate. Laid up like a Ship of the Line, she was able to out fight European 44s, yet because she was still a frigate, she was also able to out sail and escape from a true SotL like a British 72. At one point, the British Admiralty issued orders forbidding British frigates from engaging the Americans in single-ship combat.

Posted by: toby928© at August 19, 2012 11:58 AM (QupBk)

144 Walrus, there's a whole bunch of biographies. He certainly helped Chile in its war of independence from Spain. Britons and Irishmen crewed most of those ships. Argentina also. In fact the navy song of Argentina is "St. Patrick's Day in the Morning."

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 19, 2012 11:58 AM (0Db2g)

145

The main battery of 24 pounders + carronades might bounce back a wave or two. Not to mention anchors and anchor chains

Posted by: mrp at August 19, 2012 03:53 PM (HjPtV)

Yeah, that too.

That's what you get from a civvy who grew up around boats that don't have big guns on them!

Posted by: ErikW at August 19, 2012 11:59 AM (xJEQg)

146 There was a quote in the story about the 1812 battle:

"Strategically, it really did nothing to change the course of the war," he said. "But the morale boost that that provided for the American cause, I think was quite important."

This is always the way it is with America. Think about the Revolution. Lots of losses but huge morale boosts at just the right time.

Sometimes I think maybe the election of Mittens might fall into this category, historically.

Posted by: hannitys_hybrid at August 19, 2012 12:00 PM (MmH0Z)

147 Also interesting is the biography of Thomas Cochrane, british naval heor of the era and, allegedly, the inspiration for both Horatio Hornbloswer and Jack Aubrey.

I believe the inspiration for Horatio Hornblower was the real life Sir Edward Pellew. In the "Hornblower" series, his mentor is Sir Edward Pellew.

Posted by: fluffy at August 19, 2012 12:01 PM (z9HTb)

148 Another interesting note, the first time the Constitution was rebuilt, the unusual diagonal stringers present were removed and not replace because no one knew why they were there in the first place. While they were absent, the ship suffered severe "hogging", that is, the bow and stern dropped down relative to the did section of the keel since they had less buoyancy, and the last rebuild included putting the stringers back in place. It turns out that original architects knew what they were doing.

Posted by: toby928© at August 19, 2012 12:02 PM (QupBk)

149 No doubt this voyage is a yachting weekend for dear leader and the wookie

Posted by: billypaintbrush at August 19, 2012 12:03 PM (WqcDi)

150 mid section

Posted by: toby928© at August 19, 2012 12:03 PM (QupBk)

151 Today she sets sail for a short voyage.

A three hour tour.
A three hour tour.

Posted by: model_1066 at August 19, 2012 12:09 PM (yYKoR)

152

It turns out that original architects knew what they were doing.

Posted by: toby928Â© at August 19, 2012 04:02 PM (QupBk)

Shipbuilding back in the day was not a form of precision engineering. There was a lot of tweaking and patchwork going on here and there.

I'm no engineer myself but if I saw the stringers in place, I probably would have left them there figuring that they were there for a good reason.

Posted by: ErikW at August 19, 2012 12:09 PM (xJEQg)

153 There were more people in attendance at the Constitution's launching ceremony than at Ryan's speech at The Villages.

Posted by: toldyaso at August 19, 2012 12:13 PM (tOkJB)

154 I'm no engineer myself but if I saw the stringers in place, I probably would have left them there figuring that they were there for a good reason. Posted by: ErikW at August 19, 2012 04:09 PM (xJEQg) "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Words to live by

Posted by: Nevergiveup at August 19, 2012 12:14 PM (05RcU)

155 154 There were more people in attendance at the Constitution's launching ceremony than at Ryan's speech at The Villages.

Posted by: toldyaso at August 19, 2012 04:13 PM (tOkJB)

Wow, am I humbled! Tell me more!

Posted by: model_1066 at August 19, 2012 12:15 PM (yYKoR)

156 Thuh Vill-uh-jizz! *hic*

Posted by: Drunk Uncle Joe at August 19, 2012 12:16 PM (xJEQg)

157

the London Times, which stated, Â“It is not merely that an English frigate has been taken, after, what we are free to confess, may be called a brave resistance, but that it has been taken by a new enemy, and enemy unaccustomed to such triumphs, and likely to be rendered insolent and confident by them. Â…how important this triumph is in giving a tone and character to the war. Never before in the history of the world did an English frigate strike to an American.Â”.

Posted by: raw at August 19, 2012 12:16 PM (h6XiD)

158 There were more people in attendance at the Constitution's launching ceremony than at Ryan's speech at The Villages. Not a good sign because I believe "The Villages" is one of the largest cities in the nation.

Posted by: t-bird at August 19, 2012 12:17 PM (FcR7P)

159 There were fewer protesters at The Villages than cocks Average Joe has sucked this week. The more you know ... ♫

Posted by: toby928© at August 19, 2012 12:17 PM (QupBk)

160 Were there 'village people' there?

Posted by: model_1066 at August 19, 2012 12:17 PM (yYKoR)

161 Re: signal flags: would the message necessarily make sense? I'm getting little scraps like "Z9R5J" and "S14" at the end. Also, I wonder why the color green is not used in any signal flag?

Posted by: t-bird at August 19, 2012 12:19 PM (FcR7P)

162 .. ♫ Here on average joe's isle.. ♫

Posted by: model_1066 at August 19, 2012 12:20 PM (yYKoR)

163 They are on 'Christopher St.' Sheesh model_1066!

Posted by: sickinmass at August 19, 2012 12:21 PM (bcNec)

164 164 They are on 'Christopher St.' Sheesh model_1066!

Posted by: sickinmass at August 19, 2012 04:21 PM (bcNec)

\scuzzimiente!

Posted by: model_1066 at August 19, 2012 12:22 PM (yYKoR)

165 Joshua Humphreys, ships architect of the Constitution, was a peacable Quaker.... The guys who had the diagonals removed were probably the engineers of the day and figured they knew better.
Some of the unsung heroes in creating these ships were the men who went into the hellhole Georgia swamps to get naturally L-shaped live oak for hanging knees - a critical part of wooden ships - plus more for other parts. Their reward was incessant torment by mosquitoes and malaria, plus other diseases. (Live oak is about twice as dense as most pines and very rot resistant. And strong too.)

Posted by: chuckR at August 19, 2012 12:23 PM (UGxsK)

166
149 Another interesting note, the first time the Constitution was rebuilt, the unusual diagonal stringers present were removed and not replace because no one knew why they were there in the first place.

Dumbasses.

The diagonals weren't "stringers" -- they were braces between the stringers forming triangles, the strongest geometric figure.

And before anyone goes Buckminster Fuller on me, imagine pushing down on a point of a rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon or any other geometric construct. They simply squash out. Do the same with a triangle? You have a compression load equally distributed as tension loads on the base leg.

There's a real reason for the diagonals on Dutch Doors.

Posted by: Ed Anger at August 19, 2012 12:32 PM (tOkJB)

167

Re: signal flags: would the message necessarily make sense? I'm getting little scraps like "Z9R5J" and "S14" at the end.

Also, I wonder why the color green is not used in any signal flag?

Posted by: t-bird at August 19, 2012 04:19 PM (FcR7P)

I don't have my trusty companion "Chapman Piloting" by my side but if I remember right, signal flags can be used simply for decoration.

And I have no idea why signal flags don't use green but I have noticed that signal flags use the primary colors plus black and white.

Posted by: ErikW at August 19, 2012 12:32 PM (xJEQg)

168 Besides the cost savings, by building the US warships as frigates, rather than 72 or 100 gun ships of the line, the Navy was able to have a complement of 200 to 400 fewer men per ship than the British capital ships required. It really was brilliant bit of thinking on the part of the early Americans.

Posted by: toby928© at August 19, 2012 12:34 PM (QupBk)

169 Posted by: Ed Anger at August 19, 2012 04:32 PM (tOkJB)

Geez, never seen anybody get so pissy over a fucking triangle.

Posted by: model_1066 at August 19, 2012 12:37 PM (yYKoR)

170 Re#61 and others..."Six Frigates" by Ian Toll is an excellent history of not just The USS Constitution and the early Navy, but of shipbuilding, and late 18th/early 19th century US politics. It's a great read. Would also recommend his newest book "Pacific Crucible" that recounts the first six months of WW2 in the Pacific.

Posted by: Whiskey_Joe at August 19, 2012 12:40 PM (uYXYP)

171 Is this the boat they made my Resolution Desk from?

Posted by: President Bonehead at August 19, 2012 12:40 PM (RuVpG)

172 I'm no engineer myself but if I saw the stringers in place, I probably would have left them there figuring that they were there for a good reason.

They must have been Democrats. They always think they know better than the people who did the original design...

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 19, 2012 12:41 PM (r4Gmb)

173 cross-buck doors.

Posted by: raw at August 19, 2012 12:42 PM (h6XiD)

174 Wow...an interesting discussion about the men and ships of ages past...and Toldyaso shows up to suck Obama's cock.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at August 19, 2012 12:44 PM (L7hol)

175 "Besides the cost savings, by building the US warships as frigates, rather than 72 or 100 gun ships of the line, the Navy was able to have a complement of 200 to 400 fewer men per ship than the British capital ships required."

True, but the liberals of the time equated a blue-water Navy as a threat to the nascent Republic. Even more so that their antagonism towards a standing Army. The need for capital ships became very apparrent during the Quasi War with France. The frames for the three Columbus-class third rates were assembled and stored after the state of hostilities ... uhhh ... diminsihed with France.

When Jefferson took office, one of the first things he did was to break up those frames and use them to build his effing gunboats - never mind that the firepower of one FRIGATE = 40 gunboats. When Madison and his fellow DEMOCRAT-Republicans took office and declared war on England, the US Navy was essentially a hollow shell.

Posted by: mrp at August 19, 2012 12:45 PM (HjPtV)

176 I guess the neighbours who moved in next to the Constitutions birth and then started to complain about the noise from it's daily firing of the cannons will be happy as well.

http://tinyurl.com/9bjtmon

Posted by: Billy Quizboy at August 19, 2012 12:49 PM (FEzSe)

177 177 -

Great great great grandfather clause. Any new tenant within earshot of USS Constitution is herein made aware that cannon be fired from harbored commissioned warship twice on the day.

Posted by: raw at August 19, 2012 01:00 PM (h6XiD)

178 @Billy Quizboy The people I know who own one of those condos don't complain. That is a commemoration of freedom and a welcome noise, just like the C130Js that overfly my house several times a week. Uppity flyguys never wave back to me though....

Posted by: chuckR at August 19, 2012 01:04 PM (UGxsK)

179

Wow...an interesting discussion about the men and ships of ages past...and Toldyaso shows up to suck Obama's cock.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at August 19, 2012 04:44 PM (L7hol)

I'm always up for discussion about old ships, especially the wooden ones!

I'm not the most knowledgable fellow but I do like to learn.

Posted by: ErikW at August 19, 2012 01:21 PM (xJEQg)

180 For my birthday this year my son gave me a flag he arranged to have flown over the Capitol, then the USS Constitution. It's one of my prized possessions.

Posted by: Dan Hill at August 19, 2012 01:36 PM (bKFhZ)

181 The poem that saved her:

http://tinyurl.com/8rr9lzr

It really was a different country then.

Posted by: comatus read a book with a Dagny in it at August 19, 2012 01:45 PM (qaVK+)

182 America had an almost unimaginable wealth of timber for it's early shipbuilding industry . It was a key factor in europes colonial desires . The town of Kingstree in S.C. is named for a pine that was used to build the finest masts and spars in the world , therefore the tree was decreed off limits to any except the crown . Prolly' had something to do with colonist attitudes toward royalty . Kings deer , Kingstree , yeah, fuck that shit .

Posted by: awkward davies at August 19, 2012 02:06 PM (Jp1VY)

183 You're welcome for our assistance/distraction saving you from being completely thrashed in both wars against Britain

Posted by: France and Spain at August 19, 2012 02:30 PM (H643i)

184 I understand Ray Mabus is going to rename her USS "Living Constitution"...

Posted by: A. at August 19, 2012 02:36 PM (f3EyY)

185 Hell , the brits should be the ones thanking France and Spain seein' as how a lot of their best ships started life in French and Spanish yards .

Posted by: awkward davies at August 19, 2012 02:37 PM (Jp1VY)

186 http://tinyurl.com/93w7adv Video of her sailing and firing her cannons off of Fort Independence at Castle Island in South Boston.

Posted by: BlueFalcon in Boston at August 19, 2012 02:55 PM (KCvsd)

187 Team America. Fuck yeah.

Posted by: Sarge6 at August 19, 2012 03:32 PM (cRBvZ)

188 Readers should be aware of the USS Constitutions more recent successes in the Drug War:
http://www.watleyreview.com/2004/122104-2.html

Posted by: Tom Weaver at August 19, 2012 03:55 PM (c4l/d)

189

There are a couple of ships besides the Constitution thaat are presevred/rebuilt. One is the Brig Niagra, one of Perry's fleet in the Battle of Lake Erie. It tours the Great Lakes every summer and is berthed at Erie, PA. You can tour it when it's there, or find it's touring schedule, and they have a very nice mueuem. If you want to sail as part of the crew or for day trips that's possible too.

http://tinyurl.com/9s33e97

Posted by: Deanna at August 19, 2012 04:16 PM (RdDxx)

190 Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

Posted by: steevy at August 19, 2012 04:25 PM (6o4Fb)

191 I've been on it. It's old and creaky. Lots of wood and rope. A Chinese copy will be spotted by our satellites any day now.

Posted by: eman at August 19, 2012 04:26 PM (u3Rkr)

192 176 Yep.

Posted by: steevy at August 19, 2012 04:26 PM (6o4Fb)

193 Hmmm. Getting a square rigger underway without yardarms. On the advice of NAVSEA no doubt.

Posted by: VADM (Red) Cuthbert Collingwood (Mentioned in Dispatches) at August 19, 2012 04:53 PM (p4U6S)

194

Thanks Dave for keeping us informed on all things military. In a related note, we buried one of Brazos County's finest yesterday.

The city of College Station, TX turned out for the funeral of Constable Brian Bachman.

http://tinyurl.com/9pzda8m

Posted by: Bro. Bill at August 19, 2012 05:31 PM (WHvmR)

195 Guerriere had her French name honestly- she'd been a French ship before being taken in action then put into British service.

The Brits did the same to the two "original six" frigates they captured- President and Chesapeake. They liked Humphrey's design so much they copied President when the captured original dry-rotted to death. I'm not normally a Wikipedia fan for technical details, but the Wiki articles on the original frigates and early naval warfare aren't bad.

I was beaten to it about the six frigates basically being sawed-off 74's that could pound the snot out of anything they couldn't outrun. Classic heavy cruiser philosophy, with the USS Salem preserved at the other end of Boston Harbor down in Quincy being the end of that family tree.

Anna, always good to run into a fellow Kratman and Ringo fan. Are you active on Baen's Bar or on either of their Facebook pages?

Posted by: SGT Dan's Cat at August 19, 2012 06:25 PM (WHCOZ)

196 Can you imagine having to serve on the USS. Barack H Obama? I think I'd throw myself overboard. Then again, If it was named the USS Barack H Obama it could probably heal its own damage from mines etc, The only ship they should eve name after him is a garbage scowl.

Posted by: Minnfidel at August 19, 2012 06:55 PM (tmbXy)

197 184You're welcome for our assistance/distraction saving you from being completely thrashed in both wars against Britain

Posted by: France and Spain at August 19, 2012 06:30 PM (H643i)...................................................Hmm I seem to remember a Spaninsh American war that didn't end well for you. How's socialism these days ?And oh BTW France, your welcome for bailing you out of WW1...WW2. And Vietnam. Of course we actually fought in those wars, while you assumed the fetal position and surrendered, as usual. Yea. here's a Venti of STFU.

Posted by: The United States Circa recent history at August 19, 2012 07:03 PM (tmbXy)

198 Saw her today with mine own eyes, paddled out in my gay little inflatable kayak from Squantum. The dear wife applied for the cruise lottery for the past few years so we were aboard her on the July 4 turnaround this year with some Blue Angel action and the great crew handed out fired signal shell casings to us as we departed.I don't know how the guy steering can see over the bowsprit in more than a segmented way.

Posted by: Buck O. Phive at August 19, 2012 07:30 PM (R2ShP)

199 And 166, one of the knees was rotten. Back to St Simons.

Posted by: Buck O. Phive at August 19, 2012 07:33 PM (R2ShP)

200 Sad to see her without her sticks crossed.

I watched the video of the last circumambulation around Boston Harbor, and the landlubbers "sailing" her got a staysail backed against the stays; they didn't even know the difference (but it's like putting your car in reverse without realizing it, and driving a parade route backwards).

Posted by: beverly at August 19, 2012 08:58 PM (qgyaA)

201 If you could just change the wording in the 4th paragraph from "I recommend you" to "you must, must, must, must". The USS Constitution and the battleground in Concord at the Old North Bridge (starting from the Concord/Acton minutemen's side off Barrett's Mill Road - not from the British side off Monument Street) are really essential...

Posted by: Stephen at August 19, 2012 09:23 PM (xgn3V)

202 Sgt Dan's Cat, I should get active on the Baen site. That network idea since I am writing stories and should shop for a buyer.