USS Constitution

The oldest commissioned warship in the world became known as "Old Ironsides" during the war of 1812 when she fought the British Frigate H.M.S. Guerriere and a cannonball fired at the U.S.S. Constitution merely "bounced off" as if she were made of iron. In fact the Constitution is made of a three-layer sandwich of wood from all across America.

Her "ironsides" are white oak from New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts; her frame is the dependable live oak from Saint Simons Island off Georgia; and her masts are yellow pine from Georgia and the Carolinas.The ship is permanently berthed in Boston harbor and ventures out  two times a year.  Today, it is still a fully commissioned ship, with its own crew and commander.

“Huzzah!  Her sides are made of iron!”

Sailor aboard the Guerriere, whose exclamation gave Constitution her nickname.

USS Constitution
Charlestown Navy Yard
617-242-5670
Winter Hours: Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. 10:00 - 4:00
Summer Hours: Daily, April 1–October 31
Tuesday–Sunday
10am to 6pm, tours every 30 minutes
(last tour at 3:30pm)10:00 - 4:00

Tours occur every half-hour, 10:30 - 3:30

November 1 – March 31

Thursday–Sunday
10am to 3:50pm, tours every 30 minutes
(last tour at 3:
www.ussconstitution.navy.mil