This work is a training manual for members of the crew of the 1797 United States frigate Constitution, the world's oldest warship in commission. The venerable vessel, which earned its nickname, "Old Ironsides," during the War of 1812, is today permanently berthed in the Charlestown Navy Yard, across the Charles River from its building site in Boston, Massachusetts. The historic frigate is open to visitors year round, with tours provided by the crew, active sailors in the United States Navy. The lessons in the manual are divided among three groups, corresponding to the three skill levels of the tour guides, Basic, Advanced, and Master. In addition to the chronology and major events in the history of USS Constitution, the manual explains the historical contexts in which those events took place. The text is written in an engaging and accessible manner that will make it attractive to anyone interested in USS Constitution or in the early U.S. Navy in general.

The history of the USS Constitution.

This is the story of the oldest warship afloat in the world, the venerable frigate USS Constitution, the cornerstone of the nascent American navy created by act of Congress in 1794. Colonel David Fitz-Enz re-creates the world of sail, when seven knots an hour was considered blinding speed for a warship. In Old Ironsides, Fitz-Enz tells the story of the ship, from its construction to the ongoing restoration efforts that keep it active today.

Flagship of naval heroes, the Constitution is the oldest warship still afloat in the world. This account of America's most famous warship and her possible restoration (for her 200th birthday) features rare paintings, some never before published, and new paintings, drawings, and plans. 200 illustrations.

Records the history of the USS Constitution from its 1797 commissioning in to its recent preservation, and describes the warship's role during the War of 1812 when she earned the nickname "Old Ironsides."

The captain of the USS Constitution during the US bicentennial augments his 1980 history of the country's most famous sailing ship with the fruits of additional research just in time for the ship's own bicentennial in 1997. He confirms that the diagonal riders were in the ship from the first, provides details and diagrams of battles the ship has taken part in, and includes a glossary without pronunciation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Constitution was one of the US Navy's first six original frigates, ordered as a counter to the Barbary corsairs in the Mediterranean. Fast and heavily built, she was nominally rated as a 44 but mounted thirty 24-pdr and twenty-two 12-pdr cannon. Her most famous encounter, after which she became nicknamed 'Old Ironsides' due to British shot being seen bouncing off her hull, involved HMS Guerriere, which she smashed; the same treatment was meted out to HMS Java four months later. Now the oldest commissioned warship afloat in thw world, she is berthed in Boston Harbor. The 'Anatomy of the Ship' series aims to provide the finest documentation of individual ships and ship types ever published. What makes the series unique is a complete set of superbly executed line drawings, both the conventional type of plan as well as explanatory views, with fully descriptive keys. These are supported by technical details and a record of the ship's service history.