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She was built in 1797, to deal with the Barbary pirates. Her frame was made of live oak, a wood so dense and strong that it actually sinks in water. She was also built like a much larger ship--her ribs were spaced mere inches apart, making her sides virtually solid oak, three feet thick. However, when she was launched, there was a problem. Her launching ramp was built at too shallow of an angle, and as a result it took over a month to move her the 100 feet or so to the water. She ran an incredibly successful campaign against the Barbary corsairs; where every other nation, even Great Britain, had failed to defeat the pirates and had resorted to paying large sums of money in return for the pirates leaving their ships alone, the Constitution and a small fleet of other American ships crushed the pirates in a couple years, freeing the Mediterranean for American trade. In July of 1812, her speed was put to the test. She was ambushed by a large British fleet, consisting of the 64-gun HMS Africa, the 38-gun HMS Shannon, the 38-gun HMS Guerriere, the 36-gun HMS Belvidera, and the 32-gun HMS Aeolus. Just as the ships came in sight of each other, the wind died. Captain Isaac Hull had the Constitution's lifeboats launched, and they began to tow the big frigate. The British quickly followed suit. When the Constitution failed to add any distance between her and the British fleet, one of the lieutenants came up with an idea. The extra rope aboard the Constitution was spliced into two lines, each attached to one of her two anchors. The lifeboats then rowed one of the anchors out, dropped it, and returned for the other anchor. Meanwhile, the men aboard the Constitution ran along the deck, carrying the anchor cable, thus pulling the ship forward. When they reached the stern, they ran to the bow, grabbed the line of the other anchor, and repeated the process. Then a light squall appeared on the horizon. Noticing that the British had followed his every move, Hull had most of the Constitution's sails furled, as if he was expecting a heavy storm. The British copied. When the squall hit, Hull had every sail set, and the Constitution raced away from the British fleet. Her first major battle, and her most famous, was against the HMS Guerriere. The Guerriere was originally a French ship. She was rated at 38 guns, while the Constitution was rated at 44. The Guerriere's captain, James Dacres, believed that his ship would crush the Constitution in 45 minutes. Instead, in the famous battle where she earned her nickname, "Old Ironsides", the Constitution soundly defeated the Guerriere in just 30 minutes. The Constitution's second battle was with the 38 gun HMS Java. The Java, like the Guerriere, carried 18-pound guns (meaning they shot cannonballs weighing 18 pounds), while the Constitution carried 24-pound guns. Over the course of about 3 hours and 40 minutes, the Constitution and the Java pounded each other relentlessly. But the Java's 18-pound cannonballs could barely dent the Constitution's thick sides, and the Java, like the Guerriere, was so badly damaged that it would not be worth the trouble to take her as a prize, and so, like the Guerriere, the Java was burned. But that was not to be the last of the Constitution's battles. Her last battle came on February 20, 1815, two days after the war had ended, though the Constitution had no way of knowing this. That evening, the Constitution fought a battle with the 32 gun HMS Cyane, and the 18 gun HMS Levant. Combined, the two ships carried more guns the Constitution, though the British ships still used 18-pound cannons, while the Constitution used 24-pound cannons. Through a dazzling display of nautical skill, the Constitution maneuvered easily with the two smaller ships, and, despite being hit in the mizzenmast (the thinnest and weakest of the masts) by an 18-pound cannonball, the Constitution defeated the Cyane and the Levant, and was ready for combat only three hours later. She is now berthed in Boston, and is still commissioned. Every year she is towed through the harbor and docked facing the opposite direction, ensuring that she will weather evenly. Every morning at 8:00, and every evening at sunset, she still fires one of her guns.

Rated at 44 guns, but actually carried closer to 60: 30 24-lb cannons, 26 32-lb cannons, 1 18-lb cannon

Top speed: 13 knots (About 15 miles per hour)

Length Overall: 204 feet

Beam (width): 43'6"

Sail Area: 42,710 sq ft

Displacement: 2,200 tons

Length at Waterline: 175 ft

Draft: 23 ft

Mast height: Foremast: 198 ft

Mainmast: 220 ft

Mizzenmast: 172.5 ft

Crew: 450