On the afternoon of August 19, 1812 a mortal combat took place between the USS Constitution and the British frigate Guerriere 750 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Barely fifty yards apart; each ship fired its twenty-two cannon point-blank into its opponent. The barrage from the British frigate seemed to be having little effect, however, as its cannon balls bounced off the Constitution's rugged oak sides. Seeing this, one of the Constitution's crewmen shouted: "Huzza, her sides are made of iron!" The Constitution's nickname was born.
Old Ironsides
Commissioned in 1797, the Constitution was one of the first six ships of the fledgling U.S. Navy. In 1803 she led the squadron of American warships dispatched to the Mediterranean to subdue the Barbary Pirates of Northern Africa who were harassing America's trade ships in the area.
When war erupted between Great Britain and America in 1812 the Constitution took the offensive, bringing the battle to the enemy. In addition to destroying the Guerrierre, she also destroyed the British frigate Java off the coast of Brazil. Her exploits lifted the morale of the American people and elevated the status of the new nation's naval power.
"...we commenced a very heavy fire from all our guns, loaded with round, and grape..."
Sailing off the American coast on August 19, 1812 a lookout aboard the Constitution spied the faint image of a sail on the distant horizon. The Constitution's commander, Captain Isaac Hull, ordered the crew to unfurl all the ship's sails and give chase. Within an hour the distance between the two ships had been shortened enough to allow the Captain to confirm that his prey was a British frigate.
