In August, 1812, the HMS Guerriere cruised along the east coast capturing American merchant ships and hoping to battle any American warships. Captain James Dacres issued a challenge to “any American frigate who dares to do battle.” Capt. Isaac Hull accepted the challenge in the USS Constitution. The American frigate was a good match for the Guerriere, each had 44 cannons. The big difference was the Guerriere was part of the greatest navy in history and the Constitution was from a fledgling navy that consisted of only a few frigates. But it was built in America and it had a feisty, fighting captain. On August 19, 1812 the Constitution sailed out of Boston harbor and headed straight for the British warship. As it neared the British, the American tars noted that the Brits had put a barrel of molasses in its rigging to taunt the Americans with a reference to a popular sailor drink called “switchel” which combined molasses and water. Oh, snap! When the Constitution came within range, the Guerriere opened fire, but the cannon balls bounced off its sides of 20 inch thick oak. This is what gave the ship its famous name “Old Ironsides”. Hull held fire until the ships were 25 feet apart and then he rained hell on the British ship by way of a series of broadsides that devastated the enemy. Dacres surrendered his ship later that day. Hull and the Constitution returned to great acclaim, having won the first significant victory in the history of the United States Navy.
By 1830, “Old Ironsides” had become unseaworthy. Newspapers took up its cause and informed the public of its shameful condition. A Harvard student named Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote a famous poem where he sarcastically proclaimed: “Aye, tear her tattered ensign down”. The attention got the ship repaired and converted into a training ship. In 1927, the ship was in need of major reconditioning. Thousands of school children donated money to repair the ship. It is now in Boston Navy Yard as a memorial and still is listed as an American warship.
https://www.historynet.com/constitution-vs-guerriere-americas-coming-out-party.htm
– Whitcomb 9
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