Of Wooden Ships and Iron Men
On 23 August 1779, the U.S.S. Constitution, better known as “Old Ironsides”, set sail from Boston loaded with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of water, 74,000 cannon shot, 11,500 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum. Her mission: to destroy and harass English shipping.
On 6 October she made Jamaica, took on 826 pounds of flower and 68,300 gallons of rum. Three weeks later the Constitution reached the Azores where she provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 6,300 gallons of Portuguese wine. On 18 November the ship set sail for England where her crew captured and scuttled 12 English merchant vessels and took aboard their rum.
But by now the Constitution had run out of shot. Nevertheless, she made her way unarmed up the Firth of Clyde for a night raid. Here her landing party captured a whiskey distillery, transferred 40,000 gallons aboard and headed for home.
Old Ironsides arrived in Boston on 20 February 1780 with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no whiskey. Just 48,600 gallons of rancid water.
Note: The above circulated the Web over the last couple of years and its source is given as the Chief Curator of the National Parks Service as originally published in the official “Oceanographic Ships” by the U.S. Navy who attributed it to the ships original quartermaster’s record. It created quite a furor among Navy experts who noted that the Constitution, a 204-foot frigate, did not engage in any combat until three years after this alleged trip and, also, to have consumed this much liquor each crewman would have had to consume 2.26 gallons every day. They may have a point but it doesn’t answer the question of what prompted every member of the crew to re-enlist after this trip and, in any event, it makes for a good yarn..
On 23 August 1779, the U.S.S. Constitution, better known as “Old Ironsides”, set sail from Boston loaded with 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of water, 74,000 cannon shot, 11,500 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum. Her mission: to destroy and harass English shipping.
On 6 October she made Jamaica, took on 826 pounds of flower and 68,300 gallons of rum. Three weeks later the Constitution reached the Azores where she provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 6,300 gallons of Portuguese wine. On 18 November the ship set sail for England where her crew captured and scuttled 12 English merchant vessels and took aboard their rum.
But by now the Constitution had run out of shot. Nevertheless, she made her way unarmed up the Firth of Clyde for a night raid. Here her landing party captured a whiskey distillery, transferred 40,000 gallons aboard and headed for home.
Old Ironsides arrived in Boston on 20 February 1780 with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no whiskey. Just 48,600 gallons of rancid water.
Note: The above circulated the Web over the last couple of years and its source is given as the Chief Curator of the National Parks Service as originally published in the official “Oceanographic Ships” by the U.S. Navy who attributed it to the ships original quartermaster’s record. It created quite a furor among Navy experts who noted that the Constitution, a 204-foot frigate, did not engage in any combat until three years after this alleged trip and, also, to have consumed this much liquor each crewman would have had to consume 2.26 gallons every day. They may have a point but it doesn’t answer the question of what prompted every member of the crew to re-enlist after this trip and, in any event, it makes for a good yarn..
