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  • Free Fun Friday
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Swing in a hammock, shorten a sail, and experience the life of a sailor!

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Museum Hours

Open Daily | 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Ship's Hours

Open Tuesday-Sunday | 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Closed Monday

@USSCM Instagram Feed

#Repost @usnhistory ・・・ Check out our Instagram story right now as we're in Boston for CPO Heritage Week aboard #USSConstitution! Have a question for the selectees about their experience aboard "Old Ironsides"? Leave a comment or shoot us a message and let us know! #NavyChief #NavyPride
#Repost @usnhistory ・・・ On August 19, 1812, @USSConstitution and HMS Guerriere have their rendezvous with history. In the course of this 35-minute battle, an astonished sailor observed British 18-lb. iron cannonballs, bouncing harmlessly off USS CONSTITUTION’s 25-inch oak hull, and he cried out, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!” Henceforth, USS CONSTITUTION carried the nickname “Old Ironsides.” USS CONSTITUTION’s 24-lb. shots were devastating, bringing down the English warship’s masts, and entangling the two ships when they collided. The first United States Marine Corps officer to die in combat at sea was Lt. William Bush, who was shot on USS CONSTITUTION’s aft-rail while attempting to board HMS GUERRIERE. By 7 p.m., a wounded Dacres ordered a gun fired to leeward, signaling HMS GUERRIERE’s surrender to the American frigate. “The Guerriere was so cut up, that all attempts to get her in would have been useless,” Capt. Dacres explained in a letter to his superiors in England. “As soon as the wounded were got out of her, they set her afire, and I feel it my duty to state that the conduct of Captain Hull and his Officers to our Men has been that of a brave Enemy.” HMS GUERRIERE sank into the sea in flames on Aug. 20, and USS CONSTITUTION returned to Boston on Aug. 30, to great fanfare. The British reaction was summed up by the London Times, which stated, “It is not merely that an English frigate has been taken, after, what we are free to confess, may be called a brave resistance, but that it has been taken by a new enemy, and enemy unaccustomed to such triumphs, and likely to be rendered insolent and confident by them. …how important this triumph is in giving a tone and character to the war. Never before in the history of the world did an English frigate strike to an American.” #usa #usn #usnavy #ussconstitution #navypride #navalhistory #ushistory #oldironsides #donttreadonme #history #education #learning #military
Wondering what that gazebo is in the Navy Yard? It’s “Assembly” by #Somerville artist @chrisfrostsculpture! Mimicking the Yard’s Muster House/Building 31 this sculptural installation reflects the people and production of the historic @boston_nhp. Stroll by and see more from “Art on the Trails to Freedom.” [ @michaelblanchard] . . . #art #sculpture #history #usnavy #navy #military #maritime #boston #massachusetts #newengland #american #history #heritage #museum #findyourpark
‪This weekend only! Join the @boston_nhp in the Charlestown Navy Yard for a weekend celebrating the thousands of women who worked in the Navy Yard during #WWII. Enjoy a weekend of music, swing dancing, special tours, and activities for the whole family! . . . #findyourpark #nationalparkservice #usnavy #navy #worldwarii #military #maritime #boston #charlestown #massachusetts #newengland #american #history #heritage #museum
#HappyBirthday to the @uscg! #DYK that @uss_constitution was built and launched from Edmund Hartt’s Shipyard which today is the location of U.S. Coast Guard Northeast? [ U.S. Navy] . . . #CG228 #uscg #coastguard #usnavy #navy #military #maritime #boston #massachusetts #newengland #american #history #heritage
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Recent Blog Posts

  • The Whole 13 Yards

    By USS Constitution Museum | 1 comment

    Happy Anniversary, “Old Ironsides”! July is a multiple-anniversary month for USS Constitution: The 44-gun frigate began her first cruise the evening ofRead more

  • USS CONSTITUTION Commemorates Battle of Midway in Boston Harbor

    By USS Constitution Museum | 0 comment

    By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Casey Scoular, USS Constitution Public Affairs   USS Constitution and her crew headed underway from theRead more

  • Face-to-Face: Collections Open House & Rum Party

    By USS Constitution Museum | 1 comment

    USS Constitution Museum public historian Carl Herzog shares artifacts with guests.   Over 160 guests joined us for the Collections Open HouseRead more

  • Honoring Those Who Served

    By USS Constitution Museum | 0 comment

    USS Constitution Color Guard On May 18, 2018 the Charlestown Navy Yard Partners, alongside the Vietnam War Commemoration, honored the 50th anniversaryRead more

  • Rebuilt, Preserved, Restored – USS Constitution Across the Centuries

    By USS Constitution Museum | 1 comment

    Preservation Philosophies SHIP OF THESEUS Readers may be familiar with the thought experiment known as the “Ship of Theseus.” It is a philosophicalRead more

  • Poems for a Nation’s Ship

    By USS Constitution Museum | 1 comment

    USS Constitution is living history, captured in drawings, paintings, and photographs. The legacy of “Old Ironsides’” victories and the men of ironRead more

  • Old Ironsides goes to Washington

    By USS Constitution Museum | 2 comments

    USS Constitution during her final visit to the Washington Navy Yard in September, 1932. USS Constitution Museum. 1999.1. By David F. Winkler,Read more

  • One Mystery Leads to Another

    By USS Constitution Museum | 5 comments

    Join USS Constitution‘s Commanding Officer and Crew on February 20, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. on the decks of “Old Ironsides” to commemorateRead more

USS CONSTITUTION MUSEUM | Charlestown Navy Yard, Building 22, Charlestown, MA 02129 | 6174261812
Mass Cultural Council
Copyright © 2015 USS Constitution Museum. All Rights Reserved.
  • Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Directions & Parking
    • Groups & Field Trips
    • Calendar of Events
    • Museum Map
    • Host an Event
    • In Our Neighborhood
    • Library Pass Program
  • Exhibits
    • Past Exhibits
    • Ship Model Show
    • The Model Shipwright Guild
    • Hands-On Areas
  • Collections
    • Art and Artifact Collections
    • Library and Manuscript Collections
    • Research Library
    • Order an Image
    • Support Our Collections
  • Constitution History
    • Chronology
    • Ship’s Crew
    • Articles
    • War of 1812 Lectures
    • ConstitutionCam
  • Blog
  • Educators
  • Shop
    • Shop Now
    • Buy a Membership
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership
    • USS Constitution Museum Gala
    • Memorial Bricks
    • Support Our Collections
    • Legacy Giving
    • Foundation Support
    • Amazon Smile
    • Host an Event
      • Approved Caterers
      • Guide to Hosting Functions and Special Events at the Museum
    • Donor Privacy Policy
  • About
    • Mission & History
      • Founders
      • National Awards
    • Board of Trustees
    • Publications
    • Family Learning Project
    • National Outreach
    • For Press & Media
    • Jobs & Volunteering
    • Contact Us
USS Constitution Museum