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Preservation Philosophies SHIP OF THESEUS Readers may be familiar with the thought experiment known as the “Ship of Theseus.” It is a philosophical conundrum from antiquity and first appeared in Plutarch’s Life of Theseus: The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians…they took away the oldRead more

What a busy time the past six months have been for USS Constitution! As readers of “Restoring an Icon” know, the ship’s 26 months in dry dock came to an end in a dramatically lit, late-night refloating on July 23, 2017. Constitution‘s summer at Pier One in the Charlestown Navy Yard included the reinstallation of theRead more

The undocking of USS Constitution on July 23, 2017, a grand moment in the 2015 – 2017 restoration, eclipsed an important anniversary in the ship’s history. In this post, we re-visit “Old Ironsides’” historic sail on July 21, 1997. It was on that day that the ship sailed for the first time in 116 years,Read more

USS Constitution, which has been rebuilt and restored almost too many times to count in her 220-year history, still has a few “secrets” that she only occasionally reveals. The three secrets discussed below help to illuminate not only the numerous changes to the ship but even reveals the names of long-ago individuals who were instrumental inRead more

The warm summer days in the Charlestown Navy Yard are a boon for USS Constitution‘s current restoration in Dry Dock 1. The Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston ship restorers and riggers are moving along on several projects. Some work, such as the re-rigging of the mizzen mast, is highly visible to the visiting public. Other work, suchRead more

USS Constitution has four complete decks–spar, gun, berth, and orlop–that combine to make her about the height of a four-story building. The spar deck, or top deck, was originally made from a combination of white oak planking (to support the heavy weight of the carronades) with Carolina pitch pine flanking the hatches. The gun deck just below wasRead more

Unlike the well-known furry variety, USS Constitution‘s many mouses are lumps of line and canvas built up on the outside of the diagonal stays that run between the masts. The mouse prevents the stay, which is looped around the mast and secured with an eye splice, from tightening up on itself. In Constitution‘s 1992-1996 restoration, several mousesRead more

Since the summer of 2015, Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston ship restorers and riggers have been working off and on with the rebuilding of USS Constitution‘s cutwater. The cutwater is a structure made up of several pieces of large timber and projects from the ship’s bow. It parts the water as the ship sails along, making herRead more

May 18, 2016 marked the one year anniversary of USS Constitution entering Dry Dock 1 of the Charlestown Navy Yard for restoration. “Old Ironsides” was the first ship to enter this historic dry dock on June 24, 1833. The ship will remain in dry dock until the current restoration is completed in late summer 2017.Read more

When thinking of USS Constitution‘s restorations, it’s easy to focus on the more heroic projects, like rebuilding the cutwater, replacing the hull planks, and recoppering. Equally necessary to the ship’s longevity, however, are the little known, behind-the-scenes tasks that make the bigger projects possible. Throughout the restoration, Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston ship restorers are busy rolling oakum,Read more