The USS Constitution was one of 6 frigates the construction of which was authorized by Congress in 1794. She was larger and more heavily armed than the standard frigates. Built at the Edmund Hart Shipyard in Boston, she was launched in 1797. Constructed of solid oak throughout, the planking was up to 18 cm thick in places with the hull protected by an additional copper cladding. She put to sea for the first time in July 1798. However the Constitution gained her greatest fame during the 1812 war against Great Britain. Under the command of Captain Isaac Hull she set sail on 12th July 1812. On 17th July a squadron of the British fleet was sighted off Egg Harbor N.J, but she was becalmed. To save the situation, Captain Hull ordered the vessel to be hauled outside the British range by means of kedge anchors and rowing boats.They succeeded, but a month later made direct contact with the enemy frigate Guerrière. The British ship fired the first shot in this legendary battle. However 20 minutes later the Guerrière had been dismasted and was so badly damaged that it was no longer feasible to tow it away. Captain Hull had the heavier broadsides and could take advantage of the superior manuverability of his ship, whereas it seemed to the wounded British that their balls were bouncing off the hull of the Constitution; the origin of her nickname Old Ironsides. By the end of the war in 1815, she had gained eight more victories.
 | This plastic model kit requires plastic cement and paint for assembly, and they are sold separately. |
