Existing comment:
USS Constitution:
The Naval Act called for four 44-gun and two 36-gun frigates. A clause in the Act stipulated, however, that construction on the ships would cease upon a peace settlement with Algiers. ...
The Constitution, still in active duty and berthed in Boston, was designed to outmatch any ship of its class. The construction -- frames and knees of live oak -- made her almost impervious to the enemy's shot, earning her the nickname of "Old Ironsides." |