The Charlestown Navy Yard, the USS Constitution in Drydock, and the USS Salem

In 2017 my wife and I made a trip to Boston, MA, and one of the places we visited was the Charlestown Navy Yard because the USS Constitution was there and in the dry dock, and also the USS Salem. This short picture/video clip focuses on the yard, the USS Constitution, and the USS Salem, that day they did not have the ships open for tours so all we could get was pictures from the outside. The USS Constitution nicknamed “Old Ironsides” was built in 1797, it had a 207’ deck and its overall length was 305’, the beam was 43’-6”, the mast was 176’ tall, it had 48 sail’s for a total of 44,000 sq ft of sails, its top speed was 13 knots or 14.96 mph. On August 19, 1812 the USS Constitution went into battle against the British ship the HMS Guerriere, and as the story is told a cannon ball from the HMS Guerriere bounced off the side of the USS Constitution and that is how it got the name Old Ironsides. All portions of the ship below the waterline were covered with copper to help prolong the life of the wood from the corrosive effects of the saltwater. I can tell you that the copper repairs on the bottom of the ship were being replaced with copper from overseas, this was a first time since the ship had been built that the copper was not purchased from ”The Revere copper Company” in the good ole USA, and yes this company was originally started by Paul Revere, and was in his family until 2008. For more on the USS Constitution click the links below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revere_Copper_Company
https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/ussconst.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution_vs_HMS_Guerriere

You will also see pictures of the USS Salem CA-139 which is also located in the Charlestown Navy Yard; it was built in 1945 by the Forefront Shipyard in Quincy, MA for the United States Navy. It is 717’ long, has a beam of 76’-6”, a 22’ draft, she had the first 8’ guns using cased ammunition. For more on the USS Salem click the links below.

https://www.uss-salem.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Salem_(CA-139)