The World's Oldest Commissioned Warship (still afloat*): The USS Constitution

Join us for a VIP tour of the USS Constitution in the Boston Harbor with Public Affairs Officer Grant Grady.
View our full tour of Historic Boston here: • Historic Boston | Revo...
The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters. We permanently protect these battlefields for future generations as a lasting and tangible memorial to the brave soldiers who fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.

[@knightwatchman]

I worked for a company that booked the Constitution for a company party. I spent most of that party time wandering around the ship on my own. Best time ever.

[@zach7821]

Thats a once in a lifetime experience

[@shaynewheeler9249]

Titanic

[@cyndiebill6631]

One of the most beautiful ship that ever sailed. ♥️🇺🇸💙

[@mrs6968]

To me this is definitely the second most beautiful ship hms victory holds that number 1 spot

[@Mr.Freestyle_7]

What about the Black Pearl ?

[@simongrover1819]

Just to clarify, the oldest commissioned warship is HMS Victory, flagship of Admiral Lord Nelson and currently flying the flag of CinC fleet Royal Navy in Portsmouth Hants, UK. Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat! Long May both ships stay around to honour their countries naval services.

[@IGreybeardI]

That is a building not a ship.

[@lukedelport8231]

@@IGreybeardIshe’s a first rate ship of the line she is a ship ships do not have to be in water

[@IGreybeardI]

@@lukedelport8231 Just because a government makes a claim does not make it true. It's a building.

[@bertiescunsbutch9323]

Yawn.

[@kylemccullough3495]

Yeah, it's not in water, it's not in commission. USS Constitution is in water in Boston harbor, drop the sails on a windy day and its gone at a minute's notice. It's not dry docked in an enclosure. Oh and it is still an actively crewed ship. Like actual Naval officers and crew, not a bunch of museum employees and volunteers.

[@sureshot8399]

The oldest commissioned warship in the world is HMS Victory, flagship of the First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, launched in 1765, 32 years before USS Constitution, although Victory has been in dry dock for a long time and Constitution is afloat, both have been in constant commission since their respective launches.

[@skovner]

As you said, the word "afloat" should be added to the title

[@frankw7266]

The dictionary definition of "commission" - "bring (a warship) into readiness for ACTIVE service". Sorry, but as soon as Victory was pulled from the water, she was, by definition, de-commissioned... don't care what anyone says on the matter.

[@kathnunan641]

@@frankw7266 BS HMS Victory is admiral of fleet The Royal Navy In 1922 she as put in permanent dry dock to preserve form further damage as the English channel as rotting her wood faster than expected causing her leak At the moment she is under going a long restoration with the masts being repaired and re rigged and will be put back on her at some point HMS Victory is water tight but The Royal Navy do not risk put her back into the water

[@Swampy0110]

@@frankw7266if you class constitution as active readiness go send it to the Red Sea then…

[@LANsolo12]

@@Swampy0110in all honesty with modern technology weapons and snipers on board I wouldn’t say it would be a slouch.. but that’s up until the point it was hit by a missile.. but it would most likely take down any pirates and small vessels in the area. 😂. Just joking but being somewhat serious..

[@earlyriser8998]

Great to see this tour of a classic ship. Good job.

[@danielryan9076]

Navy yard in Charlestown Boston. They used to make the rope for the ship's right there . I believe the building that made the rope was a couple football fields long

[@patrickreis4499]

Glad to see you do a video about the War of 1812. More 1812!

[@Grunt802VT]

These past few videos have been brilliant! The production is on point. Very interesting refresher of history for myself. Very much appreciated Semper FI

[@larrydemaar409]

That was a wonderful tour of a great ship. The tour guide was so informative!

[@Tustyshellback2010]

That was great! You guys should do more War of 1812 videos. It often gets forgotten about.

[@jacktattis]

Oh yes the Phoebe beating the Essex the Endymion and the President and the Shannon V the President

[@billyboblillybob344]

If the navy was looking to cash in on the Constitution, I'd bet sailing it around the US (possibly the world) would attract millions. How awesome would it be to see this vessel cruising into your port...

[@markleach116]

Great video Chris! They must have cut out the part where you were swabbing the deck! 🤣

[@dugwthree]

My wife and i visited the ship in the late 90.s

[@eviloverlordsean]

This is by far the best stuff you guys have produced in 4 years. Keep doing this.

[@soxbigdog]

Old Ironsides was a field trip every year growing up in Boston, don't think I appreciated it as much then as I would going back now.

[@metalheadmike774]

Its crazy to think this ship has never been decommissioned. I love it!

[@lawrencemyers3623]

Went aboard Constitution back in 2000. That and walking the decks of USS Cassin Young (a WW2 Fletcher Class DD just a short walk across the Yard) made for a very memorable day.

[@jasonalexander3080]

Hey this was a very good episode very well put together. I haven't been to see this and it's amazing how much inside looks similar to newer ships

[@terryeustice5399]

Seen this before. Very good tour of old Iron Sides. 💯

[@rwchidester]

This was awesome. Thanks for sharing

[@michaelhoffman5348]

Excellent - thank you!

[@Wilders53]

Fantastic

[@bigsarge2085]

👍

[@cleverusername9369]

World's Oldest Commissioned Warship Still Afloat* HMS Victory is the world's oldest commissioned warship

[@RebeccaNeffati]

This was amazing! Very jealous you got to go do that as it's a dream of mine to visit this ship and have a tour.

[@greenwave819]

cool boat, I toured it when I was a kid, back when it was still on active duty and such

[@mikearakelian6368]

Note...muzzle loading canon( ( 24 pounder) is about thousand yrds...smaller guns less; may get more than a day to sail into position to engage the enemy @ 3-4 knots.want to have the weather guage,so as to come up behind other vessel n dump a broadside unto the transom,rudder...

[@studinthemaking]

How does a mass communication sailor get assigned to a wooden ship? What qualifications do you need for this duty?

[@mikemorse8609]

I just realized they use breech loaded signal charges . Did they modify the original guns or recast new barrels?

[@xyzsimo7017]

Dearest Cousins, what this old sea dog doesn't mention is that all the guns on USS Constitution are British guns i.e you will see the Royal Arms on each of them, something I noticed and mentioned when I visited this great ship in Sept 2023. I discovered the reason was, it underwent a major refurb in the early 1900's. The guy responsible for getting a load of guns cast for it in Boston made a big mistake as they were cast from old British Royal Naval moulds.....as he'd now spent all the money, these guns were therefore fitted. Sorry, but as a British this did give me a bit of a smile. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧😁👍

[@jacktattis]

Great ship in a very young Navy

[@lhacker39]

I was awarded a Navy Letter of Commendation aboard Constitution while my ship was in Drydock in Boston.

[@Ortega738]

Beautiful ship and the only vessel in the navy with enemy sinkage I think 5

[@jacktattis]

More than that 2 frigates a schooner a Sloop and Various Merchant ships

[@paulgriffin9355]

I believe victory is the oldest

[@greenwave819]

If I were a brithish and I came across this beast, I'd run!

[@jacktattis]

Not really by 1815 this was the last USN frigate at sea. The Royal Navy had 74 Gun ships up in Canada and numerous 200 Frigates ready to come across . As luck would have it the Brits signed the Treaty of Ghent that relieved the problems of the Small US Navy

[@Swampy0110]

If I were British but happened to be in a ship of the line, I wouldn’t

[@patriciafeehan7732]

My post was taken down. I have a book title The Geography of New Jersey 1919 it contains an account of U.S.S. Constitution arriving at Sandy Hook New Jersey. There are four New Jersey men given by name and town. On the opposite page is New Jersey Gazette giving the account of the skirmish with HMS JAVA. Living in New Jersey all my life I have never heard of The Battle at Sandy Hook 1812 - including a news account. Four New Jersey men joined The Constitution and their names are names of towns and villes in New Jersey. I have read the hourly log of the Constitution during 1812 and wonder if the ship came into Sandy Hook for water and supplies. After all the man in command was from Princeton. Has anyone heard this story before?

[@skovner]

A ship saved by a poem. A poem that used irony: Aye, tear her tattered ensign down! Long has it waved on high ... O, better that her tattered hulk Should sink beneath the waves Her thunder shook the mighty deep And there should be her grave --Oliver Wendell Holmes

[@karloyu3484]

💙💙💙✌️❤️👍

[@EricPham-gr8pg]

Winter uniform should be deep blue. 'Iron side' means " wooden ship iron hand "...in future super magnetic rail weapon come only wooden survive

[@dixiecyrus8136]

Hardtack harder than the boat's sides🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@andrewfischer8564]

i thought the scuttle butt was were british sailors got their rum ration

[@greenseaships]

* AMERICA'S oldest commissioned warship ;) Alternately: The oldest commissioned warship still in the water and capable of getting underway (when they put the masts and sails back on)

[@SignatureGala]

Expecially? Really, Mass Communication Specialist Second Class?

[@user-hu8fn2jp5v]

🤓

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

BOW chasers cannot stand on the aft deck, good grief. Those are the two guns in the FRONT of the ship if they're found on the afterdeck, they're STERNchasers, like the butt of the boat.

[@natemora]

So thats what a "butt load" means

[@SignatureGala]

Dear god. The word is, "versus," not, "verse." Read, people. Read English

[@alanhindmarch4483]

Sorry USA, ‘The USS Constitution,’ is not the oldest commissioned war ship. Yes it’s the Oldest Floating, commissioned warship. But the OLDEST COMMISSIONED WAR SHIP IS, “HMS VICTORY” The “FIRST SEA LORDS, FLAGSHIP.”

[@oml81mm]

Sorry @alanhindmarch4483, you got that ever so slightly wrong...

[@alanhindmarch4483]

@@oml81mm nope, I think you’ll find I’m right. USS Constitution, is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. She was launched in 1797, one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed. HMS Victory was commissioned in 1778 so is the oldest commissioned warship in the world by some 16 years.

[@oml81mm]

@alanhindmarch4483 you did indeed get things wrong when you referred to "HMS Victoria".

[@forliberty8400]

Sailor talks a lot with his hands. Needs to be dealt with

[@IGreybeardI]

Anyone who claims the HMS victory is a ship is wrong. It is a building. It has not been in the water for over a hundred years.

[@Swampy0110]

Anyone who claims the Constitution is active is wrong. It hasn’t been to war in over 100 years

[@frankw7266]

HMS Victory can claim all it wants, but the dictionary definition of "commission" - "bring (a warship) into readiness for ACTIVE service". Sorry, I fully respect her importance in history, but as soon as Victory was pulled from the water, she was, by definition, de-commissioned... don't care what anyone says on the matter.