The mighty USS Constitution, arguably the most famous warship in American history – a testament to the intrepid courage at sea in the nation’s infancy – was launched in Boston on this day in history, October 21, 1797.

The mighty warship, now 227 years old, still floats at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston.

It serves as a reminder to the United States of the struggle for national sovereignty, as a symbol of our then-unique constitutional foundations, and as the centerpiece of the USS Constitution Museum.

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“The ship made its first cruise (in 1798) when the Quasi-War with France began. It later served in battles with pirates off the Barbary Coast in the Mediterranean,” the National Park Service writes about the ship.

The USS Constitution was part of the American fleet that bombarded Tripoli in 1804, a massive show of force on the world stage of the young nation’s naval power.

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She remains a commissioned ship of the U.S. Navy, making the USS Constitution the oldest warship in the world.

The frigate, better known as Old Ironsides because of its powerful oak hull and masts, was designed by Joshua Humphreys.

It was built over three years at Hartt’s shipyard in what is now Boston’s North End.

The ship was ordered on March 1, 1794 in anticipation of the passage of the Naval Act of 1794 President George Washington signed March 27th.

It was during the War of 1812 that she enjoyed her greatest fame and gained her status in the annals of naval warfare.

On this day in history, August 19, 1812, the old Ironsides legend was born through a stunning victory over the Royal Navy

“Huzzah, her sides are made of iron!” an American sailor shouted joyfully as the white oak planks and frame of live oak grown in the swamps of Georgia repelled volleys of direct cannon fire from the British warship HMS Guerriere.

The battle was fought on August 19, 1812, on the high seas, about 600 miles east of Boston.

The Constitution, under Captain Isaac Hull, destroyed the Guerriere and forced her to surrender in close combat at sea. The British ship was hit so badly that Hull sank it rather than capture it as a war trophy.

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“The Constitution defeated or captured seven other British ships in the War of 1812 and twice led the British blockade of Boston,” notes History.com.

At sea she won 33 victories and no defeats.

“In 1833, the Constitution was in need of repairs and was on the verge of scrapping when Oliver Wendell Holmes’ poem Old Ironsides helped save her,” writes the National Museum of the US Navy.

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“Recommissioned in 1835, she served in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific, where in May 1845 she became the first U.S. warship to conduct a show of force against Vietnam.”

She continued to serve in various capacities for several decades throughout the 20th century before being decommissioned for the final time.

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“After restoration that began in 1925, she was recommissioned in July 1931 and sailed on a 90-port tour along the coasts of the United States,” writes the US Navy Museum.

“Today, the USS Constitution occasionally sails through Boston Harbor for special anniversaries and commemorations,” the National Park Service said.

“The USS Constitution and her U.S. Navy crew make their way along the coast to Castle Island with the help of tugboats. In the harbor near Castle Island, the Navy crew always fires a cannon salute before turning around to return to the Charlestown Naval Shipyard.”

Original source of the article: On this day in history, October 21, 1797, the legendary warship USS Constitution was launched in Boston