Update On Baltimore’s Historic Warship — USS Constellation

By Joan Wenner, J.D. · Originally published March 2017 · p. 35

BALTIMORE, MD.—Five years ago the 250 ft. USS Constellation left her homeport of Baltimore but returned five weeks later to her berth adjacent to the USS Constellation Museum in the Inner Harbor. In the interim, the 1854-built sloop was drydocked for repairs at nearby Sparrows Point Shipyard with the WWII submarine USS Torsk. Although Constellation had undergone major restoration more than 15 years earlier, in 2014 it was determined there were some repairs needed to her laminated wooden hull planking and she was brought to the nearby Coast Guard Yard. In February 2015 she left her yard-mate, the Guard’s 78-year old barque Eagle, for return to dock at Pier 1. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, federal law permits use of the yard by other governmental agencies, in this case a project funded by the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland.) Chris Rowsom, Vice President of Living History Classrooms Foundation and longtime Executive Director for Historic Ships in Baltimore which oversees the vessel, believes it was the first time in Navy history that warships from WWII and the Civil War era were on blocks together. She is “looking pretty good.” He added that the marine superintendent on the project said Constellation, heavily coated with harbor grime, had required copper seals placed over some leaking seams and a new coat of anti-fouling paint on her hull, but otherwise did not need extensive work. The nineteenth century “Sloop of War” USS Constellation was built in Norfolk alongside the 1797 frigate USS Constellation that was being dismantled in 1853 according to records of the Naval History & Heritage Center in Washington. It was rumored that ‘some of the parts’ of the original were put into the new 1854 USS Constellation sloop of war despite differences between the two vessels; the proof was obtained during the vessel’s 1999-2000 lay-up and reconstruction; laser measurements provided confirmation. The new ship with hull classification IX-20 was laid down June 25, 1853 and launched Aug. 25, 1854. Chris Rowsom tells the Civil War News, “Just prior to the Civil War, 1859-1861, The sloop with a 21 ft. draft and a displacement of 1,400 long tons, sailed with twenty officers, 220 sailors and marines and carried a main battery of 16 8-inch chambered shell guns and additional 32-pounder long guns, 20 and 30-pounder Parrott rifles and 12-pounder bronze boat howitzers. USS Constellation was commissioned as the flagship of the U.S. African Squadron and stationed off West Africa with the duty of capturing American-flagged ships that were engaged in the illegal slave trade. Constellation captured 3 ships, two of which were empty. The third, the barque Cora, had a human cargo of just over 700 men, women and children. While on station the squadron captured 14 ships and rescued just shy of 4,000 Africans, all of whom were transported to Liberia which at that time was a U.S. Protectorate. By the time Constellation was relieved and on her way home, Fort Sumter had fallen and the crew, who had all received newspapers and letters from home talking about the crisis, was dividing along north-south lines. They still worked hard as a crew to get the ship home, but upon arrival in Portsmouth, N.H. on 28 Sept. 1861, each went their separate ways.” [editorial comment – that may have been true for the officers but the seaman did not have that opportunity unless they deserted.] After her warship duties ended in 1865, she became a training ship at the U.S. Naval Academy in1871, and was then subsequently decommissioned in 1933. Recommissioned as a national symbol in 1940, and struck from the Naval Vessel Registry Aug. 15, 1955, Constellation remains a popular museum ship for visitors to Baltimore and a true ‘living classroom’ for area students. The Constellation is the last remaining ship afloat that was active during the Civil War and the Navy’s last designed and constructed sail-only warship, said the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Public Affairs.

The designated National Historic Landmark can be toured at Constellation Dock, Pier 1, at 301 Pratt St., Baltimore. See http:// historicships.org or call 410-5391797 for information and events. Joan Wenner, J.D. has contributed for many years to the Civil War News and The Artilleryman among other history publications and has a law degree. Comments are welcomed at joan_writer@ yahoo.com