USS Constellation (1855)

History of the USS Constellation (1855)

The keel of the new USS Constellation was laid when the original USS Constellation was decommissioned from the United States Navy (USN). The original ship, a 38-door frigate launched in 1797, rose to prominence through two Barbary Wars, a quasi-war with France, the 1812 war against England, and several anti-piracy campaigns in North Africa.

Now that her seafaring days are over, a new, more modern ship has risen to her place and her name.

The 1854 USS Constellation was designed as a "war sloop", displaying her primary armament on the single-gun deck. The armament revolves around a 16 x 8" howitzer as the main gun, 4 x 32 pound long guns as the secondary gun, 1 x 20 pound Parrott rifle, 1 x 30 pound Parrott rifle and 3 x 12 pound-bronze howitzer cords for close quarters combat The gear was typical of the era, set on three mainmasts - she was a pure sail propulsion warship.

The ship displaces 1,400 long tons and carries a typical combat crew of 285, including 45 naval contingents. Dimensions include a length of 200 feet, a beam of 41 feet, and a draft of 21 feet.

Her keel was laid on 25 June 1853 and launched on 26 August 1854. Commissioned into the U.S. Navy on July 28, 1855, Constellation played an active role in two decommissioning operations until 1940.

In the vastness of U.S. naval history, the USS Constellation has a notable footnote: she was the last full-sail propulsion warship built for service.

For her early service, USS Constellation was part of the United States Mediterranean Squadron and was active in that role from 1855 to 1858. Then came the anti-slavery campaign from 1859 to 1861. With the outbreak of the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865, the ship was used against Confederate ships in Mediterranean waters. She survived the war and served in several non-aggressive roles during the second half of the 1870s, participating in World War I (1914-1918) as a training platform for the U.S.

Navy. For decades, she refused to retire and managed to hold on until the 1930s, when she officially retired and awaited her fate in 1933, when steel battleships now ruled the seas.

In 1940, as the war brought the war into Europe through World War II (1939-1945), President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the re-enactment of the Constitution, primarily as a propaganda measure. For the remainder of the war, she served in the Atlantic Fleet and other non-combat roles as a reserve flagship while remaining in the United States.

The USS Constellation ended in 1945, and the USS Constellation, along with the USS Constitution, was transferred to Boston waters, where she rested until 1954 (still a commissioned USN warship). She was last decommissioned on February 4, 1955, her name was removed from the Naval Register in August, and the ship moved to Baltimore, where she resided at Constellation Pier.

The USS Constellation received landmark status in May 1963 and took its place in Baltimore as a floating museum - the only intact Civil War-era warship in existence.

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