A Little Bit of History

Old Warrior Again Underway (washingtonpost.com)

The Constellation, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of its launch this year, was venturing out of Baltimore's harbor for the first time since her arrival there in 1955. Yet the old sloop of war was a fettered beauty. The gorgeous double-wheeled, teak-and-mahogany helm was lashed with the crown spoke pointing straight up, and the rudder amidships. The capstan bars were stowed. And the mizzenmast, mainmast and foremast were missing the canvas the ship was built to carry.

I toured the Constellation when I was about 10 years old, and it was one of the great thrills of my young life. I loved sailing ships growing up: I read C.S. Forester and I built models. The Constellation — often confused with one the first ships built for U.S. Navy in 1797 bearing the same name — was in fact the last ship powered entirely by sail built for the U.S. Navy just before the Civil War, according to the Post article. Of course, the Post should be read with a grain of salt; even I know that a square-rigged ship is not a sloop.