I+CANT+BELIEVE+ITS+NOT+IRON

=[|Letter1] Article written by: Kelsey Ann Ewart = = = = = =__Old Ironsides __= ** her tattered ensign down! Long has it waved on high, And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky;  it rung the battle shout, And burst the cannon's roar;-- The meteor of the ocean air Shall sweep the clouds no more. **  **  deck, once red with heroes' blood, knelt the vanquished foe, When winds were hurrying o'er the flood, And waves were white below, No more shall feel the victor's tread, Or know the conquered knee;-- harpies of the shore shall pluck The eagle of the sea!  ** **Oh, ** ** better that her shattered bulk Should sink beneath the wave; Her thunders shook the mighty deep, there should be her grave; Nail to the mast her holy flag, Set every threadbare sail, And give her to the god of storms, The lightning and the gale! **

__USS Constitution; Old Ironsides: __

Our very own naval veteran, USS Constitution, other known as Old Ironsides. She was named after the great US Constitution. She became very successful and has brought the United States many victories. Through this intricate war our beautiful war ship has fought sturdy and continuously to defend her country. She has been present in many other battles facing top notch British war ships such as: HMS Guerriere and HMS Java, but they didn’t compare to the ironsides on USS Constitution. Many believed Old Ironsides was made from iron because cannonballs couldn’t penetrate her bold walls, but in actuality she was made from the southern live oak, which is very dense wood weighing 75 pounds per cubic foot. She was practically invincible on the perilous sea. This ship was built in 1797 in Edmond Hartt Shipyard, Boston, Massachusetts. She was able to carried more than 450 crew member and never gave up. This article is to show everyone what a real hero is like. She may not be alive, but she is the bravest ship I've ever seen.

__Battle of Guerriere: __
On August 19, 1812 Captain Isaac Hull and his 476 men of the navy along with the Royal Navy came across the war ship Guerriere. Old Ironsides held her fire till they were nearly 25 yards apart when the battle began. As half an hour passed we began aiming for the foe’s starboard beam and its mizzen mast.

<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The first figure demonstrates where the starboard beam is. The second picture shows where the mizzen mask is, (Number 3). This soon toppled over causing the ship to go down hill from there. Our ship collided 3 times and practically demolished Guerriere. The British ship was soon set on fire and left to sink. During the battle British suffered losing 21 and 57 wounded people when we only had 9 killed and 13 wounded. As you can see USS Constitution’s victory made us very proud.

**__<span style="display: block; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 22pt; text-align: center;">Battle of Java: __**
<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Guerriere was not the only major battle our Ironsides faced so far, but she also defeated a British ship named, HMS Java. She was set on the black Atlantic sea shortly after Christmas on December 29th; she spotted a ship very similar to Guerriere. This war was fought long and hard until another victory was gained for the USA. This is a letter written by Lieutenant Henry D. Chads from the Royal navy writing to the secretary of the admiralty, John W. Croker on December 31st, 1812. It explains what happened during the battle and his feelings. Click the link at the top of the page labeled "Letter 1" to view the letter. Also in this letter he describes the outcome of the battle when he writes, "PS. The //Constitution// has also suffered severely, both in her rigging and men having her Fore and Mizen masts, main topmast, both main topsailyards, Spanker boom, Gaff & trysail mast badly shot, and the greatest part of the standing rigging very much damaged with ten men killed. The Commodore, 5 Lieuts and 46 men wounded four of whom are since dead." -letter 1, Lt. Henry D Chads.