View source for USS Constellation (1854)

{{short description|Last sail-only warship designed and built by the United States Navy}}
{{Other ships|USS Constellation}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption=nodab}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Constellation Inner Harbor.JPG
|Ship caption=''Constellation'' at Baltimore's Inner Harbor
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1955}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
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|Ship laid down=25 June 1853
|Ship launched=26 August 1854
|Ship sponsor=
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|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=28 July 1855
|Ship renamed=''Old Constellation'', 1 December 1917
}}
{{Infobox|child=yes
| label1 = Renamed
| data1 = ''Constellation'', 24 July 1926
| label2 = Decommissioned
| data2 = 16 June 1933
| label3 = Recommissioned
| data3 = 24 August 1940
| label4 = Reclassified
| data4 = Miscellaneous Unclassified (IX-20), 8 January 1941
}}{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship decommissioned=4 February 1955
|Ship struck=15 August 1955
|Ship status=[[Museum ship]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Sloop-of-war]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|1400|LT|t|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship length=
*{{convert|181|ft|m|abbr=on}} ([[length at the waterline|lwl]])
*{{convert|199|ft|m|abbr=on}} ([[length overall|loa]])
|Ship beam=
*{{convert|41|ft|m|abbr=on}} (waterline)
*{{convert|43|ft|m|abbr=on}} (maximum)
|Ship draft={{convert|21|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=Sail
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed=
|Ship range=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement=
*21 officers
*265 sailors
|Ship armament=
*16 × {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} chambered shell guns
*4 × 32-pounder (15 kg) [[Naval long gun|long guns]]
*1 × 20-pounder (9 kg) [[Parrott rifle]]
*1 × 30-pounder (14 kg) Parrott rifle
*3 × 12-pounder (5 kg) bronze boat [[howitzer]]s
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| embed                = yes
| name                 = USS ''Constellation'' (Frigate)
| nrhp_type            = nhl
| image                = USS Constellation-1.jpg
| caption              =
| image_size           = 300
| location             = [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]]
| coordinates          = {{coord|39|17|07.9|N|76|36|40.3|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin             =
| map_width            = 300
| area                 =
| built                =
| architect            =
| architecture         =
| designated_nrhp_type = 23 May 1963<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=697&ResourceType=Structure
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605234813/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=697&ResourceType=Structure
|archive-date=2011-06-05
 |title=Constellation, USS (Frigate)
 |work=National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL)
 |publisher=[[National Park Service]]
 |access-date=4 May 2010
 }}</ref>
| added                = 15 October 1966
| refnum               = 66000918<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}
|}
'''USS ''Constellation''''' is a [[sloop-of-war]], the last sail-only warship designed and built by the [[United States Navy]]. She was built at the [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard|Gosport Shipyard]] between 1853 and 1855. She was named for the earlier [[frigate]] [[USS Constellation (1797)|of the same name]] that had been [[ship breaking|broken up]] in 1853. The sloop's primary armament was {{convert|8|in|adj=on|0}} [[Paixhans gun|shell-firing guns]] and four 32-pounder [[Naval long gun|long guns]], though she carried other guns as well, including two [[Parrott rifle]] [[chase gun]]s. ''Constellation''{{'}}s career as a front-line unit was relatively short; after entering service in 1855, she served with the [[Mediterranean Squadron (United States)|Mediterranean Squadron]] until 1858, and in 1859, she was assigned as the [[flagship]] of the [[Africa Squadron]], where she served with the [[African Slave Trade Patrol]]. During the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865), the ship returned to the Mediterranean to patrol for [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] vessels. In late 1864, she returned to the United States to be [[ship commissioning|decommissioned]], as most of her crews' enlistments had expired. She spent the rest of the war out of service.

''Constellation'' was recommissioned in 1871 for use as a [[training ship]], being used for shooting practice and training cruises for [[midshipmen]]. She filled this role for twenty-two years, and during this period, she saw a number of other activities, including transporting exhibits for the 1878 [[Exposition Universelle (1878)|Exposition Universelle]] in Paris and carrying food to Ireland during the [[Irish Famine (1879)|1879 Irish famine]]. She was reduced to a stationary training [[hulk (ship type)|hulk]] in late 1893, being moored in [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]] for the next twenty years. During this period, the mistaken belief that the two ''Constellation''s were one and the same arose, and she was presented as such in 1914 during the centennial of the writing of "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", the [[national anthem]] of the United States. Briefly renamed '''''Old Constellation''''' in 1917 to free the name for a new [[battlecruiser]] of the {{sclass|Lexington|battlecruiser|4}}, she reverted to her original name when the battlecruiser was scrapped in 1925. ''Constellation'' was recommissioned in 1940 as part of the build-up in anticipation of the United States' entry into [[World War II]], during which she served as the port flagship of the commander of the [[United States Fleet Forces Command|Atlantic Fleet]].

Proposals to restore the vessel as a [[museum ship]] had been submitted already in the 1930s, but work began in earnest after World War II. Shortages of funds prevented her transfer to the city of [[Baltimore]], Maryland until 1955. Operating under the mistaken belief that she was the original ''Constellation'', the organization responsible for the ship modified her to match the earlier vessel's appearance during a refit in the late 1950s and early 1960s. During this period, a controversy arose over the vessel's identity that lasted into the 1990s, when new research definitively proved that the ''Constellation'' [[ceremonial ship launching|launched]] in 1797 and the 1854-launched vessel were distinct ships. Periodic repairs have been carried out since the mid-1990s to repair rotted wood. ''Constellation'' remains open to the public as part of the [[Historic Ships in Baltimore]] in the city's [[Inner Harbor]], having been designated a [[National Historic Landmark]].

==Design and construction==
From 1816 to the 1830s, the Navy accumulated extensive stocks of [[live oak]] timbers for use in new warship construction under the provisions of the Act for the Gradual Increase of the Navy of the United States, passed in 1816. In the early 1850s, the Navy decided to build a new sail-powered ship using these existing stockpiles, calling for a [[sloop-of-war]] that would be fast, with a long endurance, and sufficiently armed to be capable of engaging other warships of her type. This would produce a capable warship while keeping costs low since the material used was already on hand and an expensive steam engine would not be required. Chief Constructor [[John Lenthall (shipbuilder)|John Lenthall]] prepared the design, along with Edward Delano, the constructor of the [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard|Gosport Shipyard]]. In June 1853, Lenthall completed the hull half model, which was necessary to scale up the design and to prepare the necessary hull timbers. During this period, the new vessel's namesake, {{USS|Constellation|1797|2}}, was in the process of being [[ship breaking|broken up]] a short distance away in the Gosport yard.<ref name=FouledAnchors/>

Beginning in May 1853, work on assembling the timbers commenced, as the shipyard workers prepared to start construction of the new sloop-of-war. The vessel's [[keel]] was [[keel laying|laid down]] on 25 June 1853, using material from the oak stockpile; her [[sternpost]] was erected on 27 August, and her [[Stem (ship)|stem]] followed a couple of weeks later. She was [[ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 26 August 1854 at 11:45. [[Fitting-out]] work then commenced, which included the installation of her masts, rigging, and armament.<ref name=FouledAnchors/>

===Characteristics===
''Constellation'' is {{convert|181|ft}} [[length at the waterline|long at the waterline]] and {{convert|199|ft}} [[length overall|long overall]]. She has a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|41|ft}} at the waterline, and is {{convert|43|ft}} across at her widest point. Her maximum [[draft (hull)|draft]] is {{convert|21|ft}} at a full load [[displacement (ship)|displacement]] of {{convert|1400|LT|t|0}}. The ship's crew numbered 21&nbsp;officers and 265&nbsp;enlisted men.<ref name=NVR/>

In her original configuration, ''Constellation'' was armed with a battery of sixteen {{convert|8|in|adj=on|0}} shell-firing guns and four 32-pounder guns mounted on her [[gun deck]] in the [[main battery]]. On her [[spar deck]], she carried a pair of [[chase gun]]s; a 30-pounder [[Parrott rifle]] was placed in the [[bow (watercraft)|bow]] and a 20-pounder Parrott rifle was placed in the [[stern]]. She also carried three 12-pounder boat [[howitzer]]s.<ref name=HSNA>{{cite web|url=http://www.hnsa.org/hnsa-ships/united-states-sloop-of-war-constellation/|title=United States Sloop of War ''Constellation''|website=Historic Naval Ships Association|access-date=8 September 2017|date=12 May 2014|archive-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819192043/http://www.hnsa.org/hnsa-ships/united-states-sloop-of-war-constellation/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Service history==
[[File:Ballou's USS Constellation 1859.png|thumb|left|Engraving of ''Constellation'' in dry dock, c. 1859]]
''Constellation'' was commissioned on 28 July 1855, under the command of Captain [[Charles H. Bell (naval officer)|Charles H. Bell]]. She immediately departed for a tour with the [[Mediterranean Squadron (United States)|Mediterranean Squadron]] that lasted three years. During this period, she stopped in [[Málaga]], Spain in July 1856 to protect American nationals in the area during a period of civil unrest. Later that year, she came to the aid of a [[barque]] in the [[Sea of Marmara]]; the ship received an official thanks from the [[Emperor of Austria]]. On 17 April 1858, she left the Mediterranean Squadron for a short patrol in the [[Caribbean Sea]] to protect American shipping in the region. On 5 June she returned to the [[New York Navy Yard]] before proceeding to Boston, where she was decommissioned on 13 August.<ref name=DANFS>{{cite DANFS| title = Constellation II (Sloop-of-War)| url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/constellation-ii.html| access-date = 21 August 2017| date = 9 February 2004}}</ref>

In June 1859, she recommissioned for service with the [[Africa Squadron]], where she served as the squadron [[flagship]], under the command of Captain [[Thomas Aloysius Dornin]]. She arrived off the mouth of the [[Congo River]] on 21 November, where she began operating as part of the [[African Slave Trade Patrol]]. As part of its efforts to end the [[Atlantic slave trade]], the Navy awarded prize money for each slave ship captured, along with a $25 bounty for each slave that was freed; these prizes were divided among the crew, based on rank. On 29 December, she captured the [[brig]] ''Delicia'' that had no papers and was fitted to carry slaves in her [[Hold (compartment)|hold]]. On 26 September 1860, ''Constellation'' captured the barque ''Cora'', which had 705 slaves aboard, who were then released in [[Monrovia]], Liberia. The Navy impounded ''Cora'' and sold her at an auction.<ref name=DANFS/>

===Civil War===
A week after the [[Battle of Fort Sumter]], which began the [[American Civil War]], President [[Abraham Lincoln]] declared a blockade of all ports of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] on 19 April 1861. A month later, on 21 May, ''Constellation'' captured another slave ship, again without any slaves aboard. In August, the Navy recalled ''Constellation'', and she arrived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 28 September. She was dispatched to the Mediterranean on 11 March 1862 to patrol for Confederate [[commerce raider]]s attempting to attack Union merchant shipping, since her sails provided much greater endurance than steam-powered warships of the day. Commanded by Captain [[Henry Thatcher]], ''Constellation'' arrived in the Mediterranean on 19 April. Over the course of the following two years, she patrolled the Mediterranean, but saw little action apart from the blockade of the [[blockade runner]] and commerce raider {{ship|CSS|Sumter}} that was [[:wikt:laid up|laid up]] in [[Gibraltar]] in need of repairs and refueling. She also blocked the [[Confederate Navy]] from taking possession of {{SS|Southerner}} in Italy.<ref name=DANFS/>

In May 1864, ''Constellation'' departed the Mediterranean, bound for the [[West Indies]]; Thatcher reasoned that since his ship was known to be patrolling the Mediterranean, and there were no other similar warships in the Navy, that he would be able to surprise Confederate cruisers and blockade runners. Admiral [[David Farragut]] recalled ''Constellation'' on 27 November; while en route, she chased a blockade runner but was unable to catch her. She reached [[Fort Monroe]], Virginia on 25 December, and most of her crew, whose enlistments had ended, were discharged. Without a crew to man the vessel, ''Constellation'' spent the remainder of the war as a receiving ship based in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]; she continued in this role until 1869.<ref name=DANFS/>

===Post-war===
[[File:Constellation, 1926 - NARA - 513001.jpg|thumb|left|''Constellation'' in 1926]]

On 25 May 1871, ''Constellation'' was recommissioned for [[midshipmen]] training cruises; this was a duty she performed for the next 22 years. In 1871–1872, she was rearmed with eight {{convert|9|in|adj=on|sp=us}} [[Dahlgren gun]]s, plus one 100-pound Parrott rifle and one {{convert|11|in|adj=on|sp=us}} Dahlgren gun, which would also allow her to be used as a gunnery [[training ship]]. From March to July 1878, ''Constellation'' was used to transfer exhibits to France for the [[Exposition Universelle (1878)|Exposition Universelle]] in Paris. On 10 November 1879, she was sent to Gibraltar with a cargo of stores and a replacement crew for the Mediterranean Squadron flagship.<ref name=DANFS/>

She was around the [[Azores]] on 24 November, during a week long storm, when she spotted a vessel in distress. The vessel was the [[Austro-Hungarian]]-flagged barque {{SV|Olivo||2}} in sinking condition. ''Constellation''{{'}}s boat rescued her crew and the vessel was scuttled by burning as the vessel was a hazard to navigation in her waterlogged condition. The ensign in charge of the boat was awarded the [[United States Life Saving Service]]'s [[Lifesaving Medal|Gold Lifesaving Medal]], and medals from the [[Massachusetts Humane Society]] and the New York Life Saving Benevolent Association.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015076784084&view=1up&seq=42 |title=Annual report of the United States Life Saving Service, Year ending June 30, 1880 |publisher=University of Michigan |access-date=2 December 2019}}</ref> After returning to New York, she was modified to carry a large cargo of food and other supplies to Ireland for the relief effort for the [[Irish Famine (1879)|1879 Irish famine]]. To accommodate as much food as possible, some of the ship's guns were removed, along with some of her [[ballast]]. She was able to carry more than 2,500 barrels of flour and potatoes. She left the United States in March 1880 and arrived in Queenstown (now [[Cobh]]), Ireland on 20 April, where she sent the food ashore, took on ballast, and returned to the United States, arriving in June.<ref name=DANFS/>

In September 1892, ''Constellation'' recommissioned for another unusual duty, to help assemble works of art in Gibraltar for the [[World's Columbian Exposition]]. During the cruise, she made stops in [[Naples]], Italy and [[Le Havre]], France, before returning to New York in February 1893. Another training cruise to Gibraltar followed on 3 June and ended on 29 August. She was then transferred to Annapolis, where she was decommissioned on 2 September before being towed to Norfolk for repairs. There, she was converted into a stationary training ship. She was moved to [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]] on 22 May 1894, where she remained largely in port for the next twenty years, apart from periodic trips for maintenance. This included an extensive repair in the New York Navy Yard in June 1904.<ref name=DANFS/>

In 1914, ''Constellation'' took part in celebration commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of the writing of "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", the [[national anthem]] of the United States. Then-Acting [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] ordered the Navy to restore ''Constellation'' to her appearance in 1814 (as at the time, the Navy believed this ship to have been the one launched in 1797; see the Identity controversy section below), but to limit the work to general details to reduce costs. As a result, her bridge platform, which had been installed in the 1880s, was removed, along with a [[deck house]] that had been erected in the 1890s. She was then towed to Baltimore, where she was on display from 7 September to 29 October, when she was towed to Washington, DC. She remained on display there from 31 October to 4 December. Repairs in Norfolk followed later that month, and she resumed training duties on 19 May 1915.<ref name=DANFS/>

[[File:USS Constellation (sloop, 1854) at Boston for refitting in 1947.jpg|thumb|''Constellation'' in 1947]]
''Constellation'' was renamed ''Old Constellation'' on 1 December 1917, since the name was to be used for a new {{sclass|Lexington|battlecruiser}} that had been ordered. In 1920, the Navy stopped training sailors in handling sails and rigging, significantly reducing ''Old Constellation''{{'}}s activity. On 24 July 1925, the ship reverted to her original name when the battlecruiser was scrapped under the terms of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]]. ''Constellation'' was towed to Philadelphia on 15 May 1926 and moored alongside the [[protected cruiser]] {{USS|Olympia|C-6|2}}, which had been Admiral [[George Dewey]]'s flagship at the [[Battle of Manila Bay]] during the [[Spanish–American War]] in 1898. There, on 4 July 1926, she participated in ceremonies for the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Following the celebration, she was dry-docked in Philadelphia for maintenance and then was towed back to Newport in November.<ref name=DANFS/>

The [[United States Department of the Navy|Navy Department]] ordered that ''Constellation'' be decommissioned for preservation on 16 June 1933. The Navy conducted surveys of the ship and prepared cost estimates for the work needed to restore her, but no work was done. With [[World War II]] having broken out in Europe in 1939, ''Constellation'' was recommissioned on 24 August 1940 and assigned the [[hull number]] IX-20 on 8 January 1941 as part of the United States' prewar buildup. She became the reserve flagship for Admiral [[Ernest J. King]], the commander in chief of the [[United States Fleet Forces Command|Atlantic Fleet]], until he became the [[Chief of Naval Operations]] in early 1942. King was replaced by Vice Admiral [[Royal E. Ingersoll]], who came aboard ''Constellation'' from 19 January to 20 July, when he transferred to the [[gunboat]] {{USS|Vixen|PG-53|2}}. Ingersoll returned to ''Constellation'' from 1943 to 1944. After the war in October 1946, the Navy began work on plans to turn the ship into a memorial in Boston, but lacked the funds to do the necessary work. Finally, she was decommissioned on 4 February 1955 and towed to Baltimore, where she was dry-docked for restoration by a private, non-profit organization.<ref name=DANFS/> She arrived there on 9 August, and was stricken from the [[naval register]] on 15 August.<ref name=FouledAnchors/>

==Restoration and museum ship==
[[File:USS Constellation 1994.jpg|thumb|''Constellation'' in 1994, showing her configuration before the late-1990s renovation]]

During the initial reconstruction to ready the ship for use as a museum, and under the mistaken impression that the 1797 frigate and the 1854 sloop were the same vessel, the workers reconfigured ''Constellation'' to resemble the 1797 vessel. During this period, she was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] on 23 May 1963 and was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on 15 October 1966. In 1968, she was moved to [[Baltimore]]'s [[Inner Harbor]], moored at Constellation Dock.<ref name="nris"/><ref name=FouledAnchors/><ref>{{cite web |url={{MHT url|id=22}} |title=Maryland's National Register Properties: U.S.S. Constellation |website=[[Maryland Historical Trust]] |access-date=2017-08-19}}</ref><ref name=historicships/>

By the 1990s, ''Constellation'' was in poor condition owing to a lack of maintenance for many years. Problems included [[dry rot]], compromised structural integrity, and a significant {{convert|36|in|cm}} of [[Hogging and sagging|hogging]] in her keel.<ref name=Linden>{{cite web|url=https://maritime.org/conf/conf-linden.htm|title=The Constellation Restoration Effort – After Two Years| first = Louis F. | last = Linden|date= 14 July 1997 | publisher = Constellation Foundation, Inc. | website=San Francisco Maritime National Park Association | access-date = 18 February 2020}}</ref> She was towed to a [[drydock]] at [[Locust Point, Baltimore|Locust Point]], near [[Fort McHenry]], in 1996, and a $7.3 million rebuilding and restoration project was undertaken and completed in 1999. About half of her original but badly-rotted wood was replaced.<ref name=walker04/> The restoration was funded in equal shares by private donations, the City of Baltimore, and the State of Maryland.<ref name=Linden />

In 2004, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a postage stamp commemorating the ship at the 150th anniversary of her launching; its design was based on the vessel as pictured in 1893.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=14016|title=Stamp Honors USS Constellation Anniversary|date=1 July 2004|website=Navy News|access-date=3 January 2020}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

On 26 October 2004, ''Constellation'' made her first trip out of Baltimore's Inner Harbor since 1955, and her first to Annapolis since 1893. The trip to the [[United States Naval Academy|U.S. Naval Academy]] in [[Annapolis]] took about eight hours and her visit lasted six days. While there, she was available for public tours from 27 to 31 October. The vessel was towed to and from Annapolis, as her rigging and ballast were not in a condition to allow her to sail on her own.<ref name=walker04>{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Childs |title=Constellation to visit Naval Academy, where it trained midshipmen long ago |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2004-10-13-0410130146-story.html |access-date=7 November 2019 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=13 October 2004}}</ref>

In 2011, significant rot was discovered in the ship's hull during routine maintenance; many of the affected timbers had been installed during the refit in the 1990s. After raising funds to cover the cost of the reconstruction, the ship was dry docked at the [[United States Coast Guard Yard]] just to the south of Baltimore in October 2014. The project cost about $2&nbsp;million and was completed in February 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rector|first=Kevin|title=Restoration of Constellation gives ship – and former inmates – a fresh start|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-constellation-restoration-20150205-story.html|date=6 February 2015|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> Further repairs were necessitated in mid-2016 after some hull planks were found to have rotted.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dance|first=Scott|title=USS Constellation has holes in its hull, but they're just part of historic ship's restoration|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-constellation-repairs-20160405-story.html|date=6 April 2016|access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref>

An education center was erected next to the ship as part of the museum complex, though by the late 1990s, the building was in poor condition and needed to be replaced. Efforts to begin work in 1999 and then in the 2000s failed, and the building was finally demolished in 2019. Work began on a new building, but progress was delayed significantly, in part due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] that began in 2020. The pandemic also dramatically reduced visitors to the ship, which was closed until April 2021, but by June, numbers had increased to previous levels. Construction of the new building was completed by June 2022, when it was opened to the public.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://digitaledition.baltimoresun.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=b5a5afa4-5328-41c5-9820-de4fb15f221b|access-date=25 May 2025|title= Shaping up on Waterfront: Baltimore Inner Harbor Water Taxi terminal, USS Constellation Museum Should be Finished by Early Winter, After a Year of Delays|website=baltimoresun.com|last=Campbell|first=Colin}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Gunts|first=Ed|title=After 22 Years, the USS Constellation Gains a New Education Center|date=6 June 2022 |url=https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/after-22-years-the-uss-constellation-gains-a-new-education-center/|access-date=25 May 2025|website=baltimorefishbowl.com}}</ref>

The ship is now part of [[Historic Ships in Baltimore]], which also operates the Coast Guard cutter [[USCGC Taney (WHEC-37)|WHEC-37]], the World War II [[submarine]] {{USS|Torsk|SS-423|6}}, the {{ship|lightship|Chesapeake||2|up=yes}}, and the [[Seven Foot Knoll Light]]. ''Constellation'' and her companions are major contributing elements in the [[Baltimore National Heritage Area]].<ref name="balto1">{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimorecity.gov/Portals/0/agencies/heritage/public%20downloads/neighborhoods_heritageareas.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522024255/http://www.baltimorecity.gov/Portals/0/agencies/heritage/public%20downloads/neighborhoods_heritageareas.pdf|archive-date=22 May 2013|title=Baltimore National Heritage Area Map|publisher=City of Baltimore|access-date=11 March 2012}}</ref> She is the last existing intact naval vessel that saw active service in the American Civil War,{{efn|The only other such vessel, {{USS|Constitution}}, served as a training ship and never saw combat in the Civil War. In addition, the wreck of the [[ironclad]] {{USS|Cairo}} is partially reconstructed at [[Vicksburg National Military Park]]. Parts of {{USS|Monitor}} are on display at the [[Mariners' Museum]], but the hull has not yet been raised or preserved.}} and she was the last solely wind-powered warship built by the U.S. Navy.<ref name=NVR>{{cite web|url={{Naval Vessel Register URL|IX-20}}|title=Constellation (IX 20) |access-date=21 August 2017 |date=17 August 2000 |website=Naval Vessel Register}}</ref>

==Identity controversy==
[[File:Constellation bow.JPG|thumb|''Constellation'' in 2012]]
[[File:USS Constellation (1854) at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in 2019.jpg|thumb|''Constellation'' at Baltimore's Inner Harbor in 2019]]

The city of Baltimore and the organization that maintained ''Constellation'' promoted the ship as having been the 1797 frigate and even rebuilt sections of the ship to resemble the earlier vessel. Additionally, they relied on the fact that some of the funds used to build the sloop were originally allocated to rebuild the frigate, the incorrect assertion that the keel and [[Futtock shrouds#Futtock (frame)|futtocks]] from the broken-up frigate were used in the construction of the sloop, and that at the time of her donation to the city, the Navy insisted that the vessel was the original frigate launched in 1797. They also relied on a series of forged documents that had been created in the 1960s to support their position.<ref name=FouledAnchors/> The amateur historian [[Geoffrey M. Footner]] continued to support the assertion that the ship was rebuilt in 1854 but traces its lineage to 1797.<ref>{{cite book |last=Footner |first=Geoffrey M. |title=USS Constellation: From Frigate to Sloop of War |year=2003 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis |isbn=978-1-55750-284-1}}</ref><ref name=USNI/>

Starting shortly after World War II, a controversy arose over whether the 1854 sloop was a new ship or a rebuilt version of the 1797 frigate. Naval architect [[Howard I. Chapelle]] was one of the first people to raise the issue. In his book ''The History of the American Sailing Navy'', published in 1949, he pointed out the differences in the hull dimensions of the 1797 ''Constellation'' and the 1854 ''Constellation'' as evidence that they were two different ships. He also stated that, "Unfortunately, some of the semi-official lists of American naval ships have listed [the original ''Constellation''] as though she had, in fact, been preserved and altered. This has led to many believing the sloop-of-war, which is still in existence, to be the oldest ship in the Navy and to have had a continuous identity since 1797...the only reason her register was maintained, by means of an administrative fiction, was to enable the work to be done without the need of applying to Congress for authority and funds to build an entirely new ship."<ref>{{cite book|first=Howard I.|last=Chapelle|author-link=Howard I. Chapelle|title=The History of the American Sailing Navy: The Ships and Their Development|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000chap|url-access=registration|year=1949|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000chap/page/467 467–469]}}</ref> Stephen Bockmiller and Lawrence Bopp agree with Chapelle, writing in ''USS Constellation: An Illustrated History'', that "working under the subterfuge of 'repairs,' the Navy actually began building a new ship about 900 yards from where the original ''Constellation'' was being dismantled. Thus, unwittingly, the Navy itself would originate the arguments about the authenticity of the ''Constellation''. To further compound the argument, some salvageable timbers from the original ship, particularly the ship's knees, were used in constructing the new vessel."<ref>{{cite book|first1=Stephen R.|last1=Bockmiller|first2=Lawrence J.|last2=Bopp|title=USS Constellation: An Illustrated History|page=10|location=Charleston, S.C|publisher=Tempus Pub.|year=2000|isbn=978-0-7385-0582-4}}</ref><ref name=USNI/>

In the United States Navy's deed of custody given to the city of Baltimore in 1954 to repair and display ''Constellation'', Rear Admiral John R. Hefferman assured Baltimore of its unbroken provenance, stating that "Nowhere in these records, however, is there any indication that the original ''Constellation'', launched in 1797, was in fact broken up, stranded, scrapped or otherwise disposed of, nor is there any statement authorizing or sanctioning the disposal of the ship by any means whatsoever."<ref>Letter, Adm. John R. Hefferman to James Foster, in reference to City of Baltimore and its deed of custody, a memorandum signed by the Secretary of the Navy, Dept. ref. Op-291R1/HPD; Ser1005P29, 14 May 1954.</ref> In ''USS Constellation on the Dismal Coast'', published in 2013, C. Herbert Gilliland wrote, " For much of the twentieth century, this ship was believed to be the 1797 frigate ''Constellation''. In fact, however, when the 1797 frigate was being dismantled at the Gosport Navy Yard near Norfolk, Virginia, work was beginning on the 1854 sloop, likely reusing some timber from the old ship in building this very new one. The misidentification was maintained by deliberate deception, apparently to enhance the likelihood of the ship's being preserved as a historic relic. Naval records and the evidence from the extant ship's hull, though, make it clear that the vessel floating today dates from 1854."<ref>{{cite book |contributor-last=Gilliland |contributor-first=C. Herbert |editor=Gilliland |last=Leonard |first=William Ambrose |title=USS Constellation on the Dismal Coast: Willie Leonard's Journal, 1859–1861 |date=2013 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-61117-290-4|contribution=Prologue}}</ref>

In September 1991, researchers Dana M. Wegner and Colan Ratliff from the [[David Taylor Research Center]] and Kevin Lynaugh, from the [[Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center]], published an exhaustive report on the question.<ref name=FouledAnchors/><ref name=Lynaugh/> Their research noted several key pieces of historical evidence that the two ships were not the same vessel. This included the fact that the timbers from the dismantled 1797 ''Constellation'' were auctioned off after the ship-breaking process ended in September 1853, the fact that the keel-laying for the 1854 ship had been done in June 1853, before the 1797 ship had been dismantled completely, and building records that meticulously accounted for each piece of timber that was used to build the new ship; in fact, only 204 oak knees were re-used, but these came from existing stocks, not the original vessel and they stated that, "There was no evidence that any material was transferred directly from the old ship to the new." In March 1989, they had come upon the builder's [[Half hull model ship|half-hull model]] of ''Constellation'' in the [[U.S. Naval Academy Museum]]. This was important because half-hull models are only built for new designs, not rebuilds, and the use of half-hull models was not introduced until after 1797. The authors conclude that this is definitive evidence that the vessel launched in 1854 was new, as it was "impossible to accurately scale down the form of an existing ship to model format," and that "a new half model would not have been employed by Lenthall unless he was forging a fully new design."<ref name=FouledAnchors/><ref name=USNI>{{cite journal |last1=Doane |first1=Rob |last2=Kaurin |first2=Pauline Shanks |last3=Wilson |first3=Evan |title=The ''Constellation'' and the Navy's Culture |journal=Proceedings |date=October 2024 |volume=150 |issue=10 |pages=73–76 |publisher=United States Naval Institute |location=Annapolis, Maryland}}</ref>

[[File:USS Constellation (1854) 1n 2019.jpg|left|thumb|''Constellation'' in 2019]]

In addition to evaluating the half model, the researchers also reviewed all the evidence used in the debate to date. With the help of [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] and [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives|BATF]] forensics investigators, they concluded that some 25 to 30 documents supporting the ship being a rebuild were forgeries. In 1991, they published their findings and conclusion that the current ''Constellation'' and the original frigate are two different ships. The authors did not agree with Chapelle, however, over the nature of the new ship's construction; they pointed out that the Act for the Gradual Increase authorized the Navy to build new ships from the oak acquired under its provisions, so there was no need to subvert Congress's authority on the matter.<ref name=FouledAnchors>{{cite report |title=Fouled Anchors: The ''Constellation'' Question Answered |last1=Wegner|first1=Dana M. |first2=Colan |last2=Ratliff |first3=Kevin |last3=Lynaugh |date=September 1991 |publisher=[[David Taylor Research Center]] |location=Bethesda |id=DTRC-91/CT06 |url=https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/NSWC_Carderock/fouled_anchors-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011005244/http://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/NSWC_Carderock/fouled_anchors-1.pdf |archive-date=2016-10-11 |access-date=4 July 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Lynaugh summarized the report in a separate article published in 1993, ''Discussion of the Origins of the Frigate and the Sloop Constellation'', and concluded that "though not built in Baltimore in 1797, the present ship was the last sail-only powered warship designed and built by the U.S. Navy. As such, it is a rare artifact of first importance and truly deserves to be preserved and displayed for the American public."<ref name=Lynaugh>{{cite book |last=Lynaugh |first=K.M. |editor-last=Latorre |editor-first=Robert G. |article=Discussion of the Origins of the Frigate and the Sloop Constellation |title=Proceedings of the Twenty-Third American Towing Tank Conference |location=Washington DC |publisher=National Academy Press |date=1993 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hIsrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA355|page=355}}</ref>

Indeed, the ''[[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]]'' (DANFS), the official reference work for vessels of the US Navy, has exemplified and evolved with this identity controversy. In its 1969 edition it stated that the original ''Constellation'' was "Laid up in ordinary at Norfolk from 1845 through 1853, she was found to be greatly in need of extensive repair. Thus, in 1854 she was brought into the yard and, in keeping with the needs of the time, modified into a 22-gun sloop-of-war."<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Constellation |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofamer02wash#page/170/mode/2up |title=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |volume=II |page=171 |year=1969 |orig-date=1963 |edition=reprint w/ corrections |location=Washington |publisher=U.S. Navy, Naval History Division }}</ref> By its 2004 edition this had been modified to state the original ''Constellation'' was broken up at Norfolk in 1853.<ref>{{cite DANFS| title = Constellation I (Frigate)| url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/constellation-i.html| access-date = 18 August 2017| date = 9 February 2004}}</ref>

For its part, Historic Ships in Baltimore, the organization that operates the museum of which ''Constellation'' is a part, does not present the ship as having been the original vessel. They instead acknowledge that the first vessel was broken up in 1853, and present the accounts provided by more recent editions of DANFS.<ref name=historicships>{{cite web|url=https://historicships.org/explore/uss-constellation|title=USS Constellation|publisher=Historic Ships in Baltimore|access-date=6 July 2021}}</ref> Its predecessor organization, the U.S.F. Constellation Foundation, had maintained the opposite policy until its board resigned in 1994 and was replaced by advocates of the new-ship school of thought.<ref name=Linden /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1995/05/16/in-bid-to-attract-donors-usf-constellation-foundation-changes-its-name/|title=In bid to attract donors, U.S.F. Constellation Foundation changes its name|first=Frank D. | last = Roylance|date=16 May 1995|work=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoremd.com/monuments/sea02.html|title=A Maritime Point of View – Unravelling the History of a Storied Ship| first = Christopher T. | last = George | date= 1998 |website=Baltimore A Link to the City}}</ref>

==Awards==
*[[Civil War Campaign Medal]]
*[[Spanish Campaign Medal]]
*[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Medal]]
*[[American Defense Service Medal]]
*[[American Campaign Medal]]
*[[World War II Victory Medal]]
*[[National Defense Service Medal]]

==See also==
*[[List of sloops of war of the United States Navy]]
*[[Bibliography of early American naval history]]
*[[Ship of Theseus]]

==Notes==
{{notes}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

*{{navsource|09/46/46020|USS Constellation}}
*{{HAER|survey=MD-168|id=md1856|title=USS Constellation, Pier 1, 301 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD|color=1|cap=1}}
*{{cite web
|url={{NHLS url|id=66000918}}
|title=National Register of Historic Places – Inventory Nomination Form / Constellation
|last=Mendinghall
|first=Joseph Scott
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|date=25 February 1975
|access-date=2012-10-28
}}
*{{cite web
|url={{NHLS url|id=66000918|photos=y}}
|title=Accompanying Photos
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|access-date=2012-10-28
}}

{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland}}
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)}}
{{Maryland in the Civil War}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constellation (1854)}}
[[Category:Inner Harbor, Baltimore]]
[[Category:Museum ships in Baltimore]]
[[Category:Ships of the Union Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Norfolk, Virginia]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Maryland]]
[[Category:Sloops of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Maryland in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Baltimore]]
[[Category:Training ships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:United States Naval Academy]]
[[Category:1854 ships]]
[[Category:Individual sailing vessels]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in Maryland]]
[[Category:Baltimore National Heritage Area]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore]]