'Old Ironsides': USS Constitution gets underway, if just around the harbor
A Coast Guard Station Boston law enforcement team provides security for the USS Constitution, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 as it sails in Boston Harbor. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi/Coast Guard)
BOSTON — The newly refurbished USS Constitution has taken its first spin in three years.
Friday’s joyride from Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston to Fort Independence on Castle Island celebrated the U.S. Navy’s 242nd birthday and the 220th anniversary of the iconic vessel’s maiden voyage.
The world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat fired a 21-gun salute in the waters off the fort. Its cannons boomed another 17 times as it passed the U.S. Coast Guard station, the former site of the shipyard where the Constitution was built and launched in 1797.
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The USS Constitution passes in front of the Boston skyline, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, in Boston. The newly refurbished ship, nicknamed Old Ironsides, took its first spin since October 2014 to celebrate the 220th anniversary of the iconic vessel's maiden voyage. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
A Coast Guard Station Boston law enforcement team provides security for the USS Constitution, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 as it sails in Boston Harbor. The USS Constitution originally launched in 1797 and is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi/Coast Guard)
Crewmembers of the USS Constitution sit in the ships rigging, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 as it sails in Boston Harbor. The USS Constitution originally launched in 1797 and is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi/Coast Guard)
Crewmembers of the USS Constitution sit in the ships rigging, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 as it sails in Boston Harbor. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi/Coast Guard)
Sailors man the rigging of the USS Constitution off Castle Island during a 21-gun salute, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
A Coast Guard Station Boston law enforcement team provides security for the USS Constitution, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 as it sails in Boston Harbor. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi/Coast Guard)
The USS Constitution heads back to dock, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, in Boston. The newly refurbished ship, nicknamed Old Ironsides, took its first spin since October 2014 to celebrate the 220th anniversary of the iconic vessel's maiden voyage. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
The USS Constitution passes in front of the Boston skyline, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, in Boston. The newly refurbished ship, nicknamed Old Ironsides, took its first spin since October 2014 to celebrate the 220th anniversary of the iconic vessel's maiden voyage. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
The USS Constitution heads towards Castle Island in Boston Harbor for a 21-gun salute, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
A Coast Guard Station Boston law enforcement team provides security for the USS Constitution, Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 as it sails in Boston Harbor. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi/Coast Guard)
It is the warship’s first time underway since October 2014.
The ship earned the nickname Old Ironsides during the War of 1812 with Britain.
Included in the awards and decorations the now-sergeant deceptively wore were the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon and Joint Meritorious Unit Award.
