The USS Constitution is the most famous ship in Boston history, and perhaps in the history of the US Navy. When the Navy was reborn in 1794, the Constitution was among the first fleet of frigates that made up its backbone. A decade later, the USS Constitution would earn a brilliant, nearly flawless record of naval combat against the British in the war of 1812, and today it stands as the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world and the last American ship to sink an enemy in a ship-to-ship duel. However, the Constitution’s origins were far from flawless. It was part of a procurement program that was nearly cancelled, and the famous frigate was almost scrapped before it was even completed. After it was rescued and completed, the USS Constitution took not one, not two, but three attempts to successfully launch.

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