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N0KFQ > TODAY 21.10.15 16:00l 37 Lines 1397 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 70714_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Oct 21
Path: IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<JE7YGF<N9PMO<NS2B<N0KFQ
Sent: 151021/1455Z 70714@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.64
1797
USS Constitution launched
The USS Constitution, a 44-gun U.S. Navy frigate built to fight
Barbary pirates off the coast of Tripoli, is launched in Boston
Harbor. The vessel performed commendably during the Barbary
conflicts, and in 1805 a peace treaty with Tripoli was signed on
the Constitution`s deck.
During the War of 1812, the Constitution won its enduring
nickname "Old Ironsides" after defeating the British warship
Guerriére in a furious engagement off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Witnesses claimed that the British shots merely bounced off the
Constitution`s sides, as if the ship were made of iron rather
than wood. The success of the Constitution against the supposedly
invincible Royal Navy provided a tremendous morale boost for the
young American republic.
In 1855, the Constitution retired from active military service,
but the famous vessel continued to serve the United States, first
as a training ship and later as a touring national landmark.
Since 1934, it has been based at the Charlestown Navy Yard in
Boston. Over the years, Old Ironsides has enjoyed a number of
restorations, the most recent of which was completed in 1997,
allowing it to sail for the first time in 116 years. Today, the
Constitution is one of the world's oldest commissioned warship
afloat.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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