After the costly Revolutionary War, the young United States was unable to afford to maintain a Continental Navy and disbanded its fleet. Yet, a brief 11 years later, the threat of Barbary pirates off the coast of North Africa sparked the Naval Act of 1794, authorizing the construction of six frigates to protect American merchants in the Mediterranean. Among this humble fleet was the USS Constitution, a heavy frigate that would go on to fight the British during the War of 1812.

Designed by naval architect Joshua Humphreys, the USS Constitution was considered one of the most advanced ships of its day. With innovative features like diagonal riders supporting the ship’s structure and a hull constructed from a combination of live oak and white oak, this remarkable vessel boasted exceptional strength and resilience. These cutting-edge design elements allowed the Constitution to hold its own in many battles, but building the ship was a struggle all its own.

After President Washington approved building a new American Navy, the six frigates’ construction were assigned to Portsmouth (NH), New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Portsmouth (VA), and Boston, where Constitution was built. Hundreds of oak, cedar, and pine trees were felled and transported to these shipyards, where they were arduously cut lengthwise and shaped into the ships’ skeletons. When Constitution was ready in 1797, it took three attempts to launch the heavy ship into the ocean, ultimately hitting water on October 21. The Constitution’s career had finally begun.

It was during the War of 1812 that the Constitution won its most famous battle when it destroyed the HMS Guerriere. The two ships first met in July, when the Guerriere pursued the Constitution until the Americans secured a narrow escape. On August 19, the two ships met again off the coast of Nova Scotia, but this time the Constitution took the advantage.

The rival British ship was wrecked by the Constitution in a hail of musket fire and cannonballs, then burned rather than take back to port. During the battle, some of the British’s cannonballs glanced off the side of the Constitution, much to the delight of the American sailors who nicknamed the ship Old Ironsides after the event.

While the battle itself was only a minor strategic success, it was a major morale boost to the fledgling Navy and the American public. The beloved ship was spared from being scrapped after its commission was up, ultimately being converted into a floating museum in 1907. The ship fell into dilapidation, but through a nationwide campaign in the 1920s, private funds were raised to save the Constitution, totaling around 10 million dollars in today’s currency.

To preserve the Constitution, a majority of the ship’s original material had to be replaced, making the Constitution a bonafide Ship of Theseus. The ship still stands today in Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard, the oldest floating ship in the world. In 2012, it sailed again to commemorate the battle with the Guerriere, two hundred years before.