Animals–both real, and used in ship terminology–always lived among the sailors on USS Constitution. From dragons to jaguars to raging eagles, this episode explores the animal kingdom on board. A Sailor’s Life, Live! was a virtual series produced in 2020.
We’re unpacking our seabag to learn about 1812 sailor uniforms! See the different uniforms- from the enlisted men to the captain – and the symbolism of this historical clothing. A Sailor’s Life, Live! was a virtual series produced in 2020.
From a bone saw to “biting the bullet,” this episodes describes medical practices on USS Constitution. A Sailor’s Life, Live! was a virtual series produced in 2020.
Do you have a good luck charm? USS Constitution sailors had their superstitions too. In this episode, find out what brought them good luck and bad luck at sea. A Sailor’s Life, Live! was a virtual series produced in 2020.
USS Constitution crew members share what it’s like being away from their families while serving in the Navy. Interviews were conducted by the USS Constitution Museum in 2019.
A culinary specialist assigned to USS Constitution shares how the U.S. Navy feeds a crew today. The interview was conducted by the USS Constitution Museum in 2019.
USS Constitution crew members describe what it’s like climbing high up the mast and working the sails. Interviews were conducted by the USS Constitution Museum in 2019.
What “school supplies” did midshipmen use when learning to become naval officers in the 1800s? Find out in this video.
Pay allotments were a way for sailors to provide a small but steady income to their families until their return home. Learn more in this video.
Bibles were often found on 19th century naval vessels, since Bible societies gave out cheap editions of the religious work. In this video, learn more about two Bibles from the USS Constitution Museum collection.
USS Constitution sailors received 14 ounces of “bread” per day during the War of 1812. But it wasn’t like the bread we know today! Learn more in this video.
This video shows how one couple, Purser Thomas Chew and his wife, Abigail, endured the stress of wartime separation while he was away at sea.
“Day or night” telescopes were commonly used aboard ships in the early 1800s. The large objective lens was designed to increase the amount of light allowed in, making dim images at night appear visible from a distance. Learn more in this video.
Decanters–for pouring wine–were often found in the wardrooms of well-to-do officers on early 19th century ships, along with other fancy tableware. Learn more in this video.
USS Constitution sailors began their day with a chore: scrubbing the decks clean and smooth with slabs of gritty rock known as holystones. Learn more in this video.
How did sailors in the Age of Sail figure out a ship’s position in the open ocean? They used a sextant, a navigational tool that measures the angles between the horizon and the sun at noon to determine a ship’s latitude. Learn more in this video.
Speaking trumpets helped captains and officers communicate aboard naval warships in the 1800s. Learn more in this video.
Watch, quarter, and station bills showed the names of individual sailors and all their assignments on board a ship. Learn more in this video.
Flogging was a form of severe corporal punishment on board vessels in the United States Navy through the first half of the 19th century. Offenders were tied to the ship’s rail and whipped with nine knotted cords, known as a cat o’ nine tails. Learn more in this video.
The 450 sailors aboard USS Constitution in the early 1800s slept in shifts on the berth deck in hammocks. These were preferable to fixed bunks, because of the tight space below decks and constant rolling movement of the ship.
Naval surgeons in the early 19th century were responsible for tending to sick and injured sailors while at sea. They carried kits with them filled with the best surgical tools of the era. In this video, learn more and hear from a modern hospital corpsman serving on USS Constitution today.
Ship operations at sea continued 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. A ship’s bell, tolling every half-hour, day and night, marked the passage of time for the crew. Learn more in this video.
Letter writing was an essential form of communication in the 19th century, and wax seals were a way to authenticate correspondence and ensure that letters remained unopened and unread in transit. Learn about Captain Isaac Hull’s gold fob and personal seal in this video.
After serving in the War of 1812, Pardon Mawney Whipple was promoted to lieutenant in 1820. Learn about his officer’s cocked hat and pommel sword in this video.
Midshipmen were the young officers-in-training in the US Navy. Pardon Mawney Whipple, a midshipman on USS Constitution, kept a letterbook to remember his time at sea from 1813 to 1820.
Imagine going to sea for two years and everything you needed had to fit in a single sea bag. In this video, learn about navy sea bags, including one owned by Thomas Chew, a purser aboard USS Constitution in the War of 1812.
The modern-day crew of USS Constitution demonstrate a simulated gun drill. In the age of sail, gunnery was fairly simple and victory often relied upon the speed and efficiency with which a crew could load and fire its long guns and carronades.
Make your own miniature cannon with a film canister and some Alka-Seltzer® tablets.
While captains and officers on USS Constitution could afford to take hand painted miniatures of their wives and children to sea, sailors brought the more affordable paper silhouette along with them. Try your hand at cutting out a silhouette of your loved ones at home using this step by step
Are you dressed to impress? USS Constitution’s officers wore fancy hats called “chapeau-bras.” Make your own paper version of this impressive hat and show your friends who is in charge.
With its bright colors and decorative trim, the Marine’s War of 1812 uniform made a statement and projected American military power for all to see. Try your hand at making a distinctive part of this uniform – the hat – with paper, scissors, tape, and patience.
That’s high up there! Watch from a modern sailor’s point of view as he climbs to the top of USS Constitution‘s foremast.
Make an animal-friendly version of scrimshaw, a traditional maritime craft of carving designs on whale teeth or bone.
Take a closer look at one of the staples of a sailor’s diet: the ship’s biscuit. See the step-by-step process of baking this hard bread at home.
Follow along and learn some of the most vital knots used aboard “Old Ironsides.”
Create your own paper version of the telescope, an essential navigational tool. Officers used telescopes aboard USS Constitution to look for land or an enemy ship on the horizon.
Make a sailor’s valentine using shells and a wooden box, or a paper template.
Students will learn about magnets and compasses, how to use a compass to write directions, and how to read a map. Students will apply what they learned about directions to how Constitution sailors steered the ship at sea in 1812.
Students learn about the responsibilities of a ship’s surgeon in the early 19th century and diagnose illness and injury scenarios based on evidence given.
This lesson teaches students to use similar triangles and congruent angles with “shadow reckoning” to find out the height of a tall object on your school grounds. It is inspired by the maintop on USS Constitution, where some of the crew were stationed 85 to 90 feet above the deck
The cooper was one of the skilled sailors on board USS Constitution: he knew how to make and repair barrels. This was important because barrels held most of the crew’s food and water. In this lesson, learn about the cooper and the other tradesmen on the Ship, and make a
The lowest part of the Ship that held all the supplies was called the hold. In this math lesson, students use the dimensions of Constitution’s hold to calculate volume.
Using Alka-Seltzer tablets and canisters, students will produce a chemical change to recreate the loading and firing of a gun on Constitution.
Students read a story of bravery at sea and look closely at the uniform of USS Constitution sailors. Then they make their own captain’s hat out of paper.
Using weights and measures, students compare and contrast an ordinary 1812 sailor’s ration to their own daily diets.
There is evidence of numerous dogs on board USS Constitution throughout her career, but none appears as frequently, or is known by name, as Guerriere the Terrier. Guerriere proved himself a faithful and helpful member of the crew.
This list itemizes the arms and armament ordered to be transported to Boston to outfit USS Constitution around the time of its launch. USS Constitution carried a hefty load of weapons to support her crew of 450-500 men during battle.
Thomas C. Byron served as a Marine fifer on USS Constitution and composed this narrative in 1861 as an older man, looking back on the ship’s actions during the War of 1812. He was present for Constitution’s three major battles, which he describes, as well storms, visits to foreign ports,
Students learn about the responsibilities of the Marines on USS Constitution during battle. Students are then given a challenge: work in teams to use measurements and solve common denominator fraction math problems to “battle” each other in a reloading relay.
Students will explore several sea chanties or “work songs” sung on sailing ships. They will look at the language involved, reasons for singing them, and examples from well-known movies. Students then write their own sea chantey using creative writing.
Students will experience the challenges of working as a team to build a “hidden” structure. They will use communication and teamwork, just as Constitution sailors on a Gun Team needed to do when exercising or firing a gun during battle.
What did it take to assemble the crews of early Navy ships? This article examines primary sources to outline the surprisingly informal process.
Fresh water was an extremely valuable resource on a ship like USS Constitution. Sailors were rationed one half-gallon of water each day, and it was not usually up to modern standards of “freshness.” Read about sourcing, storing, and consuming water on “Old Ironsides” in this blog article.
Students make a half hour glass that measures time just like on a naval vessel in 1812. This lesson integrates math, using 24-hour time, telling time in other ways besides a clock, and the nautical term of “watches”.
The path for women to serve on board USS Constitution has been long and slow. This blog features interviews with two key women in the Ship’s history: Claire Bloom, first Executive Officer, and Rosemarie (Lanam) Wilamowski, who became the first female enlisted sailor to join the crew in 1986.
This is the story of USS Constitution’s War of 1812 surgeon, Dr. Amos Evans. Learn about Evans’ experience treating the crew, from everyday illnesses to battle injuries, in this article featuring excerpts from the surgeon’s personal journal.
Pardon Mawney Whipple joined USS Constitution’s crew in 1813, at age 22. His letters offer a unique and intimate view of the events aboard USS Constitution during the War of 1812. He describes both the excitement and horrors the men felt during battle, as well as the protocols followed after
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