USS Constitution

Welcome to the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. As we stand upon the pier, the magnificent vessel floating before you is the USS Constitution. …

We have now crossed the wooden gangway and find ourselves standing upon the broad expanse of the spar deck, the uppermost level of the USS Constitution. Looking forward and aft, you will notice that this is a continuous, flush…

Let us navigate our way to the very front of the vessel, the bow, where the sharp, elegant lines of the ship were designed to slice cleanly through the heavy Atlantic waves. As you stand near the prow, the harbor breeze feels…

We now turn and walk the entire length of the spar deck toward the aft section, or the rear of the ship. The perspective from here offers a truly commanding view of the entire length of the vessel, looking through the dense…

Carefully descend the steep, narrow wooden stairs, known in traditional naval terminology as ladders, and step into the cavernous, awe inspiring expanse of the main gun deck. As your eyes adjust to the dimmer light filtering…

Let us move toward the forward section of the gun deck, where the imposing rows of heavy artillery give way to the absolutely essential elements of daily shipboard survival. Here, sitting prominently in the center of the wooden…

Carefully descend the next set of steep wooden ladders to arrive at the heavily shadowed berth deck. As your feet touch the wooden planks, you will instantly experience a profound, unavoidable spatial transition. …

We continue our descent, climbing down yet another steep ladder into the very bowels of the ship, a deep, cavernous space historically known as the hold or the orlop deck. We are now situated well below the exterior waterline,…

Navigate carefully through the low, incredibly cramped spaces of the lower hold toward the extreme forward end of the vessel, where the converging oak planks of the hull narrow sharply toward the bow. Here, in the deepest, most…

We have climbed back up from the dark, history soaked depths of the lower hold, emerging once again into the bright, open air of the spar deck, and finally crossing the wooden gangway back onto the solid ground of the Charlestown…