The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-19
FAMOUS OLD GUN-BOAT.
Frigate Constellation Nearly 100 Years Old
but Still in the Service.

Frgate COnstelistIOn Nearly 100 Years Oio,
but Still in the Service.
Springfield Mass Republican. =.
The frigate Constellation. now almost
one hundred years old. has been once more
repaired and taken to the Naval Academy,
preparatory to her summer cruise with the
three classes of naval cadets. 1t will prob
ably be the last cruise of the celebrated ole
rapidly. and tho usefulness of the old one
diminishes proportiOnally. With the
striking off the navy list of the gallant
Constellation there will disappear
ship with good American record.
Every youngster who has been at the Naval
Academy for years past know her history
by heart just as he knows and loves each
of her timbers aud spars. She was built in
1895, the act of Congress authorizing her
construction having been passed in March
of the preceding year. Two other illustrous
ships went into the water the sane year and
under the same act OF Congress. They were
the Constitution cold IrOnsides') and the
United States, and both have long since
disappeared. leaving their well-preserved
sister to see nearly century OF active
service.
The first "business" transacted by the
Constellation was III 179S. when. under the
command of Commodore Thomas TruXton,
she engaged the Eronch ship PInsur gente
off the island of Nevis. The American
carried forty -four guns the enemy forty.
AN hour after the first shot was fired from
the Constellation the Frenchman hauled
down her flag. Twenty-nine dead men
were found on the captiye's decks. and
forty four wounded sailors lay In her cock
pit. Her hull was full of holes. but still
there was enough left of her to make q
pretty good ship, and the next year she
sailed out of Boston harbOr AS bold as yOu
please with the American flag at her peak.
Truxton had a hotter fight the next year,
when, in February. he tackled the French
shin La Vengeance. with fifty-fOur Quns
and five hundred men. They began the
tight early in the morning, kept it up all
day, and began again the next morning.
Just as TruxtOn thought he had the
Frencbman at his mercy his maInmast
broke and in the confusion the Vengeance
got away. She disappeared SO rapidly that
TruxtOn's men thought she had gone to
Davy Jones locker. but she turned up
few weeks later at Cherbourg where it was
learned that she had lost 100 men in the
fight, and that she bad struck her cOlors
twice. fact that had escaped the observa-
ton OF the CONSULTATIONS crew i'll the
smoke and confusion of the fight. The
American ship lost fourteen men. To her
commander was given o gold medal by
Congress for his heroism.
The next and last big fight in which the
Constellation was engaged occurred i'm 1903
when commanded by Commodore Murray
she was attacked off the coast of TripOIi,
while becalmed. by fleet of gun-bOate. 1t
required pretty good work to keep SO many
boats off. but the frigate put all of her
hight her way clear with flying cOlors.
Since then she has been raced and rebuilt
several times cruising in all the waters or
the globe. and visiting all ports She is the
very last OF the famous fighting ships of
the navy of our ancestors, and for this
reason. if for no other. she Is pretty good
ship to have anchored pff the nayy's nur-
sery.