Arizona republican., 1892-05-27

OLD IRONSIDES
History of One of the old ships In the
 American Navy.

NOT many people may know that the old frigate Constitution, so renowned in our annals, is still included among the vessels of the navy. She Is dismantled, as might be expected at her age, and is kept in that condition at Portsmouth, N. II. She is craft of 2,200 tons dis placement, and now carries no battery in place of the forty-four guns of the days of her glory.
 It was the Constitution that, after the inauspicious opening on land of our war with Great Britain, eighty years ago, led of a series of splendid victories on the sea. The honor of the first capture of British war vessel undoubtedly be- longs to the Essex, Captain David Por- ter, whose defeat of the Alert occurred six days before the Constitution de- stroyed the Guerriere.
 But the Essex carried thirty-two 32- pounders and the Alert only twenty lS- pounders, so that very soon after open ing fire the crew of the little British craft, which, having captured one of our transports had made up to the Essex, taking her to be a merchantmen, were compelled to quit their guns and within eight minutes to strike their flag. This conquest, though gratifying, was in- evitable, whereas that of the Constitu- tion was gained over a craft nearer her own size and strength.
 But while yielding the laurels of prior ity to the gallant Essex on this score the Constitution, under Captain Isaac Hull, can claim them again for success in trial of seamanship between herself and British squadron. Till then af- fairs were looking gloomy for us at sea as well as on land The British frigate Belvidere, while conveying a fleet of merchantmen, had escaped from whole squadron of our warships, where as our Nautilus had struck to an English squadron, being the first war ship captured on either side. Under these untoward circumstances the Con- stitution, returning from Europe, fell in with British squadron led by the Africa, 64-gun ship.
 During four days she was chased by this squadron. Through calm and | through breeze the flight and pursuit went on. At one time she had boats out towing her; at another her crew were hauling upon kedge anchor that had been carried out and dropped long dis l tance ahead. On the fourth day the longed for wind came, and with every sail set the Constitution drew away from l her pursuers, the scene when five frig- i ates were standing on the same tack and the Constitution was showing her heels to her enemies being often recounted eighty years ago. Some of the historians describe this as the first of our triumphs on the sea in that war.
 | But in our time, of course, the fame of the Constitution is more familiarly associated with her capture of the Guer riere. It was on Aug. 19, lSl2, that the two vessels met, both eager for a fight. The scene was off the coast of Massachu- setts. The British craft, commanded by the gallant Dacres, was first to open fire, but Hull maneuvered his vessel into the right position before he replied. The | enemy's mizzenmast soon went by the board, followed by her mainmast. When she struck she was, in fact, so complete | ly used up that she could not be taken into port and had to be blown up.
 The Constitution was superior in ton mage and complement, carried more guns and threw much heavier weight of metal in her broadsides; still the ves- sells were near enough matched for the victory to produce tremendous impress sion on both sides of the ocean. Alison describes the "shock of this unwonted naval disaster" in England, where the belief that Britannia ruled the waves was so profound that the American navy had seemed to be mere mouthful for | her.
 That same year the Constitution, un- | der Bainbridge, gained another great victory over the Java, off the coast of Brazil. The Java, like her predecessor, was a 38-guu ship, and in the battle she | lost foremas. and mizzenmast, besides a | part of her Oowsprit while, to complete the parallel, like the Guerriere, she was so wrecked in the fight that she had to be blown up. It was great exhibition of good seamanship and superior gun nery on the part of the American vessel; for, as Cooper says, "the Java had been literally picked to pieces by shot, spar following spar until she had not ono left" Her loss in killed and wounded was very heavy.
 Finally, in 1915, under command of Commodore Stewart, the famous old ship made double capture of the British frigate Cyane and sloop Levant.
 Old lronsides,' as she had come to be called during the war, was launched at Boston in l707; and who knows but when the hundredth anniversary of that event comes around she may again be put into commission, so as to receive cen ! tenpial honorsg-Nayv Norl, Sun