New Britain herald., 1925-04-03
OLD IRONSIDES,
 FAMOUS IN HISTORY
Constitution Is Best Known of
 Any US. Warship

Washington, D. c. April s.--Rela- tive to the movement now under way to recondition the Constitution" so that 1t will again be seen in the har- bors of New York, Philadelphia. Bal timore and even San Francisco and Seattle. a bulletin of Inc National Geographic society. from its head quarters.in Washington. D. C., says:
 Tn her daMthe Constitution was almost as much of . revolution in shipbuilding practice as Fulton's 'Clermont.' or the 'Merrimac.' first steel -sheathed ship. or the first fab- ricated steel ship of the modern age.
 Until the Constitution slip from the ways into Boston harbor, where she now stays in the secluslon of old age, British ships were. perf6rce, the best ships. But Joshua Humphreys of Philadelphia was an unheliever.I So, when congress finally decided to wipe the Barbary pirates from the sea, he obtained contract to design six frigates, whose names gathered fame around the world. Famous sister ships of the Constitution were-the Constellation the .Chesa- peake,' the United States and the President old Ironsides is 12S years old.
 Carried 24-Pounders
 "So great was the skill of the New England craftsm en that the 'Consti- tution' and her sister-ships won the reputation of being able to outsail anything on the seven seas. They did 1t, too, time and again. Accus- toned as we are today to read of warship guns that will shoot 1s miles being replaced by guns that will shoot IS miles, which in turn give way to e0-mile guns, 1t is inter- ssting to note that the Constitution by mounting 24-pounders outclassed British frlgates which carried 18- pounders Other countries followed American practices in armament and ship construction as result. of the success of the "Constitution.' -.
 Commodore Preble took the Con- stitution' as his flagship when the in- fant American navy challenged the power of the Barbary states to whom aa the great governments of Europe had paid tribute for years. Of the four Moslem states, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoll. and Morocco. the first was the greatest offender in American eyes, having held 21 American citi- zens in slavery for more than five years. In i7s3 the Algerians captur- cd 106 sailors. The successful cam paian in the Mediterranean was the training ground for the naval battles Of fS12. ~ a~ In the second war with England, the Constitution met the frigate 'Guerriere off Halifax and won a brilliant engagement. Later she re- dueed the Java off Bahia, Brazil, and fought and won against two ships at once, the Levant' and the 'Cayne' near Gibraltar.
 One Rattleship Costs 60 "Consti-
 tutions' '.-'
 "A fleet of 60 'dreadnaughts oi the Constitution plan could be built for the. cost of one modern battle. ship. For this ship the government paid $Sn2,7ls. It Is 204 feet long 4S41s feet on its beam and draws ?; feet of water. It's displacement 1. 2oo0 tons. The Tennessee one oi the newest first line ships of war, 1. es4 feet long, s7 feet wide, 3l fec draft and cost $1s,43zi44. Thil monarch carries 2s guns compared to the 4i guns of the Constitution.
 Congress fixed the rations ant also fixed the crew of America's frs man. of-war at s59 men. The crep was 329 men and 30 boys. Gin wa a regular part of the ration. On lcng voyage the Constitution car ried as much as 1oe barrels of whis key In her hold, and, In one instance threw most of 1t overheard to light en the ship in order to escape iron the British feet on the New Jerse, coast. 9sE .,.- ta
 Paul Revere and Lord Byron
 "Nanles of famous men are con nected with the Constitution. Pau Revere supplied the copper for he huI1 fhYvinp tf hSy s ,....n.- ..