The Americans have restored the world’s oldest sailboat
In July of this year, “Constitution” will return to the quay wall in Boston.
American experts have completed the restoration of the world’s oldest sailing ship “Constitution” included in the combat fleet of the U.S. Navy. As reported Military.com the restoration of the frigate was carried out in dry dock in Boston for the past two years. USS Constitution undergoing restoration every 20 years. As expected, the frigate will return to quay at the shipyard Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, which is attributed, in July of this year. Until then, the experts will check the work.
During the restoration the ship was replaced about a hundred and facing planks of white oak. The lower part of the body is cleared of fouling, paragonabili, tarred and re-sheathed 2.2 thousand copper plates. As expected, from July to September, the experts will check gear and mast USS Constitution. At this time, the ship is closed for tours. In total, the cost of restoration of the frigate amounted to $ 15 million.
Three-masted frigate USS Constitution was launched on 21 October 1797. For his service, the ship took part in several armed conflicts, including polovinu between the US and France in the years 1798-1800, the First Barbary war, Anglo-American war and American civil war. In 1830, the ship was nearly sent for scrap, but in the same year he published the poem “old Ironsides” by Oliver Holmes, is dedicated to the frigate, and quickly became popular. Due to this popularity of the “Constitution” decided to keep.
In 1900, the U.S. Congress adopted a project to preserve the USS Constitution as a Museum ship. The frigate decided to leave the active Navy. “Constitution” has a displacement of 2.2 thousand tons with a length of 93 meters and a width of 13.3 meters. The height of ship’s mainmast is 67 meters. Full speed of a frigate in full sail is 13 knots. The frigate is armed with 30-barreled guns, 20 carronades and two chase guns (mounted in bow and designed to fire straight ahead).
Vasily Sychev