The USS Constitution
at Charlestown Yard
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And now on to the ship. The first kid's-eye view is less than stirring. We found the well patrolled site clean and well marked. There is a nice park on the other side of the museum where kids can run around.

We found the lines on the free tour, not too bad. Visitors waited for up to 20 minutes, when large groups were allowed aboard. This crowd is truly international; we stood among visitors from Russia, Scotland, the Middle East, Japan --- all drawn to one of the best known symbols of America.

Tour guides, this one starting out a three-year hitch in the Navy, wear early 19th century outfits. Guides shout out information at key areas of the ship. If you miss anything, the Museum video tour is nearly identical. A free self-guided print version is also available.

No matter how many pictures you see, the effect of being on and inside Ironsides is not easily captured in photos. The deck is a sea of ropes and wood. The frigate seems impossibly small for a compliment of 400 seamen. Here is a look up at the "fighting top" a five-ton platform from which sharpshooters were positioned. No enemy in more than 40 sea battles (Ironsides won them all) ever made it on deck, except as a prisoner or war.

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Disposable photos by J. Dennis Robinson
© 1998 SeacocastNH.com

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