USS Constitution to Reopen, Go Underway on May 21
USS Constitution is scheduled to go underway from Charlestown Navy Yard on Friday, May 21, at 10 a.m. to celebrate the ship’s reopening to the public.
USS Constitution will reopen to the public for tours after the underway from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday, and once reopened, normal public visitation will be Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the immediate future.
“So excited to share this beautiful and historic ship with visitors again,” said Cmdr. John Benda, 76th commanding officer of USS Constitution. “We could not think of a better way to sound the reopening bell than with 21-gun salute while underway aboard Old Ironsides.”
The underway will be broadcast live on the U.S. Navy’s Facebook page and will feature demonstrations on climbing, firing a 19th-century 24-lb long gun, using shipboard weaponry, and will conclude with a 21-gun salute viewable from Fort Independence on Castle Island.
The 21-gun salute will occur at approximately 11:30 a.m.
USS Constitution will fire an additional 17-gun salute as she passes U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston, the former site of the Edmund Hartt’s Shipyard, where USS Constitution was built and launched on Oct. 21, 1797.
USS Constitution’s underway will be viewable from the Boston Harborwalk, Castle Island, and Charlestown Navy Yard.
This is USS Constitution’s first underway in more than a year due to the global pandemic of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Nightwork on GLS Planned Starting This Week
With warmer weather now upon us, the GLX team wants to remind abutters that nightwork is likely to continue in various locations.
Current nightwork plans nearby include:
•Night Work has been scheduled along the MBTA right-of-way between Walnut Street and McGrath Highway bridges beginning as early as Monday night, May 10, and is expected to continue into June. The purpose of this work is to prepare the track bed for the laying of crushed stone (called ballast) to support GLX track installation in this area expected in the coming weeks.
In order to complete the work quickly and efficiently, the yellow construction train known as the Multi-Purpose Machine (MPM) will be used at night within work zones along the entire Medford Branch. The vehicle is required by federal regulation to sound its horn during frequent stops and starts.
As we continue to advance, the project will make every effort to keep abutting neighborhoods apprised of upcoming nightwork through regular email contact. We also encourage our followers to check for regular construction updates at www.mass.gov/glx.
The next GLX General Public Meeting is planned for June 30, 2021, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.