USS Constitution went underway from Charlestown Navy Yard, Mass. on Friday, June 9th, to commemorate Women Veterans Day.
Women Veterans Day, held on June 12, marks the anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, signed in 1948, legally allowing women to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.
USS Constitution is scheduled to reopen to the public for tours at 3 p.m. to 6 p.m today.
The underway included a 21-gun salute viewable from Fort Independence on Castle Island.
USS Constitution fired an additional 17-gun salute as she passed 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 is currently undergoing a planned maintenance period, restoring the main mast, yards and other various projects.
USS Constitution, is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat, and played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855.
The active-duty Sailors stationed aboard USS Constitution provide free tours and offer public visitation as they support the ship’s mission of promoting the Navy’s history and maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence.
USS Constitution was undefeated in battle and destroyed or captured 33 opponents.
The ship earned the nickname of Old Ironsides during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull.