FROM MY DAD…
December 27th, 2009
I could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: From My Dad.
The U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), as a combat vessel, carried 48,600 gallons of fresh water for her crew of 475 officers and men. This was sufficient to last six months of sustained operations at sea. She carried no evaporators (i.e. fresh water distillers!).
However, let it be noted that according to her ship’s log, “On July 27, 1798, the U.S.S. Constitution sailed from Boston with a full complement of 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of fresh water, 7,400 cannon shot, 11,600 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum.”
Her mission: “To destroy and harass English shipping.”
Making Jamaica on 6 October, she took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300 gallons of rum.
Then she headed f or the Azores, arriving there 12 November. She provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 64,300 gallons of Portuguese wine.
On 18 November, she set sail for England. In the ensuing days she defeated five British men-of-war and captured and scuttled 12 English merchant ships, salvaging only the rum aboard each..
By 26 January, her powder and shot were exhausted. Nevertheless, although unarmed she made a night raid up the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Her landing party captured a whisky distillery and transferred 40,000 gallons of single malt Scotch aboard by dawn. Then she headed home.
The U.S.S. Constitution arrived in Boston on 20 February, 1799, with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum, no wine, no whisky, and 38,600 gallons of water.
Go Navy!
A brief aside, my ship, the USS Bainbridge, CGN-25, was named after Commodore William Bainbridge — our nickname for the ship was the Billy B — who was the captain of the Constitution during the War of 1812.
Is 1798 the correct date for these activities?
If my memory serves me correctly, The U.S. was engaged in a “quasi-war” with the French in the Caribbean during the 1790s.
Shalom Ryan,
I strongly suspect that the story is like most Internet tales, mostly a sea story. (The difference between a fairy tale and a sea story is that a fairy tale begins “once upon a time” and a sea story begins “now this is not shit.”)
Having said that, the USS Constitution was launched on 21 October 1997 and took to sea on its first cruise on 22 July 1798. She seen almost continuous service to this day.
B’shalom,
Jef