Who would win USS Constitution or HMS Victory?

HMS Victory would beat USS Constitution pretty easily, if the Constitution tried to stay and fight it out. Victory was a 1st rate ship of the line, while Constitution was heavily built frigate that was the equivalent of a “4th rate.” The 32 pound long guns on the Victory would easily penetrate “Old Ironsides” sides.

What rate was the USS Constitution?

USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world’s oldest ship of any type still afloat….USS Constitution.

Why was the USS Constitution so strong?

America’s embryonic navy, which included the USS Constitution and several other frigates, was fashioned in part from a remarkable species of wood called southern live oak. A dense wood that weighed as much as 75 pounds per cubic foot, live oak was extremely strong and resistant to rot and salt air.

Did the USS Constitution lose a battle?

December 29, 1812 – USS Constitution defeats HMS Java: After returning to Boston in September, Constitution sails for the South Atlantic. On December 29, off the coast of Brazil, Constitution defeats the British frigate Java….SHIP:

Is HMS Victory seaworthy?

HMS Victory will finish undergoing her £35,000,000 restoration project in drydock at Portsmouth in the year 2023, the greatest repair in Victory’s history. The American USS Constitution, despite being laid down nearly 50 years after HMS Victory, is the oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat.

How many ships did HMS Victory sink?

Undoubtedly Victory’s most famous battle saw her as Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought against a combined French and Spanish fleet. The allies were soundly defeated, total losses reaching 22 ships without the Royal Navy losing one.

How many battles did the USS Constitution fight in?

Authorized by Congress in 1794, built in 1797, and launched in 1798, Constitution saw action in one undeclared war and two official wars and was a powerful arm of the United States military capable of carrying American firepower to distant parts of the globe.

How many masts does USS Constitution have?

three masts
Rated to carry 44 guns, the wooden-hulled Constitution is square-rigged — three masts with horizontal yards on each mast to carry square sails — and a frigate by class — a square-rigged warship with one covered gun deck.

Are there any wooden ships left?

The only active ship in the United States Navy to sink another enemy ship in combat is more than 200 years old. The title falls to the wooden frigate Constitution, as the USS Simpson, a guided missile frigate just thirty years old, has been retired from the fleet.

How many ships did the USS Constitution defeat?

six
Later in the War of 1812, Constitution defeated six Royal Navy ships: HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane, and Levant. Today she is the oldest ship on active duty with the U.S. Navy, a floating museum and parade ship.

How many guns did the USS Constitution carry?

After a month of rebuilding the ways, Constitution finally slipped into Boston Harbor on 21 October 1797, with Captain James Sever breaking a bottle of Madeira wine on her bowsprit. Constitution was rated as a 44-gun frigate, but she often carried more than 50 guns at a time.

How much did it cost to build the USS Constitution?

USS Constitution was launched October 21, 1797, from Edmund Hartt’s shipyard in Boston (site of present-day Constitution Wharf/U.S. Coast Guard base). She first sailed on July 22, 1798, as one of the six frigates that began the new United States Navy that was created “in defense of commerce.” Constitution ’s final construction cost was $302,718.84.

How many shots did it take to sink the USS Constitution?

USS CONSTITUTION’s 24-lb. shots were devastating, bringing down the English warship’s masts, and entangling the two ships when they collided. The first United States Marine Corps officer to die in combat at sea was Lt. William Bush, who was shot on USS CONSTITUTION’s aft-rail while attempting to board HMS GUERRIERE.

Is the USS Constitution the oldest ship still in service?

USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy, named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America. She is the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat.