Michael Farrell
Staff Writer
August 03, 2008 10:53 pm ESSEX — Since Essex shipbuilders worked on the building of the USS Constitution, the Essex Shipbuilding Museum is arranging an excursion to Charlestown to visit "Old Ironsides." "The Essex shipwrights knew how to build ships to last," said Gary B. Foreman, the museum learning coordinator at the USS Constitution Museum. "I am sure that a lot of their knowledge found its way to Hartt's Shipyard in Boston's North End for the construction of one the first six frigates that comprised the new United States Navy." The ship, which participated in a number of conflicts from the "Quasi War" with France to the War of 1812, is a popular stop for tourists and school groups. The Essex Shipbuilding Museum is offering a unique opportunity on Aug. 15, the chance to see the Constitution as is undergoes a major renovation while at the same time avoiding the hassle of driving into Boston and parking. Once at the Charlestown Naval Yard, where the USS Constitution is docked, Margherita Desy, a historian for the Naval Historical Center Detachment Boston, will provide an introduction. People will get to tour the ship. According to Desy, when the visitors from the Shipbuilding Museum arrive, they will find the rear part of the top deck missing, the first part of the major renovation that Old Ironsides is undergoing. This is part of the Naval Historical Center's project to fully replace the top deck which is properly referred to as the "spar deck." The spar deck is supposed to have a 2 1/2 inch slope to it, called a "camber" along the center line of the ship. Desy said that this slope allows water to run off the deck into the scuppers, which drain the water back into the ocean. Without this slope, the Constitution's spar deck has been leaking water inside the ship. While construction is progressing, to keep the ever intrusive water out of the ship, the civilian workers at the Navy who are performing the renovation erected a special roof over the deck that can be moved as the project moves from the stern of the ship to the bow. Additional work being done on the ship includes the standard periodic maintenance of the standing and running rigging. Plus, selected planks along the hull will be replaced. One of the biggest upcoming changes to the ship, said Desy, will be when a 40-foot section of the bulwark in the middle of the ship along the deck is opened and is replaced with 1812 period-appropriate hammock irons. The irons are a network of iron bars and nets that crews used 200 years ago to stow away their hammocks when they went on duty. Desy does not know how much the renovation will cost. However it will restore the ship closer to the way it looked when it served during the War of 1812, which is the primary goal of the Naval Historical Center in Boston. According to Cynthia Cameron, a member of the Shipbuilding Museum's program committee, it has chartered a bus for the trip to Charlestown. A few spots remain and anyone who would like to take the trip can reserve a spot by calling 978-768-7541. Cost of the trip is $69. Mike Farrell can be reached at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com.
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