Heart of Oak

I had occasion this past week to tour the U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest naval vessel afloat in the world. Any of my regular readers will know that I have a soft spot for ships and the sea, but I was especially impressed with this particular American icon. The Constitution was commissioned in 1797, when Thomas Jefferson was president, in an effort to bolster our fledgling navy. She was of a new design and built heavily from several kinds of virgin American oak, almost two feet thick in some areas of her hull. She received the nickname “Old Ironsides” after a battle with a British ship in the War of 1812, during which some of the enemy cannonballs were said to have bounced off her sides. After a long and distinguished career she grew old and nearly rotted out of existence on two different occasions. However, this proud ship seems to have a special place in the collective American heart because she has twice been brought back from near extinction and has just finished yet another complete restoration. Even though the Constitution is a 225 year old sailing ship, it remains on the list of active vessels with the U.S. Navy and still sails once in a while. I believe America loves this old ship because she represents something uniquely American. She was the first full fledged heavy ship of war designed and built in this country and she proved herself superior at a time that our new nation needed such an icon. Now she provides a valuable link with our past, our freedom, and its ongoing preservation.

If you ever have a chance to visit the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston I strongly encourage it, but it’s also easy to Google and read about as well. We have a rich naval heritage and such icons as this ship serve as a valuable reminder thereof. Much of what made her so formidable in her day, and the reason she is so worth preserving now, has to do with what she represents to us as a people. Old Ironsides has been around nearly as long as this great nation and continues to be a valuable part of our legacy of freedom. Also, in times like these when our young men and women are being called upon to fight overseas on our behalf, she serves as a welcome reminder of what they are fighting for. I have several young friends at the Naval Academy and currently serving in our Navy overseas as well. So I dedicate today’s poem to them and to their valued service on behalf of our country at sea and abroad.

Heart of Oak
They have often called her Ironsides
Though she was not iron at all
But oak of North America
And built for duty’s call
To spearhead the fledgling navy
Of these newly united states
And defend their shores and borders
As the keeper of their gates
Constructed by New England craftsmen
Upon their native soil
Which they so recently had won
Through blood and strife and toil
She was the vessel and a symbol
Of their new found liberty
And she never met her equal
In her service on the sea
No enemy by force has ever
Set foot upon her decks
She never knew defeat in battle
Where she earned honor and respect
The U.S.S. Constitution
Still floats proud and tall
An enduring icon from our past
With a message for us all
Peace and freedom come through struggle
And when swirls the battle smoke
Freedom still needs men and ships
With hearts of American oak
By Frank Carpenter ©

You can learn more about the Constitution by clicking on the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution