USS Constitution Sails For First Time In 3 Years
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — The newly refurbished USS Constitution took its first cruise in three years Friday.
It set sail from the Charlestown Navy Yard to Fort Independence on Castle Island to celebrate the U.S. Navy's 242nd birthday and the 220th anniversary of the iconic vessel's maiden voyage.
Guns on board the Constitution will be fired off Castle Island around noon. pic.twitter.com/n6BaXil3Oy
— Doug Cope (@dcopewbz) October 20, 2017
The world's oldest commissioned warship fired a 21-gun salute off the fort, and its cannons boomed another 17 times as it passed the U.S. Coast Guard station — the former site of the shipyard where the Constitution was built and launched in 1797.
The USS Constitution fires its cannons to mark its 242nd birthday #WBZ pic.twitter.com/JzEnP4u3rV
— Brad Tatum (@BradTatum) October 20, 2017
This is the first sailing for the USS Constitution since October 2014 when it was taken out of the water for a multi-million dollar renovation.
The ship earned its nickname "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812 with Britain.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)