Thanks to Maritime Great Britain for reminding us that today is indeed Trafalgar Day, commemorating Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish fleets and his tragic death at the Battle of Trafalgar on this day in 1805. They also reminded us that on this day in 1797, the USS Constitution was launched at Hartt’s Shipyard, in Boston, Massachusetts. The Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy. She is also the world’s oldest floating commissioned naval vessel.
Nelson’s HMS Victory, from which he fought and died in the Battle of Trafalgar, is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, being 30 years older than the Constitution. The Victory however is on permanent exhibit in a drydock in Portsmouth, so she is no longer afloat, allowing the Constitution to claim the title of the oldest floating commissioned naval vessel. The Constitution earned its nickname, “Old Ironsides,” after round shot from HMS Guerriere bounced off her sides in a battle during the War 1812.
USS Constitution
I celebrated by reading “Nelson’s Trafalgar; the battle that changed the world,” by Roy Adkins. I really admire his writing.
We will be reviewing “Jack Tar: Life in Nelson’s Navy” by Roy and Leslie Adkins in the next day or two. Wonderful writers and historians.