Construction and Building/Launch of Constitution and the Five other frigates Flashcards
Describe the role and purpose of a sailing frigate and its particular sailing and strategic qualities.
Outrun and Outgun
Identify and explain the reasons for the building sites of the six original frigates.
Didn't have the space to build all ships in one location. To prevent sabotage You don't want all your eggs in one basket (Building Sites) NH MA NY VA PA MD
Explain why Boston offered essential resources to building one of the six frigates.
Navy yard was already built
Paul Revere was available for the copper milling.
Discuss the construction cost of the USSC in relation to the overall federal budget in 1794.
We were given a budget of $600,000 to build six ships. The USSC used $300,000 to build.
Define the constitutions keel and its function in the structure of the ship.
The keel is the backbone of the ship. The ribs were built onto this to for the skeleton of the ship.
Identify the period of instruction and the number of attempts to launch the ship.
It took 3 attempts.
20 SEP 1797- Failed attempt. Struck mud.
22 SEP 1797- Failed attempt. Struck mud.
21 Oct 1797- Successful attempt. Waited until Lunar tide to launch. Shot canon from Copps Hill to signify successful launch.
Describe live oak and give an example of the importance of live oak in the construction of USSC.
Live oak is 1.5x more dense than other oaks and 5x more dense than any other wood available at the time.
The design of the ship was in a “layered cookie” pattern. White oak would be on the outer most layer, live oak in the middle and another layer of white oak on the inner most layer.
Describe the approximate percentage of the Ship that remains true from 1797 and why.
8 to 12% remains. (keel, and various other locations forward and aft)
85% of the ship was rebuilt during the 1927 restoration.
