Old Ironsides, New Look
Harbor cruises get close and personal with U.S. history
Her pirate-chasing days are behind her, but the USS Constitution is still an impressive warship, bristling with guns that could fire a 24-pound projectile up to a mile. The ship earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” when British volleys in the War of 1812 appeared to bounce off the hull, made of oak and sheathed below the waterline with copper supplied by Paul Revere.
While Old Ironsides rarely leaves its Charlestown Navy Yard dock these days, you can still appreciate her from the water during a USS Constitution Harbor Cruise. The 45-minute, narrated tour visits the ship in addition to cruising past other historic landmarks: Bunker Hill, the Boston Tea Party boat, and the Old North Church. At the Navy Yard, guests disembark for a tour, a close look at a multimillion-dollar restoration that is returning Ironsides to her 1812 configuration.
Today’s trip leaves at 1:30 p.m., but daily departure times vary. A complete schedule can be found on the Web site of Boston Harbor Cruises.
Tickets cost $16 for adults, $14 for seniors over 65, and $12 for children ages 4 to 12. Children under three cruise for free, although they’ll still need a boarding pass. You can purchase tickets online, by calling 617-227-4321, or in person at Boston’s Long Wharf, near Faneuil Hall, which is also where the boats depart. To get there by T, take the Blue Line to the Aquarium Station.
Chris Berdik can be reached at cberdik@bu.edu.
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