History Channel - History Classics Hero Ships (2008) Part 5 USS Constitution

History Classics: Hero Ships

For nearly a hundred years, these steel, grey-skinned battlewagons have fought off everything from Al Qaeda to dive-bombing Kamikazes. Some returned from the hell of war to become major tourist attractions for new generations. Others continue to patrol the world's trouble-spots in America's latest war. History Classics: Hero Ships profiles the complete combat history and evolving technology of a single American ship, often through multiple conflicts. These are the battleships, destroyers, aircraft carriers, submarines, and specialized ships that belong in the warship hall of fame. Archival footage and interviews are punctuated by all-access inspections of the ship's “battle stations,” conducted by young, active Navy sailors. The series lets us understand the role of each weapon and technology, the dramas that unfolded in different rooms during the heat of battle, and the unique traditions and stories of each vessel.

Part 5: USS Constitution

Old Ironsides represents everything stirring about the United States Navy. It's fighting victories, its pioneering establishment of American international power, its traditions, its matchless seamanship, its indispensable role in the birth and defence of the United States itself. It is incredible that one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Navy Act of 1794, two years before there was a United States, is still afloat, still sailing under her own power, still commissioned, and still inspiring.