USS Constitution to set sail on Sunday Aug 19th

In 1997, I was honored to be a member of the crew of USS CONSTITUTION when she set sail for the first time in 116 years in honor of her Bicentennial Celebration.  It was a wonderful time and she sailed brilliantly.  When it was done, all wondered when we would be able to sail her again.

Well that day has come and USS CONSTITUTION will sail again this Sunday to commenorate the 200th Anniversary of her victory over HMS Guerriere.

Make us proud old girl....I only wish I could be there.  Alas I am otherwise occupied presently in the sandbox.

USS Constitution to set sail on Sunday
Brockton Enterprise

BOSTON — The world's oldest commissioned warship will set sail on Sunday for the first time since 1997 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the  victory over HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812.

The victory of the USS Constitution in this battle marked the first time a US ship defeated a Royal Navy frigate at or nearly equal size. It's also the battle in which the ship earned the nickname, "Old Ironsides."

The ship will be towed from its berth at the Charlestown Navy Yard at 10 a.m. Once Constitution is at President Roads, between Deer Island and Long Island, at 11:30 a.m., the crew will set up to four sails and make toward open water for about 10 minutes. 
 
After leaving President Roads, a 21-gun salute exchange with the Massachusetts Army National Guard’s 101st Field Artillery Regiment will then be fired toward Fort Independence on Castle Island at approximately 1 p.m.

The 101st Field Artillery Regiment is the oldest regiment in the Army. Sails will be furled at 2:30 p.m. and crew members will depart the ship at 3 p.m. Constitution will re-open for free public tours at 4 p.m.

The last time Constitution sailed under its own power was to honor the ship’s bicentennial.
 
At10 a.m. Saturday, just outside the Constitution's berth, the U.S Postal Service will unveil the USS Constitution Forever Stamp. The original painting used for the design of the stamp is on view at the USS Constitution Museum.

The museum will have tables set up all weekend for visitors to write letters to service members.

Boston salutes the USS CONSTITUTION and all the men who sailed her

She is the flagship of  the US NAVY.  I was privleged to be a member of her crew in 1997 when she went undersail (untethered) for the first time in 116 years.

The ship and the men who sailed her are united in history with their ship.  The staff of the USS Constitution Museum have made an extraordinary effort to bring the history of the crew to life. 

I salute these brave men as the ship is majestic but she was only able to be the success she was because she was manned by men who knew their duty and served on her decks, in peace and war.

BRAVO ZULU to the crew and captains of the USS CONSTITUTION - You made her proud.


Majesty and history
Constitution's forgotten crew and the War of 1812
 By Peter Schworm
 Boston Globe Staff / July 1, 2012

Undefeated in battle, a wooden vessel so stalwart it became known as Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution is perhaps the nation’s most famous warship, an abiding symbol of national pride and naval might.

Yet for two centuries, the hundreds of ordinary sailors who served aboard the great frigate during its most famous victories have been forgotten by history, with little known of their lives or sacrifice. They were celebrated in their day, honored with parades on their triumphant returns to Boston. But as the ship’s legend grew, they faded to obscurity.

Now, as Boston joins the nation in commemorating the bicentennial of the War of 1812, their stories are finally being told.

After a decade of poring over archives here and abroad, researchers at the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown have pieced together the lives of hundreds of seamen and Marines who served on the Constitution during the war. Among the many characters are James Bennett, a freeborn black man who plugged holes from enemy shot and was later killed in the Battle of Lake Erie, and Asa Curtis of Scituate, the ship’s gunner, who was “weatherbeaten and scarred from many years at sea.”

Often starting with little more than a name, researchers spent long hours combing through pension applications and military documents, personal correspondence, and British prisoner-of-war records, to compile profiles of the sailors and provide a fuller picture of the ship’s history.

“It’s always been the missing piece of the story,” said Anne Grimes Rand, the museum’s president, as she walked through an exhibit that highlights individual sailors and the experience of life at sea.
It was a daunting task, one that scholars warned was nearly impossible given the passage of time. But the museum staff, joined by a host of volunteers, pursued the project with a sense of obligation, determined to give the men their due.

“The Constitution is talked about as if it’s its own agent,” said Sarah Watkins, the museum’s director of collections and learning. “We wanted to tell the story of the men who sailed, who steered, who fought.”

Armed with a solid list of crewmen, researchers began searching through archives for leads, relying heavily on pension records and protection certificates that seamen used as proof of citizenship.
“It was like a passport of the day,” said Lauren McCormack, the museum’s bicentennial programs coordinator. “And in the pension records, you really had to tell your story.”

Those archives often provided a foothold that led researchers to other documents — marriage and death records, wills, and census records.

Slowly, breakthroughs came, and lives came into focus. As researchers learned more, they were drawn into the stories, forging bonds with the figures from long ago.

“They started out as names, and they evolved into individuals,” Watkins said. “For us, it’s not just an intellectual pursuit, it’s an emotional connection.”

The bond was particularly strong with David Debias, a freeborn black from Beacon Hill who was just 8 when he joined the crew, becoming a servant for a master’s mate.

Debias was among the crew chosen to sail on the HMS Levant after it was captured by the Constitution. That vessel was in turn seized by the British on its return to the United States. He was imprisoned in Barbados for a few months before being sent home to his family.

He was discharged in 1815, earning $32 for his seven-month stint.

But Debias was soon back on the seas again, joining the merchant fleet and then reenlisting on the Constitution. In 1838, he left his ship while it was docked in Alabama and was seized in Mississippi as a runaway slave.

Researchers found a letter that a lawyer for Debias wrote the secretary of the Navy, asking for proof of his military service. But they couldn’t find a response and worried the path had gone cold.
“We all wondered, ‘What happened to David?’ ” Watkins said.

Then one day, the National Archives called, saying they had tracked down the Navy’s response affirming his military service. When the news came, yelps of delight filled the museum’s library. They never found out whether he regained his freedom. But there was hope.

Another riveting, if tragic, story was that of Philip Brimblecom. Born in 1786 in Marblehead, he grew up fishing cod, and in 1809 he sailed on his uncle’s schooner to Spain. But the ship was taken off the coast of Spain and impounded by the French government. Brimblecom went to work aboard a French merchant ship, but then it was seized, and Brimblecom was jailed in England.

He eventually escaped and found an America-bound ship. But by this point the war had begun, and Brimblecom was captured again. In September 1812, he was exchanged as a prisoner of war.
Undeterred, he signed up for the Constitution the same month. During a battle in December 1812, a cannonball took away his arm at the elbow.

“Everything bad that can happen in seafaring happened to him,” said Matthew Brenckle, the museum’s research historian.

He could not find work, and wrote the Navy seeking a job and increase in his $6 monthly pension.
Brimblecom was given a job in the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1816, but later wrote and asked them to “look after a poor distressed crippled sailor.” He died at 38.

Such stories show the dangers and unforgiving nature of life at sea, and the sacrifice of those who served during what many consider the country’s second war of independence.

Yet hundreds of crew members remain just names on a muster, and researchers say their work is far from done. As word of the project has spread, descendants of sailors have contacted the museum with potential leads, and researchers are hopeful they will continue to make progress.

“We find out more practically every single day,” Brenckle said.

Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com

Long May She Wave - Flags from the USS CONSTITUTION are auctioned in Philadelphia

Rare 28-star United States ensign from the USS Constitution, Texas flag, circa 1846, comprised of wool bunting, with 28 appliqued cotton stars. It brought $134,500. It was fitting that America's oldest auction house, founded in 1805, sold historic naval colors from America's oldest war ship, the USS Constitution






Rare and Early American Naval Flags Achieve Auction Records At Freeman’s -
May 8th, 2012
antiquesandthearts.com


Philadelphia, Penn. - Freeman's marathon day of auctions on April 30 — American furniture, silver, folk and decorative arts followed by the Historic USS Constitution Colors from the collection of H. Richard Dietrich Jr — was a resounding success, realizing a combined total of $2.5 million. Provenance, uniqueness and overall high-quality generated excitement and interest from new and veteran collectors as well as institutions at home and abroad. The 11 flags and cannonball from the USS Constitution realized $784,500, were 100 percent sold and established 12 auction records.


Freeman's chairman, Samuel M. "Beau" Freeman II commenting on the sale, "In my 50 years here at Freeman's, this is one of the — if not the — most historic sale Freeman's has ever hosted. We are proud that the American public recognized the historic significance of these flags from 'Old Ironsides' and stepped forward to protect our nation's treasures into the future."


Highlights of the collection traveled to invitation-only events in Annapolis and Newport earlier in April. They came home to Freeman's for the public exhibition which opened with a champagne reception attended by the Dietrich family. After a week-long exhibition, the auction started at 6 pm to a full room of seated and phone bidders.


The auction kicked off with the English red ensign, which achieved $43,750, and the rare imperial Brazilian ensign that fetched $50,000. The French Republic commissioning pennant that later achieved $18,750 was eclipsed by lot No. 4, the 3-pound projectile "cannonball" removed from 'Old Ironsides' hull, which rocketed passed its estimate of $300/500 to its final price of $22,500.


"Interesting to know that an English cannonball does better than a French flag," said auctioneer and vice chairman Alasdair Nichol light-heartedly from the rostrum. An equally competitive situation arose for a US Commodore's broad pennant estimated at $4/6,000 that sailed up to its final price of $32,500.


H. Richard Dietrich, III, said, "We were pleased with the auction. It was a very special collection of naval flags. It has been an honor as a family to have had these flags over so many years, and we are excited that they have found new stewards to enjoy and care for them. Working with Freeman's throughout this whole effort has been a pleasure. Freeman's did a great job showcasing the inspiring story of the flags, their hard work was evident at every stage."


Tying for top lot status was a rare and early US Commodore's broad pennant from the USS Constitution , the oldest known representation of a US Commodore's "broad pennant," in use from 1837 to 1845 and inscribed on the hoist "Constitution Bradd pendend." This broad pennant dates from the period when the Constitution served as the flagship of both the Mediterranean Squadron (1837–1838) and the Pacific Squadron (1839–1842) under Commodores Jesse Duncan Elliot and Daniel Turner.

Retired naval commander going all-out to feed hungry children in Maine

I had the pleasure of serving with LCDR Bloom as she was our XO at the USS Constitution when I served there in 1997 & 1998 for the Bicentennial Celebration.

It's great to see she is continuing to serve those in need especially hungry kids.
Her website is http://www.end68hoursofhunger.org/

Please help her and the kids she serves.


Retired naval commander going all-out to feed hungry Seacoast children
Foster's daily Democrat - Maine

After retirement – What comes next?

For one retired officer, "next" means helping hungry children.

LCDR Claire Bloom retired from the Navy in 1998 from the USS Constitution, following which she started her own business teaching internet based courses to help students all over the world become certified in Integrated Resource Management.

More recently, however, she has a whole new gig.

In October 2010, at a women's book group meeting while discussing a book set in a highly impoverished area, a member of the group, who was also a teacher at a local elementary school, made the comment that she had children in her classroom who from the time they finished their free lunch on Friday, until the time they had their free breakfast on Monday, had nothing to eat.

Bloom decided at that very moment that she could not sit back and do nothing about this tragedy which existed right in her our own community, so after the holidays she contacted the local school superintendent's office and spoke with the homeless coordinator for the school system.

That person was able to point Bloom towards a number of national programs designed to eliminate this kind of weekend hunger. Bloom chose a plan based on a model used successfully all around the nation to get backpacks with non-perishable food in them to select children at the end of the school day on Friday.

The children would take the food home to eat during the weekend, and bring the empty backpack back to school on Monday, and it would be refilled for the following week.

It took her four and a half months to get her application for a 501 (c) (3) (Not for Profit) program approved by the IRS, and so in the middle of May 2011 she started working on the substance of the program.

The initial funding was her own and her husband's, but her first stop was the local branch of Bank of America, where she was welcomed wholeheartedly, and given a free checking account, checks, ten duffle bags, and her first team of volunteers as well as some guidance on applying for a grant from Bank of America.

Her second stop was Atlantic Mini Storage where she was offered a 10' x 30' storage unit with 24 hour access, a $2030 “in kind” contribution.

With a checking account and a place to store food and pack backpacks, she contacted Target and was given $250 in storage bins for the food, and Home Depot where she was given $75 in shelving.

Then came volunteer training where her first three teams were trained.

Her own church, St. John's United Methodist Church, discussed the project at a church council meeting and agreed to host a food drive every Sunday. the results of which would be divided between this project and the local Food Pantry. The church also agreed to sponsor a volunteer team as well. Thus far each week she has received enough food for two or three backpacks.

Her son's company, Newmarket International, agreed to sponsor a fundraising drive, so she picked up all the backpacks that the superintendent's office had and the Bank of America duffle bags, and took them all to Newmarket.

The employees filled 57 backpacks with food from the on line shopping list, and donated $750 through a raffle and direct contributions. They also agreed to be her third volunteer team.

Through a contact at Newmarket she was contacted by Prime North Acura, and they held a customer food drive in October and agreed to put together “goodie bags” for Halloween, for the December Vacation, and for the spring vacation, which will be added to the food in the backpacks.

She contacted all the local churches, and one invited her to share their booth at a local street fair. Since it costs approximately $500 per year to feed one child, she also invited individual sponsorship of either a week or a child.

The fourth team came from a local political group, and the fifth for those rare months in which there are five weeks from a church youth group.

The children enrolled in the program are identified by the guidance counselors and nurses at the three elementary schools, their parents are contacted and their agreement to their child's participation is secured, and the children are told what to expect all through the school system.

Neither Bloom nor her volunteers ever have any contact with any of these children. The program is totally anonymous.

Additional funding came from Liberty Mutual, the Walmart Foundation, and two local car dealerships.

The next challenge will be how to feed these children during school vacations.

The volunteer teams collect empty backpacks from the schools on Mondays, fill them, and deliver them back to the three elementary schools. She started with 26 children in the program and within one month the program had increased to 49 children.

A recent article about a similar program indicated that the first year the program started with 30 students, just as this one is. The next year there were 350 students enrolled.

She has already been contacted by two other towns about how they can capitalize on what she is doing. Since she already has the domain name, the website, the 501 (c)(3), the email address, the phone number, the mail box, the storage unit, and liability insurance a nearby town can join in quite easily with their own volunteers and additional contributions of funds and food.

Children who are hungry on the weekends probably exist in your own communities, and the organizational skills we learned in our military careers can help us all to help them. Together we can eliminate this challenge faced by young children through no fault of their own!

For more information, you can check out her program at http://www.end68hoursofhunger.org/