USS Constitution, November 1983

 

Approaching the ship

On board

Under the bell

The Gunner's stateroom

 

This is what the USS Constitution looked like in 1983.  The photos are fading but the memories are still clear.

It was a raw November day in Boston.  We were welcomed by Navy men in period costume.  George Sirian's great-great-great-grandson, age 5, had his picture taken standing under the ship's bell, and we were delighted to go below and see the Gunner's stateroom, where George would have spent considerable time in 1844-1846 and again during the Civil War.