Trouble Aboard the Constitution

“Ship of State” by Tom Freeman, depicting Pope Pius IX coming aboard the USS Constitution in 1849

The USS Constitution today, the oldest ship in the world still afloat. She was launched in 1797 and is usually docked in Boston.

The USS Constitution vs the HMS Guerriere. From this victory, the USS Constitution got the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

Captain John Gwynn, the commander of the USS Constitution when Pope Pius IX came aboard. He died a short time after this event.

Pope Pius IX