Boston Harbor’s own USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the US navy, got a lot of time out on the Harbor this year- even some time under the power of its own sail at one point toward the end of the summer. This was only the second time in the past 100 years that the ship sailed under its own sail.
The purpose of these was largely to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812. Its pretty amazing how many thousands of boats and spectators came to visit her. Here are some amateur photos of the USS Constitution in action from the summer of 2012. There are all taken from on the water. Don’t forget, you can visit the USS Constitution in her home slip in Charlestown, MA and see the Constitution museum nearby.
Here, she sails back toward the city, surrounded by a throng of recreational and commercial boaters:
Here she is on her sailing event getting ready to turn, with the help of a tug boat:
Putting the sails up to turn back in towards the inner Boston Harbor
A closer version as she sits in front of Deer Island:
Constitution and Coast Guard Eagle as they get navigate their way through a pack of recreational boats and get a flyover by the Blue Angles on the Forth of July:
This is actually a picture of the USS Constitution at dock in the summer of 2009. It looks as though she is getting her sails repared:
