Just north of downtown Boston in the Charlestown Navy Yard quietly sits USS Constitution, one of the most famous ships in American naval history. Nicknamed "Old Ironsides" because cannon balls glanced off her thick oaken hull, Constitution defeated four British frigates during the War of 1812. In the summer of 2012, the Constitution was at the center of attention again during the celebrations for the war's bicentennial. Yet long before the War of 1812 and the glory of her pivotal victories at sea, the Constitution and her first captain were already an integral part of the United States' naval heritage. While the American Revolution is best known for arduous and bloody land battles that eventually defeated England, Americas war of independence also took place at sea. In October 1775, the Continental Congress decided to establish a small naval force "to offset to some extent what would otherwise be an uncontested exercise of British sea power." This force grew into the Continental Navy.
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机译：美国海军宪法号（Charlestown Navy Yard）位于波士顿市区北部，在查尔斯敦海军船坞（Charlestown Navy Yard）中静静地坐着，这是美国海军历史上最著名的船只之一。宪法号因炮弹从厚厚的橡木船体中掠过而被昵称为“老铁边”，在1812年战争中击败了四艘英国护卫舰。2012年夏天，宪法在战争两百周年庆典中再次成为人们关注的焦点。然而，在1812年战争和她在海上取得关键胜利的荣耀之前很久，《宪法》和她的第一任船长已经是美国海军遗产的组成部分。美国革命以最终击败英格兰的艰辛和流血的土地战而闻名，而美洲独立战争也发生在海上。 1775年10月，美国大陆会议决定建立一支小型海军部队，“以某种程度抵消原本毫无争议的英国海上力量的行使”。这支部队成长为大陆海军。
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