Did you know the first pope to set foot on American territory did so aboard USS Constitution? While Pope Paul VI’s 1965 visit to New York is often remembered as the first papal trip to the United States, that distinction technically belongs to Pope Pius IX. On Aug. 2, 1849, he boarded Old Ironsides in Gaeta, Italy. Because commissioned U.S. Navy ships are considered sovereign American territory, his visit officially counts. At the time, USS Constitution had been deployed to the Mediterranean amid widespread revolution across Europe. Her mission: protect American citizens and interests in the region. During a port call near Naples, Capt. John Gwinn welcomed both Pope Pius IX and King Ferdinand II aboard the ship. The crew manned the yards, fired a 21-gun salute, and even received papal blessings on the gun deck. The visit was deeply meaningful to the ship’s Catholic sailors and a notable moment in diplomatic history. However, it also sparked controversy. Commodore Charles W. Morgan, ...