A day that proved America’s maritime lethality 🇺🇸⚓️ Exactly one month to the day after what would later be known as “The Great Escape,” the USS Constitution set sail on another venture—this time with the mission to prove her fighting capabilities to the American people. On August 19, 1812, she encountered an old nemesis: HMS Guerriere, off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. In this battle, the Constitution would cement her reputation within the British fleet as a force to be reckoned with. During the engagement, enemy fire struck the ship, but to the crew’s astonishment, her sides held firm. One sailor famously shouted, “Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!” Of course, she wasn’t made of iron at all, but of “live oak,” a type of wood five times denser than standard oak. The battle was not without cost. It was here that we honor the first Marine Officer to fall in the line of duty at sea: Lieutenant William S. Bush. His sacrifice was not in vain, as the victory was swift and decisiv...