Looking back on the World Cruise: From New York to the Azores, Zanzibar, China, Hawai‘i, California, and beyond, USS Constitution completed her first and only global circumnavigation—sailing more than 52,000 miles and visiting 27 ports across four continents. Under Capt. John Percival, “Old Ironsides” carried out diplomatic missions, protected American interests abroad, and represented the U.S. Navy on the world stage. Along the way, the crew navigated rising tensions in Mexico, conducted diplomacy in Southeast Asia, and operated in regions few Americans had ever seen. After two years at sea, Constitution returned home to Boston on 27 September 1846—bringing one of the most ambitious voyages in early U.S. naval history to a close. #USSConstitution #USNavy #AmericasNavy250 #WorldCruise #OldIronsides #ShipOfState #NavyPride #TallShip #Sailing #America250