# @uss_constitution on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DSIpwkzD4CD
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/37877711-uss-constitution-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/4449083a6a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-12-11T19:38:37.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** USS Constitution (@uss_constitution) — https://gondola.cc/uss_constitution

## Caption

Then vs. Now ⚓️⛵️ ️️

When USS Constitution sailed into battle in the early 1800s, she carried 46–48 massive flax sails, covering more than 44,000 square feet of sail area. Out of the 450 crew members onboard, it took nearly half the crew to furl the sails. The mainsail alone was a giant—77 feet wide at the top, 87 feet wide at the bottom, and 45 feet tall—and it took at least 50 sailors just to handle it.

In 1997, Constitution set six sails sometimes referred to as its “battle configuration” when it sailed for its 200th anniversary.  The last sail under her own power, with three topsails, was in 2012, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. 

The ship’s 11 modern sails are made from synthetic Oceanus fiber. Today Constitution’s crew still continues to train in climbing the rigging and handling the sails—keeping the spirit and tradition of America’s oldest commissioned warship alive.

Huzzah!

#USNavy #USSConstitution #OldIronsides #AmericasNavy250 #Navy250 #Sail #Tallship #Boston #Freedomtrail
 
Image Credit: “CONSTITUTION,” watercolor, attributed to Michele Felice Corne, c.1803.  Navy Art Collection.

## Stats

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- **Likes:** 880
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## Tags

ussconstitution, usnavy, sail, freedomtrail, tallship, americasnavy250, navy250, boston, oldironsides

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