In August of 1940, at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, USS Constitution was named one of two symbolic flagships of the U.S. Fleet, alongside USS Constellation. President Roosevelt, a former assistant secretary of the Navy with a keen interest in early American naval history, made his first visit to the Charlestown Navy Yard in August of 1940. As war spread across Europe and the United States rapidly expanded its Navy, the designation symbolically linked the modern fleet with the service, courage and traditions of generations of Sailors who came before. Nearly 143 years after her launch, “Old Ironsides” once again stood as a symbol of the enduring strength and heritage of the U.S. Navy. Huzzah! #OldIronsides
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