"Old Ironsides" is a poem written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., on September 16, 1830, as a tribute to the eighteenth-century frigate . Thanks in part to the poem, she was saved from being decommissioned and is now the oldest commissioned ship in the world still afloat.

Background

thumb|USS Constitution in Boston, 2005
"Old Ironsides" was the nickname given to the 18th century frigate, USS Constitution during the War of 1812 after its naval battle with the . The Constitution was one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, commissioned by the Naval Act of 1794. The Constitution was the third of four ships with 44 guns and was granted its name by President George Washington. The ship saw action during the Quasi-War, the First Barbary War, the Battle of Tripoli Harbor, and the Battle of Derne before earning her famous nickname during the War of 1812.

Composition and publication history

Holmes had recently abandoned his studies of law and began writing poetry for fun. In September 1830, he read an article in the Boston Daily Advertiser about the Navy's plans to dismantle the historic USS Constitution. Startled by this, he was moved to write "Old Ironsides" to express his opposition of the scrapping. The poem was published in the Advertiser the next day and was soon reprinted by papers in New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

Response

The poem brought Holmes immediately national attention, and the poem would remain among his most well-known. Additionally, the poem generated enough public sentiment that the historic ship was preserved as a monument. Today, Constitution is well-known by its nickname "Old Ironsides" and is the oldest commissioned ship in the world still afloat.