Greetings from USS Constitution's Marine Guard

[1812USMarine]

UNDEFEATED!

[harry hackedoff]

Greetings to you mac, we had some "live" Marine Guards down here for some rock and roll, couple of weeks ago. A good time was had by all
Is it true that USS Constelation is getting paid off when she gets home?
Sempers
Aye,

[Artist]

UNDEFEATED?

We will wipe the floor with you playing Uckers!
Beer drinking, you've got no chance. YamSing your buggers under the table! Thinks......we have!!!

Nice to have you onboard. Semper Fi. Lads

aye Artist

[JR]

1812USMarine,welcome aboard,Set ya t'gallants and top'sls and come alongside.HMS Victory the oldest working warship in the world 'Hearts of Oak',Undefeated.Aye JR

[harry hackedoff]

Jim,
the Constitution was the most famous of American heavy frigates in the 1812 war, carrying 44 guns up to several 32 pounders. Her nickname was Old Ironsides as her massive construction enabled her to defeat 18 pounders from Jack. Put her up against a decent 74 with 42 pounders and she would be matchwood. A ten foot barrel lenght and seven inch bore gave a 42 pounder quite an edge, sorry if I`m teaching you to suck eggs mate
On 16th July the Africa, 64 and three, later four, frigates encountered her of the coast of New Jersey. Totally becalmed, both sides took to towing with ship`s boats and kedgeing with anchors to get within range or evade capture. She was lucky that time.
Contitution sank the Frigates Java, Guerrier and the sloops Cyane and Levant. She has a single gun deck with sixteen ports per side. The Guerrier had been captured earlier from the French, had been at sea for too long and was in desparate need of a re-fit. She had sprung her bowsprit and foremast. Her Captn, Jim Dacres, shortened sail to allow the Yank to run down wind to meet him. Fair enough, but her gunners had spent too long spit and polishing and not enough practising gunnery. Constitution was able to fire three alternate broadsides at Guerrier when she was still way ahead.
Later, as they ran parallel, with the wind, Guerrier lost her mizzen, which went overboard and acted as a brake, eventually causing both vessels to collide. The fire from the tops causing much execution to both sides, but as the already damaged bowsprit gave way, it carried her fore and main masts. At close quarters, Guerrier was raked, she had 74 dead. Constitution had 14. Dacres surrendered, but such was the damage to his ship that Elmer had to burn her in the water, rather than take her as prize. The out come should`ve been differant. A court of enquirey found Dacre and his officers "innocent", but could not hide the fact that a better ship was out-gunned. Luck was often on Constitutions side. Maybe you and Frank could press-gang a crew for Victory so we could teach those damn colonials who`s the senior service
Hands to witness punishment, in yer own time, Master-at-Arms,
Aye,

[1812USMarine]

Sorry, haven't got up-to-date intel on Constellation's status. I'll check.
And yes, Constitution had a bit of luck on her side, and more than a little skill. I do believe the Admiralty ordered that no upstart colonial frigates would be engaged by less than two ships-of-the-line henceforth from Guerriere's defeat. She was also pretty damn well built; all that good American oak ya' know.
As the world's oldest commissioned warship *afloat*, we shall wait patiently whilst y'all get HMS Victory seaworthy! We sail again on 14 June, but we'll be back.

[harry hackedoff]

Oooh, you can stand by for that remark
Have you got a website for the Constitution matey?
Take a tot, bud, all the same

[1812USMarine]

http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/ is the official site. I have additional photos on my site http://www.provincialhistory.net/milita ... ryidx.html

Standing by.

JD

[El Prez]

Tea Hackedoff?
Lemon?
Where is that damn Nathaniel Boone fellow, always running around the woods when you need him to boil water.
This chappie form across our Atlantic, isn't nearly as old as JR and Owdun, almost a sprog by comparison; d'ye reckon he's shaving yet?

[1812USMarine]

Once a week, whether I need to or not!

[bootneck]

Harry, you must wear a hat when out in the sun, repeat, I must wear a hat when out in the sun......I must wear a hat when out in the sun

[JR]

Right lets open a can of worms,One of the most famous single ship actions took place on the 1st June 1813 between the HMS Shannon and the USS Chesapeake off Cape Anne (Boston).The battle between the chesapeake and the Shannon was in a class of its own.The American frigate was one of the six original frigates as the basis of the USN,Though often classified as a 50 gun ship,she was in fact fitted out with 36.She carried 376 men,and was commanded by Captain James Lawrence.The British ship was a 38 gun frigate manned by 330 men,and commanded by Captain Peter Vere Broke.Broke sought out the Chesapeake (Which was lying in the port of Boston) and sent Lawrence a challenging letter.'Sir As the Chesapeake appears now ready for sea,I request that you will do me the favour to meet the Shannon with her ship to ship to try the fortunes of our respective ships.Lawrence sailed later that day and fate ensured him fame and honour in the most single ship action in the annals of the Royal Navy.After a eleven minute battle of the fiercest intensity imaginableBrokes Marines and Sailors boarded the battered US frigate,and after another few minutes the Chesapeake struck her colours.Lawrence was mortally wounded.Broke took the captured frigate to Halifax NS,and later she was brought to Britain.The good ship Chesapeake was broken up and her timbers used to build a water mill on the river Hamble.Now I see there is a move afoot to reclaim the timbers and ship them back to the States.Aye JR.For a good read see Peter Padfield's Broke and the Shannon. PS trust me I'm a old ex Bootneck

[El Prez]

At long last a cuzzin with a sense of humour and a tad of history, not a lot, but just enough for him to be respectful..........."D'ya hear there, d'ya hear there, No piss taking on the starboard side, piss taking will take place on the Port side Aft, near the Yanks mess, and by God aren't they a mess. That is all!"

[1812USMarine]

"The Shannon was a stronger ship; she mounted 28 18-pounders on the main deck, 22 32-pound carronades, and two long brass nines or twelves on the spar deck, and a large carronade amidships, in all fifty-two guns, besides this last carronade;" She also had a better crew. "Besides her complement she had seamen from two other ships (Belle Poule & Tenedos)"
Chesapeake had a mostly green crew and both her new Captain and First LT were mortally wounded, as was the 4th LT. "The loss of the Chesapeake is to be ascribed wholly to the extraordinary loss of officers and to her falling accidentally on board the Shannon"

Above from "A Complete History of the Battles Fought by the Navy of the US" 1816

A loss is a loss, but we shall long remember Lawrence's words - "Don't surrender the ship!"

[1812USMarine]

Cousin indeed! Grandparents came over, smartly, from the UK in the early 1900s. Having the last name of Darlington causes me no end of grief from senior Marines of Hibernian heritage, of which there are many.