The Constitution was rated as a 44-gun frigate but has carried as many as 55 guns at various times. The present arrangement closely follows that of her early days. The guns on the spar deck are 32-pounder carronades, short, light guns which threw heavy shots a short distance (300 to 400 yards). On the gun deck are long 24-pounders, heavy guns with much greater range but less smashing power than the carronade. In the following table the ranges given are for one degree of elevation. The long gun could attain ranges up to 2,000 yards by greater elevation, the projectile leaving the gun with a velocity of about 1,500 feet per second.
The Constitution cost $302,917. Her original dimensions were: length over-all, 204 feet; beam, 43.5 feet; draft, forward 21 feet, aft 23 feet; displacement 2,200 tons. She was generally considered an excellent sailer, the report being that “she works within eleven points of the wind; steers, works, sails, scuds, and lies-to well; rolls deep and easy, and sailing close-hauled has beaten everything sailed with.”
Guns of the Constitution
| Location | Type | No. | Length | Weight lbs. | Bore inches | Powder charge | Approx. range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gun deck, for’d. and aft | 24-pdr., American | 12 | 9′ 5¾″ | 5,135 | 5.824 | 8 lbs. | 700 yds. |
| Gun deck, amidships | 24-pdr., English | 18 | 10′ 5¾″ | 5,733 | 5.824 | 8 lbs. | 700 yds. |
| Spar deck | 32-pdr., carronades | 20 | 5′ 5″ | 2,240 | 6.41 | 4 lbs. | 400 yds. |
| Spar deck, bow chasers | 24-pdr. | 2 | 9′ 9½″ | 4,170 | 5.824 | 8 lbs. | 700 yds. |
The two bow chasers are 18-pounders bored for 24-pound shot. They are lighter than the standard 24-pounder to reduce top weights. Total weight of broadside, 734 pounds. As shot were frequently underweight, this figure is not exact.
Her complement was 400 officers and men, but she usually cruised with about 50 men in excess. At sea the men were crowded closely together and there was much sickness. The ration was fixed by law and it made a monotonous diet. The legal ration for Sunday was 1½ lbs. beef, 14 oz. bread, ½ lb. flour, ¼ lb. suet, ½ pt. spirits. On week days pork was sometimes substituted for beef, with cheese or dried peas in place of suet. The meat was usually salted, the bread stale and moldy, the spirits good.
Transcriber’s Notes
- Silently corrected a few typos.
- Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.
- In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.
- Inserted the original page-footer line drawings into the text.