Thursday July 26 Boston Day 13

So what did we do today? Off to the MBTA – subway- via the van from the Comfort Inn. We take a round trip pass to the trolley. It costs 3.40$ for one. We board the red line at JFK/UofMass, the orange to state and finally the exit at the aquarium where the trolley homeports. We take it to stop 3 to view the ship.

We thought the best thing to do was go to the USS Constitution “Old Iron Sides” for a tour http://www.oldironsides.com/. It is still an active Navy vessel built in 1797. It was built to defend the American shipping interests in the Mediterranean Sea.

A white hat gave the tour, a nice young man whom truly loves his duty. You look at the full three mast vessel. The sides were built with two layers of white oak and one layer from a live oak, the sides were two feet deep and pined every six inches or so. I learned during our southeast trip this winter that a live oak only grows to around South Carolina, the leaves fall during the year not all at once like ours. This growing pattern causes a density to this wood that approaches three to four times the strength of oak alone. The ship can run 13+ knots, highest mast 220 ft., displacement 2,200 tons and a length of 204 ft. I noticed it drew 21 feet of water below line. The masts have rolled canvas sheets that weigh 1,100 pounds and 25 people to roll but 4 to 5 to unroll. We walked around the deck admiring the well polished brass, well coiled rope and cannons. Everything you look at is just plain thick and big. There were two 24-pound “Bow Chasers”, 20 – 32-pounders called “Carronades” crew of 4 to 9 sailors.

We went below deck to the cannon deck. 32 – 24-pounder “Long Guns” each taking a crew of 6 to 14 sailors to man. The shell could travel about a mile, the recoil was about 9 feet; this allowed them to reload the cannon.

The sailor talked about the famous battle the Constitution was involved in. It involved the British frigate HMS Guerriere. The English were firing cannon balls at the Constitution but they we were said to bounce off or embed in the side. When it came alongside, the Captain said ‘hold aim’ it meant not to fire, they asked when do we, it turned out that it was about 25 yards from the ship. The order to fire came and all fired at once, the noise and black powder smoke thick in the air. Some sailors lost there hearing totally, some lost some of it for a while, like I did in the engine room I suspect, and some had blood running from their ears. The cannon balls were delivered to the gun by 8 year old boys, whom ran on watered down sand for better traction, to give the men the 24 pound cannon balls. After the Constitution fired all the masts of the ship were blown off and the US brought the survivors on board. That is when one sailor said ‘is it made of iron?’

Under this deck were the ships quarters. The 30 boys eight year olds slept on the deck, sailors in hammocks, amidships were the marines, aft of that was the officer quarters, private small doors to their bunks. The captain was on the second deck and had two living quarters, as he may have dignitaries on board. Big desk, large bed area and a chart desk.

We went back up to the main deck and the sailor said that the ship was going into dry dock. He also said they are not paid sea pay; they go out one to four times a year but not far from port. It turns out to be the oldest dry dock #1 where it has been before. A civilian told us that they were going to re-plate the copper underside; no one else had mentioned it but later saw a picture of that fact. The ship had in its heyday 500 or so hands, but I noticed only three small life boats, one by the captain’s deck, surprise.

This to me was an exciting tour. We also went through the neat museum. Again like Niagara Falls, the ship was big and powerful, we heard this morning that the river runs 25 miles per hour to the falls.

We decide to board the trolley to go and eat around Faneuil Hall area. As we walked to the front of the Hall we noticed many people coming from the second floor. All were well dressed and carrying a parchment and an American flag in their hand or pocket. I approached a young gal, turns out from Santo Domingo, turns out she has lived in America for 14 years, yes, this was her day to become an American and she couldn't say enough about how people should love this country, saying this with ters in her eyes. Her enthusiasm was catching and we looked at each other and said we take it for granted. The second floor of Faneuil Hall a historic Boston structure fondly called "The Cradle of Liberty," because of its association with American Revolutionary figures Samuel Adams and James Otis.

We ate at the oldest restaurant in America, ye olde UNION OYSTER HOUSE est. 1826. It was rustic and we were seated upstairs, even though we would have liked to sit at the oyster bar, no backs on the chairs. Shirleen ordered a Boston Scrod (a scrod is a young cod) and fries with a Hacienda cabernet, Jim fish cakes with Boston baked beans which we all thought were great with a tangy molasses taste. I had a tough time deciding, ended up ordering the fish platter, with a piece of haddock, shrimp, scallops, deep fried oysters, clams and a choice and tasty Colonial Ale.

We walked around this area and found a monument to the six million Jews whom were annihilated by Hitler. It, like other monuments like this, is inspiring but morbid. It is hard to think that someone could do this as the world looked on.

We took a walk through Quincy Market, many vendors of many types of foods. We boarded the trolley for a return trip and had another good guide. Back to square one, and we decided we wanted to sit and sip. We went to Legal Seafood on the wharf and ordered a drink and were told that we needed to order food, Shirleen quickly said, we will have coconut shrimp then. The gal was from Milwaukee and studying sports law. Our sips were Shirleen a Miller light, Jim a draft Sam Adams and I a real Budweiser. We then went back and decided the route back to home once we leave Cape Cod. Then my writing this up, again I have left many things out of here about the wonderful Boston experience, later perhaps.

Tomorrow I meet up with Sandy M. in Orleans, she will show me my Uncle Lew’s grave site. Then we turn west and are home bound. - jerr