[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S8685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE U.S.S. ``CONSTITUTION''

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I would like to take this 
opportunity to pay tribute to a pillar of American history, a symbol of 
the proud sacrifices that forced the birth of a nation, and which makes 
its home in Massachusetts. I speak of course of the vessel that carried 
into battle the hopes of the early republic for freedom and a lasting 
independence, the ship that generation upon generation of 
schoolchildren have come to know as ``Old Ironsides''--the U.S.S. 
Constitution.
  Two hundred and four years ago, six frigates were constructed for the 
United States Navy. One ship remains to this day to symbolize the 
strength and endurance that lies at the heart of this country's 
experiment in democratic ideals. The U.S.S. Constitution--docked in 
historic Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston--is a living monument to our 
proud history and to the values which endure in this country.
  Like the Constitution written in Philadelphia that unified so many 
voices bound by a common spirit, this frigate itself carries in its 
mighty structure materials from all the original states of the union. 
Built by Colonel George Claghorn at Edmond Hartt's shipyard in Boston's 
North End, its hull of live oak, red cedar, white oak and pitch pine 
come from as far north as the deep woods of Maine and as far south as 
the forests of South Carolina and Georgia. The masts come from Maine. 
South Carolina pine gave the Constitution its decks, and canvas from 
Rhode Island formed the sails that pushed it on its historic journey. 
New Jersey contributed its keel and cannon balls, and the gun carriages 
and anchors came from Massachusetts tradespeople. We must never forget 
that it was Boston's Paul Revere, among the strongest voices in the 
chorus of revolution, who provided the spikes and copper sheathing that 
fortified the ship in battle. The U.S.S. Constitution belongs to all of 
us, from every state--and it belongs to every one around the world who 
believes in freedom.
  Although this mighty ship was officially retired from naval duty in 
1881, it continues to remind us of the work ahead of us in making the 
world safe for those who dare to dream, who dare to give voice to new 
ideas. The U.S.S. Constitution is launched into a new battle each time 
it reminds us of the full measure of sacrifice that our love of freedom 
demand for its protection. For hundreds of thousands of visitors each 
year, the U.S.S. Constitution is an inspiration--reminding us not just 
of where America has been, but where America is going. With its sails 
filled with the winds of freedom, I know the Constitution will take us 
all on endless journeys towards a new horizon, with our only boundaries 
lying in the limits of mankind's hopes for a better world.

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