The USS Constitution, better known as “Old Ironsides,” is perhaps the most famous vessel in the history of the US Navy. One of the first frigates built for the Navy, the Constitution saw action in several wars and defeated the British frigate HMS Guerrière during the War of 1812. Later condemned as unseaworthy, the ship was saved from dismantling by public sentiment aroused by Oliver Wendell Holmes’ poem “Old Ironsides.” How did the wooden ship get its nickname? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary