With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Navy suddenly relieves commander of 'Old Ironsides'

WASHINGTON -- The commander of the USS Constitution was relieved of duty because of a ''loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command,'' a Navy spokesman said Thursday.

The Navy declined to provide specifics about why Commander Thomas C. Graves was removed [two months early] as senior officer of the historic warship, known as ''Old Ironsides.''...

Graves was the 69th commander of the oldest commissioned ship afloat in the world...

The Constitution was commissioned in 1797 and is docked at Boston's historic Charlestown Naval Yard, a national park. The ship never lost a battle, from fighting pirates in the Caribbean to the British in the War of 1812.
Read entire article at AP