George Claghorn
George Claghorn | |
---|---|
Shipwright | |
Known for | Military service in the American Revolutionary War and as the master shipbuilder of the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) |
George Claghorn (July 17, 1748 [
Personal life
Claghorn was born in 1748, the ninth child of Experience (
Military career
George Claghorn served in the Massachusetts militia during the American Revolution. He was shot and wounded in the knee at the battle of Bunker Hill. After the war, Claghorn was promoted to the rank of colonel in the militia.[2][7]
Breed's Hill
Most of what is known as the "battle of Bunker Hill" was actually fought just less than a half mile away at
Old Ironsides
The keel of the USS Constitution was laid down on November 1, 1794, at
In March 1796, as construction slowly progressed, a peace accord was announced between the United States and Algiers and, in accordance with the Naval Act of 1794, construction was halted.[10] After some debate and prompting by President Washington, Congress agreed to continue to fund the construction of the three ships nearest to completion: United States, Constellation, and Constitution.[11][12] Constitution's launching ceremony on September 20, 1797, was attended by then President John Adams and Massachusetts Governor Increase Sumner. Upon launch, she slid down the ways only 27 feet (8.2 m) before stopping; her weight had caused the ways to settle into the ground, preventing further movement. An attempt two days later resulted in only an additional 31 feet (9.4 m) of travel before the ship again stopped. After a month of rebuilding the ways, Constitution finally slipped into Boston Harbor on October 21, 1797, with Captain James Sever breaking a bottle of Madeira wine on her bowsprit.[13][14]
Constitution is a wooden-
See also
Notes
- ^ Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded his birth as July 6, 1748. The provisions of the British Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, implemented in 1752, altered the official British dating method to the Gregorian calendar with the start of the year on January 1 (it had been March 25). These changes resulted in dates being moved forward 11 days, and for those between January 1 and March 25, an advance of one year. For a further explanation, see: Old Style and New Style dates.
- ^ Engber, Daniel (January 18, 2006). "What's Benjamin Franklin's Birthday?". Slate. Retrieved May 21, 2011. (Both Franklin's and Claghorn's confusing birth dates are clearly explained.)
- ^ HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned vessel by three decades; however, Victory has been in dry dock since 1922.[4]
References
- ^ "Birth date of George Claghorn at WolframAlpha Computational Knowledge Engine". Wolfram Web Resource. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ a b c Wheeler, O. Keith (30 January 2002). "Individual Summary for COL. GEORGE CLAGHORN". Retrieved 2012-10-10.
- ^ E. Americana (1957).
- ^ "HMS Victory Service Life". HMS Victory. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012.
- ^ Banks (1925).
- ^ Wheeler, O. Keith (30 January 2002). "Individual Summary for DEBORAH ??? BROWNELL – Mystery wife of Col. George Claghorn". Retrieved 2015-08-23.
- ^ Pahlow, B. (2004). "Ancestral Anecdotes". Ancestry.com/Rootsweb. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^ "USS Constitution". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
- ^ Hollis (1900), p. 48.
- ^ "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ^ "Launching the New U.S. Navy". National Archives. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ^ Allen (1909), p. 47.
- ^ Hollis (1900), pp. 55–58.
- ^ Reilly, John (31 May 2001). "Christening, Launching, and Commissioning of U.S. Navy Ships". Naval History & Heritage Command. Archived from the original on 21 December 2001. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ^ Toll (2006), p. 61.
Bibliography
- Allen, Gardner Weld (1909). Our Naval War With France. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1202325.
- Banks, Charles (1925). "The Claghorn Family (of Martha's Vineyard)".
- Dudley, Lavinia P., ed. (1957). "Claghorn, George". Encyclopedia Americana.
- Hollis, Ira N. (1900). The Frigate Constitution; The Central Figure of the Navy Under Sail. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 2350400.
- Toll, Ian W (2006). Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy. New York: W. W. Norton. OCLC 70291925.