RepGuardian

The maritime history of Baltimore is rich and extensive.  The city was built on the shores of the Inner Harbor, and through the years this harbor has been responsible for the growth and the success of this fishing town in Baltimore.  International trade and commerce has thrived, the port was once only second to New York in welcoming European immigrants, and consequently, the city has one of the most impressive collections of historical ships in the country.

For fans of history, fans of the shipping industry, this is a place wherein many dreams come true.  From tours to midnight strolls on the decks of these ships to a Baltimore restaurant experience out on the waters in the Harbor, to educational programs, this city has it all.  One such impressive ship is the USS Constellation.  For many years during both World Wars, Baltimore was the ship building capital of the country, and the USS Constellation is one of the finest examples of the work that was done during those years.

This ship was actually built very early on in the industry, in 1787 she was launched in the harbor, designed by Josiah Fox and Joshua Humphreys at the Sterrett Shipyard.  Her first journeys include trips to the West Indies and to the Caribbean captained by Thomas Truxtun, in order to protect the United States trade interests in those foreign waters.  Then a few years later in 1799, the ship and her crew successfully captured a French ship, L’Insurgente in a battle at sea just off of the island of Nevis in the West Indies.

She survived many such adventures, but was damaged by winds in the Delaware Bay in 1801, and required numerous repairs.  In all this is a ship where just walking on the decks one will be filled with the hundreds of years this ship and her crews have taken to the open waters.  Word has it around Baltimore, that some of those crew members still walk the ship from time to time, and it is for this reason that the USS Constellation is often included in the ghost tours of Baltimore.  If the sea, and the ships, and the possibility of catching a glimpse of a ghostly captain are things that you are interested in, this is one historic location in Baltimore that should not be missed.

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