Old Ironsides: Eagle of the Sea - The Story of the USS Constitution

by David Fitz-Enz

This book describes the consruction of the USS Constitution in 1798, the pivotal role it played in the War of 1812, and its years as a training ship for the US Naval Academy. It also describes more recent efforts to restore the ship and put it on display in Boston.

Genres: History, Nautical, American History

281 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Sean Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, I had bought this one visiting the USS Constitution in July 2025 and I’d put off reading it until this April 2026, thinking that it would be too boring. I was pleasantly surprised, and in the book, the author not only discusses the USS Constitution and her role in the war of 1812, but also a broader understanding of naval history and power dynamics at that time which I found very interesting. The use of primary sources was amazing and I thought the maps and pictures provided were very useful.

[Kimberly Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!