A Most Fortunate Ship: A Narrative History of Old Ironsides

by Tyrone G. Martin

The captain of the USS Constitution during the US bicentennial augments his 1980 history of the country's most famous sailing ship with the fruits of additional research just in time for the ship's own bicentennial in 1997. He confirms that the diagonal riders were in the ship from the first, provides details and diagrams of battles the ship has taken part in, and includes a glossary without pronunciation. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

421 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, Mr. Martin. I just couldn't summon as much interest in the subject as you could. Being a civilian and a landlubber, I didn't understand, and you didn't explain, half of what you wrote about, and after the umpteenth visit to Wikipedia to find out what the whatchamacallit does and what happens when the whatzit falls off, I gave up. I'm sure for the right party this is a treasure of detail but not for me. Abandoned ship, and this book.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

The DEFINITIVE biography of USS CONSTITUTION, the oldest commissioned warship afloat, from launching in 1797 into the late 20th century. To be honest the read is probably a bit dry for the casual history buff - direct, un-embellished, matter-of-fact - but that is what also makes the book such a treasure trove, laying out Old Ironsides' amazing history in detail.