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USS Constitution was not built from a single kind of wood. Its hull combined white oak and live oak in distinct structural roles: white oak formed the outer and inner planking, while live oak made the vertical frames. At the waterline, the hull is approximately 22 inches thick, according to the USS Constitution Museum. The layered oak construction helped earn the frigate its “Old Ironsides” reputation, though timber alone does not explain its performance in battle.
What wood was USS Constitution made from?
The USS Constitution Museum describes a hull built from two kinds of oak, selected for different jobs. White oak formed the outer planking and the inner planking; live oak formed the vertical frames between them. The museum describes oak as strong and rot resistant, and credits the combination of white and live oak with creating the ship’s famously resilient sides.
| Wood | Structural role | What the museum says |
|---|---|---|
| White oak | Outer and inner hull planking; also used for the keel | The keel comprised four large lengths of New Jersey white oak. [USS Constitution Museum] |
| Live oak | Vertical hull framing | Procured from Georgia’s coastal islands. [USS Constitution Museum] |
The museum gives the hull’s thickness at the waterline as approximately 22 inches. That figure describes the combined hull, not one plank. The layering joined planking and framing into a substantial structure rather than relying on a single thick board. [USS Constitution Museum]
Why was it called “Old Ironsides”?
The nickname reflects the impression of a hull that seemed remarkably resistant to enemy fire. The museum connects that reputation to the strength and rot resistance of the oak, and to the combination of white-oak planking with live-oak frames. “Iron sides” is a memorable description, not a claim that the ship was armored with iron or that wood alone determined every battle outcome.
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Where did the timber come from?
The Constitution’s timber came from more than one region. The museum identifies New Jersey white oak in the keel and Georgia coastal islands as a source of live oak. These details illustrate that shipbuilding depended on finding suitable timber across a wide area, then using each type where its qualities and form served the structure. [USS Constitution Museum]
The live-oak supply also has a difficult human history. The museum connects timber harvesting on Georgia’s coastal islands with plantation expansion and enslaved labor in the region. The ship’s material history should therefore include not only forests and shipwrights, but also the coerced labor and plantation economy connected to the timber supply. [USS Constitution Museum]
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How the timber became a frigate
Congress authorized six frigates in 1794 as part of an early national naval program. Constitution was built in Boston under shipwright George Claghorn and launched on October 21, 1797. Its construction involved fitting timber into a planned structure: workers joined four large lengths of New Jersey white oak to make the keel, raised the live-oak frames, and then planked the hull. [USS Constitution Museum]
The material challenge was recognized at the time. In a December 29, 1794 letter to the House of Representatives, Secretary of War Henry Knox described a country with few construction materials ready to hand: “…few or no materials of any sort…, for construction…, existed….the wood…was standing in the forests; the iron for the cannon lying in its natural bed; and the flax and hemp…, in their seed.” The quotation is reproduced by museum historian Margherita Desy. It captures the broader task of turning raw materials into a navy, rather than suggesting the finished ship was made of wood alone. [USS Constitution Museum]
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Explore the ship’s construction
The museum offers an educational construction activity for exploring how a ship is assembled. [USS Constitution Museum educational resources] The same structural details also give model builders a way to study the vessel’s form and construction. A wooden ship model can be a hands-on extension, but it is not necessary to understand the timber story.
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