The USS Constitution Ship Information Book: A Means to Keep History Alive

USS Constitution's long history has seen much in the way of different engineering methods to analyze and make necessary repairs to keep her in good condition. Though made primarily of wood, the requirements to maintain and repair Constitution's systems and equipment are the same that face our Fleet today. Today's Fleet must deal with rust, cracks, and broken equipment, while on Constitution it is decay, wood cracking/checking, and structural deformation that threatens the Navy's oldest commissioned ship. Maintenance and repair of the ship has always been a demanding undertaking because of the cost of maintaining historic engineering techniques in addition to actual preservation. Difficulties arise in trying to maintain the ship to its' 1812 configuration, since the documentation of engineering data was either never developed or lost through the passage of time, and the historic tradesmen skills and resources are no longer readily available. This is why the on-going task of developing a Ship Information Book is so important to the continued life of Constitution. With a better foundation of engineering knowledge and available ship information documented, a maintenance and repair program can be improved to keep Old Ironsides alive forever.