 |
 |
 The USS
Constitution
is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the
world. Launched in 1797, she was the only ship to
have all her War of 1812 captains decorated by
Congress. The nickname "Old Ironsides"
was coined by one of her crewmen, who is said to
have seen shot from the British guns bouncing off
her sides and exclaiming that the ship had sides
of iron. |
 The USS
Missouri
was the last U.S. battleship to be launched, and
the last to be decommissioned. She was an
integral part of the naval force during the
battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and was the site
of Japan's surrender to the Allies. She also saw
service during the Korean War, and in the Persian
Gulf conflicts of 1987 and 1991. |
 The USS
Monitor
was the Union Navy's response to the Confederate
Navy's ironclad ship CSS Virginia (Merrimack).
The two ships battled to a strategic draw at
Hampton Roads, Virginia, on March 9, 1862. |
 The USS
Nautilus
(SSN-571) was the first nuclear
powered ship in the world, and the first cross
under the North Pole. She was launched on
September 30, 1954, and was setting records for
submarines by May of 1956. The historic voyage
under the pole took place in August of 1958. |
|
