AHC: USS Constitution sees action

Evan

With any PoD after 1900, have the USS Constitution - the same wooden-hulled sail-powered USS Constitution as iOTL - see action in a war.

Bonus points if it survives. Even more bonus points if it can somehow have a notable impact on the war.

Right now, I'm thinking of a British-led invasion of Boston Harbor, but there needs to be some other way...
 
Virginia Liberal

Virginia Liberal

US and Germany are at war early 1901 to 1905 era out of desperation for ships the old girl is sent out after Germany's Merchant marine, and manages to catch a cargo ship or three by surprise and sink them She manages to escape back to Boston because the German navy cant reach that far out into the Atlantic.
 

RamscoopRaider

Donor
USS Constitution is repaired early and in sailable condition for WWII, it is used as a training vessel and cruises up and down the coast with trainees. One night it runs across a U-Boat charging its batteries on the surface, as the Constitution is sail powered it is silent, the U-Boat is not, so Connie is able to sneak up on the U-Boat and launch a boarding party to capture the sub. The capture of the U-Boat is so swift that they are able to capture an Enigma machine unbeknownst to the Germans. If you butterfly away the capture of U-110 this has a huge impact on the war by allowing Enigma to be broken more easily, or have it occur later and capture a shark rotor equipped machine
 

Derwit

Work to make the USS Constitution seaworthy started in 1906 and after a tour of US ports on the east coast crossed the Atlantic to tour Europe in 1909. Part of the tour was to be a visit to Scarpa Flow. When approaching the British base The Constitution spots the German High Sea fleet close to the Scottish shore sailing to make a darstadly surprise attack on the British Grand Fleet at anchor. The Germans fail to recognise the USS Constitution as a US warship and open fire at long range. This alerts the British who manage to put to sea just in time to engage the Germans. The superior British numbers prove decisive in what goes down in history as the bloodiest naval battle in history as although the German fleet is almost totally destroyed the British fleet also looses over half its strength. Increadably the Constitution survives the battle with only mild damage although a number of her crew are unfortunately killed and more wounded. She spent much of the battle rescuing survivors from the sea. Reports that the Constitution engaged a German submarine when it exposed itself to finish off the Constitution with its deck gun have never been proven beyond all doubt but the story spread and has entered into national myth.

The aftermath.

The British where understandably rather miffed with the Germans and Europe moved towards general war. However events on the other side of the Atlantic would prove decisive. The American public although full of pride for the crew of the Constitution where also pretty upset with the Germans for opening fire on an US national monument which clearly was no threat. The US papers where full of righteous indignation and there was a general feeling that something would have to be done about the beastly Bosh. Although it would emerge later that all this was simply hot air, in Berlin there was a real concern that the Anglosaxon world was about to unite against them (along with the Russians and French). This forced the Kaiser to stand down his armed forces and sign a peace agreement which lost the Germans some of their international colonies and limited the size of the German navy. This weakened the power of the militarists and emboldened the liberals in Germany who over the next decade increased the power of democratic institutions in Germany until it could be considered a true democracy.

The next flash point would be the assignation of the Austro-Hungarian Arch Duke in 1914 but with out the support of a weakened Germany the Austrians had to be content with with some concessions form the Serbs. There wasn't to be a major confrontation between any major powers until 1925 when Russia which had continued to modernise and become more formidable caused the creation of the Great Allience of European powers...........
 
SsgtC

SsgtC

Banned
USS Constitution is refitted in the late 1930s as a sailing training ship for the US Navy and US Coast Guard Academies and to serve as the Flagship for the CNO. Though primarily a training vessel, she does mount several 3" guns for training of gunnery officers and crew and four M1919 .30 machine guns for self defense.

While at sea on December 7th, 1941, the US enters WWII with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Heading back towards Annapolis on the night of 8th, her masthead lookout spots what appears to be a surfaced submarine. Going to battle stations, her Captain wears ship to bring his two port 3" guns to bear. Opening fire, her gun crews score quickly, hitting and comprising her pressure hull. As the German Sailors rush to man their own guns, Constitution opens up with her .30 MGs, sweeping the decks of the submarine.

As Constitution crashes alongside, her men board the Submarine, capturing code materials and an Enigma machine before the U-Boat succumbs to a scuttling charge. Upon her arrival back in Annapolis, Constitution is awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, her Captain recives the Navy Cross and her Gunner the Bronze Star Medal. She is laid up as a receiving ship for the rest of the war.
 

I want to learn

To stretch things a little, and to bring them into the 21st century, what about it being a target of a terrorist attack? The war on terror could be brought to the deck of the Constitution the same way Canada's war memorial was attacked in 2014.
 

Joseph890

The constellation goes on a coast to coast journey and when they’re cruising near Florida they find a drug submarine and manage to Capture it
 
ennobee

ennobee

Zheng He said:
Did she get some action in a recent Clive Cussler novel?
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Yep, apparently she was a spy vessel for NUMA since 1945. In her 1962 refit she received a secret hatch in her bottom, allowing her to Launch NUMA's underwater fleet into Boston harbour without them ever surfacing (NUMA divers get on and off the ship by mingling with the visiting tourists.) Like this she proved substantial in preventing the takeover of the US by an evil renegade dictator who's name and the name of the country he's dictatoring momentarily escapes me
 
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ennobee

ennobee

I want to learn said:
To stretch things a little, and to bring them into the 21st century, what about it being a target of a terrorist attack? ...
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No problem. Just have Bruce Willis volunteer as a Boy Scout leader to take his nephew and his buddies to see the ship. By all laws of cinematic nature some terrorists will choose exactly that moment to take over the ship ... And by all laws of cinematic nature, Bruce Willis will win the battle single handedly. Boston is saved and the USS Constitution drew first blood and emerged victorious.
 
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Jellico

SsgtC said:
USS Constitution is refitted in the late 1930s as a sailing training ship for the US Navy and US Coast Guard Academies and to serve as the Flagship for the CNO. Though primarily a training vessel, she does mount several 3" guns for training of gunnery officers and crew and four M1919 .30 machine guns for self defense.

While at sea on December 7th, 1941, the US enters WWII with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Heading back towards Annapolis on the night of 8th, her masthead lookout spots what appears to be a surfaced submarine. Going to battle stations, her Captain wears ship to bring his two port 3" guns to bear. Opening fire, her gun crews score quickly, hitting and comprising her pressure hull. As the German Sailors rush to man their own guns, Constitution opens up with her .30 MGs, sweeping the decks of the submarine.

As Constitution crashes alongside, her men board the Submarine, capturing code materials and an Enigma machine before the U-Boat succumbs to a scuttling charge. Upon her arrival back in Annapolis, Constitution is awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, her Captain recives the Navy Cross and her Gunner the Bronze Star Medal. She is laid up as a receiving ship for the rest of the war.
Click to expand...

Surely they would board the submarine, capture it, and tow it back. Michael Bay can direct the movie.


Personally, while I was also thinking along the sub marine hunting lines, I imagined the Constitution's crew being overwhelmed by the submariners. So with the U-boat mortally wounded the Germans have to sail the Constitution back to France, taking prizes all the way.
 

Carl Schwamberger

ennobee said:
... (That's Die Hard VII ?) just don't take my word for it. I actually never saw the film in its entirety. I just keep looking at bits and parts of it when it's having another rerun and there's nothing else on TV.
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You've never seen the climax? Bruce Willis has charged the battery & lets loose a broad side from both the 24 pounders and top deck carronades into the villains command post mega van on the dock. In slow motion the dozens of cannon balls scatter the high tech equipment & vehicle in fragments across the late night waterfront.
 
SsgtC

SsgtC

Banned
Jellico said:
Personally, while I was also thinking along the sub marine hunting lines, I imagined the Constitution's crew being overwhelmed by the submariners. So with the U-boat mortally wounded the Germans have to sail the Constitution back to France, taking prizes all the way.
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Except the Constitution would have a much larger crew than the sub. Even assuming minimum needed to sail the vessel plus Midshipmen, you're probably looking at a 3 or 4 to 1 advantage for Constitution.
 
ennobee

ennobee

Simplest solution: Since she is still on the US Navy roster as an active ship, she can double as Navy Brig for unruly German-American servicemen in 1917.
 
ennobee

ennobee

Carl Schwamberger said:
You've never seen the climax? Bruce Willis has charged the battery & lets loose a broad side from both the 24 pounders and top deck carronades into the villains command post mega van on the dock. In slow motion the dozens of cannon balls scatter the high tech equipment & vehicle in fragments across the late night waterfront.
Click to expand...
Hello, any Hollywood screen writers reading this? That movie needs to be made!
 
ennobee

ennobee

TRH said:
Blech, if we're going to celebrate a symbol of American patriotism, can we at least pick an actor who speaks proper English?
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Is Steven Segal still around? I recall he did a movie like this with him being a cook on the USS New Jersey once.
 
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