USS Constitution goes underway for first time in more than a year Share Updated: 3:36 PM EDT May 21, 2021 USS Constitution goes underway for first time in more than a year Share Updated: 3:36 PM EDT May 21, 2021 TRACKING THE COVID-19 VACCINE Share Updated: 3:36 PM EDT May 21, 2021 The USS Constitution went underway Friday from Charlestown Navy Yard for the first time in more than a year. The underway featured demonstrations on climbing, firing a 19th century, 24-pound long gun and using shipboard weaponry, and it ended with a 21-gun salute.USS Constitution fired an additional 17-gun salute as she passes U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston, the former site of the Edmund Hartt’s Shipyard, where USS Constitution was built and launched on Oct. 21, 1797. USS Constitution’s underway was viewable from the Boston Harborwalk, Castle Island and Charlestown Navy Yard. The ship will reopen to the public for tours after the underway from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Normal public visitation will be Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat, played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855.The active-duty sailors stationed aboard USS Constitution provide free tours and offer public visitation as they support the ship’s mission of promoting the Navy’s history and maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence. The ship earned the nickname of Old Ironsides during the war of 1812 when British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull.