Re: Question re. Copper artifact Canadian ArcticformerRe:CopperCasting In America (Trevelyan)

From: Eric Stevens (eric.stevens_at_sum.co.nz)
Date: 07/24/04 

Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 10:57:07 +1200

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 11:41:41 -0500, Tom McDonald
<tmcdonald2672@charter.net> wrote:

>Eric Stevens wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 12:01:22 -0500, Tom McDonald
>> <tmcdonald2672@charter.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>stevewhittet wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>"Seppo Renfors" <Renfors@not.com.au> wrote in message
>>>>news:41011E41.26E6BF8C@not.com.au...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>stevewhittet wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>"Floyd L. Davidson" <floyd@barrow.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>news:87pt6sfg5k.fld@barrow.com...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Seppo Renfors <Renfors@not.com.au> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>stevewhittet wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>"Seppo Renfors" <Renfors@not.com.au> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Inger E Johansson wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>[..]
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Do you expect that when people speak of the Constitution
>>>>>>as being built of "live oak" that the timbers used to build it are not
>>>>>>"long dead timber"???
>>>>>
>>>>>You know, there are constitutions and constitutions and you don's
>>>>>specify what kind you refer to.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Most people learn about "Old Ironsides" in grade school, but if it happens
>>>>that you aren't much of a history buff she was built with "live oak" before
>>>>the American Revolution and is still afloat with her "long dead timbers"
>>>>doing just fine despite several centuries of exposure to sea water
>>>>and marine borers.
>>>>...
>>>
>>>Steve,
>>>
>>> Minor correction. The USS Constitution was one of six heavy
>>>frigates authorized by the Third Congress in 1794, and signed by
>>>George Washington. I don't think all six were built, but the
>>>Constitution was launched and commissioned in 1797. It has been
>>>in commission since then, and is the oldest continually
>>>commissioned ship in the world.
>>
>>
>> While that is the official story, there is some doubt about this.
>> Wooden Boat magazine covered the topic in some detail several years
>> ago.
>>
>
>Eric,
>
> Details? What is in doubt?
>
As I recollect it, the Constitution experienced a many major rebuilds
at various times and while there appears to be some uncertainty as to
the original dimensions it may be that the ship now of that name may
be substantially bigger than the dimensions recorded for the
Constitution when she was launched. EIt has been variously proposed
that a new ship was built around the good parts of the old, two ships
were amalgamated and given the name of the more famous part, or she
may not even be the same ship! I very much doubt the likelihood of
the latter.

Details of the matter are recorded in Wooden Boat Magazine volume
83:32 but as fate would have it, that volume is now missing from my
stacks. I have it somewhere, but heaven knows where. I will add more
if I ever find it.

Eric Stevens

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