George Claghorn | |
|---|---|
_IMG_2809.JPG) USSConstitution in Boston Harbor – 2014 | |
| Born | (1748-07-17)July 17, 1748 |
| Died | February 3, 1824(1824-02-03) (aged 75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Shipwright |
| Known for | Military service in theAmerican Revolutionary War and as the master shipbuilder of theUSS Constitution (Old Ironsides) |
George Claghorn (July 17, 1748 [O.S. July 6, 1748] –February 3, 1824)[1][Note 1][Note 2] was an Americanpatriot andshipwright. He served as an officer in theAmerican Revolutionary War and was wounded in theBattle of Bunker Hill.[2][3] After the war, he was awarded the rank of colonel in theMassachusetts militia. Claghorn was the master shipbuilder of theUSS Constitution (a.k.a.Old Ironsides), which he andSamuel Nicholson built for the earlyUnited States Navy[Note 3] during the years 1794–1797.Old Ironsides is the oldest naval vessel in the world that is still commissioned, afloat and seaworthy.[Note 4][2]
Claghorn was born in 1748, the ninth child of Experience (née: Hawes) and Shubael Claghorn inChilmark,Massachusetts onMartha's Vineyard. As a family name, Claghorn (also Cleghorn) appears in Scottish records as early as 1350 inEdinburgh,Cramond,Lothian andCorstorphine. His great-grandfather, James, had been brought to New England in 1650 as a prisoner of war during theScottish Rebellion, following theBattle of Dunbar. George Claghorn married Deborah Brownell ofDartmouth on December 20, 1769, and they had eight children.[5][6] He died in 1824 inSeekonk, Massachusetts.
George Claghorn served in the Massachusettsmilitia during theAmerican Revolution. He was shot and wounded in the knee at thebattle of Bunker Hill. After the war, Claghorn was promoted to the rank of colonel in the militia.[2][7]
Most of what is known as the "battle of Bunker Hill" was actually fought just less than a half mile away atBreed's Hill in theCharlestown section ofBoston,Massachusetts. The battle was fought on June 17, 1775, during theSiege of Boston in the early stages of theAmerican Revolutionary War. In that battle 450 American fighters were killed or wounded. After receiving a gunshot wound to the knee, Claghorn went on to lead his militia troops in more battles eventually attaining the rank of Major during the war.
The keel of the USSConstitution was laid down on November 1, 1794, atEdmund Hartt's shipyard in theNorth End ofBoston, Massachusetts, under the supervision of CaptainSamuel Nicholson and master shipbuilder, Colonel George Claghorn.[8][9]
In March 1796, as construction slowly progressed, a peace accord was announced between the United States and Algiers and, in accordance with the Naval Act of 1794, construction was halted.[10] After some debate and prompting by President Washington, Congress agreed to continue to fund the construction of the three ships nearest to completion:United States,Constellation, andConstitution.[11][12]Constitution's launching ceremony on September 20, 1797, was attended by then PresidentJohn Adams and Massachusetts GovernorIncrease Sumner. Upon launch, she slid down the ways only 27 feet (8.2 m) before stopping; her weight had caused the ways to settle into the ground, preventing further movement. An attempt two days later resulted in only an additional 31 feet (9.4 m) of travel before the ship again stopped. After a month of rebuilding the ways,Constitution finally slipped into Boston Harbor on October 21, 1797, with Captain James Sever breaking a bottle of Madeira wine on her bowsprit.[13][14]
Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavyfrigate of theUnited States Navy, named by PresidentGeorge Washington after theConstitution of the United States of America.[15] Launched in 1797,Constitution was one ofsix original frigates authorized for construction by theNaval Act of 1794 and the third constructed.Joshua Humphreys designed the frigates to be the young Navy'scapital ships, and soConstitution and her sister ships were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period.
Dudley, Lavinia P., ed. (1957). "Claghorn, George".Encyclopedia Americana.| International | |
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