[U.S.S. Constellation]:

$1,500 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

FRIGATE CONSTELLATION. GEN'L SURVEY OF THE DEFECTS OF, WITH DETAILED ESTIMATE OF REPAIRS [manuscript docket title]. A true copy of the condition report and estimate of repairs required by the U.S.S. Constellation after her first Mediterranean tour, which ran 1829-1831. The Constellation was one of the first three ships in the United States Navy, built as part of the Naval Act of 1794. It patrolled the Caribbean to protect commercial interests during the Quasi-War in 1798 (during which it won the first major victory by an American-designed and built warship, over the French L'Insurgente), participated in both Barbary wars, and cruised the eastern seaboard during the War of 1812. In the late 1820s and early 1830s, the ship made two trips to the Mediterranean to protect American shipping interests and collect indemnities, also transporting American foreign ministers. After the first of those trips, she returned to the Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs, which began in December 1831 and were completed in time for the second tour, which began in April 1832.The Constellation's first tour was apparently not too harsh—the hull is found to be "perfectly sound," and the other repairs are mostly routine. Three yards and two top gallant masts required replacement, a large, itemized list of sails were found "worthy of repairs," and 133 casks of various sizes containing about 30,000 gallons either required considerable repairs or were condemned altogether. The survey also takes inventory of the

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