A Most Fortunate Ship
A Narrative History of Old Ironsides (revised edition)
by Tyrone G. Martin
Well-timed for USS Constitution’s 200th anniversary this year, Cmdr. Martin has updated the book he originally released shortly after his command of the old warship during the nation’s bicentennial.
The new edition includes exciting details of three battles of the War of 1812, including diagrams on the ships’ maneuvers. Also new is a discussion on how Constitution came to be built in 1797 and details of the recent reconstruction, particularly the original diagonal support system called for by the vessel’s designer, Joshua Humphreys.
Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md., 1-800-233-8764; 421 pgs.; $35.00.
