Made of timbers felled from Maine to Georgia, armed with cannons cast in Rhode Island and with copper fastenings provided by Paul Revere, the USS Constitution is truly a national landmark for the USA. Launched in Boston on October 21, 1797, she first put to sea in 1798, at a time when the US had produced a small number of very powerful and sturdy frigates. In1812 she met and defeated HMS Guerriere in the first of a grand succession of victories in the War of 1812. It was during this ferocious battle that the Guerriere's seamen, astonished at how their cannonballs were bouncing off the Constitution's hull, cried out, "Huzzah! Her sides are made of Iron!" ;Hence the nickname, "Old Ironsides". The Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship in the world that is still afloat.