Guided Shipboard Tours

Guided Shipboard tours are  available to groups (10 or more), year-round.  All shipboard tours are  approximately an hour in length.  Shipboard tours require reservations and a deposit of $50 to confirm each tour’s time and date.  For booking, contact:   Stan Berry at sberry@constellation.org  or 410.539.1797 ex. 466

Powder Monkey Tour 

The U.S.S. Constellation invites youngsters, six years old and up, to come on board to learn about the lives of the young boys who served as powder monkeys during the Civil War. Young "recruits" will find out through demonstrations and hands-on activities, how lads from eleven to eighteen lived in Mr. Lincoln's Navy.  Powder Monkey Tours provide the visitors with an exceptional glimpse into mid-19^th century American naval life through the unique perspective of the young boys who served on fighting ships as powder monkeys.   Powder Monkey Tours are regularly scheduled every Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 and 3:00 PM and are free with the price of admission.

Black Sailors in Navy Blue Tour

Black Sailors in Navy Blue addresses the seldom-visited subject that focuses on the experiences of tens of thousands of sailors of African descent who served at sea during the American Civil War.  Tens of thousands of blacks, from freedmen along the Southern coast to old New England salts, enlisted in Mr. Lincoln’s navy and by 1865, the last year of the Civil War, blacks constituted 20 percent of union enlistments.   The Black Sailors in Navy Blue walking tour helps examine what those men did, their shipboard life, and how their experiences may have varied throughout the fleet.  During February, Black History Month, Black Sailors in Navy Blue tours are scheduled every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM and are free with the price of admission.

To Catch a Thief:  Constellation Fights the Slave Trade

Constellation’s proudest service may have occurred during the three years immediately before the Civil War when, as flagship of the navy’s African Squadron, she led this nation’s fight against the trans-Atlantic trafficking of slaves.  Today, little is said or written about those times, and even less is known, but they and this ship were important parts of the struggle against slavery that would eventually overwhelm the nation and, ultimately, free a people.   Tour and hands-on activities combine to bring into view Constellation’s active career combating the slave trade and her exciting pursuit and capture of the slave ship Cora from which she rescued 705 captive Africans.   To Catch a Thief is only available for groups with reservations.

 Ship-as-a-Machine Tour

Walking tour with demonstrations and one hands-on activity (Bracing the Yards).   This tour examines the purpose, design, and construction of sailing warships and focuses on those aspects of Constellation’s build that make her uniquely suited for the role she played.  Basic questions are also considered such as: “If the wind blows to the right, why does not the ship move to the right?” “What keeps the ship from turning over in the water?” and “How are warships built differently than merchant ships?”   The Ship-as-a-Machine Tour is available only by reservation. 

Public Presentations

USS Constellation provides a variety of free presentations on board each day.  Most presentations, between 20 and 30 minutes, are hands-on activities that involve working with different machines and equipment aboard the ship.  Each day’s offerings are listed on the Plan of the Day displayed prominently on Pier One, Ship’s Store’s window, in the Museum, and at the gangway.  Visitors with tickets are welcome to return to the ship throughout the day to watch and participate in subsequent presentations after their initial visit.

Anchors Aweigh! is a hands on activity in which the audience heaves ‘round  the ship’s capstan.  The capstan was  used for lifting and moving most of the heavy objects found on a ship such as the anchors and cargo.

Brace the Yards! is another hands-on activity.  Visitors haul the lines (braces) that move the yards that hold the sails.  Through teamwork and a lot of hauling, visitors see how 20,000 square feet of canvas are made to catch the wind and propel the ship across the sea. 

All Things Edible and Inedible provides a close look at Civil War dining.  Come, find out the difference between  slush, squares, and dandyfunk, and what they each have to do with dining on board  a U.S. naval warship.

Gun Drill!  presents the business end of USS Constellation, the gun deck. This hands-on activity provides visitors with a first-hand experience at manning a mid-19^th century naval cannon.  Visitors learn by doing the teamwork and skill required to load and fire a 7,500 pound gun.  (Not available during winter)

The Great Guns walking tour focuses on Constellation’s armament and the changes in naval gunnery and gun technology that occurred during the first half of the 19^th century and that culminated during the American Civil War.

Blocks & Tackles, Not Just for Football Any More provides hands-on experience working with different pulley systems to raise weighted objects (molasses barrels) and to learn about mechanical advantage.