Boston National Historical Park - USS Cassin Young

The second ship that we visited at the Charlestown Shipyard was the USS Cassin Young, a ship from a period much later than the USS Constitution.  It wasn't the first World War II ship that I'd visited as I got to go aboard the German U-boat U-505 back in 2007 (though sadly no pictures were allowed) and spent several hours aboard the USS Wisconsin at Nauticus.  The Cassin Young is a destroyer built in 1943.

Built for speed and capability, USS Cassin Young engaged in seven Pacific battles in World War II, survived two Kamikaze hits, and served another full decade beyond her expected lifetime. Built in 1943 in San Pedro, California, she is one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built during World War II. Here in Charlestown, this navy yard built dozens of similar ships during the war. In the 1950s, Cassin Young and many other destroyers received regular repairs and modernization in Charlestown.
--from Boston NHS website

While nowhere near as big as the Wisconsin had been there was still plenty to explore aboard the Cassin Young.

A number of torpedoes were stored above deck, ready to be launched when necessary against an enemy vessel.

Anti-aircraft guns like these 40 mm ones were essential, especially in the Pacific theater.  "Each gun mount had two barrels, and each barrel could fire 160 rounds per minute..."  Ships wanted as many options as possible when faced by suicide plane (kamikaze) attacks.

The equipment in the galley (the ship's kitchen) was large as it was designed to be able to feed quite a few people.

This was the Combat Information Center (CIC) was the hub of the ship's operations.

"Information collected by visual means and by radar, sonar, and radio was assembled and evaluated here and then relayed to the appropriate combat stations on the ship or to neighboring vessels."

While the ship was in port this was the captain's cabin.

This might have been the officer's mess.

Not all areas of the ship were open to tour.

The anti-submarine homing torpedo (Mk32) was developed after World War II as a weapon against increasingly high-speed submarines.  This torpedo was self-propelled and actively sought out its target by detecting noise made by a submarine.  The MK32 torpedo's fins were wider than its body,a nd so it could not be launched from tubes.  Instead they were "thrown" over the side by a launch system.  The Cassin Young carried one launcher with three torpedoes on each side of her deck.
--from exhibit signage

Shells for the big 5 inch guns.

The five inch guns were the ship's largest weapons, but by no means its only means of attack.

These 20mm anti-aircraft guns provided a final line of defense against attacks.  They were apparently all removed during a modernization of the ship in 1952 at the Charlestown Navy Yards and must have been put back later when it was prepared as a Museum ship.

 Depth charges were explosive charges used to attack submerged submarines.

After leaving the Cassin Young we headed back to see one more part of the shipyard.  First were these flags showing the flags used during the Barbary War and the War of 1812.

Behind the flags was a now-empty, but once bustling dry dock.

This dry dock was first used by the USS Constitution in 1833.

The dry dock worked on a similar principle as a lock on a canal.  The interior was flooded, the ship was brought inside, and then the water was gradually pumped out until the vessel could be fully supported without the water.

This was the caisson at the ocean end of the dry dock.

You can view these pictures and more from the ship yards in this album.

~Matt

Boston National Historical Park - Charlestown Naval Yards and USS Constitution

The Charlestown Naval Yards were our final stop on the Freedom Trail.  Technically the USS Constitution is the only part of the yards on the Freedom Trail.  Since the Constitution is an active ship in the US Navy and does occasionally take a turn around the harbor or go out to sea you must not be able to complete the trail all the time.  Thankfully on the day of our visit the ship was in port.

Though ships such as USS Constitution were strongly built and well designed, they required constant maintenance to remain reliable and seaworthy. Navy Yards were needed to maintain and resupply existing naval warships and to construct eventual replacements as technology rapidly changed. Established in 1800, the Charlestown Navy Yard was one of the original six yards created to support the young United States Navy. For the next 174 years, the yard served as a hub of innovation, an employer of skilled workers, and a home to Naval officers, sailors, and U.S. Marines.

The heart of the original Navy Yard is preserved as a historic site open to visitors year-round. The most popular attractions in the yard are the two historic warships who call the Navy Yard home: The undefeated sailing frigate USS Constitution and the 20th century Fletcher class destroyer USS Cassin Young. Both are examples of what the yard built, repaired, and maintained for two centuries. The two ships also illustrate the transition that the Navy underwent as it shifted from timber and sail to steel and steam. Museum exhibits about the Constitution, Cassin Young, and the Navy Yard, are at the nearby USS Constitution Museum and the Charlestown Navy Yard Visitor Center.
--from Boston NHP website

Our first view of the navy yard was one of construction.

However, we were able to follow the brick path of the Freedom Trail directly to where we needed to go.

We first headed towards the grassy area and stopped for a bit to eat our lunch.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of a cannon.

When we headed into the yard we headed over towards the entrance to the Constitution.

We were heading towards this building, but first we had to go through a security check.

Inside was a museum dedicated to the history of the Charlestown Shipyard, which was one of the very first shipyards dedicated to support the infant US Navy in 1800.

Once we were back outside (but now within the security perimeter) we were able to approach the Constitution closely.  Sadly some work was being done on the ship so I couldn't get any completely clear photos, but it was still wonderful to see the ship so close.

 We walked up the gangplank to board the ship.

The Constitution was built from 1794 to 1797 in another shipyard in Boston.  You can view the entire timeline of the ship's history on the USS Constitution Museum's website.

I especially enjoyed seeing the various decorative woodworking.

We wandered around the main deck for a while.

Then we headed down the narrow steps below decks.

There was an exhibit explaining the cannons and some crew members were on hand to explain how the cannons had been fired.

 There was quite a bit of space below decks.

I assume that this furniture can be used when the ship is sailing, though I don't know how long its voyages are whenever it leaves port.

I wonder how comfortable it was to sleep in these hammocks.

 I imagine these hammocks were for the regular crew members..

Did you know that the ship has been designated a National Historic Landmark?

 We also saw several larger cabins.

 A good deal of work was going on, but thankfully most of the ship was still accessible.

Quite a bit of rope is used aboard the ship.

 We exited the ship on the other side.

 The side of the ship made for a beautiful view as we walked back around.

 I even got a good view of the bow.

Our next stop was another ship preserved at the shipyards, but that is for another post.

~Matt

Boston National Historical Park - Bunker Hill

After our first day in downtown Boston was spent walking along much of the Freedom Trail we planned to spend the next day north of the Charles River.  So while we walked the first portion of the trail in order we technically completed the rest backwards, but thankfully the order you walk the trail doesn't really matter.

We planned to go to Bunker Hill first as we knew access to the monument was regulated by timed (albeit free) ticketing.  Did you that the battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed's Hill?

On June 17, 1775, New England soldiers faced the British army for the first time in a pitched battle. Popularly known as "The Battle of Bunker Hill," bloody fighting took place throughout a hilly landscape of fenced pastures that were situated across the Charles River from Boston. Though the British forces claimed the field, the casualties inflicted by the Provincial solders from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire were staggering. Of the some 2,400 British Soldiers and Marines engaged, some 1,000 were wounded or killed.

Fifty years after the battle, the Marquis De Lafayette set the cornerstone of what would become a lasting monument and tribute to the memory of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The project was ambitious: construct a 221-foot tall obelisk built entirely from quarried granite. It took over seventeen years to complete, but it still stands to this day atop a prominence of the battlefield now known as Breed's Hill. Marking the site where Provincial forces constructed an earthen fort, or "Redoubt," prior to the battle, this site remains the focal point of the battle's memory.
--from Boston NHP website

After we got out of the metro station we had to head up a rather steep hill.  It made for good exercise pushing the stroller!

 Before too long we caught our first glimpse of the monument through the trees and buildings.

 We entered the grounds via the Massachusetts Gate.

Thankfully there was a ramp so we didn't have to carry the stroller up the stairs.

Across the street is the Bunker Hill Museum, but it wasn't quite open yet, so we waited on the grounds for a while.

There was plenty of space for the kids to run around and play.

The building next to the base of the monument is also historic, being the Bunker Hill Lodge completed in 1901.

When the monument was dedicated in 1843 there were still a few veterans able to attend the ceremony.

The statue in front of the monument is Colonel William Prescott, the commander of the Patriot forces who is commonly believed to have told his men "Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes."

As we waited for the museum to open I walked around the grounds and saw the other gates starting with the United States Gate.

Some helpful signs like this were scattered around to indicate where fortifications once stood.

Next was the New Hampshire Gate.

Last was the Connecticut Gate.

Finally we were able to get tickets for the climb, only to discover that if you there first thing in the morning you didn't need timed tickets.  I still asked for a ticket just so that I could keep it as a bookmark (and I'm still using it seven months later).  There is a warning sign before you begin that lets you know you'll be climbing 294 steps, something not for the faint of heart or those with medical conditions--there is no elevator up or down.

A small memorial that predates the monument is preserved inside the base.

 We paused several times on the way up.  I'd forgotten how many stairs there were, so at 175 I was thinking that we were still quite a ways from the top instead of being over half-way there.

Looking back at my Fitbit's data for that day it shows that I climbed 18 floors between 9:30 and 9:45.

View north towards the Mystic River.

View west towards Interstate 93.

View south towards downtown Boston.

View east towards the Charlestown Naval Shipyard.

Before too long we headed down.  There were a bunch of kids at the top as part of a field trip and some of them passed us on the way down.  There wasn't too much room on the stairs, but there was enough room to pass people if you took care.

When we got to the bottom we entered the lodge and saw this statue of General Joseph Warren, who died during the battle.

 The girls then sat and listened to a lecture given by a ranger.

We next walked back over to the Bunker Hill Museum to spend a few minutes touring the exhibits.

A variety of different styles were proposed for the monument before the final form was selected.  Initially the commission thought they wanted columns as portrayed by many of these proposals, but they eventually settled upon the current obelisk form in 1825.

After perusing the gift shop we left the area to head towards the Charlestown Naval Yards and our final stops along the Freedom Trail.  You can view the pictures above and more in this album.

~Matt