George Claghorn was an American patriot and shipwright. He served as an officer and was wounded in the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he was awarded the rank of colonel in the Massachusettsmilitia. Claghorn was the master shipbuilder of , which he and Samuel Nicholson built for the early United States Navy during the years 1794–1797. Constitution is the oldest naval vessel in the world that is still commissioned, afloat and seaworthy.
George Claghorn served in the Massachusetts militia during the American Revolution. He was shot and wounded in the knee at the battle of Bunker Hill. After the war, Claghorn was promoted to the rank of colonel in the militia.
Most of what is known as the "battle of Bunker Hill" was actually fought just less than a half mile away at Breed's Hill in the Charlestown section of Boston, Massachusetts. The battle was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. In that battle 450 American fighters were killed or wounded. After receiving a gunshot wound to the knee, Claghorn went on to lead his militia troops in more battles eventually attaining the rank of Major during the war.
''Old Ironsides''
The keel of Constitution was laid down on November 1, 1794, at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, under the supervision of Captain Samuel Nicholson and master shipbuilder, Colonel George Claghorn. In March 1796, as construction slowly progressed, a peace accord was announced between the United States and Algiers and, in accordance with the Naval Act of 1794, construction was halted. After some debate and prompting by President Washington, Congress agreed to continue to fund the construction of the three ships nearest to completion:,, and Constitution. Constitutions launching ceremony on September 20, 1797, was attended by then President John Adams and Massachusetts GovernorIncrease Sumner. Upon launch, she slid down the ways only before stopping; her weight had caused the ways to settle into the ground, preventing further movement. An attempt two days later resulted in only an additional of travel before the ship again stopped. After a month of rebuilding the ways, Constitution finally slipped into Boston Harbor on October 21, 1797, with Captain James Sever breaking a bottle of Madeira wine on her bowsprit. Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy, named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America. Launched in 1797, Constitution was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed. Joshua Humphreys designed the frigates to be the young Navy's capital ships, and so Constitution and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period.
