The Constitution and Guerriere Fought August 19th, 1812: The The Guerriere had 15 men killed and 63 wounded. The Constitution had 7 men killed and 7 wounded

This print depicts a naval battle between two warships, the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere, during the War of 1812. The ship Guerriere, shown broadside in front, is badly damaged, with two masts and lines destroyed and fallen overboard; the base of third mast still stands without its sails. At the lower right, a remains of a mast and sail are partially submerged in the ocean. A smokey cloud from the bombardment of cannon fire partially obscures the ship Constitution, although the viewer can see that her masts and sails are intact, and the American flag is flying off the stern (left). The defeat and capture of the British warship Guerriere by the USS Constitution earned her the nickname of "Old Ironsides," since the British ship's cannonballs seemed to bounce off her thick oak sides. The Constitution's noteworthy actions during the Battle of 1812, when she captured numerous British merchantmen and five warships, and her subsequent naval duties endeared her to the American public, who ultimately saved her from scrapping. Launched in 1797, and currently the oldest commissioned warship afloat, the USS Constitution (aka "Old Ironsides) is now a museum ship permanently docked in Boston, Massachusetts.