USS CONSTITUTION - STERLING SILVER CUFF LINKS

History Salvaged is proud to introduce our first Exclusive Custom Designed USS Constitution Witness Wood® and Solid Sterling Silver Cufflinks made from a collection of Witness Wood® acquired from both the original 1927 reconstruction and the 1973 restoration made in preparation for the United States 1976 Bicentennial Celebration from the most famous ship in US Naval history - "Old Ironsides" herself - the USS Constitution. 

The USS Constitution - Solid Sterling Silver and Oak Cuff Links are made from the piece of USS Constitution oak and features History Salvaged exclusive 18mm round Sterling Silver Cufflinks featuring a solid post design, our trademark Witness Wood® slogan around the edge and the USS Constitution and Witness Wood® identification expertly designed into a weave pattern on the back that will become more visible with time and wear.

The USS Constitution - Solid Sterling Silver and Oak Cuff Links are not only heirloom pieces of "Witness Wood®" that should be carried, used and passed down to future generations, but these amazing cuff links are also limited edition works of art and craftsmanship that commemorates one of the pivotal naval battles in USA and world history.

Our USS Constitution - Sterling Silver Cuff Links should be worn with pride. The clean Classic lines are not only a fashion statement but this is a rare opportunity to own, handcrafted piece of art, an heirloom that can be passed down to the next generation only adding to the history that this "Witness Wood®" that was "Old Ironsides" has already absorbed!

BRIEF HISTORY 

In the battle that created not only the legend and nick-named "Old Ironsides" but forever sealed the US Navy's formidability, the 44-gun frigate USS Constitution was actually outfitted with 55 guns when she encountered the 38-gun frigate HMS GUERRIERE (armed with 49 at the time) off the coast of Nova Scotia, at about 2 p.m. Closing the distance of several miles between the two warships, HMS GUERRIERE raised three British ensigns as an invitation to a duel; USS CONSTITUTION’s Capt. Isaac Hull answered with four American ensigns.

Aboard HMS GUERRIERE, Capt. James Dacres ordered his small but highly experienced crew to begin firing broadsides early. USS CONSTITUTION’s commanding officer chose to hold fire until just after 6 p.m., Hull wrote soon after the engagement, “…within less than a Pistol Shot, we commenced a very heavy fire from all of our Guns.”

In the course of this 35-minute battle, an astonished sailor observed British 18-lb. iron cannonballs, bouncing harmlessly off USS CONSTITUTION’s 25-inch oak hull, and he cried out, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!” Henceforth, USS CONSTITUTION carried the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

USS CONSTITUTION’s 24-lb. shots were devastating, bringing down the English warship’s masts, and entangling the two ships when they collided. The first United States Marine Corps officer to die in combat at sea was Lt. William Bush, who was shot on USS CONSTITUTION’s aft-rail while attempting to board HMS GUERRIERE.

By 7 p.m., a wounded Dacres ordered a gun fired to leeward, signaling HMS GUERRIERE’s surrender to the American frigate.

“The Guerriere was so cut up, that all attempts to get her in would have been useless,” Capt. Dacres explained in a letter to his superiors in England. “As soon as the wounded were got out of her, they set her afire, and I feel it my duty to state that the conduct of Captain Hull and his Officers to our Men has been that of a brave Enemy.”

HMS GUERRIERE sank into the sea in flames on Aug. 20, and USS CONSTITUTION returned to Boston on Aug. 30, to great fanfare.

The British reaction was summed up by the London Times, which stated, “It is not merely that an English frigate has been taken, after, what we are free to confess, may be called a brave resistance, but that it has been taken by a new enemy, and enemy unaccustomed to such triumphs, and likely to be rendered insolent and confident by them. …how important this triumph is in giving a tone and character to the war. Never before in the history of the world did an English frigate strike to an American.

--------------------

All pens are handcrafted by Master Pen Craftsman and are made in America.

Each is individually handmade and each varies in look and feel both in grain and shape.

All History Salvaged product is guaranteed authentic and made utilizing the wood describe and in conjunction with our partner clients.

All History Salvaged products arrive in Eco-Friendly packaging.