A change of command as Old Ironsides sets sail again
250 gather for ceremony at sea
A long time ago in an ocean not so far away, the USS Constitution blasted the British vessel HMS Guerriere into submission in a fierce firefight.
In that battle off the coast of Nova Scotia during the War of 1812, British cannonballs appeared to bounce off the wooden hull of the Constitution, resulting in the ship being forever known as ''Old Ironsides."
For more than two centuries, the oldest commissioned warship in the world has stood as a symbol of patriotism for the American public, and particularly for those who have served aboard her.
That makes any change of command aboard Old Ironsides, an occasion to remember and reflect.
The ship set sail again yesterday morning from Constitution Wharf in the Charlestown Navy Yard for still another solemn ceremony at sea. Commander Thomas C. Graves, 41, relieved Commander Lewin C. Wright, 43, as the ship's commanding officer, becoming the 69th man to command the 207-year-old warship.
Wright, who is being transferred to the Navy staff in Washington, served as the Constitution's commanding officer for two years. Vice Admiral Albert T. Church III, who officiated at the ceremony, said Wright oversaw about 500 special events during his tenure and welcomed aboard more than 2 million people from around the world.
For Wright, it was more of an adventure than a job. ''It's tough to let that go," he said.
But, Wright added, he is leaving the ship's helm in capable hands.
Graves, who was promoted to commander in 2003, told the about 250 guests gathered for the ceremony that Old Ironsides is the greatest ship in the world. As the new commanding officer, he said his plan is simple: Keep it that way.
At about 11 a.m., Old Ironsides was towed into Boston Harbor, escorted by Boston Police Department and Coast Guard boats. On board, the five-member Northeast Navy Band played ''The Stars and Stripes Forever" and ''This is My Country."
Once the ceremony began, the ship quieted down. The crowd watched and waited -- some holding flowers, others clicking disposable cameras -- as Wright and Graves each gave remarks with a 40-by-60-foot American flag crew members called ''Big Bertha" flapping behind them.
''You can just feel the passion of America on this ship," Graves said later.
Afterward, as guests huddled around the podium with camcorders, Jim Bailey, 68, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., shouldered his way through the crowd, approached Graves and handed him a book: ''Old Ironsides: Eagle of the Sea: The Story of the USS Constitution."
Bailey, a city historian who is friends with the book's author, David G. Fitz-enz, said he was determined to come aboard to give Graves the volume.
''It has excruciating details of the making of the boat," Bailey said.
Plattsburgh has a connection to the Constitution, Bailey pointed out. Thomas MacDonough, the 12th commanding officer of Old Ironsides, defeated the British there while commanding another vessel in 1814.
As Graves held the book and smiled, the realization that he had just taken command of a ship anchored deep in history started to sink in.
''You can sense the presence all the way back to the first CO," he said.
In his speech, Wright said former commanding officers often try to tell the new ones how to run the ship. But instead of condemning them as commanders who cannot let go, Wright advised Graves to apply his Star Wars analogy.
''In Episode IV, after Obi-Wan dies, he comes back as a wise figure showing Luke how to use the force," Wright said.
He turned to face Graves, who was standing beside him. ''Tom, when you depart today, you will know that the force will always be with you," he said.
The audience laughed and clapped. Afterward, Wright said for the most part, former commanding officers recognize their new roles, but provide assistance and advice when it is needed -- and sometimes when it is not.
''They and I are pretty good about not getting in the new guy's knickers," Wright said. ''I will just say, 'Use the force, Tom.' " 