The frigate Constitution got the nickname "Old Ironsides" after a stellar performance during the War of 1812, when she felled four British warships, according to the Navy. //U.S. Navy
History nerds, take note: Your next tour of duty can include such old-school naval skills as furling sails and long-gun drills.
The Navy is looking for sailors to serve aboard the frigate Constitution — the world’s oldest commissioned warship that’s still afloat — in a number of career fields, the service announced in a NAVADMIN released Tuesday.
Constitution is permanently stationed right outside Boston and receives more than half a million visitors every year, including a number of foreign heads of state and other senior officials, according to the Navy.
Sailors aboard Constitution learn a number of naval skills, including operating 5,600-pound long guns for 19th-century-style drills. Crew members also learn 18th-century square-rigged sailing, which includes everything from line identification to setting and furling sails (which means you have to learn how to climb up and out on the ship’s yard arms).
Ready to pack your bags and climb aboard? The following billets are going to be available in the next nine months (the fill month is in parentheses):
- LS1 (January 2012)
- BU1 (immediately)
- BM2 (immediately)
- CE2 (immediately)
- CS2 (immediately)
- IC2 (immediately)
- YN2 (February 2012)
- PO2 (January 2012)
- PO2 (March 2012)
- BM3 (immediately)
- BM3 (January 2012)
You can check out NAVADMIN 241/11 for instructions on how to apply, as well as the qualifications you need for duty aboard Constitution. They include no record of financial instability over the last three years, no tattoos that show in a short-sleeved uniform, and no evals or fitreps below 3.0 over the past three years.
