Story by Matt Conti
Old Ironsides was underway in Boston Harbor to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the Battle of Normandy, remembering those who fought and died. The event also marked the first-ever Army/Navy cruise on USS Constitution, which is meant to highlight the service partnership between the two military branches in World War II through present day.
Leaving its dock in Charlestown, Old Ironsides was escorted by a spouting fireboat to Fort Independence on Castle Island. USS Constitution fired a 21-gun salute with a returning salute from the 101st Field Artillery Regiment in the Massachusetts National Guard.
Old Ironsides fired another 17-gun salute as the ship passed the U.S. Coast Guard Sector in Boston, or the former site of Edmund Hartt’s Shipyard where the vessel was built and launched more than two centuries ago.