The Inner Harbor of Baltimore
In the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, you can take your pick of sights above and below the water. Above sea level, you can explore the USS Constellation , a tall ship from the time of the Civil War; below sea level, you can board the USS Torsk , a submarine from World War II.
The USS Constellation, in fact, is the last of the all-sail warships and was commissioned by the US Navy in 1855; even more, it’s the last floating Civil War ship. It took years to restore the ship and return her to the water, where she’s been for the last eleven years, since 1999. The USS Constellation is known as a sloop-of-war, or a corvette, a name we now typically associate with an automobile instead of a 19th Century sailing ship.
Three ships in the U.S. Navy have taken the name, which may come from the idea of honoring the constellation of stars on the U.S. flag. Tours are available aboard the USS Constitution, where you can see what life as a 19th Century sailor might have been like. Guided tours will inform you about the history of the ship as well as its missions to interrupt the slave trade, and how, in later times, she delivered relief supplies to help stop the famine in Ireland.
If you want to explore life below water, then you should board the USS Torsk. The Torsk’s main objective was to act as lifeguard for B-29s as they conducted raids on Japan’s empire. She operated with a number of other submarines, including the Sandlance, the Guardfish, and the Cero (subs during World War II were often named after types of fish; a custom that has largely faded into history). It was actually a quiet time for the Torsk; they found only two small ships, but did not attack them.
If you want to find a hotel close to the harbor, go to this site , where you’ll have a choice of over 25 hotels in the Baltimore area. That will enable you to indulge your maritime interest in a number of maritime ships. In addition to the Torsk and Constellation, you may also see the Taney, a US Coast Guard Cutter, and the Lightship Chesapeake — exploring life above and below the seas from the middle of the 1800s to the middle of the 1980s.
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