Olof A. Eriksen

Constitution: All Sails Up and Flying Olof A. Eriksen

It was 1989 when I started building a large 1/4"= 1 foot scale model of Constitution and today, 16 years and 18,000 hours later, I honestly believe this is how she was rigged during her last chase, exactly one hour prior to her last battle against the British HMS Levant and HMS Cyane. I had already invested more than four thousand hours in the construction of this model, and had intended, upon completion of the hull, to proceed with the stepping of masts and rigging her just as I had done previously on other models. However, In February 1992, when Commander Martin presented me with an original typescript of Midshipman Edward Clifford Anderson's notes on the rigging of the ship in 1834-35 at Boston, the earliest such specific information known, I decided I would follow Midshipman Anderson's directions and record the progress, step by step, discovering for myself what was done and how. This meant creating additional scaled parts relating to sheer poles, etc. to simulate exactly how the masts and the bowsprit, etc. were stepped in this era, and for this reason. Due to the equipment available today, and rightfully so, I do not believe that Constitution, or any ship's from this era, will ever again be rigged, including the stepping of the masts, using sheer poles and tackle only, and so I chose, while this one and only opportunity lent itself, to show this pictorially.