The white oak tree might have been the most fundamental building block of the young United States -- literally. These giants provided the earliest Americans with shelter, built the country, laid the railroads that connected its coasts and kickstarted an industrial revolution.
From Maine to Florida and inland to the Great Plains and the American Southwest, white oaks were used to conquer the frontier, enforce U.S. foreign policy and kick the Royal Navy out of our waters. The USS Constitution, the only still commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy that has sunk another vessel, is made from that same white oak.
-WiscoDave
It wasn't that long ago that someone doing inventory for the Royal Navy asked why they were keeping all those logs. It turns out that was for ship masts.
ReplyDeleteThe other side of this is that they used live oaks for a lot of the framing. The Naval Live Oaks Reserve, Gulf Breeze, Florida, is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. You can read its history here: https://exploresouthernhistory.com/navalliveoaks.html
ReplyDeleteI’ve gone there. Had a very cool tour guide who was extremely knowledgeable and also blind. The live oaks were deemed strategically necessary in the late 1700s if I remember correctly.
DeleteBuddha
Should have kept making 16" gun sleeves at the Washington Navy Yard. Nothing says "We care." like a broadside from an Iowa-class BB.
ReplyDeleteA broadside from a Yamato class would care even more!
DeleteI visited Boston and the USS Constitution 6 years ago. What an awful example of our government's incompetence. Because the Constitution is a commissioned warship, it must be stationed at a US Naval base. You must pass through security screening as though you were going into a real Naval Base.
ReplyDeleteThe ship was beautiful, but under some repairs at that time. The visitor center was built like it was an after thought. The Naval base itself was a dump. The Navy clearly doesn't want it. Congress should pass a law to give the USS Constitution a special "Emeritus" status instead of a commissioned warship. Then, sell the ship, the visitor center and the whole Navy base to Boston for $1.00. Boston can then make the base a tourist attraction worthy of the ship.
That said, if you've never done so, go to Boston and see some real US History.
Geek
It hasn't been a Naval shipyard since 1974. It was deactivated after Vietnam. The whole facility is the property of and is maintained by the National Park Service as part of Boston National Park. Everything is run down and the place looks like a dump because of this. The Navy rents back office and workshop space for the Navy employees who keep the ship alive and the sailor tour guides posing as 19th Century tars. The Park Service may be a poor custodian of the shipyard, but the City of Boston would be worse.
ReplyDeleteThe Navy is engaging in a bit of subterfuge with the "Constitution" ~ American White Oak is every bit of a strategic material that needs it's own stockpile, as does oil, uranium, tungsten and the like. The wood is used to make the staves for the barrels than Bourbon is aged in. Any thing less is Canadian Club or other kerosene-derived spirits..
ReplyDelete