USS Constitution and the 'Old Ironsides' nickname

The USS Constitution earned the nickname 'Old Ironsides' during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs appeared to bounce off her hull during battle, a phenomenon widely reported at the time. The ship is preserved and berthed at the Charlestown Navy Yard as a commissioned U.S. Navy vessel. Historians attribute the hull's resilience to the ship's thick live oak construction and design rather than literal iron plating.