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USS Constitution Resuming Full Summer Visitor Hours

The USS Constitution, seen here in 2017. (Steven Senne/AP)
The USS Constitution, seen here in 2017. (Steven Senne/AP)

The USS Constitution is returning to its full summer visitation hours next week for the first time in more than a year.

Starting on Tuesday, the warship known as "Old Ironsides" will be open for free public tours from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The ship suspended public visits in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic, but reopened on a limited basis last August.

After a second shutdown it reopened with limited visitation hours in May.

Visitors are allowed to freely explore the top three decks of Old Ironsides, and hear active-duty Navy sailors explain the ship's 223-year history.

The ship welcomed more than 600,000 guests in 2019.

The USS Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat. It played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 until 1855.

The ship was undefeated in battle and destroyed or captured 33 enemy vessels.

It earned its nickname during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs bounced off its wooden hull.

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