BOSTON (WBZ/CNN) - The USS Constitution enjoyed a day out on Friday in celebration of the 220th anniversary of the ship's maiden voyage, and the 242nd birthday of the U.S. Navy.
"Old Ironsides" sailed from Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston to Fort Independence at nearby Castle Island and back again, but not under her own power. She had help from a tugboat.
It was the first cruise in three years for the ship, WBZ said, adding that it has been sidelined for a renovation since 2014. The USS Constitution may be the world's oldest commissioned warship, but she's just enjoyed the facelift. In all, 100 hull planks have been replaced and 2,200 new copper sheets installed.
On Saturday, there will be a public celebration of both the Navy and Old Ironsides at Boston's Navy Yard.
The ship fired a 21-gun salute near the fort, and its cannons sounded off 17 more times when it passed the U.S. Coast Guard station, the former site of the shipyard where the Constitution was built and launched in 1797, WBZ said.
The ship earned the nickname Old Ironsides during the War of 1812 with the British.
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