Warship heads to the open sea Warship from Page A1 pennies from schoolchildren. The modern-day company of 60 filling Marblehead harbor as the officers and crew and 79 civilians, 200-year-old ship came into sight Naval reservists and Naval through the craggy edges of Bos- Academy midshipmen - just a ton's North Shore. fraction of the 450 who manned her "If it wasn't for those ships and in 1797 - have spent the last year those men, this country probably preparing for today's one-hour, wouldn't be here," said Dorothy untethered sail, learning 200-year- Foisy, 82, of Bradenton, Fla., who old Naval terminology and waited for the ship's arrival yes- commands. terday with her husband and bags "Every time we've taken her of sandwiches, drinks and from the pier, I get a chill," said sunblock. Midshipman 2nd Class Jason A chorus of cheers and applause Weddingfield. filled the air as the ship let off a 21-gun salute, which was met with Three tugboats accompanied the a booming reply from Fort Sewall ship during her 17-mile journey on the Marblehead coast. yesterday from Boston to Marble- The ship's most famous visit to head Harbor. Midway through the Marblehead Harbor was on April journey, two of the tugs let go, leav- 3, 1814, when she sought shelter ing just one to push the Constitu- from two 38-gun British frigates, tion ahead. the HMS Tenedos and the HMS Ju- Commanding officers barked non. The captain of the ship, Char- out orders as the crew performed les Stewart, lightened his load by steering checks to prepare for to- tossing overboard the ship's wa- day's journey. ter, liquor, and wood kept for Satellite tracking devices and a repairs. laptop computer seemed anachro- Nearly a third of the ship's crew nistic on a 2-century-old vessel were from Marblehead, so the ship that cost $12 million to restore. had little problem making it safely The 31/2 -year restoration effort into the harbor. The British ships began in 1992 and included the wouldn't risk the unfamiliar ter- weaving of six new sails and re- Fort