Editing USS Constitution (section)

===Paris Exposition===
[[File:Constitution1874b.png|thumb|right|alt=Photograph of a ship out of the water and partially disassembled|Philadelphia Navy Yard 1874]]

''Constitution'' was overhauled beginning in 1873 in order to participate in the centennial celebrations of the United States. Work began slowly and was intermittently delayed by the transition of the [[Philadelphia Navy Yard]] to League Island. By late 1875, the Navy opened bids for an outside contractor to complete the work, and ''Constitution'' was moved to [[Dialogue & Company|Wood, Dialogue, and Company]] in May 1876, where a coal bin and a small boiler for heat were installed. The Andrew Jackson figurehead was removed at this time and given to the [[United States Naval Academy Museum|Naval Academy Museum]], where it remains today.<ref>Martin (1997), pp. 322–24.</ref> Her construction dragged on during the rest of 1876 until the centennial celebrations had long passed, and the Navy decided that she would be used as a training and school ship for apprentices.<ref>Abbot 1896, Volume II, Part IV, Chapter II</ref>

[[Oscar C. Badger]] took command on 9 January 1878 to prepare her for a voyage to the [[Exposition Universelle (1878)|Paris Exposition of 1878]], transporting artwork and industrial displays to France.<ref name="ParisExpo">{{cite journal|title=The Paris Exposition|journal=Manufacturer and Builder|volume=10|issue=11|type=Uncorrected OCR text|date=November 1878|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/ncps:@field(DOCID+@lit(ABS1821-0010-699))::|access-date=28 August 2011|page=248}}</ref> Three railroad cars were lashed to her spar deck and all but two cannons were removed when she departed on 4 March. While docking at Le Havre, she collided with [[French ship Ville de Paris (1851)|''Ville de Paris'']], which resulted in ''Constitution'' entering dry dock for repairs and remaining in France for the rest of 1878. She got underway for the United States on 16 January 1879, but poor navigation ran her aground the next day near Bollard Head, [[Dorset]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]].<ref name=Martin325328/> She was refloated with the assistance of the [[tugs]] ''Commodore'', ''Lightning'', ''Lothair'', ''Royal Albert'', ''Malta'' and ''Telegraph''.<ref name=AJ180179>{{Cite news |title=Disasters at Sea |newspaper=Aberdeen Journal |location=Aberdeen |date=18 January 1879 |issue=7463 }}</ref> She was towed into the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, Hampshire, England, where only minor damage was found and repaired.<ref name=Martin325328>Martin (1997), pp. 325–328.</ref>

Her problem-plagued voyage continued on 13 February when her [[rudder]] was damaged during heavy storms, resulting in a total loss of steering control, with the rudder smashing into the hull at random. Three crewmen went over the stern on ropes and [[Bosun's chair|boatswain's chairs]] and secured it. The next morning, they rigged a temporary steering system. Badger set a course for the nearest port, and she arrived in Lisbon on 18 February. Slow dock services delayed her departure until 11 April and her voyage home did not end until 24 May.<ref>Martin (1997), pp. 328–330.</ref> Carpenter's Mate [[Henry Williams (Medal of Honor)|Henry Williams]], Captain of the Top [[Joseph Matthews (Medal of Honor)|Joseph Matthews]], and Captain of the Top [[James Horton (Medal of Honor)|James Horton]] received the [[Medal of Honor]] for their actions in repairing the damaged rudder at sea.<ref Name="MOH">{{cite web
 |title=Navy Medal of Honor: Interim Period 1871–1898
 |publisher=Naval History & Heritage Command
 |date=14 April 1997
 |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/moh/moh4.htm
 |access-date=4 August 2011
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805052757/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/moh/moh4.htm
 |archive-date=5 August 2011
}}</ref> ''Constitution'' returned to her previous duties of training apprentice boys,<ref>Martin (1997), p. 330.</ref> and Ship's Corporal [[James Thayer (Medal of Honor)|James Thayer]] received a Medal of Honor for saving a fellow crew member from drowning on 16 November.<ref Name="MOH" />

Over the next two years, she continued her training cruises, but it soon became apparent that her overhaul in 1876 had been of poor quality, and in 1881 she was determined to be unfit for service. Funds were lacking for another overhaul, so she was decommissioned, ending her days as an active-duty naval ship. She was moved to the Portsmouth Navy Yard and used as a [[receiving ship]]. There, she had a housing structure built over her spar deck, and her condition continued to deteriorate, with only a minimal amount of maintenance performed to keep her afloat.<ref name="Carpenter282" /><ref>Martin (1997), p. 337.</ref> In 1896, Massachusetts Congressman [[John F. Fitzgerald]] became aware of her condition and proposed to Congress that funds be appropriated to restore her enough to return to Boston.<ref Name="NYT01-1897">{{cite news | title = Gossip of the Capital |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date = 24 January 1897
| url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/01/24/102536995.pdf
| access-date =28 August 2011 }}</ref> She arrived at the Charlestown Navy Yard under tow on 21 September 1897<ref>Martin (1997), p. 338.</ref> and, after her centennial celebrations in October, she lay there with an uncertain future.<ref name="Carpenter282" /><ref Name="NYT10-1897">{{cite news
| title = Honor to Old Ironsides |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date = 21 October 1897
| url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/22/102064650.pdf
| access-date =28 August 2011 }}</ref>