The USS Constitution was designed by Joshua Humphreys and Josiah Fox with an ambitious goal: to be powerful enough to defeat most enemy ships but, if it ever did find itself out-matched, to be able to out-run stronger opponents. The Constitution was built by Colonel George Claghorn at Edmond Harrt's shipyard in Boston and launched on October 21, 1797. The vessel was constructed of wood from 1,500 trees from Maine to Georgia, fitted with cannons cast in Rhode Island and copper fastenings by Paul Revere. The ship earned its nickname of Old Ironsides in a successful battle with British gun frigate HMS Guerriere in 1812 in which shots from the enemy ship amazingly appeared to have no effect on the Constitution's outside planking. In 1997, the ship celebrated her Bicentennial and sailed for the first time in 116 years. The USS Constitution is still part of the U.S. Navy and is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world.