In this well-regarded early silent naval epic, Old Ironsides, a young scalawag goes to sea only to be taken captive by the notorious pirates of the Barbary Coast in the Mediterranean. The doughty American warship USS Constitution battles the pirates and prevails! Based loosely on a real American naval war off Libya fought in 1804 and 1805, the film was shot in Californian waters off the coast of Catalina Island and employed two real nineteenth century vessels, destroying one onscreen!

The production was not a box-office success and, unsurprisingly, ran well over budget, but is well regarded today among silent movie buffs. The Constitution would go on to make her name – and to achieve her nickname, Old Ironsides, used anachronistically in the title of this film – in the War of 1812 when she defeated the larger and better-armed British vessel HMS Guerriere, an event which helped to turn the tide of war in America’s favor.

John Tayloe IV, son of my ancestor John Tayloe III, was a midshipman aboard the Constitution during this battle and was severely wounded, ending his naval career shortly thereafter. The Virginia legislature awarded him a cutlass in commemoration of the event, and it’s currently displayed at the Octagon in Washington DC, one of the family’s homes at the time and the site of the signing of the treaty that ended the war.

The Constitution was refurbished after a fundraising tour just before this film was shot, leaving mementoes of her visit at many ports of call, including Seattle, and two cannons that were located on her rear deck are now located in the veterans’ section of Evergreen Washelli Cemetery in Seattle just north of my home. The ship herself is the oldest ship still in commission with the United States Navy and remains open to visitors in Boston Harbor to this day.

This film’s astounding climactic battle sequence remains astonishing and hair-raising even to contemporary eyes, and it is thought that the production of the film, based on Catalina Island, spurred the common use of that locale in the production of about twenty years’ worth of maritime-themed adventure films.

Old Ironsides Drama, History | December 6, 1926 (United States) 6.8

Director: James CruzeWriter: Laurence Stallings, Harry Carr, Walter WoodsStars: Charles Farrell, Esther Ralston, Wallace BeerySummary: Early in the 19th century, the USS Constitution is launched as part of an effort to stop piracy in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, a young man determined to go to sea is befriended by the bos'n of the merchant ship Esther, and he joins her crew. When the Esther reaches the Mediterranean, she too, along with the Constitution, becomes involved in the battle against the pirates. —Snow Leopard

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Source: imdb.com