The USS Constitution was built by Bill Lofquist and donated to the United States Navy Memorial on March 29, 1997. Built in honor of his father, Gerald E. Lofquist (Chief Warrent Officer, USN), Bill Lofquist incorporated wood salvaged from the USS Constitution in the model and built the base from an oak plank. The wood was removed during the 1974 restoration and is not part of the original USS Constitution, but it was part of the ship for a time and was probably removed from the topsides.

The plaque next to the USS Constitution model, located in the Naval Heritage Center, reads:

USS Constitution was one of our young nation’s three original warships, authorized by act of Congress in 1794 and launched in 1797. Into the frigate’s construction went timbers from states ranging from Georgia to Maine, as well as copper bolts and spikes supplied by Paul Revere.
The frigate first saw action in the Quasi-War between France and America (1798-1801) and captured several French vessels. Soon after, Captain Edward Preble led Constitution against the Barbary pirates of North Africa. Following repairs, in 1809, Constitution became the flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron.
In the War of 1812, Constitution’s most famous moment was her duel with the 49-gun British frigate Guerriere. Guerriere’s shots bounced off the sturdy walls of the Constitution, earning the American frigate the nickname “Old Ironsides.” In this battle of only half-an-hour the United States “rose to the rank of first-class power;” the country was fired with fresh confidence and courage; and union among the states was greatly strengthened. Constitution captured many other enemy vessels before the conclusion of the war.
The frigate continued to fulfill her duties after the war, but in 1830, was declared to be unseaworthy. Set for possible sale of scrapping, the ship was memorialized in Oliver Wendell Holmes’ dramatic poem “Old Ironsides.” An inspired public demanded her return to service, and she returned to commissioned status in 1835.
For the next hundred years, Constitution served the Navy as a flagship, training vessel, receiving ship, museum ship, slave-hunter, and ambassador of good will. During this era, she circumnavigated the globe while under the command of Captain John Percival. A patriotic public also rescued her from destruction at the end of the nineteenth century, with numerous patriotic organizations and school children garnering sufficient financial support to overhaul the ship.
On May 7, 1934, Constitution returned to the site of her building, Boston Navy Yard. Classified IX-21 on January 9, 1941, Constitution remains in commission today, the oldest ship on the Navy List, proud and worthy representative of the Navy’s great days of fighting sail and symbol of the courage and patriotic service of generations of Americans at sea where much of our nation’s destiny will always lie.