Advice for diving USS Constellation (Sloop-of-war) in United States

I would be surprised if diving is even allowed around the USF Constellation. The water is polluted and visibility is very poor. There are plenty of small craft moving around her making it potentially lethal to dive.

It is an interesting place to visit. For a fee, you can walk her decks and study the history. She was involved in the conflict with the Tripoli Pirates at the beginning of the 19th century.

Previous American governments would make a treaty with what is today Libya to allow safe passage of our merchant ships in the Mediterranean. We would pay as much as 2 million dollars for this agreement. Approximately a year and a half to two years the Arabs would break this agreement. We would remake another treaty, pay the large amounts of money and the Arabs would break their word again.

Thomas Jefferson decided enough was enough. He built our navy up to seven frigates and sent them along with smaller military vessels to Tripoli. When the Arabs refused to allow free passage of American ships the American fleet bombarded the city of Tripoli freeing American sailors that were being held for ransom. Never again did these pirates dare to harass an American merchant vessel.

To read more about this:

Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade

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