Neighbors aim to silence Old Ironsides’ cannons
 

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/reg...ome&position=0

Old Ironsides’ upscale Charlestown neighbors are trying to pull off what British, French and Barbary pirate guns failed to accomplish in more than two centuries - silencing the cannons of the nation’s oldest commissioned naval vessel.

Miffed residents of a posh condo complex have invited the commanding officer of the USS Constitution over for a glass of wine so he can hear for himself that the frigate’s twice-daily cannon blasts - a tradition dating to 1798 - are “more disruptive to the neighborhood than you might have imagined.”

Commanding Officer Timothy Cooper received the most recent complaint two weeks ago from neighbors suggesting naval officers assigned to the historic vessel eliminate the morning and evening blasts on weekends, reduce the size of the gunpowder charge and turn down the volume of the national anthem recording played during the daily flag raising and lowering ceremonies.


“The residential population and congestion of this area has (sic) grown significantly and, it seems to us, that the cannon charge/noise is excessive,” the unidentified resident first wrote in an Aug. 26, 2009, letter obtained by the Herald.

High-end condominium developments have sprung up across from the Charlestown Navy Yard over the past decade, transforming the once hardscrabble waterfront into a toney enclave.

“Over the summer, we have entertained several times, and we have had guests sit up in shock when the cannon goes off,” the resident wrote. “It has also awakened them at 8 a.m. while they are vacationing and then blasted them again at sunset.”

Cooper, a 39-year-old Marshfield native, said he was surprised by the complaint, but he wants to work with the residents. “We’re hoping to find a way where we can be good neighbors and maintain the tradition,” he said.

The legendary, 204-foot-long battleship is equipped to hold 44 cannons, but only two take turns shooting a four-foot blast of gunpowder twice a day, Cooper said.

Launched in 1797 and named by President George Washington, the Constitution saw action against the French, Barbary pirates and the British in the War of 1812.

The daily gun salute - halted in the early 1900s and revived in 1975 - requires naval officers to fire from one of the working guns every day at 8 a.m. and again at sunset.

Recent renovations to the ship brought the matter to a head because the booming shot is now closer to the shore.

The unnamed resident, who acknowledged Old Ironsides as “the country’s most sacred maritime treasure,” complained once in August and again Oct. 20.

The ship’s spokesman, Petty Officer First Class Eric Brown, said halting the cannon fire - or even delaying it - would undermine a time-honored patriotic ritual that draws tourists from land and sea. “It’s as much a part of Boston as the Red Sox [team stats] and Cheers,” Brown said.

Other nearby residents agreed, including 52-year-old Elizabeth Ames, who lives in a luxury development called The Nautica.

“This is the heart of the city’s history,” Ames said. “If you don’t like it, don’t live here".

That tradition was going on before they bought their high end apartment condo whatever. They can live with it and I am tired of the snobby wanting things changed just because they now live there.

http://www.bostonherlad.com/news/pol...icleid=1210515

Councilor to sink battleship complaints

A Boston city councilor is fired up over attempts by high-end condo owners to muzzle Old Ironsides’ twice-daily cannon blasts, calling their complaints of excessive noise “absolutely ridiculous” and vowing to push for a city resolution to support the time-honored tradition.

"Old Ironsides is part of Boston history,” said Councilor Sal LaMattina, who represents Charlestown, where several residents in a swanky condominium development near the Naval Yard have launched a letter-writing campaign to silence the 44-gun frigate’s cannon salutes.

The Herald reported on Saturday that the 204-foot-long vessel, formally called the USS Constitution, is under attack by residents in a nearby condo complex for being an ear-sore.

The homeowners have pleaded with the commanding officer of the nation’s oldest commissioned navel vessel to eliminate the cannon blasts on weekends, reduce the amount of gunpowder charge used at other times and lower the volume of recorded playings of the national anthem during daily flag raising and lowering ceremonies.

The three-masted heavy frigate, built in Boston, launched in 1797 and named by President George Washington, saw action against the French, Barbary pirates and the British in the War of 1812, when its crew captured five British warships.

The tradition of its daily gun salute, which dates to 1798, was halted in the early 1900s but then revived in 1975. It requires naval officers serving on the ship to fire one of its working guns every day at 8 a.m. and again at sunset.

In letters written to Commanding Officer Timothy Cooper, neighbors called the noise of the cannon blasts “excessive” and “disruptive to the neighborhood.”

“Over the summer, we have entertained several times, and we have had guests sit up in shock when the cannon goes off,” wrote one resident. “It has also awakened them at 8 a.m. while they are vacationing and then blasted them again at sunset.”

LaMattina has little sympathy for the residents and said he plans to file an order before the City Council seeking to throw its support behind the naval tradition.

“You are moving into a Navy Yard. Come on,” LaMattina said. “I would imagine them knowing about the Constitution being there . . . It’s absolutely ridiculous that people are complaining of Old Ironsides shooting the cannons."

Perhaps loading a ball in with the powder would muffle it some.

Yeah! Fire a warning shot across their "beamers".

http://wbztv.com/local/uss.constitut...2.1321850.html

USS Constitution Cannons Will Keep Firing

The USS Constitution will continue to fire its cannons in Charlestown.

Some neighbors complained the noise is too loud.

But, city councilors voted unanimously Wednesday to keep the tradition.

Old Ironsides fires its cannons twice a day - once at 8 a.m. and again at sunset.

The daily salutes started in 1787, although they stopped in the early 1900's until 1975.

The USS Constitution will continue to fire its cannons in Charlestown.

Some neighbors complained the noise is too loud.

But, city councilors voted unanimously Wednesday to keep the tradition.

Old Ironsides fires its cannons twice a day - once at 8 a.m. and again at sunset.

The daily salutes started in 1787, although they stopped in the early 1900's until 1975.

Hurrah!

:e: :ab: :ae: :xx: :zz: :14:

USS Constitution's Cannon Tradition To Continue
 

http://wbztv.com/local/uss.constitut...2.1553789.html

The USS Constitution will continue firing its cannons twice a day across Boston Harbor as it has done for more than 200 years despite the objections of well-heeled neighbors.

Timothy Cooper, the commanding officer of the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, tells the Boston Herald that he has decided to carry on the tradition even after getting a letter from some neighbors asking for a sit-down meeting to discuss the noise.

He did not identify the neighbors.

Cooper says he turned down the invitation, and instead sent a letter saying he had no intention of changing the ceremony that dates to 1798.

The ship is docked in the city's Charlestown neighborhood, which in recent years has been developed with high-end condominiums.