The Mediterranean Squadron, USS Constellation Protecting American Interests Abroad
After being commissioned on July 28th, 1855, Constellation immediately departed from Norfolk, Virginia for international waters. The ship would be under the command of Captain Charles H. Bell. Bell was born in New York in 1798. He served in the War of 1812, as well as the Second Barbary War, prior to his time at the command of Constellation. With Bell leading the way, the sloop of war began its first duty, a three-year cruise protecting American civilians in the Mediterranean Sea.
While Constellation was cruising the Mediterranean in 1854, a revolution broke out in Spain. That year there had been tension in the nation, in part due to a famine that wreaked havoc on the general population. The Spanish Prime Minister, Baldomero Espartero fell to his opposition which ultimately led to a regime change, and a new Prime Minister, Leopoldo O'Donnell. O'Donnell, the 1st Duke of Tetuan formulated a conservative ministry and then created the Union Liberal Party, which allowed Isabella II to appoint him as the forty-fourth Prime Minister of Spain. While the political atmosphere in Spain continued to settle, in July of 1856 Constellation was dispatched to protect American lives and property from danger. In order to fulfill its orders, Constellation docked in the coastal Mediterranean city of Malaga, Spain.
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| Leopoldo O'Donnell click image to enlarge |
Also in the year 1856, Constellation was sailing through the Sea of Marmara. The sea is an inland body of water that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, and also separates Turkey's Asian and European territories. While Constellation was cruising, the crew noticed another ship in distress and went to the rescue. This led to the sloop receiving an official appreciation message from the Austrian Emperor.
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| 1786 map of The Sea of Marmara or Propontis with the Straits of Constantinople and of Gallipoli click image to enlarge |
Two years later on April 17th, 1858, Constellation was detached from the Mediterranean Squadron. Later that year she would patrol Cuban waters in order to protect American commercial ships against unlawful searches. After a brief Cuban cruise, Constellation returned to the navy yard in New York City on June 5th, 1858, later to be decommissioned in Boston, MA on August 13th.
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