The USS Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides", is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the US Navy. The ship was built in Boston, Massachusetts from 1794 to 1797, and she was launched on 21 October 1797. She served as one of the young Navy's capital ships, and she provided protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War and battled Barbary pirates during the First Barbary War. During the War of 1812, the Constitution captured numerous British merchantmen and five warships, earning the nickname "Old Ironsides" after capturing HMS Guerriere. The ship served as the flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons and circled the world in the 1840s before serving as a training ship for the Naval Academy during the American Civil War. The Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 and served as a receiving ship before becoming a museum ship in 1907.