My dad was in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He once told me he spent a short period of time aboard the USS Missouri. That means he walked the deck of one of the most significant ships in U.S. history.
Why?
The formal surrender of Japan took place aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, marking the official end of World War II and forever adding to the legacy of the battleship.
It might be argued that yesterday I “one-upped” my dad.
Why?
Because yesterday I was in Boston, where the USS Constitution is moored. I walked her top deck and gun deck and viewed the captain’s quarters.
The USS Constitution gained legendary status during the War of 1812, defeating five British warships and proving that the young United States Navy could stand against the powerful British Royal Navy. Her resilience in battle earned her the nickname “Old Ironsides” after British cannonballs were reportedly seen bouncing off her thick live-oak hull.
Today, she is the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat. She was launched on October 21, 1797.
On September 16, 2026, I walked aboard U.S. naval history.
How cool is that!
Unfortunately, Gayle couldn’t board the USS Constitution because the ship is not easily accessible with a mobility scooter. The top deck was also crowded, which would have made it difficult for her to move around.
After I spent a short time aboard the USS Constitution, we headed toward Salem, hoping to have a bewitching experience.
We drove around for a while but didn’t find much that caught our attention. Eventually, we parked in a garage across the street from the Salem Visitor Center and explored a couple of nearby blocks, taking pictures of a few historic buildings and one rather interesting statue.
The statue is Roger Conant, regarded as the founder of the English settlement at Salem. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat and long, flowing cloak, he certainly looks the part of someone associated with Salem’s witch-trial history. In fact, people frequently mistake him for a witch. But Conant had nothing to do with the witch trials. He led settlers to the area, then called Naumkeag, in 1626.
After leaving Salem, we traveled through a small portion of New Hampshire on our way to Portland, Maine.
Even though we spent less than an hour in New Hampshire, it still qualifies for checking off one more state on our quest to visit all 48 contiguous United States.
We’re getting close.
Only one state remains—Vermont.
We’ll be there in a few days.
Today I have seven pictures and one map to share.
First pic: The USS Constitution.
Second pic: The deck of the USS Constitution.
Third pic: The captain’s quarters.
Fourth pic: The windows at the stern of the ship, below the lifeboat, mark the location of the captain’s quarters.
Fifth pic: The Roger Conant statue.
Sixth pic: A church near the Salem Visitor Center.
Seventh pic: The Salem Witch Museum. We didn’t go inside.
Gene-ology.com 
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