Old Ironsides given US stamp of approval

The USS Constitution, which played a vital role in the War of 1812, is shown in full rigging with its top masts in the old Charlestown Navy Yard. (David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

By Meghan E. Irons

Globe Staff / August 25, 2011

The US Postal Service has picked Old Ironsides, the beloved US Navy frigate berthed in the old Charlestown Navy Yard, as part of its Forever Stamp series and to pay tribute to the War of 1812.

War of 1812: USS Constitution Postage Stamp to be Issued in 2012

With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates the bicentennial of the War of 1812, a two-and-a-half year conflict with Great Britain that many Americans later came to view as the nation’s “Second War of Independence.”

For the stamp design, the Postal Service selected a long-admired painting of the famed USS Constitution by Michele Felice Cornè, circa 1803.

Constitution acquired the nickname “Old Ironsides” during a victorious battle with a ship of the Royal Navy at the beginning of the War of 1812.

The majestic warship — which is today docked at . . .

Read more at: beyondtheperf.com

The stamp, “War of 1812: USS Constitution,’’ marks the ship’s role in the conflict with Great Britain, hailed as the nation’s Second War of Independence.

“It was picked for winning a pivotal war,’’ said Stephen Kearney, who heads stamp services. “It gave the US a sense of optimism that it could defeat the British.’’

The Postal Service unveiled the stamp on Facebook this week, and images of it are on Twitter and Beyond the Perf sites. With social media, the Postal Service hopes to reach a broad, diverse audience interested in stamp collecting and other historical subjects.

The Navy, which has been training sailors on Old Ironsides in Charlestown, is repairing the vessel, the world’s oldest commissioned warship, in hope of taking it for a commemorative sail next year, the bicentennial of the war. But it is unclear whether the 214-year-old wooden vessel can handle the ride.