USS Constitution Captures HMS Java: Old Ironsides Wins Again

Captain William Bainbridge took command of the *Constitution* with something to prove — the British had captured him twice before. Off Brazil's coast, HMS *Java* came at him flying a challenge flag. Three hours of cannon fire. The *Java*'s bowsprit shattered. Her mizzenmast collapsed. She caught fire. British Captain Henry Lambert took a musket ball to the chest and died two days later. When *Java* surrendered, she was so wrecked Bainbridge couldn't sail her home as a prize — he burned her at sea instead. The Americans lost nine men. The British lost sixty. And the *Constitution* earned her nickname "Old Ironsides" for real this time, proving American frigates weren't flukes.