Live oak (Quercus Virgina) is also used throughout the ship because of it's hardness and strength. Live oak is comparable in hardness to ebony, with incredible

Live oak (Quercus Virgina) is also used throughout the ship because of it's hardness and strength. Live oak is comparable in hardness to ebony, with incredible rot resistance (more so than even white oak). Even more fascinating because of the hardness of live oak the constitution famously made the cannonballs of the british literally bounce away, causing a crew man to proclaim her sides are made of iron. Hence the name old ironsides. https://www.nps.gov/articles/old-ironsides.htm https://www.nps.gov/articles/old-ironsides.htm The USS Constitution is also the only active US Navy ship to have sunk another ship.