USS Constitution Begins CPO Heritage Weeks

USS Constitution Sailors kicked off their annual Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Heritage Weeks Aug. 18.

More than 300 CPO selectees and mentors from throughout the fleet will report to Old Ironsides during the next two weeks for U.S. Navy history, heritage and leadership training aboard the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat.

These will be the final CPO Heritage Weeks conducted with Constitution pier side until 2018, as the ship will be entering dry-dock for a three year planned restoration period beginning in early 2015.

The first group of CPO selectees and mentors arrived in Charlestown Navy Yard Monday afternoon and immediately began a heritage training program that will include history and heritage instruction as well as team building and leadership exercises to help prepare the selectees to be Navy chief petty officers.

CPO selectees will also be marching in formation throughout Boston to visit historic sites, learn about U.S. history and Boston’s ties to naval history, in addition to conducting a heritage fun run along Boston’s Freedom Trail during the week.

USS Constitution hosted only a single CPO Heritage Week last year due to the effects of federal sequestration, so her crew is excited to resume the traditional two week format in 2014.

USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat, actively defended sea lanes against global threats from 1797 to 1855. Now a featured destination on Boston’s Freedom Trail, Constitution and her crew of U.S. Navy Sailors offer community outreach and education about the ship’s history and the importance of naval seapower to more than 500,000 visitors each year.