U.S. Navy Fireman Trevor O’Neil, a Haverhill native, is one of more than 60 sailors celebrating America’s 249 years of independence while serving aboard USS Constitution, the Navy’s oldest commissioned warship.
O’Neil graduated from Essex Tech in 2023 and joined the Navy a year ago. O’Neil says the skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to lessons he learned locally.
“Growing up, I learned that at the end of the day, it’s up to you to execute and accomplish,” he notes. “I joined the Navy because I’ve always wanted to be a part of a structured system.”
O’Neil says he is “most proud of being able to speak to school groups about the Navy.”
Launched from a Boston shipyard in October 1797, Constitution is the only surviving vessel of the Navy’s original six frigates and is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. The ship earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812 after British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull. Constitution was undefeated in battle and captured or destroyed 33 enemy vessels in its nearly 60 years of active service.
Now, 227 years after its launch, Constitution’s primary mission is education and outreach, welcoming more than 500,000 visitors aboard each year. Its crew of more than 60 sailors is hand-picked to preserve and protect Constitution, while promoting naval history, maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence. The ship’s original missions of defending American interests and protecting sea lanes to ensure commerce remain at the forefront of the Navy’s mission today.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
USS Constitution. (U.S. Park Service.)