Since opening its doors in 1983, the “Old Ironsides” Battalion has prepared more than 600 Midshipmen for military careers as officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
The Boston University Company, headquartered at BU’s campus, hosts Midshipmen from BU, Boston College, and Northeastern University. MIT Company, headquartered at MIT, hosts Midshipmen from MIT, Harvard University, and Tufts University. Together, our partner institutions of higher learning form the Boston Consortium. The Battalion often conducts physical training, leadership lab sessions, and naval science classes together.
Our Battalion is strengthened by the caliber, cohesion, and professionalism of our Midshipmen.
Old Ironsides is the nickname of the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the U.S. Navy. The name was won in the War of 1812 when the 44-gun frigate defeated the British ship HMS Guerriere. As the Guerriere fired broadside after broadside into the Constitution, an American sailor watched as the British 18-lb iron cannonballs bounced off the sides of Constitution harmlessly. The cheer went up: “Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!” Since that victory, she has been a symbol of the American fighting spirit (as well as great engineering). We are proud to be called the Old Ironsides Battalion. Old Ironsides is here at Boston Harbor, her historical home port; the battalion occasionally visits the ship or receives the active duty crew members of Constitution during its events.