‘Old Ironsides’ commander is relieved of duty

The commander of the Constitution warship was relieved of duty because of a “loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command,” a Navy spokesman said Thursday.

The Navy declined to provide specifics about why Cmdr. Thomas C. Graves was removed as senior officer of the historic warship, known as Old Ironsides.

Graves’ removal, however, was not the result of disciplinary action, said a Navy spokesman, Cmdr. Jeff A. Davis.

“The decision to relieve him was an administrative matter that was based solely upon the senior officer’s assessment of Cmdr. Graves’ ability to command effectively,” said Davis.

Graves, who took command in July 2005, had been about two months away from completing his tenure aboard the Constitution, said Davis.

Graves was the 69th commander of the world’s oldest commissioned ship afloat. He has been temporarily assigned to Surface Warfare Officers School Command in Newport, R.I., Davis said.

Cmdr. William A. Bullard III assumed command of the Constitution on Thursday morning. Bullard had been scheduled to take command in July.

The Constitution was commissioned in 1797 and is docked at Boston’s historic Charlestown Navy Yard, a national park. The ship, which fought pirates in the Caribbean and the British in the War of 1812, never lost a battle.

The ship earned its nickname of Old Ironsides when someone reportedly saw a cannonball bounce off its sturdy hull in an 1812 battle. The hull had been reinforced by American-made copper sheets built by a company owned by Paul Revere.

Active-duty sailors in vintage 1812 uniforms lead free tours of the ship, which is a popular tourist destination. The Constitution sets sail five or six times each year for a “turnaround” in Boston Harbor.