Seabees Build "Resolute" Desk for VP From Wood of USS Constitution

U.S. Navy Seabees have delivered a “Resolute” desk for Vice President Kamala Harris, handcrafted from materials taken from the iconic U.S. Navy warship USS Constitution.

The USS Constitution was one of the first frigates built for the United States. She completed her first sea trials in 1798, and her first deployment was to patrol the southeast coast of the United States during the Quasi-War with France. Famously dubbed “Old Ironsides” by poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, the elegant old lady is now berthed at Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard. 

Constructed using wood, copper, and nails taken from the USS Constitution during its two renovations between 2007 and 2017, according to Military.com, the desk features complex patriotic carvings of eagles and stars.

What's interesting to note is that the Seabees delivered two heritage desks this year, with Harris' desk being one. The other belongs to the office of the Secretary of the Navy - currently occupied by Acting Secretary Thomas Harker.

In addition to wood from the USS Constitution, the second resolute desk includes materials from other prominent American warships, including wood from the frigate USS Chesapeake and steel from the battleship USS Arizona. Chesapeake was commissioned in 1794, about the same time as Constitution; Arizona was famously sunk during the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor.

“The desks will be lasting reminders to our civilian leaders that today’s Navy and our diverse sailors and marines are deployed forward . . . to deter aggression and preserve freedom of the seas," said Navy History and Heritage Command spokesman Paul Taylor, speaking to Military.com.