CHARLESTOWN, MASS. — The U.S. Navy has received unidentified complaints from residents of the Navy Yard who feel the daily cannon salute and the playing of our national anthem for the oldest commissioned ship in the world, the U.S.S. Constitution, which is moored nearby, reported the Boston Herald.
One week ago, Hillary Chabot reported that residents in the nearby waterfront condos had complained to officials from the U.S. Navy that the noise from the daily flag raising and lowering ceremonies was "excessive."
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FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a Mass. resident. Long before I moved to the area, I was a huge fan of Old Ironsides. Every time my family would visit Boston, I would visit the warship. Each time, I (like practically everyone else who has visited the ship) hit my head while going below deck. I also once interviewed for a teaching position at the Harbor School which is located in the Navy Yard over a decade ago.
Here is an excerpt from a letter sent to the commanding officer of Old Ironsides by a condo resident:
Unfortunately, the positives of life near the Navy Yard also come with disadvantages . . . It seems to us, that the cannon charge/noise is excessive. Over the summer, we have entertained several times, and we have had guests sit up in shock when the cannon goes off.
My husband (name deleted) and I would like to invite you over for a glass of wine . . . to experience the sunset blast. We are confident you will agree that it is much more disruptive to the neighborhood than you might have imagined.”
We wouldn't want to ruin the ambience of yuppies sipping white wine while enjoying their harbor view.
Snip.
Not every resident of Charlestown is upset at the ceremonies. Indeed one "Townie," Martin O'Brien Jr. expressed gratitude for what the warship symbolizes as well as those who have sacrificed for this country.
I, too, am in earshot of Old Ironsides and can hear the daily rituals. But I also listen each day to the news about the sacrifices our service men and women are making so that we may maintain and embrace those rituals.
I would ask my neighbors to endure this slight “disruption” to serve as their individual sacrifice so that the National Anthem continues to play and that Old Ironside’s cannon blasts are the only ones heard on these shores.
The fact is that these daily ceremonies have been taking place at the Navy Yard since 1797 when the Constitution was first commissioned. The condos at the Navy Yard are fairly recent, having been erected only within the last 20 years (I'll try to find out exactly when). Whether the noise from the ceremonies is actually "excessive" is not the point IMO since this was foreseeable and condo owners have no right to complain.
“The people knew when they came here what the area was like. I would assume that they didn’t buy that sight unseen,” former U.SS. Constitution Commander Richard L. Gillen said.
Basically, this is not that different from some asshole that decides to buy a home next to a busy freeway and then complains that it is too noisy or a yuppy douche who buys a house in a development next to a farm but decides after the fact that it is noisy and he doesn't like the smell of manure. Or the schmuck that buys a condo next to a golf course, but then complains about all those golf balls on his lawn.
All of those examples apply here in the situation in the Charlestown Navy Yard. What makes the complaints unique is that the residents are dealing with the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense.
Yesterday, the Navy experimented with a vastly reduced gunpowder charge to placate the unreasonable jerks.:
USS Constitution Commanding Officer Timothy Cooper tested the cannons yesterday using only 50 grams of gun powder - a 75 percent reduction from the usual blast.
“It just didn’t sound the same,” Cooper said. “It was more like a sharp crack as opposed to a boom.”
The spoiled yuppies in the condos face a backlash for their unbridled arrogance.
In the wake of the brouhaha, another neighborhood group has come forward with plans to gather in support of the time-honored tradition Saturday. Members of the Friends of the Charlestown Naval Yard intend to rally in support of the historic ship at the sunset ceremony, according to National Park Service officials.
The residents will probably not find any support for their unreasonable position from local politicians either.
Several politicians, including House Speaker Robert DeLeo, have come to the defense of Old Ironsides, which sailed undefeated against the British, the French and the Barbary pirates.
“I think the historical context of the USS Constitution would outweigh the concerns of a neighborhood,” DeLeo told the Herald yesterday. “A couple of cannon blasts and our national anthem at the beginning and the end of the day is well worth the inconvenience.”
I couldn't agree more. STFU, deal with the noise or move.