In 1905, Secretary of the Navy [Charles Joseph Bonaparte](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Joseph_Bonaparte) suggested that *Constitution* be towed out to sea and used as target practice, after which she would be allowed to sink. Moses H. Gulesian read about this in a Boston newspaper; he was a businessman from [Worcester, Massachusetts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester,_Massachusetts), and he offered to purchase her for $10,000. The State Department refused, but Gulesian initiated a public campaign which began from Boston and ultimately “spilled all over the country.” The storms of protest from the public prompted Congress to authorize $100,000 in 1906 for the ship’s restoration. First to be removed was the barracks structure on her spar deck, but the limited amount of funds allowed just a partial restoration. In an interview with The Boston Journal he said, “My only intention in making this offer of $10,000 for the old Constitution was to save her from such a horrible end as being used as a target.
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In 1905, Secretary of the Navy [Charles Joseph Bonaparte](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Joseph_Bonaparte) suggested that *Constitution* be towed out to sea and used as target practice, after which she would be allowed to sink. Moses H. Gulesian read about this in a Boston newspaper; he was a businessman from [Worcester, Massachusetts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester,_Massachusetts), and he offered to purchase her for $10,000. The State Department refused, but Gulesian initiated a public campaign which began from Boston and ultimately “spilled all over the country.” The storms of protest from the public prompted Congress to authorize $100,000 in 1906 for the ship’s restoration. First to be removed was the barracks structure on her spar deck, but the limited amount of funds allowed just a partial restoration. In an interview with The Boston Journal he said, “My only intention in making this offer of $10,000 for the old Constitution was to save her from such a horrible end as being used as a target.