Futility Closet

Spare Parts

Posted in Oddities by Greg Ross on March 14th, 2007

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Constitution_1997.jpg

The Navy’s oldest ship is the U.S.S. Constitution, a three-masted frigate launched in 1797.

After two centuries of maintenance and repair, the only original part that remains is the keel.

That makes the Constitution a living example of the “ship of Theseus dilemma.” If every part of a ship is replaced … is it the same ship?