 The French frigate "Acheron" was modeled after the USS Constitution  ("Old Ironsides"). The film crew spent quite a bit of time taking  pictures and filming the Constitution. The images were then  digitized to make the movie. Originally based in Providence, Rhode  Island, The HMS Surprise was actually the HMS Rose, a reproduction  tall ship built in 1970 at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia by Smith and  Rhuland Ltd. The film crew made several alterations to her design to  match the 1802 design of the HMS Surprise. The Rose/Surprise is  currently docked in San Diego, but in previous years the HMS Rose  was available for tall ship cruises.