The USS Constitution is a United States Navy ship.
A frigate [ ˈfrɪɡᵻt ] is any of several types of warship , the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries . In the 17th century , this term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability , the description often used being `` frigate-built '' . These could be warships carrying their principal batteries of carriage-mounted guns on a single deck or on two decks ( with further smaller carriage-mounted guns usually carried on the forecastle and quarterdeck of the vessel ) . The term was generally used for ships too small to stand in the line of battle , although early line-of-battle ships were frequently referred to as frigates when they were built for speed . In the 18th century , the term referred to ships that were usually as long as a ship of the line and were square-rigged on all three masts ( full rigged ) , but were faster and with lighter armament , used for patrolling and escort . In the definition adopted by the British Admiralty , they were rated ships of at least 28 guns , carrying their principal armaments upon a single continuous deck -- the upper deck -- while ships of the line possessed two or more continuous decks bearing batteries of guns . In the late 19th century ( beginning about 1858 with the construction of prototypes by the British and French navies ) , the armoured frigate was a type of ironclad warship that for a time was the most powerful type of vessel afloat . USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled , three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy , named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America .