The USS Constitution is a wooden 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 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 .