U.S.S Constitution

This ship was the 3rd vessel to be commissioned for the US navy and really the first one that could actually put up a fight. If you don't know much about the Barbary War -- it is fascianting. Early Americans needed to trade with other countries to survive economically but our tradeships kept being sunk and or captured by pirates off the Barbary coast in northern Africa. After years of unsuccessful attempts at diplomacy and paying huge protection fees to these pirates we finally had enough and bulit this ship to protect our trade vessels. The USS Constitution pretty much won the Barbary war for us -- this ship kicked some serious ass in the city of Tivoli on Africa's Northern coast. The war was America's first great victory as an independent nation. By the way, the word "barbarism" originates from this time.