USS Constellation - Definition and Overview

Three ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Constellation, in honor, according to the US Congress, of the "new constellation of stars" on the flag of the United States.

• The first Constellation, 38, a frigate, was the first ship to be commissioned in the United States Navy; the first US Navy vessel to put to sea; and the first US Navy vessel to engage, defeat, and capture an enemy vessel.
• The second Constellation was a sloop of war that served from 1855 to 1933, and as of 2004 is preserved as a National Historic Landmark in Baltimore, Maryland.
• A battlecruiser Constellation (CC-2) was laid down in 1920 but cancelled in 1923.
• The third Constellation (CV-64) was a Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier which served from 1961 to 2003.

In addition:

• A fictional starship called USS Constellation (NCC-1017) was in the Star Trek episode "The Doomsday Machine".
• Also in Star Trek, a Constellation class of starships existed, of which Captain Jean-Luc Picard's former ship, USS Stargazer, was a member.