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Question: What ship has more fame!?
USS Enterprise (CV-6) or the 18th century frigate USS Constitution!?
USS Enterprise was the most decorated ship of World War II, earning 20 battle stars, first ship to be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, and the only ship outside of the British Royal Navy to be award of the British Admiralty Pennant!. Without her, WW2 in the Pacific could have been lost!. We could have lost battles like Midway!. After Santa Cruz Island, she was the only operational carrier left in the Pacfic for a while!.
USS Constitution was only in the War of 1812, one of the most useless war in US History!. She was only in like 4 or 5 conflict and have balls(lol) bouce off her side and earn the nickname "Old Ironsides"Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
You are asking two different questions here, both of which are highly subjective and not given to a definitive answer!.
On the one hand, you are asking which ship is the more famous!. Certainly "the Big E" is very famous, for the reasons you note and others!. But "Old Ironsides" is very famous, too, having been part of an upstart American fleet that went up against the greatest naval power of the age and more than held its own!.
On the other hand, you're asking which is "better," whatever that means in this context!. Certainly in a straight comparison of firepower the Enterprise would win hands down , but for it's time the Constitution was one of the best ships afloat!.
Finally, your apparent contention that just because one ship was in more engagements than the other it should be considered better or more famous does not take into account the realities of history and human imagination!. Arguably two of the most famous ships in American history are the Monitor and the Merrimac (I know, the Rebs called the latter the Virginia), but they only engaged each other for a few hours in one indecisive engagement!. So too the Titanic, which is certainly one of the most famous, if not the most, in the world!. Yet although it was the epitome of luxury, it did not even complete its maiden voyage, and as for quality, it has for some time been known that some of the steel used was of an inferior grade, and more recently it has come out that poor quality rivets were also used!. Was it "better" than some other unsung ship that served for years without being spectacularly sunk!?
The point is that fame, and quality, are often in the eye of the beholder!. And one more thing -- the Constitution was a 19th-Century ship ;-)
Oh, and for Randy B -- the War of 1812, although both sides claimed victory on various grounds, is usually considered an American victory, since England had by far the greater navy and army, yet the Americans forced them to the negotiating table!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I think you have answered your own question!. Just take a look at the paragraphs in your question!. Obviously, the longer the list of things you have to say about each of those ships the more famous they may have been!. Besides, the USS Constitution was only a ship in the first war you guys lost!. At least the Enterprise was in a war you helped to win!.Www@QuestionHome@Com