She was the Navy's first iron ship. She was a pioneer, being powered by steam and configured as a Dreadnaught, with her main ordnance mounted fore and aft as are the warships of today.
Ships have personalities.
In 1840, all Navy steamers used steam power as an auxiliary to sail. She was designed to look like the average wooden frigate of the day, but the vessel was iron hulled, iron framed and iron fastened. The long -shared border between Canada and the United States did not always enjoy the tranquility that it does today. Going back to the American Revolutionary War there have been skirmishes along this border. The United States Great Lakes fleet slipped into obsolescence as tensions rose between the Americans and the British in the late 1830's.