Final answer:
The USS Ranger was the U.S. Navy's first flagship on which John Paul Jones hoisted the flag of freedom, it was John Paul Jones's first warship command during the Revolutionary War, and it carried out successful raids against British targets.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ship that had the distinction of being the U.S. Navy's first flagship on which the flag of freedom was hoisted by John Paul Jones was the USS Ranger. Not to be confused with the USS Constitution, famously known as "Old Ironsides," which had notable naval victories later during the War of 1812, the Ranger was John Paul Jones's first American warship command during the American Revolutionary War. The USS Ranger carried out several successful raids against British shipping and military installations, and it was aboard this ship that Jones had the first American flag recognized by a foreign power, specifically the French.