fire ship

noun

a vessel loaded with combustibles and explosives, ignited, and set adrift to destroy an enemy's ships or constructions.

Words nearby fire ship

fire red, fire resistance, fire sale, fire screen, fire setting, fire ship, fire sign, fire station, fire support, fire temple, fire tower

Origin of fire ship

First recorded in 1580–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fire ship

Within half a cable's length of them was a fire-ship, with six others following in a compact semicircle.
The Rock of the Lion|Molly Elliot Seawell
The command was given to officers not noble, with the grade of captain of fire-ship.
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783|A. T. Mahan
A little to the windward of the position assigned to the English corvette Dartmouth there lay a Turkish fire-ship.
History of Modern Europe 1972-1878|C. A. Fyffe
A fire-ship, filled with every combustible substance, was towed into their midst, and at ten o'clock the torch was applied.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine|Various

Having cleaned the vessels and fitted up a fire-ship, the squadron landed at Paita, but found it deserted.
The Monarchs of the Main, Volume II (of 3)|Walter Thornbury

British Dictionary definitions for fire ship

fire ship

noun

a vessel loaded with explosives and used, esp formerly, as a bomb by igniting it and directing it to drift among an enemy's warships

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fire ship

noun

Content related to fire ship

Words nearby fire ship

Origin of fire ship

Examples from the Web for fire ship

British Dictionary definitions for fire ship

noun