fire ship

American  

noun

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

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fire ship British  

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of fire ship

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fire ship

Somers died when the fire ship he commanded exploded in Tripoli Harbor.

From Washington Times ● May 27, 2017

The Newcastle, man-of-war; the Queenborough, frigate; and the Protector, fire ship were driven ashore and dashed to pieces; but the crews, with the exception of seven, were saved.

From With Clive in India Or, The Beginnings of an Empire by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

While our soldiers were holding their own, as usual, a Genoese fire ship exploded in the canal behind them.

From The Lion of Saint Mark A Story of Venice in the Fourteenth Century by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

On the following night July 28th, the French tried to destroy the British fleet by a fire ship.

From A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs The Story of a Hundred Years, 1761-1861 by Wrong, George McKinnon

The fire ship in its place at the head of the line soon met the largest ship, and instantly grappled itself firmly to her side.

From Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 5 by Sylvester, Charles Herbert