abandoned ship
Crewless maritime hulk
An abandoned ship is a vessel forsaken by its crew, whether due to emergency, disaster, or simple neglect.
Maritime law treats abandoned ships specially—they may be claimed as salvage.
The phrase extends metaphorically to any project or enterprise left behind: The startup became an abandoned ship after the founders departed.
- hulkMassive body or shell
- derelictAbandoned or neglectful
- desertedLeft behind, uninhabited
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- shipwreckDestroyed vessel at sea
watery grave · sink · distress signal · salvage · relinquishment · flotsam · floating debris · maritime law · lifeboat · surrendering · Mary Celeste · lost at sea · maritime disaster · detritus · SOS · rescue mission · scavenging · evacuation
- abandonmentforsake, desert, leave, neglect, desertion
- shipwrecksshipwreck, shipwrecks, capsized, derelict, wreck
- Ghost ShipsFlying Dutchman, Mary Celeste, Octavius, Jenny, Marlborough
abandoned, ship, abandon, abandons, abandoning, abandonment, ships, shipped, shipping