fire ship
Naval suicide craft
A fire ship is a vessel loaded with combustibles and explosives, set ablaze and directed toward enemy ships to destroy them.
The tactic saw extensive use in naval warfare from ancient times through the age of sail: The English sent fire ships against the Spanish Armada at Calais.
Fire ships were expendable—their crews abandoned them after setting the course and lighting the fuse.
- weaponInstrument for inflicting harm
- powder kegVolatile, dangerous situation
- scuttlingHasty, low scurrying motion
- skeleton crewMinimum workers needed
- suicide missionAssignment with fatal certainty
cutter · brig · tug · incendiary · explosive charge · torpedo · naval warfare · schooner · grappling hook · barge · brander · blockade · Spanish Armada · tugboat · sloop · cannonade · boarding party · privateer
- Navyadmiral, battleship, destroyer, aircraft carrier, cruiser
- ancient weaponssword, swords, shield, shields, bow
- shipsvessel, freighter, tanker, oil tanker, frigate
- naval historybattleships, naval battles, naval history, admiral, battleship
- historic shipstrireme, galley, longship, caravel, carrack
- sailing shipsschooner, galleon, brig, brigantine, bark
fire shipwarship
Armed naval vessel
ship of the line · battleship · man-of-war · frigate · destroyer
fire shiprescue ship
Vessel for maritime emergencies
hospital ship · supply ship · troopship · transport ship · tender
fire shipflagship
Commander's principal vessel
capital ship · ship of the line · treasure ship · royal yacht · aircraft carrier
fire, ship, fires, fired, firing, fiery, fireman, fireplace, firework