fireship

Ablaze naval weapon

A fireship is a vessel loaded with combustibles and explosives, set ablaze and directed toward enemy ships to destroy them.

The tactic was used from ancient times through the age of sail: The English sent fireships against the Spanish Armada at Calais.

Figuratively, a fireship may be anything deployed as a sacrificial weapon.

naval

galleon

Large historical sailing ship

man-of-warArmed sailing vessel
frigateMedium-sized naval warship
brigShipboard detention quarters

sloop · corvette · fleet · armada · broadside · engagement · boarding · grappling · commodore · admiral

historical

privateer

Authorized civilian warship

carrackLarge 15th-century merchantman
caravelSmall Portuguese exploration ship
brigantineTwo-masted mixed-rig vessel

schooner · Armada · Drake · Medina · Calais · Dutch · piracy · corsair · buccaneer · mercantilism

destruction

blaze

Intense burning fire

infernoDevastating, uncontrollable blaze
conflagrationLarge destructive blaze
flamesVisible burning combustion

combustion · ignite · incinerate · torch · firestorm · smoke · ember · smolder · ash · explosion

tactic

decoy

False target for misdirection

feintDeceptive mock attack
ruseDeliberate act of deception
sacrificeGiving up something precious

unmanned · drifting · collision · ramming · downwind · current · harbor · blockade · ambush · panic

Categories

shipsvessel, freighter, tanker, oil tanker, frigate
naval warfarenaval battles, naval battle, battleship, destroyer, sea battles
arsonarson, arsonist, arson investigator, arson investigation, attempted arson

Opposites

naval tactical role

fireshiphospital ship

Watercraft providing medical care

rescue ship · fireboat · flagship · capital ship · lifeboat

elemental association

fireshipsubmarine

Underwater naval craft

submersible · icebreaker · water tender

Family

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Negative · Rated PG