Definition

Noun: A sailing warship is a type of warship that was propelled primarily by sails and was armed with a significant number of heavy cannons. This class of vessel was dominant in naval warfare until being rendered obsolete by steam-powered ironclads in the mid-19th century.

Usage

The term sailing warship is used to describe historical naval vessels from the Age of Sail. It distinguishes these wind-powered fighting ships from later steam-powered or modern warships. - The museum features a model of a 74-gun sailing warship from the Napoleonic era. - Naval tactics changed dramatically with the transition from the sailing warship to the steam-powered battleship.

Advanced Usage

• As a historical category: The term is often used in military history to discuss fleet composition, naval architecture, and maritime combat before the industrial revolution.
  • The Battle of Trafalgar was won by a fleet of British sailing warships.

Variants and Related Words

• Ship of the line: The largest and most powerful type of sailing warship, designed to fight in the line of battle.
• Frigate: A faster, medium-sized sailing warship used for scouting and escort duties.
• Man-of-war: A general, often historical, term for an armed sailing warship.
• Sloop-of-war: A smaller, single-gun-deck sailing warship.

Synonyms

• Man-of-war
• Battleship (historical context): When referring to a "ship of the line."
• Wind-powered warship

Related Phrases

• Age of Sail: The period when sailing warships were the principal means of conducting naval warfare.
• Broadside: The simultaneous firing of all cannons on one side of a sailing warship, its primary method of attack.

Noun

1. a warship that was powered by sails and equipped with many heavy guns; not built after the middle of the 19th century