sailing warship
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- a warship that was powered by sails and equipped with many heavy guns; not built after the middle of the 19th century