Naval Warfare Terminology

noun a large, heavy piece of artillery, typically mounted on wheels, formerly used in warfare

• The military deployed a powerful cannon to defend the fortress.
• They brought out the big cannon for the fireworks show.
• That new speaker system is a total cannon!
• Her words were like a cannon, blasting through his defenses.

noun a cluster of small iron balls or lead pellets fired from a cannon as a projectile

• The soldiers loaded their cannons with grapeshot before the battle.
• I heard they fired grapeshot at the enemy troops.
• The grapeshot really messed up the enemy's formation.
• Her words felt like grapeshot, piercing through his defenses.

noun a government license that allows a private person to attack and capture enemy vessels during wartime

• During times of war, privateers were authorized to attack enemy ships with letters of marque.
• Back in the day, privateers used to sail the seas with letters of marque to plunder enemy vessels.
• Yo ho ho! With those letters of marque in hand, we be free to pillage and plunder as we please!
• In the business world, having a strong legal team is like having letters of marque to protect your interests.

noun a privately owned armed ship authorized by a government during wartime to attack and capture enemy vessels

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• Privateers were authorized by governments to attack enemy ships during times of war.
• The privateer was known for its swift and stealthy attacks on enemy vessels.
• That privateer is one sneaky pirate!
• She was a privateer in the world of corporate espionage, always gathering valuable information for her company.

noun the backward motion of a ship

adverb in a backward direction

• The ship began to move astern, gaining sternway as it reversed away from the dock.
• The boat picked up sternway as it backed up in the water.
• The captain gunned the engines in reverse and got some serious sternway going.
• His career seemed to be in sternway as he made progress in his new job.

noun a cigar-shaped self-propelled underwater missile designed to be fired from a ship or submarine or dropped into the water from an aircraft

• The navy deployed a torpedo to sink the enemy ship.
• The submarine fired a torpedo at the target.
• That movie was a total torpedo, it bombed at the box office.
• His sharp criticism was like a verbal torpedo, hitting its target with precision.