Q-ship

English

Etymology

Short for Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland, the home port of the British Q-ships, when they were first implemented in World War I.

Noun

Q-ship (plural Q-ships)

  1. (military, historical) A merchant ship with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks.
    • 2005, Spencer Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts, World War I: Encyclopedia, ABC-Clio, →ISBN, page 956:
      Q-ships were usually armed with one 4-inch and two 12-pounder guns. These were hidden behind hinged bulwarks, inside false superstructures and false deck cargoes, or under dummy lifeboats.

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