Q-ship
nounEtymology Short for Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland, the home port of the British Q-ships, when they were first implemented in World War I.
1
Government, Military, Politics, War Historical A merchant ship with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks.
- 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.2005, Spencer Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts, World War I: Encyclopedia, ABC-Clio, →ISBN, page 956:
- Synonyms
- Q-boat
- Hypernyms
- armed merchantman, merchantman