fire ship —(hist.) a ship carrying explosives sent among the enemy’s ships to set them on fire:
- In order to protect them against fire ships, stockades, raised on piles, were placed higher up the river.
fireboat—
1. a boat equipped with pumps for extinguishing fires on boats and piers:
- Her tenure as a fireboat served the maritime community proudly by responding to major fires in the harbor.
2. = fire ship:
- Navy flotillas conducted fireboat raids against invading enemy forces on the Potomac, and participated in the successful defense of Baltimore.