corvette

corvette
/kawr vet"/, n.
1. a warship of the old sailing class, having a flush deck and usually one tier of guns.
2. a lightly armed, fast ship used mostly for convoy escort and ranging in size between a destroyer and a gunboat.
Also, corvet /kawr vet", kawr"vet/.
[1630-40; < F, MF < MD corver pursuit boat (deriv. of corf fishing boat, lit., basket), with suffix altered to -ette -ETTE]

* * *

Fast naval vessel smaller than a frigate.

In the 18th–19th century corvettes were three-masted ships with square rigging and carried about 20 guns on the top deck. Often used to send dispatches within a battle fleet, they also escorted merchant ships. Early U.S. corvettes won distinction in the War of 1812. They disappeared as a class after the shift to steam power in the mid-19th century, but in World War II the term was applied to small armed vessels that served as escorts for convoys. Modern corvettes, usually displacing 500–1,000 tons (454–900 metric tons) and armed with missiles, torpedoes, and machine guns, perform antisubmarine, antiaircraft, and coastal-patrol duties in small navies.

* * *

      small, fast naval vessel ranking in size below a frigate. In the 18th and 19th centuries, corvettes were three-masted ships with square rigging similar to that of frigates and ships of the line, but they carried only about 20 guns on the top deck. Frequently serving as dispatchers among ships of a battle fleet, corvettes also escorted merchantmen and showed a nation's flag in distant parts of the world.

      In the early U.S. Navy, corvettes were known as ship sloops, or sloops of war. They fought with great distinction against superior British foes in the Atlantic Ocean and on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812.

      Corvettes disappeared as a class after the shift to steam power in the mid-19th century, but during World War II the Royal Navy applied the term to small antisubmarine vessels escorting convoys in the Atlantic. Modern corvettes, generally displacing from 500 to 1,000 tons and armed with missiles, torpedoes, and machine guns, perform antisubmarine, antiaircraft, and coastal-patrol duties in the world's small navies.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Corvette C6 — Corvette Chevrolet Corvette C6 (seit 2005) C6 Hersteller: General Motors Verkaufsbez …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Corvette C5 — Corvette Chevrolet Corvette C5 Coupé (1997–2004) C5 Hersteller: General Motors …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • CORVETTE — Construite au XVIIe siècle, la corvette devrait son nom au corbita de la marine antique. De fines proportions, armée et gréée comme la frégate, mais ne dépassant pas une vingtaine de mètres, elle assure, dans l’escadre, des missions de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Corvette C7 — Corvette Bild nicht vorhanden C7 Hersteller: General Motors Verkaufsbezeichnung: Corvette C7 Produktionszeitraum: ab 2012 Klasse: Sportwagen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • corvette — 1630s, also corvet, from Fr. corvette small, fast frigate (15c.), perhaps from M.Du. korver pursuit ship, or M.L.G. korf meaning both a kind of boat and a basket, or from L. corbita (navis) slow sailing ship of burden, grain ship from corbis… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Corvette — (fr., spr. Korwett), 1) kleines, schnell segelndes Kriegsschiff mit 3 Masten u. weniger als 30 Kanonen, bes. zum Einziehen von Nachrichten, zum Kundschaften, Befehlertheilen gebraucht; 2) so v.w. Schaluppe; 3) (Reit.), so v.w. Courbette …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Corvette — Corvette, kleineres Kriegsschiff von 16–30 Kanonen, mit Fregattenbau …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • corvette — CORVETTE. sub. f. Petit bâtiment léger, dont on se sert ordinairement en mer pour aller à la découverte. On a envoyé plusieurs corvettes pour découvrir l armée ennemie …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • corvette — CORVETTE. s. f. Petit vaisseau leger. On a envoyé plusieurs corvettes pour descouvrir l armée ennemie …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • corvette — ► NOUN ▪ a small warship designed for convoy escort duty. ORIGIN French, from Dutch korf, denoting a kind of ship …   English terms dictionary

  • corvette — [kôr vet′] n. [Fr, prob. < MDu korver, pursuit ship < MLG korf, kind of boat, basket < L corbis, basket: see CORBEIL] 1. a former sailing warship larger than a sloop and smaller than a frigate, usually with one tier of guns 2. a fast… …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”