| 1. | a whaling ship equipped to process killed whales and to transport the oil and by-products. |
| 2. | Also called factory trawler. a large fishing vessel, usually a stern trawler, equipped for processing and freezing fish at sea. |
| factory ship n. An ocean vessel equipped to process fish or other marine animals, especially as seafood. |
factory ship
originally, a large ship used in whaling, but now, more broadly, any ship that is equipped to process marine catches for various consumer uses. It most commonly serves as the main ship in a fleet sent to waters a great distance from home port to catch, prepare, and store fish or whales for market.
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