| a vessel or craft that services others operating far from a home port or center. |
| Main Entry: | mother ship |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a larger spacecraft or watercraft which carries, controls, or launches smaller craft |
mother 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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