mosquito fleet

noun

1. a group or fleet of PT boats or other small, armed boats.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosquito fleet¹

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

Incorporated in 1900, the ambitious firm already had converted many of Seattle’s passenger-only “mosquito fleet” boats into car ferries, operating from its Colman Dock base.

From Seattle Times

That year, on the blustery morning of Jan. 8 at Pier 1 at the foot of Seattle’s Yesler Way, the stately SS Clallam, just 9 months old and deemed the queen of the informally named Mosquito Fleet, took on 61 passengers bound for Port Townsend and Victoria, B.C.

From Seattle Times

At the time, the modest island resort, formerly a mosquito fleet terminal and later a laundromat, was a stop along the Northwest version of the hippie trail.

From Seattle Times

In the late 19th century, steamboats, also called stern-wheelers, were part of Puget Sound’s celebrated Mosquito Fleet and a prime mode of transport for hops, timber and people in rural waterways.

From Seattle Times

While much of Wa Chong’s business model focused on labor contracting — they furnished Chinese labor to sawmills, railroads, city construction projects and the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet — the company also operated an import-export business and sold Chinese goods, including tea, opium, fireworks and paintings, to Seattleites.

From Seattle Times