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fleet in being

noun

Etymology

First used in 1690 by British Admiral Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, in defending his strategy of keeping his fleet in port until reinforcements arrived, rather than engaging with the superior French force.

  1. derived from force

Definitions

  1. A naval fleet which exerts an influence while remaining in port.

    • In point of fact command of the sea and a fleet in being are mutually exclusive terms.
    • But even for that navy, with its strong tradition of offensive action, there were occasions when the fleet-in-being strategy was prudent and effective.

The neighborhood

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sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA