Launch (boat)
A launch is a large motorboat.[1] Originally it was the largest boat carried by a warship. The word comes from the Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding smoothly" (said primarily of boats and turtles).
In the 1700s a launch was used to set the large anchors on a ship. They had a square transom and were about 24 feet long. In 1788 Captain Bligh was set adrift in the "Bounty’s Launch".
Thames launches
On the River Thames the term "launch" is used to mean any motorised pleasure boat. The usage arises from the legislation[2] governing the management of the Thames and laying down the categories of boats and the tolls for which they were liable. The term is still in current use and can be seen in the official notices at any Thames lock.
Military launches
Motor Launch was the designation for large (typically 60-to-115-foot or 18-to-35-metre long) vessels used in the Second World War by the Royal Navy and some other navies. They were used for inshore work in defending the coast from submarines and carried relatively light armament: a few depth charges, a gun and a few machine guns.
Sports
In competitive Rowing the term 'Launch' is used to refer to any motorised boat used by the coach to follow practising boats during workouts.
See also
- RAF Rescue Launch
- Cabin cruiser
- Slipper Launch
- Naptha launch
- List of Spanish words of Austronesian origin
References
- ↑ AskOxford: Launch
- ↑ Thames Conservancy Act 1932
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