hell ships

A form of hell ship — A ship (sailing vessel) with extremely inhumane living conditions or with a reputation for cruelty among the crew, especially one of those used by the Japanese to transport Allied prisoners of war and Asian slave labourers out of the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Hong Kong, and Singapore in World War II.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of hell ship
Cite this entry
APA

hell ships. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hell%20ships

MLA

“hell ships.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hell%20ships. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hell ships,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hell%20ships.

Source: hell ships on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.