''En aventurier'' (French, lit. "as an adventurer") is a French naval expression of the

Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid- 15th) to the mid- 19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the introduction of naval ...

to designate a lone

armed merchantman An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...

.Willaumez, p.51 A well-sailing merchantman was said to be armed "''en aventurier''" in wartime when she travelled alone, without an escort, to return to her home harbour. These ships were loaded with goods, but also armed "''en guerre''", with a full

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

and complement. The term was also sometimes applied to

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

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* Naval warfare tactics Tactical formations {{Navy-stub

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