flank speed

English

Noun

flank speed (plural flank speeds)

1. (nautical) The maximum speed of a ship.
   • 1988, William Manchester, The Last Lion, volume 2, page 635:

     In a magnificent beau geste, the destroyer, hopelessly trapped, turned as if to flee, threw out a smoke screen, and when the [enemy ship] charged into it, rammed her at flank speed […]

References

“flank speed”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.