艦船

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 艦船 (かんせん) is a compound noun for a class of naval vessels, used in object and attributive constructions.
• Basic usage: 停泊する艦船を眺める makes a real vessel in harbor the object of viewing, while 昔の艦船の模型 denotes an exhibit representing an older warship.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Actual vessel or representation
  • In 艦船の模型, the following noun 模型 determines the referent. A museum display described this way is not an actual naval vessel.