A massive outbreak on a US fishing boat

[GoodTaste]

The collocation of "massive" and "a fishing boat" sounds unusual to me, because a boat is defined as "a small vehicle for travelling on water." (Cambridge Dictionary) which seems to ridicule the word "massive".

Do you think the collocation sounds natural?

====================

17 August — Sailors furnish first evidence that antibodies protect humans against re-infection


A massive COVID-19 outbreak on a US fishing boat spared crew members who already had antibodies against the new coronavirus, providing what scientists say is the first direct evidence that these antibodies protect people against being reinfected.


Source: Nature 17 AUGUST 2020
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00502-w

 

[Rover_KE]

It's fine. One of the definitions of 'massive' is 'large in comparison to what is typical' (Merriam-Webster).

 

[SoothingDave]

122 crew members on the boat. It's not as small of a boat as you imagine. 104 became infected.

 

[Tdol]

They also call it a ship and a vessel. They're scientists first and foremost. I was once told that you have boats on rivers and ships on the seas, so the distinction is not necessarily one of size.

 

[PeterCW]

They also call it a ship and a vessel. They're scientists first and foremost. I was once told that you have boats on rivers and ships on the seas, so the distinction is not necessarily one of size.

It is common to refer to fishing vessels as boats regardless of size. Incidentally submarines are always boats.

I will avoid the technicalities of sailing vessels where the terminology is far more complicated.

 

[SoothingDave]

"Fishing ship" just sounds wrong.

You can take a sailboat on the ocean, so I don't think the sea/ocean rule is perfect. Lots of ships on the Great Lakes, too.

 

[GoesStation]

They also call it a ship and a vessel. They're scientists first and foremost. I was once told that you have boats on rivers and ships on the seas, so the distinction is not necessarily one of size.

Vessels that ply the inland fresh-water seas of the North American Great Lakes are "boats".

 

[Tdol]

Incidentally submarines are always boats.

I'll file this one away for the future. I had no idea.

 

[GoodTaste]

I'll file this one away for the future. I had no idea.

Does "file away" here mean "to take careful note of something in order to remember it"?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes.