merchant marine vs squadron

merchant marine

noun
  • A ship dedicated to commercial, rather than military, purposes. 

  • Synonym of merchant navy. The fleet considered as an entire combined force. 

squadron

noun
  • A detachment of vessels employed on any particular service or station, under the command of the senior officer 

  • A tactical air force unit; consists of at least two flights; multiple squadrons make up a group or wing (depending on particular air force). 

  • A spaceforce unit; multiple squadrons make up an operations delta or a support garrison. 

  • A body of infantrymen made up of several platoons, averaging from eighty to one hundred and fifty men, and led by a captain or a major. 

  • A body of cavalry comprising two companies or troops, averaging from one hundred and twenty to two hundred soldiers. 

verb
  • To divide up into squadrons. 

How often have the words merchant marine and squadron occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )