0 a type of mollusc (= a type of creature that has a soft body, no spine, and is often covered with a shell) that lives in the sea and that can damage wooden structures by making holes in them:
In 1980 an attack of shipworm on the Barmouth viaduct nearly forced the closure of the Cambrian Coast Line.
Why shipworms are suddenly surviving in Maine in places where they haven't before is still an unanswered question.
One of the most notorious for the damage it can cause to unprotected wooden boats and piers is the shipworm, Teredo.
His ships were reduced to sponges by shipworm and eventually scuttled.
This was principally because the logs, which were often left for long periods in the water due to the poor and infrequent steamer services, became infested with teredos or shipworms.
Gribbles, shipworms and bacteria decompose the wood and gradually turn it into nutrients that are reintroduced to the food web.
Some damaged timbers were found to be infested with shipworms, which required careful removal to ensure they did not spread throughout the hull.
The shipworm lives in waters with oceanic salinity.
