The Sailor's Word-Book Part 254

VICTUALLING-YARDS FOR THE ROYAL NAVY. Large magazines where provisions and similar stores are deposited, conveniently contiguous to the royal dockyards. The establishments in England and Ireland are at Deptford, Gosport, Plymouth, and Cork; and abroad at Malta, Gibraltar, Cape of Good Hope, Jamaica, Halifax, Trincomalee, and Hongkong.

VIDETTE. _See_ VEDETTE.

VI ET ARMIS. With force of arms.

VIGIA [Sp. look-out]. A hydrographical warning on a chart to denote that the pinnacle of a rock, or a shoal, may exist thereabout.

VINTINER [from _vigintinarius_]. An officer in our early fleet who commanded a company of twenty men.

VIOL, OR VOYOL. A large messenger formerly used to a.s.sist in weighing an anchor by the capstan.

VIOL OR VOYOL BLOCK. A large single-sheaved block through which the messenger pa.s.sed when the anchor was weighed by the fore or jeer capstan; its block was usually lashed to the main-mast. This voyol-purchase was afterwards improved thus: the voyol-block was securely lashed to the cable at the manger-board, the jeer-fall rove through it, and brought to the jeer-capstan, and the standing part belayed to the bitts; thus a direct runner purchase instead of a dead nip was obtained. It was only used when other means failed, and, after the introduction of Phillipps' patent capstan, was disused.

VIOLENCE. The question in tort, as to the amount of liability incurred by the owners for outrages and irregularities committed by the master.

VIRE. The arrow shot from a cross-bow; also called a quarril.

VIRGILIae. A denomination of the Pleiades.

VIRGO. The sixth sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters about the 21st August. Spica, a Virginis, is a star of the first magnitude.

VIS INERTIae. That physical property in all bodies by which they resist a power that endeavours to put them in motion, or to change any motion they are possessed of; it is in proportion to their weight.

VIS INSITA. The innate force of matter; another name for _vis inertiae_.

It is that by which a vessel "keeps her way."

VISITATION AND SEARCH. The law of nations gives to every belligerent cruiser the right of visitation and search of all merchant s.h.i.+ps; wherefore, resistance to such search amounts to a forfeiture of neutrality.

VISNE. A neighbouring place; a term often used in law in actions of marine replevin.

VIS VIVA. The whole effective force or power of acting which resides in a given moving body.

VITRY. A light and durable canvas.

VITTORY. A fine canvas, of which the waist-cloths were formerly made.

VIVANDIERE. A kind of female sutler. In the French army they are attached to regiments, which they accompany, sometimes even into the skirts of action.

VIVIER. A French fis.h.i.+ng-boat, the same as the _well-boats_ of the English coasts, in having a well amids.h.i.+ps in which to keep the fish alive until arrival in port.

VIZY, OR VIZE. An old name for the muzzle-sight on a musket.

VOCABULARY. The system of naval signals based on Sir Home Popham's improvements.

VOES. Arms or inlets of the sea, or sounds, in the Shetland and Orkney Isles. Also applied to creeks and bays.

VOGOVANS. From _voguer_ and _avant_, chief rowers in the galleys.

VOLANT. A piece of steel on a helmet, presenting an acute angle to the front.

VOLCANO. A burning mountain or vent for subterranean fire; also applied to one which vomits only mud and water.

VOLLEY. The simultaneous discharge of a number of fire-arms.

VOLLIGUE. A small boat used on the sh.o.r.es of Asia Minor.

VOLUME. The contents of the globe of a planet, usually given in its proportion to that of the earth; or any named ma.s.s, solid, fluid, or vaporous.

VOLUNTARY CHARGE. A doc.u.ment delivered with the purser's accounts respecting provisions.

VOLUNTARY STRANDING. The beaching or running a vessel purposely aground to escape greater danger; this act is treated as particular average loss, and not a damage to be made good by general contribution.

VOLUNTEER. One who freely offers himself for a particular service.

Formerly, in the army, a gentleman who, without any certain post or employment, served in the hope of earning preferment, or from patriotism. Latterly, also a civilian who has enrolled himself in a corps of volunteers, for organization and training for the defence of the country.

VOLUNTEERING FROM A MERCHANTMAN INTO THE NAVY. Any seaman can leave his s.h.i.+p for the purpose of forthwith entering into the royal navy; and thus leaving his s.h.i.+p does not render him liable to any forfeiture whatever.

VOLUTE. _See_ SCROLL-HEAD.

VOLVELLE. The contrivance of revolving graduated circles, for making calculations, in old scientific works.

VORTEX. A whirlwind, or sudden, rapid, or violent motion of air or water in gyres or circles.

VOUCHER. A written doc.u.ment or proof, upon which any account or public charge is established.

VOYAGE. A journey by sea. It usually includes the outward and homeward trips, which are called pa.s.sages.

VOYOL. _See_ VIOL.

VRACH. Sea-weed used as a manure in the Channel Islands. Also, a Manx term for the mackerel.

VULFE. A rapid whirlpool or race on the coast of Norway.

W.

WABBLE, TO [from the Teutonic _wabelen_]. To reel confusedly, as waves on a windy day in a tide-way. It is a well-known term among mechanics to express the irregular motion of engines or turning-lathes when loose in their bearings, or otherwise out of order. A badly st.i.tched seam in a sail is wabbled. It is also applied to the undulation of the compa.s.s-card when the motion of the vessel is considerable and irregular.

WAD. A kind of plug, closely fitting the bore of a gun, which is rammed home over the shot to confine it to its place, and sometimes also between the shot and the cartridge: generally made of coiled junk, otherwise a rope grommet, &c.

WADE, TO. An Anglo-Saxon word, meaning to pa.s.s through water without swimming. In the north, the sun was said to wade when covered by a dense atmosphere.

WAD-HOOK. An iron tool shaped like a double cork-screw on the end of a long staff, for withdrawing wads or charges from guns; called also a _worm_.

WADMAREL. A hairy, coa.r.s.e, dark-coloured stuff of the north, once in great demand for making pea-jackets, pilot-coats, and the like.