History of the Isle of Wight inhabitants of southern Britain at this time may indeed have been Germanic, rather than Celtic, which could re-open the possibility of the island's name having Germanic roots. The Romans occupied southern Britain, including the Isle of Wight, for nearly four hundred years. The Romans built no towns on the island, but it became an agricultural centre, and at least seven Roman villas are known. The Roman villas at Newport and Brading have been excavated and are open to the public. When fully developed around 300 AD, Brading was probably the largest on the Island, being a courtyard villa with impressive
HMS Vectis (D51) airship "N.S.3" to see if an airship which ran out of fuel or suffered a mechanical breakdown could be towed at speed by a ship at sea. Trials were successful, with "Vectis" reaching nearly 20 knots with "N.S.3" in tow. Before the final run, "N.S.3" landed on the sea to exchange 2 officers from HMS Vectis, with 2 of her own crew. After the armistice with Germany of 11 November 1918 brought World War I to an end, "Vectis" was incorporated into a new 3rd Destroyer Division, 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, in the spring of 1919. With the new formation, she