HMS Vectis (D51) HMS Vectis (D51) HMS "Vectis" (D51) was a V-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War I and the Russian Civil War. "Vectis", the first Royal Navy ship of the name, was ordered in July 1916. She was laid down by J. Samuel White at Cowes, Isle of Wight and launched on 4 September 1917. She was completed on 5 December 1917. V- and W-class destroyers like "Vectis" were assigned to the Grand Fleet or Harwich Force for the rest of World War I. In early June 1918, "Vectis" conducted towing trials with the NS-class
Britain (place name) linguist Karl Schmidt states that the "name of the island was originally transmitted as Πρεττανία (with Π instead of Β) ... as is confirmed by its etymology". According to Barry Cunliffe: Following Julius Caesar's expeditions to the island in 55 and 54 BC, "Brit(t)an(n)ia" was predominantly used to refer simply to the island of Great Britain. After the Roman conquest under the Emperor Claudius in AD 43, it came to be used to refer to the Roman province of Britain (later two provinces), which at one stage consist of part of the island of Great Britain south of Hadrian's wall.