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The Victualling Inshore Craft, or VIC, was a type of
auxiliary vessel An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxil ...
built for the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The VIC was modelled on the
Clyde puffer The Clyde puffer is a type of small coal-fired and single-masted cargo ship, built mainly on the Forth and Clyde canal, and which provided a vital supply link around the west coast and Hebrides of Scotland. Built between 1856 and 1939, these stu ...
, and over 100 were built during the conflict.


Background

During the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the Royal Navy had need of an auxiliary vessel suitable for lightering supplies to its ships in a variety of settings, often with insufficient, or completely without, shore facilities. Numerous civilian vessels were requisitioned, but the type found most suitable was the Clyde puffer. This was a small, coal-fired, steam ship, with a comparatively large hold and equipped with a derrick for unloading. The puffers were employed ferrying all manner of supplies around the
Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
and Scotland's west coast, where small communities had limited, or no, harbour facilities.History
at Clyde Maritime; retrieved 14 February 2018


Design

With the outbreak of the Second World War, and the decline in numbers of the puffers during the 1930s, led the Admiralty to order the Victualling Inshore Craft, to a design based on two recent puffers, the
Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...
boats ''Anzac'' and ''Lascar''. These were both coal-fired and steam-powered, limiting the pressure on supplies of fuel oil and diesel, though later VICs were diesel-powered. The puffers were typically divided into "shorehead" (or coastal) boats, with a maximum length of 66 ft, and "outside" (sea-going) boats, of 80 ft. The shorehead boats were within the dimensions of the
Forth & Clyde Canal The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allowe ...
sealocks, making it possible for them to enter the inland waterway system, though the outside boats were more suited to the Atlantic conditions off the west coast.


Construction

Some 107 VICs were ordered by the Admiralty; of these four were later cancelled, and four others were unfinished at the war's end, being completed for merchant service. Of the 99 in RN service, 63 were of the coastal (66 ft) type, and 36 (mostly later) of the sea-going (80 ft) type. The majority, 88, were steam-powered, while 11 (9 coastal, and 2 sea-going) had diesel engines. While the puffer was a Scottish design, the Clyde shipyards were fully occupied with building and repairing ships for the
Merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...
and the
Royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
Navys, so the VICs were built at river and canal yards in England. The main yards involved were Dunston, of
Thorne, South Yorkshire Thorne is a market town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. It has a population of 16,592, increasing to 17,295 at the 2011 Census. Histo ...
(40 in total built) and Pimblotts of
Northwich {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...
(28). Other yards employed were S&D Brown, of Hull; Watson, of
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
; Pollock, of
Faversham Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient British t ...
;
Richards Richards may refer to: *Richards (surname) In places: * Richards, New South Wales, Australia * Richards, Missouri, United States * Richards, Texas, United States In other uses: * Richards (lunar crater) Richards is a small lunar impact crate ...
, of
Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
; Harker, of
Knottingley Knottingley is a market town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the old A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road before it was bypassed as the A1(M). Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Ridi ...
; Goole Shipbuilding and
Rowhedge Ironworks Rowhedge Ironworks was a shipyard situated on the River Colne, and in the village of Rowhedge, in the English county of Essex. It existed from 1904 to 1964, and built a number of coastal vessels, including VIC type Clyde puffers and ferries for ...
.List of Builders
at Clyde Maritime; retrieved 14 February 2018


Service history

The VICs were employed at RN harbours and anchorages around the coast of Britain, lightering all manner of supplies as needed. Their largely unsung work was nonetheless vital to the smooth running of naval operations. With the war's end the VICs were sold into merchant service, many being employed on the Clyde into the late 1940s and 50's.


Notes


References

*Burrows, George W. (1981). ''Puffer Ahoy!''. Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson, {{ISBN, 0-85174-419-2 Auxiliary ships Auxiliary ships of the Royal Navy World War II auxiliary ships of the United Kingdom