VEERING, the operation by which a ship, in changing her course from one board to the other, turns her stern to windward. Hence it is used in opposition to TACKING, wherein the head is turned to the wind and the stern to leeward.
Thus a ship, having made the necessary dispositions to veer, bears away gradually before the wind, till it blows obliquely upon the opposite side, which was formerly to leeward; and as the stern necessarily yields to this impression of the wind, assisted by the force of the helm,
helm, and the action of the waves upon the same quarter, the side which was formerly to leeward soon becomes to windward.
Since by this movement a ship loses ground considerably more than by tacking, it is rarely practised except in cases of necessity or delay: as when the violence of the wind and sea renders tacking impracticable; or when her course is slackened to wait for a pilot, or some other ship in company, &c.
It has been observed in the article TACKING, that the change of motion in any body will be in proportion to the moving force impressed, and made according to the right-line in which that force operates. Hence it is evident, that veering as well as tacking is a necessary consequence of the same invariable principle; for as in the latter, almost the whole force of the wind and of the helm are exerted on the hind-part of the ship, to turn the prow to windward; so in the former, the same impression, assisted by the efforts of the helm, falls upon the prow to push it to leeward; and the motion communicated to the ship must in both cases necessarily conspire with the action of the wind.
Thus, when it becomes necessary to veer the ship, the sails towards the stern are either furled or brailed up, and made to shiver in the wind; whilst those near the head are spread abroad, so as to collect the whole current of air which their surfaces can contain. Hence, while the whole force of the wind is exerted on the fore-part of the ship to turn her about, its effect is considerably diminished, or altogether destroyed, on the surfaces of the after-sails. The fore-part accordingly yields to the above impulse, and is put in motion; and this movement, conspiring with that of the wind, pushes the ship about as much as is necessary to produce the effect required. When she is turned so that the wind will act upon that quarter which was formerly to leeward, her circular motion will be accelerated by extending some of the sails near the stern, as the mizen, and by placing those at the prow more obliquely, which will wheel the vessel round with her bow to the windward; in the same situation, with regard to the wind, as when close-hauled or tacking.
When the tempest is so violent as to prevent the use of sails, the effort of the wind operates almost equally on the opposite ends of the ship, so that the masts and yards situated at the head and stern counterbalance each other. The effect of the helm is also considerably diminished, because the head-way, which gives life and vigour to all its operations, is at this time feeble and ineffectual. Hence it is necessary to destroy this equilibrium which subsists between the masts and yards afore and abaft, and to throw the balance forward, in order to prepare for veering. This is accordingly performed by bracing the foremost yards across the direction of the wind, and arranging those on the main-mast and mizen-mast directly in the line of the wind. If this expedient proves unsuccessful, and it is absolutely necessary to veer in order to save the ship from destruction, by oversetting or running ashore, the mizen-mast must instantly be cut away, and even the main-mast, if she yet remains incapable of answering the helm by bearing away before the wind.