TNA ADM 199 788 A

-330
303
probable that to as Motor boats would not and
On Sunday the small Ramsgate was buzzing with rumours it seemed 2/6
volunteered "Marlborough". go Lewis Gunner in the War department go out so I Speed boat civilian who had only had River "THARK" a man by the name of very highly This coxswain At this of juncture the I would like to recommend the man and back experience succeeded Ambler.
go over again saved. on night and it was sunk but I believe that the boat the to Dunkirk Mohday with no ficer in the boat. intaking He took the boa t crew was from the We treasury four Leading Stokers and two Sergeants of the
The "MARLBOROUGH" had a crew of four Subs, two solicitors
R.A.F. "HAIG" put to sea on Sunday night in company with our sister 2/6
a jetty and off about 40 "poilus". One of our solicitors ship the took and had a quiet voyage acress. We went alongside spoke French which assisted the operation œnsiderably. While we were alongside there was slight enemy air activity and much against the wishes of the rest of the crew who said I was merely attracting attention, I succeeded in firing several hundred rounds into the mishap. air, unfortunately with no success. We returned to Ramsgate without
Treasury and so we signed on an army officer who had been invalided
The next day, Monday, our solicitors had to return to the 3/6
and a retired colonel who had a reputation for being a crack shot with a Lewis.
We went out at 1930 and picked Admiral Taylor up half way across the channel from the Motor Boat "MERMAIDEN". When we got to
Dunkirk we went inside the harbour and quite a long way up the canal and secured. The Admiral went ashore accompanied by two of our crew armed to the teeth. The test of us occupied our time looting and trying to start up derelict cars. Sub. Lt. Poole found a very nice motor cycle and rode it round the docks.
We went off onceto bring boats to the point of embarkation and then secured again. Shortly afterwards machine gunning started quite near and a shell landed in a warehouse about
150 yards away. Fortunately our job was done so we were able to leave. On our way down the canal we came on a blockage of shipping, and going too near the shore went aground on some rubble knocked into the water by a shell. We had the badluck to lose both our screws and our rudder. Three French tugs refused to tow us off but fortunately a Motor A/S Vessel who took us out to the main harbour where we secured to the Motor Yacht "GULZA" who towed us back to Dover.
4/6
We returned to Ramsgate on Tuesday morning by lorry to find
Schoot "PATRIA" which broke down on the way and we were towed in by the operation had been cancelled. I returned to Sheerness inthe a Drifter.
The times in the above are only approximate.
I have the honour to be,
A
Sir,
17 JUN 1940
*
Your obedient servant at E
(SD.) A. CAREW HUNT.
Sub. Lieutenant, Royal Navy.
Vice-Admiral, Dover.
Copy to: Commander-in-Chief, The Nore

Director, S.V.P.
REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS.
43562
0340 SWALLOW proceeded and VULTURE in company with embarked and at
(45' At 0300 Scott hours Paine on Power in
WOLFE to embark five vessels miles lying East off-shore. of Dunkirk, and troops to convey from the them beaches to destroyers one mile East and other to starboard damaged On passage the to Dunkirk, the wreckage of some description was the at normal from the shaft. excessive revolution revolutions indicator and of there ran likely revolutions that with only part of This normal engine throttle; subsequently it appeared at least one blade was stripped. the and On went arrival at Dunkirk, MARLBOROUGH entered to plan, from which alonside a paddle minesweeper, harbour loaded contrary with troops, other two boats she took off as many as she could partly and
Commander to he had damaged one propellor and proposed to return ask why that were deviating from the plan and same; was informed by the the we ahead of me did the I closed accommodate, MARLBOROUGH to direct Ramsgate.
Observing that the round trip Ramsgate/Dunkirk, including refuelling, would take about seven hours, and that the accommodation in the boats was small, I considered it a waste of effort merely to transfer troops already embarked and I explained this to the Master of
SWALLOW who had wished to return with the other boats (on account of damage already sustained and the fact that the water was full of wreckage and flotsam) and we proceeded to the beaches alone.
The situation at 0600 hours was as follows:-
Dunkirk was under a pall of smoke from fires which appeared to be mainly to the South and West of the port. There were numerous wrecks outside the harbour and along the beaches. There were large numbers of troops on the shore as far as it was possible to see to the Eastward, and the beach was strewn with all forms of motor transport. Along the foreshore were a very large number of pulling boats, aground, capsized or damaged, and abandoned. There were also a considerable number of motor boats, motor launches and yachts aground and, in most cases, abandoned, and several wrecks close inshore. About one mile out in the Dunkirk Roads were numerous destroyers and other vessels waiting to embark troops, but scarcely any boats were running between the shore and these ships.
There was a light onshore wind, which unfortunately freshened considerably later, andcaused a ground swell which made embarkation more difficult.
The tide at 0600 hours was setting
There was heavy bombardment going on fairly on shore, hard but to the the beaches Eastward. were quiet except for occasional late shelling and intermittent bombing which did not become heavy until afternoon.
On arrival at the beach I saw one small motor yacht, which I
but which appeared capable of being refloated, and was passed aground, her a towline and pulled her off. This yacht subsequently or signalled rudder out of action. I took her out and laid her alongside a small for further assistance and reported her steering gear coasting vessel which was at anchor.
There was a Service cutter lying astern of this coaster, I
and I took it over for use in embarking the troops. At first, three could see no British troops on the beaches, and in my first or four trips I conveyed only French troops whom I took to H.M.S. to
IMPULSIVE from whom I borrowed 2, and later 2 more, hands man
/my