TNA ADM 199 790

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CONFIDENTIAL.
Dynam. 97.
H.M.S. Tynedale.
52
c/o Alex. GOvan Stephen & Sons Ltd.
Glasgow.
7th. June 1940
Sir,
In accordance with verbal instructions received from the
Commodore's secretary R.N. Barracks, Chatham, I have the honour
to make the following report of proceedings of H.M.S. Doggers-
bank for the period Sunday 26th. May to Wednesday 5th. June,
in connection with the evacuation of military personnel from
Dunkirk beaches.
2.
I took over the Dutch Scoot "Doggersbank" from her owner
captain at Gravesend and commissioned her with a crew of one
other Lieutenant R.N. and 9 ratings. We sailed P.M. for Sheerness
where we secured alongside at about 2000. Stores adequate in
quantity and description were all ready to be loaded into the
ship on arrival, the whole organisation being extremely good.
Ship was swung at 0930 next mOrning and we sailed at I600 for
Dunkirk, anchoring in the Thames estuary during the hours of tark
darkness.
3. We arrived at Dunkirk about noon on Tuesday 27th. and
were told to proceed to Brai Beach where I grounded the ship
with a kedge anchor payed out from astern. Our draught (6ft.)
proved however to be too great to enable the soldiers to wade
out to us so the life-boat and life saving raft were hoisted out
and used to ferry the men from beach to ship. The boats were inx
immediately mobbed on arrival inshore and swamped. They were
righted and bailed out but considerable difficulty was experienced
in preventing too many men trying to embark each trip. Later in
the day the Army officers ashore organised their men and military
police prevented the men rushing the boats and shot anybody
who attempted to do so. This very much expediated the embarkation
By about 2000 Ihad embarked some 450 men most of whom had been
on the beach 3 days without food or water though a great many
had water bottles full of Whisky. Our stores and fresh water
were consequently finished within an hour.
5.
At this time there was a great lack of boats on the
beach so I considered that I would be most usefully employed
going as close inshore as I was able, colecting a full load X
and then transferring them to bigger craft further out which
I accordingly did, collecting water and biscuits when alongside
Destroyers.
6.
About this time Imanaged to pick up some abandoned boase
but had not got the hands to work them so Ijoined all my lines
to-gether, sent one end to the beach where I had it hauled up
beyond high water mark, the other end I secured to my life-
saving raft which I anchored as far out as my length of lines
would allow me. We then proceeded as close inshore as we could,
picked up the grass and used it as a ward between ship and
shore. The soldiers were very reluctant to wade out to the
boats after dark so embarkation became slow despite the guest
warp. I had however collected another load by the morning
and as there were no Destroyers or other larger craft near the
beach I was on I had to take my load up to La Pan.
As far as I....
The Vice-Admiral
Dover.
(Copy to the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore.)