TNA ADM 199 790

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Dynams 89.
Blu/o/197
R.N. Barracks,
134
Portsmouth.
6th June 1940.
Vice Admiral Dover,
hr Commodine. R.N.B.
TINE?
Sir,
I have the honour to submit the following report
on the operation carried out by H.M.S. Tiny under my command. The
ship was commissioned on Monday May 27th at Southampton and loaded
with 350 tons of mixed Army ammunition consisting of mostly cased
and 2000 rounds of 6" and an amount of 4.5 howitzer, which the
Authorities at Southampton loaded on the top.
On arriving
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at Dover I was instructed to proceed to La Panne, dumping overboard
the 6" shell and cordite and 4.5 shell on the way over. The
majority of this I managed to do.
On arrival at La Panne I was
ordered to beach the ship head on one hour before high water, this
being the only possible way of disembarking the ammunition. The
tide at low water leaving the ship high and dry.
I was able
to land during the four hours available approximately 50 tons, which
was man-handled by troops above high water level; consisting of 25
pdr. A.A. and Beaufors and a. certain amount of smoke shell. We
embarked 400 troops.
At high water I took the ship off, but owing
to lack of compressed air for starting was unable to proceed when
once afloat. I was towed for three hours by "Brighton Belle", after
which I managed to get my compresser going and re-charged compressed
air bottles and started engines and landed the troops at Ramagate.
After proceeding to Sheerness we were instructed to land the 200 tons
of ammunition at Stroode, which was loaded into trucks. This was
done by the Military.
On completion we proceeded to Tilbury, but
four miles from Sheerness, owing to the oil pressure gauge registering
a false reading an oil failure occurred and the engine seized up.
I obtained a. tow and paid the ship off in the Surrey Docks, at 6.0.p.m.
on Wednesday June 5th.
On the journey out the ship was attacked three times
by a Heinkel Bomber, which dropped four 500 lb. bombs each with
approximately five second delay action fuse, the nearest falling 150
yards from the Ship.
Except for a severe shaking, no damage was
done to the Hull.
During a machine gun attack by the Heinkel it
was observed that a bullet penetrated the steel upper after-deck of
the "Tiny".
On the return journey an apparently unstable magnetic
mine blew up 100 yards abeam doing no material damage.
THe construction of these vessels must be of a very
high and strong standard. This dead weight heavy cargo loaded high
up each side of the hold must have set a severe strain on the frame while
the ship was high and dry, but no noticeable damage was done, except for
a general vibration when steaming home which was not present on the
outward journey.
I would like to pay tribute to my First Lieutenant,
Lieutenant Martin, the Cox'n and Crew, three of whom were Ordinary
Seamen, who had never been to sea before and the E.R.A., 5th class, who
ino
had only finished his disciplinary training a fortnight previously and
had never been in charge of any form of engine.
COMMODORE
R.N.
BARRACK
have the honour to be Sir,
OF
Your obedient Servant,
JUN
8-JUN 1940
PORTSMOUT
Limb Curs! RN.