TNA ADM 199 792

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CONFIDENTIAL.
Page 2.
Operation "DYNAMO" - Narrative of Events.
Monday, 27th May, 1940. (continued)
embarkation from beaches in the La Panne-Dunkirk area, as
such matters as crews, fuel and general organisation were
taken in hand. Five Personnel Vessels routed to start in day-
light completed the round trip during the 27th and lifted a
total of 3952. In addition 17 drifters of the Dover Command
sailed from Dover for the Malc beach, and during the night
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lifted 2000 troops from the beach by ships' dinghies. During
the day destroyer patrols had been established to the North-
ward to cover the passage of merchant ships between Dunkirk
and the Downs, and the Admiralty asked Western Approaches to
reinforce the Dover destroyers.
6.
Commander-in-Chief, Nore, sailed 6 small skoots for
the South Downs to co-operate in Dunkirk, and sailed 4 skoots
loaded with Army stores direct to Dunkirk. In the evening
Naval Officer-in-Charge, Ramsgate, was asked to take over the
fuelling and despatching of all small power boats with the
attendant pulling boats forming the inshore flotilla. Some
unnecessary delays occurred at this stage as the majority of
the Naval Authorities and the Admiralty were directing the
small craft for Dunkirk to be routed to Dover, although the
Vice Admiral, Dover, had asked for the Downs to be their
destination. Once despatched by the Authorities no
communication with these vessels was possible until they
arrived at their destination, and so the requirements of
assembling these craft at the Downs or Ramsgate was in many
cases delayed by as much as 24 hours or more since during the
night misfortune befell many tows that came adrift due to
moderate weather or collisions and the business of rounding
them up could not be effected until daylight.
7. The Vice Admiral had intended to maintain a
destroyer at Dunkirk as a W/T link, but the S.N.O., on
arrival, decided that conditions at Dunkirk made this
impossible,
8. At 2025 the Vice Admiral, Dover, received a Most
Immediate message from the S.N.O., Dunkirk, who had just
reached his station, as follows: "Port consistently bombed
all day, and on fire. Embarkation possible only from beaches
East of harbour A.B.C.D. Send all ships and passenger ships
there to anchor. Am ordering WOLFHOUND to load there and sail
T.O.O. 2005/37". Meanwhile Vice Admiral, Lover, had asked
the Commender-in Chief, Nore, to send every available shallow
draught power boat, capable of ferrying from beaches to ships
lying off the beaches Eastward of Dunkirk, stocked with fuel
and provisions for two days; this move being made with a
view to saving time by cutting out the passage to, and
subsequent reorganisation, at Ramsgate, prior to proceeding
to the French Coast. It should be noted at this time
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(2000/27) there were no pulling boats, cutters or whalers
immediately available for attendance on Power Boats. A
further signal: "Please send every available craft to beache
East of Dunkirk immediately. Evacuation tomorrow night is ir
problematicalTo01958/27 was received from S.N.O., Dunkirk.
Later that evening a roport WAS received from