TNA ADM 199 792

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CONFIDENTIAL.
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Operation "DYNAMO" - Narrative of Events.
1/6
Saturday, 1st June (continued).
71. As for personnel vessels, there was an increasing
unwillingness to sail, so steps were taken to place on board
each a Naval Lieutenant-Commander or Commander, with 10 seamen
acting as a moral stiffening, the officer acting as adviser
and persuader to the Master of the ship, and the seamen for
handling the wires and going alongside under fire. By this
means it was hoped not only to ensure the timely sailing of
these essential ships, but also to eliminate the many occasions
when these vessels had lingered outside Dunkirk harbour to
await a quiet opportunity to enter, or had failed to enter the
harbour at all.
72. Early in the forenoon a number of Senior Officers
were despatched from Dover in fast motor boats to round up all
stray motor boats in the Downs and along the routes, and
direct them back in the evening to the beach stretching 1½¹
miles eastward of Dunkirk, and a second large flight of tugs
with lifeboats was prepared at Ramsgate to send over for what
was hoped to be a final effort off the beach. In addition a
number of flotillas under Commodore Taylor and Captain Fraser
were reorganised for the night's effort.
73. General Alexander was informed at 0951 that on the
likely assumption that complete evacuation would be ordered
that night, the problem of transport made it essential to use
the beach adjacent to Dunkirk as well as the harbour facilities
and that the Vice Admiral was planning evacuation to start
at 2200.
74. At 1841 the following signal was received from
C.I.G.S. for the Senior Military Commander: "We do not order
any fixed moment for evacuation. You are to hold on as long
as possible in order that the maximum number of French and
British may be evacuated. Impossible from here to judge local
situation. In close co-operation with Admiral Abrial. You
must act in this matter on your own judgment."
75. S.N.O. Dunkirk, was informed that drifters and
other small craft would be sent into the inner harbour at
Dunkirk to take troops from the Felix Faure Quay, North Quay,
in the shipyard, and the quay in the new outer harbour.
76. The plan for the night provided for all minesweepers
including paddlers, skoots and all small craft, except certain
special flotillas especially organised, to go to the beach
stretching eastward 1/2 miles from Dunkirk. Dunkirk Harbour
was to be served by up to 7 personnel ships, 8 destroyers,
and the inner harbour 9 drifters and special power boats
organised from Ramsgate. The French vessels were to serve the
Quay in the new outer harbour and private small boats, the
Quay Felix Faure, and in addition about 100 French small beach
fishing craft and drifters for the beach immediately east of
Dunkirk. It was estimated that the British vessels could
lift about 17,000 between 2100/1 and 0300/2, probably in the
proportion/