TNA ADM 199 792

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CONFIDENTIAL.
Page 27
Operation "DYNAMO" - Narrative of Events.
1/6
or
Saturday 1st June (continued).
and at 0815 was attacked by enemy aircraft. Ship was hit aft of
No.3 boiler room and put out of action. About 0945 another attack
took place but no hits were registered. A third attack took place
at about noon and the ship began to settle and the order to
abandon ship was given.
Destroyer KEITH attacked by enemy aircraft off Bray
r
severely hit and abandoned at anchor by No.8 buoy. Finally sank.
Harbour Defence Craft AMULREE sunk in collision by
VIMY at 0200.
2/6
Sunday, 2nd June.
80.
The arrangements to set in motion the night's evacua-
tion had proceeded smoothly as far as could be ascertained at
Dover. During the early hours, reports of sailings from Dunkirk
indicated that destroyers at least were doing well.
At about 0200, however, a signal was received from
LYDD, who was off the Dunkirk beach, as follows:-
"Brigadier tells me that C. in C. says it is essential that
rearguard B.E.F. embarks from the beaches east of Mole on
account of French congestion on Mole. Considerable number
British troops still on Mole. Military are expecting further
arrivals there. Rearguard expects to arrive at beach by 0230."
The Vice Admiral accordingly ordered all ships known to
y
be outside Dunkirk Harbour to endeavour to embark the rearguard
from the beach, remaining after 0300 if necessary. Owing to the
time in transit and coding it was feared that this signal would
reach few ships still on the coast, unless they had remained on
their own initiative after 0300, the previously ordered time of
withdrawal.
At 0200, authority was received from the Admiralty to
1
continue evacuation by destroyers from Dunkirk Harbour until
0700, transports to leave Dunkirk at 0300.
81. During the early hours there was considerable haze and
smoke off Dunkirk Harbour, Dunkirk East Beach, Dunkirk Roads and
the entrance therefrom to X Route. For this reason some of the
smaller vessels, including minesweepers, failed to make either
Dunkirk Harbour or Dunkirk East Beach, but on the whole it appears
Ly
that evacuation, both from the beach and from the harbour had
G
proceeded satisfactorily with the resources available.
Between 0200 and 0900, 6 personnel vessels reached
United Kingdom from Dunkirk Harbour with about 5,500 troops. 2
others had been turned back before reaching Dunkirk by 2 unknown
destroyers, and one had been in collision before reaching Dunkirk
and had to return.
82. Considerable doubt existed during the forenoon as to the
numbers remaining to be evacuated in Dunkirk. It was thought that
2,000, plus the 4,000 rearguard British troops, might well be
found in Dunkirk. The number of French troops remaining was in-
creasing from the 25,000 quoted the previous evening to figures
in the region of 50,000 to 60,000.
83. The Rear Admiral, Dover, arrived back from the coast
in a M.T.B. and during the forenoon a joint Naval and Military
conference was held to devise a plan for the forthcoming night's
evacuation. The fact that evacuation traffic was suspended in