TNA ADM 199 795

Collection details

TNA ADM 199 795

Admiralty reports on naval operations off the Dutch, Belgian and French coasts during 1940.

Holding archive: TNA
Collection reference: ADM 199 795

View the archive catalogue entry ↗

Source: The National Archives, Kew, ADM 199/795. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing only pages tagged with the vessel name Contest. Tags are exact matches from this collection’s OCR tag index. Clear vessel filter ×

2 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 21–27 of this collection

A note about image and OCR quality

Every reasonable effort has been made to present these document images as flat, straight and accurately cropped as possible. Historical records can be difficult to photograph or scan because of tight bindings, deep gutters, page curvature, folds, creases, fragile paper, uneven edges, shadows, glare, skewed pages, fading, stains, tears, attachments and restrictions on how a document may be handled. These conditions can distort parts of an image and consequently affect the OCR transcription.

Considerable post-production work has been undertaken to crop, align, flatten and enhance the images where practicable, but the results represent our best effort rather than exact facsimiles. Text showing through from the reverse of a page, printed backgrounds, stamps, ruled lines, marks and text visible from neighbouring pages may confuse or spoil OCR output. Handwriting is not reliably recognised and, in most places, may be missing, incomplete or incorrectly transcribed. Always check the page image and, where accuracy matters, consult the original record held by the identified archive.

OCR is not a transcription. It is machine-generated text used to create research tags and help locate names and references within the source images; it should not be read as a verified narrative.

Page	Image	OCR text	OCR tags
21	Log in to enlarge	CONFIDENTIAL. MESSAGE 0746/3rd June OUT. To. V.A. Dover, 438. Date 3.6.40 Repeated C. in C. Nore. 922. 20 C. in C. Portsmouth. 245, F.O. 1/c London. Commodore 1/c Sheerness. 618. F.O.1/c Portland. 567. N.O.i/c Ramegate. N.O.1/c Newhaven. War Office. P/L BY T/P From Admiralty. IMPORTANT. Reference Admiralty mesuage 2321/1, instructions regarding disposal of tugs and lighters should be amended as follows so far as craft named are concerned:- (1) Following London tugs which were requisitioned specially for Operation should be returned to CHALLENGE, CONTEST, PERSIA, RACIA, CERVIA, TANGA Gravesend - - HIBERNIA, CRESTED COCK, OCEAN COCK, WATERCOCK, They should be utilised as fully as possible SUN, SUN X, SUN XI, SUN XII, BETTY. for towage of craft or boats to be returned to the Thames or elsewhere en route. (ii) Under-mentioned tugs which are under orders of D. of S.T. should proceed as follows:- (a) EMPIRE HENCHMAN to Portsmonth with barges SNOWDON and SALADIN for N.S.O. These carges were left at Ramsgate by tug TANGA on 29th May. pair of barges from those mentioned in (v) Below (b) FOREMOST 37 to Weymouth with any convenient sufficiently seaworthy, for towage as in (1) (c) FAIRPLAY I to Gravesend being used, if above. (d) GONDIA to Fishguard with barges SARK and SHETLAND. These barges ware left at Dover on 20th May by FOREMOST 87. (iii) Tugs SUN VII and FOREMOST 23 should return to station at Southend and Newhaven respectively taking any convenient tow. (iv) If any of the tuge named above are required to assist in other more urgent towages arrangementa should be made by you direct with D. of S.T. Crews of EMPIRE HENCHMAN, GONDIA and FOREMOST 87 may be given at your discretion up to 24 hours standeasy before proceeding Westward. (v) The barges JAPAN, KENYA, EGYPT, APRICA, LONDON and SCOTLAND which arrived Dover from Tilbury on 2nd June should not repetition not be returned/....	Betty Cervia Challenge Commodore Contest Crested Cock Egypt Empire Henchman Fairplay I Foremost 87 Gondia Hibernia Japan Kenya London Newhaven Persia Racia Sark Scotland Shetland Sun Sun VII Sun X Sun XI Sun XII Tanga Thames Watercock Westward Crews Dover May Tilbury
27	Log in to enlarge	27 MESSAGE To O. in C Portsmouth 0120/14th Juno OUT Repeated C. in C Western Approaches c. in C Nore Date 14/6/40 Seatrans, Newhaven Seatrans, Plymouth Seatrans, Falmouth Commodore in Charge Sheerness Seatrans, Littlehampton Divisional Transport Southsmpton N.O. 1/c Ramagate. P/L by T/P From D of S.I. The following craft when no longer required for Operation Cycle should be directed as follows. Tugs PERSIA and TANGA proceed to Plymouth as Boon as possible and report to S.T.O. on arrival. Both tugs should be kept at Plymouth b ready to sail at short notice. Instructions to S.T.O. will follow. Tugs CONTEST and QUEENS CROSS tow barges WESTOLIFF WOKING BRENTLAND and LINCOLN from Newhaven to Felmouth reporting to S.T.O. on arrival. Tug FOREMOST 87 tow barges VARSITY and VIGIL from Littlehnmpton to Falmouth. Tug KROOMAN tow barge SERLO from Southampton to Falmouth. Tug HEADWAN tow S.B. DORRIEN ROSE from Newhaven to Orchard Drydock, Blackwall, London and return to Sheerness to tow barges JULIA and CHARLES I from Shoorness to Scapa. Tug FAIRPLAY ONE proceed to Sheornese and tow barges BASKET and CHEEKIE from Sheerness to Portsmouth for dolivery to N.S.O. Tug WATERCOOK proceed to Falmouth. Tuge SUN XI and CRESTED COOK proceed to Ramsgate for orders. 0120/14. for D. of S.T. D of P (3) C.O.R.T. M. (3) D of S.T. D.T.D. (2) D.T.D. (Basement) D.S.V.P. Msl 68	Commodore Contest Dorrien Rose Fairplay One Foremost 87 Krooman London Newhaven Persia Queens Cross Rose Sun Sun XI Tanga Barge Cook Rose