TNA ADM 234 360

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CHAP, VI
THE EVACUATION FROM
end Buoy, of the Zuydcoote destroyer Pass. Montrose, Eight minutes later, DUNKIRK about
collided narrowly Montrose put her helm with had escaped the hard to tug sinking; to Sun starboard, V, the which en but route 11 was cutters she to towing received Dunkirk, were 11 a ran 1 into mile W.S.W. of
Neither part The in Harvester the the evacuation. Mackay, reached the Bray Montrose nor the to tug Dover were by able the to take any Brassey. The
be towed, stern-first, lost XXXX
awaiting the charge of embarkation. Sub-Lieut. of E. C. There Croswell, beach was a at R.N., strong 0050, who cross and found sent in her further
managed launching to evacuate boats about difficult. During the course of sea the and the the
however, the supply of boats 700 for which embarkation included some 100 wounded. Harvester
siderable as moved the embarkation to wastage La Panne.¹ of beach boats extended through overcrowding, for over one ceased. mile. which was At There 0500, difficult had the been to Harvester At control 0400, con-
Wakeful sunk
against beach with about destroyers. The destroyer Wakeful, returning from successes
In the British meantime, at 0045, there occurred the only two E-boat
when 2 650 troops on board, was 1/4 mile west of Kwint Whistle Bray
150 yards away on the starboard bow.
parallel torpedo tracks about 30 yards apart were seen approaching, buoy
Avoiding action was taken, and one torpedo missed ahead, but the other his
the Wakeful in the forward boiler room. The Wakeful broke in half and the
two portions sank within about 15 seconds, each portion remaining upright
with the bow and stern standing about 60 feet above the water.
Most of the guns' crews floated clear, 30 men and an officer remaining on
the stern portion. All the troops were asleep below, and all except one went
down with the ship. All the Wakeful's engine room department, except one
or two, were lost. The Captain, Cdr. R. L. Fisher, R.N., floated clear of the
bridge.
After about half an hour, the danlayers Nautilus and Comfort, which were
en route to La Panne, arrived and began to pick up those still swimming. The the
minesweeper Gossamer, up returning from Dunkirk harbour with 420 troops,
Nautilus picked 6 and the Comfort 16, including Cdr. Fisher. Then
arrived, lowered her boats, and picked up a further 15 survivors.
directed the Comfort to go alongside the wreck and take La Panne, off the
men Cdr. clinging Fisher to the stern. The Nautilus continued on her way to
where she was lost during the afternoon in an air attack.
Grafton
torpedoed Lydd arrived on the scene she bringing sighted
300 troops from Dunkirk harbour. of the Wakeful By the light with men an clinging to out her Aldis
It was now 0220, and the minesweeper of Aldis lamp, them. The
the Lydd bow lowered and stern her boats, portions but was ordered latter by order the could Gossamer not, to however, put be carried report,
lamp Except I Sub-Lieut. and during drop Croswell, the a depth first who day charge remained of evacuation, the at La the Panne bearing until of 1st the June, B.E.F. says at La in Panne his was
magnificent." (C.W.23187/40).
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