TNA ADM 234 360

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THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. XII
Casualties from collison and grounding
had It embarked was under 200 conditions French such troops of as the at these harbour the West that per which
was rammed when just clear 20 feet from the stern, 2319,
line, Edmond cutting René; her her degaussing port bow, circuits. and the The troops collision was caused opened the up two to the wawler water
which was undamaged. eventually joining a water, trawler,
swing alongside one another, The Kingfisher, making trans-shipped little to the ships to
towards England at 7 knots, casualty. company with the minesweeper proceeded
Leda, another collision
West Pier about an hour into the prevailing fog, and off 0300, the on the way back the
The Leda, having embarked after the 484 Kingfisher. French troops, At had pushed off from
she ran down the Belgian The Leda's bows
Margate, the ship ran trawler Maréchal Foch. Goodwin Light Buoy to
damaged, and for a while the minesweeper the Albury, which had sailed from were
West Pier at about the same time as Leda, with 400 troops, stood by her; the
but the Leda's forward bulkhead held, so the ship continued on her way to
Margate, escorted for a while by the Kellett until the latter had to break off
assist a ship in greater trouble and left her with the Kingfisher as companion to
in misfortune. The fog was thick at Margate, and in the roads the Kingfisher
was rammed once more, the personnel vessel King George V hitting her on the
starboard bow, though only minor damage was caused.
Meanwhile, the Maréchal Foch had sunk. In economy of operation this
Belgian trawler seems to have been unequalled, for despite the fact that her
entire complement consisted only of the Master, Captain P. Lusyne, and one
man, (F. Decoster), she had embarked no less than 300 troops. To accomplish
this, the ship had lain alongside the quay at Dunkirk since the 2nd of June, for
she had grounded on the falling tide and did not get away until the night of
the 3rd-4th. It is satisfactory to know that the Captain and his crew were
picked up and landed at Dover ; but half of the 300 troops she was carrying
were drowned. The French M.T.B. V.T.B 25 which was bringing Admiral
Abrial from Dunkirk picked up some but was hampered by a propeller disabled
by wreckage, and some were rescued by the destroyer Malcolm, which left
Dunkirk at 0245 and reported picking up, in fog near the North Goodwin,
survivors of an unknown schuyt' which had been sunk in collision with a
minesweeper.
Another ship that grounded in Dunkirk and was lost in consequence, was the
Skoot Lena. This vessel had sailed from England at 1530 on the 3rd June, in
company with four other skoots, the Pascholl (S.O.), Hondsrug, Bornrif, and
Reiger. The latter ran aground on the Quern Sand soon after leaving Rams-
gate, and was left behind. Going alongside the middle pier of Avant Port"
at Dunkirk (probably the West Quay or Guiding Jetty, or possibly the Inner but
Western high none British water, was drifter Pier) available orders were the having Lena and unsuccessful. attempts grounded been given made At at that about 1045 to no tow on 2300. further the her 4th off A embarkation tug June, by was the two asked Bornrif was hours crew for, to and after take em- a
place after daylight, it was decided to abandon ship. Part of remainder, the in-
barked in a British drifter, part in a French drifter, and the
cluding the officers, were ferried to the Locust outside the harbour.
forthcoming to tow off owing the difficulty for minutes
It was presumably to of tug was
considerable convoy of tugs Lena, arrived off within the entrance a to the
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