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TNA / ADM 234 360

TNA ADM 234 360

TNA ADM 234 360
Collection details

TNA ADM 234 360

Naval Staff History No. 41, the official historical study of the evacuation from Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo, 26 May–4 June 1940, dated 1949.

Holding archive
TNA
Collection reference
ADM 234 360
View the archive catalogue entry ↗

Source: The National Archives, Kew, ADM 234/360. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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

4 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 37–184 of this collection
Page ImageOCR textOCR tags
37 Page 37 Log in to enlarge

MONDAY, 27TH MAY
CHAP. IV
task now is to evacuate to England maximum of your force possible."¹ No policy had yet been laid down by French G.Q.G., or any other French higher authority, for a withdrawal northward of the Lys, and, says Lord Gort, "I had no idea what plans either he [General Blanchard] or Admiral Abrial had in mind".'
Lord Gort failed to contact General Blanchard either at La Panne, or at the
French naval headquarters, situated at Bastion No. 32, Dunkirk. While at the
Bastion, however, at 2300, he was informed in the course of conversation with
General Koeltz (General Weygand's deputy) that the King of the Belgians had asked for an armistice from midnight that night. The British Commanderin-Chief thus found himself suddenly faced with an open gap of 20 miles between
Ypres and the sea, through which enemy armoured forces might reach the beaches².
Owing to congestion on the roads Lord Gort was unable to reach his headquarters at Houtkerque until 0430 on 28th May; he then found that a telegram had been received from the War Office at 0130/28 saying that the King of the
Belgians was capitulating at midnight, 27th/28th May.³
This was the derelict situation facing Lord Gort in the early hours of the morning.
Dunkirk locks prepared for demolition
On the 27th May, on the orders of Admiral Abrial, the Royal Naval demolition party which had arrived at Dunkirk on the 23rd May placed demolition charges at the New, the Trystram and the Guillain locks in Dunkirk harbour.
Route Z under fire Route Y adopted Route x prepared
Owing to the great lack of inshore craft for beach work the main naval effort during the day had been confined to maintaining the flow of personnel vessels to Dunkirk at the rate of 2 every 31/2 hours. Even this limited transport service had been seriously interrupted by the fire of shore batteries between Les
Hemmes (east of Calais) and Gravelines. At 0623 the Biarritz and Archangel, en route for Dunkirk escorted by the destroyer Verity, were shelled 6 miles
E.N.E. of Calais. The Biarritz was hit several times and had 1 killed and 2
wounded. The Archangel was also apparently damaged, and neither ship took any further part in "Dynamo". At 0640, the M/V Sequacity and the freighter Yewdale were also shelled off Calais. The Sequacity was hit four times, and at 1020, when north of Dunkirk channel, after the crew had been transferred to the Yewdale, the Sequacity went down by the head and sank.
At 0750 the armed boarding vessel Mona's Isle, loaded with troops, suffered severe casualties and damage from shore guns off Gravelines, and also from an air attack shortly afterwards, and had to go into dock for repairs. At
0800 the H/C Isle of Thanet was shelled off Calais and returned to Dover. At
0900, the A.B/V King Orry, returning from Dunkirk loaded with troops also suffered casualties and damage from the Calais guns.
As a result of these happenings the Vice-Admiral, Dover, reported to the
Admiralty that the normal or southern route, Dover to Dunkirk (later known as Route Z), was impracticable in daylight. Another, more northern route
(later known as Route Y), via the Dyck Whistle buoy, Middelkerk buoy, and
Zuydcoote Pass, was accordingly adopted. This, however, increased the
I Lord Gort's Second Despatch, para. 51.
2 Lord Gort's Second Despatch, para. 49.
3 Lord Gort's Second Despatch 50.
19
Archangel Biarritz England Gravelines Isle of Thanet Mona's Isle Sequacity The King Verity Yewdale Day Dover Gort Head King May Miles Roads
46 Page 46 Log in to enlarge

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. V
off Dunkirk at 1315. They had picked up that morning from arrived
The destroyers Codrington, Jaguar and Javelin, 33 survivors diverted from patrol,
S.S. Abukir, which had been torpedoed by United an E-boat while returning the about 200 evacuees from Ostend to Grenade the which Kingdom; these survivors with
Javelin Dunkirk. were transferred using The their Codrington to own the boats, destroyer went embarked into Dunkirk troops harbour, from subsequently Bray while beach. the went Jaguar At on 1730 and to the Grenade left Dunkirk with 1,000 troops on board.
skoot Lena. The Vimy also made a second
359 troops from Zuydcoote, assisted by ships' a the second.t.Bip,embarked
Between 1230 and 1815 the Vivacious, a her
Dunkirk harbour.
More ships were on the way. From 1230 onwards 19 minesweepers were sailed from Harwich, from Dover and the Downs, for Dunkirk and the beaches.
By 2130 five of them had arrived off Bray beach I, and four off La Panne²;
three reached Dunkirk by 2140³.
Four other minesweepers arrived off the beaches late on the night of
28th/29th May4, and two more reached the beaches at 0600/29⁵.
Early on the 28th May the eight ships of the 7th and 8th minesweeping flotillas had been ordered from Rosyth to Harwich, to work under the orders of the Vice-Admiral, Dover⁶; they could not, however, reach the beaches until about 72 hours later.
During the forenoon and afternoon of the 28th May the call went out for more and more destroyers, and seven reached the evacuation area next day⁷.
In the signals from the Admiralty and the Vice-Admiral, Dover, summoning them there sounds the same note of extreme urgency, traceable to S.N.O.
Dunkirk's message⁸ declaring that evacuation on the night of 28th/29th May was problematical. "If the older class destroyers and other vessels cannot compete with the situation signalled the Admiralty, destroyers of all classes are to be used for bringing men off'.9 Every available destroyer" in the
Western Approaches and Portsmouth Commands was to be sailed to Dover.
Destroyers on patrol or on escort duty were to be diverted to Dunkirk or the beaches.¹¹
Vulnerability of personnel vessels
The vulnerability of the personnel vessels, with their large troop-carrying capacity, was a cause of anxiety. On the 27th May the Biarritz and Archangel, the Mona's Queen, King Orry, Sequacity, Yewdale, and the Isle of Thanet12,
I The Albury, Gossamer, Leda, Kellett and Sutton.
2 The Salamander, Halcyon, Skipjack and Waverley.
3 The Ross, Pangbourne and Lydd.
4 The Hebe, Sharpshooter, Duchess of Fife snd Emperor of India.
5 The Oriole and Marmion.
6
A.M.0163/28.
7 The Verity, Harvester, Esk, Malcolm, Express, Shikari and Scimitar.
8 Appendix M.4.
9 A.M.0754/28.
10 A.M.1229/28.
11 Appendices D.4, D.5 and D.7.
collided with the Examination Service Vessel leaving Ocean Reward, which sank
12 At 0254, on 28th May, shortly after Dover for Newhaven, the Isle of Thanet
Assisted by the tug Lady Brassey, a search was made for survivors, but none was found.
28
Abukir Albury Archangel Biarritz Boat D.4 D.7 Duchess Duchess of Fife Emperor of India Hebe Isle of Thanet Jaguar Javelin Lady Brassey Lena Lydd Newhaven Pangbourne Queen Sequacity Sharpshooter Skipjack Verity Vivacious Yewdale Dover King Malcolm May Ross
164 Page 164 Log in to enlarge
OCR table 1 from document page 164
PERSONNEL SHIPS (contd.) TROOPS TRANSPORTED
Ben-My-Chree (Capt. G. Woods, Master) 4,095
Biarritz (Capt. W. H. Baker, Master) /
Bullfinch (M/V) Canterbury 600
(Capt. C. Hancock, Master) 4,416
City of Christchurch (Capt. A. W. Wooster, O.B.E.) /
Clan Macalister1 (Capt. R. W. Mackie, Master) 1
Côte d' Argent2 Dorrien Rose (store ship) 5,754
(Capt. W. Thompson, Master) 1,494
Fenella (Capt. W. Gubbon, Master) /
Foam Queen (Capt. A. T. Mastin, Master) 98
Hythe (coaster) (R. W. Morford, Master) 749
Killarney (Capt. R. Hughes, Master) 900
King George V (Capt. R. M. Maclean, Master) 4,300
Lady of Mann (Capt. T.C. Woods, Master) 4,262
Levenwood (store ship) (Capt. W. O. Young, Master) 60
Lochgarry (Capt. E. Mackinnon, Master) 1,001
Lorina (Capt. A. Light, Master) -
Maid of Orleans (Capt. A. E. Larkins, Master) (Sick) (Capt. G. D. Walker, Master) 5,461
Malines 1,500
Manxman (Capt. G. Mallory, Master) (quitted Opn. Dynamo 2 June) 2,394
(Capt. P. B. Cowley, Master) (disembarked 2 June) Mona's Queen (Capt. R. 1,200
Nephrite (store ship) Duggan, Master) (Capt. A. Holkham, Master) (Capt. C.G. West, O.B.E., 504
Newhaven2 Master) (Lt. Cdr. L. H. Phillips, 1,841
Ngaroma R.N.,) I Master) Normania (Capt. J. W. Dickinson, Master) 100
Porisdown (Capt. M. C. Whiting, Master) (S/Lt. R. H. Church, R.N.R.) - 618
Prague (Capt. C. R. Baxter, 3,039
Princess Maud Master) (Capt. H. Clark, Master) 1,270
Queen of the Channel Roebuck (Capt. W. J. O'Dell, Master) -
Rouenz (Capt. W. Y. Larbalestier, Master) 500
Royal Daffodil 2,886
(Capt. G. Johnson, Master) 7,552
Ben-my-Chree Biarritz Bullfinch Canterbury City of Christchurch Dorrien Rose Fenella Foam Queen Hythe Killarney King George King George V Lady of Mann Levenwood Lochgarry Lorina Maid of Orleans Malines Manxman Nephrite Ngaroma Normania Prague Princess Princess Maud Queen Roebuck Rose Royal Daffodil TS King George V TSS Princess Maud Baker Baxter Church Clark Cowley Dickinson Duggan George Gubbon Hancock Holkham Hughes Johnson King Larbalestier Larkins Light Mackie MacKinnon Maclean Mallory Mann Mastin Maud Morford O'Dell Phillips Rose Thompson Walker West Whiting Woods Wooster Young
184 Page 184 Log in to enlarge
OCR table 1 from document page 184
Dreadnought III' Moss Rose¹ Venture
Eastbourne Queen (1/6) Nemo IV1 New White Heather' Viewfinder (31/5)
Empress (1/6)² Viscountess
Enchantress Peggy IV⁴ (31/5)2 Wakefield
Enterprise (31/5) Princess Lily (31/5) Wave Queen
Escaut Eve4 Westerley Yser (1/6)2 (5/6)⁶
OCR table 2 from document page 184
WHERRIES, PUNTS, BOATS BARGES LANDING
Aimée (wherry)' Aidie (1/6)2 CRAFT A.L.C.4 (29/5)
Carama (punt) (30/5) Barbara Jean (1/6)2 A.L.C.8 (31/5)2
Clara Belle (wherry)' Claude³ A.L.C.15 (31/5)
Dinky (10 ft. boat)¹ Duchess (1/6)2 A.L.C.18 (29/5)
Doris (wherry)' Ethel Everard (1/6)² M.L.C.12 (2/6)2
Dumpling (boat)¹ Lark (1/6)2 M.L.C.17 (3/6)2
Edina (wherry)' Royalty (1/6)² M.L.C.22 (2/6)2
Lark (punt)¹ Warrior2 4
Medora (wherry)'
Miranda (No. 58)¹
Sarah & Emily (boat)¹
Viking III (dinghy)'
OCR table 3 from document page 184
DESTROYERS A.A. CRUISER SLOOP
Anthony (30/5) Calcutta (2/6) Bideford (29/5)
Gallant (29/5)
Greyhound (29/5)
Intrepid (29/5)
Ivanhoe (1/6)
Jaguar (29/5)
Sabre (30/5)
Saladin (29/5) A.B/V
Vivacious (31/5) Mona's Isle
Windsor (28/5) (27/5)
Wolfhound (27/5)
Worcester (1/6)
OCR table 4 from document page 184
MINESWEEPERS Hebe (31/5) PERSONNEL VESSELS HOSPITAL CARRIERS
Pangbourne Canterbury (29/5) Isle of Guernsey (29/5)
(29/5) Ross (1/6) Prague (1/6) St. Julien (29/5)
Salamander (1/6) Royal Daffodil (2/6) Worthing (2/6)
Westward-Ho (1/6)
OCR table 5 from document page 184
GUNFIRE
PERSONNEL VESSELS Biarritz (27/5) TRAWLERS A.B/V.
Princess Maud (30/5) "Kingston" (2/6)€ Spurs (2/6) King Orry (27/5)
Aidie Anthony Barbara Barbara Jean Biarritz Bideford Boat Calcutta Canterbury Clara Belle Cruiser Dinghy Dinky Doris Dreadnought III Duchess Dumpling Eastbourne Queen Edina Empress Enchantress England Enterprise Escaut Ethel Everard Gallant Hebe Intrepid Isle of Guernsey Ivanhoe Jaguar Kingston Alalite Kingston Olivine Lark Lily Medora Mona's Isle New White Heather Pangbourne Prague Princess Princess Lily Princess Maud Queen Royal Daffodil Royalty Sabre Spurs St. Julien TSS Princess Maud Venture Viewfinder Viking Viking III Vivacious Wave Queen Westerley Westward White Heather Windsor Worthing King Maud Ross White