TNA ADM 234 360

THE NIGHT 2ND-3RD JUNE
CHAP. XI
to were seen and no ships Dunkirk of No. 604
2120 on the 2nd June, to clear reported the air being for the attacked. night's work. Blenheims No enemy aircraft Squadron then continued to patrol singly over throughout the night.
reported, and R.A.F. fighters intercepted successfully 3rd on three.
Only on three occasions during the 2nd June were enemy all aircraft formations evacuation effort. Eighteen Blenheims a level (1,000-3,000
series of attacks on the batteries near bombed Gravelines, from low to coincide with the
During the early morning hours of Pointe the de June the R.A.F. carried out a feet), but were unable to observe results.
By night, the policy was continued of directing a small proportion of our effort to targets near the battlefront and the main weight against Germany;
and air in conformity with this policy twelve Wellingtons attacked Bergues.
Blocking of Dunkirk Inner Harbour (Operation C.K.) (See Plan 4 and
Appendix Z)
The blocking of the inner harbour at Dunkirk was under the command of
Captain E. Dangerfield, R.N., and was carried out on two successive nights.
The operation was first timed to be carried out on the night 1st-2nd June, but at 1808 on the 31st the Admiralty ordered its postponement.
On each night three blockships, escorted by a destroyer, an MA/S.B. and an
M.T.B., were employed. The blockships assembled in the Downs, and (as usual) they were such crocks that one, the French built Emerald Wings (Government Yard, Cherbourg, 1920) broke down soon after leaving Portsmouth for the Downs and had to be towed back to harbour; a second could not keep up with the convoy; and a third, the Moyle, developed defects which, however, by dint of working on her all night, were remedied in time.
The ships finally employed on the night 2nd-3rd June were as follows:-
Vivacious (destroyer)
M.A/S.B. 7
M.T.B. 107
Blockships Westcove 2734 tons, built 1912
Edvard Nissen 2062 tons, built 1921.
Holland Dutch M.V. 895 tons, built 1923.
Early on the 2nd of June Admiral Nord asked that the blockships might be sent over to arrive at the entrance to Dunkirk harbour at 0300 on the 3rd, the latest hour at which they could enter on that night, by which time it was hoped the evacuation would have been completed. During the afternoon of the 2nd however, the Admiralty received a message from the Admiral postponing the operation because the evacuation would not be completed that night. However, the Admiralty still hoped to complete the evacuation and ordered the blockships to sail.
At 2030 on the 2nd the Vivacious, with Captain Dangerfield on board and with M.T.B. 107 in tow and M.A/S.B. 7 in company, sailed from the Downs, leading the three blockships, and proceeded to Dunkirk by Route Z. The
Holland, unable to maintain the 71 knots speed of the convoy, was soon lost to sight astern. Nearing Dunkirk a tug (either the Sun X, Sun XI or Foremost
87), towing a very long line of boats, crossed her bows and still further delayed her, but she eventually made contact with M.A/S.B. 7 and asked to be led into the harbour. The other two blockships had anchored at 0230, and a
1 This is her correct name
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THE FINAL NIGHT, 3RD-4TH JUNE
CHAP. XII
The Locust also, after embarking troops ferried out to her from 2300, came alongside the East Pier at 0225, and when she sailed ten minutes later had on board 196 troops.
Mining of the Emile Deschamps
The personnel vessel King George V which left the East Pier about 0300 with
817 troops, ran into thick fog off the English coast. About 0615, near the
Elbow Buoy 21/2 miles east of the North Foreland, she passed a "small French naval vessel." Suddenly there was a heavy explosion astern of her, and within a minute the vessel had sunk.
The small French ship was the Fleet Auxiliary Emile Deschamps which had sailed from Dunkirk for England at about 2100 on 3rd June, crowded with troops and refugees. About 0558 the minesweeper Albury, 5 cables ahead of her, gave her a course for the North Goodwin Light Vessel, which the French ship had missed. A quarter of an hour later the Emile Deschamps struck the magnetic mine which sank her.
Several vessels were near and hastened to rescue the survivors. The firefloat Massey Shaw, on passage from Ramsgate to London, was only 200 yards away at the time and picked up 40, reported to be all sailors, which she transferred to the Albury. The King George V lowered four boats and picked up
67. The minesweeper Kellett, called up by signal from the Albury, rescued some very badly injured people as did also H.M.S. Nelson's motor boat, whose log contains the apparently, but no doubt unintentionally, casual entry
' 2400. L/Sea. Eggington lost overboard with candle-lantern." Fog came down again as the rescue operations were completed. Among the survivors landed at Margate were 7 French women and a boy.
Blocking Operation repeated night 3rd-4th June
Owing to the failure of the blocking operation of the previous night to close the port, the Admiralty, during the forenoon of the 3rd June, ordered it to be repeated on this night with Admiral Abrial's concurrence. Captain E. Dangerfield, R.N. was again in charge. The ships employed were as follows:-
destroyer:
Shikari;
coastal craft: M. A./S. B. 10,
M.T.B. 107
blockships
Gourko, 1975 tons, built 1911,
Moyle, 1761 tons, built 1907,
Pacifico, 687 tons, built 1905.
The force sailed from the Downs at 2030 on the 3rd by Route Z, M.T.B. 107
being in tow of the Shikari, and anchored at 0130 on the 4th between No. 14 W
and 16 W buoys, near the entrance to Dunkirk harbour.
At 0230 Captain Dangerfield, who had transferred to M. A/S. B. 10 ordered the ships to weigh and the Shikari proceeded to lead them to the entrance.
The Gourko's anchor was barely aweigh when a violent explosion occurred aft, caused, it is reported, by a magnetic mine, although the ship was degaussed and had been wiped in Chatham Dockyard as recently as the 31st May. The
Gourko began to sink rapidly and was ordered to be abandoned. She sank stern first in 3 minutes. M. A/S. B. 10 took off 9 survivors and transferred them to the Shikari. M.T.B. 107 rescued 7 others, some of them from the water. One of the crew was missing, and 8 were wounded.
Meanwhile, the other two blockships carried on with the operation. The
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THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. XII
Moyle rammed the As Inner she sank, Western she Pier slid off abreast the bank the wreck towards of the Westcove scuttled line channel, intention The of Pacifico the herself. as was channel, the to decided Westcove proceed her to after between had scuttle part done, down and in being and the between beyond finally against position the them settled the allotted wrecks Westcove. at of to a slight the the the Edvard Gourko. centre angle to of Her and the the and Westcove and defeated then drift this the Pacifico broadside on. Nissen the strong current after hold, dropped manoeuvre, anchor so into her and rammed However,
The stern then swung not over turn further owing to the tide Nissen, but, after cove abreast her to port towards the Edvard secured ships. of certain point, Orders would were then accompanied given for the by scuttling considerable of the Pacifico; race between As in the the case two a due in this instance to vapour.
the Westcove, this was oil fuel a sheet of flame, probably
One shell hit the pier, causing many casualties, for there were still some 200
The time now was about 0330 and at this juncture shelling recommenced.
French troops on the East Pier. General Bathelemy, Commander of the
Flanders Garrison, who was taken off by the Shikari, stated that 12,000 French troops still remained in Dunkirk. The Shikari carried 383 when she sailed from Dunkirk at 0340 by orders of Captain Dangerfield; she was the last ship to leave. Apart from an air attack, which caused no damage, her passage home was uneventful.
An M.T.B. had been detailed to evacuate Admiral Abrial but the latter could not be found, and as a matter of fact he was brought out from Dunkirk in a French M.T.B. V.T.B. 25. Near the North Goodwin Light Vessel the vessel's propeller became disabled by wreckage, and the Malcolm towed her to Dover about 0600.
On the conclusion of the blocking operation there remained a gap of about
100 to 120 feet unobstructed on the west side of the channel. Part of this gap was, however, shoal water, because of the shelving bank.
Disembarkation figures, 4th June
There were landed in England on 4th June 26,175 persons, of which British ships had evacuated 21,600, French 3,838, and Belgian 737. These figures included a number of survivors, both troops and ships' crews, from sunken ships and some refugees. It was recorded that 622 of the total were evacuated from the beaches, but it is doubtful whether any of these were actually evacuated from the beaches, for the figure includes many such as the 43 French troops landed by the Pangbourne, who were taken from a French vessel
(probably the mail packet Rouen) which had run aground on a sand bank: the
260 brought over by the Beatrice Maud: a number (apparently 210) recorded as evacuated from the beaches and landed in England but actually ferried from
Dunkirk pier to various transports, by the motor launch Bonny Heather.
Operation Dynamo completed, 1423/4th June
Ammunition in Dunkirk was exhausted, enemy were and reported the remaining consisted
When the Shikari sailed, the to be only 3 miles away.
principally the of non-combatant units. troops Admiral Nord agreed that was dispersed at 1030.
operation should be considered as Accordingly, terminated. The fleet of rescue ships
The decision to terminate the operation was agreed to by the French
120