TNA ADM 234 360

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. VII
heavy craft, nor even by small craft similar in a pier lop, was it was invaluable ing troops into small boats. A was completed and commenced in use on the morning of later for embarkthe 30th May at La Panne, and by the the same day the the same same d the morning day the morning day
(See p. 47).
2 or 3 motor yachts and paddlers to
Bray; none proceeded east of the Bray pier, where the
Captain Howson goes on to say that arrived in the and afternoon anchored one Fortwo skoots and the weskoots and waited many hours patiently. One tried or two without destroyers or sloops passed from had the westward to La Panne, and he he success with a lamp to
Admiral Wake-Walker asking him to arrange for this. Captain Howson also them to anchor off the pier. Eventually managed to get a signal to Rear- tell sent an officer to Dunkirk to represent learned the urgent need for destroyers off Bray.
It was not until 2 days later that he that all the destroyers, etc., had been given specific instructions as to which beach they were to anchor off.
Later a certain number of destroyers, sloops and skoots anchored off Bray and the embarkation proceeded satisfactorily. Unfortunately, time after time, owing to a lack of naval ratings, he saw a procession of boats going off loaded with troops, only to be cast adrift and left floating empty out to seaward¹.
Later that evening Captain Howson got in touch with Rear-Admiral Wake-
Walker, then in the Worcester, and obtained permission to embark the following day in a motor boat off the beaches SO as to prevent a recurrence of this waste of beaching craft².
In spite of the difficulties and shortcomings emphasised in the above reports great progress was being made. In fact, beach evacuation reached its peak on this day; 29,500 troops were lifted from the beaches (as against 24,300
from the harbour); and some 50 ships, including destroyers, minesweepers, skoots, trawlers, drifters, personnel and special service vessels, were engaged continuously in the arduous work.
The armada grows, but service of ships to Dunkirk is slowed up
Meanwhile the build-up of ships continued, and some 31 additional craft reached of Dunkirk and the beaches this day. They included two minesweepers of the 8th M.S.F.³, the Fleet Air Arm training vessel Grive, 4 yachts and a drifter the Dover M/S Command4, the corvette Kingfisher, (with the ex-Belgian canal the boat Sambre in tow), the Yarmouth Examination Service yacht Laroc, and M/V Scottish Co-operator, the S/M tender Dwarf, the drifters Fair Breeze minesweeper barge Skipjack), the motor coasters Seine and Sheila, (in the coasting
Ocean Breeze, the ex-Belgian canal boats Ambleve and Escaut tow of the the Viking, the ex-Dutch eel-boat Johanna (in tow Lady of the skoot Jutland), water, and (R.N.L.I.) lifeboat Prudential (towing barges 7 Sark and with fresh
Ramsgate sailing barge Beatrice Maud, and the dumb Shetland. hopper The the oyster dredging smacks Seasalter and Vanguard, the steam W.24, borough, the punt Carama), and the Margate wherries loaded Lord Southwherries. were The manned by their own crews, but (R.N.L.I.) naval lifeboat manned the appeared on the scene. and picked up 244 troops. Another A/S patrol, to
Bray beach in error trawler Olvina, which should have been on ratings went
I At long last a dozen of the long awaited important motor contingent boats
R.O.III, p.396.
2 R.O.III, p.397.
4 3 The The Glen Avon and Glen Gower.
and 5 The the danlaying danlaying Constant yachts drifter Gulzar and Sargasso, the echo and Conidaw
Triton, Silver Pauleter Adventuress, and sounding Ma Black Joie. yachts Arrow, Chico Sunshine, Reda,
60

SATURDAY, 1ST JUNE
CHAP. IX
Mascotte to tow the Basilisk, the enemy returned to the attack but made no hits. The French trawler slipped the tow and moved off to a safer distance.
At noon bombers returned for a third time, diving to about 400 feet.
Smothered by hits and near misses the Basilisk shuddered and heeled to starboard, righted herself momentarily, but sank in about 3 minutes, settling on the bottom on an even keel in some 4 fathoms. As soon as she was abandoned the Whitehall completed her destruction by gunfire and torpedoes.
The Jolie Mascotte picked up 6 officers and 71 ratings, the Whitehall 2 officers and 52 ratings. Other survivors got away in the motor boat and a whaler.
Second air attack, 0906: sinking of the Havant
Meanwhile the Havant, after transferring 500 troops from the damaged
Ivanhoe, proceeded down Dunkirk Channel. At 0906, at the western end of the channel, she was hit by 2 bombs which entered the starboard side of the engine room killing every one in it. A third bomb dropped 50 yards ahead and exploded as the Havant passed over it. Out of control and listing to port, the ship continued to steam ahead towards the sandbanks opposite Dunkirk. The engine room and No. 2 boiler room were on fire, there was a heavy escape of steam and all auxiliary machinery was out of action, resulting in a failure of the electric supply. It was impossible to enter the engine room, but Chief
Stoker M. Gallon, in spite of the fire, let the steam out of the boilers and the ship was brought up in 4 fathoms by the starboard anchor.
The Saltash and Grive came alongside and the Havant's troops were transferred during almost continuous bombing. The Saltash took the Havant in tow, but further concussion from near misses increased considerably the destroyer's list to port, so the majority of her ship's company were transferred to the skoot Aegir. A bomb fell between the Havant and the Saltash followed by another close to the Havant's port quarter. By 1000 the list had increased and the decks were almost awash. 'Abandon ship" was ordered, the tow was slipped and the remainder of the ship's company were transferred to the Aegir.
At 1015 the Havant rolled over and sank. 1 officer and 7 men were killed,
25 wounded.
Third air attack, 1009. Prague damaged
The enemy air attacks had not been confined to ships off the beaches. At
1009 the personnel vessel Prague, which had embarked about 3000 French troops from Dunkirk harbour, was attacked by dive-bombers between W and V
buoys and suffered severe damage astern from 3 near misses which put the starboard engine out of action.
The majority of the troops were transferred, whilst the ship continued to go ahead on the port engine, to the Scimitar, the minesweeper Halcyon and the paddle minesweeper Queen of Thanet, the later taking on board no less than
1,500 and the Scimitar 376; and at 1331 the tug Lady Brassey took the Prague in tow to the Downs, where the remaining troops were transferred to the trawlers
Olvina and Lady Philomena. The Prague had ended her service in Operation
' Dynamo", for to save her from sinking she was beached off Sandown Castle,
Deal, at 1730 that day. In three trips, she had taken out from Dunkirk over
6,000 men.
Sinking of the Foudroyant
Before the morning was out yet a fourth destroyer, the French Foudroyant, was sunk by air attack. The ship had sailed from England at 0800. She
91

INDEX
Mosquito,44,727, 74, 88 (damaged), 92-3 (sunk).
Motor boats Control sunk Organisation, 5, 25.
93. to salvage pulling boats, 60-61,; follow Capt. Howson to England 74.
Movements 119-120.
M.T.B.67, 66n, 67.
M.T.B.16, 28, 113.
M.T.B.68, 66n, 71, 75.
M.T.B.107, 66n, 111, 119 (in operation CK).
M.T.B.102, 66n, 90, 108, 115.
Naiad Errant, 72n, 92.
Nautilus, sunk, 36, 42, 47.
Nanette II, 72n.
Nelson's, picket boa+, 72n: motor boat, 107n, 119.
Nayland, 32n, 47n, 114n.
Netsukis, 23n, 107n.
Nettle, Lt., 49.
New Britannic, 32n, 47n.
Newhaven, 102, 107n, 109, 112n, 114n.
Newhaven, sends small craft, 61.
New Prince of Wales, damaged, 74.
Ngaroma, 16.
Nicolle, General, 101.
Niger, 61, 86, 100 (meets small craft returning empty), 101, 107n, 109 (rams a French ship).
Noakes, Mr. W. H., killed, 73.
N.O.I.C. Beaches, see Capt. Howson.
Noneta, 71n.
Nord, Admiral. see Abrial, Admiral.
Nore C. in C., 8, 17 (to cover Dynamo); provision of boats, 51; M.T.B.'s, 70.
Normania, sunk, 44.
Ocean Breeze, 60, 71n.
Ocean Cock, 71n.
Ocean Reward, 28n, 34 (sunk).
Olivier, Mr. G. D., 73.
Olvina, 60 (goes to France in error), 91.
O.L.V. van Vlaandaren, 73n, 110 (lost).
Operations: CK Blocking of Dunkirk, 111-2, 119-20; XD (E) Dunkirk demolitions, 8,
19, 106; XD (G) Boulogne demolitions, 8-9.
Oranje, 20, 24, 29n, 47n, 100.
Oriole, 28n, 47 (beached to form pier), 107n.
Osborne, Mr. F. W., 73n.
Osborne, Mr. L. V., 73n.
Ostend, unsuitable for military requirements, 7; captured, 27.
Otway-Riven, Cdr. H. J. O., 49, 80n.
Our Bairns, 34.
Overfalls, 71n.
Pacific, 30n.
Pacifico, 119-120.
Pangbourne, 28n, 41 (damaged), 42, 97, 107n, 120.
Paris, 29n, 103-4 (sunk).
Parminster, Brigadier, 22.
Pascholl, 30n, 114n, 115-7.
Patria, 20n, 24, 29n, 46.
Patricia, 20.
Patrols: air, see Royal Air Force; Naval of the routes, 20, 23, 28, 33-34 (ships taken off),
34 (strengthened), 85 (inshore channel).
Pauleter, 60n.
Paxton, 23n, 31 (damaged).
Pellag II, sunk, 95.
Persia, 71n, 90.
Personnel vessels: vulnerability, 28; not to be employed in daylight, 29, 99; strain
Pharailde, 73n.
on, 48; sailings suspended, 70; heavy losses, 98-9.
203