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 STELLA RIGEL. Tags are exact matches from this collection’s OCR tag index. Clear vessel filter ×

2 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 109–158 of this collection

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OCR text

OCR tags

109

CHAPTER IX
SATURDAY, 1ST JUNE
GERMANS RENEW THEIR HEAVY AIR EFFORT
E-Boat activity: sinking of the Stella Dorado and Argyllshire
During the night of 31st May-1st June there was a recrudescence of enemy
E-boat activity. After the torpedoing of the destroyers Grafton and Wakeful off Nieuport in the early hours of the 29th May M.T.B. patrols had been established during the dark hours to prevent enemy E-boats from using the inshore channels.
It was, however, in the less confined waters along Route Y that the enemy obtained their successes, despite intensive air and surface patrols. Route Y
was patrolled that night by 2 corvettes and 6 trawlers, while Coastal Command provided 6 aircraft with bombs and parachute flares; and owing to magnetic mines ships evacuating troops were given permission in the early hours of 1st
June to use that route as well as Route X.
At 0230 on the 1st June the A/S trawler Stella Dorado, which 24 hours earlier had picked up 55 survivors from the Siroco, torpedoed by an E-boat near
T buoy, was herself torpedoed in the same position and sunk whilst on patrol.
About a quarter of an hour later the A/S trawler Argyllshire, on patrol in company with the Lord Melchett and Stella Rigel about 2 miles east of S buoy, commenced an attack on what appeared to be a submarine. Within 5 minutes she was struck by a torpedo fired by an E-Boat and sank immediately. Five survivors, including her Captain, Sub-Lieutenant J. S. Weddle, R.N.R., S.O.
11th A/S Striking Force, were picked up by the trawler Malabar.
At the time there were many trawlers and other small craft in the neighbourhood, and one of the two E-Boats responsible for these sinkings was reported to have been disguised as a sailing boat.
Final evacuation postponed
Already on the afternoon of the 31st May ships in Dunkirk road had come under fire from guns on shore at Mardyck, and early on 1st June it became evident that Major General Alexander's force could not be evacuated completely on the night of 1st/2nd June. At 0800, therefore, he agreed on a modified plan with Admiral Abrial and General Fagalde which involved holding his present line till midnight 1st/2nd June, so as to cover Dunkirk and to enable the French to evacuate as many of their troops as possible. Subsequently
Major General Alexander was to withdraw to a bridgehead round Dunkirk with all available A/A and anti-tank guns and such troops as had not yet embarked.
Embarkations over Bray beaches
It was not only in Dunkirk roads that the ships had been under fire on the previous day; off Bray they had the same experience. Troops were moving westward, and embarkation at La Panne was no longer possible. It was clear to Rear-Admiral Wake-Walker that beach work at Bray would be costly, and he so informed Vice-Admiral, Dover (0235/1), who concurred, whilst pointing out the necessity of using the beaches up to the last possible moment.
85

Argyllshire Boat Lord Melchett Major Malabar Stella Rigel Westward Alexander Day Dover Last May Miles Roads Wake Wake-Walker Walker Weddle

158

OCR table 1 from document page 158
TRAWLERS (contd.)	TROOPS TRANSPORTED
Stella Dorado (Skipper W. H. Burgess, R.N.R.)³	55
Stella Rigel (Unit Officer S/Lt. J. W. Wykeham, R.N.V.R.) (Skipper L. P. Keable, R.N.R.)
Strathelliot (S/Lt. W.E. Mercer, R.N.V.R.)	339
Tankerton Towers (Skipper J. Hannaford)	50
Thomas Bartlett (Skipper J.J. Tomlinson, R.N.R.)	/
Thuringia (Ch. Skipper D. W. L. Simpson, D.S.C., D.S.M., R.N.R.)	/
Topaze (Lt. Cdr. J.N. Hambly, M.B.E., R.N., S.O. 40th A/S Group)	118
Velia	/
(Skipper J. Clarkson)
Viviana	-
(Skipper G.L. Olesen)
Westella
(Chief Skipper A. Gove, R.N.R.)	I
Wolves (Skipper J.D. Fowler, R.N.R. Skipper W. S. Flowers, R.N.R.)³	50
Total	5,396

OCR table 2 from document page 158
Alcmaria (Skipper A.C. Offord, R.N.R.)3	32
Ben & Lucy (Captain W.A. Watling, R.N.R., Skipper) (Actg. Lt. F.G. M. Iles, R.N.V.R. Unit Officer)	100
Boy Roy' (Ty. Skipper E.F. Dettman, R.N.R.)	-
Dorienta (Skipper W.F. Reynolds, R.N.R.)	65
Eileen Emma (Tempy. Skipper B. E.S. Smith, R.N.R.)³	114
Fair Breeze (Lt. Cdr. A. R. W. Sayle, R.N.R.)	316
Feasible (Skipper C.C. Findlay, R.N.R.)³	-
Fidget	568
Fisher Boy (Ty. Skipper G. W. Brown, R.N.R.)	777
Forecast (Lt. T.P. Graham, R.N.R., Unit	353
Genius Officer) (Skipper G.H. Green, R.N.R.):	100
Gervais Rentoul (Tempy.-Skipper J.H.	57
Girl Gladys Burgess, R.N.R.³ (Tempy.-Skipper F.L.	249
Girl Pamelar Strowger, R.N.R.3 (Ty. Skipper G. Sanson,	51
Golden Gift R.N.R.) (Ty. Skipper G.S.	273
Golden Sunbeam Sampson) (Skipper W. C.F. Chaney)	397

Alcmaria Boy Roy Dorienta Eileen Eileen Emma Fair Breeze Feasible Fidget Fisher Boy Forecast Genius Gervais Rentoul Girl Gladys Golden Gift Golden Sunbeam Stella Rigel Strathelliot Sunbeam Tankerton Towers Topaze Velia Wolves Brown BROWN R. Ch. Chaney Clarkson Dettman Fisher Flowers Gove Graham Green Hambly Hannaford Iles Keable Offord Olesen Reynolds Sampson Sanson Sayle Smith SMITH S Thomas Tomlinson Towers Watling