TNA ADM 234 360

TUESDAY, 28TH MAY
CHAP. V
had all come under fire from the shore guns at Calais and Gravelines. At
0415 on the 28th May the Queen of the Channel, loaded with 904. troops, was attacked by one aircraft; 3 or 4 bombs were dropped, which straddled the ship abaft the mainmast and broke her back, the starboard propeller shaft and the rudder. By good fortune the Dorrien Rose, en route for Dunkirk, was in the vicinity and rescued the troops: the Queen of the Channel sank about 1/2 hour later. The St. Seiriol, which left Dunkirk at about 0415 with 494 troops, reached Folkestone in safety.
Civilian crews feel the strain
Some 45 personnel vessels were used during operation "Dynamo"
Of these eight were sunk, at least six were so damaged by bombing or gunfire as to render them unfit for further use during the operation, and two were damaged in collision. Nine of the largest of these personnel vessels had been engaged prior to "Dynamo" in operations at Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne, and their Captains and crews were beginning to feel the strain when Operation
"Dynamo" started.
Thus it was that the Master of the Canterbury, which had already completed
2 round trips to Dunkirk in operation "Dynamo", reported, on the 28th May, that he was too worn out to make a third trip. The P.S.T.O. went on board and explained the gravity of the situation to the Master, and the Canterbury sailed at 0930 the next day. On her return voyage from Dunkirk she was bombed and damaged, and after landing her 1960 troops went into dock for repairs. In the 3 trips she made the Canterbury brought back 4,416 troops;
her Master, Captain C. A. Hancock, was awarded the D.S.C.
Personnel vessels not to be employed during full daylight
On the 28th May, however, it had become apparent that development of the German air threat over the evacuation area, and the increasing artillery fire from shore batteries covering the sea approaches to Dunkirk, prohibited the employment of personnel and similar vessels during daylight, until the position was restored, and that evacuation from Dunkirk by day must for the moment be confined to warships and small vessels².
It was not, therefore, until later in the day, that the P/V Royal Daffodil sailed for Dunkirk, and eight other personnel vessels and a hospital carrier³
received their sailing orders during the afternoon and evening.
The northern Route Y was by this time in general use⁴, but ships proceeding from Dover to Dunkirk were ordered to use the southern and shorter Route Z, if the passage from Calais Bell buoy to Dunkirk could be made in darkness.
N.O.I.C. Ramsgate responsible for servicing skoots
In these circumstances some 20 skoots reached Dunkirk, or arrived off the beaches during the day and evening of the 28th May; others were on the way.
Their speed varied, but most of them were very slow. Eight of them went into Dunkirk harbour⁵, and four to Bray beach⁶. The Abel Tasman, loaded with ammunition, the Alice and Kaap Falga, loaded with food, and three
I This number includes 3 store ships, 3 motor vessels and a few freighters, coasters and tramps.
2 D.R. p. 4, para. 13.
3 The Scotia, Malines, Prague, Manxman, Royal Sovereign, Tynwald, Lochgarry, Killarney and the H.C. Paris.
4 Appendix K.1.
5 The Caribia, Fredanja, Friso, Jutland, Tilly, Patria, Sursum-Corda, and Twente.
6 The Amazone, Doggersbank, Hilda, and Oranje.
29

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. VI
and returned to harbour; the remainder Chantecler reached and the La Panne at 0500/30.
Dutch eel-boats Johanna and Chantecler M.B. Golden Lily also The and Ramsgate " compass at which 2200/29. was reached situated The the over beaches, the was engine. however, only capable revolved at 0900 of slowly 4 knots, round and and left her she had no charts, lost way 30th Later darkness, and returned to and brought back 30 troops. her in the Downs in the get over on May, round"¹. She The Johanna did not on the 30th
Ramsgate on the morning of the May. on that day she was towed to the beaches by the skoot Jutland.
Troops transported on 29th May reduction in the number of destroyers available and with failure to achieve
The 29th May closed with a formidable list of ships lost or damaged, a marked the high rate of evacuation hoped for. The effect of the day's occurrences even more marked next day, when instead of the 50,000 to 60,000 British was troops which had been calculated as the probable achievement, only 48,000 odd were in fact transported.²
Nevertheless, 47,310 troops (including some 2,000 casualties) were landed in England on the 29th May (see Table 2), 13,752 having been lifted from the beaches and 33,558 from the harbour. Only about 11 per cent of these were
French troops³, whose organised evacuation had not yet begun. (See Appendices Y.2 to Y.5).
During the morning and forenoon of the 29th May, when there was no bombing of Dunkirk harbour, 1Q personnel vessels⁴ lifted 14,760 troops from the east pier; during the afternoon, in spite of the bombing, the Canterbury lifted a further 1,960.
The development of beach evacuation is indicated by the fact that nearly
21 times the number of troops were lifted from the beaches on 29th May as compared with the number lifted on the previous day. Seventeen destroyers each made one round trip during the 24 hours of the 29th May and an eighteenth destroyer, the Icarus, made two such trips. On these trips the 18 destroyers embarked and transported to England 10,694 troops of which 6,198 were lifted from the beaches and 4,506 from Dunkirk harbour. Nine minesweepers⁶
together lifted 2,426 troops from the beaches although one of them, the Albury did not land her troops in England until the next day.⁷ Among other ships which brought back troops from the beaches was the cruiser Calcutta with
1,200.
The record of troops landed in England now stood as follows:-
From the
From the
Total for beaches harbour the day
26th May
Nil
Nil
Nil
27th May
Nil
7,669
7,669
28th May
5,930
11,874
17,804
29th May
13,752
33,558
47,310
I Report by Chantecler.
40,724. This figure probably puts does not include troops carried by foreign ships (See Prague,
3 2 D.R., D.R. p.11, which para. incidentally 38. the total of troops and casualties landed on 29th Table May 2). as
The Côte d'Argent, Killarney, King George V, Maid of Orleans, Manxman,
Javelin, Malcolm, Express, Verity, Wolsey and Marmion
Royal 5 The Daffodil, Anthony, Royal Codrington, Sovereign, Esk, Scotia, and Tynwald. Greyhound, Harvester, Intrepid, Worcester. Ivanhoe,
6 The Albury, Duchess Sabre, of Scimitar, Fife, Emperor Shikari, of Vanquisher, India, Fitzroy, Halcyon, Hebe, Leda, and Sharpshooter.
7 See Table 3, in conjunction with the reports of ships' proceedings in Vol. II.
54

CHAP. VI
THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
Ramsgate at 2200/29. situated over the engine. capable of 4 knots, also and left
Dutch eel-boats Johanna The Chantecler was only M.B. Golden Lily The and returned to harbour; and the remainder Chantecler reached and the La Panne at 0500/30.
and brought back lost troops. her in the Downs in the get over on May, and round"¹. She 30 The Johanna did not on the 30th and compass which was reached the beaches, however, revolved at 0900 slowly round her
Ramsgate on the morning on that day she was towed she had no charts, of way the 30th May. Later darkness, and returned to to the beaches by the skoot Jutland.
Troops transported on 29th May reduction in the number of destroyers and with failure to
The 29th May closed with a formidable available list of ships lost or damaged, a marked the high rate of evacuation hoped for. The effect of the day's occurrences achieve even more marked next day, when instead of the 50,000 to 60,000 British was were in fact transported.²
troops which had been calculated as the probable achievement, only 48,000 odd
Nevertheless, 47,310 troops (including some 2,000 casualties) were landed in England on the 29th May (see Table 2), 13,752 having been lifted from the beaches and 33,558 from the harbour. Only about 11/2 per cent of these were
French troops³, whose organised evacuation had not yet begun. (See Appendices Y.2 to Y.5).
During the morning and forenoon of the 29th May, when there was no bombing of Dunkirk harbour, 1Q personnel vessels⁴ lifted 14,760 troops from the east pier; during the afternoon, in spite of the bombing, the Canterbury lifted a further 1,960.
The development of beach evacuation is indicated by the fact that nearly
2½ times the number of troops were lifted from the beaches on 29th May as compared with the number lifted on the previous day. Seventeen destroyers⁵
each made one round trip during the 24 hours of the 29th May and an eighteenth destroyer, the Icarus, made two such trips. On these trips the 18 destroyers embarked and transported to England 10,694 troops of which 6,198 were lifted from the beaches and 4,506 from Dunkirk harbour. Nine minesweepers6
together lifted 2,426 troops from the beaches although one of them, the Albury did not land her troops in England until the next day.⁷ Among other ships which brought back troops from the beaches was the cruiser Calcutta with
1,200.
The record of troops landed in England now stood as follows:-
From the
From the
Total for beaches harbour the day
26th May
Nil
Nil
Nil
27th May
Nil
7,669
7,669
28th May
5,930
11,874
17,804
29th May
13,752
33,558
47,310
I Report by Chantecler.
3 D.R., which incidentally puts the total of and casualties landed on 29th Table May 2). as
2 D.R. p.11, para. 38.
40,724. This figure probably does not include troops carried by foreign ships (See Prague,
4 The Côte d'Argent, Killarney, King George troops V, Maid of Orleans, Manxman,
Royal Daffodil, Royal Sovereign, Scotia, and
Javelin, Malcolm, Sabre, Scimitar, Verity, Wolsey and Worcester. Marmion
5 The Anthony, Codrington, Esk, Express, Tynwald. Greyhound, Harvester, Intrepid, Ivanhoe,
6 The Albury, Duchess of Fife, Emperor Shikari, of Vanquisher, India, Fitzroy, Halcyon, Hebe, Leda, and Sharpshooter.
7 See Table 3, in conjunction with the reports of ships' proceedings in Vol. II.
54

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. VII
thousands of troops, tired, depressed, for the and whole without food or water for broke into a double and kept it up I length of the Eastern Arm days, more than two hours. During that period estimate that more than 15,000 for troops were embarked. The Army certainly responded splendidly".
about 2100, eight destroyers² embarked embarked east pier an aggregate and
Cdr. Maund's estimate was triumphantly from confirmed: the between 1802
and other vessels, including the skoots Reiger well and Doggersbank, also embarked
8,528 troops; four personnel vessels³ an aggregate of 5,694 troops of number of wounded.
troops, while the hospital carrier Dinard, down the pier, embarked a
Anthony and Sabre damaged to Dover was attacked by a single aircraft which dropped 5 when returnich
Of the eight destroyers referred to above, one, the Anthony, extinguished her lights, stopped her engines, and put her compasses and W/T
and the Keith escorted her into Dover.
out of action. She was subsequently able to proceed, steering by her engines, on her way to Dunkirk by Route Z, came under fire from shore batteries and
Earlier in the day another destroyer, the Sabre, when near No. 6 Calais buoy, received several hits on the bridge and upper works. A shell went through the gyro-compass, an oil fuel tank was pierced, the magnetic compass put out of action, and she had to return to Dover for repairs.
The destroyer crews, who had hardly slept since the operation began, were beginning to show signs of exhaustion, and at 2341 (May 30th) the Admiralty ordered reliefs. a spare destroyer's crew to be sent to Dover to provide temporary
Air patrols
In the air low visibility checked the enemy's activity, but as on the previous day patrols were again carried out by Fighter Command at three-or foursquadron strength, the largest number of aircraft on the line at any one time being 44, and the smallest 26. Sixteen squadrons again operated, the total number of sorties amounting to 265. Small Coastal Command patrols operated as before throughout the day along the line North Goodwins-Gravelines
Ostend, and at night the patrol over Dunkirk by single Blenheims continued but the governing factor of the air operations over Dunkirk on the 30th May was the low visibility, which restricted the enemy's activities.⁴
Summary of troops landed in England
Thus the day was one of reviving hope. It ended with the numbers going up, and a record number were embarked from the beaches. (See table P. 65).
Arrangements for evacuation of B.E.F. rearguard of the B.E.F. had attended a conference representatives with the Vice-Admiral, the Dover.
Meanwhile, during the forenoon, of Commander-in-Chief to Ist hold the as the latest reasonable date to which the gave B.E.F. daylight on be expected
The June, Commander-in-Chief's plan was explained it Saturday, eastern perimeter with an up available force of about might 4,000.
Keith 3 The (1200), Anthony Winchelsea (1137), (925) Codrington and (1100), Esk (1041), Vimy (948), Impulsive (1112),
2 I The Cdr. Maund's report (R.O.III, p.443).
4 R.A.F. Prague Narrative, (1039), P. Royal 331. Sovereign Wolsey (1502), (1065). St. Helier (2000) and Tynwald (1153).
64

THE NIGHT 2ND-3RD JUNE
CHAP. XI
Teteghem, the event this was postponed 2000 and when it took place some on a front of two miles. The until French intended to counter-attack at
There was no movement in the port. Later Admiral was in the hands of the enemy, but they had not advanced beyond. Further attacks were expected by the French this day, when the situation regarding munitions might become critical.
Sailing of the night flight from England
The movement from England towards Dunkirk commenced at 1700. The armada consisted of 13 personnel vessels, 2 large store carriers, 11 destroyers,
5 paddle minesweepers, 9 fleet sweepers, 1 special service vessel, 9 drifters,
6 skoots, 2 armed yachts, 1 gunboat, a large number of tugs, lifeboats, etc., formed either in organised tows or proceeding individually. For various reasons, however, not all of these ships evacuated troops.¹
The composition of the French contingent was not known at Dover. Actually,
3 French torpedo boats, two minesweeping trawlers, two patrol vessels, and
17 trawlers and motor fishing vessels landed troops in England on the 3rd June.
One Belgian patrol boat and 16 or 17 trawlers brought troops.
B.E.F. evacuated, 2330/2
The first destroyers to reach Dunkirk were the Sabre and Shikari, which sailed together from Dover at 1845. As the latter ship rounded No. 6 W buoy enemy shore batteries opened fire, but caused no damage. Berthing was carried out by an officer with a loud speaker at the pier head. Both destroyers sailed again at 2200, the Sabre with 500 and the Shikari with 700 troops. The
Venomous, which arrived at 2150, had difficulty in going alongside the East Pier.
This was not a solid jetty, but was built of concrete piles through which the west-going tide set. This, coupled with a fresh easterly wind, made it very
I The following ships (other than those on patrol which picked up survivors and landed them) landed troops in England on 3rd June, (numbers in brackets):-
BRITISH Destroyers - Codrington (44), Esk (500), Sabre (500), Shikari (700), Vanquisher (37),
Venomous (1500), Whitshed (82), Winchelsea (152), Windsor (1022);
Gunboat Locust (800)
Minesweepers - Albury (200), Duchess of Fife (300), Dundalk (399), Gossamer (490),
Halcyon (416), Kellett (364), Marmion (198), Medway Queen (481), Niger (430),
Oriole (750), Pangbourne (47), Speedwell (300), Westward-Ho (48);
Special Service Ship Golden Eagle (1);
Drifters - Forecast (108), Golden Sunbeam (163), Lord Howard (100), Midas (43),
Netsukis (119), Starlight Rays (319), Ut Prosim (49), Yorkshire Lass (103)
Trawler Cayton Wyke (300);
Skoot Doggersbank (50);
Yacht Sargasso (252);
Personnel ships - Côte d'Argent (955), King George V (1460), Newhaven (396),
Lady of Mann (18), Rouen (1286), Royal Sovereign (1500), St. Helier (2000),
Tynwald (1200) H.M.S. Nelson's M.B. (27)
Tugs - St. Olaves (200), Sun X (211), Sun XI (188), War Dept. M.Ls. (69)
Sailing barge Glenway (213)
R.N.L.I. Lifeboats Cecil & Lilian Philpot (51), Michael Stephens (52):
3 motor boats and launches (300).
FRENCH Torpedo boats - Bouclier (340), La Flore (410);
Destroyer Léopard (19);
S/M Chaser 6 (50, apparently disembarked at Havre);
M/S trawlers - Ste. Bernadette de Lourdes (79), Ste. Denise Louise (78);
Patrol vessels - Lucien Gougy (78), Reine des Flots (500);
17 trawlers and M.F.V's. (1663).
BELGIAN Patrol boat A.5 (229);
17 trawlers (1583).
107

THE NIGHT 2ND-3RD JUNE
CHAP. XI
also stopped off the harbour by entered orders at the 0050 harbour and had only 44 troops when she devoid of troops and was by Whitshed found Wake-Walker to return to was sailed at 0250. The Express ordered Rear-Admiral at 0200, found the pier sailed at 0245 with 82 men collected small craft. Finally, the Malcolm and Dover lay outside with orders to hail from stop other ships from entering. She with the Codrington. The and no berth on arrival at 0030
was ordered back at 0248, empty. Thus five destroyer trips were wasted.
Only the minesweepers which berthed at the inner end of the East Pier after the British rearguard had embarked, managed to collect normal quotas from the trickle of French troops.
Dunkirk was the headquarters of a French Naval Command and there was always a considerable number of French marines in evidence. But after the
British naval ratings left at 2300 there was difficulty in getting ships berthed, as the French did not replace them.
The Albury embarked 200 French troops, the Duchess of Fife 300, the Dundalk
399, the Gossamer 490, the Halcyon 416, the Kellett 350 French and 14 British, the Marmion 198, the Medway Queen 481, and the Speedwell 300. The Niger slipped at 0120 with 430 French troops. While turning an unknown French craft crossed her bows and was rammed, though apparently no damage was done to her. A few minutes later the Frenchman returned and rammed the
Niger.
Personnel ships did well. The Royal Sovereign sailed at 2205 with 1500
troops, the King George V at 2225 with 1460, the St. Helier at 2330 with 2,000.
The Côte Argent took 955 men, the Newhaven 396 French, the Tynwald 1,200, the Rouen 1,286; but the Lady of Mann was ordered back for lack of troops and took only 18 French embarked from a small boat.
Amongst the French ships the torpedo-boat Bouclier embarked 340 men and the La Flore 410. The patrol vessel Reine des Flots embarked 500 troops during a violent bombardment" and also reported air attacks (from German strays returning no doubt), en route to England, for which she sailed from
Dunkirk at 2300 on the 2nd. Seventeen French trawlers and motor fishing vessels brought off 1,662 troops and a Belgian patrol boat 229.
Summary of troops evacuated, night 2nd-3rd June
To Rear-Admiral Wake-Walker, who had worked out a programme by which 37,000 men could have been lifted, in addition to those that would get off in small craft, this had been a most disappointing night's work, owing to the long pause when the flow of men to the East Pier ceased for some hours after the British rearguard completed its embarkation, and the difficulty of getting ships berthed owing to the failure of the French to replace the British naval parties after these left Dunkirk. Between midnight on 2nd-3rd and
0300 on the 3rd a lifting capacity of about 10,000 men was left empty.
There were disembarked in England on 3rd June 26,700 troops. Of these,
British ships lifted 21,671, French ships 3,216 and Belgian ships 1,812. The great majority of these, namely 24,830, were embarked in Dunkirk harbour, principally by ships berthed alongside, though a few were ferried to ships waiting outside the port. Most of the remainder were taken out of small craft by ships which were likely to reach England with greater expedition and certainty many of these found in small craft had no doubt come off from the beaches.
109

CHAP. XI
THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
quarter of an hour later they all three proceeded, with the Holland last in the line, to carry out their part in blocking the port. As they neared Dunkirk a
"long line of destroyers came out of the harbour. " Astern of them", stated the Holland, there was a gap of over a mile and then a large and fast transport". M.A/S.B. 7 led the Holland through the gap between the destroyer line and the transport. When the latter was 6 cables away, and steaming very fast with the first streaks of dawn behind her, the danger of collision became apparent, SO the Holland sounded one blast and put her wheel hard astarboard.
Lieutenant-Commander E. C. Coats, R.N., captain of the blockship, reported that the transport had then only to alter course 5° to starboard to pass well clear. However, she appeared to alter to port", with the result that she struck the Holland hard on the bridge and just before the boiler room bulkhead. The transport, which did not appear to have sustained much damage, backed out and carried on her way. The Holland had no buoyancy in hand, and, a few seconds before she was struck, her captain ordered abandon ship", seeing that it was inevitable she would be rammed. The bows sunk at once and rested on the bottom, there being apparently only 8 feet of water under her keel;
the stern remained above water. Two seamen were crushed and seriously injured in the collision. M.A/S.B.7 took off the crew and transferred them to the Vivacious. The wreck of the Holland came within an ace of being rammed a second time, for two more ships, reported to be destroyers, passed and missed the Holland's stern by no more than a few feet.
At 0300 the blockship Westcove entered Dunkirk, followed ten minutes later by the Edvard Nissen. Both ships proceeded into the channel leading to the inner harbour. When in her allotted position the Westcove put her wheel hard astarboard to ram the Inner Western Jetty, but her bows struck mud about
50 feet from the pier, with the ship at an angle of about 30° across the channel.
By going full speed ahead on the engines, the athwartship's angle was increased to 50°.
As the Edvard Nissen came in with the intention of ramming the East Pier she endeavoured to strike the Westcove's stern a glancing blow in order to increase her angle to the channel before scuttling herself; but underestimating the strength of the ebb stream she passed close under the Westcove's stern, and rammed the East Pier abreast of the latter. Letting go an anchor, she applied full port helm with all engine power to increase the blocking angle. The
Westcove now fired her scuttling charges, which probably owing to coal gas in the bunkers, caused a large column of flame and smoke to envelop the ship's stern. When this had dissipated, the crew, who had pulled clear in their boat, saw that the Westcove had slid off the sloping bank of the channel and was lying on an even keel in the line of the piers, almost in mid stream, thus causing a minimum of obstruction. Between the sterns of the two ships there was now a gap of 80 feet which was reduced to 50 feet by heaving on a hawser run by the Edvard Nissen's motor boat from the ship's stern to the Westcove. No more could be done and the Edvard Nissen abandoned ship and fired her scuttling charges from the boat. M.A/S.B. 7 took out both ship's crews to the Vivacious.
1 No transport reported being in collision at this time and it has not been possible to identify any of the vessels concerned. The following destroyers and transports sailed from
Dunkirk at the times given destroyers - Vanquisher 0230, Whitshed 2045, Malcolm 0248,
Codrington 0250 and Express 0250; transports Newhaven (French 1,888 tons) 0245,
Tynwald (British 2,376 tons) 0300, Rouen (French, 1,882 tons time not known but ship was in Dunkirk in the early hours of 3rd June), and Côte Argent (French 3,047 tons, time not known but ship landed troops at Dover on 3rd June.)
112

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. XI
The Admiralty had already continued (2312/2) for the undertaken evacuation that ships would be night the evacuation 3rd to 4th on June, this and night. they To this the French agreed. complete on the vided and air protection now urged the French of Admiralty trops pro-
Plan for the night embarkation, the hours of 2230/3 and with such ships for
For this last and night the maximum it was decided effort to was cut to down be made, by one hour the time mained available, between to be made by personnel 0230/4. From the as re-
Pier, liftings were to be sent to the entire vessels, destroyers, and East minesweepers; be ships received, were and it was estimated that length of the pier as paddle as they could Drifters and fast thus be provided and for docks 14,000 of men. the inner harbour. small craft were to go would up to the quays be French ships, for which right latter pier the remaining would also lift ships (minesweepers the other than paddle, the beach, the Quai Félix Faure, British Avant Port (West Pier); from numbers could be estimated, were and the to New responsible for evacuation from Malo no boats. Locust was to remain loads ferried out to her by small vettes and skoots) outside and troops, receive to number of 5,000. The gunboat cor-
It was intended to employ on the work a force of 9 personnel vessels, 9
destroyers (all that were available), 4 paddle minesweepers, 7 fleet minesweepers,
9 drifters, the Locust, 2 corvettes, 4 French torpedo boats, and a number of organised motor boats flotillas including lifeboats from Ramsgate and Dover, together with a large number of French and Belgian fishing vessels. Eleven small French ships and 3 small tugs left Cherbourg for Dover on the night
2nd-3rd June; Le Havre was scheduled to send 8 trawlers, 2 minesweepers,
1 tug, and 20 small dinghies; and Fécamp sent 14 trawlers.
During the afternoon of the 3rd the French authorities transmitted the figure of French troops still remaining in Dunkirk. This was about 30,000, a proportion of whom belonged to other than combatant units. The total capacity of the lifting force, if used to the full, was 30,000, but this was about 5,000 more than the facilities within the port would permit of being embarked in 4 hours, even if the French troops moved with the greatest rapidity at all points of embarkation. On previous occasions there had been some instances of difficulty in persuading French troops to embark otherwise than as complete units.
Vice-Admiral Ramsay consequently impressed on the French liaison officers the necessity of speed, and he added a number of French officers and ratings to the augmented pier parties which were despatched to Dunkirk at 2200, in
I The following ships landed troops in England on 4th June (numbers landed in brackets)
British - destroyers Express (611), Malcolm (736), Sabre (592), Shikari (383), Vanquisher
Minesweepers Albury (400), Halcyon (501), Kellett (30), Leda (500), Medway Queen (266), ferred to trawler off Dunkirk on account of collision damage) Gunboat Locust (196)
(414), Venomous (1200), Whitshed (444); Corvettes Guillemot (460), Kingfisher (200, trans-
Princess Elizabeth (329), Queen of Thanet (150), Speedwell (396) Trawler Saturn (418)
Drifters Forecast (123), "L.H.W.D." (90) Skoots Bornrif (96), Hondsrug (308), Pascholl
(255), Ruja (300); Yacht Gulzar (140); Personnel vessels Autocarrier (712), Canterbury
Princess (659), Côte d'Argent (1349), King George V (817), Lady of Mann (1244), Newhaven (729),
(1350), Tynwald (3000); Tugs Racia (123), Sun XV (37) War Dept. M.Ls.
Maud (1270), Royal Sovereign (took the place of Manxman which refused to sail)
Pigeon (23), Swallow (23); Sailing Barge Beatrice Maud (31), Tanga not reach England until 5th and June) launches (260); R.N.L.I. lifeboats Edward Z. Dresden (50), Greater (did London (48); Motor boats
Nayland Bonny Heather (210), Diana Mary (28), Elizabeth Green (10), Meuse (50),
Coliath trawlers (355), 3 patrol vessels (836), 13 trawlers and M.F.Vs. (1416), 1104. Belgian Tug
3 M/S (55), Walker II (76). French 5 Torpedo boats 2 S/M chasers (127),
(183), 5 trawlers (554).
114

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. XII
were the trawler Saturn which An brought unknown 418 drifter troops to England, and the
Gulzar which brought 140. Maud, while brought 90, and abandoned Dover by a destroyer by her crew, on the and 5th were June. up mid-Channel and towed to boarded the sailing barge Beatrice picked in she was lying at the staff of Rear-Admiral Pier at 2230, Maintenance on
Pier for the embarkation on A. H. Taylor, "Dynamo" R.N., West
The Leda paid tribute in her this report night. to the Commander excellent arrangements at him assumed number of charge men they at the could Centre take quickly. and then Commander getting making the Troup ships French fast, officers finding to out Officer, assist the embarked at least 10,000 troops.
to embark the troops estimated that he
Embarkations at the East Pier despite a hold up which threw out the programme of ships entering the harbour
Meanwhile, there had been some heavy liftings of troops from the East Pier and caused great congestion in the entrance. The flow of French troops to the East Pier was better than on the preceding night, though there were some bad pauses.
The first ship to arrive off the pier was the destroyer Whitshed at 2215, with
Commander H. J. Buchanan, R.A.N. and pier party on board. In consequence of the fresh easterly wind and the westgoing tide the ship could not get alongside the East Pier, where there was nobody who could be persuaded to take a line.
However, after disembarking part of her pier party into Rear-Admiral Wake-
Walker's M.T.B. for transfer to the pier, she got her bows alongside the personnel ship Autocarrier and her stern alongside the Sabre and commenced embarking troops. The Sabre had been working since 30th May with a compass damaged and rendered unreliable by a shell splinter, and had been led across by the Venomous. She got away from the East Pier at 0025 with 592
troops and followed other ships towards England until they were lost to sight near U buoy at the south end of the South Falls. This was within hearing of the North Goodwin Light Vessel, which the Sabre located by sound, subsequently proceeding from buoy to buoy until she reached Dover at 0500.
When the Autocarrier left in her turn at 0035 she carried 712 French troops.
The Canterbury left ten minutes later with 659, while the Côte Argent had shoved off from the pier five minutes earlier with 1,349 troops. After these three practically simultaneous sailings of personnel ships some time elapsed before another bunch got away. The Princess Maud had berthed at the extreme end of the pier, and sailed at 0150 with 1,270 troops and dogs of all kinds" that managed to get aboard. The Lady of Mann which berthed about the time when the first three personnel vessels left, took 1,244 troops at 0200.
The Tynwald seems to have been the last to leave the East Pier. She sailed at 0305 with the record lift, only equalled by the Scotia on 29th May, of 3,000
French troops: in 4 trips she had evacuated 8,953 men. With a single exception all destroyers had now gone; the Malcolm went at 0245 with 736
troops, Vanquisher at 0240 with 414, and the Venomous, which had arrived at
0245 to find the harbour very congested and ordered to wait outside until
0130, 5 took out no less than 1,200 troops. In four was days the Venomous had made trips, evacuating 4,410 men in all, to fog, did not arrive at Dunkirk until 0230 on the 4th. She left half an hour
The British pier party was taken off by the destroyer Express which, owing later, having embarked 611 troops.
118

INDEX
I, 72n. small craft, 61.
29n, 53 (rams and sinks Queen of England).
Tilly Tolly, 71n.
Torbay 23n.
53, 60n, 74, 75n.
Tugs, Troup, use as transports, 41.
Triton, Cdr. H. R., 21, 118, 86. 128.
Twente, 20n, 24, 29n,
Two Rivers, 75n.
Tynwald, 29n, 54n, 64n, 107n, 109, 112n, 114n, 118 (record lift).
U-boats, see Submarines.
Ut Prosim, 23n, 63, 107n.
V.A. Dover, see Ramsay, Vice-Admiral B. H.
Vanguard, 60.
Vanquisher, 37-8, 54n, 55, 61, 62 (make two trips on 30th May), 87, 107n, 108 (sent back empty), 112n, 114n, 118.
Vavasour, Lt. G. W., 79-81.
Vega, 34, 42, 69.
Venetia, at Boulogne, 9-10.
Venomous, at Boulogne, 9-10; in Dynamo, 61, 101, 107-8, 114n, 118.
Vénus, sunk, 93.
Verity, at Calais, 10; in Dynamo, 13, 19, 28n, 32, 43-4, 49, 51 (reports on Dunkirk),
54n, 55.
Victor-Erna, 73n.
Viewfinder, sunk by Belgian troops, 53.
Viking, 60.
Vimiera, at Boulogne, 9-10.
Vimy, at Boulogne, 8-9; in Dynamo, 20, 23, 27-8, 62 (makes two trips on 30th May), 64n,
69 (hunts S/M.), 74 (rams and sinks Amulree), 95.
Vivacious, 23, 27-8, 45, 61 (calls for more ships and boats), 74 ( -boats), 83 (damaged),
Vincia, 71n, 90.
87, 111-2 (in Operation CK), 127.
V.T.B.25, 116 (evacuates Admiral Abrial), 120 (towed to Dover).
Vulture, 72n.
W.24, 60.
W.26, 72n.
Wakeful, 20n, 23, 24n, 27, 32, 36 (sunk), 37, 85.
Wake-Walker, Rear-Adm. W.F. (R.A. Dover) Apptd. S.N.O. Afloat, 49, 50; takes over duties, 58; tranships four times in 24 hours, 59; general policy, 71; urges M.B's. to be sent back, 74; investigates position E. of Dunkirk, 85-6; transfers to M.T.B.102,
90 clears Dunkirk of ships, 103; activities night 2/3 June, 108; on the final night,
115; effect of his arrival, 126.
Walker I, 32n.
Walker II, 32n, 114n.
Wardrop, Lt. Cdr. R. G., R.N.R., 49.
Warren, Lt. Cdr. G. H., 88.
Water supply, shortage at Dunkirk and beaches, 26, 31, 62.
Wave Queen, 72n.
Waverley, 28n, 42 (sunk), 47n.
Weather, affects boat work, 36, 48.
Weddle, S/Lt. J. S., R.N.R., 85.
Wells, Lt. J. G., 79-82.
Welman, Lt. Cdr. A. E. P., 8, 9.
Westcove, 111-2, 120.
Westella, 34n, 38 (sinking of), 69 (hunts S/M.), 110 (sunk).
Westerley, 72n.
Westward-Ho, 89 (damaged), 107n.
Weygand, General, 5, 10 (Plan), 11, 27, 96.
Whalley, Lt. 49.
Whippingham, overloaded, 87.
Whitehall, 55, 83 (damaged), 84 (shoots down bomber), 91.
White Heather, 72n.
Whitfield, Col., 22.
207