TNA ADM 234 360

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. V
the Vega and the Polish Blyskawica two were destroyers diverted from them to the
On patrol this day with these and eleven A/S trawlers². were the
A/S Thomas Chief 4 Widgeon, survivors. Owing trawler Skipper Bartlett, to Sheldrake, Thuringia a D. misunderstanding which W. Shearwater L. were was Simpson, sunk in company, by the D.S.C., a LL mine carried trawlers D.S.M., early out in R.N.R., Our the a sweep Bairns, a was in not Dunkirk Inverforth among Captain, and the instead of sweeping the war channel. These to vessels were shelled off Calais; roads ran on to a British minefield, and, striking 1017, sank with the guns, loss and the Thomas Bartlett, while endeavouring a mine get at out of range of the of 8 of her crew³.
During the night of 28th/29th May, to strengthen this patrol, all available
M.T.B.'s of the Nore and Dover Commands were ordered to patrol north-east of the line Wandelaar L/V and Whistle Buoy.
Summary of troops landed in England
The figures for May 28th gave grounds for hope. 17,804 troops were transported to England⁴ (of which 11,835 were transported by destroyers). Of these, 11,874 were lifted from Dunkirk east pier, and 5,930 from the beaches.
(See Table 2).
Ships lost or damaged on 28th May
LOST
DAMAGED
The A/S trawler Thuringia
The destroyer Windsor.
The drifter Ocean Reward
The M/S Brighton Belle
LL trawler Thomas Bartlett
P/V Queen of the Channel
The skoot Alice
The H/C Isle of Thanet
Stella 2 Dorado, Wyke, Kingston Alalite, being damaged Galena, Saon, Spurs,
I 2 The The Windsor Cayton had returned to Dover after in an air attack at 1145.
4 D.R. Report gives by Westella, C.M.S., 14,409, Dover Blackburn (R.O. Rovers, II, p.498). Kingston Lady Philomena Andalusite, and Kingston Thuringia.
disembarked by the various but this ships, figure as shown is not in confirmed Tables See also 2 and by Appx. the 3. recorded J.12 numbers of troops
34

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. VI
and abandoned her.
The Pangbourne slipped the tow, Fields' ship's company
Fields (in approx. position 51° 20' N., took 02° off 05' the E) Gracie reported that she was sinking.
Grenade damaged the Express (with 500 troops she and embark picked more up Bray beach) entered
Meanwhile, at about the time that had the Jaguar from had left Dunkirk harbour, so, to berth however, alongside near-missed the previously the Grenade ahead mentioned and astern. second Only air troops. splinters attack took Before place, she could and the do it
Express, but the Grenade was damaged harbour. some casualties. The Express
Express was and had came on board the thereupon cleared out of the
Greyhound severely damaged, Nautilus sunk
Anthony, which left La Panne for Dover at 1525 with 550 troops, was bombed
The bombing between 1530 and 1600 was widespread¹. The destroyer at 1555 (and 1645), but the bombs fell wide. Off La Panne, at about 1600, high level bombing attack was made on the destroyer Greyhound, on the mine- a sweepers Sutton and Salamander, and on the paddle-minesweeper Sandown.
The Sutton was straddled but no damage was done. In the dive-bomb attack which followed, however, the Greyhound was severely damaged by 2 near misses, and had 90 casualties, 20 of which were fatal. The Sp. S/V
Royal Eagle, which was assisting in rescue work, escaped damage, but the trawler Nautilus, which had already ferried some 600 troops from the beach, was straddled by bombs and had her engines and steering gear put out of action.
Making water rapidly, she managed to get alongside the Greyhound and transfer to her the 150 troops she was carrying. The Nautilus, already 6 feet down in the water and sinking, was then abandoned and set on fire.
The Greyhound limped back to Dover carrying 506 troops, but for 4 hours of the passage she was in tow of the Polish destroyer Blyskawica which had been on patrol with the destroyer Vega in the vicinity of the West Hinder buoy.
The Greyhound took no further part in "Dynamo."
Waverley sunk
Meanwhile, at about 1630, the Cyclone left the harbour with 500 troops on board en route for Dover. Near Kwint Bank buoy she saw the minesweeper through her bottom, leaving a hole about 6 feet in diameter. Four of the 600
Waverley sinking; a bomb had struck her on the port quarter and passed right troops she had embarked from La Panne beach were killed and a number wounded. When the Waverley sank, many of her troops were left swimming or trying to keep afloat, but the numbers thinned out considerably within 15/20
minutes². Golden The Cyclone picked up 158. About hour later the Sp. S/V
picked up a few more.
Eagle picked up 285 and, guided by a plane, an the tug Java and 2 drifters
Canterbury damaged
1,960 While these air attacks had been going on the had embarked troops from the east pier. During a brief lull Canterbury in the bombing, at about hours, 1" From to the the effect vessels that off-shore there came a series of 1545 and 1555
attacks (R.A.F. 2 seem Narrative, to have p.327). begun the at anchorages about 1430 at Bray when and none La Panne of signals, our were aircraft between being were bombed. on the line. These
Report by the Captain of the Waverley.
42

FRIDAY, 31ST MAY
CHAP. VIII
Cyclone, was on her way to Dunkirk when, apparently between T buoy and the
West Hinder, the track of a torpedo was seen at 0121 crossing from port to starboard 10 yards ahead; a minute later another track was seen to port, and although avoiding action was taken the torpedo struck forward and considerably damaged her, but the Cyclone was still able to steam and she proceeded back to Dover at 4 knots escorted by an English vessel; later, the
French torpedo boat Bouclier and then the French minesweeper Arras took over the duty of escort. The Cyclone reached Dover at 1600, having transferred two serious casualties to an English M/B while on passage. She took no further part in "Dynamo".
Siroco sunk
At 0145, some 20 minutes after this attack, the French destroyer Siroco, on her way to Dover with 770 troops from Dunkirk, was hit near T buoy by 2
torpedoes fired by an E-boat which had stopped and was unseen in the darkness; the destroyer Vega, on patrol 4 miles to the south-east, saw a column of flame 200 feet high. The Siroco capsized shortly after. Survivors to the number of 252 were picked up, 50 by the trawler Wolves, 21 by the trawler
Stella Dorado, 166 by the corvette Widgeon and 15 by the Polish destroyer
Blyskawica.
At 0700, the Vega, which had been on patrol since noon 28th May, was relieved by the destroyer Jackal.
It was on this morning that clear evidence of the presence of enemy submarines was obtained, for the Vimy, en route to Dunkirk, sighted the periscope and conning tower of one between the North Goodwin buoy and the North-
West Goodwin buoy. A depth charge was dropped, and a hunt began in which the trawlers Westella and Spurs, the corvette Sheldrake, and the Jackal joined, but without success.
Conditions on the beaches
Meanwhile, conditions on the beaches were by no means favourable. Already at 0400 a lop had started. At about 0600 the R.N.L.I. life boat Lord Southborough was ferrying troops to the destroyer Icarus off Bray. 'There was a nasty surf," said the coxswain of the life boat. "Troops were rushing out to us from all directions and were being drowned close to us and we could not get to them it seemed to me we were doing more harm [than good] by drawing the men off the shore, as with their heavy clothing, the surf was knocking them over and they were unable to get up.
The whaler from the destroyer.
was swamped, so was the motor pinnace that was working with the whaler, and so it was all along the sands as far as I could see, both sides of us, and there was not a boat left afloat".
At 0600 also, Lt. Col. R. L. Hutchins, M.C., Grenadier Guards, in command of the War Department motor launch Swallow, arrived off Dunkirk, and described the situation as follows: Dunkirk was under a pall of smoke from fires which appeared to be mainly to the south and west of the port. There were numerous wrecks outside the harbour, and along the beaches. There were large numbers of troops on the shore as far as it was possible to see to the eastward, and the beach was strewn with all forms of motor transport. Along the foreshore were a very large number of pulling boats, aground, capsized or damaged, and abandoned. There were also a considerable number of motor
I Appendix J.2.
69

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