TNA ADM 334 83

Dr Smiths
RIS CRUISERS
FERRY ROAD ISLEWORTH MIDDLESEX
MERCURY CRUISER
She really is as attractive as she looks and the "MERCURY" has now been added to our range of standard productions and is the first to have chrome fittings. It is our aim to always have one of these little craft for immediate delivery, besides having another available for demonstrations afloat.
It will be noticed that the layout is similar to our popular 22 ft. Nipper Class, with the exception that the Galley and Cellarettes are forward of the Saloon. This layout is necessary to give the maximum width for the Bunks.
The fine lines of this Cruiser enables a much higher speed to be obtained than is usually found in a boat of this size.
Overleaf we detail the general characteristics of this vessel and in support of these we reprint extracts from the Yachting Press, which in a few words classify the quality of workmanship and general excellence of this craft.
difficulties was were a bit experienced of a breeze III regard and a little popple which on that there the morning of the 31st May, side made of it the other side on embark troops, except on the lee smooth very ship, difficult during to the previous night the used. water was so the that it did not matter which side was
It is quite clear, from the time at which the small I was
(4) warned -- for duty, that the Navy collected of us were first boats by way of intelligent anticipation, many

DISTINCTIVE FEATURE
THE MERCURY CRUISER
CHAIN
LOCKER
STABILITY
DRAWER
LOCKER
LOCKER UNDER
A 3" oak keel is carried well aft and scarphed to a proper oak stem backed by grown oak deadwoods,
LOCKER
which are through bolted to each other by means of copper bolts. The specific advantage of this keel is that it enables the boat to take the ground without damage to propeller or shafting.
EXTRACT FROM THE
YACHTING WORLD
SAFETY
0
O
DATED 6th DEC., 1938
The hull planking is through fastened with copper nails properly clenched (or riveted) on copper
SEAT
SALOON
GALLEY
WATERMOTA ENGINE
NEW 24-FOOTER WITH
cupped rooves (or washers), a detail which should not be overlooked when purchasing a boat.
COCKPIT
MOTOR CASE
TOILET
F ROM the yard of Kris
COMFORT
Cruisers, Ltd., of
Road, Isleworth, many Ferry
The large cockpit is made particularly comfortable by a leatherette cushion seat and padded back,
24' x 7' 6" x2" 6".
each motor cruisers are launched small which is arranged athwart ships at the aft end, underneath which is a locker forming an extra store go type down that the appeals estuary to the man who wants to spend some of his built little craft of are wellyear. They for spare petrol cans, ropes, fenders, etc., thus keeping the cockpit completely free for use, should conditions The latest are favourable. boat completed or round the coast sometimes when time week-ends is available on the and river, when but weather just likes the to you wish to have a meal in the open air (provision having been made for accommodating the table).
The feature of the saloon is that it is very light and well ventilated by six large opening windows, frames 10-32 h.p. and four-cylinder American elm Watermota timbers, is the with engine 24-footer mahogany shown fittings, here. cabin She sides is planked and with pitch pine on oak together with a sliding hatch over the galley, which makes the cooking very much more pleasant.
marine Equipment Ford conversion is liberal, is preferred the cost installed rises to £425. the price is only £395, cockpit or if a trim." 24 h.p. With Kris a
CONVENIENCE
followed and as Vi-spring adequate by a settee well-laid-out berths in considering cabin the comfortable with excellent the very little head moderate cabin. Right price. forward It even is a includes properly such fitted refinements
The reverse lever, together with the throttle control, is brought up close to the helmsman, and makes the boat very easy to handle in congested traffic or when passing through locks. As usual, a
From a practical cooking point facilities. The engine is under room, a low plenty casing of light at the from main the big cabin side entrance. lavatory, windows
K.C. Silencer is fitted, which eliminates an unpleasant noisy exhaust, thus enabling one to talk freely of view the cockpit is just without having to raise the voice.
the right size. It is big enough for quite a large day party, and, while it is deep enough for safety at
PROTECTION
sea, one does not sit in it so low as to lose good visi-
The engine is efficiently housed under a watertight mahogany casing. The petrol tank is fitted aft bility. Another good point, in such a manner that the copper vent pipe is outside and not inside the vessel, and so minimising really have experience showing that the designers the risk of fire. Any overflow of petrol, when filling, cannot run into the bilges. A Junior Pyrene
Fire Extinguisher is also installed.
small-boat fore cruising, is the of trunk hatch set in the raised little deck. An excellent low fore and not in the
ACCOMMODATION
ted be examined and can boat, in fact, which
Besides the two comfortable berths in the saloon, it is possible to sleep two more persons on and in a really critical tesimprovised mattresses in the cockpit with every comfort, under a specially designed awning which will emerge with credit. spirit completely envelopes the whole of the cockpit. (An extra charge of £15 is made for the awning and necessary equipment.)
[By kind permission of THE MOTOR BOAT.)
difficulties that there was were a bit the of morning a breeze of and the a 31st little May, popple which lee side made on it the of on very the other difficult side during to the embark previous troops, night except the used. water on was so smooth the that ship, it did not matter which side was
(4) It is quite clear, the from Navy the collected time at which the small I was boats first warned by way for of inte duty, lligent that anticipation, many of us were

KEEL
Abridged AND English English Specification Oak, 3". 3". SPECIFICATION of 24ft. Standard Kris
STRINGERS DECKS
B.C. Pitch Pine, Elm, 7"x If"
American English Oak, Oak.
B.C. Pine, 21" 23"
CABIN TOP SIDES
Cruise
GROVELAND HOUSE,
EGG SMITH.
TERED ACCOUNTANTS
BOW LANE, LONDON,E.C.4.
/ Larch. African
FOREDECK
African C. Mahogany,
FRANCIS LEGG.F.O.A
3rd October, 1940.
Y
AFT DECK
& +
and q".
TELEPHONE: CITY
TELEGRAMS CABLES: ACCOLEGITH,LONDON.
Parent Mahogany Brass-bound type Fire Washbasin. Single-burner Extinginisher. Panelling Teak Steering Cooking in Cabin. is Wheel. Stove. 4-cylinder The following AND BEDS Engine. Pine,
&
and
W.B.Luard Esq.,
14 Wood Lane,
Falmouth,
Patterned Vi-Spring
11". Pitch Pine. and
CORNWALL.
Dunkirk Operations.
Petrol Electric Light-three Linoleum Settees points. throughout. and Padded Backs.
28 lb. SPECIALITIES Starboard
Dear
Mr. Luard, of Notes my return of Movements which against to am it I hade but sorry
Speed: Cruising? range: consumption: knots. approx. 1 gallon 120 miles. per hour.
DATA Average Insurance: fittings throughout. Lines, Steelers. gallons.
Mop,B Galvanized Electric Boathook, Tank Underwater Stockless Horn. of Water Leaded Anchor Tank. W.C. and and Masthead 15 fathoms Electric I" Lamps. Cable.
made after many at it the dictate boat as
Chome of as the to what actually side. happened
4
PRICE
be fitted 4-cylinder there to her I to the particular: points other raised by you in but the I
E
in 24/50 of B.H.P. above. KRIS MARINE UNIT £395-0-0 £395 ALTERNATIVELY
4044) "Bonny KRISH Web ther" P CRUISERS E: (Conversion of Ford Mord M Model £425 Industrial Engine) may
0-0 only ings, 12/- cost average of cruiser policy Moor-s
War Time Now (1) Pamphlet as My notes of the THE ___???___ the themiraltycall she was not. motor in at should boats once and of add 30 said that, feet that while and mine most was of the 30,is were a standard ready (2) for sea, My own boat, fingistration as X 7'9" 14/20 X 2'6" engine is h.p., not think she the could be speed pushed supplied about much
LIMITED
7
over
Hea to the 8 8. provisions, but we water was absolutely we and did not, charts in the wasted. were fact, others use down flags by charts the in High boat had a ___???___ complete set of code signing of on
104
the My locker, of the as Port just of the the I could on the megaphone. lamp flashers the no at hailing difficulties.wers the I on to and the this this point in use is covered regard and the was the a 31st used. little to water on by May, weather, the the popple was which lee Notes, so side except made on smooth of it very the that ship, it did It not is quite which of the us small I were was first boats (4).- warned by way for of the

Dunkirk Operations.
May/June, 1940.
Addenda to Note of Movements by B.A.Smith, owner and
Master, M.C.Constant Nymph, Little Ship Club.
Nothing was heard of Constant Nymph, although I had several sources of enquiry looking for her, except a statement from a man I knew slightly that he had met a man who lived at Broadstairs who told him that Constant
Nymph had been brought over by some French soldiers who had been left behind at Dunkirk, and was stranded at
Broadstairs.
This seemed a very unlikely story as she was last seen in the custody of the Royal Navy who were not likely to have abandoned a boat on the other side which was in a condition to be brought over under her own power. I therefore did not go down to Broadstairs to verify.
As it turns out, this statement seems probably true because the boat was at Broadstairs in fact, and found there by Tuffs of Teddington who were going round collecting these boats with a tug and on the 11th July I had a letter from Tuffs saying that they towed Constant Nymph back from
Broadstairs and recognising her as a Ohris Cruiser's boat they had turned her over to moorings at Thris Cruiser's Yard.
On the 12th July I was over at Isleworth bright and early to see the boat and found her sound in hull, and apparently, reasonably sound in engine, but otherwise badly battered and stripped of everything movable. She bore every evidence of having been used for further embarkation work in charge of somebody who had very little experience of motor boat handling, she had evidently been brought alongside repeatedly in a very clumsy manner. This appearance from the damage, to the covering boards, and edging, and the splitting of the work of the starboard panel of the cabin trunk was later confirmed by the state of the gear box, the damage to which was such as would not be caused to a considerable extent by putting the engines ahead und the astern without throttling down sufficiently at the change over.
There was ample evidence that she had been occupied by
French and British soldiers, some of the things left scattered about were undoubtedly French equipment and a pair of battle dress leggings were undoubtedly British.
The boat was in a filthy state but I imagine the local long-shoremen at Broadstairs were the gentry responsible for a large amount of the looting which had been done. I cannot imagine a soldier taking away a compass weighing 7 lbs. as a souvenir, nor do I imagine soldiers wanted all mynavipation books restruments and all my rope or my side lights, or the two gallon alluminium water jar.
The boat has now been repaired and looks pretty much her old self again although I am still awaiting delivery of a new compass and lead.
16th August I was awarded the D.S.M. for work at Dunkirk,
30th September, Constant Nymph was moved up to Chertsey to take over night patrol work on the up-river section of the
Home Guard, the River Section reserve the Little Ship Club, which I had been in from the start, having been dispanded.
Bad

OREGO
OF
-2-
at could the not basin get anybody to sign me on I was basin with a and by about 18.00 was making signed on and back my little petrol, water breaker and enough tank and deck cargo of crew di two young ratings, a full my way out of the very overcrowded. small sacks of potatoes - raw. The boat lump seemed of raw beef, and two gang for about a week, including provisions a large to last
These and told me that we had got to tow a navy cutter hailed, to us
As we passed out of the basin the Commodore tow nearly as much as my own little craft and had very thick new were brand new boats, fully squipped and weighing Sheerness. pretty that considerable misgivings and was truly grateful for the fact ropes. I must admit that I regarded this idea with my boat had Samson posts and not cleats.
trusting to luck for the rest. The faster boats, which out for Ramsgate, having our own chart of the Estuary and
Orders being orders, we took the cutter in tow and dug also of the bigger and less burdened by their cutters, got were out sight about dusk and another motor cruiser about the in sight. The launch was having continuous engine trouble size as my own and an open launch were the only vessels same left but the other motor cruiser was having a little trouble I
Before it became quite dark a drifter turned up from Sheerness turned back and closed them so that we could keep together. so und informed us that she had been sent out to look after the motor boats. Her Captain decided to anchor for the night and we tacked on to him. The occupants of the open launch went remained on my boat and slept between the intervals of on beard the drifter for the night but my crew and myself up for on deck to be sick, as it was by no means a comfortable popping lie a 24 foot boat under five tons in weight.
the drifter kindly suggesting that she should take the and,
We got under way early in the morning of the 29th and cutters and the defective launch in tow, the other motor three cruiser the reason for these mine sailed independently but keeping more or less company ahead with the drifter until off the Foreland, when in went bright argestions a bit as the course was clear and there was we has never been drifters shipping to indicate safe channels. The number of plenty busy little of explained to me, should about was amazing, one stopped us and but it was very sue weather any how.
trip, so we continued on our way until another stopped the and go to Belgium but could not supply the petrol suggested for we suggested we should go to Holland and offered to take us to tow, be and provide petrol from somewhere later. As this us appeared in when ropes and were towed some miles in the direction of Holland an order from a superior officer we accepted their tow after a Dostroyer had an "Aldis" conversation with the was really had a mine-sweeper and had got to go and sweep mines, which the latter informed us in a kindly manner that Drifter, he so we better double back to Ramsgate on our own and us a course. We arrived at Ramsgate and got tied up in the gave outer harbour in time for a late lunch and I then made engiries about the job in hand.
The course changed sweral times, on
I found that the course to Dunkirk then in operation had would take MO the best part of 24 hours, as I could not count grown to be a round trip of 140-150 miles and as such a trip account fields of mine on doing maximum speed and should have to consider petrol in
15 men, all my boat would hold, was not good business. The any case, 1t seemed to me that a mere dash over to rescue about
Commander whom I saw on the point, like all the Naval Officers with whom we had any dealings, was just as helpful as was possible and agreed with me that the best use for my boat was to go over with two Navy rowing boats in tow to a ship so that we could operate on the beach and fill the ship. After a few enquiries I was told to rendez-vous outside the harbour at
09.30 on Thursday, 30th May, and accordingly had a good night's

M.Y. SUNDOWNER.
tor Cruiser 59 ft overall, I2ft beam, 5ft Draft, 26tons registered.
tons gross, 72 H.P. Cylinder Gleniffer Deisel giving a speed of IO knots.
My ledest son, F. Roger Lightoller and I with one Sea Scout (Eerald Ashwell)
took her out of her winter quarters at Cubitts Yacht Basin Cheswick on the
31st May at II.am, and proceeded according to instructions towards Southend where we arrived at midnight, first of about 40 boats that mustered at
Westminster.
At 3.15 a.m. April Ist we left Southend in company with five others. Arriving off Ramsgate I asked for orders and was instructed "Proceed to Dunkirk for further orsers." As my charts were somewhat antiquated, I asked --
fortunately -- if I could scrounge one a little more up-to-date, and on entering the harbour was presented with a set complete with Secret Sailing
Instructions, giving -- as I expected, route, buoys, channels etc.
We left Ramsgate at IO am by the route laid down and half way across avoided a floating mine by a narrow margin. Having no fire arms of any description -- not even a tin hat -- we had to leave the matter of its destruction to someone better equipped. A few minutes later we had our first introduction to enemy aircraft, three fighters flying high. Before they could be offensive, a British Destroyer -- Worcester, I think -- overhauled us and drove them off. At 2.25 pm. we sighted and closed the 25ft Motor Cruiser "Westerly" broken down and badly on fire. As the crew of two (plus three naval ratings she had picked up in Dunkirk) wished to abandon ship -- and quickly -- I went alongside and took them aboard, thereby giving them the additional pleasure of once again facing the hell they had just left.
We made the fairway buoy to the Roads shortly after the sinking of a French transport with severe loss of life. Steaming through the wreckage -- and ther things -- we entered the Roads.
or sometime past we had been subject to sporadic bombing and machine-gun re but as the Sundowner is exceptionally and extremely quick on her helm, waiting till the last moment and then putting the helm hard over -- my on at the wheel -- we easily avoided every attack though sometimes nearly lifted out of the water.
It had been my intention to go right on to the Beaches, where my second son
2nd Lt R. Trevor Lightoller had been evacuated some 4' hours previously.
But those of the "Westerly" informed me that the troops were all away from there, so I headed up for Dunkirk Piers. By now dive bombers seemed to be forever dropping out of the cloud of enemy aircraft overhead. Within half a mile of the pier heads a two funnelled transport had overhauled us on a converging course and was just passing us to port when two salvoes were ropped in quick succession right along her port side. For a few moments ne was completely hidden in smoke and I certainly thought they had got her.
it she re-appeared out of the smoke gaily steaming on and heading for the ers which she entered just ahead of us.

M.Y. SUNDOWNER.
tor Cruiser 59 ft overall, I2ft beam, 5ft Draft, 26tons registered.
tons gross, 72 H.P. Cylinder Gleniffer Deisel giving a speed of IO knots.
My ledest son, F. Roger Lightoller and I with one Sea Scout (Eerald Ashwell)
took her out of her winter quarters at Cubitts Yacht Basin Cheswick on the
31st May at II.am, and proceeded according to instructions towards Southend where we arrived at midnight, first of about 40 boats that mustered at
Westminster.
At 3.15 a.m. April Ist we left Southend in company with five others. Arriving off Ramsgate I asked for orders and was instructed "Proceed to Dunkirk for further orsers." As my charts were somewhat antiquated, I asked --
fortunately if I could scrounge one a little more up-to-date, and on entering the harbour was presented with a set complete with Secret Sailing
Instructions, giving -- as I expected, route, buoys, channels etc.
We left Ramsgate at IO am by the route laid down and half way across avoided a floating mine by a narrow margin. Having no fire arms of any description -- not even a tin hat -- we had to leave the matter of its destruction to someone better equipped. A few minutes later we had our first introduction to enemy aircraft, three fighters flying high. Before they could be offensive, a British Destroyer -- Worcester, I think -- overhauled us and drove them off. At 2.25 pm. we sighted and closed the 25ft Motor Cruiser "Westerly" broken down and badly on fire. As the crew of two (plus three naval ratings she had picked up in Dunkirk) wished to abandon ship -- and quickly -- I went alongside and took them aboard, thereby giving them the additional pleasure of once again facing the hell they had just left.
We made the fairway buoy to the Roads shortly after the sinking of a French transport with severe loss of life. Steaming through the wreckage -- and ther things -- we entered the Roads.
or sometime past we had been subject to sporadic bombing and machine-gun re but as the Sundowner is exceptionally and extremely quick on her helm, waiting till the last moment and then putting the helm hard over -- my on at the wheel -- we easily avoided every attack -- though sometimes nearly lifted out of the water.
It had been my intention to go right on to the Beaches, where my second son
2nd Lt R. Trevor Lightoller had been evacuated some 4' hours previously.
But those of the "Westerly" informed me that the troops were all away from there, so I headed up for Dunkirk Piers. By now dive bombers seemed to be forever dropping out of the cloud of enemy aircraft overhead. Within half a mile of the pier heads a two funnelled transport had overhauled us on a converging course and was just passing us to port when two salvoes were ropped in quick succession right along her port side. For a few moments ne was completely hidden in smoke and I certainly thought they had got her.
it she re-appeared out of the smoke gaily steaming on and heading for the ers which she entered just ahead of us.