TNA MT 40 66

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During the time we were anchored in this place we could, during the
day, hear the roar and fury of the guns and mines on the French coast, the
concussion of which was shaking the "LOCHGARRY" at her anchorage twenty-one
miles away, and at night the same pounding went on with the addition of
immense fires shooting up in the sky - "Calais" on fire? I took bearings by
compass to verify this; it came out to a degree and next morning we heard the
wat" asid OMJ 202 STOW ent
news. At night the dropping of magnetic mines round about was a common
occurrence, and the rat-tat-tat of the Spitfires chasing the enemy away, until
at last nobody was going to bother getting out of his bed to see them. But
if you did get up you were sure to find you were not the only one, although
they had faithfully promised to stick to their bunks. They would be in their
stocking soles, keeking out in some corner. It would be like a great display
adw dom
of fireworks, and one would wonder how many tons of lead were active in the
sky after the minelayer, or whether he would manage to get clear.
On May 28th at 4.30 a.m. orders were received to proceed to Dover for
one
fuel and water at 6 a.m., and at 7.5 p.m. same day we loaded provisions and
made various preparations for going to Dunkirk. At 8.56 p.m. we cast off from
one
Admiralty Pier bound for Dunkirk by a certain route. The night was dark and
hazy, and when we nearly bumped up against the North Goodwin Light vessel,
which was not lit, and after a bit of shouting to the light vessel, I dropped
anchor and we were at stand-easy till 3 a.m. Having no light of any kind we
had to keep a very good lookout. We felt a mighty wash rocking the ship fore
and aft, and right close beside us five destroyers passed at full speed, without
apparently taking the slightest notice. Shortly after another large ship
was bearing down on us, and passed quite close, and after heaving up anchor we
could still see her hull faintly in the gloom. We made up on her and afterwards
learned this was the "CLAN MACALISTER" which I guessed to be going the same way
as ourselves, as by now Dunkirk was the only place on the coast where she could
be going.
At 6.48 a.m. on the 29th May we were at the West Hinder Buoy. Behind us,
tearing along at top speed, was what well may have been termed the "Channel
Fleet". the swift steamers that had left Dover in the early morning, among
them being the "KING GEORGE V". Each as they passed the "LOCHGARRY" gave us
a hearty wave of hands and bonnets. All of them soon passed; on our port
bow was a British Destroyer, and one which we recognised as the one funnel
Polish Destroyer. They were going round in a circle which was gradually
getting smaller, both of them, I believe, taking cross bearing on a submarine.
When the circle got to the smallest possible round they each dropped several
depth charges about the same spot. We were watching for wreckage, but did not
successfully. see any. This would be the smallest depth at which a submarine could operate
A while later the Mate said he saw what appeared to be a spent torpedo
on the surface, but I did not see it. But if there was a submarine in that circle
he certainly is there yet! Now we were in the channel from which the enclosed
photo was taken (bottom picture), and the Mate and I argued as to whether it
was whin bushes or men that covered the sand dunes. On looking through the
binoculars we found that what appeared to be whin bushes were really armies of
the B.E.F. It was hardly credible, but true, the beach was strewn with wrecks
of ships at all angles, and motor lorries which were hardly visible, being
camouflaged, were dashing backwards and forwards.
We steamed along the channel which was some ten miles to Dunkirk Breakwater.
The Breakwater was fully occupied when we arrived there - two and three steamers
abreast. They were the steamers that had passed on the way in, and as many
destroyers, and who would be at the outer end of the Breakwater but the
S.S. "KILLARNEY" our sparring partner. This was a great surprise. How did
she get there? We left her in Dover, and they certainly did not pass us on the
way. But the secret was that the "KILLARNEY" was not degaussed and for that
reason they came by a different route from us! She was loaded with troops to
full capacity and had a very heavy list to starboard, away from the Breakwater,
and it was apparent that there was something wrong. Her belting had caught on
the Breakwater with the falling tide; eventually the belting gave way and she
was free to go, and backed out of the Harbour, closed up to us and waved, then
full away the way she had come good luck to them.
The/