TNA MT 40 66

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STATE
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and
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ing
Frigue
the only casualty School Road,
6, School Terrace,
ODL
throughout leg all injury of these through bomb ONCHAN.
Roy
Motion
and J. Cowell who were members of the Lewis and 22nd August, 1940.
R. W. to the ship by the Southamoton 106
won't
OAL
General Manager, the enemy
Cannell, Esq., in very exposed and
VIUS
board landed, I reported the fact to the Embark- on
On Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. Ltd. aure that every
ation Officer in charge of the jetty, I then suggested to him
215
Dear Sir, or we to tow
by the steamer "FENELLA" during the evacuation of Dunkirk.
I beg to submit the following report of the part played
At about 8.00 a.m., Tuesday, 28th May, I received a signal
from the Shore Signal Station to enter Dover Harbour for orders
and to obtain fuel oil. We berthed alongside Government Quay at
about 9.00 p.m. and at 10.30 p.m. received orders that I was to
proceed alongside the oil store ship anchored in the harbour at
12.30 a.m., Wednesday, fill up with oil, then proceed for Dunkirk
to embark troops. We left the berth as ordered but when about to
berth alongside the Oiler, I was hailed by an Officer on board
and told that we were to anchor as they were not ready to receive
us alongside. They were busy oiling H.M. Destroyers at this time
and we did not get alongside until After berthing along-
side, we found that the oiler's pipe connections were not suitable
and would not couple up with our connections. This meant that we
could not take in any oil, and as there was a continual stream of
vessels coming into the Port, requiring oil and water, it seemed to
me that we would stand a poor chance of getting any oil that day,
and as my Officers and crew were anxious to make the trip to Dunkirk,
I consulted with the Chief Engineer and asked him if he considered
we could do the trip, there and back, with what oil he had on board,
and he told me that providing we steamed at a slightly reduced
speed we might just be able to manage. I then consulted the Chief
and Second Officers and we decided to proceed immediately.
We arrived off Dunkitk at about 1.00 p.m., but we were delayed from
entering the Port to avoid a heavy bombing raid which was then in
progress. When this was over, we berthed on the east side of the
East jetty and commenced to embark troops and stretcher cases
and continued to do so throughout the afternoon, the embarkation
being slowed up considerably by continuous heavy bombing attacks.
We had between six and seven hundred troops on board when the
enemy dive bombers scored a direct hit on "FENELLA's promenade
deck, doing considerable damage, at about 5.00 p.m. They also
scored a hit on the jetty causing it to split in two, parts of
the concrete being blown through the ship's side below the water
line and into the engine room which immediately began to flood
with water. Another bomb fell between the ship and the jetty, the
force of the explosion blowing out the oil cooler from the ship's
side and completely wrecking almost every pipe and pump in the
engine room, rendering the engines useless.
I inspected the damage in company with the Chief and Second
Officer - the ship was listing badly - fortunately inclining
towards the jetty - and was rapidly making water.
Our examination of the damage proved that the ship was doomed
and the only course open was to disembark all troops and abandon
ship. I instructed the O.C. troops to this effect.
As the jetty abreast of gangways had been blown away, the only
method of disembarkation was to climb over the rails on the
forecastle head which fortunately was level with the jetty.
The enemy was particularly active at this time and several times
his bombing and machine-gunning held up the disembarking of the
troops, but owing to the skilful handling of my Chief and Second
Officers, all troops and stretcher cases were safely disembarked,
1.