TNA MT 40 66

ING
PART
VF ELS TAKING PART IN THE DUNKIR
QUA
Master
Owners.
Tug
SUN"
H. Cole x
W.H.J. Alexander & Co. Ltd
1019128
"SUN III"
F. Russell
X
do
"SUN IV"
C. ALexander
X
do
"SUN V
W. Mastin
X
do
"SUN VII"
G. Cawsey do
"SUN VIII"
S. Smith do
"SUX X"
W. Fothergill
Latter is. Gamern do
Stm Tommis Co.
SUN XI"
J. Lukes x
do
X.
"SUN XII"
(Mee) B. Mastin X Litter to Was washin, na)
do
Actician
"SUN XV"
mate,
J. Belton
X
do
XX08SAXX
XXXXXXXX
Elliot Steam Tug Co., Ltd
"CONTEST"
H. Bates x
/
"CHALLENGE"
C. Parker x
do or
"FOSSA"
G. Finch x
Gaselee & Son, Ltd.
"BETTY"
G. Leeks
X
do nsit rk's ials
"CRESTED COCK"
T. Hills
X
The Gamecock Steam Tow
"OCEAN COCK"
A.V. Mastin x
do my
WATERCOCK
W. Fothergill (This Tug went to do Dover only
FOREMOST 87"
J. Fryer
Managed by W. Watkins, Lt.
"FAIRPLAY ONE"
S. Wright & G. Finch do
(1084
"CERVIA"
W. Simmonds
William Watkins, td.
992,000
Gpt
"DORIA"
(REG
A. Mastin do
"FABIA"
F. Smith do
"GONDIA"
C. Pratt do
"HIBERNIA"
B. Youseman
X
do
"JAVA"
W. Jones
X
do
For
(Continued)

COPY OF REPORT.
65
(DOVER HARBOUR TO DUNKIRK &
RETURN TO GRAVESEND)
Tug "CERVIA."
154
31st May, 1940.
Wind Light West.
We left Dover Harbour at 9-45 p.m. towing sailing barge
ROYALTY" part loaded with cans of fresh water and provisions, bound for alo, Dunkirk. "e were in company with Tug "PERSIA", towing two sailing
Darges. It was pitch dark towing up through the Downs and we had to keep our navigation lights burning on account of the number of H.M.
Destroyers which we kept meeting.
1st June, 1940. (Saturday).
About 12-30 a.m. we should have been abrest the North Goodwins
Light Vessel, but we could not find it and we set our course from the
Gull Light Buoy. S.E.4 E.24 miles to tow to the Ruytingen Pass Light
Buoy which we passed about 5-0 a.m. The stern barge of the "PERSIA'S"
tow had broken adrift twice on the way accross on account of the heavy wash from the passing Destroyers, and we had to ease in and wait for
"PERSIA" whilst he picked her up. From the Ruytingen Pass Buoy we steerëd a course S toward No. 5. Buoy in the West Dunkirk Roads, All sorts of craft were coming round the buoy all fully loaded with troops, and a batch of about 20 Belgium motor fishermen bore down on us, the leader asking us the way to England. I sang out the course and told him to follow the other traffic and he would be all right. I heard afterwards that they all passed over the Goodwin Sands on the High time Water and landed their troops and refugees safely on this side. We had to ease down many times whilst towing up the Dunkirk Roads as the Destroyers and
Cross Channel pakkets were coming down from the Mole in a 20 knot procession, but we had a good towrope and it held on.
The oil works to the west of Dunkirk Harbour were on fire and a black pall of smoke hung over the town. As we passed the pierhead,
Destroyers were embarking troops and some were backing out of the harbour.
The "PERSIA" was now about 2 miles astern of us, and about a mile East of the Pierhead we gave our barge a good full speed tow and he slipped the towrope and steered her head first up on the shore at Malo, at 7-20 a.m.
We dropped our anchor and watched the barge. Soldiers began to rund down the beach towards her, but guns started to bang away on the oubskirts of Dunkirk and an air raid siren blew and the soldiers went back to shelter.
A British Destroyer outside of us began to fire at the enemy planes and bombs began to fall near her as she steamed about. At full speel with her helm hard to port nine bombs fell in a line in the water, along her starboard side, and they exploded under water, heeling the
Destroyer over on her beam ends, but she was righted again and a sloop joined in the gun fire, also shore batteries, and as the raiders made off they over towards the land they machine gunned us and we returned the fire with our Lewis gun.
I immediately hove up our anchor and kept the Tug underwigh as I could see we were likely to get run down whilst the destroyers were twisting and turning to clear the bombs. I paddled in towards the shore a bit, as I could see our crew of the barge and the soldier stevedores were rowing off in their boat towards us. I picked them up, also boat and crew of barge "DUCHESS" that had anchored in the Roads, and then the next wave of bombers were overhead.
(Continued)

COPY OF STATEMENT.
(2)
155
HMS keith
Steam and smoke were coming away from the Destroyer, and she n to take a list. I began to run towards her, as also did the Tug
ABBS", but the planes were bombing her again, intent on finishing off, so we had to sheer away from her. Her guns were going all time as she steamed round and round, but she stopped as she must re been hit again. She let go her anchor and swing round to head the tide, as the crew began to take to the boats and rafts we made r her again. As the bombers came over and machine-gunned the crew
3 they were all jumping overboard and the Tug "VINCIA", which was oming in the Bast end of the Roads began to pick them up, and the
'ST. ABBS" had got alongside her starboard bow and the sloop was also going to their assistance, so I turned rouried to a motor boat full of soldiers and picked them up.
lvanhoe
At this time I could see that another Destroyer had been disabled to the West of the Harbour, and a 'plane had just dropped a bomb on a small oil tanker astern of the "VINCIA" which went up in flames.
A direct hit on the stern of the sinking Destroyer blew up her depth charges and we made to the sailing barge #TOLLESBURY" which was signalling us. We went alongside of her and were requested to tow her out of it as she had over two hundred soldiers under her main hatch.
We passed the motore lifeboat "ORIENT IV" on to her stern and began to tow her down the Dunkirk Roads.
A Cross-Channel boat was backing out of the Harbour full of troops, and no more troops were to be seen on the Pierhead, when,
West of the Pierhead we saw that the "PERSIA" had the other disabled
Destroyer in tow and he was blowing for us. But we could not catch him as the Destroyer had one engine going as well.
The "VINCIA" by this time, was passing us with her decks laden with survivors of the sunken Destroyer, and as we all came to
No. 5 W. Buoy to turn out to sea, here the gun fire from shore batteries and Destroyers and trawlers was terrific as about 20 planes flew towards us to try and stop us getting away. The "PERSIA's" Destroyer put up a smoke screen, and we watched nine bombs fall from a plane and drop right alongside a Cross-channel boat that was bound in, but she kept going. Then a plane over us released five bombs and we watched them fall and they dropped in to the sea about 100 feet on our port bow, lifting the Tug bodily out of the water. Another bomb was aimed at the "PERSIA" which missed and must have put water on her deck, and yet another was aimed at the "VINCIA" which also missed. The Lewis gun on our barge was going all the time with ours.
A squadron of our planes was coming over and the Enemy 'planes began to turn away. A bomb exploded between a Sloop towing a disabled
Destroyer, and I think it must have parted the towrope as I could see they were trying to get connected again soon afterwards. The "PERSIA"
and Destroyer began to draw away from us, also the "VINCIA", and we continued on our tow.
A mine was exploded near us by a navy motor boat and when we arrived in the Downs we were met by the examination Tug "JAVA" about
3-0 p.m. and were ordered to Ramsgate. "e hove barge up alongside and anchored at Quern Buoy 4-45 p.m. where a motor boat launch came off and took ashore about 100 troops and returned for the others, with orders for us to tow barge to Gravesend.
In all, we brought about 230 troops out of Dunkirk, the Barge
"TOLLESBURY" and crew, and crew of "DUCHESS" and crew and Soldier stevedores of "ROYALTY" and Motor boat "ORIENT IV". We andored at Southend
10-0 p.m. and proceeded to Gravesend at 7-0 a.m. on Sunday 2nd June, arriving at Lobster Buoy with "TOLLESBURY" 9-30 a.m. Went to Pier and handed "ORIENT IV" over to Custom House,
(Signed) W.H. Simmons.
Master of Tug "CERVIA".