TNA MT 40 66

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Telegrams: "DICK, LONDON," & CHALLENGE, GRAVESEND."
THE ELLIOTT STEAM TUG 00. LIMITED.
Telephones:
London, Royal 2908 (2 lines)
Gravesend, 54 Gravesend x
60, Fenchurch Street,
London, 21st June
19 1940
E.C.3.
And at TERRACE PIER, GRAVESEND.
The Private Secretary,
Ministry of Shipping,
Berkeley Square House, W 1.
Dear Sir,
We beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 19th instant enclosing two letters addressed to the Officers in command of our tugs "CHALLENGE" and
"CONTEST" in the recent evacuation from Dunkirk.
We are forwarding the letters to Capt
Parker and Capt Bates respectively.
We remain, Dear Sir,
Yours faithfully,
For The Elliott Steam
Mo Tug Co P Limited.
Joint Manager.
ALL WORK UNDERTAKEN BY US IS SUBJECT TO THE UNITED KINGDOM STANDARD TOWAGE CONDITIONS.
apt R.

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)

you
REPORT OF PART PLAYED BY H.M.H.C. "ISIE OF GUERNSEY"
in the evacuation of Dunkirk.
26th May 1940
Having received orders from Dover at noon, we proceeded towards Dunkirk in company with the Hospital Carrier "Worthing" and Transport "Monas Queen", following the route given by the Naval Authorities. At approximately 4.0 p.m. as we approached Calais, which lay in ruins under a heavy pall of smoke, two British destroyers crossed our bows, hove to and commenced shelling the shore Batteries who promptly returned the challenge. To avoid this No Mans land we were forced to Deviate, as our proper course would have taken us between the combatants. Whilst carrying out this manouvre, enemy planes appeared and commenced bombing the convoy but none of the three vessels were struck, although bombs fell very close.
Arriving off Dunkirk, which was under an even heavier pall of thick black smoke than id
Calais, we manouvred our way inside through the various wrecks of vessels which had been struck by bombs and the "Worthing" having been made fast to the Quay we moored alongside her. A few moments after our arrival streams of motor ambulances arrived threading their on way through the columns of troops who were not so seriously wounded and were able to walk. ne
Loading was commenced immediately and every member of the ships Crew assisted in stretcher t bearing so as to facilitate the loading. By 9.55 p.m. both Hospital Carriers were loaded is with as many as they could take, the "Isle of Guernsey" having 346 cases on board, and as ond her number of cots is only 203, many of these cases were accommodated in between the cots r, on the deck along corridors, in fact wherever it was possible to put a stretcher. The ck voyage back to Newhaven, via Dover passed without incident and was completed by 4.53 a.m.
on the 27th May. At 11.47 a.m. on the same day, unloading having been completed, Water, provisions and Oil fuel taken aboard we proceeded to Dover for orders.
X
May 29th 1940.
At 5-16 p.m., having received orders, we proceeded towards Dunkirk, following a course which took us well clear of Calais. At 7-12 p.m. we stood off for a while because of an engagement between aircraft and a British destroyer immediately in our track. At
7.30 p.m. an airman was observed descending by parachute close ahead of us and the vessel was stopped to savePhim. One of the seamen went down a rope ladder to assist the ariman, but before he reached the bottom, 10 enemy planes attacked the Ship with bombs cannon and machine guns. By a miracle none of the bombs struck the ship, although considerable damage was done by the concussion, shrapnel, cannon shells and machine gun bullets.
British fighter planes drove off the enemy and we proceeded towards Dunkirk with a terrific air battle taking place overhead. Arrived off the port at 8-20 P.m. we found it was being bombed and shelled, and we had orders from the shore to keep clear. Returning along the channel in company with two destroyers, we later received orders to wait until darkness had fallen and then return to Dunkirk, At 11-30 p.m. we entered between the breakwaters, the whole place being brilliantly lit up by the glare of fires, burning oil tanks etc., and managed to moor up alongside what was left of the quay at 12-30 a.m.
Loading commenced at once and by 2-15 a.m. we had taken on board as many as we could numbering 490. All the crew and R.A.M.C. personnel behaved lendidly throughout, carrying on with their duties and doing their utmost to load the ship as quickly and as fully as possible, although the ship was shaken every few minutes by the explosion of bombs falling on the quay and in the water. Leaving the quay at 2-15 a.m. we proceeded out of the harbour and just outside we found the sea full of men swimming and shouting for help, presumably a transport had just been sunk. As two destroyers were standing by picking these men up, we threaded our way carefully through them and proceeded towards
Dover. It would have been fatal for us to attempt to stop and try to save any of these men, as we made such a wonderful target for the aircraft hovering ahead, with the flames of the burning port showing all our white paintwork up. Everything was comparatively quiet on the way across, except that just before we got to Dover, a patrol boat headed us off as we were heading straight for a recently laid minefield. Arriving off Dover at
7.0 a.m. we received orders to proceed to Newhaven and arrived at that port at 11-15 a.m.
No further trips were made to Dunkirk, because by the time our damage had been repaired, the evacuation was completed.
(Signed) E. Hill
(Signed) R.F. Pembury
Master
Chief Officer.

TTOA TO THE
222
-2-
a Naval Officer came off with orders for Captain Cassidie and myself from the Admiralty. I was to proceed at once as near Dun-
OF
kirk as possible, there discharge the A.L.C., and their crews, and then it was suggested that I might make a rendezvous with Captain
CANADA
Cassidie where the boats, if damaged, could come and be repaired.
These were verbal orders. I was given a route through the
Downs to Dunkirk also the position of some dangrous wrecks. I
did not like proceeding in the dark through the Downs among those wrecks and so many ships at anchor without lights, and I told
Captain Cassidie that I should have had a pilot. The Naval Officer had departed by this time. I laid down on the Chart all the route and the wrecks and I told Captain Cassidie again that I did not like the job in the dark. He then said "If you don't like to go, Captain, give me a course to steer and put the boats in the water and I'll take them across". I felt that was a challenge to our ability, so started to heave up right away and was underweigh by l.a.m. on the 29th. I picked our way through the Downs, narrowly missing one of the wrecks to the westward of the Goodwin
Sands. At 3.30 a.m. we heard an S.O.S. -"Unknown steamer torpedoed at Kaempfe Bouy" and, as our route was to pass south of that buoy, I wanted to avoid the area and asked permission from a
Patrol Vessel to steer direct for Dunkirk across a "Forbidden to
Anchor" area, but he said "No". I spoke to Captain Cassidie and he/
All the Engineers dia excellent work at and we understand the 4th Engineer (A.M. Rivett) manned a Bren
Gun, by permission of the Chief Engineer, with effect on enemy planes.
The Chief Steward E.u.Onions, 2nd Steward J.F.Brown and
Purser D.D. McMahon we understand aid heroic work in tending to the woundea, there being no Doctor on board.
ALL the medical Supplies and other consumable stores of our Catering Department were used to give Medical Comfort to the rescued.