TNA / MT 40 66

TNA MT 40 66

Collection details

TNA MT 40 66

Ministry of Transport records containing a Dynamo vessel list and reports from masters and crews engaged in the evacuation, covering 1940–1947.

Holding archive: TNA
Collection reference: MT 40 66

View the archive catalogue entry ↗

Source: The National Archives, Kew, MT 40/66. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing only pages tagged with the vessel name Hebe. Tags are exact matches from this collection’s OCR tag index. Clear vessel filter ×

4 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 14–367 of this collection

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OCR is not a transcription. It is machine-generated text used to create research tags and help locate names and references within the source images; it should not be read as a verified narrative.

Page	Image	OCR text	OCR tags
14	Log in to enlarge	ST OF SHIPS WHICH TOOK PART IN OPERATION "DYNAMO" - 26TH MAY - 4TH JUNE, 1940 PART I - BRITISH SHIPS. A.A. CRUISER. CALCUTTA DESTROYERS. ANTHONY INTREPID VENOMOUS BASILISK IVANHOE VERITY CODRINGTON JAGUAR VIMY ESK JAVELIN VIVACIOUS EXPRESS KEITH WAKEFUL GALLANT MACKAY WHITEHALL GRAFTON MALCOLM WHITSHED GRENADE MONTROSE WINCHELSEA GREYHOUND SABRE WINDSOR HARVESTER SALADIN WOLFHOUND HAVANT SCIMITAR WOLSEY ICARUS SHIKARI WORCESTER IMPULSIVE VANQUISHER SLOOP. BIDEFORD CORVETTES. GUILLEMOT MALLARD SHELDRAKE KINGFISHER SHEARWATER WIDGEON GUNBOATS. LOCUST f MOSQUITO MINESWEEPERS. ALBURY HEBE BRIGHTON BELLE ROSS KELLETT BRIGHTON QUEEN SALAMANDER LEDA DEVONIA SALTASH LYDD DUCHESS OF FIFE SANDOWN MARMION DUNDALK SHARPSHOOTER MEDWAY QUENEN EMPEROR OF INDIA SKIPJACK NIGER FITZROY SNAEFELL ORIOLE GLENAVON SPEEDWELL PANGBOURNE GLENGOWER SUTTON PLINLIMMON GOSSAMER WAVERLEY PORTSDOWN GRACIE FIELDS WESTWARD Ho HALCYON PRINCESS ELIZABETH WHIPPINGHAM QUENN OF THANET Sunk. Conti	Albury Anthony Bideford Calcutta Cruiser Devonia Duchess Duchess of Fife Dundalk Emperor of India Fitzroy Gallant Guillemot Hebe Intrepid Ivanhoe Jaguar Javelin Lydd Mackay Mallard Montrose Mosquito Pangbourne Plinlimmon Portsdown Princess Princess Elizabeth PS Portsdown PS Whippingham Queen Sabre Sandown Sharpshooter Shearwater Sheldrake Skipjack Speedwell Verity Vivacious Westward Westward Ho Whippingham Whitshed Widgeon Windsor Wolsey Malcolm May Ross
16	Log in to enlarge	Page 3. LIST OF SHIPS WHICH TOOK PART IN OPERATION "DYNAMO" - 26TH MAY 4TH JUNE, 1940 PART I - BRITISH SHIPS (continued) PORTSMOUTH A/P YACHTS AHOLA CARYANDA NONETA ANLAH EILA II SERIOLA ANKH LAHLOO THELE BOUNTY MASAYRU MISCELLANEOUS H.M. SHIPS (small craft) A.L.C. 5 GREY MIST (Dan-laying A.L.C. 15 Vessel) A.L.C. 16 # GRIVE (F.A.A. Yacht) A.L.C. 17 KINDRED STAR (Drifter) ALOUETTE II # KING ORRY (Armed Boarding (Echo Sounding Yacht) Vessel) # AMULREE (Harbour Defence LLANTHONY (Examination Patrol Craft) Service Vessel) ARONIA (Yacht) LORMONT (Armed Boarding BEN AND LUCY (Drifter) Vessel) BLUEBIRD (M.B.) MONARDA (Drifter) BYSTANDER MONA'S ISLE (Armed Boarding (Echo Sounding Yacht) Vessel) CALETA (Harbour Defence ST. OLAVES (Rescue Tug) Patrol Craft) TARRET (A/S Yacht) CHRYSTOBEL II (Harbour THRIFTY (Drifter) Defence Patrol Craft) V. 4 ("Vernon's" pinnace) "DOLPHIN'S" MOTOR-BOAT VELIA (Armed Trawler) EVELYN ROSE (Trawler) VERNON I "EXCELLENT'S' A/A MOTOR-BOAT VIVIANA (A/S Trawler) GAVA (Trawler) GLALA (Harbour Defence Patrol Craft) DUTCH SKOOTS (Commissioned with Naval Crews) ABEL TASMAN DOGGERSBANK PACIFIC AEGIR FREDANJA PASCHOLL ALICE FRISCO PATRIA AMAZONE GORECHT PRINCESS JULIANA ANTJE HEBE REIGER ATLANTIC HILDA RIKA BART HONDSRUG RUJA BORNRIF HORST (Abandoned) SAN ANTONIO BRANDARIS JAVA SURSUM CORDA CARIBIA JUTLAND TILLY DELTA KAAPFALGA TINY DEMOK I LENA TUNG DENEB ORANJE TWENTE DESPATCH II ORANGE YREESWIJH VREDE ZEUS # Sunk (Continued)	A.L.C. 15 A.L.C. 16 A.L.C. 17 A.L.C. 5 Abel Tasman Aegir Ahola Alice Alouette II Amazone Amulree Ankh Anlah Antje Aronia Atlantic Bart Bluebird Boat Bornrif Bounty Brandaris Bystander Caleta Caribia Caryanda Delta Deneb Despatch II Doggersbank Dolphin Drifter Eila II Evelyn Rose Excellent's Fredanja Frisco Gava Glala Gorecht Grey Mist Grive Hebe Hilda Hondsrug Horst Java Jutland KaapFalga Kindred Star Lahloo Lena Llanthony Lormont Mona's Isle Monarda Noneta Oranje Pacific Pascholl Patria Princess Reiger Rika Rose Ruja San Antonio Seriola Sursum Corda Tarret Thele Thrifty Tilly Tiny Twente Velia Vernon Vernon I Vernon's Vrede Zeus Crews King May Page Rose
366	Log in to enlarge	16 Extract Jun adminity weekly atelligue Refund No.15 (Lint Ime, 1940). body on on T.09474. 16 DUNKIRK BEACHES. 243 The following narrative, based on noted made at the time, has been contributed by an officer attached to R.A., Dover, during the evacuation of the B.E.F. from Dunkirk. Wednesday, May 29. With R.A., Dover, and his staff I embarked in H.M.S. "ESK", and at 2000 sailed for Dunkirk beaches. Halfway across the Channel and it got dusk, huge fires showed the position of Dunkirk and vividly lit up the eastern sky. A pall of black smoke hung over the coast. At first it seemed that the whole town must be burning, but as we approached I found that the fires were confined to an area close westward of the town and harbour where the oil refineries and storages were situated. We steamed slowly up the narrow coastal channel and past Dunkirk to the ten miles of beaches from which the troops were being embarked. We had on board with us the naval beach parties who were to be landed to superintend the boat embarkation between Dunkirk at the western end and La Panne at the eastern. The beach parties were put ashore in three sections at different points in the ships' boats. The night was overcast and very dark, and it was not possible to see how much activity there was inshore. Boats were few, and not many ships were lying off the beaches. Thursday, May 30. At 0200 we transferred to H.M.S. "HEBE" of Bray, and proceeded eastward along the coast to La Panne. Dawn found us still there, and it brought with it one of the most astounding and pathetic sights I have ever seen. Almost the whole ten miles of beach was black from sand-dunes to waterline with tens of thousands of men. In places they stood up to their knees and waists in water waiting for their turn to get into the pitiably few boats. It seemed impossible that we should ever get more than a fraction of all these men away. The immediate and urgent need was for more boats - both small pulling boats for inshore work, and power boats to tow them seawards to the ships. These we asked for, and as the day progressed many more arrived. The weather to-day was most favourable, with low cloud and poor visibility, little wind and a calm sea. Even so, there was considerable surf on the beaches and inshore boat work was not easy. The day was spent in getting into touch with the situation ashore through S.N.O., Dunkirk, and the G.O., C. in C., and in directing ships and boats as they arrived to where they were most needed. It had been intended to keep "HEBE" free of troops for R.A., Dover, but ships were too few and she filled up in Dunkirk early in the day. After despatching her to Dover R.A. transferred his flag to various destroyers as they waited to fill up off the beaches. One of the great difficulties was getting empty boats back inshore. They had no boat keepers, and naturally a man, having once got off to a ship, was not keen to return inshore again. Some of the soldiers, however, did fine work in this wayy, and went back many times. During the whole of this day I saw no bomb drop on the beaches, nor any enemy aircraft flying low to machine gun. There were various ships attached by aircraft, but I do not think any was hit. Air superiority was well maintained during the - 1	Boat Dawn Halfway Hebe Westward Black Day Dover Few Little May Miles
367	Log in to enlarge	early at beachearricades always we Bray appeared part to know of to the when have as of day, far tanks, this no out.townrds.evening fighter patrevening there the enemy were seemed times when sh tide which and it was came La plank Panne. pier of venthes, footway Wi as lorries, the handrail so water etc., R.E. mark were did westward. As the afternoon wore a the abandoned the enemy's hit and saw "VI bu and "CLAN the to - get or outer twor-boats that men alongside. At could out walk ong out the to brunt boats many the late ships boats his on grass staff in embarked a get to of the evening a number of wind powe cl in most like closely to thele THE in these or three - would states In bar this have of the evening. the C. tide England MA/SB. Friday, to 1,200 May men. 31. was in the region of 5-6 time hours to water load - line power that 18, for except 1,000 from the Saturday June 1 under very was as There with During the bet encourage high the enough boats and sea dry the broached for twelve to at northerly high water work breeze most and a heavy and the La Dunkirk. were good general that west towards there the direction of numbers of enem in holding Dunkink therolding Dunkirk as it the tonly real hoperds the the hours. We all that and were Many left of be by The off from not them. The more rate than and getting the a fraction a beaches was & The beaches was & beache armies evacuation on Dunkirk, so from slow to of and close in was possible lay to At TOTAL offing, on Ke ___???___ THE when patrols little there trouble were sky entirely was during clear, adequate the but earlier despite part this of the the enemy aircraft could part staff much of his transferred own were way again and to many some bombs gaps until were during the which late the day. afternoon Our and fighter evening, gave 87's though was skipjack Keith All an It close of The this bad weather and other H.M.S. days in "KEITH" small off craft dropped. Bray. up and He At enemy spent 0645, had a R.A. large things and attack on on hit the on most the beaches of the almost small craft and onshore near wind, coupled with down the stranding coast. these time after At the 0805 second a further or third The strong ship salvo imme was diatelya moving at boiler a hi fre qu off day, the and it became tovident that toyal evident that there been was slowed the no hope greater down the of the part work of THE sar Bray. shelled About We from proceeded noon the "HEBE" eastwards at La and Panne were reported originally that they planned. were bringing side, then. M.T.B. noon trouble. to try An to locate up the to shore La Panne in forced "KEITH" to withdraw towards being eastward spotting work. of La enemy Panne A observation and may have balloon battery been was which up was a early few causing in the the after- ___???___ ___???___ with w s 1430 down off by aircraft La Panne but signal 1t was was still made there asking able for to this do some miles useful to the ___???___ 10-15 attack number and at of the same time we a came tremendous under fire aerial from in a the hidden evering. shore to be At shot about executed. frequent escorting STATE THE on broke while overhead. they engaged Our a the fighters battle in which battery, large type the most her the hit went off ___???___ the to from atta B "KEITH" was bombed ships at 1500, and beaches without through. were success. mostly The ill and -3- - 2 -	Broke Encourage England Evening Hebe Skipjack Success Thele Westward Day Few Little May Miles West