← Document collections
TNA / Unclassified 1

TNA Unclassified 1

TNA Unclassified 1
Collection details

TNA Unclassified 1

A working collection of Operation Dynamo source material whose definitive National Archives catalogue reference is still being identified.

Holding archive
TNA
Collection reference
Unclassified 1

Source: The National Archives, Kew, Unclassified 1. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing only pages tagged with the vessel name Sheldrake. Tags are exact matches from this collection’s OCR tag index. Clear vessel filter ×
Showing only document page 342. Show all matching pages ×

1 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 342–342 of this collection
Page ImageOCR textOCR tags
342 Page 342 Log in to enlarge

CONFIDENTIAL.
252
From
The Commanding Officer. H.M.S. Sheldrake.
Date
3rd. June. 1940. Reference RDA/C/38.
TO
The Commander in Chief. The Nore.
Through The Commodore in Charge. Sheerness.
boby to Senior officer. Conettes.
1.
The following re of operations carried out in accordance with C-in-C. Nore's 1121/2 is submitted.
2.
Sheldrake sailed from Sheerness at 1615 with an additional demolition party of 12, with orders to destroy the asdic gear in
Basilisk ashore off La Panne. On passage zig zagging was employed where submarine attack could (be) reasonable expected.
3.
Routed via T Buoy (2005), Oostdyck (2053), Middlekerke (2128),
Nieuport Bk. (2024) Buoys I closed the shore in stages as the light failed, and was able to identify Basilisk by 2131 andthen waited till 2230 for darkness before closing in. She was awash up to her
FX deck in position Latitude 51degs. 08mins. 20secs. North. Longitude 2degs. 34mins. 50secs. East., 2 miles off shore.
4.
The demolition party was immediately placed abcard, while
Sheldrake lay off about a cable from the wreck.. A few minutes after midnight the fuzes were lit, and the whaler hoisted at 0017. The officer in charge of demolitions has submitted a separate report as to the location of charges, which were lowered as far below water level as possible. The ship apperas to have already been pretty well gutted by fire forward, and her bridge wrecked. He was unable to make his way aft, but reports that her back had apparently been broke en by an explosion in the vicinity of the engine room. one empty
C.B. chest was found.
5.
Throughout the operation I was apparently not located though a few enemy aircraft were seen. Sever-fighting was taking place ashore up till midnight, the right 01 the enemy line t. he on the beach abreast the ship, with their gun batteries on the left and
Dunkirk illuminated by fire(as usual) to my right. This fighting died down as the repeated bombing of gun positions by the R.A.F. took effect. I regret it was not possible to close the reported position of Crested Eagle on the beach as Sheldrake would undoubtedly have been illuminated by our own parachute flares. I had also hoped by placing depth charges to complete the destruction of the ship, as had been done to Wakeful, in addition to the internal demolitions, but this was not possible: nor would a Mk. VII. charge fired from the throwers have operated in the shallow water in which she was lying.
6. Apart from tide, there were no navigational difficulties, as the buoys were lit.
continued overleaf
Broke Commodore Crested Eagle Sheldrake Bridge Few Light Long Miles right Senior

Raw OCR

Unformatted machine-generated OCR for document page 342.

CONFIDENTIAL.
252
From
The Commanding Officer. H.M.S. Sheldrake.
Date
3rd. June. 1940. Reference RDA/C/38.
TO
The Commander in Chief. The Nore.
Through The Commodore in Charge. Sheerness.
boby to Senior officer. Conettes.
1.
The following re of operations carried out in accordance
with C-in-C. Nore's 1121/2 is submitted.
2.
Sheldrake sailed from Sheerness at 1615 with an additional
demolition party of 12, with orders to destroy the asdic gear in
Basilisk ashore off La Panne. On passage zig zagging was employed
where submarine attack could (be) reasonable expected.
3.
Routed via T Buoy (2005), Oostdyck (2053), Middlekerke (2128),
Nieuport Bk. (2024) Buoys I closed the shore in stages as the light
failed, and was able to identify Basilisk by 2131 andthen waited
till 2230 for darkness before closing in. She was awash up to her
FX deck in position Latitude 51degs. 08mins. 20secs. North. Long-
itude 2degs. 34mins. 50secs. East., 2 miles off shore.
4.
The demolition party was immediately placed abcard, while
Sheldrake lay off about a cable from the wreck.. A few minutes after
midnight the fuzes were lit, and the whaler hoisted at 0017. The
officer in charge of demolitions has submitted a separate report as
to the location of charges, which were lowered as far below water
level as possible. The ship apperas to have already been pretty well
gutted by fire forward, and her bridge wrecked. He was unable to
make his way aft, but reports that her back had apparently been broke
en by an explosion in the vicinity of the engine room. one empty
C.B. chest was found.
5.
Throughout the operation I was apparently not located though
a few enemy aircraft were seen. Sever-fighting was taking place ashore
up till midnight, the right 01 the enemy line t. he on the
beach abreast the ship, with their gun batteries on the left and
Dunkirk illuminated by fire(as usual) to my right. This fighting died
down as the repeated bombing of gun positions by the R.A.F. took
effect. I regret it was not possible to close the reported position
of Crested Eagle on the beach as Sheldrake would undoubtedly have
been illuminated by our own parachute flares. I had also hoped by
placing depth charges to complete the destruction of the ship, as had
been done to Wakeful, in addition to the internal demolitions, but
this was not possible: nor would a Mk. VII. charge fired from the
throwers have operated in the shallow water in which she was lying.
6. Apart from tide, there were no navigational difficulties, as the
buoys were lit.
continued overleaf