TNA Unclassified 1

MOTOR CONVOY.
6/6/40. Dynamo 188.
Notor Barge Sherfield
1
#
Ex-Lighter Y.O. 63.
185
Ex-Lighter X.95.
Motor Launch Nanette II.
Sub Lt. J.D.F. Kealy, R.N.
Dyram 189. 180
e
STATEMENT OF PATRICK THOMAS SULLIVAN, ABLE SEAMAN, C/JX,147897.
I am a survivor of the "SILVER QUISIDIV" that left Sheerness on
Wednesday 29th May, 1940, for Dunkirk. We stopped at Ramsgate for about an hour, and then all the boats that WEBC capable put to sea at dusk, being nine boats all told, on the way over one blew her engine, others dropped out, and we finally reached Dunkirk at 0800 on Thursday.
We proceeded to ferry troops to H.M.S. "Esk" and then the German artillery started shelling us, we carried on and after we had been working for about two hours, the planes came over and started to bomb us, one coming so close, it lifted us out of the water (roughly 25' off the starboard beem).
We managed to take about 1,000 troops to the big ships, and then on our 10th or 11th trip, we had about 100 French soldiers on board, took them to a Trweler, who told us to go to Dunkirk harbour for another ship.
We got there but found no ship, so we decided to come home. To had no charts or compsss, but trusted to our sense of direction. Halfway over we found a soldier's field compass and used that. Then we sighted land, and thinking it was Ramsgate or some other Port, we turned towards it, and got about half a mile off, when the Germans opened fire, then we discovered it was Calais. They pounded away at us with six batteries for roughly 30
minutes, one round hitting us in the stern and another on the starboard bow. The Yser, in company with us, was also hit and she started to draw water badly.
She had a Verey's Light pistol and fired it, whereupon a
Destroyer came up and covered us.
We reached Ramsgate at 2100, managed to tie up and disembark the troops, then she was slowly sinking. We lost everything we set out with, but we were fitted out with clothes at the (word missing) and on H.M.S. PERVENT.
(sd) P.T. Sullivan.
Able Seaman, C/JX.147897.
ing e

Dynam 195. 369
HR
Car. Troup's report
347
I left Ramsgate on the night 2nd - 3rd June in
War Ministry fast motor boat "Haig" with three other fast
W.M.M.B's. I took with me the French Naval Attache Captain de Revoir who came over to see how the embarkation was going on on the pier. I gave instructions to the Officers in charge of boats to act independently and ferry troops to ships taking a final boat load back to Ramsgate.
I entered Dunkirk harbour and proceeded alongside the centre pier and with great difficulty persuaded 40
French soldiers to come aboard. These I took to 8 big ship outside and returned for more. After loading 39
I again proceeded out and just in the entrance was rammed by a French tug on the prto beam; as the hole was a good foot above the water line I went on. I had not gone more than 200 yards when another French tug altered course and rammed me in the forecastle, cutting halfway through the upper deck and right up to the keel.
I managed to get clear quickly and took the boat alongside the "Westward ho" and got the soldiers out, one of whom got his shoulder smashed in the collision. A destroyer coming across the bow of the "Westward ho" caused her to go astern and the wash from her paddle filled the boat up with water and washed her away from the ship. Asx soon as the ship stopped I again got alongside and as it was now three oclock and the Captain had been ordered to clear out everyone else having gone, I decided to abandon the boat and get on board the ship with my crew and return to
Margate. On the way over Captain de Revoir told me there was some difficulty on the pier and suggested he should go there the following night and help. I therefore arranged to take him.
On night on 3rd- 4th I left Rangsate in the
W.M.M.B. "Swallow" at 2000, but I left without Captain de Revoir who missed the boat, arriving at Dunkirk at
2230 going straight alongside the centre pier where I
landed and sent the boat off ferrying, with orders to come back at 0330 for me.
I found I could be usef as was suggested by
Captain de Revoir in making ships fast, finding out the number of men they could take and then getting the French
Officers to help me embark the troops quickly, So I
decided to make myself Piermaster and everything else combined. The French soldiers were very loath to be separated from each other, their companies or their
Officers but by promising them they would only be separated for two hours and would meet again in England they moved quicker. I embarked at least 10,000 troops.
The French ficer Captain le Comte leChartier de Sedouy on the staff of General Lucas of the 32nd Division was very helpful and I arranged with him to take the general and a staff off with me not later than 0330, I had some qualms about the boat returning for me as her engines were somewhat groggy I instructed the Officer in the boat if he was in any doubt to close one of the other boats and order him to come in by 0300 at the latest. It so happened that he broke down altogether and told no one and it was into harbour about 0305 just at the time I was beginning
Just by luck that the motor boat which took me off came to wonder.
I would like to put on record the wonderful discipline of the French troops when the last ship left about 0300.

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the pulling the boats hauled off to the barges, the troops then being work getting a line ashore from the barges to the beach by which ferried by fire-float to the waiting ships.
Lieutenant WALKER left at 0335 (2nd. June), the fire-float being then just aground (low water 0400 approx). He had to leave about 150 men on the barges, but there were no troops visible on the beach up to 1 mile East of Dunkirk. At 0345 there were no troops visible on the mole, and a paddle minesweeper was just leaving. An anonymous Brigadier who boarded WALKER's craft, said that at about 0200 there would be 1000 - 1500 British (2) troops still to come.
At this stage, it was the unamizous opinion of all the officers named above that small slow motior boats and pulling boats would be of no further use on the beaches. It might have been worth while trying to reach the barges 1 mile East of Dunkirk with fast shallow draught craft at about 2200 (2nd. June).
It is worthy of remark that these wrecked barges made excellent piers for motor boats to use, pulling boats working between them and the beach with a line to haul themselves off. Three barges were afloat at any state of the tide and two others were aground about an hour before low water. M.T.B.s could go alongside the barges 3
hours either side of H.W.I and shallow draught boats for longer.
Beach parties, eventually, were not required on the night of
Sunday 2nd. June, and everybody was able to get some much needed rest and food.
Monday 3rd. June Tuesday 4th. June.
A further operation for these nights was organised from
RAMSGATE, a copy of the orders being attached herewith. I organised the following tugs to tow:-
SUN IV Commander Le MESURIER, Lieut. MARTIN R.N.J Lieut.
FLETCHER, R.N.R.
TANGA Lieut. Commander SHERWOOD, R.N.R.
SUN
XV
Two R.N.R. Officers.
RACIA Lieut. Commander MILLER, D.S.O. R.N.R., Lieut.
WALKER, R.N.V.R.
Each tug was to take 4 motor boats in tow, with orders to work from the Nouveau Avant Port and from any point of the East mole which they could reach, and to ferry troops down to the ships alongside or to the transport LOCUST. The tugs dad no specific orders, and I instructed the Officers in the tugs that they should wait just outside the entrance to Dunkirk, keeping clear of ships going in and out (of which I understood there were to be a good many) and to be ready to go alongside to pick up troops as opportunity offered or to assist as required.
The convoy left a little after 1700 with 14 motor boats in all, two having failed (one with engine trouble, one was aground in
RAMSGATE). The passage across was uneventful, save for a certain amount of trouble with the tows, and the encountering of two mines in the neighbourhood of W. buoy which were dealt with by minesweepers. Commodore H.) TAYLOR, RNRI took passage with me, but about halfway Dunkirk. across was picked up by a Motor Torpedo Boat and went on to

4. 397
The for the following reasons boats given were below:- abandoned either on passage or at Dunkirk,
(a) THARK. Rope foul of propeller and rudder. Abandoned half way.
(b) SANTOSY. Petrol failure. Abandoned near W. buoy. An interesting point arose here. The Sub-Lieutenant in command said that he had been instructed to fill up with petrol at RAMSGATE from officer who told him which cans to take was dressed as a Lieut.
certain cans which were subsequently found to contain water. The
Commander (E) RINI When this was discussed, the Sub- Lieutenant reported this to the Engineer Captain (or Commander) at
RAMSGATE, who said that there was no Lieut. Commander (E) at
RAMSGATE, at any rate on the staff. I do not know if this officer could be, or ever was, traced and identified.
(c) DIANA MARY. Engine trouble and damage to propeller. Abandoned at Dunkirk.
(d) ADMIRAL SUPERINTENDENT&S BARGE (Portsmouth).
Ran on a pile of submerged masonry in Dunkirk and abandoned.
The officer in this boat (Sub-Lieutenant BIGGS, R.IN.V.R.) left his charts on board. I should have sent him back for them, but did not do so as it was near the time ordered for laeving, and
I thought he only had charts from RAMSGATE which gave no useful information to the enemy. Subsequently reflections made ne think he might have had a chart from Portsmouth, SO I went in to
S.O.(1) office at Portsmouth on 6th. June and reported the circumstances, leaving S.0.(1) to pursue the matter further.
to The convoy arrived at Dunkirk between 2300 and 2345, having beendelayed by trouble with the tows. Most of the boats had been slipped in the neighbourhood of the S.W. RUYTINGEN bucy and sent on. The other three tugs proceeded to the East of the entrance: SUN IV at first stayed just to the West of the wreck outside the entrance, and in this position picked up an open boat with a dozen French soldiers and an officer, who had been isolated and escaped. From the officer it was learnt that the Germans had possession of MARDYCK fort about
3 miles West of Dunkirk.
5. The motor boats carried on with their work, and SUN IV proceeded just to the Eastward of the entrance, having a look to see if there was any work to be done while passing. All appeared to be going well, all berths at the East mole were occupied and there were one or two ships lying off ready to berth.
6. At about 0115 (4th. June) one of my motor boats returned, and told me that there were no more French troops at the QUAI FELIX FUARE, and that Commander TAYLOR had left the QUAL. This boat was slightly damaged and so I left her in company.
7. At about 0200 the two end berths on the East mole were clear. H.M.S.)
"MALCOLM" went alongside and I followed in SUN IV, as also did the tug RACIA, to see if there were any more French troops. There were only a few, who embarked in "MALCOLM", this ship asked me to push her stern in to the jetty, which I did.
sailed at 0230, RAMSGATE; the return passage was uneventful. I was passed
I left approximately, picked up the waiting motor boat, and by two or for three destroyers and a minesweeper. Tug SUN XV towed home another vessel one picked up halfway.
8.
Out boats which started for Dunkirk, 8 or 9 had to be abandoned of the 14 one reason or another, but the crews were recovered safely. The for remainder found their own way back to RAMSGATE, with the