GRAFTON

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SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947                                           3301
 night, Vice Admiral, Dover, was informed of required to bring the surviving boats effectively
 continuous -bombing and machine gunning of to bear on the beaches.)
'troops in the beaoh areas, and directed Senior         14. During the forenoon it became more
 Officers present on the beach to use their dis- evident that the greatest effort must be made
 cretion in ordering withdrawal of the Naval the following night and the Admiralty instructed
 forces, observing that a strong fighter protec- Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches,
 tion should.be expected after dawn; this having and Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, to sail
 been arranged after a special visit iby the Liaison every available destroyer to Dover. In addition
 Officer to Hawkinge to procure the maximum the 7th and 8th M/S Flotillas were ordered
 effort.                                             to Harwich under the orders of ""the Vice*
     11. Limiting factors were thought most likely   Admiral.   Commander-in^Chief, Nore, arranged
 to be restrictions due to enemy action at           a  patrol  of all available (M.T.B.s and A/S
                                                     Trawlers  to
 Dunkirk and on the beaches, and the difficulties evacuation area  cover the North-east flank of the
 of concentrating the ships and troops at a com- face craft from the    against attack toy enemy sur-
 mon point or points. The general evacuation                              North between 2030/28 and
 plan had been conveyed to the G.O.C. by             0600/29.
 the S.N.O. on his way to Dunkirk, and the             ,15. At this time great concern was felt over
 Vice Admiral, Dover, hoped to receive in return the lack of water which had been reported on
 some outline of the Military's operational plan the beaches and joint Naval and Military
 upon which the rate of evacuation in the various measures were set on foot to provide.for the
 areas under the scheme must depend. Subject supply of water in receptacles and in tanks
 to the development of beach evacuation and to the beaches apart from the arrangements
 the continuation of fine weather, it appeared for evacuation. Ships off the beaches were also
 to the Vice Admiral that adequate shipping instructed to do what they could with their own
 for his plans was either in, or on its way to resources to help in this matter.
 the Dover area, except for a chronic shortage          16. Evacuation plan for the night was com-
  of beaching (boats.                                municated to S.N.O. Dunkirk by signal—
  Tuesday, z8th May.                                 timed 1555/28—and provided for the use of 3
     12. By 0100/28 a large number of craft was Hospital Carriers, 7 personnel steamers and 2
 approaching the Belgian-French coast, while destroyers at the East Pier, Dunkirk, while
 two Personnel Carriers were crossing to Dover some 20 destroyers, 19 paddle and fleet
 with 1,400 troops. Two other carriers, whose sweepers, 17 drifters, 20 to 40 skoots, 5
  entry into Dunkirk had been stopped as a result coasters, 12 motor boats, 2 tugs, 28 pulling
 of S.N.O., Dunkirk's signals 2005/27 and cutters and life-boats were to be distributed
 1958/27, were unable to make the beaches and between. La Panne and point i£ miles East of
 one, the MAID OF ORLEANS was damaged Dunkirk, on the beaches; the destroyers running
 by enemy bombing and another, the QUEEN continuous round trips.
 OF THE CHANNEL was sunk. During the                    It was estimated that the personnel vessels
 preceding afternoon the (Hospital Carrier* ISLE and hospital carriers would be clear of the
  OF THANET was shelled and damaged by the danger area by 0630. As regards the beaching
 Calais 'Battery. All available destroyers were and other small craft which had not yet reached
  working off the La Panne-Malo beaches using the Dover Straits, arrangements were made with
 their own 'boats, since the supply of beaching other authorities to route all small craft, which
 boats from the United Kingdom had not yet had not already been despatched, direct to the
 reached across the Channel. A moderate surf beaches East of Dunkirk, provided they had
  on the beaches reduced the rate of embarka- charts, food, fuel, etc.
 tion, exhausted the boats' crews, the majority         At this time some difficulty was experienced
 of whom were " hostility only " ratings, render- in having at hand the large number of charts
 ing the whole operation slow and difficult.         required for these additional vessels.
                                                        17. Owing to the suspension of daylight work
     13. In view of the heavy casualties experi- by personnel vessels it was necessary to increase
  enced during the last 24 hours to personnel the number handled in Dunkirk during the dark
 carriers caused by the development of German hours as the attempt to use the surplus
 air threat over Dunkirk and the increasing personnel vessels off the beaches by night
 artillery fire on the sea approaches to Dunkirk, seemed unlikely to bear fruit. Accordingly,
 it was decided that until the situation was S.N.O. Dunkirk, was asked whether personnel
 restored, these (personnel vessels could not ibe vessels could be berthed inside Dunkirk
 used on the French Coast during full daylight, Harbour, the only information in Vice Admiral's
  and consequently for the moment evacuation
 from Dunkirk by day must be confined to possession              having indicated that the East Pier
                                                     of the harbour entrance was the only suitable
 warships and other small vessels. Furthermore, berth for such ships to which British troops
  since evacuation from the beaches by day with could have access. To increase the off-shore
 the troops exposed to bombing and machine forces,           Commander-in-Chief, Nore, was asked
 gunning was likely to be ineffective with the to sail CALCUTTA            to be opposite La Panne at
  small number of ibeaching craft at the Vice 2200 to embark troops           using own boats.
 Admiral's disposal, the plan provided for
  evacuation from both Dunkirk and the whole to Dunkirk from Dover all
                                                        Orders were   issued that     ships proceeding
                                                                                    were to use the
 length of beaches by night. (At that time— Southern Route Z provided that the passage
  1100/28—information was being received of the from No. 6 Calais Buoy to Dunkirk could be
 loss of a great number of the small beaching made in darkness.
 craft during the preceding night and"of the
 considerable amount of organisation still              18. At 1830 GRAFTON reported that sevem'i
                                                     thousand troops remained on beaches at Bray
    * Admiralty footnote: Hospital Carriers were
 manned almost wholly by members of the Merchant and that more were arriving. At that time there
 Navy and Fishing Fleets.                            were off Bray, one tow of pulling boats, number


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SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947                                            3303
GRAFTON she was in danger of being tor-               the French minefields hi the Ruytingen and
pedoed. At that moment, 0250, GRAFTON                 Dyck channels.       It appears that the enemy
was torpedoed, COMFORT was lifted in the              M.T.B. command failed to appreciate the with-
air, and Captain of WAKEFUL washed over-              drawal of traffic to the S.W. and did not follow
board. COMFORT was going full speed and as            up.
she came round in a circle "LYDD and                    In the evening it was reported that there was
GRAFTON opened fire on her, evidently think-          no congestion anywhere on the coast, except at
ing she was an enemy ship. It is believed that        La Panne. The force at La Panne was accord-
COMFORT crew, except one, and WAKEFUL                 ingly reinforced as ships became available.
survivors, except four, were killed.        LYDD
then bore down on COMFORT, rammed and                    29. An additional beach party of seven
sank her.                                             officers and a number of ratings under
   Previously GRAFTON, who was proceeding             Captain J. Howson was sailed in SABRE at
to Dover with troops, had observed a ship tor-        1600 for Dunkirk, and Captain E. Bush, who
pedoed, and lowered her boats to pick up sur-         had already visited Dunkirk and was aware of
vivors, subsequently ascertained by signal to         the general conditions, was sent to HEBE as
LYDD to be WAKEFUL. A small darkened                  S.N.O. afloat off the beaches. An M.T.B. was
vessel, thought to be a drifter, was signalled and    placed at the disposal of the S.N.O. on the
told to pick up survivors. Within a few seconds       coast.
of this, GRAFTON was torpedoed. The bridge               30. At about 1600 a heavy air attack com-
was also hit, either by a shell or grenade, and       menced on the East Mole Pier, Dunkirk har-
the Captain killed instantly. LYDD then tried         bour, mainly by dive bombing, which lasted
to come alongside but after hitting starboard         continuously for more than two hours. At
side sheered off, and appeared to ram a vessel        the same time, other air attacks took place on
on port quarter. This was COMFORT.                    ships lying off Bray. Attacks were renewed
GRAFTON opened fire under .the impression             from time to time up till after 2000, not only
LYDD had rammed the M.T.B. Target was                 on Dunkirk, but on ships off Bray, in the
then shifted to another vessel further away on        Zuydecoote Pass and those in the Southern end
port quarter, and vessel was observed to blow         of X Route. These attacks were to have a
up with a bright flash. This may well have            disastrous result on the evacuation arrange-
been the enemy M.T.B.                                 ments at Dunkirk. There were present along-
                                                      side the inner side of the Eastern Arm two
   28. During     the     forenoon     JAGUAR,        destroyers GRENADE and JAGUAR, three
GALLANT and GRENADE were dispatched                   trawlers ahead of the GRENADE and
via the new Middle Route X to test the opposi-        JAGUAR, three more trawlers ahead of them
tion by shore batteries prior to introducing this     with CANTERBURY in the next berth, and
route as an alternative to the long Northern          a French destroyer ahead of the CANTER-
route. GRENADE arrived Dunkirk, reported              BURY. Outside the harbour on the outside
no fire from shore batteries, but that she had        of the Eastern Arm the Transport FENELLA
experienced heavy bombing. These three des-           was berthed opposite the GRENADE and
troyers were attacked by dive bombers when            JAGUAR and the CRESTED EAGLE opposite
approaching Dunkirk at about noon, and                the six trawlers. In addition, the MALCOLM
GALLANT was damaged. At least six attacks             and VERITY were also in the harbour but fur-
were carried out, one enemy aircraft was              ther inside. This presented a very good target
brought down by gunfire and others by fighters.       and the ships were soon hit and embarkation
An hour .-later MALCOLM reported Dunkirk              of troops ceased for the time being. CANTER-
heavily bombed with a large number of air-            BURY, accompanied by JAGUAR, succeeded
craft and during the afternoon this bombing           in leaving harbour, but both were hit by bombs
extended up the coast to ships off Bray. During       and damaged. Both succeeded in reaching
the afternoon the Middle Route X was brought          Dover, though JAGUAR had to be towed part
into use for destroyers, but small ships were still   of the way and was subjected to many attacks
routed round the Northern route to Zuydecoote         on passage. CANTERBURY reached harbour
Pass. LOCUST and MOSQUITO joined Dover                at 2115 and disembarked 1,950 troops but was
Command and were dispatched to work on the            sufficiently damaged to prevent her being used
beaches during the afternoon. Shortly after           again in these operations. To return to Dun-
noon enemy shore batteries near Nieuport began        kirk, FENELLA was lying alongside on the
to bring Zuydecoote Pass under spasmodic gun-         outside of the pier,n and was hit and sunk.
fire and the state was being reached whereby           GRENADE and one of the trawlers on the
the new Middle Route would become the only            East side were hit and the trawler sank in the
practicable daylight approach to Dunkirk and          fairway. GRENADE sinking and on fire had to
the beaches. At noon, CALCUTTA, who was               be abandoned and appeared to be about to
able to get across to La Panne beach to receive        sink in the fairway. A trawler was detailed to
troops by small boats, embarked 1,200 troops          tow her clear. VERITY, who witnessed this
from the minesweepers and then sailed for Sheer-      occurrence • was continuously straddled by
ness, the minesweepers remaining to load up           bombs for 35 minutes. Passage all along the
again. At 1606, the New Route X having been            pier having ceased, she cast off, and skirting
fully swept, all ships were ordered by the Vice        the burning GRENADE and trawler, proceeded
Admiral to use Route X, exercising navigational        out of harbour, grounding: slightly on a sunk
 caution, and those from Dover were instructed         drifter in the entrance. At about 1800 KING
 to proceed by Route Z, the South route, pro-          ORRY arrived to find the harbour occupied
vided the passage between Calais Bell Buoy             only by burning and sinking ships, with no
 and Dunkirk be made in darkness.                      sign of any one on the pier nor any boat moving
   Route X passed some 26 miles to the South-          in the harbour. She was immediately subjected
 Westward of the extreme N.E. point of the             to heavy bombing attacks, having previously
 Northern Route Y, the locality in which enemy         had her steering gear put out of action by^ a
 M.T.B. attack threatened, and was shielded by         dive bombing attack when about half mile


Details

33^4          SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947
unceasingly without relief or rest, exposed to         distinguishing between the uniforms of such
incessant air attacks, for seven days. The             officers as were present and those of other ranks.
work of these officers and men was of the              It was soon realised that it was vitally necessary
greatest value and contributed largely to the          to despatch Naval Officers in their unmistakable
success of the undertaking.                            uniform with armed Naval beach parties to take
                                                       charge of the soldiers on shore immediately
   113. As regards the bearing and behaviour           prior to embarkation. Great credit is due to
of the troops, British and French, prior to and        the Naval officers and Naval ratings for the
during the embarkation, it must be recorded            restoration of some semblance of order. Later
that the earlier parties were embarked off the         on when troops of fighting formations reached
beaches in a condition of complete disorganisa-        the beaches these difficulties disappeared.
tion. There appeared to be no Military officers
in charge of the troops, and this impression           Dover,
was undoubtedly enhanced by the difficulty in             18.6.40.


                             APPENDIX I TO F.O. DOVER'S DESPATCH
List of H.M. Ships, Personnel Ships and Hospital Carriers taking part, showing those lost or damaged
                               (by bomb, gunfire, mine or collision)
A.A. Cruiser CALCUTTA
Destroyers
  BASILISK                    (sunk 2gth May)          HAVANT                    (sunk ist June)
  GRAFTON                     ( „ „       „ )          KEITH                     ( „ „ „ )
  GRENADE                                              WAKEFUL


  ANTHONY ...                 (damaged soth May) SABRE                           (damaged 30th May
  EXPRESS ...                 (    >?   jISl    ,, )                                    and 2nd June)
  GALLANT ...                 (         29th   „ ) SALADIN ...                   (   „     29th May)
  GREYHOUND                   (    „    29th „ ) SCIMITAR ...                     (   „ 3ist „ )
  HARVESTER                   (         3ist „ ) VENOMOUS                         (   „     ist June)
  ICARUS                      (         3ist „ ) VIMY                             (   „     ist „ )
  IMPULSIVE                   (         3ist „ ) VIVACIOUS ...                    (   „     ist „ )
  INTREPID ...                (         29th „ ) WHITEHALL                        (   „     ist „ )
  IVANHOE ...                 (    „     ist June) WINDSOR ...                    (   „ 28th May)
  JAGUAR                      (    „    2gth May) WOLFHOUND                       (   „ 29th „ )
  MALCOLM ...                 (    „    3ist May WOLSEY     ...
                                    and 2nd June) WORCESTER                                 30th    „
   MONTROSE                    (   ,, 29th May)


   BLYSKAWICA (Polish)                  MACKAY                               WHITSHED
   CODRINGTON                           SHIKARI                              WILD SWAN
   ESK                                  VANQUISHER                           WINCHELSEA
   JAVELIN                               VERITY
 Total 41, of which 6 were sunk and 23 damaged.

 Sloops and Gunboats
   BIDEFORD             ...    (damaged ist June) MOSQUITO ..                     (sunk ist June)
                                                  LOCUST
 Corvettes
   KINGFISHER           ...    (damaged ist June) GUILLEMOT


 Guardships and Armed Boarding Vessels
   KING ORRY (damaged 27th May and sunk 30th May)                            LLANTHONY
   MONA ISLE (        „ 27th May and ist June)                               LORMONT

 Minesweepers
   BRIGHTON BELLE              (sunk 28th May)          SKIPJACK .                (sunk ist June)
  DEVONIA                      ( „ 3Ist „ )             WAVERLEY                  ( „ 29th May)
   GRACIE FIELDS ...           ( „ 28th „ )


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3302          SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947
uncertain, 2 power boats, at least 2 skoots,        every prospect of the weather improving and
CALCUTTA,          GALLANT,         WAKEFUL,        the surf reducing as the tide rose. Nevertheless,
VERITY, and GRAFTON, using what survived            an increased number of H.M. Ships was'
 of their own whalers and motor boats. This         ordered to Dunkirk to augment the personnel
force was reinforced by 2 minesweepers at           vessels, though it was feared that an accumula-
 2115. Later reports of concentrations of troops    tion of ships alongside the East Pier at Dunkirk
 on the beaches were received, particularly at      by day might well invite intensive air attacks.
 La Panne and Bray. Craft approaching the               Subsequently, 'this fear was fully to be
 coast were directed accordingly. Naval Officer-    justified.
•in-Charge, Ramsgate, was requested to main-            24. Meantime, considerable anxiety was felt
 tain a continuous evacuation service by skoots     as to the fate of the personnel vessels which had
 between Margate and Ramsgate and the beach,        been despatched in a steady stream to Dunkirk
 and take over responsibility for servicing those   commencing the previous evening. The first of
 vessels. Meantime CALCUTTA, who was off            these was due back at Dover about 0300, but
 La Panne, reported that conditions for embarka-    by 0900 nothing had been sighted or reported.
 tion there were very bad owing to heavy surf,      But at 0700, S.N.O. Dunkirk had reported that
 but that they might improve with the rising        the embarkation there was going on at the rate
 tide.                                              of 2,000 an hour, so it was presumed that the
    Shortly after midnight CALCUTTA was in-         transports had failed to enter the harbour during
 formed that the Third Corps of the B.E.F. and      darkness, had waited outside, and had com-
 the Commander-in-Chief were all now at La          menced to enter in succession at dawn. The
 Panne. She was directed to make every              necessity for continuous fighter protection in
 endeavour to concentrate all destroyers and        view of the exposure of these unarmed ships
 light craft at that end of the beach with the      while at Dunkirk and during the daylight pas-
 object of embarking that force as soon as          sage through coastal waters, was obvious. Con-
 possible.                                          stant touch was maintained with the R.A.F.
    19. As regards enemy activity, this day the     Commands to obtain continuous fighter protec-
 Germans contented themselves with bombing          tion during the hours when the Vice-Admiral,
 the town and port of Dunkirk, but on a small       Dover, estimated the largest concentration of
 scale compared with that to be experienced         vessels would be present, it being realised that
 later, probably because of increasing R.A.F.        the R.A.F. resources were not sufficient to pro-
 air cover and also due to the fact that a heavy    vide continuous air cover, and to dispense with
 pall of smoke from the burning town covered        •full cover at less important periods.
 the operation most of the day.                         25. At 0930 the belated return of the per-
                                                    sonnel vessels from Dunkirk commenced, and
Wednesday 2gih May.                                 proceeded steadily through the day. In addi-
   20. The Northern Route Y having been             tion to the personnel vessels using Dunkirk the
swept, it was arranged to sail personnel ships      Admiralty were informed of the -necessity for
to Dunkirk at daylight and to continue to sail      X-lighters and other self-propelled lighters to
throughout the day; this route would take ships     increase the facilities for beach evacuation. A
clear of the artillery fire on shore. Personnel     Medical Party was shipped in VERITY for use
ships accordingly started at 0230.                   on the beaches, and a Naval Medical Party was
                                                     sent to Dunkirk.
   21. Much consideration had been given to
the practicability of building piers on the             26. The considerable alarm as to the imme-
beaches using lines of barges. Reports from          diate safety of the B.E.F. felt during the even-
ships that worked off the beaches showed,           ing and early night of the 28th, which caused
however, that owing to the very gradual shoal-      all available resources to be immediately
ing of the water at all states of the tide such a   concentrated on the French Coast, eased during
barge pier to be effective, would have to be of     the 29th. But emergency measures taken late
very great length, beyond the resources avail-      on the 28th had an adverse effect on the orderly
able.                                               organisation for evacuation so (necessary if effec-
                                                     tive measures were to be devised and put in
   22. Information was received that the per-       force.
sonnel vessels with their Mercantile Marine
crews were having 'difficulty in making the             27. Meantime, in the early hours of the 29th,
entrance to Dunkirk Harbour in the face of 'the     an unfortunate disaster occurred involving the
navigational difficulties caused by a heavy         loss of H.M. Destroyers WAKEFUL and
smoke pall over the entrance and in face of          GRAFTON, and the danlayej COMFORT.
bombing and shelling encountered en route and       WAKEFUL, after embarking troops at Bray,
whilst alongside. Nevertheless it subsequently      sailed for Dover at 2300/28 by the Zuydecoote
transpired that at Dunkirk there had been a         Pass and North Channel. Approaching the
good number of ships throughout the night, at        Kwinte Whistle Buoy the speed of the ships
times exceeding the influx of troops.               was 20 knots, and a zigzag of 40 degrees every
                                                    four minutes was started. At 0045 two torpedo
   23. S.N.O. Dunkirk, and other Senior             tracks were observed, one torpedo missed, the
Officers on the Coast reported during the early      other hit amidships. WAKEFUL broke in half
hours that surf on the beaches was retarding         and. the two portions sank in 15 seconds, each
boat work. S.N.O. Dunkirk, at 0709, asked           remaining standing with the midship end on
for all ships to go to Dunkirk. The Vice-           the bottom. All the troops on board went down
Admiral could not accept this as it was essential    with the ship; certain of the crew floated clear.
to maintain lifts off the beaches as well as from    After about half-an-hour motor drifters
Dunkirk Harbour, both from the aspect of the         NAUTILUS and COMFORT arrived and
military situation and from the fact that Dun-       started to pick up survivors, later joined by
kirk was limited by a bottleneck, formed by the      GOSSAMER. Captain of WAKEFUL was in
narrrw gangway along the East Pier to the            the COMFORT. GRAFTON and LYDD were
poinf= ?f embarkation. Furthermore, there was        close and Captain of WAKEFUL warned