Also known as
BASILISK
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Wikipedia vessel details
Secondary-source table data; verify against primary records where available.
- Name
- HMS Basilisk (H11)
- Pennant number
- H11
- Flag
- Royal Navy
- Description
- Destroyer
- Built
- 1931
- Tonnage
- 1,360
- Commanding officer
- Cdr Maxwell Richmond, RN
- Trips to Dunkirk
- 3
- Troops landed
- 695
- Notes
- Sunk by air attack off La Panne on 1 June
Dunkirk-related passages from the linked page
HMS Basilisk was a B-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy around 1930. Initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet, she was transferred to the Home Fleet in 1936. The ship escorted convoys and conducted anti-submarine patrols early in World War II before participating in the Norwegian Campaign. Basilisk was sunk by German aircraft during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. The ship was transferred from the Western Approaches Command on 30 May to support the evacuation from Dunkirk.[15] She made two trips to Dover during the following day and evacuated a total of 695 men.[16] Basilisk returned to La Panne to load more troops on the morning of 1 June and was attacked three times by German bombers. One bomb from the first wave detonated inside the No. 3 boiler room, killed all of her boiler and engine room personnel, fractured her steam lines and knocked out all her machinery. Near misses from the same attack buckled the sides of her hull and her upper deck. The ship's torpedoes and depth charges were jettisoned to reduce topweight and the French fishing trawler Jolie Mascotte attempted to tow Basilisk. A second attack caused no further damage, but caused the French ship to drop the tow. The third attack around noon sank Basilisk[17][18] in shallow water at .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}51°08′16″N 02°35′06″E / 51.13778°N 2.58500°E / 51.13778; 2.58500. Jolie Mascotte and the destroyer Whitehall rescued eight officers and 123 crewmen from the ship.[10] Whitehall then destroyed the wreck with gunfire and torpedoes.[19] Gardner, W. J. R. (2000). The Evacuation from Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo, 26 May-4 June 1940. London: Frank Cass. ISBN 0-7146-5120-6. Winser, John de D. (1999). B.E.F. Ships Before, At and After Dunkirk. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-91-6.
ORDE Registry
7 records7 potential matching records have been identified.
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Small Craft Service List
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Red List (1939–40) — OCR
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Ship Details
These details have been aggregated from multiple sources and may include contemporary records, later recollections, claims or assertions for which no corroborating evidence has been identified. Inclusion does not establish that any account or assertion is accurate. The information may be incomplete, out of date, disputed or incorrect and should be checked against the underlying source records and independent evidence before being relied upon.
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Lloyd’s Yacht Register (1939)
Source: Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Heritage & Education Centre, Lloyd’s Register of Yachts 1939, digitised via Internet Archive. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Images have been converted, resized and watermarked for web display; machine-generated table OCR has been added.
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Document Collections — Tagged Pages
2 pagesImaged document collections containing pages whose OCR text or table data has been tagged with the name BASILISK. Open a collection to view the page images and transcriptions.
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 „ )
Details
3308 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947
It should be noted that in spite of (fc) the Route X, and occurred between 1000 and 1040,
rate of embarkation had, in fact, come up to to be again resumed at noon. After that there
expectations, and if other circumstances had was a lull until 1550, when another attack was
permitted it would have been possible to adhere delivered on Dunkirk Harbour and all shipping
to the original plan of lifting the final 4,000 therein for over half an hour. At 1800 the
B.E.F. off the beaches between 0130 and 0300 Vice Admiral received the following signal from
ist June. Dunkirk: " Things are getting very hot for
Saturday, ist June. ships; over 100 bombers on ships here since
0530, many casualties. Have directed that no
62. Two Hospital Carriers which had sailed ships sail during daylight. Evacuation by
the previous evening returned shortly after transports therefore ceases at 0300. If perimeter
dawn. Only one had succeeded in entering holds will complete evacuation to-morrow,
Dunkirk Harbour, the other had laid off four Sunday night, including most French. General
hours under heavy fire and returned to Dover. concurs." The sense of this message was passed
Four personnel vessels failed to enter Dunkirk on to Rear Admiral, Dover, off the coast.
during the night, but succeeded in the early
flours of the morning. One of these, the 65. In addition to the heavy scale of air
PRAGUE, was bombed and severely damaged attack during the afternoon the sea traffic was
half-way across on the return journey, but suc- very seriously interrupted by artillery fire
.ceeded in making the Downs with the assistance brought to bear on Route X near No. 5 buoy.
of tugs, where troops transferred to other ships The fire appeared to be accurate and it is be-
particularly A/S trawlers LADY PHILOMENA lieved some French ships were sunk. Two
and OLVINA. The supply of personnel vessels French destroyers in the vicinity stopped
was maintained throughout the day, not with- British ships approaching from England on X
out a series of setbacks caused by 3 ships failing Route short of this point, and it became evident
to sail and by 2 being turned back when on that a very serious threat -to daylight evacuation
passage by French Destroyers owing to heavy was in being.. Meantime, the toll of casualties
bombing and shelling of the approaches to of ships during the day was mounting, particu-
Dunkirk. Of those that operated during the larly amongst the destroyers and shortly after
24 hours, i was sunk, 2 damaged by bombs and midday the Commander-in-Chief, Nore, called
shell-fire and i by collision. the attention of the Admiralty to this, suggesting
the discontinuation of the use of destroyers by
63. During the middle watch it transpired day off the French coast. The summarisation
that no further troops were attempting to of all these incidents led to the Admiralty
evacuate from La Panne off which were directing the Vice Admiral, Dover, to suspend
stationed one paddle minesweeper, a fleet evacuation from Dunkirk at 0700, Sunday 2nd
sweeper and two destroyers, probably due to June, and for it to be resumed the following
the heavy shelling from German guns eastward, night or from 1730/2, depending upon the cir-
and later information was received that the cumstances. From the above it will be seen
troops were marching from La Panne through that there were to be no ships proceeding to
Bray towards Dunkirk. Accordingly, during Dunkirk between 0700/2 and 1730/2. The
the night the Rear Admiral, Dover, instructed above Admiralty directions crossed a message
all small craft to move west, with boats in tow, from the Vice Admiral stating th'at all ships had
towards Dunkirk, and the Vice Admiral directed been ordered to withdraw from Dunkirk before
all ships under orders for La Panne to other daylight the following day, owing to the heavy
positions further west, concentrating the main casualties to shipping.
effort on the beach immediately east of 66. In spite of enemy action more than
Dunkirk.
60,000 troops were landed in the United King-
To a request from Dunkirk for Hospital Ships, dom during the 24 hours, thanks to the unremit-
the Vice Admiral replied at 0715 that the large ting determination of Naval vessels who all
ship berths alongside at Dunkirk must be executed a succession of round trips, interrupted
occupied by personnel ships and the wounded only by necessary refuelling and who accounted
that could conveniently be embarked should go for 70 per cent, of this total. The majority
with personnel. This direction was in of the surviving vessels had been operating
accordance with the Government policy pre- ceaselessly for at least five days, and officers
viously communicated to the Vice Admiral. and men were approaching a condition of com-
plete exhaustion.
64. Soon after dawn enemy aircraft were
active and heavy bombing and machine gun 67. As for personnel ships, steps were taken
attacks developed at 0500 over the whole area to place on board each a Naval Lieutenant
from Dunkirk to La Panne. A second series of Commander or Commander to advise the
attacks commenced at 0830 and lasted until Master, and ten seamen to assist in handling
0900, during which time nearly every ship off the wires in going alongside under fire. By this
the coast was subjected to intensive bombing means it was hoped not only to ensure the
and machine gunning, formations of 30 and 40, timely sailing of these essential ships, but also
machines being noted. During this attack to eliminate the occasions when these vessels
BASILISK was put out of action off La Panne had remained outside Dunkirk Harbour to
and later sank while struggling home. KEITH, await a quiet opportunity to enter.
SALAMANDER and SKIPJACK, who were 68. Early in the forenoon a number of Senior
moving westward along the coast as the Bray Officers were despatched from Dover in fast
and La Panne beaches had been emptied, were motor boats to round up all stray motor boats
heavily bombed, the former was hit and set on in the Downs and along the routes, and direct
fire and the latter sank. KEITH was aban- them back in the evening to the beach stretching
doned and finally sank. Nearly all troops on i£ miles eastward of Dunkirk, and a second
board KEITH and the crews of both vessels large flight of tugs with lifeboats was prepared
were rescued by other ships. A third attack at Ramsgate to send over for what was hoped
started over Dunkirk, extending well out along to be a final effort off the beach. In addition
Operation Dynamo Map — Movement Logs
Movements recorded for BASILISK during the evacuation period, as plotted on the Operation Dynamo map.
| Departed | Route | Arrived | Troops | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1940, 18:00 | Dover → Off La Panne | 1 Jun 1940, 05:00 | — |
Attempt
Assumed inbound journey inferred from a dated loss; departure time is not logged
|
Wikipedia: List of ships at Dunkirk — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_at_Dunkirk |
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