www.thamestugs.co.uk

DUNKIRK LOGS [2]

EXCERPTS KINDLY SUPPLIED BY DAVID BROWN.

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SUN XII

Report extracted from the logbook of the tug “Sun XII”

Owners: W H J Alexander and Co Ltd

Tug Master: A. V. Mee
Navigator: B. R. Mastin

Naval Officer: None recorded

29th May 1940

2300 Left Tilbury Docks for Ramsgate towing the A/B “Thyra” and S/B’s “Royalty” “H.A.C.” and “Beatrice Maud”

30th May 1940

1210 Arrived Ramsgate, Ordered to Dover
1500 Arrived Dover with 4 barges

31st May 1940

1600 Left Dover for Dunkirk towing the S/Bs “Ethel Everard” and “Tollesbury” loaded with water and provisions for Dunkirk.
Tug “Fairplay I” also towing barges in company.
Air attack en route
2350 Arrived Dunkirk, both tugs put their barges ashore at Braye-Dunes.
Both tugs proceeded 3 to 4 miles to the east to collect troops, but none were available.

1st June 1940

0400 Returned to Braye-Dunes, proceeded to Dover
0410 Off Dunkirk, air attack
1030 Arrived Dover
2030 Assisted Dr Worcester which had been in collision with P/V “Maid of Orleans”
2155 Left Dover for W Buoy
Off North Goodwin “Sun XII” was one of 7 tugs steaming in line.

2nd June 1940

0300 Arrived W Buoy, ordered to return
0920 Arrived Dover.

Thyra. Auxiliary Thames sailing barge owned by LRTC. Skipper E. Filley. Towed home laden with troops.

Royalty. Thames sailing barge, Skipper H. Miller, loaded with supplies.

H.A.C. Thames sailing barge, Skipper R. Scott. Loaded with food and water. Towed back with 100 troops on board. In later years a dredging hopper at Ramsgate.

Beatrice Maud. Skipper L Horlock. Thames sailing barge built 1910 by A. White, Sittingbourne. Picked up under sail on 5-6-1940 in mid-channel with 260 troops aboard. Later a houseboat at Maldon.

Ethel Everard. Thames sailing barge. Owners F. T. Everard and Sons, Skipper T. Willis. Set ablaze after stranding on beaches.

Tollesbury. Thames sailing barge owned by R. W. Paul Ltd. Loaded with stores and dynamite!!. Later owned privately at Pin Mill, Suffolk.

Worcester. RN Destroyer.

Maid of Orleans. Personnel vessel req from Southern Railway. Denny, Dumbarton 1923 for SECR. 341'x45'. 2384grt. Parsons geared turbines, twin screw, 23knots. Took no further part at Dunkirk following collission but was present at D-day landings. Mined and sunk 28-6-1944, 6 crew lost.

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TANGA

Report extracted from the logbook of the tug “Tanga”

Owners: William Watkins Ltd

Tug Master: H.P Gouge

29th May 1940
Towed the barges “Snowdon” and “Saladin” to Ramsgate where they remained.

30th May 1940

Ramsgate.

31st May 1940

1000 Anchored off Ramsgate
1400 Embarked 4 Lewis guns and 2 Gunners also Lt Cdr Sherwood RNR
Proceeded with 6 boats (one of them a MLB in tow)
Skipper A. Gardner RNR took passage in “Tanga”
1930 Air attack when nearing Dunkirk, near misses
2040 Off Dunkirk Harbour, proceeded 6 miles further east, slipped boats and hung off. Skipper helped to ferry troops in the MLB which however broke down and was abandoned
Skipper Gardner returned on the 1st June in the M/S “Leda”.

1st June 1940

0350 Some of the boats returned with about 160 troops. Abandoned all but one motor boat and had to “run for it”
When abreast of Dunkirk Harbour picked up 6 men from a small boat survivors of the tug “St Fagan”
A mile further on picked up the A/B “Pudge” with 4 men on board. Took her in tow.
0900 Anchored off Ramsgate, motor boats came off and landed 160 troops
1600 Proceeded to Dunkirk towing 4 boats
2230 Arrived off Dunkirk, slipped tow and “paddled about” outside

2nd June 1940

0330 Ordered to “clear out and run for it”
None of the 4 boats had returned
Other boats had brought the “Tanga” about 90 British and 80 French troops
Proceeded towing a disabled M/B
0800 Arrived Ramsgate, disembarked 170 troops

3rd June 1940

1630 Left Ramsgate towing the “Madame Sans Gene” and 3 M/B’s
2300 Arrived off Dunkirk, slipped tow and waited as before.

4th June 1940

0200 The tugs “Sun IV”, “Sun XV”. “Racia” and “Tanga” were ordered to go alongside the pier and get as many troops as possible, Embarked 37 troops
Ordered to “clear our” none of the 4 boats towed over had returned
0235 Cleared the Pier Heads, Air Attack – claim to have shot down enemy plane
Off North Goodwin Light Vessel took in tow a French fishing lugger with a crew of three
0400 Arrived Ramsgate and disembarked 37 troops.

Total troops landed from Dunkirk 367.

Leda. RN Minesweeper.

St Fagan. RN tug. Lytham S. B. Co., 1913. 550grt. Skipper Lt/Cdr G Warren.

Pudge. Auxiliary Thames sailing barge, owners LRTC. Skipper W. Watson. Later owned by Thames Sailing barge Club, based Maldon.

Madame Sans Gene. Twin screw Motor Cruiser, owner Guy Shelley. One prop fouled whilst under tow. other prop fouled working from beaches. Abandoned.

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PERSIA

Report extracted from the logbook of the tug “Persia”.

Owners: William Watkins Ltd

Tug Master: H Aldrich.

29th May 1940
Left Dover towing dumb barges “Sark” and “Shetland” en route to Dunkirk, the tow parted twice.

30th May 1940
0500 Anchored 4 miles east of Dunkirk
1245 towed the barges to the East Pier head and anchored them as ordered
1600 Left Dunkirk with soldiers & equipment
2359 Anchored in the Downs.

31st May 1940

0700 disembarked 27 troops at Dover
2230 left Dover towing S/B’s “Glenway” and “Lark”
2305 Tow parted
2359 Tow connected again.

1st June 1940

0800 Arrived East Pier Dunkirk, air raid on
Towed the barges to 1 mile east of the pier head and then let them sail ashore
Saw the Dr “HMS Ivanhoe” hit by a bomb, ordered to take hr in tow.
Did so but the concussion from a bomb broke the towing hawser. Put another hawser on board and proceeded towards Dover.
1000 Bombed for over two hours until our planes came and dispersed the enemy.
Fired on by shore batteries, no damage
Abreast of the North Goodwin Light Vessel ordered to tow the “Ivanhoe” on to Sheerness.
In the vicinity of the Oaze a government tug assisted to tow the “Ivanhoe” on to Chatham.
Another tug came to assist of Garrison Point
2200 “Persia” made fast to buoy at Sheerness.

2nd June 1940

1200 Left Sheerness with lifeboats for Ramsgate and an Oil Tender for Margate Roads
Made Margate & Ramsgate then on to Deal where “Persia” anchored at 2200.

3rd June 1940

At Dover.

4th June 1940

Standing by.

Total number of troops landed from Dunkirk 27.

Glenway. Thames sailing barge. Skipper H Easter. Later privately owned and based Dolphin Barge Museum, Sittingbourne.

Lark. Skipper J F Filley. Thames sailing barge, owner A. Fayers. Abandoned at Dunkirk.

HMS Ivanhoe. RN Destroyer.

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KENIA

Report extracted from the logbook of the tug “Kenia”

Owners: William Watkins Ltd

Tug Master: W, Hoiles

29th May 1940

1820 Sighted a FAA plane floating 2 miles from the South Goodwin Light Vessel, took her in tow.
1905 A bomb dropped from the planes rack and exploded astern.
2045 Near No 3 Ramsgate Buoy the planes stern parted from the body.
“Kenia” returned to harbour.

30th May 1940

0530 Left Ramsgate in foggy weather found the skoot “”Rian” loaded with wounded soldiers. Piloted her towards Ramsgate
Towed broken down skoot “Ruja” in to Ramsgate Harbour
Left Ramsgate and from the Downs towed the abandoned M/Y “Inspiration II” to Ramsgate Channel, where she was handed over to the tug “Doria” who took her in to Ramsgate
Returned to the South Downs.

31st May 1940

Sighted 2 M/L’s 2 miles from the South Goodwin Light Vessel, they were the R.59 and the R.36 and had been abandoned
Towed them in to Ramsgate before resuming patrol.

1st June 1940
On patrol.

2nd June 1940

Whilst on Southern Inspection Patrol sighted the Swedish S.S. “Emma” sinking. Could give no assistance, buoyed the position
2000 sighted the S/B “Ena” near the South Goodwin Light Vessel with B.E.F. on board who has sailed her from Dunkirk without any sailors to assist
Took her in tow towards Ramsgate.

Rian. Dutch 'skoot'. To Dunkirk from Poole. Master Lt/Cdr J. H. Miller RN. Suffered much engine trouble.

Ruja. Another Dutch 'skoot', also from Poole. Master Lt. H Webber RN. Transported 300 troops.

Inspiration. Twin screw motor yacht, 30'9"x9', William Osborne, Littlehanpton 1931. Morris petrol engines. Owner E.A. Manns, West Norwood. Still existing 1990.

Ena. Thames sailing barge. W. B. McLearon, Harwich 1906. 88'x20'5". Skipper A. Page. Still existing 1990.

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RACIA

Report extracted from the logbook of the tug “Racia”.

Owners: William Watkins Ltd

Tug Master: A. C. Addison

30th May 1940

2130 Left Tilbury with 12 lifeboats in tow
2359 Anchored off Chapman Light.

31st May 1940

0430 Proceeded to Southend and thence to Ramsgate
1330 Arrived Ramsgate
1415 A naval commander came off with LG’s and guns crews
1440 Proceeded to Dunkirk
2130 Arrived Dunkirk, anchored off No 3 beach
The lifeboats ferried troops to the “Racia”.

1st June 1940

0130 The 12 lifeboats were made fast astern and “Racia” proceeded
0700 Arrived Ramsgate disembarked 50 troops?
1730 Sailed for Dunkirk with S/Lt W.R. Williams RN on board
Arrived Dunkirk, “loaded up” with French troops and sailed for Ramsgate.

2nd June 1940

0730 Landed 250 allied troops at Ramsgate
Lying off Ramsgate with 17 lifeboats astern.

3rd June 1940

1430 Passed lifeboats over to tug “Sun”
Embarked Lt Cdr J. I. Miller DSO RNR and a naval crew and proceeded to Dunkirk
2145 Arrived Dunkirk, berthed alongside mole embarked French troops.

4th June 1940
0230 Shifted berth to allow Dr “HMS Malcolm” to get alongside.
0245 Proceeded
In the Dyke Channel embarked the crew and wounded soldier from M/L
0650 Arrived Ramsgate, disembarked 123 troops by motor boats.

Estimated total landed from “Racia” 423

HMS Malcolm. RN Destroyer.

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SIMLA

Courtesy Keith Toms/Kevin Haydon

Two pages about Simla's activities during the evacuation of Dunkirk. They are taken from the book Dunkirk by A D Divine which was published by Faber in 1945.