Dunkirk Operation Dynamo Evacuation Beaches

Drew

My understanding is that the two funnelled ship is the Lorina (see pic). I don't know the identity of the other one. The attached map shows the location of the battery. For reference the Malo Terminus casino is just above the letter 'M' of 'Malo Terminus' where it is written on the map.

Andrew

 

Having posted the 'then and now' pics of the Ulster Rifles pier location from Eric Lefevre's book, I thought I would double check the place as he says it is Malo Terminus but another book says Bray Dunes.

After a bit of looking on Google I have found the location of Lefevre's 1981 picture (which is correctly the location of the Ulster Rifles picture). It is on the Bray Dunes sea front, at the end closest to Dunkirk. (See attached pics including shots from Google.)

Presumably this now defines the location of a Bray Dunes pier and possibly this is the only one at Bray Dunes.

Andrew

 

Having posted the 'then and now' pics of the Ulster Rifles pier location from Eric Lefevre's book, I thought I would double check the place as he says it is Malo Terminus but another book says Bray Dunes.

After a bit of looking on Google I have found the location of Lefevre's 1981 picture (which is correctly the location of the Ulster Rifles picture). It is on the Bray Dunes sea front, at the end closest to Dunkirk. (See attached pics including shots from Google.)

Presumably this now defines the location of a Bray Dunes pier and possibly this is the only one at Bray Dunes.

Andrew

Andrew,

Your research confirms that the location of the Bray Dunes pier was approximately 100 yards towards the west of the place where the memorial is standing today! (see also # 17)

Jan

 

Great pics and thanks for posting them.

For the first time I think I can begin to appeciate how much stuff must still be under the sand.



This picture was taken in January 1941:



By the time that this photograph was taken, the Scammel had sunk even deeper in the sand:



I don't know the date of the second picture, but it could almost have been May 1941 (one year after the battle...), considering the date of the first picture... I wonder if they ever recovered these wrecks. Who's going to start digging? The location is known! (Malo les Bains)



Jan

 

More pictures from the Malo Terminus area:





On the pictures above, the Casino can be seen in the background. The picture below shows the same trucks as the picture above:



"Same" location, "a bit later" (the barges have been removed):



In all these pictures, two jetties are visible.

Jan

 

But which pier is this:



Trucks lined up longitudinaly would suggest one of these Malo Terminus Casino jetties, but the boat doesn't appear in the other pictures...???

Jan

 

But which pier is this:

Trucks lined up longitudinaly would suggest one of these Malo Terminus Casino jetties, but the boat doesn't appear in the other pictures...???

Jan

Nope, the boat can also be seen in Rich's picture in # 24. So the picture above is also Malo Terminus Casino, eastbound.

How many blasted Andrews have we got on here then ?

(Rich, is that OK if I also call you Andrew, to avoid confusion? )

Jan

 

I wonder if the Germans salvaged the Barges to be part of a possible Invasion Fleet in a few months time?

Which makes me think if the Germans learned anything from the BEF's evacuation for their own plans on Op Sea Lion?

 

It's interesting that the barges were removed fairly quickly. There are several sites which refer to them being burned or blown up but all three appear to have at least intact hulls and masts in these post-evacuation photos.

Here is an example of a reference to destruction :-

1 June, Saturday

Rich

 

Good to see that Rich is becoming a barge specialist too. I agree that Jan's new pier is at Malo Terminus as it looks like both the 'tug' and the little sailing boat appear in the 'Bedel2000' picture in his recent post.

If so then this is a second Malo Terminus pier. Is it the one to the east of the casino? The tugboat is ceratinly to the east of the Ethel Everard. I will try to find a picture to help pin it down.

I too have a new pier. A small car pier next to a barge. The pics show it with a ship in the background. This I understand is the Floride so if we can find where that was we will have the location of the mini pier.

Finally, be careful when you are digging for that Scammell. I know you would expect to find a few shells on the beach but I would not want to find one of these. By the way can anyone identify the shells precisely in order to help identify the unit (code 29) which owned the Scammell?

Andrew

 

Found this pier in one of my new additions today:

 

Good to see that Rich is becoming a barge specialist too. I agree that Jan's new pier is at Malo Terminus as it looks like both the 'tug' and the little sailing boat appear in the 'Bedel2000' picture in his recent post.

If so then this is a second Malo Terminus pier. Is it the one to the east of the casino? The tugboat is ceratinly to the east of the Ethel Everard. I will try to find a picture to help pin it down.

I too have a new pier. A small car pier next to a barge. The pics show it with a ship in the background. This I understand is the Floride so if we can find where that was we will have the location of the mini pier.

Finally, be careful when you are digging for that Scammell. I know you would expect to find a few shells on the beach but I would not want to find one of these. By the way can anyone identify the shells precisely in order to help identify the unit (code 29) which owned the Scammell?

Andrew

A barge specialist ? Me ? I like anything old but I'm strictly a landlubber !

The '29' AoS marking on the Scammell has puzzled me since Jan first showed it to me. The only BEF picture that I've found of one shows it marked '18' with a bar under indicating Army Troops but I can find no listings of the markings used at this level. It is towing what is captioned as a 4.5" gun. I'm not good on arty but I assume on the 60Pdr carriage with pneumatic tyres.

The '29' displayed here seems to have no corps or army troops bar and at Division level, '29' would indicate Field Ambulance !

I think that perhaps a post to alert the artillery experts might be needed.

 

A follow-up on the small car pier - this excellent French site Index: Les épaves au large de DUNKERQUE ( FRANCE - Nord ) lists the Floride as being sunk in December 1939 off the coast at Malo les Bains. So that is where the little car pier must have been.

The wreck looks to be some way out though, so difficult to use for a more precise fix of the pier location. See pic of Floride (poor quality but shows the profile which matches the one in the pier pic).

 

Interesting pictures Andrew!

The Scammel is definitely in Malo les Bains, and the Adroit as well. The third picture in #50 also confirms this theory.

then:


now:


But in the pictures below you can see that the Floride is "right behind" the Adroit:









So if the Adroit is in Malo les Bains, and the Floride is right behind it, the "new" pier is in Malo les Bains! This makes 2 jetties in De Panne, 1 in Bray Dunes, 2 in Malo Terminus and 1 in Malo les Bains!

Jan

 

While we're on the subject of identifying stranded ships, which one is this, and more important: where is the location?







Jan

 

She's a French Submarine Chaser. According to the Admiralty book on Op Dynamo there was five that took part- No's 5,6,7 and 42. None are reported as lost though. Can you make out the number Jan?

Edit Chassuer 9 is listed in BEF Ships -Before, At and After Dunkirk. No details.

 

C'est Chasseur neuf, je pense

Chasseur 9: Les épaves au large de DUNKERQUE ( FRANCE - Nord )

 

Blinking hell !

Accueil: Les épaves au large de DUNKERQUE ( FRANCE - Nord )

 

Blinking hell !

Accueil: Les épaves au large de DUNKERQUE ( FRANCE - Nord )

Haven't you been reading Andrew's posts properly ? Pay attention at the back there ! - Post #53 !

 

This is great, could this develop into the 'definitive' Dunkirk wreck research source?

Mike