The little ships of Dunkirk

The letter "P" in Bella Stock's "P1" registration indicates that this boat was registered in De Panne.

Jan

 

Close up

 

Neither mentioned in my Op Dynamo boat books.

 

for reference

http://www.adls.org.uk/t1/boats

 

I picked up a copy yesterday, and it had an dedication handwritten inside..was not until I sat down at home and studied it that I realised who had written it! And Im sure Drew will be impressed.

 

Info from, The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships

Gwen Eagle was a 40ft long twin screw motor cruiser built by William Osborne Ltd in Littlehampton in 1938. Her owner, Donald Hudson, lived in Hove and was a member of the Sussex Motor Yacht Club in Brighton. Donald Hudson had a replacement 41ft boat built by Osbornes in 1946, which was also called Gwen Eagle.
Original photos from my collection.
Keith

 

I can't read it

 

80th Anniversary Return to Dunkirk May 2020
The Association plans to return to Dunkirk in May 2020 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Operation Dynamo. It is expected that around 50 Little Ships escorted by the RNLI and the Royal Navy will take part in the Return.

The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships has organised a Commemorative Return every five years, the first official ADLS Return taking place in 1975. Despite the average age of the Little Ships now being close to 85 years it is anticipated that this Return will be as well supported as ever. The task of taking this many elderly, traditional vessels across one of the world busiest shipping lanes is by no means insignificant. In fact the event is quite unique. With the exception of a small number of vessels that are operated by 'Trusts', all Little Ships are privately owned and receive no financial or other assistance from any public body or NGO.

At this stage plans are very preliminary and this page will be updated regularly as the date of the event approaches.

21. May 2020 (All day) - 25. May 2020 (All day)



Calendar | Association of Dunkirk Little Ships

 

Because the owners are minted

Slight annoyance that they get to dictate the whole affair as everything revolves around when they can turn up. It will be a bit ridiculous if they stay with those dates - Operation Dynamo wasn't given the go ahead until the evening of 26th May 1940 and lasted until the morning of 4th June 1940, I'd have at the very least expected to be within this date range.

My own annual pilgrimage this year is between the 29th May and the 4th June if anyone wants a beer one night around the Dunkirk area.

 

I mentioned the above to the ADLS on their Facebook page and got this reply:

I was slightly amused by the remark regarding getting time of work considering I manage it OK every year working for the emergency services and the chap that posted the message is a owner/partner in some big city firm and his profile has him flying aircraft, driving racing cars and sailing up the River Thames in a boat that's over 80 years old.

Think I'll go and have a Tanqueray and Tonic, Cheers
#DontKnowHesBorn

 

Here is a beautiful yacht conversion. Can't find too much info on her and wonder if she might have been a Little Ship. One source said her original name was Glasgow.

St Eval - IMO 5070127 - ShipSpotting.com - Ship Photos and Ship Tracker

ST.EVAL (MMSI: 233217000) Ship Photos | AIS Marine Traffic

 

No 'little ships' at Dunkirk called Glasgow Dave.

 

A devastating fire at a historic boatyard has destroyed a yacht that was used to rescue troops from Dunkirk during the Second World War. The Lady Gay was lost in the blaze on Platts Eyot in Hampton, south west London, on Monday, according to the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships.


Read more: Historic ship used to save people from Dunkirk in WW2 destroyed in boatyard fire