85th Dunkirk/Dunkerque small boats anniversary, France, leaving from Ramsgate Harbour

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Brief description

Ramsgate Harbour and Museum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsgate_Maritime_Museum "Exhibits include two museum ships: the 1946 steam tug Cervia and Sundowner, a 1912 Dunkirk little ship. Ramsgate Maritime Museum was run by the Steam Museum Trust, a registered charity[1] from 2012 to 2023, when the lease was returned to Thanet District Council. The museum closed in 2021 for a major refurbishment of the Clock House building, and is expected to reopen in 2026 as a museum and heritage hub for the town.[2] " + https://www.visitramsgate.co.uk/maritime-museum/ + https://www.thesteammuseum.org/ramsgate.html + https://artuk.org/visit/venues/ramsgate-maritime-museum-4334

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cev4dpxpnzmo

https://www.visitthanet.co.uk/see-and-do/history-and-heritage/operation-dynamo/

https://www.classicboat.co.uk/news/dunkirk-85th-anniversary-little-ships-fleet-cross-the-channel/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0azZN6nZdA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dop5fI_QzTo

https://www.liberationroute.com/pois/1800/operation-dynamo-museum Operation Dynamo Museum

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirk_evacuation

"The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. The operation commenced after large numbers of Belgian, British, and French troops were cut off and surrounded by German troops during the six-week Battle of France. 

On the first day, only 7,669 Allied soldiers were evacuated, but by the end of the eighth day, 338,226 had been rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over 800 vessels. Many troops were able to embark from the harbour's protective mole onto 39 British Royal Navy destroyers, four Royal Canadian Navy destroyers,[3] at least three French Navy destroyers, and a variety of civilian merchant ships. Others had to wade out from the beaches, waiting for hours in shoulder-deep water. Some were ferried to the larger ships by what became known as the Little Ships of Dunkirk, a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and lifeboats called into service from Britain.

The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers during the French campaign and had to abandon nearly all of its tanks, vehicles, and equipment. In his "We shall fight on the beaches" speech on 4 June to the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the event "a colossal military disaster", saying "the whole root and core and brain of the British Army" had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured.[7] He hailed their rescue as a "miracle of deliverance".[8] Churchill also reminded the country that "we must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations."[9]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ships_of_Dunkirk + https://www.adls.org.uk/ + info@adls.org.uk

"A wide variety of small vessels from all over the south of England were pressed into service to aid in the Dunkirk evacuation. They included speedboats, Thames vessels, car ferries, pleasure craft, and many other types of small craft.[113] The most useful proved to be the motor lifeboats, which had a reasonably good capacity and speed.[113] Some boats were requisitioned without the owner's knowledge or consent. Agents of the Ministry of Shipping, accompanied by a naval officer, scoured the Thames for likely vessels, had them checked for seaworthiness, and took them downriver to Sheerness, where naval crews were to be placed aboard. Due to shortages of personnel, many small craft crossed the Channel with civilian crews.[114]

The first of the "little ships" arrived at Dunkirk on 28 May.[110] The wide sand beaches meant that large vessels could not get anywhere near the shore, and even small craft had to stop about 100 yards (91 m) from the waterline and wait for the soldiers to wade out.[115] In many cases, personnel would abandon their boat upon reaching a larger ship, and subsequent evacuees had to wait for boats to drift ashore with the tide before they could make use of them.[116] In most areas on the beaches, soldiers queued up with their units and patiently awaited their turn to leave. But at times, panicky soldiers had to be warned off at gunpoint when they attempted to rush to the boats out of turn.[117] In addition to ferrying out on boats, soldiers at De Panne and Bray-Dunes constructed improvised jetties by driving rows of abandoned vehicles onto the beach at low tide, anchoring them with sandbags, and connecting them with wooden walkways.[118] 

The Little Ships of Dunkirk were about 850 private boats[1] that sailed from Ramsgate in England to Dunkirk in northern France between 26 May and 4 June 1940 as part of Operation Dynamo, helping to rescue more than 336,000 British, French, and other Allied soldiers who were trapped on the beaches at Dunkirk during the Second World War."

Address

Port Museum of Dunkirk

9 Quai de la Citadelle

59140 Dunkerque

France

Email

Operation Dynamo Museum:   contact@dynamo-dunkerque.com

Phone

Operation Dynamo Museum:   +33 374 06 02 81 

Website

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cev4dpxpnzmo

https://www.adls.org.uk/

Directions

Opening Times

Always check with the venue directly for up-to-date information including opening times and admission charges as they may be subject to change

Operation Dynamo Museum:   http://www.dynamo-dunkerque.com/  http://www.dynamo-dunkerque.com/semi-transparent-2/horaires/

Transport

Amenities