NEWS - Nautilus International

18 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | July 2010
NEWS EXTRA
Return to
Dunkirk
Two Maritime Volunteer Service
(MVS) vessels, and nearly 30 of
the charity’s members, played
a significant support role in the
‘Return of the Little Ships’ to
Dunkirk over the late May bank
holiday weekend.
They served as guard ships for
a flotilla of more than 50 vessels
making the return Channel
Watching the poppy drop over the Little Ships fleet
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crossing to mark the 70th
anniversary of the evacuation,
under fire, from Dunkirk’s
beaches of 338,226 British, French
and Allied troops.
Both fresh out of refits that
had kept members of several MVS
Units busy for many months,
the 24m-long Appleby and the
17.5m East Sussex 1 provided vital
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support for the small craft that
took part in the re-enactment of
the rescue.
Once in Dunkirk there were
numerous commemorations of
the second world war battle that
allowed the British Army to come
home and fight again. Events over
the weekend included a solemn
‘poppy drop’ off the beaches
when wreaths were cast into
the sea and also the ashes of a
number of veterans committed
to the deep.
The members also had the
honour of being inspected, and
commended for their work, by
the MVS’s patron, Prince Michael
of Kent, who is also Admiral of
the Association of Dunkirk Little
Ships.
On the outward crossing
the MVS vessels were part of
a substantial support vessel
flotilla. The Eastbourne-based
East Sussex 1 left its home port
on the Tuesday before the event
and sailed overnight to Ramsgate
where the fleet had assembled.
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The crews of the Maritime Volunteer Service vessels East Sussex 1 and Appleby in the port of Dunkirk
To everybody’s relief, fair weather
made for a good Channel crossing
on Thursday, and as the Little
Ships passed the Goodwin Sands
the Gosport-based Appleby
joined the fleet.
The Royal Navy frigate HMS
Monmouth was the principal
escort for the 40-mile crossing,
while the much smaller patrol
and training ship HMS Raider
acted as pathfinder for the fleet.
The Margate lifeboat and the
commercial tug Svitzer Anglia
were also in attendance.
On Saturday both ships
took part in the poppy drop,
anchoring and acting as markers
for the fleet which slowly circled
around them. Before returning,
the East Sussex 1’s crew held their
own brief commemoration and
cast a wreath on the waters.
On Sunday afternoon Prince
Michael inspected both MVS
crews. He was met by the senior
officer for the deployment, Hugh
Gallagher, who introduced both
skippers and their respective
crews. HRH spent some
considerable time speaking to
each of the 29 members present.
He commented on the fact that
the crews included not only
members from the vessels’ home
units — Portsmouth, Gosport
and East Sussex — but also from
Devon, London, Shoreham and
Thanet. He commended all the
members for the ‘remarkable’
work they had done to get the
two vessels ready for the Dunkirk
event. HRH also said that he was
particularly pleased to hear of the
work the MVS is doing with youth
groups.
HRH then went aboard
Appleby and signed the visitors’
book before proceeding to
East Sussex 1, which he had
commissioned in Sovereign
Harbour back in 1999. In the
training vessel’s heelhouse Hugh
Gallagher presented Prince
Michael with an MVS plaque,
inscribed ‘East Sussex 1’ and
hand-made by one of the East
Sussex SH members, Geoff Frost.
The return to Ramsgate was
planned for Monday but due to
bad weather was delayed until
Tuesday. The two RN warships,
however, had to leave Dunkirk
as planned. This meant the two
MVS vessels had a key role on
the passage to Ramsgate, with
Appleby acting as pathfinder and
East Sussex 1 ready to deal with
emergencies. One did occur when
a Little Ship got tangled up with
The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society
marked the 70th anniversary of The
Dunkirk evacuation by highlighting
the problems many seafarers and
ex-seafarers face and encouraging
those in need of help to make
contact.
Chief executive Commodore
Malcolm Williams said: ‘With
2010 being both the International
Year of the Seafarer and the 70th
anniversary of Dunkirk, it is fitting
to consider this vulnerable group
— and the debt we continue to owe
them as an island nation — and to
ensure they have the standard of
living they deserve.’
The charity — which was
founded in 1839 — points out
that one-quarter of retired
seafarers suffer financial hardship,
significantly higher than the
national average of 17%. Research
shows that 11% of elderly seafarers
suffer from social isolation,
compared with 7% of all older
people in the UK. An estimated 40%
of all working and former seafarers
also suffer limiting long-term illness
or disability.
a lobster pot line and a crewman
was injured trying to free it.
East Sussex 1 stood by until the
lifeboat was able to take off the
casualty.
Once back in Ramsgate, the
Association of Dunkirk Little
Ships’ Commodore, John Tough,
expressed his thanks to the MVS
for their help.
Hugh Gallagher commented:
‘This was an excellent
deployment for us. It was an
opportunity for intensive
training for our members and
gave them all a chance to work
together with another MVS vessel
and her crew as well, as working
in company with other vessels.
Training opportunities on this
scale are rare. Our volunteer
crews showed that they can
provide a professional standard
of safety support for major
events.
‘Our volunteers worked hard
over the eight days the vessels
were away on the deployment
but they also enjoyed the
experience. It was a challenging
deployment but fun. And it must
be remembered that it was only
possible due to the immense
amount of hard work put in
during the refits of both vessels
by members, many of whom
were not able to actually take part
in the Dunkirk trip but without
Cmdre Williams said the society
last year recorded a 10% increase
in the number of applications for
assistance, but it wants to raise
awareness of the services it offers.
‘Social isolation and proud selfreliance
means mariners may often
be unaware of the services offered
by the Society, or reluctant to seek
support,’ Cmdre Williams added.
‘We offer financial help to
retired or incapacitated mariners
and their dependants and
specialise in providing specific
items needed urgently or in a
crisis. These might include roofing
or window repairs, or perhaps
equipment to help a medical
condition, such as a mobility
scooter, stair lift or adjustable bed
— or necessities such as a cooker
or clothes. We aim to help older
people remain in their own homes
where we can.
‘Often, emotional support and
human contact is as important as
economic aid and with so many
seafarers out there in desperate
need of support, we are actively
urging them to make contact.’
whom the MVS participation
would not have happened.’
The operational head of the
MVS, chief staff officer Elfyn
Hughes, added: ‘An immense
amount of hard work went
into making this deployment
a success. I would like to pay
tribute to all the members who
worked so hard to get both vessels
ready in time. I would also like to
congratulate VO Hugh Gallagher,
senior officer in charge, for his
handling of the whole event and
pay tribute to the skippers of
the two vessels, Haydn Chappell
and David Hughes, for their
efforts. Congratulations all round
for an excellent job by all who
contributed.’
zThe Maritime Volunteer
Service is a civilian charity
with units around the UK that
maintains maritime skills
by training its own members
and members of the public in
navigation, seamanship and
marine engineering. It can also
provide a back-up emergency
response capability for the
authorities. The MVS welcomes
new recruits and is open to adults
of any age. Some of its members
have extensive experience in
the Royal or Merchant Navies
but many had not been afloat
before joining and no previous
experience is necessary.