Triton
Can anyone add to the details below on the Triton's history? Sounds like she made it back to England, but I recall reading somewhere that she was lost at Dunkirk.
Am interested to know if her owner might have been Duncan McLeod of Glasgow.
The motor-boat Triton reached La Panne at about five o'clock on the morning of the 30th and from then until two o'clock on the following morning she towed boat-load after boat-load of soldiers to the destroyers lying offshore. Then she grounded but refloated at about four o'clock and carried on rescuing a number of men who were in danger of drowning. During the night the eastern sector of the bridgehead was abandoned, but Lieutenant R. H. Irving, R.N.R., in command, did not know this. All he knew was that enemy shelling grew increasingly heavy and because of this the destroyers moved west to Dunkirk. He followed them and in harbour took a boat-load in tow. A heavy air attack was in progress and bombs and shells were falling thickly. He saw a ship hit, closed her and took off two officers and two ratings who had all been wounded. 'I now had a full load of soldiers, a full boat-load in tow and soldiers clinging to the stern.' Bombs were still dropping and at this point a rope got round the propeller of the Triton so she closed a yacht and was herself taken in tow for England. When his activities ceased Lieutenant Irving had been on his feet for nearly thirty-six hours. He says in his report that he had eaten a tin of bully beef, some tinned herring and bread, 'also four cups of tea, each without sugar'. He adds 'the crew sent with me knew nothing of making fast ropes or steering but under fire were A.1 and exhibited, on and off, great interest in all that was happening'.
Wake-Walker had put Commodore Stephenson in command of operations along that particular stretch. So Stephenson instructed the fifty-five foot motor yacht Triton to moor offshore of the rendezvous to mark the spot, while he himself went ashore to
collect the Commander-in-Chief. He planned to return with Lord Gort and his party, and for Triton to take them in comfort to England. The snag was – Stephenson could not find Gort!