Association of Dunkirk Little Ships

The Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology on behalf of the Southampton Heritage Federation is delighted to announce the Southampton Maritime Festival, taking place on Sunday 5th and Monday 6th May 2013 at the Ocean Cruise Terminal, Southampton to celebrate the arrival of the Steam Tug “Challenge” following her major restoration, partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The lead organisation will be the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration trust.

The Annual Veterans Cruise will take place on the River Thames from Thames Motor Yacht Club (TMYC), Hampton Court to Weybridge Mariners Club, Shepperton Lock Island.
Over 80 Veterans including some of the few surviving Veterans of Operation Dynamo, Chelsea Pensioners, Normandy Veterans and some of the original Commandos will join Association of Dunkirk Little Ships Honorary Admiral, Prince Michael of Kent for his special day out on the River Thames.

The 2012 Commemorative Cruise will be held in London, in West India Dock to coincide with the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. The Pageant to be held at high water on the afternoon of Sunday 3 June 2012 and the event will see up to a thousand boats muster on the River Thames in preparation for Her Majesty The Queen to lead the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. The Pageant celebrates Her Majesty's sixty years of service by magnificently bringing the Thames to life.
Little Ships will assemble in Barnes reach prior to the event.

Dunkirk Little Ships Assembling For Queen's Jubilee
1 March 2012 - The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) is pleased to announce details of
its participation in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
In the week leading up to the Pageant, 40 Dunkirk Little Ships will make their way to Barn Elms
Reach on the Thames near Putney. From there they will assemble into the largest single class of
powered boats taking part in the Pageant before heading downstream immediately behind the
Royal Section. A further 5 Little Ships will be taking part in the Avenue of Sail.

New Britannic, a 56' passenger launch, originally built to carry up to 117 passengers operating trips from Ramsgate, was ideal for the job of rescuing men from the beaches. Coxswain W. Mathews of the Royal Navy took her over from her owner, Charlie Priddle of Ramsgate to go to Dunkirk. Built to carry a full load of passengers in safety, with easy access to her 54ft. open deck, a shallow 3ft. 6in. draft and a powerful 65hp Lister engine to pull her clear of the sands, she was the ideal boat for the job.