EPW037016 ENGLAND (1931). Marine Parade and environs, Southend-on-Sea, from the south-west, 1931

This is the Southend Motor Navigation Co.'s "pretty and sightly" TSMV "Princess Maud". Commandeered by the RN for the Dunkirk beaches evacuation, she was lost - stranded by the falling tide, due to the incompetence of her assigned RN crew. The RN was caught-out by the need to crew all the little ships under the Admiralty's first interpretation of the Rules of War as they related to civilians aboard RN vessels [and since the RN had commandeered all the little ships they could find under the War Emergency Powers Act, - all the little ships WERE deemed Admiralty craft]. The Navy had long been out of training for small-craft operations and were scraping the bottom of the barrel to find enough officers and ratings with small-craft experience - who could be re-assigned to take charge of these little ships. The Admiralty admitted the loss to My father and his partner in late 1940, and compensation was paid eventually, in 1942 - but at the book value figure of 1939 - which was NOT what the May, 1940 Charter specified - that was for "like-for-like replcement if lost in RN Service".