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Original Text (Annotation: epw062738 / 1061047)
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TSMV New Prince Of Wales of the Southend Motor Navigation Co. Ltd, [business rivals to the Myall family]. 105ft l.o.a.; 3ft draught loaded; 135grTons; 11.5 knots Service Speed when loaded; 400 passenger certification from the Board Of Trade, first [and only] Radio Room aboard a Southend Excursion vessel. Commandeered from her ex-RN volunteer crew [who wanted to take their ship to Dunkirk] at gunpoint in Sheerness Dockyard on May 25th,1940, [because on that date Admiralty Regulations still stated that "no civilians are to be allowed into combat zones"; - the Regulation was rescinded out of sheer desperation two days later when more "little ships" were needed and the Adm. was 'scraping the bottom of the barrel' for personnel with small craft experience; - but that was too late to save the seven commandeered SMNCo vessels] - and the NPoW was lost at Dunkirk off the La Panne beaches due to the incompetence of her totally-untrained RN crew, who didn't even realize she was fitted with petrol/paraffin engines, and had allowed her fuel tanks to be topped-off in Ramsgate Harbour with diesel fuel! [Ref: Wilson Family SMNCO. Archives including Adm. papers from the "Court of Enquiry into a War Loss", leading to a "War Loss Replacement Authorization Award"]. More pictures can be seen at the < www.simplonpc.co.uk > website. '
