SS Mona's Isle (1905)

Aerial view of Onward, in First World War dazzle camouflage, lying on her portside, after being scuttled in Folkestone Harbour in September 1918

In the First World War Onward carried British Expeditionary Force troops on her regular route between Folkestone and Boulogne.

On 24 September 1918 a thermite bomb started a fire aboard Onward when she was moored alongside a pier in Folkestone Harbour. The fire took hold, and to prevent the fire spreading to the pier she was scuttled.[1] She capsized onto her port side, and later was hauled upright by a team of five steam locomotives working together.[10]

After the Second World War began, the Admiralty requisitioned several IoMSP ships and had them converted into ocean boarding vessels (OBVs). Mona's Isle was requisitioned on 24 September 1939. Toward the end of May 1940, Mona' Isle was one of eight IoMSP ships that were sent to Dunkirk to help to evacuate the British Expeditionary Force in Operation Dynamo. According to Admiralty records, Mona's Isle was the first ship to leave Dover for Dunkirk[11] when the Dunkirk evacuation began, apart from the destroyer HMS Wolsey, whish acted a radio link ship.

Mona's Isle left Dover at 21:00 hrs on 27 May 1940.[11] Her overnight crossing of the Strait of Dover was uneventful, and she docked in Dunkirk about midnight. She embarked 1,420 troops[11] and she left at first light the next morning. [The signal to commence Operation Dynamo was given at 18:57 on 26 May. Therefore to qualify as the first ship to leave, it is more probable that Mona's Isle sailed from Dover at 21:00 that evening, not 27 May.]

Map of the three evacuation routes

Three routes were allocated to the evacuating vessels.[12] The shortest was "Route Z", 39 nautical miles (72 km), which went west from Dunkirk along the French coast as far as No.6 Buoy, then turned west-northwest straight to Dover. The longest was "Route Y", 87 nautical miles (161 km), went east along the French and Belgian coast as far as Bray-Dunes then turned north-northeast until reaching the Kwinte Buoy.[13] From there ships went west-northwest, then west to the North Goodwin Lightship, then south round the Goodwin Sands to Dover. "Route Y" was 55 nautical miles (102 km). It was the safest from German shore batteries, but passed through a heavily mined part of the English Channel. "Route X" went north from Dunkirk, through the Ruytingen Pass[14] to the North Goodwin Lightship and then south around the Goodwin Sands to Dover. The combination of the minefields and sandbanks meant Route X could be used in daylight hours only.

Mona's Isle returned by Route Z and came under fire from German shore batteries on the French coast. Many shells exploded near her, spraying water over her decks. Some shells hit her but failed to explode. One fell aft and smashed her rudder. By differential use of port and starboard engines, the ship could still be steered. A Messerschmitt Bf 109 strafed her twice, killing 23 men and wounding 60. She reached Dover escorted by the destroyer HMS Windsor. The mission had taken nearly 15 hours.[11]

For their parts in the action her commanding officer, Cdr John Dowding RNR was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Petty Officer LB Kearley-Pope, RNR was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He had remained at a 12-pounder gun despite multiple wounds, and took a great risk in coming out of cover to close the cordite boxes. There were casualties among the gun's crew, but Kearley-Pope continued his duties until the ship berthed six hours later. Cdr Dowding was later promoted to captain. In 1942 he was commodore of Convoy PQ 17 to Russia, which was forced to scatter and suffered heavy losses.

Mona's Isle made a second round trip to Dunkirk, evacuating another 1,200 troops, and bringing her total to 2,634.

Mona's Isle spent the rest of the war as an OBV and then an accommodation ship. She was transferred to the River Tyne in 1941, where she contributed to the anti-aircraft defence of coastal convoys. Twice she assisted cargo ships that had been bombed, in one case rescuing 32 survivors. But three times she was involved in collisions, one of which did extensive damage for which she spent three months being repaired in dry dock. After the Normandy landings she provided cross-Channel transport until June 1945, when the Ministry of War Transport chartered her. She was returned to her owners in March 1946.

After the Second World War, Mona's Isle returned to IoMSP service. She was withdrawn when the "Six Sisters" entered service in 1948. She arrived at Milford Haven in Wales on 12 October 1948 to be scrapped.[1]