But She's A Freighter


Yes, with quite a history involving the Dunkirk rescue. Owned by Dutchman Gruno Zoutman, Hilda escaped when the Germans invaded, skippered by his brother Hemmo. Gruno refused to say where she was and was consequently imprisoned.


Hilda was '˜loaned' to Britain, and went to Dunkirk on May 28th and is recorded to have shuttled 1500 soldiers to destroyers as well as 100 service casualties. She also picked up survivors from the destroyer Keith and motor vessel Skipjack. She returned 530 survivors and troops to Ramsgate on June 1st. The rest of the war was spent doing barrage balloon duty, before being returned to the Zoutman family.


Then - in an extraordinary twist - she was unloaded in London docks by George Cocks, now an Endeavour Trust member, volunteer painter of the boat and husband of Reta. Finally, Hilda was scuttled off Anguilla in the West Indies to form an artificial reef, and is very popular with the diving fraternity.

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