This “Little Ship” played an important role during the Second World War.
By May 1940 the British Army was trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk in France. Between 26 May and 4 June Operation Dynamo transported 338,000 of them, plus other allied troops, back across the English Channel.
‘Tender Too’ was one of the many “Little Ships” that took part in this epic rescue. Originally she was one of the lifeboats of a Thames Estuary Ferry, the Southend Britannia. After the war Southend Britannia became a hospitality ship and her lifeboats were sold off. The Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust identified Tender Too when it was eventually found, following the dredging of the Thames’ Teddington Lock. She was donated to the Museum in 2007.