System Engineers Continue Restoration On Dunkirk Little Ship

The students of SEMC 113 organised attendance at the site through Leading Seaman Keith Johnson, the Victory Squadron lead for the involvement with the project, and the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) Restoration Trust, as part of the establishment’s commitment to projects within the local community.

The students have spent much of their time learning the finer points of engineering principals and management since beginning training in September, and so relished the chance to get out of the classroom for a day.  Making the most of an opportunity to get stuck in to some “good honest hard work” as one member of the team put it, the Young Officers, along with Leading Seaman Johnson of Victory Squadron, undertook a range of jobs including stripping and sanding of the mast, manufacturing new copper bolts for replacement timbers, and creating templates to be used in the rebuild of the ship’s deck.

The work being conducted on Dorian by the ADLS in Southampton Docks is solely voluntary, with all expertise and materials being supplied by the society members and charitable donations through the Restoration Trust.  Dorian is one of eleven ships acquired by the Trust to date, and so there is never a shortage of work.  The provision of a steady stream of enthusiastic workers by HMS Collingwood has therefore been a much welcomed resource for the Trust, and one for which they are extremely grateful.

The ADLS aim to have Dorian ready in all respects to take part in the 75th anniversary of the WW2 Dunkirk evacuation in 2015, before making her part of a museum in homage to historic ships and aircraft in Southampton.