On this day 80 years ago, Operation Dynamo began. A flotilla of military and civilian ships and boats began the evacuation of Allied military forces from Dunkirk. Our ships’ predecessors were there and proudly hold a battle honour for that operation. #Dunkirk80 (1/x)...

Over the next few days we will recount the actions of the previous HM Ships Sabre and Scimitar during that operation as we commemorate a successful evacuation that ultimately paved the way to Victory in Europe (2/x)

Before we start, here is the Professional Head of the @RoyalNavy @AdmTonyRadakin expressing his thoughts in @thetimes on what the Dunkirk spirit means today. (3/x) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/admiral-tony-radakin-dunkirk-spirit-is-not-forgotten-0k689pngs

HMS Sabre (H18) was an S-class destroyer built in Glasgow in 1917. During Op Dynamo she conducted 10 round trips to Dunkirk, rescuing over 5,800 troops. She came under aircraft attack from guns and bombs and later from shore batteries. On her fifth journey, she took damage..(4/x)

...to her bridge and upper deck, including destroying her gyro compass, forcing her to navigate on her magnetic compass only. She returned to Dover for repairs but sailed again the next day to recover more troops. Her later operations in WWII included evacuation of... (5/x)

... the last of the British troops from Cherbourg in late June 1940, as well as escorting the transport ships evacuating the Channel Islands. Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Brian Dean received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his efforts during the Operation... (6/x)

... whilst Midshipman Edward Archdale (a future DSO recipient in his own right) was Mentioned in Dispatches. #Dunkirk80 @RoyalNavy @MODGibraltar @I_W_M (7/x)

So yesterday we told you about the exploits of HMS Sabre between 28 May - 4 June 1940 as she supported Op Dynamo. Today, we have a look at her sister ship, HMS Scimitar... (8/x) #Dunkirk80 #OpDynamo @MODGibraltar @RoyalNavy @I_W_M

HMS Scimitar (H21) was also an S class destroyer, built on the Clyde in 1918. Initially allocated to the 16th Destroyer Flotilla in Portsmouth at the start of WWII, she was refitted between Feb and May 1940 before being assigned to Op Dynamo. credit @I_W_M (9/x)...

... Scimitar conducted 6 trips from 29 May to 1 June, recovering over 2700 troops of the British Expeditionary Force. During her last trip, whilst not far from Dover, she sighted a merchant vessel, SS Prague in distress (10/x)... credit http://shorturl.at/tEFZ5 ...

.. the Prague had been dive bombed. Scimitar came to her assistance, took the majority of her troops and escorted her through the Anchorages in the approaches to Dover. An accounting of a soldier rescued by the Scimitar can be found from the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/88/a2321588.shtml (11/x)

Almost 350,000 soldiers were rescued from the beaches at Dunkirk, by a combination of over 40 British, Canadian and French warships, alongside over 700 civilian craft, including the famous “little ships”. Although Winston Churchill was cautious at the time that Op Dynamo (12/x)..

... not he described as a victory. But there is no doubt now that the evacuation helped galvanise the British public, and prepare them for the tough years that were to come. We are proud to display the Dunkirk Battle Honour in the current HMS Scimitar and Sabre (13/13).

Our first attempt at an interesting threaded tweet. Let us know what you think. If people are interested we can tell you a bit more about H18 and H21 and their history. Or we can just go back to posting glorious pictures of The Rock! End.