The minesweeping escort sloop Bideford (1931) in dry dock in Portsmouth Dockyard, Hampshire

A port side view of the stern, taken from the side of the dock, of the badly damaged minesweeping escort sloop Bideford (1931) in dry dock in Portsmouth Dockyard. Her stern was hit by a bomb off Dunkirk on 29 May 1940. Her upper deck, lower deck and most of the hold aft of station 117 are missing. Her propeller shafts are severely bent and are held in place by wire ropes shackled to her towing bar at station 113. Amidst the wreckage of the hold are the rum barrels from the spirit store between stations 113 and 117. Next to the barrels is the Drysdale 10 ton pump that has dropped down from the lower deck.