'Heroic' WW2 troopship that survived Nazi bullets and saved 22 soldiers from Dunkirk beaches is wrecked during children's pirate-themed birthday party

Published: 11:00, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 11:11, 13 July 2026 A WWII troopship that survived Nazi bullets and rescued 22 Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk has been wrecked during a pirate-themed children's birthday party.  The Athlone Castle, which was launched in 1935 but is now privately owned, was destroyed after encountering engine failure when taking a party of eight-year-olds on a trip around West Bay in Dorset.  The 32ft boat, which was flying the Jolly Roger, was then swept by strong winds to the shingle beach below the sandstone cliffs of West Bay where it ran aground.  Jeremy Gower, the vessel's owner and skipper, attempted to moor the boat, however, its anchor dragged along the sea floor.  All of the children aboard, who Mr Gower ensured were wearing life jackets, safely exited the historic ship, which remained on the beach for the next 24 hours and took a battering from successive high tides.  By the time a team from the West Bay Harbour Master's Office could fix a tow on it and winch the boat from the beach, it had suffered severe damage to its hull.  Pictures show the vessel listing heavily to port, where it sat alarmingly low in the water while being towed towards a slipway and dragged ashore. Mr Gower, 51, predicted repair costs to the Athlone Castle to be around £250,000 - an expense not covered by his insurance as the boat did not actually sink. The Athlone Castle, a WWII ship that saved Allied men from the beaches of Dunkirk during WWII, was wrecked during a children's birthday party after encountering engine failure The historic ship took a battering from successive high tides across 24 hours The vessel was swept by strong winds to the shingle beach below the sandstone cliffs of West Bay where it ran aground He has since launched a Crowdfunder campaign in a bid to raise the first £98,000 toward fixing the ship, which he has owned for seven years and primarily uses for leisure. Speaking about the incident, Mr Gower said: 'The harbour mouth can be very choppy if there's a south-westerly wind and all boats have to throttle forwards to get past it. 'That's exactly what I tried to do but water got into the engine. It was like a drill reaction. The children had life jackets and were safe and comfortable. 'I tried to restart the engine and realised quickly that's a no-go so I said I'm going to throw the anchor but it just dragged on silty sand and the wind blew us straight to the beach. 'Thankfully it wasn't a hard landing and the children could be dropped overboard safely.' Mr Gower said the waves ended up twisting the Athlone Castle's 'entire hull,' so when the ship was pulled out to sea it took on water 'far too quickly'.  He said: 'We had flotation aids inside, if it hadn't been for that she would have just been a sunken wreck. 'You have to laugh because you can't cry. But watching them drag her in was very unceremonial. Repair costs to the Athlone Castle are said to be around £250,000 The ship rescued 22 Allied troops from Dunkirk and after taking them to safety, returned to the danger zone and picked up another 26 men 'She has the equivalent of classic car insurance, because she didn't sink I have to pay the bill. To rebuild her is probably £250,000. I feel a little bit numb about that figure. 'A number of shipwrights have contacted me offering help and I might consider some sort of fundraising with merchandise. It's been a bit of a whirlwind. I've had hundreds of people contact me wanting to see her back in the water. 'It's the most amazing community spirit, I had never really appreciated how heartfelt her spirit and her history was to so many people.' The Athlone Castle was built by shipbuilding company Harland & Wolff and launched from Belfast in 1935 as a radio transmission relay boat for an ocean liner of the same name for the Union Castle Shipping Company. It is believed to be the oldest surviving wooden boat ever built by Harland & Wolff. The vessel is noted for participating in Operation Dynamo - the 1940 evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied WWII troops from the beaches of Dunkirk by a flotilla of little ships. It rescued 22 Allied troops from the beaches of the French coastal town, and after taking them to safety, returned to the danger zone and repeated the feat and picked up another 26 men. When the mothership was decommissioned in the 1970s, the smaller radio boat was saved and has had several owners since then. Several years ago, the Athlone Castle was the flagship boat in Fortnum & Mason's campaign encouraging people to take picnics to the seaside and has become a well-known sight in the waters around West Bay for her distinctive appearance. Mr Gower said: 'That old boat has done a lot. She did two evacuations at Dunkirk, rescuing 22 and then 26 people. 'She's done 147 voyages from Southampton to Cape Town and three repatriations from Cape Town. 'When she was a radio boat she was responsible for millions of telegrams getting back to shore. 'The mothership was decommissioned in 1974 and scrapped but this boat was saved. She's had three or four owners since the 70s and we have all tried to keep her ticking along.'