SS Mona ' s Isle ( 1905 ) SS ( RMS ) " Mona ' s Isle " ( IV ) was a steel , triple - screw turbine driven packet steamer operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company between 1920 and 1948 . Built in 1905 for the South Eastern & Chatham Railway Company , she was operated as Onward between Folkestone and Boulogne . In 1918 a fire was only controlled by scuttling the vessel . She was righted and in 1920 , the hull was purchased by IOMSPCo to replace tonnage lost during the war . She was the first ship to complete a round trip during the evacuation of Dunkirk ( Operation Dynamo ) , rescuing a total of 2 , 634 troops . Construction & dimensions . " Onward " was built at William Denny and Brothers shipyard on the River Leven adjoining the River Clyde at Dumbarton , in 1905 . She was a steel , triple - screw turbine driven vessel built for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway for their Folkestone - Boulogne route . Length 311 ' 2 " ; beam 40 ' 1 " ; depth 16 ' 6 " . " Onward " had accommodation for a crew of 70 , and was certificated to carry 1 , 479 passengers . Her engines developed 7 , 500 i . h . p . which gave her a service speed of 22 knots . Service . South Eastern & Chatham Railway . " Omward " was primarily used on the Folkestone - Boulogne service . Her most prestigious passenger during her cross - channel service was His Majesty King Edward VII who crossed from Dover to Calais onboard " Onward " on the 4 May 1905 . On 1 June 1908 , " Onward " was involved in a head on collision with the steamer , killing the bow lookout man . Following the collision , " Onward " returned to Folkestone , and from there to William Denny and Brothers , Dumbarton , where she underwent repairs which kept her out of service for a month . Upon the completion of repairs , " Onward " had the distinction of carrying the very first motor car across the English Channel . First World War . Under her original owners , the vessel saw service in World War I . Primarily , she was used as a troop transport ship for the British Expeditionary Force , on her regular route between Folkstone and Boulogne . On 24 September 1918 , she caught fire in Folkestone Harbour . The fire took hold , and was only contained by the opening of her seacock s in order to prevent the pier catching fire . This resulted in the scuttling of the vessel ; she turned over onto her port side , and was subsequently hauled upright by a team of five steam locomotives in harness . The hull of " Onward " was purchased by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in 1920 and rebuilt as " Mona ' s Isle " , the fourth ship in the company ' s history to be so named . Isle of Man Steam Packet Company . Of eleven Steam Packet ships either purchased or chartered by the Admiralty during the Great War , only four returned to service with the Company after the cessation of hostilities , and consequently , new ships were going to be needed to handle the resumption of peacetime traffic . However , industry as a whole was in a disorganised and seriously run - down state after the challenges of the war years , and new vessels could not be built in time for the tourist influx of 1919 . The Company compromised , and starting with the purchase of , they set about redressing their wartime losses . The purchase of " Onward " was part of this policy , and upon purchase the vessel was renamed " Mona ' s Isle " . She is the only Steam Packet Company ship to carry the Manx flag down the River Thames , for she was transferred to the Company when in Limehouse in the Port of London . " Mona ' s Isle " saw service to the various ports then served by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company , but was mainly used on summer work between Douglas and the company ' s Irish services to Belfast and Dublin On Monday , 29 June 1936 , she struck the Devil ' s Rock in Balscadden Bay , but was able to reach Dublin safely . She was taking on water and could not complete the return journey until repaired . Second World War . The " Mona ' s Isle " was considered an old ship , being 34 years old when war broke out in 1939 . Like other Steam Packet ships , she was fitted out as an ABV - an Armoured Boarding Vessel - and for the first few months of the war her life was largely uneventful . This was set to change , as with the plight of the British Expeditionary Force becoming all too apparent , " Mona ' s Isle " joined no less than seven of her Steam Packet sisters , and made passage to Dunkirk . According to Admiralty records , " Mona ' s Isle " was the first ship to leave Dover for Dunkirk when Operation Dynamo began , although an exception being HMS " Wolsey " , a destroyer which was to act as a radio link ship . " Mona ' s Isle " departed Dover at 21 : 00hrs on 27 May 1940 . The journey across the Channel during the hours of darkness was uneventful , and she arrived at Dunkirk at approximately midnight . Once secured at the quayside , " Mona ' s Isle " embarked 1 , 420 troops and she left at first light the next morning . Three routes were allocated to the evacuating vessels . The shortest was Route Z , a distance of 39 nautical miles , which , after leaving Dunkirk followed the French coast as far as No . 6 Buoy , then turning Nor ' west on a direct line to Dover . The longest of the three was Route Y , a distance of 87 nautical miles that followed the French coast as far as Bray - Dunes then turned Nor ' east until reaching the Kwinte Buoy . Here , after making an almost 270 degree turn sailed in an easterly direction as far as the North Goodwin Lightship , then headed due south round the Goodwin Sands to Dover . The third , and although the safest from the German shore batteries , was through heavily mined portion of the English Channel . This was Route X , a distance of 55 nautical miles , and ships headed due north out of Dunkirk , through the Ruytingen Pass and onto the North Goodwin Lightship before heading due south round the Goodwin Sands to Dover . Returning by Route Z , the " Mona ' s Isle " came under fire from German shore batteries from the French coast . Many shells exploded close to the ship sending plumes of white water into the air and with water spraying over the decks . A number of shells failed to explode as they hit the ship , but one fell aft and smashed the rudder . The " Mona ' s Isle " was a triple screw vessel , so by careful use of port and starboard engines , the ship was able to reach the safety of Dover , but not before a Bf 109 had strafed the ship a couple of times killing 23 and wounding 60 others . Using the same route , two coasters , the " Sequacity " and the " Yewdale " headed for Dunkirk , and along the French coast they both came in for the same treatment . " Sequacity " suffered two direct hits , one into her starboard side , the other into the engine room and she started to sink , the crew being rescued by the " Yewdale " , which aborted the mission and returned to Dover . However " Mona ' s Isle " reached Dover safely , escorted by the destroyer HMS " Windsor " . The mission had taken nearly 15 hours and she was recorded as the first ship to complete a round trip during the evacuation . Two awards were later made to members of the ship ' s company or their part in the action . The Commanding Officer , Cdr J . C . K . Dowding RNR , received the Distinguished Service Order . Petty Officer L . B . Kearley - Pope , RNR , was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal . He had remained at a 12 - pounder gun despite multiple wounds and he took a great risk in coming out of cover to close the cordite boxes . There were casualties among the gun ' s crew , but the PO continued to carry out his duties until the ship berthed six hours later . Cdr Dowding was later promoted to Captain . He was Commodore of the ill - fated Convoy PQ 17 to Russia , which was forced to scatter and suffered heavy losses in July 1942 . " Mona ' s Isle " made a second round trip to Dunkirk , bringing out a further 1 , 200 troops , and bringing her total to 2 , 634 . The rest of her war service was spent either as an Armoured Boarding Vessel or an accommodation ship . She was transferred to the Tyne in 1941 , where she was three times involved in collisions , one of which did extensive damage and sent her to dock for three months . Once on the Tyne , where she lent support to the AA defences of coastal convoys , " Mona ' s Isle " gave valuable assistance on two occasions to merchantmen that had been bombed , in one case rescuing 32 survivors . After D - Day she worked on cross - Channel transport duties until June 1945 , when she was then chartered by the Ministry of War Transport before she was finally released from her war service in March 1946 . Gallery . Post - war . After her war service , " Mona ' s Isle " returned to her duties within the Steam Packet fleet . She worked for a further two years , until with the introduction of the " Six Sisters " , she was withdrawn from service . After a thoroughly eventful life spanning 43 years , " Mona ' s Isle " was broken up at Milford Haven in 1948 .