Aerial's dangers included the movement of friendly ships through crowded and hurried evacuation routes. At Le Verdon-sur-Mer, HMS Calcutta rammed the Canadian destroyer HMCS Fraser and sank her. The collision appears beside the observation that losses to enemy aircraft were lower than planners had expected. A large, dispersed withdrawal could therefore lose ships through difficult navigation even when the enemy failed to impose the anticipated toll. Fraser's loss is a specific example of operational friction within an otherwise successful evacuation.
Notable Point · 1:22:11-1:23:23
Calcutta rams HMCS Fraser at Le Verdon
The loss of HMCS Fraser to a collision with HMS Calcutta shows that hurried evacuation movements created lethal navigational risks apart from enemy action.