Why Dunkirk evacuees crowded destroyer decks

A wartime destroyer did not contain large spare passenger compartments beneath its upper deck. Boilers and engines occupied much of the hull, while crew accommodation was compact and organised around hammocks rather than rows of bunks. Enclosed spaces were most useful for sick or injured evacuees, and officers' cots could also be reassigned when necessary. Fit soldiers therefore stood tightly packed on exposed decks for the fast Channel crossing, a practical consequence of naval architecture rather than a deliberate preference for danger. Even the later Daring class still used hammocks; the County class is recalled, with some uncertainty, as the first destroyer type to introduce newer accommodation.