Troops crowded destroyer decks because ships built for crews of roughly 160 to 200 had little protected internal space once they carried many hundreds of evacuees and casualties. Machinery, magazines, stores, and the ship's own living spaces consumed most of the hull, while the limited sheltered areas were prioritised for wounded and sick personnel. Small boats moved men from the beaches to destroyers, ferries, and other larger ships offshore. That division of labour let the larger vessels make Channel crossings more efficiently while the small craft returned to the beaches. The familiar small-boats image therefore sits within a much broader naval, merchant, and Royal Air Force evacuation effort.
Notable Point · 1:13:59-1:18:06
Dunkirk beyond the small-boats story
The Dunkirk evacuation depended on destroyers, ferries, and other larger vessels, while small boats chiefly accelerated the transfer from beaches to ships offshore.