Abandoning Protocol - A WW2 Ship's True Story

Video Description

After the disastrous loss of seven warships and 2,000 sailors in just five days, the Admiralty had seen enough. Crete was lost. Admiral Cunningham stared at their decision: "Cease all evacuation operations immediately." Thousands of Allied soldiers were left to be captured or worse. Cunningham knew his entire career and reputation were on the line, but as he put it, he also knew: "It takes three years to build a ship. 300 years to build a tradition." Luftwaffe or not, he was not leaving those men behind. On May 31, 1941, HMS Phoebe received orders that directly contradicted London: turn back to Crete. They could only take 3,500 men. The beach at Sfakia held nearly 10,000, and all of them knew this was the last ship out of Crete.