 Napier assisted in the evacuation of British and Commonwealth troops from the island of Crete in late May , following the successful Axis invasion . On one such occasion the vessel embarked 296 soldiers , three women , one Greek and one Chinese civilian , ten sailors , two children and a dog . Returning to Alexandria , the destroyer came under attack but arrived unscathed . Two days later Napier was less fortunate ; having taken 705 soldiers on board , she was targeted on her return journey by a formation of twelve German dive @-@ bombers . The ship was struck twice by bombs and suffered damage to the stern , the engine room and boiler room . One of the aircraft was shot down and a further three damaged . Although no allied casualties were sustained and the destroyer arrived safely in Alexandria , she spent the next two @-@ and @-@ a @-@ half months in Port Said under repair . 
