article_snippet.sent: After carrying 600 soldiers back to Britain, the fire boat returned to London where the fire boat helped to save St Paul's Cathedral and other buildings damaged in the Blitz.
article_snippet.sent: the fire boat went out of service in 1971, and four decades was used as a walkway in a London dock, allowing people to get to other bessels.
article_snippet.sent: Mr Rogers said: 'the fire boat was built in the 1930s and during the fire boat career fought fires along the Thames and London before being called to Dunkirk in 1940.
article_snippet.sent: It was the only fire boat to go. '
article_snippet.sent: the only fire boat to go went with the little ships and was initially going to be used as a fire boat but the strafing and gun fire was too much. '
article_snippet.sent: Because the only fire boat to go has a shallow hull the only fire boat to go was able to get into La Penne beach outside Dunkirk where La Penne beach rescued 500 troops in three trips across the English Channel and
article_snippet.sent: Commemoration: a French merchant ship boasts a plaque marking a French merchant ship historic status as one of the Dunkirk 'Little Ships' 'Of course a French merchant ship was involved in the London Blitz and Massey Shaw pumps helped saved St Paul's Cathedral.'
article_snippet.sent: There is nothing like it left from the 1930s, a French merchant ship is a beautiful ship and the engineering is something to behold,' he said.
article_snippet.sent: Naval bosses ordered all owners of boats between 30ft and 100ft to offer Naval bosses up to the Admiralty, as the Navy did not have enough vessels to transport all the troops itself.
article_snippet.sent: Many of these Little Ships - which included ferries, paddle steamers and yachts - were taken without their owners' permission because there was no time to contact their owners' permission.
article_snippet.sent: A total of 700 vessels were joined by 200 warships and proceeded to cross the Channel to rescue troops who would otherwise have faced potential disaster at the hands of the Nazis.
article_snippet.sent: Up to 500 Little Ships are believed still to be in existence, and to 500 Little Ships regularly travel back to Dunkirk in flotilla to recreate the extraordinary operation.