Naiad Errant (“adventurous water-nymph”) was the prototype of William Osborne’s Swallow Senior class. The vessel was purchased by Ralph Nightingale, a solicitor from Wimbledon, for £1,000. Following her launch at Littlehampton on the south coast in June 1939, Nightingale sailed her to Kingston upon Thames within three days, mooring her at Horace Clark’s yard (now Turks? boatyard).

From Clark’s yard, Naiad Errant was requisitioned for Operation Dynamo. Members of the Sunbury Fire Brigade transported her downriver to Tough’s boatyard at Teddington. Douglas Tough arranged for J. Jameson to skipper Naiad to Ramsgate, with L. Melsom as engineer and A. Crump as first hand. This team also ferried other vessels including Matoya and assisted with Tarifa and one of Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebirds.

At Ramsgate on 31 May 1940, Able-Seaman Samuel Palmer was assigned responsibility for two motor yachts, Westerly and Naiad Errant. He divided his crew between the two and chose Naiad Errant for himself, considering her the better boat, likely due to her recent construction. Palmer’s detailed account of his time aboard Naiad during the Dunkirk evacuation is regarded by historian A.D. Divine as “the best individual account by any member of the lower deck who took part in the beach work throughout this time.”

After preparing Naiad and Westerly, Palmer was ordered to rendezvous with eight other similar vessels outside Ramsgate breakwater at 0400 on 1 June 1940. Among these was White Heather (now Riis I), which likely led the flotilla, with Naiad Errant second in line. They followed the recently mine-swept Route X, a 55-nautical-mile course that was 32 miles shorter than Route Y, which passed via the Kwinte buoy off Ostende.

The route took them east-southeast through the Ruytingen Pass, eight miles off the French coast, then south-southeast towards the coast between Gravelines and Dunkerque, before making a right-angled turn eastward to approach the French coast from the west. Around 1250, approximately three miles from Dunkerque at the right-angle turn, Palmer diverted to rescue an airman in the sea, only to discover he was a deceased German.

At sunrise, the Germans launched a fierce four-hour air attack, followed by a second assault at 1300. Palmer witnessed the Foudroyant, which had departed Dover at 1000 at speeds of 25-30 knots, being struck by three direct hits from Stuka dive-bombers and sinking in less than a minute. Survivors were rescued by Palmer aboard Naiad Errant and subsequently transferred to a nearby French tug.

Naiad Errant then conducted multiple shore-to-ship trips. During an attempt to tow another Little Ship, a young seaman’s rope fouled a propeller, causing Naiad to run aground at low tide (1430). Palmer, later awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his actions, ferried soldiers through the water to a large ship nearby. Both vessels were grounded by the receding tide. Palmer never saw Westerly again; she caught fire around 1430 and her crew were rescued by Sundowner.

While stranded, Naiad’s crew, including soldiers such as Cyril Chell RA and Drivers Cox and Cullen, cleared the propeller and restarted the engine. The rising tide refloated both vessels, allowing Palmer to take command of Naiad, which was then “packed full” of soldiers. With fuel gauges indicating only about 16 gallons remaining, the crew acquired additional petrol cans from a moored boat. Despite this, the engines later failed amid bombs, shells, and the risk of drifting onto Dunkirk pier or colliding with other vessels.

It is believed that confusion caused by the use of petrol cans for water storage—due to bombed water mains and shortages—may have contributed to engine failure, a fate also suffered by Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird that afternoon. Around 2100, Palmer ordered the soldiers to break up cabin doors to use as improvised oars to keep Naiad off the East Mole, despite exhaustion. After receiving rum from a soldier, Palmer recovered sufficiently to resume command when the starboard engine restarted approximately 90 minutes later.

Palmer navigated Naiad Errant at 5-6 knots, deliberately avoiding main traffic lanes and steering directly across minefields toward Dover. At 0300, he briefly relinquished the helm due to fatigue but quickly resumed control upon realizing the vessel was heading back toward Dunkerque. Naiad reached Dover at dawn and arrived at Ramsgate at 1100 the following morning.

In gratitude, one rescued soldier presented Naiad’s bell to a canteen lady on the pier; it was returned to Sandy Evans 38 years later. Similarly, Sergeant Chell returned the large Red Ensign taken from Naiad upon her return to Ramsgate. According to Christian Brann, Naiad Errant made two additional trips to Dunkirk.

Following Operation Dynamo, Naiad returned to Sunbury, where photographs documented damage including three missing windows, one severely bent handrail, and another removed. Subsequently, she was painted grey and served as an Armed Patrol Vessel in the Harwich area. During a publicity photo session, Naiad, marked with the number ‘7’, was positioned closest to the cameras, making her the only one of nine vessels with her name visible on film and photographs. Due to the Defence of the Realm Act (DORA), unofficial photography was prohibited, rendering these images among the few surviving visual records of a small craft flotilla from the period.

One notable photograph shows a soldier manning Naiad’s foredeck gun, with her unnamed sister ship immediately behind. This image was used on the cover of Christian Brann’s book The Little Ships of Dunkirk, further enhancing her renown.

Palmer’s account was published in A.D. Divine’s works and John Masefield’s The Nine Days Wonder. The ship’s records include a letter from the Poet Laureate, who met Palmer and corresponded with him, referring to Naiad Errant as the “famous little ship” and expressing hope that she would visit his home on the Upper Thames after the war.

After her service as an Armed Patrol Vessel, the Royal Navy continued to use Naiad, painting all woodwork white and fitting a substantial rubbing strake. She was decommissioned in 1946 and passed through several owners. Sandy Evans, seeking a Dunkirk Little Ship, first encountered her on the River Hamble but lost her to a boatyard where she was stripped and sold without her name. After seven years of searching, during which he acquired her ship’s papers, bell, and navigation lights used post-Dunkirk, Evans rediscovered Naiad in Southampton in 1981 and purchased her.

John Richards and his son Paul became joint owners and financed repairs after Naiad nearly sank in the Medway in 1999. In 2015, Hugh Collinson and his wife Janet acquired the vessel and commissioned a refit at Michael Dennett Boat Builder in Laleham Reach. The refurbishment included replacing significant planking below the waterline, adding wooden doors to the wheelhouse, renewing the deck, and fitting two new 35hp Beta engines. Naiad was then transported to Lake Windermere, where she was widely admired and wintered in a marquee at the owners’ home. Hugh Collinson passed away in 2021 after a brief illness.

In August 2021, the Carley family, long-time members of the Association and previous owners of Lady Gay (lost in a fire in May 2021), acquired Naiad Errant. Paul Richards, former joint owner of Naiad, had also previously owned Lady Gay (then named Mehatis). In May 2022, prior to the Commemorative Cruise, Naiad underwent minor upgrades at Hampton to enhance her suitability for coastal operation, 83 years after her original service.

Naiad Errant is currently moored on the Thames at Temple near Marlow.