LOOKING at the burnt-out shell that remains, it is hard to imagine the Vanguard once sailed across the English Channel to rescue 39 Allied troops.

Canvey’s very own Little Ship was not even supposed to tackle the high seas in its heyday, as it was purpose-built by the Burnham Oyster Company for dredging rivers and estuaries.

It should have struggled to stay afloat in high winds and crashing waves, which makes the achievements of its two-man crew in the 1940 evacuation all the more remarkable.

Skipper of the ship Les Grimwade and his trusty engineer, Joe Clough, were initially told off by the Navy when they arrived at the French coast, as they had not registered in England to help out.

John Cook, secretary of the Coastal Motorboat Trust, said: “They tried to send them home, but these were brave Essex men who were not afraid to speak up for themselves. As I understand it, they insisted on taking part.”

The Vanguard was part of a huge fleet fondly known as Little Ships, the non-military boats sailed by fishermen and other brave members of public, which rescued thousands of stranded Allied troops who had been driven back to the French coast by Hitler’s army.

When Mr Grimwade and Mr Clough arrived at Dunkirk, they would have been greeted by chaos.

There were bodies floating in the water and the rescue boats came under constant attack from machine-gun fire and bombs, sending shrapnel in every direction. Yet the Vanguard managed to make it all the way to the beach, where Mr Grimwade and Mr Clough helped a boatful of British and French troops on board.

The oyster dredger made it safely back home, in tragic contrast to Leigh cockle boat, the Renown, which was blown up by a mine – killing all its crew.

However, Mr Grimwade and Mr Clough did not receive a hero’s welcome when they dropped off the troops at Ramsgate.

Mr Cook said: “The authorities gave them another telling off when they got back to Britain, again for sailing over there without registering in advance, which seems unbelievable.

“They were true heroes who played an important part in what was a turning point in the war.”

The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, described the “miracle of deliverance” from Dunkirk, in a famous parliamentary speech following the evacuations.

He had only expected about 20,000 troops to be rescued, but in total 338,000 British and French soldiers were saved, and it was also seen as a a morale-boosting victory.

At the end of the war, the Vanguard was bought from the Burnham Oyster Company by Paglesham firm Keeble & Sons.

The boat dredged the rivers Roach and Crouch, until a bad winter in 1962 decimated the oyster stocks. It was still sailing in the area until the 1990s.

It was then bought on Ebay for £3,000 by Dunkirk Little Ships enthusiast Christian Bell.

The 39-year-old, from Derbyshire, had planned to restore the boat to its former glory and sail it to Dunkirk for the annual reunion celebrations.

But after the recent arson attacks, the famous ship is unlikely to ever sail again.

Fortunately, though, the Coastal Motorboat Trust has plans to use the Vanguard as the centrepiece to a new maritime museum they want to build at the marina.

It would include an exhibition about its little-known role in the Dunkirk evacuation.