The 127ft yacht featured in the WWII rescue mission known as the Miracle of Dunkirk.
A yacht used by Sir Winston Churchill that brought scores of Allied soldiers to safety during World War II is up for sale in France for €2 million.
The yacht, called Amazone, took part in ‘Operation Dynamo,’ according to Coldwell Banker, who are managing the sale of the vessel.
Operation Dynamo, the code name for the evacuation of Allied soldiers from France in 1940 known popularly as the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk,’ saw nearly 340,000 soldiers rescued over the course of eight days. In the face of an advancing German army, a fleet of over 800 boats including Amazone ferried soldiers from France’s Norman beaches to England’s southern coast.
A yacht used by Winston Churchill during World War II has gone up for sale for €2m.
According to Coldwell Banker, Amazone made at least three trips across the English Channel and brought a total of nearly 550 troops back to the UK. The yacht is thought to be one of just two surviving small barges to have been part of the effort.
The yacht’s current owner, architect Mireille Huet, hopes to sell it to someone who will “honour its dignity.”
Reportedly, Huet has already turned down at least one buyer, an Arab prince with whose plans for the yacht she disagreed.
The yacht participated in the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk ‘ evacuation.
Although the yacht has been reported as having been the property of Sir Winston Churchill, a Coldwell Banker representative clarified that Amazone was the property of the British government and merely at Churchill’s disposal while he was the First Lord of the Admiralty at the onset of World War II in 1939-1940.
The yacht is fitted with luxurious touches like a top-deck Jacuzzi and retains the well-stocked bar that Churchill, a notorious lover of drink and cigars, had installed onboard.
The 127ft Amazone has two 700-horse power engines and a top speed of 11 knots. It has been called Welsh Liberty and My Evangeline during its 90 years on the water, but has been given back its original name.
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WWII yacht Amazone in Limay, France
A yacht used by Winston Churchill during World War II has gone up for sale for €2m.
The helm of of the historic yacht Amazone
According to the yacht’s owner, architect Mireille Huet, Amazone made at least three trips from Dunkirk to Dover to deliver Allied troops evacuating Europe in the face of an advancing German army.
Forward view from Amazone yacht’s interior
The yacht participated in the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk ‘ evacuation.
Owner’s suite on board Amazone
Mireille Huet, who owns the yacht, prefers to sell it to someone — a collector or history afficionado, for example — who will “honour its dignity.”
Amazone yacht living area
Amazone has undergone two refits that have brought the 90-year-old vessel up to date while preserving its historic character.
Sir Winston Churchill
Amazone was used by Prime Minister Winston Churchill during his second stint as First Lord of the Admiralty at the outbreak of World War II.
Credit: "Sir Winston S Churchill" by United Nations Information Office, New York - Library of Congress, Reproduction number LC-USW33-019093-C Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Winston_S_Churchill.jpg#/media/File:Sir_Winston_S_Churchill.jpg