A historic Second World War troopship that had survived enemy fire and helped rescue soldiers from the Dunkirk beaches was reportedly badly damaged during a children’s pirate-themed birthday party. The story matters because it concerns the loss or serious harm of a vessel presented as an important wartime artefact, linking a modern private event to the destruction of a piece of military heritage.

The key details given are that the vessel was described as ‘heroic’, had previously survived Nazi bullets, and was credited with saving 22 soldiers during the Dunkirk evacuation. The article frames the contrast between the ship’s wartime service and its later fate as especially striking, with the damage said to have happened during a party for children rather than through age, weather or conflict.