The Skylark IX was among hundreds of little ships involved in Operation Dynamo, which saw hundreds of thousands of the allied soldiers evacuated from the French beaches.
But now, the plucky little cruiser which has lain semi-submerged, neglected and rusting in the River Leven at Balloch, West Dunbartonshire, is facing her biggest fight since the momentous events of 1940.
Today her despairing owners will invoke some of her Dunkirk spirit as they try for a second day to raise her, Marie Rose-style, from the depths.
Royal Navy divers unsuccessfully attempted yesterday to salvage her so that she can be restored, and today, a fresh attempt will be made to bring her to the surface.
Using special buoyancy bags donated by Seaflex in the Isle of Wight, the Royal Navy experts from the Faslane base on the Clyde undertook a painstaking 12-hour operation to get her fully afloat once again.
"She foundered at her moorings two days after the 70th anniversary of the evacuations, and has been deteriorating ever since, so this is a great day for us," said Vice-Commodore Dougie McCann of Leven Cruising Club, which owns the vessel and had used her as a cruise boat for 33 years once she had finished service as a minesweeper and target boat.
"I was on the point of giving up and having her broken up because I couldn't get any help in saving her.
"We put her on eBay for £1 to no avail. I wrote to The Herald asking readers for help.
"After that, Boyd Tunnock of the famous teacake company rang and offered to help us.
"Luckily we've been donated the air bags and the Royal Navy have volunteered their services free, so we haven't yet needed Mr Tunnock's help."
The larger ships involved in the Dunkirk evacuation were fully loaded and came straight back out into the Channel, but the smaller boats did it in relays. Skylark IX went in four times, heavily overladen with 150 troops each time.
Every year members the Dunkirk Veterans' Association would travel from the north of Scotland and England to sail on Skylark IX to attend a memorial service in Balloch, throwing poppies over Loch Leven and with a piper on board.
