“Traffic” (the Second)
End of 1933: Traffic (and Nomadic) put up sale by White Star Line. 1934
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- 1939 September
- 1940 June 15
- 1941 January 17
| End of 1933: Traffic (and Nomadic) put up sale by White Star Line.
1934 After the merger of the White Star Line with Cunard due to the hard economic times, Traffic and Nomadic were considered surplus in the new company. Both vessels were sold to the French company “Societie Cherbourgeoise de Remorquage et Sauvetage” (Cherbourg Tow and Rescue Society). She was renamed “Ingenieur Riebell”. Both vessels were used for general tender work/salvage/towing as the work for dedicated tenders was on the decline. Traffic renamed Ingenieur Riebell to honour Engineer Riebell (1795-1867), who directed construction work for twenty years during nineteenth century, including building of the harbour wall of Cherbourg. 
1939 September: just after the declaration of the Second World War, Ingenieur Riebell (and Ingenieur Minard) was again requisitioned by the French National Navy and transformed into minelayer under the name of X23. Ingenieur Minard remained unconverted as a transport ship. 1940 June 15 Operation 'Aerial' was commanded by Admiral James, Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth. He could not organise a convoy system for he had not the necessary flotilla vessels. He therefore arranged that a continuous flow of troopships, storeships, and motor transport ships would sail from Southampton and the French ports while coasters sailed from Poole Harbour and Dutch schuyts from Weymouth. The few warships available patrolled the shipping routes. The aim was to save members of the British Expeditionary Force beginning with the evacuation of Cherbourg and continued for the next ten days, moving south right down to the Franco-Spanish border. 1940 June 18/19 As Cherbourg was being overrun, Traffic was scuttled by her French crew in the harbour at Cherbourg. This was an attempt to prevent advancing German Naval Forces from using the port. Traffic was later raised, reconditioned by Lieutenant Groner of the Kriegsmarine, German Navy and used as armed coastal convoy escort although she does not appear in the German naval lists. The Ingenieur Minard escaped across the English Channel back to Great Britain. Operations 'Aerial' and 'Cycle' ended with a further 215,000 servicemen and civilians saved but never captured the public's imagination like the 'miracle' of Dunkirk. 30,630 men were brought home from Cherbourg and 21,474 from St Malo without the loss of a single life or damage to a single ship. All of these, except 789 were British. 1941 January 17 While in action under the German flag, Traffic was sunk by a British Royal Navy torpedo boat in the English Channel. The location of the wreck is unknown. 
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