Moonstone is the British civilian vessel that rescues soldiers from the English Channel in Dunkirk.
Christopher Nolan’s 2017 film depicts the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk in 1940 through three interlocking timelines: the mole, the sea, and the air. Moonstone is a small civilian pleasure craft commanded by Mr. Dawson, played by Mark Rylance.
Dawson brings his son Peter and Peter’s friend George across the Channel after civilian boats are called to help with the evacuation. The boat later picks up stranded soldiers, including the character played by Cillian Murphy.
The vessel is fictional within the film, but it represents the many civilian “little ships” that assisted the real evacuation. The historical operation, known as Operation Dynamo, rescued hundreds of thousands of Allied personnel from the beaches and harbor.