 The docks at Dunkirk were too badly damaged to be used, but the east and west moles (sea walls protecting the harbour entrance) were intact.Captain William Tennant—in charge of the evacuation—decided to use the beaches and the east mole to land the ships.This highly successful idea hugely increased the number of troops that could be embarked each day, and on 31 May, over 68,000 men were embarked.