BYMS 2008
British Yard Mine Sweeper
BRITISH YARD MINE SWEEPERS
BYMS’s were built in the United States and transferred the Royal Navy under the Lend-lease Programme. “British Yard Mine Sweepers” are so called because they were built to the same design as the US Navy’s “Yard Mine Sweepers”.
Crews for the BYMS’s would sail to the United States, often on the Queen Mary, which could sail unescorted because of her greater speed, to collect their vessel. They would then have the formidable task of sailing their small vessel back across the Atlantic Ocean, often in winter.
Flotilla: 151st MSF: SOUTH EAST ASIA. (Part of) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008.
Built by: Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, New York, USA.
Laid down: 28 November 1941.
Launched: 7 September 1942.
Handed over to Royal Navy: 19 October 1942
Handed back to USA: 12 November 1946.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Wooden hull. Length, 130 feet. Beam, 25 feet 6 inches. Depth, 12 feet I inch. Draft, 8 foot 10.5 inches. Displacement 207-215 tons.
Engine: Two 800 bhp General Motors diesel engines.
Speed: 14.6 knots. 10 knots while sweeping. (Eight knots with double Oropesa sweeps)
Range: 2,500 at ten knots.
Compliment: 3 officers and 27 men.
Armament: One 3-inch HA/LA gun and two Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns.
BYMS’s were fitted with a drum on the stern with LL (double L) cables for sweeping magnetic mines, an acustic hammer on the bow for sweeping acustic mines and Oropesa floats for sweeping tethered mines.
All YMS and BYMS were built to the same design, the only variation was in the number of exhaust stacks. Minesweepers 1 to 134 had two sacks, 135 to 480 had one stack, 466 to 479 had no stacks.
MOVEMENTS.
20 January 1943. New York, USA.
21 Jan to 4 Feb 1943. Norfolk, Viginia, USA.
21 Feb, 1943.Trinadad.
16 March 1943. Recife, Brazil. Preparing to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
11 April to 14 April 1943. Takoradi. (Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, West Africa.)
30 April 1943. Walvis Bay, Namibia.
5 May to 25 May 1943. Simonstown, (Cape Town) South Africa.
2 July to 5 July 1943. Diago Suarez, Madagascar.
8 July to 9 July 1943. Seychelles.
16 July to 22 Nov.1943. Colombo, Ceylon. (Sri Lanka)
7 Dec 1943. Colombo.
8 April 1944. Visagappatam, India.
13 April 1944. Calcutta, India.
15 April, 1944. Chittagong. India (Today Bangladesh
14 July 1944. Colombo.
10 Sep 1944. Singapore.
12 November 1946. Returned to U.S. custody.
10 May 1947. Transferred to South Korea and renamed Yong Kung (YMS 518)
7 May 1943, BYMS.8, road accident.
TRAVERSE, Anthony, Seaman, RNPS, LT/JX 299621, killed
BYMS 2008, transporting troops to Burma.
BYMS 2008 before her number was changed.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943.
Skipper Lieut., N. Lyle (act) 9 July 42
Tempy. Skipper, B. Jamieson, 17 Aug 42
Tempy. Skipper, D. W. Ross (act), Sept 42
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Skipper Lieut., G. S. Draper, (In Command) Dec 43
Tempy. Skipper, D. W. Ross, Sept 42.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Skipper Lieut., G. S. Draper, (In Command) Dec 43
Skipper Lieut., G. L. G. Boughton, 1 Jan 45.
Tempy. Skipper, A. J. Saunders. 5 Mar 45.
If you, your father or your grandfather have any additional information about this ship, crew lists, stories, photographs, please send copies of them to be added to our records and this website.
Thank you.
Contact: johntenthousand@yahoo.co.uk
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