BYMS 2014
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.
MINE SWEEPING FLOTILLA: 152nd MSF: 2013, 2014, 2024, 2028. West Africa/Mediterranean 1943. East Indies 1945. Malaya 1946.
Built by: Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, Washington, USA. (West Coast)
Laid down: 29 May 1942.
Launched: 11 August 1942.
Handed over to Royal Navy: 24 November 1942.
Returned to USA: 23 May 1947.
Sold to Italy and renamed Geranio (DR 412)
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.
BYMS 2014. Anchored off Venice, Italy. Photo from the collection of signalman Len Barrett.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943
Tempy. Lieut., E. D. J. Cox, 25 July 42.
Tempy. Sub-Lieut., R. R Macintosh, 6 Sep 42
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Tempy. Lieut., E. D. J. Cox, 25 July 42.
Tempy. Sub-Lieut., R. R Macintosh, 6 Sep 42.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Tempy. Lieut., D. Hannah, Dec 44.
Tempy. Lieut., E. D. J. Cox, 25 July 42.
Tempy. Sub-Lieut., J. A. H. Salter, Jan 45.
Tempy, Midm. V.W. Brown, Jan 45.
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MOVEMENTS.
Completed. 24 November 1942.
13 May 1943, Cristobal, Panama Canal.
18 to 23 May 1943, Trinadad.
19 July 1943, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa.
30 to 31 July 1943, Casablanca, Morocco.
1 to 4 August 1943, Gibraltar.
9 to 30 August 1943, Malta.
3 Sep 1943, Tripoli, Libya.
29 Nov 1943, Naples.
7 Dec 1943, Augusta, Sicily.
13 May 1944, Taranto, Italy.
1 June 1944, Messina, Sicily.
12 Sep 1944, Gibraltar
16 to 23 September 1944, Naples.
25 Sep to 8 Oct 1944, Taranto, Italy.
2 to 7 Nov 1944 Taranto, Italy.
8 Nov 1944, Messina, Sicily.
7 to 14 Dec 1944, Taranto, Italy.
30 Dec 1944, Corfu.
18 to 26 Jan 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
18 Feb to 12 March 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
5 to 9 April 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
8 May 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
14 May 1945, Trieste.
15 to 19 May 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
20 May 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
25 to 29 May 1945, Venice.
30 May 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
5 to 25 June 1945, Trieste.
22 July 1945, Augusta, Sicily.
1 Sep 1945 1945, Malta.
5 to 6 September 1945, Brindisi, Italy, Adriatic.
7 September 1945, Trieste.
Returned to USA. 23 May 1947.