MOVEMENTS.
15 March 1943, completed.
17 April 1943, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
22 June 1943, New York, USA.
23 to 25 June 1943, Boston, USA.
27 June to 27 July 1943, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
17 April 1944, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
26 and 27 April 1944, Azores.
22 May to 7 Aug 1944, Gibraltar.
11 Aug to 12 Sep 1944, Naples, Italy.
24 Sep 1944, Taranto, Italy.
29 Sep to 12 Oct 1944, Taranto, Italy.
14 Oct 1944, Ancona, Italy (Adriatic)
6 Nov 1944, Bari, Italy (Adriatic)
29 Nov to 28 Dec 1944, Taranto, Italy.
26 March 1945, Taranto, Italy.
28 to 30 April,1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
4 April to 31 May 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
1 June 1945, Venice, Italy.
14 June 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
19 July 1945, Venice.
20 July to 2 August 1945, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
8 and 9 July Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
13 Sep 1945, Naples, Italy.
23 May 1947, Returned to USA.
BYMS 2037
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: 153rd MFS, Mediterranean: 2009, 2019, 2022, 2026, 2027, 2037, 2077, 2171, 2172.
Built by: Barbour Boat Works, New Bern, North Carolina, USA.
Laid down: 5 May 1942.
Launched: 7 September 1942.
Handed over to Royal Navy: 15 March 1943.
Returned to USA: 23 May 1947 and sold to Italy. Re-named Orchidea.
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.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943.
Tempy. Lieut., E. W. Long, 16 Mar 43. (In Command.)
Tempy. Lieut., F. B. Martin (act) 16 Mar 43.
Tempy. Lieut., A. Goudie(act) 16 Mar 43.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Tempy. Lieut., E. W. Long, 16 Mar 43. (In Command.)
Tempy. Lieut., F. B. Martin (act) 16 Mar 43.
Tempy. Lieut., A. Goudie(act) 16 Mar 43.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Tempy. Lieut., W. A. McLaughlan, Apr 45. (In Command)
Tempy. Sub-Lieut., H. Sisam, 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
RETURN TO SHIP DATABASE.
Click here.
RETURN TO FRONT PAGE.
Click here.
BYMS 2037 2037 from the collection of Joe Radigan.