MOVEMENTS.
4 March 1943, completed.
1 July 1943, Charleston, South Carolina, United States.
10 July 1943, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
12 to 29 July 1943, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
27 July 1943, St John’s Newfoundland, Canada.
5 to 19 Fen 1944, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
27 Feb to 3 March 1944, Horta, Azores.
9 and 10 March 1944, Falmouth.
11 March to 25 April 1944, Liverpool.
27 April 1044, Plymouth.
8 to 19 May 1944, Liverpool.
21 May 1944, Portland.
13 June 1944, Portsmouth.
BYMS 2155’s movements at this time would suggest she was involved in the D-day landings.
14 and 15 June 1944, Portland.
25 June 1944, Portland.
12 July 1944, Portland.
11 to 23 Aug 1944, Portland.
25 Aug to 5 Oct 1944, Liverpool.
8 and 9 Oct 1944, Dover.
29 Nov 1944, Ostend, Belgium.
BYMS 2155’s movements at this time would suggest she was involved in opening up the Scheldt and the Port of Antwerp and also the Dutch ports.
24 March 1946, returned to USA.
Saturday, 14 October 1944. BYMS.2155, boat accident.
BOOTH, John A, Ty/Act/Lieutenant Commander, RNR, killed.
AWARDS FOR MINESWEEPING
DSC: Distinguished Service Cross. DSM: Distinguished Service Medal. MID: Mention in Dispatches.
Lieutenant Commander, John Albert BOOTH, BYMS 2155, 13 Feb 45, DSC awarded for courage and skill in minesweeping operations during the landing of Allied Forces in Normandy Jun-Sep 1944.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943.
Not on Navy Lists.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Tempy. Lieut. J. A. Booth, Mar 44.
Tempy. Lieut., I. P. M. Dickinson (act). 9 Apr 44.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Tempy. Lieut.-Com., R. H. Le Masurier, DSC, 1 Nov 44 (In Command).
Tempy. Lieut.-Com., I. P. M. Dickinson (act). 9 Apr 44.
Tempy. Sub-Lieut., W. C. Gregory, Mar 45.
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BYMS 2155
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: 167th MSF: 2047, 2051, 2061, 2069,2155, 2156, 2182, 2210.
Based at: Androssan and Liverpool 1943. ANCFX 1944. Humber 1945. NW Europe 1946.
Built by: Burger Boat Co., Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States, (On Lake Michigan)
Laid down: 29 June 1942.
Launched: 27 October 1942.
Handed over to Royal Navy: 4 March 1943.
Returned to USA: 24 March 1946. Sold to the Netherlands and re-named HNLMS Vliestroom. In the following years BYMS 2155 was assigned new numbers, MV37, M837, A922. She was sold to M. V. Hollander, Amsterdam in Nov 1964. She was again sold to a UK company in Nov 1964 to supply North Sea Oil rigs and re-named William R.
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 2155 after being sold the Netherlands and re-named HNLMS Vliestroom and assigned the new numbers MV38.