Watch these short videos about the Wildfire III Minesweepers.
Minesweepers: https://youtu.be/aTsYiZFzv5M
D-day minesweepers: https://youtu.be/ZjlA5LxCAsg
Clearing the Scheldt: https://youtu.be/8ELsc9T3Lbw
The Relief of Holland: https://youtu.be/GghYEFHmOfY
The follow photographs are by kind permission of Roy Cafferty from the collection of his father-in-law Keith who served on BYMS 2279. They were probably taken from BYMS 2279 when clearing the Scheldt and approaches to the Dutch ports.
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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BYMS 2003 taken from BYMS 2279.
BYMS 2003
British Yard Mine Sweeper 2003.
Nore Command, World War Two 1939 to 1945.
BYMS 2003, Flotilla 150 in 1942 and 1943, 163 in 1944 and 1945.
Built by: the American Car and Foundry Co., Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Laid down: 25 August 1941.
Launched: 14 May 1942.
Completed and transferred to Royal Navy: 13 July 1942.
Reclassified: HMS J-803, later HMS BYMS-2003.
Assigned to the Nore Command, Flotilla 150 in 1942 and 1943, 163 in 1944 and 1945.
Took part in the D-day landings, Gold Beach.
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.
BYMS 2003 taken from BYMS 2279
BYMS 2003 taken from BYMS 2279.
BYMS 2003.
MOVEMENTS.
1 Aug 42. Completed.
28 Oct 42 Halifax.
Left Halifax in 28 Oct 42, Reported as disabled at position 51 06N, 41 50W in the Atlantic. Assisted by the tug Tenacity to return to St John’s.
4 Feb 43 St Johns.
Second attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Canada to the U.K. this time successfully.
12 Feb to 16 Feb 43 Londonderry.
15 March 43 Portsmouth.
18 March 43. Sheerness.
7 June 43. Southend.
18 July 43 Portsmouth.
6 Aug 43 Ardrossan Scotland.
10 Aug 43 Milford Haven.
6 Dec 43 Malta.
18 Feb 44. Lagos, Portugal.
June 6th, D-Day BYMS 2004 was sweeping off Gold Beach.
During the period from the 4 June 1944 (the day before D-day) to the end of July 1944 BYMS would have cleared pathways through the minefields to the Normandy Beachheads, cleared mines ahead of the Invasion Convoys, cleared mines from the ship assembly and disembarkation areas almost right up to the beaches, widened the cleared pathways and continuously swept for newly laid mines.
28 Aug 44 Portsmouth.
1 Sep to 2 Sep 44 Newhaven.
6 Sep 44 Dieppe. As the army advance overland taking the ports, the minesweepers cleared the mines from them.
11 Sep 44, Portsmouth.
13 Sep 44 France BAA.
30 Sep to 4 Oct 44 Portsmouth.
16 Oct 44 Captain Mine Sweepers. Portsmouth.
Dec 44 to 12 May 45 Great Yarmouth.
13 May 45 Rosyth.
Feb to Sep 46. Dover.
Sep 46 to July 47 Sheerness. Laid up at Queenborough Pier, Wildfire III, Queenborough after WW2 waiting to be returned to the United States Navy or sold.
1 July 47. Returned to USN.
Distinguished Service Order awarded to Temporary Skipper Lieutenant. S. H. Soanes.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943,
Temp, Skipper Lieut., R. N. R., S. H. Soanes, DSO, 7 Apr 42.
Temp Skipper, R. N. R., D. McL. Buchan, 16 May 42.
Temp Skipper, R. N. R., R. Woodgate, 16 May 42.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944
Temp, Skipper Lieut., R. N. R., S. H. Soanes, DSO, 7 Apr 42.
Temp, Skipper, R. N. R., G. de la P. Casson 22 Feb 44.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945,
Temp, Skipper Lieut., R. N. R., S. H. Soanes, DSO, 7 Apr 42.
Temp, Skipper, R. N. R., G. de la P. Casson 22 Feb 44.