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.
A Wildfire III minesweeper, firing at a floating mine during the clearing of the Scheldt and opening up the
Port of Antwerp.
BYMS 2034
British Yard Mine Sweeper 2034.
Nore Command, World War Two 1939 to 1945.
BYMS 2034 sweeping the Scheldt.
MOVEMENTS.
29 June 1943 Completed.
6 Sep 43 Charleston
9 Sep 43 Boston
12 to 17 Sep 43 Halifax
21 to 25 Sep 43 St John’s. Crossed Atlantic Ocean from Canada to the U.K.
2 to 6 Oct 43 Londonderry
8 Oct 43 Plymouth
12 Oct 43 Southend
12 Oct 43 Great Yarmouth
3 Aug 44 Great Yarmouth
3 Aug to 5 Aug 44 Southend
16 Aug to 10 Sep 44 Portland
10 Sep 44 Needles
11 Sep 44 Southend.
20 Sep 44, Great Yarmouth.
7 Nov 44 Sheerness.
In November 1944, BYMS 2034 helped in clearing the Scheldt of mines, the most crucial minesweeping event of WW2.
14 Dec 44 Sheerness
14/15 Dec 44 Harwich
15 Dec 44 to 5 Jan 45 Great Yarmouth.
4 March 45 Sheerness
4 March to 9 March 45 Ostend
11 May to 10 June 45 Great Yarmouth.
20 June 45 Southend
20 June 45 Humber
28/29 June, Kiel and Copenhagen. 8 May 1945 was Victory in Europe day but the mines in Dutch and German ports still needed clearing.
1 Sep 47 sold to Greece.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943,
Not on Navy List.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Temp. Lieut.-Com., R.N.V.R. J. F. Foggitt (act) 29 June 43 (In Command)
Temp. Lieut., R.N.V.R. C. D. Bishop-Laggett (act) 29 June 43
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945,
Temp. Lieut.-Com., R.N.V.R. J. F. Foggitt (act) 29 June 43 (In Command)
Temp. Lieut., R.N.V.R., C. D. Bishop-Laggett (act) 29 June 43.
Temp. Sub-Lieut, R. N. V. R., S. A. Reichert 30 July 44
BYMS 2034. Flotilla 157 in 1943 and 1944, 150 in 1945 and 1946.
Built by: The American Car and Foundry Co., Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Laid down: 22 June 1942.
Launched: 11 March 1943.
Completed and transferred to Royal Navy: 29 June 1943.
Reclassified: HMS J-834 later HMS BYMS-2034.
Assigned to the Nore Command, Flotilla 150 in 1945.
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