BYMS 2036. Flotilla 163 in 1943, 180 in 1944, 182 in 1945.
Built by: The American Car and Foundry Co., Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Laid down: 31 October 1942.
Launched: 29 July 1943.
Completed and transferred to Royal Navy: 20 September 1943.
Reclassified: HMS J-836 later HMS BYMS-2036.
Assigned to the Nore Command, Flotilla 163 in 1943.
BYMS 2036
British Yard Mine Sweeper 2036.
Nore Command, World War Two 1939 to 1945.
Recovering the LL (double L) sweeping gear.
BYMS’s were fitted with an Acoustic “hammer” on the bow to sweep acoustic mines and a drum on the stern for the LL cables to sweep for magnetic mines.
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
BYMS 2236 in background on VE Day, Ostend. By kind permission of Roy Cafferty from the collection of his father-in-law Keith who served on BYMS 2279.
BYMS 2236 in background on VE Day, Ostend. By kind permission of Roy Cafferty from the collection of his father-in-law Keith who served on BYMS 2279.
BYMS 2038, BYMS 2036 and BYMS 2042 at Terschelling Island harbour, Netherlands. Dutch Navy, 1949.
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.
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Contact: johntenthousand@yahoo.co.uk
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MOVEMENTS.
20 Sep 43, Completed.
13 Nov 43 New York.
16 Nov to 23 Nov 43, Bermuda. Crossed Atlantic Ocean by the more southerly route from Bermuda to Horta in the Azores (Island group) and on to Southern England.
5 Dec to 7 Dec 43, Horta.
13 Dec to 18 Dec 43, Foulmouth
19 Dec 43 Dartmouth.
19 Dec to 23 Dec 43, Portland.
24 Dec 43 Portsmouth
27 Dec 43 Southend.
28 Dec 43 to 21 May 44 Lowestoft.
21 May to 25 May 44 Harwich.
25 May to 9 June 44 Lowestoft.
9 June 44, Harwich.
1 Aug 44, Southend.
23 Aug 44, Portsmouth.
15 Sep to 30 Oct 44 Portsmouth
24 Nov 44 Ramsgate
4 to 8 Nov 44 Lowestoft
8 to 11 Nov 44 Humber
12 Nov 44 Tyne
12 and 13 Nov 44 Methil
15 Nov 44, Aberdeen
15 to 18 Nov 44, Invergordon.
22 March to 28 March 45 Aberdeen
29 March 45, Methil
1 April to 3 April 45 Harwich.
5 April to 22 June 45 Ostend. The winter of 1944–1945 was very harsh for the people of Holland. Food was cut off by the Germans and 18,000 people starved to death. Relief came at the beginning of May 1945 when minesweepers cleared Dutch ports of mines and ships carrying humanitarian aid arrived. Minesweepers, the first vessels to arrive in Dutch ports gave their food to Dutch children.
27 June 45 Plymouth.
9 Sep to 15 Sep 45, Gibraltar.
3 Sep 46 Returned to USA.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Temp. Lieut, R.N.V.R (In Command) N. G. S. Kerswell 1 Jan 44
Temp. Lieut, R.N.V.R., S. Roebuck 21 Oct 43
Temp. Sub-Lieut., R.N.V.R., J. G. Todd 20 Sept 43
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Temp. Lieut, R. N. V. R., D. F. S. Hastie 21 Feb 45 (In Command)
Temp. Sub-Lieut., R.N.V.R., J. G. Todd 20 Sept 43
Temp. Act. Sub-Lieut., R.N.V.R., J. E. Hewens 20 Sept 44.
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.