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
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 2076. Flotilla 157 in 42 and 43, flotilla 165 in 1945.
Built by: Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, New York, USA.
Laid down: 17 August 1942.
Launched: 8 May 1943
Completed and transferred to Royal Navy: 26 June 1943,
Reclassified: HMS J-876 later HMS BYMS-2076.
Assigned to the Nore Command, Flotilla 157
MOVEMENTS
26 June 43, Completed.
14 Aug 43, New York.
20 and 21 Aug 43, Halifax.
23 to 25 Aug 43 St John’s. Crossed Atlantic Ocean from Canada to the U.K.
6 Sep to 9 Sep 43, Londonderry.
11 and 12 Sep 43 Inverness.
14 Sep 43, Great Yarmouth.
3 Aug 44, Great Yarmouth.
3 Aug 44, Southend.
7 Aug 44 Portsmouth.
8 Sep 44, Dover.
13 Sep 44, Ramsgate.
12 Oct to 1 Nov 44, Great Yarmouth.
2 Nov 44, Sheerness. Preparing to go to the Scheldt. 157th Flotilla BYMS were shelled from shore when they reached Cadzand (Holland) close to the Scheldt estuary mouth. BYMS 2076 was damaged by an acoustic mine ten yards away from her and was towed to safety by 2051.
18 Nov 44, Southend.
November, detonated a mine and was out of action for two and a half months.
22 Feb 45, Great Yarmouth.
4 March 45, Sheerness.
9 May 45, Ostend. Clearing mines from Dutch and German ports to allow ships carrying humanitarian aid, for people close to starvation, to discharge their cargoes.
21 May to 20 June 45, Great Yarmouth.
20 June 45, Harwich.
16 Aug 45, Ostend.
16 Aug 45, Harwich.
1946, At Sheerness. Laid up at Queenborough Pier, Wildfire III, Queenborough after WW2 waiting to be returned to the United States Navy or sold.
May 1947, Sold to Greece.
Distinguished Service Cross awarded to Temp. Lieutenant Commander C. Delmar-Morgan.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944,
Temp. Lieut.-Com. R. N. V. R., C. Delmar-Morgan, DSC (act) 27 June 43
Temp. Sub-Lieut, R. N. V. R., A. M. Roper 27 June 43.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Temp. Lieut.-Com. R. N. V. R., C. Delmar-Morgan, DSC (act) In Command 27 June 43
Temp. Lieut, R. N. V. R., A. M. Roper 27 June 43
Temp. Act. Sub-Lieut., R. N. V. R. L. P. Wyatt, 30 July 44.
BYMS 2076
British Yard Mine Sweeper 2076.
Nore Command, World War Two 1939 to 1945.
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BYMS 2076. BYMS’s were fitted with an Acoustic “hammer” on the bow to sweep for acoustic mines and a drum on the stern for the LL cables to sweep magnetic mines.