BYMS 2080 Sponsor, Catherine Kelly.
Paul Griffith tells us his Grandmother Catherine W. Kelly was a sponsor for the BYMS 80 (reassigned her British number BYMS 2080) Catherine was employed by Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp the company which built the minesweeper. Usually the sponsor was the person selected to christen the vessel when she was launched.
Catherine was presented with a commemorative bracelet to mark the event. The date on the bracelet matches the launch date of BYMS 2080.
The commemorative bracelet is made of silver by Georg Jensen (USA) a Danish company which still exists today.
The bracelet is engraved BYMS 80, SPONSORED BY CATHERINE W. KELLY, MAY 31, 1943. (One the inside is engraved, Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, NY.)
Officers of BYMS 2080 in Londonderry after crossing the Atlantic from the USA. Left to right: Sub Lieut R H Cragg, RNVR, of Brighton; Lieut P K Martin, RNR, of Hailsham, Sussex; and Sub Lieut F K D Saunders, RNVR, of London.
BYMS, British Yard Mine Sweeper were all built to the same design. The only variation was one of appearance in the number of exhaust stacks. They 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.
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.
MOVEMENTS.
3 Aug 43, Completed.
19 Sep 43, New York.
23 Sep 43, Boston.
25 to 27 Sep 43, Halifax.
29 Sep to 11 Oct 43, St John’s. Crossed Atlantic Ocean from Canada to the U.K.
18 Oct 43, Londonderry.
25 and 26 Oct 43, Plymouth.
27 and 28 Oct 43, Portland.
28 Oct 43, Portsmouth.
1 Nov 43, Southend.
9 June 44, Lowestoft.
9 June to 10 July 44, Harwich.
18 July 44, Harwich.
31 July Lowestoft.
31 July to 1 Aug 44 Harwich.
23 Aug 44 Portsmouth.
18 Sep 44, Le Havre. Clearing mines at French ports and along the French coast.
13 Sep to 30 Oct 44 Portsmouth.
4 Nov 44, Ramsgate.
4 to 8 Nov 44 Lowestoft.
8 Nov 44 Humber.
12 Nov 44 Tyne.
12 an 13 Nov 44 Methil.
18 Nov 44 Aberdeen.
22 Feb 45 Aberdeen.
26 Feb to 21 March 44 Lowestoft.
22 March 45 Portsmouth.
27 March 45 Swansea,
15 April 45 Falmouth for S. E. Asia. Detained in Mediterranean.
1946 at Hong Kong.
31 July 46 Returned to United States Navy.
21 July 47. Sold.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
No Officers listed.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
No Officers listed.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Temp. Sub-Lieut., R.N.V.R., G. H. Freckingham 14 Feb 45
Temp. Act. Sub-Lieut., R.N.V.R., R. L. Vale 29 Mar 45
BYMS 2080
British Yard Mine Sweeper 2080.
Nore Command, World War Two 1939 to 1945.
BYMS 2080. Flotilla 163 in 1943, 180 in 1944 and 1945.
Built by: Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp., Whitestone, New York, USA.
Laid down: 4 November 1942.
Launched: 31 May 1943.
Completed and transferred to Royal Navy: 3 Aug 43.
Reclassified: HMS J-880 later HMS BYMS-2080.
Assigned to the Nore Command, Flotilla 136 in 1943.
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
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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Thank you to Paul Griffith for the photographs of his Grandmother's commemorative bracelet.