OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943.
Tempy. Skipper Lieut., C. J. Watson (act) 2 July 42
Tempy. Skipper, W. H. Linstead. 8 Aug 42.
Tempy. Skipper, G. J. W. Denton. 8 Aug 42
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Tempy. Skipper, G. J. W. Denton. (In Command) 8 Aug 42
Tempy. Skipper, P. Murray, Mar 44
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Tempy. Skipper, G. J. W. Denton. (In Command) 8 Aug 42
Tempy. Skipper, G. Cowie, Apr 45.
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MOVEMENTS.
Completed. 6 October 1942.
9 March 1943, San Francisco, USA.
3 April 1943, Balboa, Panama Canal.
13 April 1943, Cristobal, Panama Canal.
21 May 1943, Recife, Brazil.
25 April to 8 June 1943, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa.
11 to 13 July 1943, Gibraltar.
21 July 1943, Bizerte, Tunisia.
14 May 1944, Taranto, Italy.
14 to 15 May 1944 Brindisi, Italy, Adriatic.
15 May to 10 June 1944 Bari, Italy, Adriatic.
13 June to 17 June 1945, Bari,, Italy.
13 August to 13 September 1944, Taranto, Italy.
16 Sep 1944, Bari,, Italy.
17 Sep 1944, Ancona, Italy, Adriatic.
26 Oct to 3 Nov 1944, Bari.
15 November 1944, Ancona, Italy.
4 Dec 1944, Ancona, Italy.
18 Jan 1945, Ancona, Italy.
4 Feb 1945, Ancona, Italy.
25 April to 5 June 1945, Ancona, Italy.
10 May to 16 May 1945, Ancona, Italy.
25 May 1945, Venice.
31 May to 11 June 1945, Ancona, Italy.
25June 1945, Trieste, Italy.
11 July 1945, Venice.
Returned to USA. 23 May 1947.
BYMS 2012, from the collection of David McMullen
BYMS 2012
British Yard Mine Sweeper
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.
MINE SWEEPING FLOTILLA: 151st MSF, Mediterranean : 2011, 2012, 2020, 2023.
Built by: Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, Washington, USA. (West Coast)
Laid down: 21 March 1942.
Launched: 27 May 1942.
Handed over to Royal Navy: 6 October 1942.
Returned to USA: 23 May 1947.
Sold to Italy, 23 May 1947.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Wooden hull. Length, 130 feet. Beam, 25 feet 6 inches. Depth, 12 feet I inch. Draft, 8 foot 10.5 inches. Displacement 207-215 tons.
Engine: Two 800 bhp General Motors diesel engines.
Speed: 14.6 knots. 10 knots while sweeping. (Eight knots with double Oropesa sweeps)
Range: 2,500 at ten knots.
Compliment: 3 officers and 27 men.
Armament: One 3-inch HA/LA gun and two Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns.
BYMS’s were fitted with a drum on the stern with LL (double L) cables for sweeping magnetic mines, an acustic hammer on the bow for sweeping acustic mines and Oropesa floats for sweeping tethered mines.
All YMS and BYMS were built to the same design, the only variation was in the number of exhaust stacks. Minesweepers 1 to 134 had two sacks, 135 to 480 had one stack, 466 to 479 had no stacks.