MOVEMENTS.
13 November 1943, completed.
3 Feb 1944, Charleston, South Carolina, United States.
11 Feb 1944, Bermuda.
20 Feb 1944, Horta, Azores.
29 Feb 1944, Falmouth.
30 Feb to 1 March 1944, Portland.
1 March to 3 July 1944, Portsmouth.
17 July 1944, Portsmouth.
BYMS 2042’s movements at this time would shows she was involved in the D-day landings.
31 July 1944, Portsmouth.
28 August 1944, Portsmouth.
1 Sep 1944, Newhaven.
6 Sept 1944, Dieppe, France.
10 Sep 1944, Portsmouth.
13 Sept 1944, France BBA.
25 Sep to 4 Oct 1944, Portsmouth.
13 to 15 Oct 1944, Portland.
29 Oct 1944, Portsmouth.
3 December 1945, returned to USA.
BYMS 2042 after being sold to Italy and re-named Gladiolo, 5416.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943.
Not on List.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Skipper Lieut., T. W. Kirby, MBE (act) 13 May 44 (In Command)
Tempy Skipper, W. J. Kemp, 15 Nov 43.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Not on list.
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Contact: johntenthousand@yahoo.co.uk
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BYMS 2042
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: 168th MSF: 2042, 2062, 2063, 2234 2253, 2254, 2279, 2280.
Built by: Barbour Boat Works, New Bern, North Carolina, USA.
Laid down: 15 October 1942.
Launched: 26 June 1943.
Handed over to Royal Navy: 13 November 1943.
Returned to USA: 3 December 1945. Sold to Italy and re-named Gladiolo.
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.