BYMS 2063.
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: Westergard Boat Works, Inc., Biloxi, Mississippi, USA.
Laid down: 15 January 1943.
Launched: 12 June 1943.
Handed over to Royal Navy: 10 November 1943.
Returned to USA: 21 April 1948.
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.
BYMS 2063. Photo Mark Squires who's dad , Richard Squires served on BYMS 2063.
MOVEMENTS.
10 November 1943, completed.
3 Feb 1944, Charleston, South Carolina, United States.
7 to 11 Feb 1944, Bermuda.
21 Feb 1944, Horta, Azores.
29 Feb 1944, Falmouth.
29 Feb to 1 March 1944, Portland.
1 March to 28 August 1944. Portsmouth. Being based at Portsmouth, BYMS 2062 would have taken part at D-day.
29 August to 12 Sep 1944, Newhaven.
13 Sep 1944, Portsmouth.
10 and 11 Oct 1944, Portland.
4 Dec 1944, Portsmouth.
9 to 21 Jan 1945, Portsmouth.
11 Jan to 27 April 1945, Ostend, Belgium.
27 April, 1945, Dover.
21 April 1948, returned to USA.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Tempy. Skipper Lieut., E. W. B. Norton (act) 11 Nov 43. (In Command)
Tempy. Skipper, M. Wiseman, 11 Nov 43.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Tempy. Skipper Lieut., E. W. B. Norton (act) 11 Nov 43. (In Command)
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