Thank you to Anthony Griffin for the following research. Anthony’s great uncle, Leading Seaman Michael P. Collins served on BYMS 2223 August 1943 until June 1945.
H. Everson 20/11/1943 - ??/07/1944 Commanding Officer (Lt. Cdr)
Frank Ridley ??/07/1944 Commanding Officer (Lt.)
M. C. Rogers 09/10/1943 Commanding Officer (Lt.)
R. D. Harcus 1944 Seaman
Michael P. Collins 29/08/1943 – 04/06/1945 Leading Seaman
R. S. Moscrop 1944 Seaman (Electrician)
D. Main 09/10/1943 Act Sub Lt.
T. D. Broomfield 28/03/1945 Sub Lt.
Lesley Davies
MOVEMENTS.
28 June 1943, completed.
10 Aug 1943, Seattle, Washington, USA. (West Coast)
16 Sep 1943, Cristobal, Panama Canal.
21 Sep 1943, Trinidad.
18 Oct 1943, Recife, Brazil.
25 to 28 Oct 1943, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa.
30 Oct to 1 Nov 1943, Dakar, Senegal.
18 Nov to 1 Dec, 1943, Gibraltar.
19 and 20 Feb 1944, Augusta, Sicily.
21 to 23 Feb 1944, Malta.
28 Feb to 31 March 1944, Alaxandria, Egypt.
On to S.E. Asia.
26 April 1944, Mandapam, India.
3 Aug 1944, Madras, India.
8 Aug 1944, Visaagapatam, India.
5 Sep 1944, Colombo, Ceylon, (Today Sri Lanka)
14 June 1945, Colombo, Ceylon, (Today Sri Lanka)
30 Aug 1945, Colombo, Ceylon, (Today Sri Lanka)
12 November 1946, returned to USA.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943.
Not on Navy Lists.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Tempy. Lieut.-Com., H. Evenson, DSC (act) 20 Nov 43.
Tempy. Act. Sub-Lieut., D. Main, 10 Jan 43.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Tempy. Lieut., F. Ridley, July 44. (In Command)
Tempy. Sub-Lieut., T. D. Broomfield, 28 Mar 45.
Tempy. Act. Sub-Lieut., D. Main, 10 Jan 43.
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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BYMS 2223
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: 161st MSF: 2148, 2217, 2223. Detained in the Mediterranean on route to the Far East.
Built by: Mojean and Erickson, Tacoma, Washington, USA. (West Coast)
Laid down: 10 June 1942.
Launched: 27 December 1942.
Handed over to Royal Navy: 28 June 1943.
Returned to USA: 12 November 1946.
Took part in Force 11, Malaya.
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.