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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. Note, the Acoustic “hammer” on the bow in the up position used to sweep for acoustic mines and the drum on the stern for the LL cables used to detonate magnetic mines.
BYMS 2004, Flotilla 150 from 1942 to 1945.
Built by: The American Car and Foundry Co., Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Laid down: 29 August 1941.
Launched: 18 June 1942.
Completed and transferred to Royal Navy: 1 August 1942.
Reclassified: HMS J-804, later HMS BYMS-2004.
Took part in the D-day landing, Gold Beach.
Assigned to the Nore Command, Flotilla 150 from 1942 to 1945.
MOVEMENTS.
1 Aug 42. Completed.
28 Oct 42 Halifax.
Left Halifax in 28 Oct 42, Reported as disabled at position 51 06N, 41 50W in the Atlantic. Assisted by the tug Tenacity to return to St John’s.
4 Feb 43 St Johns
Second attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Canada to the U.K. this time successfully.
12 Feb to 16 Feb 43 Londonderry
15 March 43 Portsmouth
18 March 43. Sheerness
7 June 43. Southend.
18 July 43 Portsmouth
6 Aug 43 Ardrossan Scotland
10 Aug 43 Milford Haven.
6 Dec 43 Malta
18 Feb 44. Lagos
June 6th, D-Day BYMS 2004 was sweeping off Gold Beach.
During the period from the 4 June 1944 (the day before D-day) to the end of July 1944 BYMS would have cleared pathways through the minefields to the Normandy Beachheads, cleared mines ahead of the Invasion Convoys, cleared mines from the ship assembly and disembarkation areas almost right up to the beaches, widened the cleared pathways and continuously swept for newly laid mines.
28 Aug 44 Portsmouth
1 Sep to 2 Sep 44 Newhaven.
6 Sep 44 Dieppe. As the army advance overland taking the ports, the minesweepers cleared the mines from them.
11 Sep 44, Portsmouth.
13 Sep 44 France BAA
30 Sep to 4 Oct 44 Portsmouth
16 Oct 44 Captain Mine Sweepers. Portsmouth
Dec 44 to 12 May 45 Great Yarmouth
13 May 45 Rosyth.
Feb to Sep 46. Dover
Sep 46 to July 47 Sheerness. Laid up at Queenborough Pier, Wildfire III, Queenborough after WW2 waiting to be returned to the United States Navy or sold.
1 July 47. Returned to USN
Distinguished Service Order awarded to Temporary Skipper Lieutenant. S. H. Soanes,
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1943,
Temp, Skipper Lieut., R. N. R., S. H. Soanes, DSO, 7 Apr 42.
Temp Skipper, R. N. R., D. McL. Buchan, 16 May 42.
Temp Skipper, R. N. R., R. Woodgate, 16 May 42.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944.
Temp, Skipper Lieut., R. N. R., S. H. Soanes, DSO, 7 Apr 42.
Temp, Skipper, R. N. R., G. de la P. Casson 22 Feb 44.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945,
Temp, Skipper Lieut., R. N. R., S. H. Soanes, DSO, 7 Apr 42.
Temp, Skipper, R. N. R., G. de la P. Casson 22 Feb 44.
BYMS 2004
British Yard Mine Sweeper 2004.
Nore Command, World War Two 1939 to 1945.
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.
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