Douglas Crooks (stoker) who served upon BYMS 2141.
BYMS 2141, Crew San Marco Trieste 1946-7
Douglas Crooks at a Fair Ground Shooting Gallery. Most crew of Minesweepers were marksmen as when mines floated to the surface, they were shot at , to hole them (not to blow them up, as a very large explosion close to a ship was undesirable) so they sank to the bottom.
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
BYMS 2141, CREW PHOTOGRAPHS. From the collection of Douglas Crooks by kind permission of his daughter and son-in-law, Robert Carrier
When the WW2 finished, the men of the minesweeper continued sweeping and the danger to them also continued.
BYMS 2141
British Yard Mine Sweeper 2141
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.
BYMS 2141 Crew, OYZO, San Marco Trieste 1946-7
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944,
Skipper Lieut, R. N. R., J. W. B. Jobson (act) 25 Aug 43, (In Command)
Temp. Skipper, R. N. R., G. G. Allerton 25 Aug 43
Temp. Skipper, R. N. R., J. Murray (act) 25 Aug 43.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945.
Skipper Lieut, R. N. R., J. W. B. Jobson (act) 25 Aug 43, (In Command)
Skipper, R. N. R., C. A. Glen, 1 April 45.
Temp. Skipper, R. N. R., G. G. Allerton 25 Aug 43.
BYMS 2141, Minesweeping 1946-7
BYMS 2141, Crew San Marco Trieste 1946-7
Ships dog Oyoz
The one-man Biber mini submarine carried two torpedoes.
MOVEMENTS.
28 Aug 43, Completed.
19 Jan 44, Balboa. (Long Beach California)
4 Feb 44, Cristobal. Panama Canal.
12 Feb to 17 Feb 44, Trinidad.
24 to 27 Feb 44, Belem, Brazil.
4 March to 25 March 44, Recief. Crossing the Atlantic from South America to West Africa.
1 April to 12 April 44, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
23 to 25 April 44, Casablanca.
26 April to 15 May 44, Gibraltar.
25 to 29 May 44, Clyde.
4 June to 3 Aug 44, Great Yarmouth.
3 Aug to 30 Aug 44, Southend – France.
7 Sep 44 Portsmouth.
8 Sep 44, Dover.
13 Sep 44, Ramsgate.
21 Sep 44, Great Yarmouth.
2 Nov 44, Sheerness. In November 1944, helped in clearing the Scheldt of mines, the most crucial minesweeping event of WW2. 157th Flotilla of which BYMS 2141 was part were shelled from shore when they reached Cadzand (Holland) close to the Scheldt estuary mouth.
26 December 1944. Three British Yard Minesweepers, BYMS 2213, 2141 and 2221, from Flotilla 157th (Force “A” from Wildfire III, Queenborough) were carrying out a night sweep when BYMS 2221 reported sighting a periscope on her port side. At the same time BYMS 2213 reported a periscope on her starboard.
U-boats were rare in the shallow waters off the Dutch coast and it was expected the periscopes were from midget, one man, “Biber” (German for Beaver) submarines. Biber’s were armed with two torpedoes, while the BYMS’s did not carry depth charger. BYMS 2141 and 2221 gave chase to the target on their port side with BYMS 2213 going to starboard.
As the Biber attempted to avoid the minesweepers, BYMS 2141 rammed it but only managed a glancing blow. BYMS 2221 also managed to ram the Biber but with little effect. Both minesweepers then fired on the Biber with their Oerlikon guns and small arms.
The Biber having been hit a number of times came to a halt on the surface. To be sure of its catch, BYMS 2141 ensnared the Biber in its “LL” cable. Using their cable winch, they pulled the Biber in to its stern. An attempt was made to tow the Biber, but the tow wire snapped and the Biber sank.
To starboard, BYMS 2213 chased her Biber. As BYMS 2213 made her ramming run, the hatch opened and its only crew member got out and began waving his arms.
BYMS 2213 hit the Biber and it rolled under her bow to reappear at her stern and sink. The survivors were rescued and taken prisoner.
German records show that these two Biber’s were amongst other which had left Dutch ports at 0200 in the early morning of 26 December 1944 with orders to attack shipping off Flushing in the Scheldt.
6 Jan 45, Antwerp.
7 and 8 Jan 45, Southend.
8 Jan to 4March 45, Great Yarmouth.
20 May 45, Ostend. The winter of 1944–1945 was very harsh for the people of Holland. Food was cut off by the Germans and 18,000 people starved to death. Relief came at the beginning of May 1945 when minesweepers cleared Dutch ports of mines and ships carrying humanitarian aid arrived. Minesweepers, the first vessels to arrive in Dutch ports gave their food to Dutch children.
10 June 45 Sheerness.
10 June 45, Great Yarmouth.
BYMS 2141 Crew. San Marco Trieste 1946-7
BYMS 2141, Crew , Malta 1946-7
BYMS 2141, Crew Lido Venice 1946-7
BYMS 2141, Crew with ships dog, San Rocco Dry Dock 1946-7
BYMS 2141, Minesweeping 1946-7
BYMS 2141, Flotilla 157.
Built by: Astoria Marine Construction Co., Astoria, Oregon, USA. (West Coast.)
Laid down: 24 March 1943
Launched: 19 July 1943
Completed and transferred to Royal Navy: 28 August 1943,
Reclassified: HMS J-941 later HMS BYMS-2141
Assigned to Nore Cmmand Flotilla 157
BYMS 2141, Minesweeping 1946-7
Mine detonates dangerously close to the minesweeper.
Douglas Crooks on the right at the BYMS 3 inch HA/LA, Gun.
Douglas Crooks possibly in Greece. After the war in Europe came to an end, many of the minesweepers were sent to the Middle East via the Mediterranean.
BYMS 2141 ,Minesweeping 1946-7
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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Watch a short video about the Biber Submarine CLICK HERE https://youtu.be/gk_zyNChtCk
BYMS 2141, Crew San Marco Trieste 1946-7
BILL WILLIAMS
William “Bill” Henry Williams MBE (1919-2015) served on BYMS 2141 as a telegraphist.
To see bills story of his journey the United States to pick up BYMS 2141 and bring her back to England CLICK HERE.
To see an interview with Bill in November 2010, CLICK HERE
BYMS 2141, Crew Malta 1946-7
BYMS 2141. San Marco Trieste Foating Dock, 1946-7.
BYMS 2141. San Marco Trieste Foating Dock, 1946-7.
BYMS 2141, Malta 1946-7
Wildfire III, Queenborough Minesweepers sweeping magnetic mines from the Thames Estuary.
BYMS 2141, Crew Malta 1946-7
BYMS 2141 Crew, San Marco Trieste 1946-7
BYMS 2141, Crew Malta 1946-7
BYMS 2141, Crew Malta 1946-7
Seated on the Minesweeping Oropesa float.