BYMS Mark 2
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Another scratch built IO vessel.
Since my youth I like the Calypso, Jacques Cousteau’s famous ship. I read the books, watched the movies. And I built the Revel model, well kid style.
It was a converted BYMS. A Mark I version laid down on 12 August 1941 with the yard designation BYMS-26 and launched on 21 March 1942. She went via Lend-Lease to RN. In February 1943 it became HMS J-826 ,redesigned BYMS-2026 in 1944. 45 laid up at Malta and sold in 47.
So I have a long time crush for the BYMS.
The magnetic mine was the reason for a new minesweeper design, vessels with a minimal magnetic signature. RN got the wooden hull MMS and the USN designed the wooden hull Yard class minesweeper. Short the YMS.Britain received large numbers under the designation BYMS with minimal modifications. The first 80 got ordered by USN specifically for transfer to the United Kingdom. Yard name was BYMS-1 to BYMS-80. They had been Mark I YMS, easy to identify by the two stacks. In 1944 RN added 2000 to the name to separate them from the MMS.
53 Mark 2 followed, these had a single stack. Originally ordered for USN they got given to RN on completion. They got numbers between 2137 and 2284 with gaps caused by YMS that stayed with USN.
Both versions had two Diesel engines that drove the vessel up to 15 kts. 136 ft / 41 m long the YMS was a seagoing vessel that was a success. 8 ft / 2,4 m draught allowed service near to the coasts.
A 3” / 7,5 cm gun at bow was the main armament . They got two 2cm AA guns with 180° firing arc beside the bridge house. Later many got a second pair aft. Two depth charge rails gave them some ASW capacity.
They did LL electrical mine and also contact mine sweeping.Alongside the Bangor class minesweeper the small size is apparent.
USN received also a Mark 3 version, without a stack. (YMS 446 was the type ship). In US service the YMS had 32 men, RN had 30.
The RN lost just 4 Mark 1 and one Mark 2 in WW II, all to mines.
I did a Mark 2 with four 2 cm for best game use, against the small vessels. But if it meets one of my German Minensucher ………
In WW II the BYMS was a small vessel, compared to the Napoleonic Cherokee class gunbrigs (a scratch one shown here alongside) it was a bigship.
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