HMS BYMS-2203 (J 1003)[2] was a YMS-1-class auxiliary motor minesweeper originally built for the United States Navy during World War II. Upon completion she was transferred to the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease. She was returned to the U.S. Navy after conclusion of the war, and struck soon after. She was never commissioned in the U.S. Navy.
 A YMS-1-class minesweeper
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS BYMS-2203 (J1003)[2] |
| Laid down | 15 January 1942 as YMS-203[1] |
| Launched | 15 January 1943[1] |
| Completed | 31 August 1943[1] |
| Commissioned | Unknown |
| Decommissioned | Unknown |
| Fate | Returned to the U.S. Navy, 12 November 1946[1] |
| History | |
 United States | |
| Name | USS BYMS-203 |
| Acquired | returned from the Royal Navy, 12 November 1946 |
| Stricken | 13 December 1946[1] |
| Fate | Unknown |
| Notes | Never commissioned in U.S. Navy |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | YMS-1-class auxiliary motor minesweeper |
| Displacement | 270 tons |
| Length | 136 ft (41 m) |
| Beam | 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m) |
| Draught | 8 ft (2.4 m) |
| Propulsion | two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, two shafts |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement | 32 |
| Armament |
|
She was laid down 15 January 1942 as YMS-203 by the Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co. of Kingston, New York. She was launched on 15 January 1943 and delivered 31 August 1943 and transferred to the Royal Navy as BYMS-2203.[2]
Little is known of her war record. She sailed from the United Kingdom to Malta as a part of Convoy KMS 43 on 11 December 1943,[3] and, at least for a time, she served in the Pacific.[1] After USS Bangust (DE-739) had already attacked a submarine target 60 miles (97 km) of Roi in June 1944, BYMS-2203 assisted USS Greiner, USS SC-1364, and BYMS-2282 on in searching for Japanese submarine Ro-111, even though, unknown at the time, Bangust’s attack had already been successful.[4]
She was returned to U.S. custody on 12 November 1946 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register, 13 December 1946. Her final fate is unknown.
References edit
- ^ a b c "HMS BYMS 2203 (J 1003)". Retrieved 20 December 2007.
- ^ "KMS Convoys – 1942-1945, (U.K.-Mediterranean), Convoy KMS 31 through KMS 50". Retrieved 20 December 2007.
- ^ "Bangor" (sic). Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. United States Navy. Retrieved 20 December 2007.
External links edit
- Photo gallery of HMS BYMS-2203 at NavSource Naval History
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