The BYMS class was a

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

of wooden

motor An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s, part of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

YMS-1 class minesweepers. One hundred fifty ships destined for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

were launched from 1941 to 1943.

Ships

The initial 80 ships were ordered by the U.S. Navy specifically for transfer to the United Kingdom under the

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

Programme. On transfer to Britain, BYMS-1 through BYMS-80 were assigned the British

pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...

s BYMS-2001 through BYMS-2080. Names were not assigned to the class members. A further 53 BYMS vessels bore

hull number A hull number is a serial identification number given to a boat or ship. For the military, a lower number implies an older vessel. For civilian use, the Hull Identification Number (HIN) is used to trace the boat's history. The precise usage varie ...

s from 137 to 284. These were originally built for the U.S. Navy as part of the YMS-1 class and transferred to Britain on, or shortly after, completion. On the

Navy List A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

they were designated BYMS, with their original U.S. Navy numbers. The remaining 17 BYMS vessels were delivered in a final batch. By 1949, only 18 remained in service with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

: ''BYMS-2031'', ''2039'', ''2044'', ''2047'', ''2049'', ''2052'', ''2055'', ''2063'', ''2070'', ''2079'', ''2157'', ''2167'', ''2173'', ''2213'', ''2214'', ''2234'', ''2253'' and ''2279''. Twenty-five were transferred to the

Royal Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. ...

between December 1943 and September 1948: ''Afroessa'' (ex-''BYMS-2185'', ex-''YMS-185''), ''Andromeda'' (ex-''BYMS-2261'', ex-''YMS-261''), ''Ariadne'' (ex-''BYMS-2058'', ex-''BYMS-58''), ''Aura'' (ex-''BYMS-2054'', ex-''BYMS-54''), ''Ithiki'' (ex-''BYMS-2240'', ex-''YMS-240''), ''Kalymnos'' (ex-''BYMS-2033'', ex-''BYMS-33''), ''Karteria'' (ex-''BYMS-2065'', ex-''BYMS-65''), ''Kassos'' (ex-''BYMS-2074'', ex-''BYMS-74''; mined 15 October 1944), ''Kefallinia'' (ex-''BYMS-2171'', ex-''YMS-171''), ''Kerkyra'' (ex-''BYMS-2172'', ex-''YMS-172''), ''Klio'' (ex-''BYMS-2152'', ex-''BYMS-152''), ''Kos'' (ex-''BYMS-2191'', ex-''YMS-191''; mined 15 October 1944), ''Lambadias'' (ex-''BYMS-2182'', ex-''YMS-182''), ''Lefkas'' (ex-''BYMS-2068'', ex-''BYMS-68''), ''Leros'' (ex-''BYMS-2186'', ex''YMS-186''), ''Paralos'' (ex-''BYMS-2066'', ex-''BYMS-66''), ''Patmos'' (ex-''BYMS-2229'', ex-''YMS-229''), ''Paxi'' (ex-''BYMS-2056'', ex-''BYMS-56''), ''Pigassos'' (ex-''BYMS-2221'', ex-''YMS-221''), ''Prokyon'' (ex-''BYMS-2076'', ex-''BYMS-76''), ''Salaminia'' (ex-''BYMS-2067'', ex-''BYMS-67''), ''Symi'' (ex-''BYMS-2190'', ex-''YMS-190''), ''Thalia'' (ex-''BYMS-2252'', ex-''YMS-252''), ''Vegas'' (ex-''BYMS-2078'', ex-''BYMS-78'') and ''Zakynthos'' (ex-''BYMS-2209'', ex-''YMS-209'') Ten were transferred to the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

between March 1946 and April 1947: ''Borndiep'' (ex-''BYMS-2210'', ex-''YMS-210''), ''Deurloo'' (ex-''BYMS-2254'', ex-''YMS-254''), ''Hollandsch Diep'' (ex-''BYMS-2050'', ex-''BYMS-50''), ''Marsdiep'' (ex-''BYMS-2038'', ex-''BYMS-38''), ''Oosterschelde'' (ex-''BYMS-2230'', ex-''YMS230''), ''Texelstroom'' (ex-''BYMS2156'', ex-''YMS-156''), ''Vliestroom'' (ex-''BYMS-2155'', ex-''YMS-155''), ''Volkerak'' (ex-BYMS-2188'', ex-''YMS-188"), ''Westerschelde'' (ex-''BYMS-2046'', ex-''BYMS-46'') and ''Zuiderdiep'' (ex-''BYMS-2048'', ex-''BYMS-48''). Five were purchased by Finland in 1948 of which four were transferred to the

Finnish Navy The Finnish Navy ( , ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for "Finnish Navy ship", but ...

and the remaining one was refurbished as missionary ship in 1953 and named Ebeneser. The ship sailed to Ceylon in and later on to Indonesian waters. The ship was lost in tropical storm in 1983.: Purunpää, Vahterpää, Tammenpää, and Katanpää. These were previously designated BYMS-2032, BYMS-2044, BYMS-2049 and BYMS-2047. Dutch BYMS-class minesweepers in 1948

Calypso

Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the ...

's well-known

research ship A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

''Calypso'' was originally built by the Ballard Marine Railway Company of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. She was a BYMS Mark 1-class motor minesweeper,

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

on 12 August 1941 with the yard designation BYMS-26, and launched on 21 March 1942. She was commissioned into the

in February 1943 as HMS ''J-826'' and assigned to active service in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, redesignated as ''BYMS-2026'' in 1944, laid up at

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

and finally struck from the

Naval Register A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...

in 1947.

References

External links

YMS/BYMS class ships
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byms Class Minesweeper Mine warfare vessel classes Ship classes of the Royal Navy

Ships

Calypso

See also

References

External links