Shipbuilding History

(YMS)

In the three-year period from the spring of 1942 through the spring of 1945, 35 boatyards turned out 561 wooden-hulled minesweepers. All were of essentially the same design - 136 feet long, with a speed of 13 knots - but the Mk. I (YMS-1-135 and BYMS-1-30) had two stacks, the Mk. II (YMS-135-445 and BYMS-31-80) had one stack and the Mk. III (YMS-446-481) had no stacks. 150 of these boats were transferred directly from the boatbuilder to the Royal Navy. The first 80 of these had their own pennant numbers (BYMS-1 through 80, redesignated BYMS-2001 through 2080 by the British). The other 70 were transferred from the US Navy and given British pennant numbers 2000 greater than the U.S. number (e.g., YMS-162 became BYMS-2162). Another 30 boats were transferred to the Free French Navy in 1944 and 45 to the Soviet Union in 1945. After the war, many more were transferred or sold to allied navies. There is a shortage of information about what happened to these great boats, which played a major part in the war effort. It is easy to assume that most were scrapped after they were struck, but many are known to have had second and third careers, in a wide variety of roles. Thanks to Rene Westerhuis for filling almost all the gaps.