BYMS 2012 Minesweeper at Brindisi and Bari?

Discussion in 'The War at Sea' started by Jim Murray, Feb 9, 2018.

  1. Jim Murray

    Jim Murray Member

    Hello, I am new to the forum and I hope I am posting in the right place.
    My father L/SMN James Murray joined BYMS 2012 in Seattle August 1942. The vessel was commssioned on October 6th 1942. I am not sure when the ship sailed for the Mediterranean, but I have a picture of my father with another sailor in Seattle in December of 1942, that sailor's last name was Evans, but I have no first name.
    BYMS 2012 was later at St Angelo on Malta for an extended period 1943-1944 or 1945.

    My father received Mentioned in Dispatches June 14th 1945.

    Although he never discussed the reason for being mentioned in dispatches, I did get the following info from my mother and an uncle. He apparently saved the lives of 3 Italian sailors near Brindisi, Italy, but I don't have the date when this event happened. On researching I found the Bari Bombing and subsequent rescue and wonder if the BYMS took part in the rescue efforts following the bombings.

    I note from research on BYMS 2012, that the then Skipper/TLt George Denton was at Bari on the day of the bombings but he didn't join BYMS 2012 until 1944, after the Bari Bombings.

    Also, my sister has a picture taken in 1944 of my father with Skipper/Lt Denton and another sailor called "Tibbs" and I wonder who "Tibbs" might be.

    Any info is greatly appreciated

    Picture of BYMS 2012 in Seattle October 6th 1942. My father as far as we can make our is middle row, extreme left. But the enlargement is not very clear. I will scan and post another picture of him and "Evans" later. The Skipper/TLt pictured in center is Cyril Watson

    IMG_2345.JPG


    BYMS 2012 renamed J 812 at sea
    J812.jpg

    BYMS 2012/J812 sold to Italy and renamed the ITS Biancospino DR 140 in 1947 later reclassified M 5403
    at breakers in La Spezia Itlay in 1970

    1119201203.jpg
     
  2. Jim Murray

    Jim Murray Member

    Just to add some more pictures.

    My father James Murray and "Evans" in Seattle December 1942
    IMG_2361.JPG

    His certificate of service.
    IMG_2357.JPG


    Ship postings. Note BYMS 2012 March 1943 until September 1944
    IMG_2356 (1).JPG
     
  3. Ray...

    Ray... New Member

    you still here Jim as ive got some info for you
     
  4. Jim Murray

    Jim Murray Member

    Hello Ray, sorry for not replying sooner. I had not checked ww2talk for a while. My email address is nutwood3063(at)gmail.com which would get to me directly. Jim
     
  5. Jim Murray

    Jim Murray Member

    Just a bit more info. BYMS 2012was attached to Minesweeper Flotilla 151. The Flotilla was in the neighbourhood of Bari when the raid took place, but was BYMS participating in the rescue?
     
  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  7. Jim Murray

    Jim Murray Member

    Thanks Dicky.
    We were on Vancouver Island BC in March this and I hoped for a trip to Seattle by ferry which would have included seeing where the BYMS’s were built. But our trip was cut short because of COVID. Maybe once this is over I will get there.
    My father said very little about the war. I do remember him talking about the Stuka dive bombers and as he related “the horrible screaming they made”, I think that was when they were in Malta, at Fortress St Angelo. He also used to say that “anything you could think of was made into a sandwich” for when they were on watch.
    One thing I didn’t know until I read ‘The Coast is Clear’ by Eric Minet was that J812/BYMS2012 was badly damaged by a mine, my father never mentioned any of that.
     

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