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Minesweeper YMS-41


disneydave
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The original insignia art featured in this post was created by Hank Porter in the winter of 1942 for the crew of YMS-41, a Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper. I acquired this piece of art earlier this year.

 

usmf_minesweeper.JPG

 

The graphic design of this insignia really appeals to me and I love all of the elements Porter used - the broom, the gun, the expression on the turtle's face and even the beads of sweat as he performs his assigned duty of clearing a mine.

 

The YMS minesweepers were built at almost three dozen different shipyards located on the east and west coasts and on the shores of the Great Lakes. The wooden-hulled ships measured 136 feet in length, were powered by two 500-horsepower diesel engines and were armed with one 3 inch / .50 calibre dual purpose gun located on the foredeck, and two single mount 20mm anti-aircraft guns located on the port and starboard sides of the pilot house.

 

Over 500 YMS class minesweepers were built during the war. Some 235 served under the flags of foreign navies. Thirty-two of the ships serving in the U.S. Navy were lost over the course of the war.

 

The YMS minesweepers were used as a counter measure against enemy magnetic mines. Two buoyant electrically charged cables of different lengths were deployed into the water off a large drum located aft of the ship. The magnetic field emanating from the cables triggered the magnetic mines.

 

blog_yms_52.JPG

 

While not a photo of YMS-41, I have included this image of YMS-52 to give an overall impression of how the minesweepers looked.

 

These ships saw action in all theaters including the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Pacific and took part in the invasions at Sicily, Anzio, Normandy and Guadalcanal. The men and their machines cleared sea lanes, harbors and invasion assault paths and were often subjected to enemy shore battery fire.

 

YMS-41 was laid down June 28, 1941, was launched April 14, 1942 and was completed on May 12, 1942. As production methods improved, a YMS vessel could be built in approximately four months.

 

YMS-41 was struck from the Naval Register June 19, 1946. The history of YMS-41 has been lost - unfortunately the service record of the minesweeper and her crew and the ship's postwar fate is unknown at this time.

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  • 9 years later...

Thanks Mills. That's where I had found the initial info about the minesweeper when she was laid down, launched and commissioned. It would be nice to know her service record. If you you come across any such info, please post it here. And thanks for pointing out the link.

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