Captured British Minesweeper

[Derek Sullivan]

I am looking for Photographs/ Information on
a R.N. minesweeper/escort ship captured in the Aegean
off Leros/ Kalymnos 12/11/43. It was in the harbour at
Pothia in Kalymnos until October 1944 when it was towed to
Leros (Portalago/Lakkie) were it remained until 1945
Photos of the Trapani sunk at Kalymnos show part of the
Minesweeper BYMS72

[Jason Pipes]

During the landing operations on Leros, Gruppe Aschoff (II./Gren.Reg.16/22.Inf.Div) while on board three MFP and four I-Boats encountered the British Minesweeper BMYS 72. The escorting ships of the landing party claimed to be Italian vessels to trick the British ship, and it worked. The German vessels UJ 2101 and UJ 2102 managed to come up alongside BMYS 72 and boarded her, taking her after a brief encounter! The newly captured vessel was towed to Kalymnos. The actual landing by Gruppe Aschoff never took place due to resistance encountered on the landing beaches by British and Italian defensive fire. There is a photo of the captured BMYS 72 on page 89 of "Kampf um Die Agais" by Peter Schenk.

Interestingly enough there was another instance of Germans boarding and taking a British vessel in the region. HDML 1381 (Harbor Defense Motor Launch 1381) was taken by the 1./Kustenjager-Abteilung on 8/26/44 and thereafter renamed KJ25. KJ25 was to be known as the German "battleship" of the Aegean! There is also a photo of it in "Kampf um Die Agais" on page 137.

[Derek Sullivan]

Thanks Jason for the info I am in contact with Peter Shenck, but whilst all his photographs are very good the one of the 72 is poor, I am in contact with Herr Oberleutnant z S Hansjurgan Weissenborn who was in charge of the Western invasion force and he actually captured the 72,(He was on R210) and he has requested a photgraph of the 72 from me unfortunatley I had to send one of the 72 with 3 other BYMS tied up in St Johns , the 72 had a short but active life and I have traced her from build in NY.(so far over 10000
words in my report) see my posting on glider bombs!
You mention the HDML 1381 I have contact with one of the British crew and he tells me a fantastic tale but to cut it short he left the camaflauge net hanging over the aft end and when they made a run for it this jammed up the propellor, when the Germans searched the 1381 they found two rolls of undeveloped film and I rec them last year and gave them to my contact showing all the crew with fezs on, eating water melon, two of the German crew got in contact and I introduced them to my contact they told some more fantastic tales(They fitted a cement block in the bows for ramming)
Any advice on photographs would be appreciated as the 72 spent 2 years in port between Leros and Kallymnos and I feel that some one will have shots
of the harbours and that they may include the 72