1943
YMS-91 (U.S.S.)
1949
Marabell
History
LAID DOWN 18TH OCTOBER 1941 BY SOUTH EAST COAST CO. NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA
LAUNCHED 7TH MARCH 1942
COMPLETED 21ST AUGUST 1942 AND COMMISSIONED USS YMS-91
TRANSFERRED TO THE WAR SHIPPING ADMINISTRATION IN MARCH 1948
SOLD TO DR. WILLIAM BALLARD, DVM, A CANADIAN VETERINARIAN OF VANCOUVER, BC. CANADA AND RENAMED MARABELL
SOLD IN 1953 TO THE ROYAL CANADIAN HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICE
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IT WAS THEN PLACED OUT OF SERVICE 1969
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EVENTUALLY ACQUIRED IN 1972 BY LACERTE HOLDINGS, LTD. OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA
ACQUIRED IN 1979 BY MARABELL CHARTERS, LTD. OF VICTORIA
ACQUIRED IN 1982 BY SEALAND OF THE PACIFIC, LTD. OF VICTORIA
ACQUIRED IN 2003 BY OAK BAY MARINA, LTD. OF VICTORIA
ACQUIRED IN 2016 BY DANE DEVELOPMENTS LTD. OF COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Auxilary Motor Minesweeper (YMS)
It was 4th March 1941 in the Hendry B. Nevins, Inc. Shipyard in City Island, NY, when the keel was laid of the first United States “Yard” Class Minesweeper” designed by this company and listed as YMS-1. Launched on January 10th 1942, it was completed two months later on 25th March 1942. This yard held the distinction of building this ship in 3 months 18 days. The first wooden minesweeper of this class was to gain prominence in all theatres during World War II. A total of 561 were built at various U.S. yards. Originally a class of motor minesweepers, “Yard” was added to distinguish them from other classes, referring to a “naval yard or naval base”. This type was not expected to go beyond adjacent waters from their base. They were built at 35 yacht yards, rather than larger shipyards – 12 on the east coast, 19 on the west coast, and 4 in the Great Lakes. It has been established by the U.S. Navy this is the reason for the “yard” designation. Records show that YMS’s were used in the United States Navy to sweep mines laid by enemy subs as early as 1942 off the ports of Jacksonville, FL and Charleston, SC. One of their greatest losses was on October 1945, when seven YMS’s were sunk in a typhoon off Okinawa.
The wood-hulled YMS proved to be one of the U.S. Navy’s more durable and versatile types though a quarter-century of service, filling a variety of roles for a number of navies. All 481 ships of this type had the same general characteristics. The only significant variation within the type was one of appearance: YMS-1 through to YMS-134 had two stacks. YMS-135 to 445, 480 and 481 had one. YMS-446 to YMS-479 had no stacks. Originally rated as a service craft, they were used during World War II for inshore minesweeping to prepare the way for amphibious assaults. Surviving YMS’s were reclassified as AMS in 1947, given names, and re-rated as mine warfare ships. In 1955 they received the new type symbol MSC (O), changed to MSCO in 1967. These ships bore much of the mine warfare burden in Korea and formed a major portion of the minecraft strength through the 1950s and provided training for navel reservists in the 1960s.
Service Information from Navy Archives for YMS 91
They were unable to locate maintenance service records or YMS-91 after she was decommissioned from the navy and transferred to the war shipping administration. According to the Navy Archives the administrative history of the war shipping administration was decommissioned by September 1946 and most of the records were transferred to the U.S. Maritime Commission. There are files held in the general correspondence of the bureau of ships for YMS-91 until 1945 when she was decommissioned and transferred. The files are arranged by the Navy Filing Manual which is the hull’s designation (YMS-91). But alas after her wartime service things become a bit confusing as files are widely dispersed at various filing departments within the archives and with the resources personnel could not afford the time. However, it may be possible to find out more information if one was to pay a visit to the National Archives near the University of Maryland.
Marabell Luxury Floating Sports Fishing "Hotel"
From the time between 1972 and 2016 the Marabell was extensively used as kind of floating ‘hotel’ so to speak for sport fishing and other water related activities. Due to the lack of manoeuvrability to come alongside, the vessel was moored in the bay and guests were ferried between shoreside and vessel using small craft etc.
There is not a lot of information on the Marabell with regards to previous owners until it came into the hands of Oak Bay Marina Ltd where it became one of the first sport fishing motherships of the Oak Bay Marina fleet. The Marabell appeared to carry onboard a number of small boats for the guests to use in pursuit of water sports etc. When moored in the waters of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), calm days were a joy but often the weather moved in and made the sea a bit choppy. Each day the fishing master would scout the area at 4:00 am to determine whether fishing on the vessel on the west side of Langara Island was feasible . If not it was placed out of bounds and guests were required to fish on the east side. Fishing tended to be good on both sides and the Marabell proved a very popular vessel indeed and well suited as a floating ‘hotel’.
One of the masters of the Marabell was a retired master mariner, Captain Alex Provan. His early career was with shell tankers. He later qualified as an extra master and served in the Newfoundland College of Fisheries, managing the pre-sea course. He spent two drilling seasons working for Canmar Petroleum as a mate on the Arctic drill ships in the Beaufort Sea. He also served as mate and relief master on the CCGS George Darby and then as master on the R-class rescue vessels. His last appointment in the Canadian Coast Guard was as district manager in Victoria BC. After his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1997, he went back to sea as the master of a whale watching vessel based out at Oak Bay Beach Hotel. He skippered the Wildcat, a large whale watching vessel capable of speeds up to 40 knots. He worked for three seasons as the relief master on the Marabell, was at the time a luxury floating ‘hotel’ owned by Bob Wright and the Oak Bay Marine Group, based at Langara Island in Haida Gwaii.
The Oak Bay Marina Group was one of the pioneers in the floating sport resort fishing industry in BC. One of the OBMG resorts was at April Point on the west side of Quadra Island. They were normally berthed there in the winter months when conditions in Haida Gwaii were quite adverse. At the start of the season the Marabell and the other vessels were recommissioned, provisioned up and sent north.
Sadly Bob Wright died in Victoria BC in 2013. He built up the Oak Bay Marine Group which had 300 year round employees with 900 during peak seasons in the resorts, marinas and other water sport activities in and around BC, Oregon and the Bahamas. He really enjoyed Haida Gwaii but sadly after his untimely passing the Marabell and the other vessels were put up for sale.
After a period of neglect the Marabell was purchased by Dane Developments and over a period of time with extensive repairs and refurbishment the Marabell was transformed into the spectacular motor yacht as it is today. It is a unique vessel in its own right knowing its background and service history as a minesweeper. Its eye catching appeal makes it a talking point amongst other yacht owners.
