And you thought you had a bad day at work….
Republic of Korea minesweeper Gongju (YMS 516) is blown up by a magnetic mine, most likely a Soviet made M08, during sweeping operations west of Kalma Pando, Wonsan harbor, on 18 October 1950.
Built at Western Boat Building Co., Tacoma, WA as the U.S. Navy’s YMS-148, she was one of legions of YMS-1 class auxiliary motor minesweepers. These hardy 270-ton, 136-foot long vessels were manned by a 32-man crew and could make 15-knots at a full clip with everything wide open. YMS-148 never actually served in the US active fleet, being transferred to the Royal Navy 15 May 1943 and reclassified first HMS J-948, then HMS BYMS-2148.
Serving in India and Ceylon on the lookout for Japanese mines, she was returned to Uncle in 1946 and laid up before being transferred in 1949 to the young and fledgling South Korean Navy.
(Source: history.navy.mil)