 HMSBelfast at her London berth, painted in Admiralty patternDisruptive Camouflage | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Belfast |
| Namesake | Belfast,Northern Ireland |
| Ordered | 21 September 1936 |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff shipyard,Belfast,Northern Ireland |
| Yard number | 1000[1] |
| Laid down | 10 December 1936 |
| Launched | 17 March 1938 |
| Completed | 3 August 1939[1] |
| Commissioned | 5 August 1939 |
| Decommissioned | 24 August 1963 |
| Identification | Pennant number C35 |
| Motto |
|
| Honours & awards |
|
| Status | Museum ship since 21 October 1971 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Town-classlight cruiser |
| Displacement | 11,550 tons (14,900full load) |
| Length | 613 ft 6 in (186.99 m) overall[2] |
| Beam | 63 ft 4 in (19.3 m) |
| Draught |
|
| Installed power | 80,000 shp (60,000 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 32knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) |
| Complement | 781–881 (as flagship, 1939)[3] |
| Armament |
|
| Armour | |
| Aircraft carried | 2 ×Supermarine Walrus (disembarked June 1943)[6] |
| Aviation facilities | |
HMSBelfast is aTown-class light cruiser that was built for theRoyal Navy. She is now permanently moored as amuseum ship on theRiver Thames inLondon and is operated by theImperial War Museum.
Construction ofBelfast, the first ship in the Royal Navy to be named after the capital city ofNorthern Ireland and one of ten Town-class cruisers, began in December 1936. She was launched onSaint Patrick's Day 1938. Commissioned in early August 1939 shortly before the outbreak of theSecond World War,Belfast was initially part of the British naval blockade against Germany. In November 1939,Belfast triggered a Germanmine and, in spite of fears that she would be scrapped, spent more than two years undergoing extensive repairs.Belfast returned to action in November 1942 with improved firepower, radar equipment and armour. She saw action escortingArctic convoys to theSoviet Union during 1943 and in December 1943 played an important role in theBattle of North Cape, assisting in the destruction of the German warshipScharnhorst. In June 1944,Belfast took part inOperation Overlord supporting theNormandy landings. In June 1945, she was redeployed to the Far East to join theBritish Pacific Fleet, arriving shortly before the end of the Second World War.Belfast saw further combat action in1950–52 during theKorean War and underwent an extensive modernisation between 1956 and 1959. A number of further overseas commissions followed before she entered reserve in 1963.
In 1967, efforts were initiated to avertBelfast's expected scrapping and to preserve her as a museum ship. A joint committee of the Imperial War Museum, theNational Maritime Museum and theMinistry of Defence was established and then reported in June 1968 that preservation was practical. In 1971, however, the government decided against preservation, prompting the formation of the private HMSBelfast Trust to campaign for her preservation. The efforts of the Trust were successful and the government transferred the ship to the Trust in July 1971. Brought to London, she was moored on the River Thames nearTower Bridge in thePool of London. Opened to the public in October 1971,Belfast became a branch of the Imperial War Museum in 1978. Since 1973 she has been home to theCity of London Sea Cadets who meet on board twice a week.[8] A popular tourist attraction,Belfast received over 327,000 visitors in 2019.[9] As a branch of a national museum and part of theNational Historic Fleet,Belfast is supported by theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport, admissions income and the museum's commercial activities.
Belfast is a cruiser of thethird Town class. The Town class had originated in 1933 as theAdmiralty's response to theImperial Japanese Navy'sMogami-class cruiser, an 11,200-ton cruiser mounting fifteen 6-inch (152 mm) guns with a top speed exceeding 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). The Admiralty'srequirement called for a 9,000-ton cruiser, sufficiently armoured to withstand a direct hit from an 8-inch (203 mm) shell, capable of 32 knots (59 km/h) and mounting twelve 6-inch guns. Seaplanes carried aboard would enable shipping lanes to be patrolled over a wide area and the class was also to be capable of its own anti-aircraft defence.[10] Under theDirector of Naval Construction the new design evolved during 1933.[11] The lead ship of the new class, the 9,100-tonHMS Southampton, and hersisterHMS Newcastle, were ordered under the 1933 estimates.[12] Three more cruisers were built to this design, with a further three ships built to a slightly larger 9,400-ton design in 1935–36.[12] By 1935, however, the Admiralty was keen to improve the firepower of these cruisers to match the firepower of the JapaneseMogami and AmericanBrooklyn-class cruisers; both were armed with fifteen 6-inch guns.[11] The Admiralty rejected a design featuring five triple turrets as impractical, while an alternative design fitting four quadruple turrets was rejected as an effective quadruple turret could not be developed.[13] In May 1936 the Admiralty decided to fit triple turrets, whose improved design would permit an increase in deck armour.[14] This modified design became the 10,000-tonEdinburgh subclass, named afterBelfast's sister shipHMS Edinburgh.[12]Belfast was ordered fromHarland and Wolff on 21 September 1936,[15] and her keel laid on 10 December 1936.[15] Her expected cost was £2,141,514; of which the guns cost £75,000 and the aircraft (twoSupermarine Walruses) £66,500.[16] She was launched onSaint Patrick's Day, 17 March 1938, byAnne Chamberlain, the wife of Prime MinisterNeville Chamberlain.[15] The launch was filmed byPathé News.[17] From March to August 1939,Belfast was fitted out and underwent sea trials.[2][15]
When completed,Belfast had anoverall length of 613 feet 6 inches (187.0 m), abeam of 63 feet 4 inches (19.3 m) and adraught of 17 feet 3 inches (5.3 m). Herstandard displacement during her sea trials was 10,420 long tons (10,590 t).[4] She was propelled by four three-drum oil-fired Admiraltywater-tube boilers, turningParsons gearedsteam turbines, driving four propeller shafts.[2] She was capable of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) and carried 2,400 long tons (2,400 t) of fuel oil.[4] This gave her a maximum range of 8,664nautical miles (16,046 km; 9,970 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).[5]
Belfast's main armament comprised twelveMk XXIII 6-inch guns in four triple turrets directed by anAdmiralty Fire Control Table. With a rate of fire of up to eight rounds per gun per minute, her main battery was capable of a total maximum rate of fire of 96 rounds per minute.[5] Her secondary armament comprised twelve4-inch guns in six twin mounts. Her initial close-range anti-aircraft armament was sixteen2-pounder "pom-pom" guns in two eight-barrel mountings and two quadrupleVickers .50 machine guns. She also mounted sixMk IV 21-inchtorpedo tubes in two triple mounts and fifteen Mk VIIdepth charges.[2][4]
Belfast was protected by a 4.5-inch (114 mm) mainarmour belt, with deck armour of 3 inches (76 mm) over her magazines and 2 inches (51 mm) over her machinery spaces.[4] Her six-inch turrets were protected by up to 4 inches (102 mm) of armour.[5]
Belfast's aviation capability was provided by two catapult-launched Supermarine Walrus amphibious biplanes. These could be launched from a D1Hcatapult mounted aft of the forward superstructure and recoverable from the water by two cranes mounted on either side of the forward funnel. The aircraft, operated by theFleet Air Arm's HMSBelfast Flight of700 Naval Air Squadron, were stowed in two hangars in the forward superstructure.[3]
Belfast departed forPortsmouth on 3 August 1939 and was commissioned on 5 August 1939, less than a month before the outbreak of theSecond World War. Her first captain wasCaptain G A Scott with a crew of 761 and her first assignment was to theHome Fleet's2nd Cruiser Squadron. On 14 August,Belfast took part in her first exercise, OperationHipper, in which she played the role of a Germancommerce raider attempting to escape into the Atlantic. By navigating the hazardousPentland Firth,Belfast successfully evaded the Home Fleet.[18]
On 31 August 1939Belfast was transferred to the18th Cruiser Squadron. Based atScapa Flow in theOrkney islands, 18th Cruiser Squadron was part of the British effort to impose a navalblockade on Germany. Germanyinvaded Poland the following day and Britain and France declared war on 3 September. At 11:40 that morning,Belfast received the message ‘Commence hostilities at once against Germany’.[19] On 8 SeptemberBelfast put to sea from Scapa Flow with thebattlecruisersHood,Renown, her sister shipEdinburgh and fourdestroyers, on a patrol intended to intercept German ships returning from Norway. In particular, they were to search for theNorddeutscher Lloyd linerBremen, which had left New York (without passengers) on 30 August 1939. The Royal Navy was unaware that the liner had already docked safely in Murmansk on 6 September. No enemy vessels were found.[19] On 25 September,Belfast took part in a fleet operation to recover the submarineSpearfish, during which the ship was attacked by German aircraft, but suffered no damage.[20] On 1 October 1939Belfast left Scapa Flow for a patrol in the North Sea. On 5 OctoberBelfast intercepted and boarded a neutral Norwegian factory ship that was sailing in company with six whaling ships.[21] On 8 October the ship sighted the Swedish merchant shipC. P. Lilljevach but, in poor weather, did not intercept or board her. The following day she boardedTai Yin, a Norwegian ship.Tai Yin had been listed by the Admiralty as suspicious, so aprize crew fromBelfast sailed her toKirkwall for investigation.[22] On 9 OctoberBelfast intercepted a German liner, the 13,615-tonCap Norte, 50 miles (80 km) north-west of theFaroe Islands. Disguised as a neutral Swedish vessel, SSAncona,Cap Norte was attempting to return to Germany from Brazil; her passengers included German reservists.[18] Under the Admiralty'sprize rules,Belfast's crew later received prize money.[23] On 12 OctoberBelfast boarded the Swedish shipUddeholm, which was also sailed to Kirkwall by a prize crew.[24] Returning to harbour, on the night of 13–14 October,Belfast was among the few ships anchored in Scapa Flow, following intelligence reports of an expected air raid. That night, thebattleshipRoyal Oak was torpedoed by German submarineU-47, which had infiltrated the anchorage. On the morning following the sinking,Belfast left forLoch Ewe.[25]
On 10 NovemberBelfast was taken off the northern patrol and reassigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. This squadron was to form an independent striking force based atRosyth. On 21 November,Belfast was to take part in the force's first sortie, a gunnery exercise. At 10:58 am she detonated a magneticmine while leaving theFirth of Forth. The mine brokeBelfast's keel and wrecked one of her engine and boiler rooms.[26] Twenty officers and men required hospital treatment for injuries caused by the explosion and a further 26 suffered minor injuries. One man, Painter 2nd Class Henry Stanton, was hospitalised but later died of a head injury, having been thrown against the deckhead by the blast.[27] ThetugboatKrooman, towing gunnery targets for the exercise, released her targets and instead towedBelfast to Rosyth for initial repairs.[26]
Initial assessments ofBelfast's damage showed that, while the mine had done little direct damage to the outer hull, causing only a small hole directly below one of the boiler rooms, the shock of the explosion had caused severe warping, breaking machinery, deforming the decks and causing the keel tohog (bend upwards) by three inches. On 4 January 1940Belfast was decommissioned to care and maintenance status, becoming the responsibility ofRosyth Dockyard, and her crew dispersed to other vessels. By 28 June she had been repaired sufficiently to sail toDevonport, arriving on 30 June under the command of Lt Cdr H W Parkinson.[28]
During her repairs, work was carried out to straighten, reconstruct and strengthen her hull. Her armour belt was also extended and thickened. Her armament was updated with newer 2-pounder pom-pom mountings and her anti-aircraft armament improved with eighteen20 mm Oerlikon guns in five twin and eight single mountings, replacing two quadruple 0.5-inch Vickers guns.Belfast also received new fire controlradars for her main, secondary and anti-aircraft guns. Her November 1942 radar fit included oneType 284 set and fourType 283 sets to direct the main armament, threeType 285 sets for the secondary guns and twoType 282 sets for the 2-pounder anti-aircraft guns. She also received aType 273 general surface warning radar, Type 251 and 252 sets foridentification friend or foe (IFF) purposes and aType 281 and Type 242 for air warning. Her 1942 electronics suite also included a Type 270echosounder.[6] Due to her increased topweight, a bulge was introduced into her hull amidships to improve stability and provide extra longitudinal strength. Her beam had increased to 69 ft (21 m) and her draught to 19 ft (5.8 m) forward and 20 ft 2 in (6.15 m) aft.[6]
Belfast was recommissioned at Devonport on 3 November 1942, under the command of CaptainFrederick Parham.[6][nb 1] On her return to the Home FleetBelfast was madeflagship of the10th Cruiser Squadron, flying the flag ofRear-AdmiralRobert Burnett, who had previously commanded the Home Fleet's destroyer flotillas.[30] The squadron was responsible for the hazardous task of escortingArctic convoys to theSoviet Union, operating from Scapa Flow and bases inIceland. Her radar suite reducedBelfast's need for aerial surveillance and her aircraft were disembarked in June 1943.[31]Belfast spent 1943 engaged on convoy escort and blockade patrol duties, and on 5–6 October of the same year, formed part of the covering force duringOperation Leader, an airstrike against German shipping in the waters of northernNorway nearBodø by theaircraft carrierUSS Ranger.[32]
On 26 December 1943,Belfast participated in theBattle of North Cape. This battle, which occurred during theArctic night, involved two strong Royal Navy formations; the first, Force One, comprised the cruisersNorfolk (with 8-inch guns),Sheffield andBelfast (the 10th Cruiser Squadron) with three destroyers; the second, Force Two, comprised the battleshipDuke of York and the cruiserJamaica with four destroyers. Bruce Fraser, C-in-C Home Fleet, expected and hoped that the German battleshipScharnhorst would sortie from its Norwegian base and attempt to attack Convoy JW 55B sailing from Scotland to Murmansk in the USSR. And indeed, on 25 December 1943, Christmas Day,Scharnhorst left port in northern Norway to attack Convoy JW 55B. The next day Force One, which had left Murmansk on the 23rd, encounteredScharnhorst, prevented her from attacking the convoy and forced her to retreat after being damaged by the British cruisers. AsScharnhorst attacked again at noon she was intercepted by Force Two and sunk by the combined formations.Belfast played an important role in the battle; as flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, she was among the first to encounterScharnhorst and coordinated the squadron's defence of the convoy. AfterScharnhorst turned away from the convoy, Admiral Burnett inBelfast shadowed her by radar from outside visual range, enabling her interception byDuke of York.[33]
After North Cape,Belfast refuelled atKola Inlet before sailing for the United Kingdom, arriving at Scapa to replenish her fuel, ammunition and stores on New Year's Day 1944.Belfast sailed to Rosyth on 10 January, where her crew received a period of leave. February 1944 sawBelfast resume her Arctic convoy duties, and on 30 March 1944Belfast sailed with the covering force ofOperation Tungsten, a large carrier-launched Fleet Air Arm airstrike against the German battleshipTirpitz.[34] Moored inAltafjord in northern Norway,Tirpitz was the German navy's last survivingcapital ship.[35] Forty-twoFairey Barracuda dive-bombers fromHMS Victorious andHMS Furious made up the strike force; escorted by eighty fighters. Launched on 3 April, the bombers scored fourteen hits, immobilisingTirpitz for two months, with one Barracuda shot down.[34][35]Belfast underwent minor repairs at Rosyth from 23 April to 8 May, while her crew received a period of leave. On 8 MayBelfast returned to Scapa Flow and carriedthe King during his pre-invasion visit to the Home Fleet.[36]
For theinvasion of NormandyBelfast, flying the flag of Rear-AdmiralFrederick Dalrymple-Hamilton, was made headquarters ship of Bombardment Force E and was to support landings by British and Canadian forces in theGold andJuno Beach sectors. On 2 JuneBelfast left the River Clyde for her bombardment areas. That morning Prime MinisterWinston Churchill had announced his intention to go to sea with the fleet and witness the invasion from HMSBelfast. This was opposed by the Supreme Allied Commander, GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower, and theFirst Sea Lord, SirAndrew Cunningham. An intervention by the King eventually prevented Churchill from going.[36]
The invasion was to begin on 5 June but bad weather forced a 24-hour delay. At 5:30 am on 6 June,Belfast opened fire on a German artillery battery atVer-sur-Mer, suppressing the guns until the site was overrun by British infantry of 7th Battalion,Green Howards. On 12 JuneBelfast supported Canadian troops moving inland from Juno Beach and returned to Portsmouth on 16 June to replenish her ammunition. She returned two days later for further bombardments. On the night of 6 JulyBelfast was threatened at anchor by Germanmotor torpedo boats ("E-boats"). She evaded them byweighing anchor and moving to the concealment of asmoke screen.[37]Belfast fired her last roundin anger in European waters on 8 July, in company with themonitorHMS Roberts and the battleshipHMS Rodney, as part ofOperation Charnwood.[nb 2] On 10 July she sailed for Scapa, the fighting in France having moved inland beyond the range of her guns.[37][39] During her five weeks off Normandy,Belfast had fired 1,996 rounds from her six-inch guns.[40]
On 29 July 1944, Captain Parham handed over command of HMSBelfast to Captain R M Dick, and until April 1945Belfast underwent a refit to prepare for service against Japan in the Far East which improved her accommodation for tropical conditions and updated her anti-aircraft armament and fire control in order to counter expectedkamikaze attacks by Japanese aircraft. By May 1945,Belfast mounted thirty-six 2-pounder guns in two eight-gun mounts, four quadruple mounts and four single mounts. She also mounted fourteen 20 mm Oerlikons.[41] Her two aftmost 4-inch mountings were removed and the remainder fitted withRemote Power Control. Her empty hangars were converted to crew accommodation and her aircraft catapult was removed.[7]
Her radar fit now included aType 277 radar set to replace her Type 273 for surface warning. Her Type 281 air warning set was replaced by a single-antenna Type 281B set, while aType 293Q was fitted for close-range height-finding and surface warning. AType 274 set was fitted for main armament fire direction.[42][31] On 17 June 1945, with the war in Europe at an end,Belfast sailed for the Far East via Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria, Port Said, Aden, Colombo and Sydney. By the time she arrived in Sydney on 7 AugustBelfast had been made flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of theBritish Pacific Fleet. While in SydneyBelfast underwent another short refit, supplementing her close-range armament with five40 mm Bofors guns.Belfast had been expected to join inOperation Downfall, but this was forestalled by theJapanese surrender on 15 August 1945.[7]
_in_Japan_1950.jpg)
With the end of the war,Belfast remained in the Far East, conducting a number of cruises to ports in Japan, China and Malaya and sailing for Portsmouth on 20 August 1947. There she paid off into reserve and underwent a refit during which her turbines were opened for maintenance. She also received two more single Bofors guns, in place of two of her single 2-pounder mountings.[41] She was recommissioned on 22 September 1948 and, before returning to the Far East, visited her home city of Belfast, arriving on 20 October. The following day, 21 October 1948, the ship's company markedTrafalgar Day with a march through the city. The next dayBelfast took charge of a silver ship's bell, a gift of the people of Belfast.[43] She sailed forHong Kong on 23 October to join the Royal Navy'sFar East Fleet, arriving in late December. By 1949, the political situation in China was precarious, with theChinese Civil War moving towards its conclusion. As flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron,Belfast was the Far Eastern Station's headquarters ship during the April 1949Amethyst Incident, in which a Britishsloop,HMS Amethyst, was trapped in theYangtze River by the communistPeople's Liberation Army.Belfast remained in Hong Kong during 1949, sailing forSingapore on 18 January 1950. There she underwent a minor refit between January and March 1950, and in June she joined the Far East Fleet's summer cruise.[44] On 25 June 1950, whileBelfast was visitingHakodate in Japan, North Korean forces crossed the38th Parallel, starting theKorean War.[45]
With the outbreak of the Korean War,Belfast became part of theUnited Nations naval forces. Originally part of the US Navy'sTask Force 77,Belfast was detached in order to operate independently on 5 July 1950. During July and early August 1950,Belfast undertook coastal patrols and was based atSasebo in Japan'sNagasaki Prefecture. From 19 JulyBelfast supported troops fighting around Yongdok, accompanied byUSS Juneau. That dayBelfast fired an accurate 350-round bombardment from her 6-inch guns and was praised by an American admiral as a "straight-shooting ship".[nb 3][46] On 6 August she sailed for the UK for a short (but needed) refit, after which she again set sail for the far east and arrived back at Sasebo on 31 January 1951.[46]
_and_HMS_Ocean_(R68)_off_Korea_1952.jpg)
During 1951Belfast mounted a number of coastal patrols and bombarded a variety of targets. On 1 June she arrived at Singapore for refitting, arriving back on patrol on 31 August. In September 1951Belfast provided anti-aircraft cover for a salvage operation to recover a crashed enemyMiG-15 jet fighter. She conducted further bombardments and patrols before receiving a month's leave from operations, returning to action on 23 December.[47]
In 1952Belfast continued her coastal patrol duties. On 29 July 1952Belfast was hit by enemy fire while engaging anartillery battery on Wolsa-ri island. A 75 mm shell struck a forward compartment, killing a British sailor of Chinese origin in his hammock and wounding four other Chinese ratings. This was the only timeBelfast was hit by enemy fire during her Korean service. On 27 September 1952Belfast was relieved by two other Town-class cruisers,HMS Birmingham and HMS Newcastle, and sailed back to the UK. She had steamed over 80,000 miles (130,000 km) in the combat zone and fired more than 8,000 rounds from her 6-inch guns during the Korean War. She paid off inChatham on 4 November 1952 and entered reserve at Devonport on 1 December.[48]
In reserve,Belfast's future was uncertain: post-war defence cuts made manpower-intensive cruisers excessively costly to operate and it was not until March 1955 that the decision was taken to moderniseBelfast. Work began on 6 January 1956. Although described as only an extended refit, the cost of £5.5 million[49] was substantial for this large middle-aged cruiser. Changes included: individual MRS8 directors for the new twin Mk 5 40 mm and the twin 4-inch mount; the 4-inch guns training and elevation speed was increased to 20 degrees per second; and protecting key parts of the ship againstnuclear, biological or chemical attack. This last consideration meant significantly enlarging and enclosing herbridge, creating a two-tiered, five-sided superstructure which radically altered her appearance. Her boiler rooms were also given remote control so they could still be run in the event of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack as the boiler rooms themselves were not protected. The most significant change was better accommodations for a smaller crew more fitting of post-war needs. Her tripod masts were replaced with lattice masts and timber decking replaced with steel everywhere except the quarterdeck. The overall effect was to create a cruiser significantly more habitable but different internally and to a degree in external appearance from wartime cruisers but still essentially a surface warfare, 'antiSverdlov' cruiser, with anti-aircraft defence updated for point defence only out to 4 km (2.5 mi).[50]
Belfast recommissioned at Devonport on 12 May 1959.[51] Her close-range armament was standardised to six twin 40 mm Bofors guns and her close-range fire direction similarly standardised to eight close-range blindfire directors fitted withType 262 radar.[31] Her 1959 radar fit included two Type 274 lock and follow radar directors for main armament direction against sea and land targets,[a]Type 277Q and 293Q for height-finding and surface warning, Type 960M for air warning and 974 for surface warning.[52] In order to save weight, her torpedo armament was removed.[52] Modern passive sonar Type 174 and 176 was installed and noise-reducing rubber insulation fitted to the propeller shaft.[53][page needed]
Belfast arrived in Singapore on 16 December 1959 and spent most of 1960 at sea on exercise, calling at ports in Hong Kong, Borneo, India,Ceylon (nowSri Lanka), Australia, the Philippines and Japan. On 31 January 1961,Belfast recommissioned under the command of CaptainMorgan Morgan-Giles. On her final foreign commissionBelfast joined a number of exercises in the Far East and in December 1961 she provided the British guard of honour atTanganyika's independence ceremony inDar-es-Salaam.[54]
In 1961 plans were drawn up for the conversion ofBelfast to a hybrid helicopter cruiser for amphibious operations. The two aft 6-inch turrets would be removed to accommodate a helicopter deck and two hangars capable of housing fourWestland Wessex helicopters, while the 4-inch guns would be replaced bydavits for fourLCA landing craft. Only one of the ship's two boiler rooms would be used, which together with the reductions in armament would allow the ship's crew to be reduced so freeing up space to carry troops. Two infantrycompanies, 30 officers and 230 other ranks, would be carried. The plan was rejected in December 1961 as the time required to carry out the conversions was too great.[55]
_at_Pearl_Harbor_in_1962.jpg)
The ship left Singapore on 26 March 1962 for the UK, sailing east via Hong Kong, Guam andPearl Harbor, San Francisco, Seattle, British Columbia, Panama and Trinidad. She arrived at Portsmouth on 19 June 1962.
Recommissioned in July, she made a final visit to Belfast from 23 to 29 November before paying off into reserve on 25 February 1963. In July 1963Belfast was recommissioned for the last time, with a crew of theRoyal Naval Reserve (RNR) and a number ofSea Cadets flying the flag of the Admiral Commanding Reserves, Rear Admiral Hugh Martell.Belfast sailed for Gibraltar in company with sixteen RNRminesweepers for a two-week exercise in the Mediterranean on 10 August.[56] Martell'sobituarist considered this commission a well-judged contrivance which "did much to restore the confidence and image of the new RNR" which had undergone an acrimonious amalgamation with theRoyal Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1958.[57]
Belfast returned to Devonport on 24 August 1963 and underwent a short refit to prepare her for paying off into reserve, which occurred in December 1963. In January 1966 parts of the ship and power systems were reactivated and from May 1966 to 1970 she served as an accommodation ship (taking over those duties fromSheffield), moored inFareham Creek, for the Reserve Division at Portsmouth.[56] WhileBelfast lay at Fareham Creek the Imperial War Museum, Britain's national museum of twentieth-century conflict, became interested in preserving a 6-inch turret. The turret would represent a number of classes of cruiser (then disappearing from service) and would complement the museum's pair of British15-inch naval guns.[38][56]
On 14 April 1967 museum staff visitedGambia, aCrown Colony-class cruiser also moored in Fareham Creek at the time. Following the visit the possibility was raised[by whom?] of preserving an entire ship.Gambia had already severely deteriorated, so attention turned to the possibility of savingBelfast. The Imperial War Museum, theNational Maritime Museum and theMinistry of Defence established a joint committee, which reported in June 1968 that the scheme was practical and economic. However, in early 1971,David Eccles thePaymaster General decided against preservation.[56] On 4 May 1971Belfast was "reduced to disposal" to await scrapping.[56]
 HMSBelfast berthed in thePool of London;Tower Bridge can be seen behind. | |
  Location within Central London | |
| Established | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Location | The Queen's Walk, London, SE1 2JH |
| Visitors | 327,206 (2019)[9] |
| Director | Phil Reed[58] |
| Public transit access | London Bridge station Tower Hill Underground station |
| Website | www |
| Imperial War Museums | |
Following the government's refusal, a private trust was formed to campaign for the ship's preservation. TheBelfast Trust was established; its chairman was Rear-Admiral Sir Morgan Morgan-Giles, captain ofBelfast from January 1961 to July 1962.[56] AsMember of Parliament (MP) for Winchester, Morgan-Giles addressed theHouse of Commons on 8 March 1971. He describedBelfast as being in "a really wonderful state of preservation" and that saving her for the nation represented a "case of grasping the last opportunity".[59] Among the MPs who spoke in support of Morgan-Giles wasGordon Bagier, MP forSunderland South, who served as aRoyal Marine gunner aboardBelfast and was present at both the sinking ofScharnhorst and the Normandy landings. Speaking for the government, the Under-secretary for the Navy,Peter Kirk, said thatBelfast was "one of the most historic ships which the Navy has had in the last 20 years",[59] but that he could not prevent the stripping of the ship's removable equipment, as this was already too far advanced to be halted. He did, however, agree to postpone any decision on the scrapping ofBelfast to allow the Trust to put together a formal proposal.[59]
Following the Trust's efforts, the government agreed to hand overBelfast to the Trustees in July 1971, withVice Admiral Sir Donald Gibson as her first director. At a press conference in August the Trust announced "Operation Seahorse",[nb 4] the plan to bringBelfast to London. She was towed from Portsmouth to London via Tilbury, where she was fitted out as a museum.[60] She was towed to her berth above Tower Bridge on 15 October 1971 and settled in a huge hole that had been dredged in the river bed; then she was attached to twodolphins which guide her during the rise and fall of the tide.[61]
She was opened to the public on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1971. The date was significant, asBelfast was the first naval vessel to be saved for the nation sinceHMS Victory,Lord Nelson's flagship at theBattle of Trafalgar.[62] Though no longer part of the Royal Navy, HMSBelfast was granted a special dispensation to allow her to continue to fly theWhite Ensign.[63]
Now a museum, the ship's opening was well received: in 1972 the HMSBelfast Trust won theBritish Tourist Authority's "Come to Britain" trophy.[64] Support for the ship's restoration was received from individuals, from the Royal Navy and from commercial businesses; in 1973, for example, theWorshipful Company of Bakers provided dummy bread for display in the ship'sNAAFI and bakery.[64] By 1974, areas including the Admiral's bridge and forward boiler and engine rooms had been restored and fitted out. That year also saw the refurbishment of the ship's operations room by a team fromHMS Vernon and the return ofBelfast's six twin Bofors mounts, along with their fire directors.[64] By December 1975Belfast had received 1,500,000 visitors.[64] In 1976Belfast was reaffiliated with the successors to the British Army'sRoyal Ulster Rifles, theRoyal Irish Rangers,[b][64] and in the same year theRoyal Naval Amateur Radio Society restored the ship's Bridge Wireless Office to working order.[65][c]
By 1977, the financial position of the HMSBelfast Trust had become marginal, and the Imperial War Museum sought permission to merge the Trust into the museum. On 19 January 1978 the Secretary of State for Education and Science,Shirley Williams, accepted the proposal stating that HMSBelfast "is a unique demonstration of an important phase of our history and technology".[66] The ship was transferred to the museum on 1 March 1978,[64] and became the Imperial War Museum's third branch,Duxford aerodrome having been acquired in 1976. In October 1998, the HMSBelfast Association was formed to reunite former members of the ship's company.[67] The Imperial War Museum'sSound Archive also seeks to recordoral history interviews with former crewmen.[64]
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Since being brought to LondonBelfast has twice beendrydocked as part of the ship's long-term preservation. In 1982 she was docked atTilbury and in June 1999 towed to Portsmouth. This was the first time she had been to sea in 28 years and thus required a certificate of seaworthiness from theMaritime and Coastguard Agency.[64] While in dock, her entire hull was cleaned,blasted and repainted, her hull blanking plates inspected and anultrasonic survey carried out.[68] She was not expected to require further drydocking until 2020.[64] While under tow to Portsmouth she was delayed by bad weather and arrived a day late: it had been intended that she would arrive on 6 June 1999, the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Normandy landings.[69]
During the maintenance work,Belfast's hull and topsides were repainted in her specificcamouflage scheme officially known asAdmiralty Disruptive Camouflage Type 25, which she had worn from November 1942 to July 1944. This was objected to by some, due to theanachronistic conflict between her camouflage, which reflects the majority of her active Second World War service, and her present configuration, which was the result of the ship's extended refit from January 1956 to May 1959.[64] With the establishment of theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships in 2006,Belfast was listed as part of theNational Historic Fleet.[70][nb 5]
On 9 May 2010, a ceremony was held aboardBelfast to mark the 65th anniversary of end of the Second World War in Europe. Veterans of the Arctic convoys were in attendance to receive medals from the Russian AmbassadorYuri Fedotov. During the ceremony it was announced that, as part of the restoration of the ship, two new masts had been manufactured at theSevernaya Verf shipyard nearSaint Petersburg.[72] The production of the masts, to replace corroded originals, had been supported by a number of Russian businesses at a reported cost of £500,000.[73][nb 6] The restoration of the masts involved removing the fittings from both masts, allowing them to be individually restored. The old masts were then cut down in sections, the new masts erected and the original fittings replaced.[76] On 19 October 2010, the new masts were dedicated at a ceremony attended by HMSBelfast veterans, byPrince Philip and officials from the Russian embassy and government.[77]
In 2017, it was announced that the third of the Royal Navy'sType 26 frigates would be namedBelfast. At the same time, the IWM stated that the museum would be renamed as "HMSBelfast (1938)" as a means of avoiding confusion.[78][79]
WhenBelfast was first opened to the public, visitors were limited to the upper decks and forward superstructure.[64] As of 2011, nine decks are open to the public. Access to the ship is via a walkway which connects thequarterdeck with the pedestrianised footpath on the south bank of theRiver Thames. TheImperial War Museum's guidebook to HMSBelfast divides the ship into three broad sections.[80] The first of these, "Life on board the ship", focuses on the experience of serving at sea. Restored compartments, some populated with dressed figures, illustrate the crew's living conditions and the ship's various facilities such as the sick bay, galley, laundry, chapel, mess decks andNAAFI.[81] Since 2002, school and youth groups have been able to stay onboardBelfast overnight, sleeping in bunks on a restored 1950s mess deck.[64][82]
The second section, "The inner workings", below the waterline and protected by the ship's armoured belt, contains core mechanical, electrical and communication systems. As well as the engine and boiler rooms, other compartments include the transmitting station (housing the ship'sAdmiralty Fire Control Table, a mechanical computer), the forward steering position and one ofBelfast's six-inch shell rooms andmagazines.[83] The third section, "Action stations", includes the upper deck and forward superstructure with the ship's armament, fire control and command facilities.[84] Areas open to the public include the operations room, Admiral's bridge and gun direction platform. During 2011, two of these areas werereinterpreted. The operations room was restored to its appearance during Exercise Pony Express, a large British-Australian-American joint exercise held offNorth Borneo in 1961. The reinterpretation included an interactive audio-visualplotting table.[85][nb 7]
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In July 2011, the interior of Y Turret, the aftmost 6-inch turret, was redisplayed using audio-visual and atmospheric effects, seeking to evoke the experience of a gunner at the Battle of North Cape.[88] To emphasise the range of the ship's armament, the forward six-inch guns of A and B Turrets are trained on theLondon Gateway service area on theM1 motorway, approximately 12 miles (19 km) away on the outskirts of London.[89] A 4-inch gun mount and a shell hoist are kept in working order and used during blank-firing demonstrations by the Wavy Navyre-enactment group.[80][90] In addition to the various areas of the ship open to visitors, some compartments have been fitted out as dedicated exhibition space. Permanent exhibitions include "HMSBelfast in War and Peace" and "Life at Sea".[64] The cost of admission to HMSBelfast includes a multilingualaudio guide.[91]
HMSBelfast also serves as the headquarters of the City of London Sea Cadet Corps,[92] and her prestigious location in central London as a result means she frequently has other vessels berthed alongside. In October 2007,Belfast hosted the naming ceremony of thelighthouse tenderTHV Galatea withthe Queen and Prince Philip in attendance.[93]
On 29 November 2011, two workmen suffered minor injuries after a section of gangway, connected to the ship, collapsed during renovation works.[94] The ship was closed to visitors following the accident.[95] An investigation later established that the collapse of the gangway had been caused by a subcontractor cutting through the gangway's structure during refurbishment work.[96]Belfast re-opened on 18 May 2012.[97]
The closure delayed the construction of a new two-storey bank-side pavilion to replaceBelfast's existing retail and admissions building. The structure, for whichplanning permission was received in October 2011, provides a ground floor café, shop and admissions area and a rooftop bar. Initially expected to be complete by summer 2012,[98] the pavilion opened in April 2013.[97]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1939 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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51°30′24″N0°04′53″W / 51.50667°N 0.08139°W /51.50667; -0.08139
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
