HMS BELFAST - THAMES RIVER
Imperial War Museum Ship of London
She sits in the middle of the Thames River in the heart of London, a gray lady watching over the Tower Bridge as if waiting for the return of the Blitz. Taking a sightseeing cruise of the river sites or waiting in line to see the jewels at the Tower of London, you might imagine barrage balloons tethered in the sky above London Bridge and the spiking tower of the Shard, asking what is that war ship in the river. The HMS Belfast, a WWII era light battle cruiser, is part of the Imperial War Museum collection of historic exhibits which encompasses the IMW of London and IMW North in Manchester, the IMW Air Museum of Duxford and the Churchill Cabinet War Rooms of London.
Built at the famed Belfast shipyards of Harland & Wolff where the legendary "unsinkable" Titanic was constructed (see Titanic Experierice Belfast), the HMS Belfast was launched for sea trials on St Patrick’s Day of 1938 and commissioned a year later, just in time for the first days of World War II. Designed as a fast battle cruiser for the protection of sea lane shipping, the HMS Belfast patrolled the North Atlantic in the trade blockade of Germany, but after only two months at sea, she struck a mine. There were only a few casualties and the she stayed afloat but the hull was so damaged, she spent nearly three years of dry dock repairs, rejoining the fleet in 1942.
One of the largest and heavily gunned cruisers in the fleet and fitted with the most advanced radar, the HMS Belfast was called back to duty in the cold North Atlantic guarding supply convoys (see HMS Caroline Belfast), and participated in the sinking of the German Heavy Cruiser Sharnhorst in the Battle of the North Cape as Vice Admiral Robert Burnett's flagship in November of 1943. In 1944, the HMS Belfast joined in the Invasions of D-Day, firing the first barrages of the coastline of the Atlantic Wall. After the Second World War, she also saw duty in Korea and peace time service until being retired in 1963.
The HMS Belfast has nine decks to explore, climbing tight ladders and gangways. A visit to the Captain’s Bridge and the Operations Room allows the sense and guiding a war ship and an interactive experience of controlling a fleet of ships in tactical maneuvers. Climb into the Gun Turret Experience to discover what it might be like to fire the guns in a pitched sea battle with the Sharnhorst or firing in support of D-Day landing troops, as a video explains the operations of the ordinance crew. Go forward to the Fo’c’sle at the ship’s bow for fabulous views up the Thames toward Big Ben, but avoid the temptation to hold your arms out while shouting “king of the world!” This is a Royal Navy ship!
In the Arctic Messdeck you’ll see how tightly cramped were the hammocks where sailors bunked during the frigid Arctic Convoy duty of the war against Hitler’s Kriegsmarine. In the “Life at Sea” exhibit you can learn about what it was like to live and serve at sea aboard a ship at war, or speak to one of the helpful Yeomen volunteers for a personal persepective. In the Boiler and Engine Rooms below decks are the powerful diesel fueled engines which drove the ship during its operational life across the oceans.
Visiting the HMS Belfast Imperial War Museum
The HMS Belfast warship museum is located at Queens Walk on the river bank,
open daily from 10am to 6pm, March to October and 10am to 5pm from November
to February, with last admission an hour before closing. Admission prices
are £16.00 for Adults, £12.80 Seniors, Students and Disabled, £8 for Children
5 to 15. Family Tickets are available. (These prices include a voluntary
donation for prreservation.) The nearest Tube underground stations are
London Bridge
and Tower Hill on either
side of the river. The HMS Belfast can be easily combined with visiting
the Tower of London (see Tower Crown Jewels and Armor), the Tower Bridge (see Tower Bridge Engines Exhibit), the Hays Gallerie and the new Observation Platform of the Shard, as well as
other Thames Walks. © Bargain
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IWM HMS BELFAST
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted. Photos courtesy London Helicopter.
SEE ALSO:
HAY'S GALLERIA SHOPS AND SHIPPING HISTORY
LONDON SIGHTSEEING BY HELICOPTER
LONDON'S
MARITIME MUSEUM AND ROYAL OBSERVATORY
TANGMERE MILITARY AIR MUSEUM SOUTH ENGLAND
THE RIFLES REGIMENTAL MUSEUM SALISBURY
