HMS Belfast
HMS Belfast at her London berth, painted in Admiralty pattern Disruptive Camouflage
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Belfast |
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 |
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Honours and awards |
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Status | Museum ship since 21 October 1971 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Town-class light cruiser |
Displacement | 11,550 tons |
Length | 613 ft 6 in (186.99 m) overall[5] |
Beam | 63 ft 4 in (19.3 m) |
Draught |
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Installed power | 80,000 shp (60,000 kW) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) |
Complement | 781–881 (as flagship, 1939)[7] |
Armament |
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Armour | |
Aircraft carried | 2 × Supermarine Walrus (disembarked June 1943)[6] |
Aviation facilities |
HMS Belfast is a Town-class light cruiser that was built for the Royal Navy. She is now permanently moored as a museum ship on the River Thames in London and is operated by the Imperial War Museum.
Construction of Belfast, the first ship in the Royal Navy to be named after the capital city of
In 1967, efforts were initiated to avert Belfast's expected scrapping and to preserve her as a museum ship. A joint committee of the Imperial War Museum, the
Design
Belfast is a cruiser of the
When completed, Belfast had an overall length of 613 feet 6 inches (187.0 m), a beam of 63 feet 4 inches (19.3 m) and a draught of 17 feet 3 inches (5.3 m). Her standard displacement during her sea trials was 10,420 long tons (10,590 t).[2] She was propelled by four three-drum oil-fired Admiralty water-tube boilers, turning Parsons geared steam turbines, driving four propeller shafts.[5] 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.[2] This gave her a maximum range of 8,664 nautical miles (16,046 km; 9,970 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).[3]
Belfast's main armament comprised twelve
Belfast was protected by a 4.5-inch (114 mm) main armour belt, with deck armour of 3 inches (76 mm) over her magazines, and 2 inches (51 mm) over her machinery spaces.[2] Her six-inch turrets were protected by up to 4 inches (102 mm) of armour.[3]
Belfast's aviation capability was provided by two catapult-launched Supermarine Walrus amphibious biplanes. These could be launched from a D1H catapult mounted aft of the forward superstructure, and recovered from the water by two cranes mounted on either side of the forward funnel. The aircraft, operated by the Fleet Air Arm's HMS Belfast Flight of 700 Naval Air Squadron, were stowed in two hangars in the forward superstructure.[7]
Second World War
1939–1942: Commissioning, prize capture, mining, and repairs
Belfast departed for
On 31 August 1939 Belfast was transferred to the
On 10 November Belfast was taken off the northern patrol and reassigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. This squadron was to form an independent striking force based at Rosyth. On 21 November, Belfast was to take part in the force's first sortie, a gunnery exercise. At 10:58 am she detonated a magnetic mine while leaving the Firth of Forth. The mine broke Belfast'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] The tugboat Krooman, towing gunnery targets for the exercise, released her targets and instead towed Belfast to Rosyth for initial repairs.[26]
Initial assessments of Belfast'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 to hog (bend upwards) by three inches. On 4 January 1940 Belfast was decommissioned to Care and Maintenance status, becoming the responsibility of Rosyth Dockyard, and her crew dispersed to other vessels. By 28 June she had been repaired sufficiently to sail to Devonport, 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 eighteen 20 mm Oerlikon guns in five twin and eight single mountings, replacing two quadruple 0.5-inch Vickers guns. Belfast also received new fire control radars for her main, secondary and anti-aircraft guns. Her November 1942 radar fit included one Type 284 set and four Type 283 sets to direct the main armament, three Type 285 sets for the secondary guns, and two Type 282 sets for the 2-pounder anti-aircraft guns. She also received a Type 273 general surface warning radar, Type 251 and 252 sets for identification friend or foe (IFF) purposes, and a Type 281 and Type 242 for air warning. Her 1942 electronics suite also included a Type 270 echosounder.[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] Her displacement had risen to 11,550 tons.
1942–1943: Recommissioning, Arctic convoys and Battle of North Cape
Belfast was recommissioned at Devonport on 3 November 1942, under the command of Captain Frederick Parham.[6][nb 1] On her return to the Home Fleet Belfast was made flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral Robert Burnett, who had previously commanded the Home Fleet's destroyer flotillas.[30] The squadron was responsible for the hazardous task of escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union, operating from Scapa Flow and bases in Iceland. Her radar suite reduced Belfast'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 during Operation Leader, an airstrike against German shipping in the waters of northern Norway near Bodø by the aircraft carrier USS Ranger.[32]
On 26 December 1943, Belfast participated in the
1944: Tirpitz and D-Day
After North Cape, Belfast refuelled at
For the
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 at Ver-sur-Mer, suppressing the guns until the site was overrun by British infantry of 7th Battalion, Green Howards. On 12 June Belfast 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 July Belfast was threatened at anchor by German motor torpedo boats ("E-boats"). She evaded them by weighing anchor and moving to the concealment of a smoke screen.[37] Belfast fired her last round in anger in European waters on 8 July, in company with the monitor HMS Roberts and the battleship HMS Rodney, as part of Operation 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]
1945: Service in the Far East
On 29 July 1944, Captain Parham handed over command of HMS Belfast to Captain R M Dick, and until April 1945 Belfast 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 expected
Post-war service 1945–1950
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.
Korean War 1950–1952
With the outbreak of the Korean War, Belfast became part of the
During 1951 Belfast 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 1951 Belfast provided anti-aircraft cover for a salvage operation to recover a crashed enemy MiG-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 1952 Belfast continued her coastal patrol duties. On 29 July 1952 Belfast was hit by enemy fire while engaging an artillery 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 time Belfast was hit by enemy fire during her Korean service. On 27 September 1952 Belfast 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 in Chatham on 4 November 1952 and entered reserve at Devonport on 1 December.[48]
Modernisation and final commissions 1955–1963
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 modernise Belfast. 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 against nuclear, biological or chemical attack. This last consideration meant significantly enlarging and enclosing her bridge, 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, 'anti Sverdlov' 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 with Type 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,
In 1961 plans were drawn up for the conversion of Belfast 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 four Westland Wessex helicopters, while the 4-inch guns would be replaced by davits for four LCA 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 infantry companies, 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]
The ship left Singapore on 26 March 1962 for the UK, sailing east via Hong Kong, Guam and Pearl 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 1963 Belfast was recommissioned for the last time, with a crew of the
Reserve, decommissioning, and preservation efforts 1963–1971
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 from Sheffield), moored in
On 14 April 1967 museum staff visited
HMS Belfast Trust 1971–1977
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Following the government's refusal, a private trust was formed to campaign for the ship's preservation. The Belfast Trust was established; its chairman was Rear-Admiral Sir Morgan Morgan-Giles, captain of Belfast from January 1961 to July 1962.
Following the Trust's efforts, the government agreed to hand over Belfast to the Trustees in July 1971, with
She was opened to the public on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1971. The date was significant, as Belfast was the first naval vessel to be saved for the nation since HMS Victory, Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar.[62] Though no longer part of the Royal Navy, HMS Belfast was granted a special dispensation to allow her to continue to fly the White Ensign.[63]
Now a museum, the ship's opening was well received: in 1972 the HMS Belfast Trust won the
Imperial War Museum 1978–present
By 1977, the financial position of the HMS Belfast 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,
Preservation
Since being brought to London Belfast has twice been
During the maintenance work, Belfast's hull and topsides were repainted in her specific camouflage scheme officially known as Admiralty Disruptive Camouflage Type 25, which she had worn from November 1942 to July 1944. This was objected to by some, due to the anachronistic 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 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships in 2006, Belfast was listed as part of the National Historic Fleet.[70][nb 5]
On 9 May 2010, a ceremony was held aboard Belfast 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 Ambassador Yuri Fedotov. During the ceremony it was announced that, as part of the restoration of the ship, two new masts had been manufactured at the Severnaya Verf shipyard near Saint 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 HMS Belfast veterans, by Prince Philip and officials from the Russian embassy and government.[77]
In 2017, it was announced that the third of the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigates would be named Belfast. At the same time, the IWM stated that the museum would be renamed as "HMS Belfast (1938)" as a means of avoiding confusion.[78][79]
Interpretation
When Belfast was first opened to the public, visitors were limited to the upper decks and forward superstructure.
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's Admiralty Fire Control Table, a mechanical computer), the forward steering position and one of Belfast's six-inch shell rooms and magazines.[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 were reinterpreted. The operations room was restored to its appearance during Exercise Pony Express, a large British-Australian-American joint exercise held off North Borneo in 1961. The reinterpretation included an interactive audio-visual plotting table.[85] [nb 7]
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.
HMS Belfast also serves as the headquarters of the City of London Sea Cadet Corps,
2011 accident
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 replace Belfast's existing retail and admissions building. The structure, for which planning 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]
Notes
- ^ Parham recorded an oral account of his career in May 1976, which was later acquired by the Imperial War Museum.[29]
- 15-inch gun from HMS Roberts is one of the pair now on display outside the Imperial War Museum.[38]
- ^ The admiral is not identified in Wingate (2004), but may have been Rear Admiral John Higgins, for whom Juneau was flagship.
- ^ The reinterpretation was supported by £150,000 from DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation.[86][87]
- ^ other 1950s cruiser reconstructions of three Town cruisers and HMS Newfoundland and HMS Ceylon had only a single main 274 director which limited their surface effectiveness
- ^ Amalgamated into the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992.[64]
- callsign GB2RN from the ship's bridge wireless office.[65]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-75248-861-5.
- ^ a b c d e Watton 1985, p. 9.
- ^ a b c d Wingate 2004, p. 12.
- ^ a b c Wingate 2004, pp. 58–61.
- ^ a b c d Wingate 2004, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d Wingate 2004, pp. 39–40.
- ^ a b Wingate 2004, p. 28.
- ^ "Get in touch". City of London Sea Cadets.
- ^ a b "ALVA – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". www.alva.org.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ Wingate 2004, p. 7.
- ^ a b Watton 1985, p. 6.
- ^ a b c Wingate 2004, p. 8.
- ^ Watton 1985, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Watton 1985, p. 7.
- ^ a b c d e Wingate 2004, p. 9.
- ^ "History of HMS Belfast: Building and Launch". Imperial War Museum. 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ "Mrs Chamberlain Opens New Airport At Belfast And Launches HMS Belfast (1938)". British Pathé. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ a b Wingate 2004, p. 33.
- ^ a b Lavery 2015, p. 77.
- ^ Lavery 2015, p. 80.
- ^ Lavery 2015, p. 81-82.
- ^ Lavery 2015, p. 82.
- ^ "History of HMS Belfast: Outbreak of War 1939". Imperial War Museum. 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
- ^ Lavery 2015, p. 85.
- ^ Lavery 2015, p. 85-86.
- ^ a b Wingate 2004, pp. 34–35.
- ^ Lavery 2015, p. 15-19.
- ^ Wingate 2004, pp. 35–36.
- ^ Parham, Admiral Sir Frederick (10 May 1976). "Parham, Frederick Robertson (IWM interview)" (Interview). Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32189. Retrieved 4 November 2009. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- ^ a b c Watton 1985, p. 14.
- ^ Wingate 2004, p. 43.
- ^ Wingate 2004, pp. 44–55.
- ^ a b Wingate 2004, pp. 55–57.
- ^ a b "History of HMS Belfast: Operations 1944". Imperial War Museum. 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ a b Wingate 2004, p. 57.
- ^ a b Wingate 2004, pp. 57–58.
- ^ a b "Collections: Exhibits and Firearms: Frequently Asked Questions: The 15-inch guns". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ "History of HMS Belfast: D-Day 6 June 1944". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ Watton 1985, p. 8.
- ^ a b Watton 1985, p. 12.
- ^ Watton 1985, p. 11.
- ^ Wingate 2004, p. 62.
- ^ Wingate 2004, pp. 73–76.
- ^ Wingate 2004, p. 76.
- ^ a b Wingate 2004, p. 81.
- ^ Wingate 2004, p. 84.
- ^ Wingate 2004, p. 87.
- ISBN 978-0-70631-819-7.
- ^ Wingate 2004, pp. 79–90.
- ^ Wingate 2004, pp. 87–90.
- ^ a b Wingate 2004, p. 88.
- ^ Wingate 2004.
- ^ Wingate 2004, pp. 90–99.
- ^ Waters 2019, pp. 192–194.
- ^ a b c d e f Wingate 2004, p. 101.
- ^ Sainsbury, A. B. (25 February 1999). "Obituary: Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh Martell". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "Senior Staff List". Imperial War Museum. 2010. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Rear-Admiral Morgan Morgan-Giles, MP for Winchester (8 March 1971). "HMS Belfast". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. col. 207–216.
- ^ Wingate 2004, p. 102.
- ^ The Times, 16 October 1971, page 3.
- ^ Diprose, Craig & Seaborne 2009, p. 216.
- ^ Howard, Philip (16 October 1971). "Navy waives the rules for last big gun ship". The Times. No. 58300. London. col A, p. 3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wingate 2004, Postscript.
- ^ a b "RNARS London Group GB2RN HMS Belfast". Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- Secretary of State for Education and Science (19 January 1978). "HMS Belfast". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. col. 301W.
- ^ "HMS Belfast Association: About the Association". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ Wenzel, Jon (April 1997). "Diminishing Shipyard Resources". Third International Conference on the Technical Aspects of the Preservation of Historic Vessels. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ "War veteran battles weather". BBC News. 7 June 1999. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- National Historic Ships. Archived from the originalon 2 October 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- National Historic Ships. 14 July 2011. Archived from the originalon 13 September 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ "New masts for HMS Belfast made in Russian shipyard". London SE1. 9 May 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ Lydall, Ross (23 March 2010). "HMS Belfast's extraordinary war service is recognised by Russia". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ HMS Belfast Press Desk (24 March 2010). "Russian Federation provides major support for HMS Belfast restoration". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ "HMS Belfast to lose her scaffolding – and gain two new masts" (Press release). Lloyd's Register Group. 15 June 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ HMS Belfast Press Desk (19 October 2010). "HMS Belfast Masts from Russia with Love". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- London Evening Standard. Archived from the originalon 16 November 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
- ^ Young, David (27 September 2017). "New Royal Navy warship to be named HMS Belfast". The Irish Times. Press Association. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ "Defence Secretary names new warship HMS Belfast in Northern Ireland". GOV.UK. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ a b Imperial War Museum 2009, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Imperial War Museum 2009, pp. 28–39.
- Times Educational Supplement. Archived from the originalon 10 June 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ Imperial War Museum 2009, pp. 40–49.
- ^ Imperial War Museum 2009, pp. 50–57.
- ^ "New Interactive Operations Room Opens for Easter". HMS Belfast, Imperial War Museum. April 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ "£4 million grants announced for English museums under DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund". Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 28 August 2009. Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ "DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund Round 8 (2009–10)" (PDF). Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ "HMS Belfast adds thrilling Gun Turret Experience to its armoury of attractions". Culture24.org.uk. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ Imperial War Museum 2009, p. 52.
- ^ "HMS Belfast: Preservation in Action". Imperial War Museum. 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ "Venue: HMS Belfast: Admissions charges". Culture24.org.uk. 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ "Sea Cadets: City of London: About". Marine Society and Sea Cadets. 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
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- ^ "HMS Belfast: Two injured as gangway collapses". BBC News. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Two hurt as HMS Belfast gangway collapses". The Guardian. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "HMS Belfast: Iconic ship re-opens!" (PDF) (Press release). Imperial War Museum. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ a b "HMS Belfast reopens six months after gangway collapse". London SE1. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
- EMAP. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
Bibliography
- Diprose, Graham; Craig, Charles & Seaborne, Mike (2009). London's Changing Riverscape. Francis Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-7112-2941-9.
- Imperial War Museum (2009). HMS Belfast. London: Imperial War Museum. ISBN 978-1-904897-93-4.
- Lavery, Brian (2015). The Last Big Gun: At War and at Sea with HMS Belfast. London: The Pool of London Press. ISBN 978-1-910860-01-4.
- McCart, Neil (2012). Town Class Cruisers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 978-1-904-45952-1.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Waters, Conrad (2019). "Warship Notes: The Helicopter Cruiser HMS Belfast". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2019. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-3595-6.
- Waters, Conrad (2019b). British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance; Southampton & Belfast Classes. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-1885-3.
- Watton, Ross (1985). The Cruiser Belfast. ISBN 0-85177-328-1.
- Wingate, John (2004). In Trust for the Nation: HMS Belfast 1939–1972. London: Imperial War Museum. ISBN 1-901623-72-6.
External links
- Official website
- "HMS Belfast film archive". British Pathé.