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| H.M.S. Belfast Jan Hyrman |
| It was 1971 when she was at last allowed to retire. The same year, after overcoming troubles with funds, an independent trust devoted to opening her to public succeeded in bringing the cruiser up the Thames and beyond the Tower Bridge. H.M.S. Belfast was opened to public on Trafalgar Day, 21st October 1971. There are not many places in Europe, which will give you a |
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| History is always learned the easiest way when you can see it and touch it. Many museums around the world have for some time been |
| adopting the 'hands-on' displays, where the children and adults can touch anything. London has many of these museums, one towering over all the others. It is H.M.S. |
| better idea of the magnitude of naval warfare. Some of the Belfast's powerful 6-inch guns are trained at the skies and you will find that if |
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| Belfast, "Europe's Last Big Gun Armoured Warship", a giant hands-on exhibit in itself. She has been anchored at the same address for 33 years now, at Morgan's Lane, Tooley Street, London, and has been a part of the Imperial War Museum since 1978. Coming aboard the ship across the long bridge with the tickets in your hand, you will find out the true dimensions of the exhibit - she just won't fit into your camera. Its long and sleek hull is 187 metres long, the ship has a standard displacement of 11,553 tons. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 5th August 1939 and served throughout the Second World War, escorting arctic convoys in 1943 or bombarding the beaches of Normandy in June 1944. Her career did not end in 1945, though, and includes the Korean War and the transformation of the British Empire to the Commonwealth of Nations. |
| they were fired, the shells would hit a car repair shop at a motorway some miles from London, giving you the idea of the distances at which the battles could have been fought. Each of the gun turrets weigh 175 tons, each a housing for three of the guns, and were operated by a total of 27 crewmembers on three decks. The exhibition aboard is a most amazing one, featuring sailors and sounds, which recreate the atmosphere of battle. Orders ring through the steel walls, while you can read and see how the battles were fought. You will see all sorts of situations from the life at high seas, from a sailor visiting a dentist to his comrades sleeping or chatting over the cards. All in all, H.M.S. Belfast is a most recommendable experience and should anyone of you ever have the time to see it and go through its impressive displays, it would be foolish to miss the chance. |
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| Sources: The official H.M.S. Belfast (I.W.M.) guide for visitors |