Battle Stations II
HMS Belfast
Overall
length 613ft 6in (187m)
Beam 69ft (21m)
Draught 19ft 9in (6.1m)
Armament (1959) 12 (4 x 3) 6in and 8 (4 x 2) 4in
HA/LA; 12 (6 x 2) Bofors AA
Propulsion 4 Admiralty 3-drum boilers; 4 steam-powered Parsons single
reduction geared turbines driving 4 shafts at 80,000 shaft horsepower
Maximum speed 32 knots (36 miles/58 km per hour)
Complement 750-850
Standard displacement 11,533 tons
HMS Belfast, an Edinburgh-class cruiser, was built at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast and launched on 17 March 1938 – St Patrick's Day. It was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 5 August 1939, just under a month before the outbreak of World War II. It formed part of the 18th Cruiser Squadron operating out of the Home Fleet's principal base at Scapa Flow in Orkney.
On 21 November 1939, while it was leaving the Firth of Forth, Belfast's back was broken by a German magnetic mine. It did not rejoin the Home Fleet until November 1942, by which time extensive modifications had made the ship the largest and, arguably, the most powerful cruiser in the Royal Navy, equipped with state-of-the-art radar and fire control systems.
As flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, Belfast was tasked with providing close-range heavy cover for the Arctic convoys carrying supplies to the Soviet Union. At the end of December 1943, it played an important role in the Battle of the North Cape, in which the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst was sunk by the Royal Navy after it had attempted to intercept and destroy the convoys JW55B and RA55A as they passed the northern tip of Norway.
On 30 March 1944, Belfast was part of the Royal Navy task force that sailed from Scapa Flow to destroy the German battleship Tirpitz, anchored in Norway's Altenfjord, with aircraft launched from two aircraft carriers. On 3 April, Tirpitz was badly damaged in an attack by 42 bombers and 80 fighters, the largest air strike yet undertaken by the Fleet Air Arm in World War II. The German ship was finally sunk on 12 November by 12,000lb bombs dropped by Lancaster bombers of 617 and 9 Squadrons, RAF Bomber Command.
Belfast played a key role in Operation Neptune, the naval aspect of the D-Day landings in June 1944. It supported the British and Canadian assaults on Gold and Juno beaches, and provided fire support as the Allies moved inland. Its last shoot took place on 8 July during the fighting for Caen. Two days later, the battle lines had moved beyond the range of Belfast's six-inch guns.
The ship was refitted and ordered to the Far East, but before its arrival, Japan surrendered. Belfast consequently performed useful work in the evacuation of POWs and civilian internees, and until 1947, it fulfilled a vital peace-keeping role in the region.
After another refit, Belfast returned to the Far East in December 1947 as flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron. Subsequently, it was one of the first British ships to go into action in the Korean War, eventually spending 404 days on active patrol. In addition, in October 1950, it provided fire support for retreating South Korean and US troops after the North Korean invasion of South Korea.
Belfast completed its active life carrying out exercises and 'showing the flag'. It was paid off at Devonport on 24 August 1963, having steamed nearly half a million miles.
Belfast was not scrapped but saved for the nation, after a campaign led by its former captain, Rear Admiral Sir Morgan Morgan-Giles. The ship was brought to London and moored opposite the Tower of London. On 21 October 1971 – Trafalgar Day – it was opened to the public.
