HMS Belfast was the heaviest Cruiser ever to serve with the Royal Navy. Mounting 6-inch guns, this Edinburgh Class ship served with distinction in World War II and the Korean War. Since 1971, she has been moored in central London on the Thames river, operating as a museum ship run by Britain’s Imperial War Museum.

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On behalf of the Armchair General website, I paid a trip earlier this year to see HMS Belfast in all her glory. Here I am with a copy of my ACG just about to board the ship.

This report covers the following:

1) Design and History.

2) Features Above Deck.

3) Main Armament.

4) Secondary Armament.

5) Command and Control

6) Engine and Equipment Rooms

7) Crew Quarters and Facilities.

All pictures in this article were taken using a Sony DSCH1 at 5.0 Megapixels, since resized for this piece. Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

Readers may be interested to see the Official HMS Belfast Website.

Design and History

HMS Belfast can be found between two famous landmarks in central London. The first of these two pictures was taken from London Bridge, and in the background, one can also see Tower Bridge. In the second photo, the large rounded glass building in the background is London’s newly built City Hall.

Taken from the southern embankment of the Thames, HMS Belfast is framed by Tower Bridge behind her. Off to the left, out of frame, is the infamous Tower of London – "The Bloody Tower" – the entire area around the ship is steeped in history. It’s amazing to think that HMS Belfast is herself now a part of that history – having been moored here since 1971 – the year I was born!

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