HMS Belfast

#22

HMS Belfast is a floating city in steel, moored between memory and skyline. Nine decks unfold from bridge to boiler room, each space bright with instruments, charts and fittings. Forward turrets recall D-Day bombardments; midships displays shiver with Arctic convoy stories and cold-weather kit. The Operations Room knits radar plots to orders, showing how a cruiser fought as choreography. Deep below, turbines, valves and gauges translate fuel into speed and endurance. Wayfinding is clear, but steep ladders demand sensible shoes and unhurried steps. Views across Tower Bridge reward the climb. Plan two to three hours, follow the suggested route, and let the ship explain herself.

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Opening Hours

Sunday: 10:00 – 17:00

Monday: 10:00 – 17:00

Tuesday: 10:00 – 17:00

Wednesday: 10:00 – 17:00

Thursday: 10:00 – 17:00

Friday: 10:00 – 17:00

Saturday: 10:00 – 17:00

What's not to miss inside?

Forward Gun Turrets

D-Day fire support (1944)

These 6-inch guns bombarded German positions during the Normandy landings.

Stand beneath the barrels to feel the scale, then trace the shell route down to the magazines.

📍 Foredeck (‘A’ & ‘B’ turrets)

Operations Room

The ship’s brain

Plotting tables, radar screens and voice pipes show how a cruiser fought as a team.

Follow a ‘contact’ from radar to gunnery on the panels.

📍 Upper decks near the bridge

Engine & Boiler Rooms

Power for 30+ knots

Gleaming turbines and miles of piping drove the ship through Arctic swells and Channel surf.

Look for polished brass gauges - each once read every few minutes on watch.

📍 Deep decks

Arctic Convoys Story

Lifeline to the USSR

Ice, darkness and U-boats - Belfast escorted convoys to Murmansk in 1943.

Compare crew cold-weather kit with standard tropical rig.

📍 Thematic displays mid-ship

Captain’s Bridge

Command with a view

From here the captain conned the ship through wartime seas and later during the Korean War.

Peer through the armoured bridge windows towards Tower Bridge for a perfect photo.

📍 Topside, forward superstructure

🤓 Fun Facts

Launched in 1938, mined in 1939, and back in action by 1942 after major repairs.

Supported the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 with naval gunfire against shore batteries.

Served in the Arctic convoys and later in the Korean War (1950-52).

Preserved as a museum ship from 1971 and now part of Imperial War Museums.

Spans nine decks and measures over 600 feet in length - a floating city in steel.

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