The Town-class light cruiser HMS Belfast has been a fixture on the Thames, in sight of Tower bridge since 1971, as a floating element of The Imperial War Museum. I have been aboard more times than I can remember, and from a very early age. Now that I live in Australia however, I can not afford myself the luxury of the 10 minute train journey I used to take to visit her. When this GB was announced I knew I had a wonderful opportunity to reacquaint myself with this old friend!
She has a heck of a history. Launched on St Patrick’s day in 1938 , she was commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1939. There followed 25 years of active service.
She defended the Arctic conveys and fought at the Battle of North Cape in Norway, playing a key role in the hunting and sinking of The Scharnhorst. In 1944 she supported the landings at Normandy and is said to have fired some of the earliest shots.
From 1950 to 1952 (405 days), and now relevant to this GB, Belfast was involved in Korea, making coastal patrols and bombarding onshore targets in support of ground forces. During the course of the conflict, she covered over 80,000 miles in the war zone and fired more than 8,000 rounds.
I will have to do some detailed research to learn about the colour scheme and any adaptations made to her in Korea. I’d imagine this build will take me deep into this GB!
