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HMS Belfast

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HMS Belfast

Come on board this iconic London landmark and discover its amazing globe-trotting history. Follow us on Facebook and join our growing community of fans.
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03/12/2024

This Christmas, spend some family time learning together at HMS Belfast!

Embark on our new Life at Sea: Gingerbread Sailors trail and enjoy a delicious day aboard the ship. Don’t miss the chance to decorate your own gingerbread sailor.

Free with general admission. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3CB65yS

01/12/2024

Celebrate Museum Shop Sunday with IWM

Join us this , for a day dedicated to unique gifts, exclusive discounts, and supporting a great cause.

Explore our museum shops at IWM North, IWM London, and HMS Belfast for 15% off. Discover one-of-a-kind gifts inspired by history and culture, perfect for everyone on your Christmas list.

Can’t visit in person? Our online shop is offering 15% off until 4 December, so you can shop from the comfort of your home and still support IWM's important work.

Every purchase helps IWM continue its mission to tell powerful stories of conflict and its impact. This Museum Shop Sunday, give gifts that give back.

Shop Now: https://bit.ly/4eUfoHO

Products Featured
Christmas Fair Trade Bauble 2024
Leather Spitfire Holdall
AVI-8 IWM Hurricane Chronograph Watch
Blueprint Spitfire Socks
Lancaster Bomber Socks
Spitfire Classic Organic Socks

14/11/2024

Tickets are now available for new IWM Institute Masterclasses!

Join IWM curators and academics from Queen Mary University of London for a day of learning aboard HMS Belfast, exploring how the Second World War was fought at sea.

Or enjoy other events, including talks, tours, and masterclasses, across IWM's branches. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3Z5vmKt

04/11/2024

A Vampire F3, possibly of 28 Squadron RAF, pictured being hoisted onto HMS Belfast’s boat deck after crashing in Bias (now Daya) Bay, 60 miles from Hong Kong, due to lack of fuel.

Image: IWM HU 56824

31/10/2024

Sailors of HMS Belfast pictured with a young cat - possibly "Frankenstein" - on the starboard side of A Turret during the Second World War. Frankenstein had his own hammock in the mess deck.

Image: IWM (HU 71132)

29/10/2024

Join us at HMS Belfast this November for a great day out with our Life at Sea: Lost Laundry Challenge, a family-friendly trail guide around the ship with interactive activities. Or take part in one of our in-depth Life on Deck tours, where you can learn from our expert guides about the lives of those who worked and lived on board HMS Belfast.

On 1 November, meet IWM’s veterans in a special We Were There event, and gain a unique insight into the impact of war on people’s lives.

Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/4dYUt5N

23/10/2024

Sailors play a game of hockey on HMS Belfast's quarterdeck while on commission on the Far East, 1961-62.

You can find the full amateur film - shot by Peter Barker while serving - on our website collections: https://bit.ly/4dV50il

Film: IWM MGH 4696

30/09/2024

Fill your diary with these special events, coming soon to HMS Belfast.

Get 'Lost at Sea' and join our 'Lost Laundry Challenge' with our half-term family activities, be inspired by veterans and their stories in our special 'We Were There' day, and meet author Damien Lewis in an exclusive evening event to celebrate the launch of the latest release in his famous book series 'SAS: Daggers Drawn'.

Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/3TK9elJ

23/09/2024

We’re recruiting at HMS Belfast!

Join our volunteer crew at Imperial War Museums. No experience is necessary, full training is provided, with short and longer term commitments available both for onsite and online for those aged 18 and over.

Apply before 15 October 2024: https://bit.ly/4dQGfol

16/09/2024

Children shake the hand of a diving suit on board HMS Belfast in Shanghai, 1945.

Through late 1945, Belfast helped to provide humanitarian aid and ferry newly-released British internees from Shanghai to Hong Kong.

Image: IWM (A 30857)

08/09/2024

Those visiting or passing HMS Belfast this week will have noticed two new flags flying from her mainmast alongside the White Ensign of the Royal Navy.

The Red Ensign and Blue Ensign have been raised again today to coincide with a commemorative service for Merchant Navy Day, held across the river at Tower Hill Memorial.

The event is hosted by the The Merchant Navy Association.

Photo: Stuart Paul

04/09/2024

On Christmas Day 1942, a newly repaired and modernised HMS Belfast arrived in Scapa Flow to join 10th Cruiser Squadron. The 18 months that followed would see the ship operate in support of the Atlantic Convoys, delivering essential supplies to the Soviet Union.

By 1942 the Arctic Convoy route to Russia via Iceland had become one of the great naval battlegrounds of the Second World War, but the weather was arguably a greater threat than the Germans.

Learn more about HMS Belfast and the Artic Covoys: https://bit.ly/3OsEOAX

IWM (A 15530) / IWM (HU 8799) / IWM (HU 8795)

28/08/2024

Did you see HMS Belfast feature in last night's episode of Warship: Life in the Royal Navy on Channel 5?

Host Julia Bradbury pays a visit to the iconic landmark to learn about life onboard ship and meet HMS Belfast veteran, Roger Alford.

If you missed it, it's not too late - you can still watch it on My5: https://bit.ly/3X17rcR

Pictured: Commodore Inga Kennedy and Julia Bradbury in HMS Belfast’s Sick Bay.

21/08/2024

HMS Belfast filmed in action during the Korean War, bombarding the Amgak peninsula at the mouth of the Taedong River, 1952.

In her two years of service in Korea, HMS Belfast saw more action than at any point during the Second World War, firing more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition from her 6-inch guns. Blockading the coast along North Korea and shelling shore targets in support of United Nations and South Korean forces on land, HMS Belfast spent more than 400 days on patrol during the conflict.

Read more about HMS Belfast and the Korean War here: https://bit.ly/3XPgFc2

01/08/2024

Join us aboard HMS Belfast this October for IWM in Conversation with: Damien Lewis. Hear the acclaimed author tell the incredible true story of the SAS behind enemy lines in France, 1944.

Across IWM take the opportunity to discover the role of women in aviation, hear your favourite podcasters at IWM Podcast Live, and commemorate Churchill 2024, the 150th birthday of Winston Churchill.

Book now: https://bit.ly/4fvvDMI

© IWM (Art.IWM ART 2613)

29/07/2024

This summer, climb aboard HMS Belfast to hear the stories of the sailors, marines and airmen who made HMS Belfast feel like a floating city.

Starting on the quarterdeck, explore the torpedo room, galley, sickbay, and more to hear the stories of the men who called HMS Belfast home.

Tours last 90 minutes and run at 10:15am and 2:15pm every Wednesday and Friday throughout August.

Book now: https://bit.ly/4bNRjAI

24/07/2024

This summer, adventure your way around HMS Belfast with our family trail.

It’s 1944 and the Morse Mice are receiving messages suggesting that the ship is about to be involved in something big! So big that quite a few furry friends – allies – are on board, too.

Climb aboard and decipher the Morse Code the Morse mice are protecting, and reveal HMS Belfast's destination to the crew. You will even be able to make your own Morse Code transmitter!

And from 26 July to 31 August, families can also create their very own medal inspired by the ship. Carve out a design into a mould before letting it set to paint and take home as a souvenir.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4d5aFlN

25/06/2024

This photograph, taken May 1950 shows the ship's company of HMS Belfast during her service in the Far East.

A month later, communist North Korea would invade South Korea and Britain's armed forces would go to war following a United Nations resolution.

In two years of service, HMS Belfast would see more action that she had seen during the entirety of the Second World War.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3rIpybr

© IWM HU 36877

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The Queen's Walk
London
SE12JH

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 6pm
Tuesday	10am - 6pm
Wednesday	10am - 6pm
Thursday	10am - 6pm
Friday	10am - 6pm
Saturday	10am - 6pm
Sunday	10am - 6pm

Website

http://www.iwm.org.uk/belfast/

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Videos

Sailors play a game of hockey on HMS Belfast's quarterdeck, 1961-2 | Film: IWM MGH 4696

Sailors play a game of hockey on HMS Belfast's quarterdeck while on commission on the Far East, 1961-62. You can find the full amateur film - shot by Peter Barker while serving - on our website collections: https://bit.ly/4dV50il Film: IWM MGH 4696

HMS Belfast filmed in action during the Korean War, bombarding the Amgak peninsula at the mouth of the Taedong River, 1952. In her two years of service in Korea, HMS Belfast saw more action than at any point during the Second World War, firing more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition from her 6-inch guns. Blockading the coast along North Korea and shelling shore targets in support of United Nations and South Korean forces on land, HMS Belfast spent more than 400 days on patrol during the conflict. Read more about HMS Belfast and the Korean War here: https://bit.ly/3XPgFc2

HMS Belfast in Korea | IWM

Serving in the Arctic convoys, at the Battle of the North Cape and during the Normandy landings, HMS Belfast was no stranger to active service. But it was during the Korean War where she was to see more action than ever before. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3XPgFc2

Battle of North Cape | HMS Belfast | IWM

On Christmas Day 1943, the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst and five destroyers left their base in Altenfjord, northern Norway to intercept two Arctic Convoys, transporting essential supplies to the Soviet Union. HMS Belfast would play an important role in the engagement that followed - The Battle of North Cape. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3VCWdMC

HMS Belfast and the Korean War | IWM

Stationed in the Far East at the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, HMS Belfast was to play a pivotal role at the forefront of the intense action to come. Watch in full and find out more: https://bit.ly/3XPgFc2

John Harrison on HMS Belfast | IWM

Veteran, John Harrison recounts his experience of a magnetic mine hitting HMS Belfast in the Firth of Forth, 1939. The damage to the ship was so severe that she was out of action for three years. Learn more: https://bit.ly/43g1jA8

Veteran John Harrison on HMS Belfast | IWM

"It was just like... Heaven"... Veteran John Harrison describes his first impressions of HMS Belfast, joining her crew in 1939 and serving off the coast of Great Britain and in the Atlantic. Watch the interview in full: https://bit.ly/43g1jA8

The Guns of HMS Belfast | IWM

During her life in service, HMS Belfast's primary armament was her 6-inch guns, which required over 200 men working over 8 decks to keep firing. In this video we take a look at each step required to fire the guns, from the Gun Direction Platform to the Shell Room. Watch in full: https://bit.ly/3VhfgvI

St Patrick's Day | Band of the Irish Guards

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today also marks 86 years since HMS Belfast was launched on 17 March 1938. This year we were pleased to welcome the Band of the Irish Guards onboard for a very special performance, which you can watch in full below. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=411855098091223 Credit: Band of the Irish Guards © UK MOD Crown Copyright 2024

Ron Yardley | HMS Belfast | IWM

What was it like to serve on board HMS Belfast at Christmas? Ron ‘Norman’ Yardley was a wireless telegraphist on the ship during the Korean War. He was just 18 years old in 1950 and serving far from home that Christmas. In this video Ron remembers how his parents sent a traditional treat to him. Learn more about Christmas onboard HMS Belfast: https://bit.ly/3PEMzE6