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HMS Belfast is a Town-class cruiser of the Royal Navy, on permanent display on the river Thames in London, England.
Commissioned in August 1939, HMS Belfast was the newest warship to enter service with the Royal Navy at the outbreak of World War II. Belfast displaced 10,000 tons upon entering service but was later updated to 11,500 tons. Mounting (12) 6" main guns and (8) 4" guns Belfast could lay down an enormous amount of fire very quickly. With (4) steam turbines, generating 80,000 shaft horsepower, she could reach a flank speed of 32 knots. Belfast fought in several key Allied battles that made her legendary.
HMS Belfast entered service one month prior to World War II, but quickly began her career with an unlucky beginning. She struck a German magnetic mine and was seriously damaged. This damage eventually forced Belfast to a 3 year repair and refit layover. When re-entering service in 1943 she was equipped with the latest radar and hull strengthened with an additional 1,500 tons of armor plating.
Belfast's first major action was the Royal Navy's attempts at luring the Kreigsmarine's "battlecruiser" Scharnhorst out into the North Cape, Norway area and sink her. HMS Belfast along with cruisers HMS Sheffield and HMS Norfolk, lured the Scharnhorst northward, while the battleship HMS Duke of York lay south in an ambush. In what history calls the "Battle of the North Cape" Scharnhorst sank with great loss of life. The cruiser diversion force was responsible for crippling Scharnhorst's radar.
Belfast's next major action was as a screening ship for "Operation Tungsten," in April 1944. Tirpitz was several weeks into sea trails after sustaining damage from British X-craft attacks in September 1943. "Operation Tungsten" was designed to attack Tirpitz with seaborne aircraft and possibly sink, or most likely, cause serious damage to Tirpitz. The attacks struck Tirpitz with 5 bombs. Two 1,600 lbs bombs struck Tirpitz but failed to detonate. In 2 minutes, aircraft carrier HMS Victorious' air strikes had reversed the previous 6 months of repairs by the X-craft.
HMS Belfast took part in the D-Day landings and Juno Beach on June 6th, 1944. She was flagship for Bombardment Force E. During the next 5 weeks Belfast supported the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on the beach and then inland. Belfast fired her last salvo at the conclusion of "Operation Charwood" partial liberation of Caen. During these operations she fired thousands of rounds.
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