A familiar sight on the Thames at London Bridge, HMS Belfast is Royal
Navy light cruiser, one of a group of ten Town-class cruisers, built in
Belfast and launched in March 1938. Commissioned in early August 1939
shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, Belfast was
initially part of the British naval blockade against Germany. In
November 1939 she struck a German mine requiring repairs that lasted two
years.
She returned to action in November 1942 with improved firepower, radar
equipment, and armor, and saw action escorting Arctic convoys to the
Soviet Union and played an important role in the Battle of North Cape,
assisting in the destruction of the German warship Scharnhorst. In June
1944 Belfast supported the Normandy landings in Operation Overlord and
in 1945 she was redeployed to the Far East to join the British Pacific
Fleet.
After the war she saw action in the Korean War and a number of other
overseas actions before entering reserve in 1963. She has been part of
the Imperial War Museum since 1978, receiving more than 250,000 visitors
annually.
This little book comprises a series of documents that give information
on the building of the ship, her wartime service history, and life on
board.
