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Overlooked London: The HMS Belfast

by Sean McLachlan (RSS feed) on Apr 30th 2012 at 4:00PM

The United Kingdom used to have the largest navy in the world and it still packs a major punch today. One ship from the glory days is the HMS Belfast, docked on London's South Bank near London Bridge. This World War Two light cruiser also saw service in Korea and is now open to the public under the auspices of the Imperial War Museum, one of the best war museums anywhere.

Clambering up and down the nine decks and into turrets and engine rooms is lots of fun, and the video displays and signs tell you all about the history of the ship and life on board. One interactive display, the Gun Turret Experience, puts you in the middle of a WWII battle. In the Operations Room you can control an entire fleet at sea.

If you go in the winter, visit in the afternoon and catch the early sunset over the Thames, its bridges, and both its busy banks. Watching nightfall from the prow of this historic ship is a memorable experience.

The HMS Belfast is undergoing remodeling and will be even better when it reopens on May 18.

Check out more London attractions most tourists miss in our Overlooked London series!

Top photo, courtesy Steve Parker, shows the HMS Belfast as it appears today. The bottom photo, courtesy the Imperial War Museum, shows the ship bombarding the coast of Normandy in support of the D-Day invasion.

Filed under: History, Learning, Europe, United Kingdom

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sean May 1st 2012 11:24AM

While your comment about the HMS Belfast being near London Bridge is technically true, the bridge in the background is actually Tower Bridge. HMS Belfast currently sits between the two bridges.

Sean McLachlan May 1st 2012 4:06PM

Quite right. I didn't think that having Tower Bridge in the background of that photo would cause confusion, but it might. In fact, some visitors to London assume Tower Bridge is actually London Bridge since it's the nicer of the two!

HLH May 4th 2012 8:29AM

Thanks, Sean. I'm headed to London in July (be in and out before the Olympics, thank goodness). Will do my best to see her (the ship).

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