HMS Belfast ( C35 ) HMS " Belfast " is a museum ship , originally a Royal Navy light cruiser , permanently moored in London on the River Thames and operated by the Imperial War Museum . Construction of " Belfast " , the first Royal Navy ship to be named after the capital city of Northern Ireland . and one of ten Town - class cruisers , began in December 1936 . She was launched on St Patrick ' s Day , 17 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 " Belfast " struck a German mine and spent more than two years undergoing extensive repairs . Returning to action in November 1942 with improved firepower , radar equipment and armour , " Belfast " was the largest and arguably most powerful cruiser in the Royal Navy at the time . " Belfast " saw action escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union during 1943 , and in December 1943 played an important role in the Battle of North Cape , assisting in the destruction of the German warship . In June 1944 " Belfast " took part in Operation Overlord supporting the Normandy landings . In June 1945 " Belfast " was redeployed to the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet , arriving shortly before the end of the Second World War . " Belfast " saw further combat action in 1950 – 52 during the Korean War and underwent an extensive modernisation between 1956 and 1959 . A number of further overseas commissions followed before " Belfast " entered reserve in 1963 . In 1967 , efforts were initiated to avert " Belfast " expected scrapping and preserve her as a museum ship . A joint committee of the Imperial War Museum , the National Maritime Museum and the Ministry of Defence was established , and reported in June 1968 that preservation was practical . In 1971 the government decided against preservation , prompting the formation of the private HMS " Belfast " Trust to campaign for her preservation . The efforts of the Trust were successful , and the government transferred the ship to the Trust in July 1971 . Brought to London , she was moored on the River Thames near Tower Bridge in the Pool of London . Opened to the public in October 1971 , " Belfast " became a branch of the Imperial War Museum in 1978 . A popular tourist attraction , " Belfast " receives around a quarter of a million visitors per year . As a branch of a national museum and part of the National Historic Fleet , Core Collection , " Belfast " is supported by the Department for Culture , Media and Sport , by admissions income , and by the museum ' s commercial activities . The ship was closed to visitors following an accident in November 2011 , and re - opened on 18 May 2012 . Design . " Belfast " is a cruiser of the second Town class . The Town class had originated in 1933 as the Admiralty ' s response to the Imperial Japanese Navy ' s , an 11 , 200 - ton cruiser mounting fifteen 6 - inch guns with a top speed exceeding 35 knots . The Admiralty ' s requirement called for a 9 , 000 ton cruiser , sufficiently armoured to withstand a direct hit from an 8 - inch shell , capable of 32 knots and mounting twelve 6 - inch guns . Seaplanes carried aboard would enable shipping lanes to be patrolled over a wide area , and the class was also to be capable of its own anti - aircraft defence . Under the Director of Naval Construction the new design evolved during 1933 . The lead ship of the new class , the 9 , 100 - ton , and her sister , were ordered under the 1933 estimates . Three more cruisers were built to this design , with a further three ships built to a slightly larger 9 , 400 - ton design in 1935 – 36 . By 1935 , however , the Admiralty was keen to improve the firepower of these cruisers to match the firepower of the Japanese " Mogami " - and American s ; both were armed with fifteen 6 - inch guns . The Admiralty rejected a design featuring five triple turrets as impractical , while an alternative design fitting four quadruple turrets was rejected as an effective quadruple turret could not be developed . In May 1936 the Admiralty decided to fit triple turrets , whose improved design would permit an increase in deck armour . This modified design became the 10 , 000 - ton Edinburgh subclass , named after " Belfast " s sister ship . " Belfast " was ordered from Harland and Wolff on 21 September 1936 , and her keel laid on 10 December 1936 . Her expected cost was £2 , 141 , 514 ; of which the guns cost £75 , 000 and the aircraft ( two Supermarine Walrus es ) £66 , 500 . She was launched on Saint Patrick ' s Day , 17 March 1938 , by Anne Chamberlain , the wife of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain . The launch was filmed by Pathe News . From March to August 1939 " Belfast " was fitted out and underwent sea trials . When completed , " Belfast " had an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . Her standard displacement during her sea trials was . She was propelled by four three - drum oil - fired Admiralty water - tube boilers , turning Parsons geared steam turbines , driving four propeller shafts . She was capable of and carried of fuel oil . This gave her a maximum range of at . " Belfast " ' s main armament comprised twelve Mk XXIII six - inch guns in four triple turrets . With a rate of fire of up to eight rounds per gun per minute , her main battery was capable of a maximum rate of fire of 96 rounds per minute . Her secondary armament comprised twelve 4 - inch guns in six twin mounts . Her initial close - range anti - aircraft armament was sixteen 2 - pounder " pom - pom " guns in two eight - barrel mountings , and two quadruple Vickers . 50 machine gun s . She also mounted six Mk IV 21 - inch torpedo tubes in two triple mounts , and fifteen Mk VII depth charge s . " Belfast " was protected by a main armour belt , with deck armour of over her magazines , and over her machinery spaces . Her six - inch turrets were protected by up to of armour . " Belfast " s aviation capability was provided by two catapult - launched Supermarine Walrus amphibious biplanes . These could be launched from a D1H catapult mounted aft of the forward superstructure , and recovered from the water by two cranes mounted on either side of the forward funnel . The aircraft , operated by the Fleet Air Arm ' s HMS " Belfast " Flight of 700 Naval Air Squadron , were stowed in two hangars in the forward superstructure . Second World War . 1939 – 1942 : Commissioning , prize capture , mining , and repairs . " Belfast " sailed for Portsmouth on 3 August 1939 , and was commissioned on 5 August 1939 , less than a month before the outbreak of the Second World War . Her first captain was Captain G A Scott with a crew of 761 , and her first assignment was to the Home Fleet ' s 2nd Cruiser Squadron . On 14 August " Belfast " took part in her first exercise , Operation " Hipper " , in which she played the role of a German commerce raider attempting to escape into the Atlantic . By navigating the hazardous Pentland Firth , " Belfast " successfully evaded the Home Fleet . On 31 August 1939 " Belfast " was transferred to the 18th Cruiser Squadron . Germany invaded Poland the following day , and Britain and France declared war on 3 September . Based at Scapa Flow in the Orkney islands , 18th Cruiser Squadron was part of the British effort to impose a naval blockade on Germany . On 1 October 1939 " Belfast " left Scapa Flow for a patrol in the North Sea , and on 9 October intercepted a German liner , the 13 , 615 - ton " Cap Norte " , north - west of the Faroe Islands . Disguised as a neutral Swedish vessel , the SS " Ancona " , " Cap Norte " was attempting to return to Germany from Brazil ; her passengers included German reservists . Two other vessels were captured that day , and all were steamed back to Scapa by prize crews from " Belfast " . Under the Admiralty ' s prize rules , " Belfast " ' s crew later received prize money . On 10 November " Belfast " was taken off the northern patrol and reassigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron . This squadron was to form an independent striking force based at Rosyth . On 21 November , " Belfast " was to take part in the force ' s first sortie , a gunnery exercise . At 10 : 58 am she struck a magnetic mine while leaving the Firth of Forth . The mine broke " Belfast " s keel , wrecked one of her engine and boiler rooms and injured twenty - one of her crew . The tugboat " Krooman " , towing gunnery targets for the exercise , released her targets and instead towed " Belfast " to Rosyth for initial repairs . Initial assessments of " Belfast " s damage showed that , while the mine had done little direct damage to the outer hull , causing only a small hole directly below one of the boiler rooms , the shock of the explosion had caused severe warping , breaking machinery , deforming the decks and causing the keel to hog ( bend upwards ) by three inches . On 4 January 1940 " Belfast " was decommissioned to Care and Maintenance status , becoming the responsibility of Rosyth Dockyard , and her crew dispersed to other vessels . By 28 June she had been repaired sufficiently to sail to Devonport , arriving on 30 June . During her repairs , work was carried out to straighten , reconstruct and strengthen her hull . Her armoured belt was also extended and thickened . Her armament was updated with newer 2 - pounder " pom - pom " mountings , and her anti - aircraft armament improved with eighteen 20 mm Oerlikon guns in five twin and eight single mountings , replacing two quadruple 0 . 5 - inch Vickers guns . " Belfast " also received new fire control radar s for her main , secondary and anti - aircraft guns . Her November 1942 radar fit included one Type 284 set and four Type 283 sets to direct the main armament , three Type 285 sets for the secondary guns , and two Type 285 sets for the 2 - pounder anti - aircraft guns . She also received a Type 273 general surface warning radar , Type 251 and 252 sets for identification friend or foe ( IFF ) purposes , and a Type 281 and Type 242 for air warning . Her 1942 electronics suite also included a Type 270 echosounder . Due to her increased topweight , a bulge was introduced into her hull amidships to improve stability and provide extra longitudinal strength . Her beam had increased to and her draught to forward and aft . Her displacement had risen to 11 , 550 tons , making her the largest and arguably most powerful cruiser in the Royal Navy . 1942 – 1943 : Recommissioning , Arctic convoys and Battle of North Cape . " Belfast " was recommissioned at Devonport on 3 November 1942 , under the command of Captain Frederick Parham . On her return to the Home Fleet " Belfast " was made flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron , flying the flag of Rear - Admiral Robert Burnett , who had previously commanded the Home Fleet ' s destroyer flotillas . The squadron was responsible for the hazardous task of escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union , operating from Scapa Flow and bases in Iceland . Her radar suite reduced " Belfast " need for aerial surveillance , and her aircraft were disembarked in June 1943 . " Belfast " spent 1943 engaged on convoy escort and blockade patrol duties , and on 5 – 6 October formed part of the covering force during Operation Leader , an airstrike against German shipping in northern Norway near Bodø by the aircraft carrier USS " Ranger " . On 26 December 1943 , " Belfast " participated in the Battle of North Cape . This battle involved two strong Royal Navy formations ; the first , Force One , comprised the cruisers , and " Belfast " ( the 10th Cruiser Squadron ) with three destroyers , and the second , Force Two , comprised the battleship and the cruiser with four destroyers . On 25 December 1943 , Christmas Day , the German Navy ' s left port in northern Norway to attack Convoy JW55B , which was bound for Russia . The next day Force One encountered " Scharnhorst " , prevented her from attacking the convoy , and forced her to turn for home after being damaged by the British cruisers . As " Scharnhorst " did so , she was intercepted by Force Two and sunk by the combined formations . " Belfast " played an important role in the battle ; as flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron she was among the first to encounter " Scharnhorst " , and coordinated the squadron ' s defence of the convoy . After " Scharnhorst " turned away from the convoy , Admiral Burnett in " Belfast " shadowed her by radar from outside visual range , enabling her interception by " Duke of York " . 1944 : " Tirpitz " and D - Day . After North Cape , " Belfast " refuelled at Kola Inlet before sailing for the United Kingdom , arriving at Scapa to replenish her fuel , ammunition and stores on New Year ' s Day 1944 . " Belfast " sailed to Rosyth on 10 January , where her crew received a period of leave . February 1944 saw " Belfast " resume her Arctic convoy duties , and on 30 March 1944 " Belfast " sailed with the covering force of Operation Tungsten , a large carrier - launched Fleet Air Arm airstrike against the German battleship . Moored in Altafjord in northern Norway , " Tirpitz " was the German Navy ' s last surviving capital ship . Forty two Fairey Barracuda dive - bombers from and made up the strike force , escorted by eighty fighters . Launched on 3 April , the bombers scored fourteen hits , immobilising " Tirpitz " for two months , with one Barracuda shot down . " Belfast " underwent minor repairs at Rosyth from 23 April to 8 May , while her crew received a period of leave . On 8 May " Belfast " returned to Scapa and carried the King during his pre - invasion visit to the Home Fleet . For the invasion of Normandy " Belfast " was made headquarters ship of Bombardment Force E flying the flag of Rear - Admiral Frederick Dalrymple - Hamilton , and was to support landings by British and Canadian forces in the Gold and Juno Beach sectors . On 2 June " Belfast " left the River Clyde for her bombardment areas . That morning Prime Minister Winston Churchill had announced his intention to go to sea with the fleet and witness the invasion from HMS " Belfast " . This was opposed by the Supreme Allied Commander , General Dwight D . Eisenhower , and the First Sea Lord , Sir Andrew Cunningham . An intervention by the King eventually prevented Churchill from going . The invasion was to begin on 5 June but bad weather forced a 24 - hour delay . At 5 : 30 am on 6 June " Belfast " opened fire on a German artillery battery at Ver - sur - Mer , suppressing the guns until the site was overrun by British infantry of 7th Battalion , Green Howards . On 12 June " Belfast " supported Canadian troops moving inland from Juno Beach and returned to Portsmouth on 16 June to replenish her ammunition . She returned two days later for further bombardments . On the night of 6 July " Belfast " was threatened at anchor by German motor torpedo boat s ( " E - boat s " ) . She evaded them by weighing anchor and moving to the concealment of a smoke screen . " Belfast " fired her last round in anger in European waters on 8 July , in company with the monitor and the battleship , as part of Operation Charnwood . On 10 July she sailed for Scapa , the fighting in France having moved beyond the range of her guns . During her five weeks off Normandy " Belfast " had fired 1 , 996 rounds from her six - inch guns . 1945 : Service in the Far East . On 29 July 1944 Captain Parham handed over command of HMS " Belfast " to Captain R M Dick , and until April 1945 " Belfast " underwent a refit to prepare for service against Japan in the Far East which improved her accommodation for tropical conditions , and updated her anti - aircraft armament and fire control in order to counter expected kamikaze attacks by Japanese aircraft . By May 1945 " Belfast " mounted thirty - six 2 - pounder guns in two eight - gun mounts , four quadruple mounts , and four single mounts . She also mounted fourteen 20mm Oerlikons . Her two aftmost 4 - inch mountings were removed , and the remainder fitted with Remote Power Control . Her empty hangars were converted to crew accommodation , and her aircraft catapult removed . Her radar fit now included a Type 277 radar set to replace her Type 273 for surface warning . Her Type 281 air warning set was replaced by a single - antenna Type 281B set , while a Type 293Q was fitted for close - range height - finding and surface warning . A Type 274 set was fitted for main armament fire direction . On 17 June 1945 , with the war in Europe at an end , " Belfast " sailed for the Far East via Gibraltar , Malta , Alexandria , Port Said , Aden , Colombo and Sydney . By the time she arrived in Sydney on 7 August " Belfast " had been made flagship of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the British Pacific Fleet . While in Sydney " Belfast " underwent another short refit , supplementing her close - range armament with five 40mm Bofors guns . " Belfast " had been expected to join in Operation Downfall , but this was forestalled by the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945 . Post - war service 1945 – 50 . With the end of the war , " Belfast " remained in the Far East , conducting a number of cruises to ports in Japan , China and Malaya and sailing for Portsmouth on 20 August 1947 . There she paid off into reserve , and underwent a refit during which her turbines were opened for maintenance . She also received two more single Bofors guns , in place of two of her single 2 - pounder mountings . She was recommissioned on 22 September 1948 and before returning to the Far East visited her home city of Belfast arriving on 20 October . The following day , 21 October 1948 , the ship ' s company marked Trafalgar Day with a march through the city . The next day " Belfast " took charge of a silver ship ' s bell , a gift of the people of Belfast . She sailed for Hong Kong on 23 October to join the Royal Navy ' s Far East Station , arriving in late December . By 1949 , the political situation in China was precarious , with the Chinese Civil War moving towards its conclusion . As flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron , " Belfast " was the Far Eastern Station ' s headquarters ship during the April 1949 " Amethyst " Incident , in which a British sloop , was trapped in the Yangtze River by the communist People ' s Liberation Army . " Belfast " remained in Hong Kong during 1949 , sailing for Singapore on 18 January 1950 . There she underwent a minor refit between January and March 1950 and in June she joined the Far East Fleet ' s summer cruise . On 25 June 1950 , while " Belfast " was visiting Hakodate in Japan , North Korean forces crossed the 38th Parallel , starting the Korean War . > Korean War 1950 – 52 . With the outbreak of the Korean War , " Belfast " became part of the United Nations naval forces . Originally part of the US Navy ' s Task Force 77 , " Belfast " was detached in order to operate independently on 5 July 1950 . During July and early August " Belfast " undertook coastal patrols and was based at Sasebo in Japan ' s Nagasaki Prefecture . From 19 July " Belfast " supported troops fighting around Yongdok , accompanied by the . That day " Belfast " fired an accurate 350 - round bombardment from her 6 - inch guns , and was praised by an American admiral as a " straight - shooting ship " . On 6 August she sailed for the UK to pay off and recommission , and arrived back at Sasebo on 31 January 1951 . During 1951 " Belfast " mounted a number of coastal patrols and bombarded a variety of targets . On 1 June she arrived at Singapore for refitting , arriving back on patrol on 31 August . In September 1951 " Belfast " provided anti - aircraft cover for a salvage operation to recover a crashed enemy MiG - 15 jet fighter . She conducted further bombardments and patrols before receiving a month ' s leave from operations , returning to action on 23 December . In 1952 " Belfast " continued her coastal patrol duties . On 29 July 1952 " Belfast " was hit by enemy fire while engaging an artillery battery on Wolsa - ri island . A 75 mm shell struck a forward compartment , killing a British sailor of Chinese origin in his hammock and wounding four other Chinese ratings . This was the only time " Belfast " was hit by enemy fire during her Korean service . On 27 September 1952 " Belfast " was relieved by two other Town - class cruisers , and . She had steamed over in the combat zone and fired more than 8 , 000 rounds from her 6 - inch guns during the Korean War . She paid off in Chatham on 4 November 1952 and entered reserve at Devonport on 1 December . Modernisation and final commissions 1955 – 1963 . In reserve , " Belfast " s future was uncertain : post - war defence cuts made manpower - intensive cruisers excessively costly to operate , and it was not until March 1955 that the decision was taken to modernise " Belfast " . Work began on 6 January 1956 . Changes included replacing her 4 - inch guns with more modern weapons , and protecting key parts of the ship against nuclear , biological or chemical attack . This last consideration meant enclosing her bridge , creating a two - tiered , five - sided superstructure which radically altered her appearance . Her crew accommodation was also improved , her tripod masts replaced with lattice masts , and timber decking replaced with steel everywhere except the quarterdeck . " Belfast " recommissioned at Devonport on 12 May 1959 . Her close - range armament was standardised to six twin Bofors gun , and her close - range fire direction similarly standardised to eight close - range blind fire directors fitted with Type 262 radar . Her 1959 radar fit also included Type 274 , retained for main armament direction , Type 277Q and 293Q for height - finding and surface warning , Type 960M for air warning , and 974 for surface warning . In order to save weight , her torpedo armament was removed . " Belfast " arrived in Singapore on 16 December 1959 , and spent most of 1960 at sea on exercise , calling at ports in Hong Kong , Borneo , India , Ceylon ( now Sri Lanka ) , Australia , the Philippines and Japan . On 31 January 1961 " Belfast " recommissioned , under the command of Captain Morgan Morgan - Giles . On her final foreign commission " Belfast " joined a number of exercises in the Far East , and in December 1961 she provided the British guard of honour at Tanganyika ' s independence ceremony in Dar - es - Salaam . The ship left Singapore on 26 March 1962 for the UK , sailing east via Guam and Pearl Harbor , San Francisco , Seattle , British Columbia , Panama and Trinidad . She arrived at Portsmouth on 19 June 1962 . Recommissioned in July , she made a final visit to Belfast from 23 – 29 November , before paying off into reserve on 25 February 1963 . In July 1963 " Belfast " was recommissioned for the last time , with a crew of the Royal Naval Reserve ( RNR ) and a number of Sea Cadets flying the flag of the Admiral Commanding Reserves , Rear Admiral Hugh Martell . " Belfast " sailed for Gibraltar in company with sixteen RNR minesweepers for a two - week exercise in the Mediterranean on 10 August . Martell ' s obituarist considered this commission a well - judged contrivance which ' did much to restore the confidence and image of the new RNR ' which had undergone an acrimonious amalgamation with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1958 . Reserve , decommissioning , and preservation efforts 1963 – 1971 . " Belfast " returned to Devonport on 24 August 1963 and paid off into reserve . From May 1966 to 1970 she was an accommodation ship , moored in Fareham Creek , for the Reserve Division at Portsmouth . While HMS " Belfast " lay at Fareham Creek the Imperial War Museum , Britain ' s national museum of twentieth century conflict , became interested in preserving a 6 - inch turret . The turret would represent a number of classes of cruiser ( then disappearing from service ) and would complement the museum ' s pair of British 15 - inch naval guns . On 14 April 1967 museum staff visited , a also moored in Fareham Creek at the time . Following the visit the possibility was raised of preserving an entire ship . " Gambia " had already severely deteriorated , so attention turned to the possibility of saving " Belfast " . A joint committee was established by the Imperial War Museum , the National Maritime Museum and the Ministry of Defence , which reported in June 1968 that the scheme was practical and economic . However , in early 1971 the government ' s Paymaster General decided against preservation . On 4 May 1971 " Belfast " was ' reduced to disposal ' to await scrapping . HMS " Belfast " Trust 1971 – 1977 . Following the government ' s refusal , a private trust was formed to campaign for the ship ' s preservation . The HMS " Belfast " Trust was established ; its chairman was Rear - Admiral Sir Morgan Morgan - Giles , captain of " Belfast " from January 1961 to July 1962 . As Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Winchester , Morgan - Giles addressed the House of Commons on 8 March 1971 . He described " Belfast " as being in " a really wonderful state of preservation " and that saving her for the nation represented a " case of grasping the last opportunity " . Among the MPs who spoke in support of Morgan - Giles was Gordon Bagier , MP for Sunderland South , who served as a Royal Marine gunner aboard " Belfast " and was present at both the sinking of the " Scharnhorst " and the Normandy landings . Speaking for the government , the Under - secretary for the Navy , Peter Michael Kirk , said that " Belfast " was " one of the most historic ships which the Navy has had in the last 20 years " , but that he could not prevent the stripping of the ship ' s removable equipment , as this was already too far advanced to be halted . He did , however , agree to postpone any decision on " Belfast " ' s scrapping to allow the Trust to put together a formal proposal . Following the Trust ' s efforts , the government agreed to hand over " Belfast " to the Trustees in July 1971 , with Vice Admiral Sir Donald Gibson as her first director . At a press conference in August the Trust announced " Operation Seahorse " , the plan to bring " Belfast " to London . She was towed from Portsmouth to London via Tilbury , where she was fitted out as a museum . She was opened to the public on Trafalgar Day , 21 October 1971 . The date was significant , as " Belfast " was the first naval vessel to be saved for the nation since , Lord Nelson ' s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar . Though no longer part of the Royal Navy , HMS " Belfast " was granted a special dispensation to allow her to continue to fly the White Ensign . Now a museum , the ship ' s opening was well received : in 1972 the HMS " Belfast " Trust won the British Tourist Authority ' s " Come to Britain " trophy . Support for the ship ' s restoration was received from individuals , from the Royal Navy , and from commercial businesses ; in 1973 , for example , the Worshipful Company of Bakers provided dummy bread for display in the ship ' s NAAFI and bakery . By 1974 areas including the Admiral ' s bridge and forward boiler and engine rooms had been restored and fitted out . That year also saw the refurbishment of the ship ' s Operations Room by a team from , and the return of " Belfast " s six twin Bofors mounts , along with their fire directors . By December 1975 " Belfast " had received 1 , 500 , 000 visitors . In 1976 " Belfast " was reaffiliated with the successors to the British Army ' s Royal Ulster Rifles , the Royal Irish Rangers , and in the same year the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society restored the ship ' s Bridge Wireless Office to working order . Imperial War Museum 1978 – present . By 1977 the financial position of the HMS " Belfast " Trust had become marginal , and the Imperial War Museum sought permission to merge the Trust into the museum . On 19 January 1978 the Secretary of State for Education and Science , Shirley Williams , accepted the proposal stating that HMS " Belfast " " is a unique demonstration of an important phase of our history and technology " . The ship was transferred to the museum on 1 March 1978 , and became the Imperial War Museum ' s third branch , Duxford aerodrome having been acquired in 1976 . In October 1998 , the HMS " Belfast " Association was formed to reunite former members of the ship ’ s company . The Imperial War Museum ' s Sound Archive also seeks to record oral history interviews with former crewmen . Preservation . Since being brought to London " Belfast " has twice been drydocked as part of the ship ’ s long - term preservation . In 1982 she was docked at Tilbury , and in June 1999 " Belfast " was towed to Portsmouth . This was the first time she had been to sea in 28 years and required a Certificate of Seaworthiness from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency . While in dock , her entire hull was cleaned , blasted , and repainted , her hull blanking plates inspected and an ultrasonic survey carried out . She is not expected to require further drydocking until 2020 . While under tow to Portsmouth she was delayed by bad weather and arrived a day late : it had been intended that she would arrive on 6 June 1999 , the fifty - fifth anniversary of the Normandy landings . Following the maintenance work , " Belfast " was repainted in a camouflage scheme officially known as " Admiralty Disruptive Camouflage Type 25 " , which she had worn from November 1942 to July 1944 . This was objected to by some , due to the anachronistic conflict between her camouflage , which reflects the majority of her active Second World War service , and her present configuration , which was the result of the ship ' s extended refit from January 1956 to May 1959 . With the establishment of the Department for Culture , Media and Sport ' s ( DCMS ) Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships in 2006 , " Belfast " was listed as part of the National Historic Fleet , Core Collection . On 9 May 2010 a ceremony was held aboard " Belfast " to mark the 65th anniversary of end of the war in Europe . Veterans of the Arctic convoys were in attendance to receive medals from the Russian Ambassador Yuri Fedotov . During the ceremony it was announced that , as part of the restoration of the ship , two new masts had been manufactured at the Severnaya Verf shipyard near Saint Petersburg . The production of the masts , to replace corroded originals , had been supported by a number of Russian businesses at a reported cost of £500 , 000 . The restoration of the masts involved removing the fittings from both masts , allowing them to be individually restored . The old masts were then cut down in sections , the new masts erected , and the original fittings replaced . On 19 October 2010 , the new masts were dedicated at a ceremony attended by HMS " Belfast " veterans , by Prince Philip and officials from the Russian embassy and government . Interpretation . When " Belfast " was first opened to the public , visitors were limited to the upper decks and forward superstructure . As of 2011 , nine decks are open to the public . Access to the ship is via a walkway which connects the quarterdeck with the pedestrianised footpath on the south bank of the River Thames . The Imperial War Museum ' s guidebook to HMS " Belfast " divides the ship into three broad sections . The first of these , ' Life on board the ship ' , focuses on the experience of serving at sea . Restored compartments , some populated with dressed figures , illustrate the crew ' s living conditions and the ship ' s various facilities such as the sick bay , galley , laundry , chapel , mess decks and NAAFI . Since 2002 school and youth groups have been able to stay onboard " Belfast " overnight , sleeping in bunks on a restored 1950s mess deck . The second section , ' The inner workings ' , below the waterline and protected by the ship ' s armoured belt , contains core mechanical , electrical and communication systems . As well as the engine and boiler rooms , other compartments include the transmitting station ( housing the ship ' s Admiralty Fire Control Table , a mechanical computer ) , the forward steering position and one of " Belfast " s six - inch shell rooms and magazines . The third section , ' Action stations ' , includes the upper deck and forward superstructure with the ship ' s armament , fire control , and command facilities . Areas open to the public include the operations room , Admiral ' s bridge and gun direction platform . During 2011 two of these areas were reinterpreted . The operations room was restored to its appearance during Exercise Pony Express , a large British - Australian - American joint exercise held off North Borneo in 1961 . The reinterpretation included an interactive audio - visual plotting table . In July 2011 the interior of Y Turret , the aftmost 6 - inch turret , was redisplayed using audio - visual and atmospheric effects , seeking to evoke the experience of a gunner at the Battle of North Cape . To emphasise the range of the ship ' s armament , the forward six - inch guns of A and B Turrets are aimed at the London Gateway service area on the M1 motorway , some 12½ miles away on the outskirts of London . A 4 - inch gun mount and a shell hoist are kept in working order and used during blank - firing demonstrations by the Wavy Navy re - enactment group . In addition to the various areas of the ship open to visitors , some compartments have been fitted out as dedicated exhibition space . Permanent exhibitions include ' HMS " Belfast " in War and Peace ' and ' Life at Sea ' . The cost of admission to HMS " Belfast " includes a multilingual audio guide . HMS " Belfast " is also the headquarters of the City of London Sea Cadet Corps , and her prestigious central London location means she frequently has other vessels berth alongside ; in October 2007 " Belfast " hosted the naming ceremony of the lighthouse tender with the Queen and Prince Philip in attendance . 2011 accident . On 29 November 2011 two workmen suffered minor injuries after a section of gangway , connected to the ship , collapsed during renovation works . The ship was closed to visitors following the accident . An investigation later established that the collapse of the gangway had been caused by a subcontractor cutting through the gangway ' s structure during refurbishment work . " Belfast " re - opened on 18 May 2012 . The closure delayed the construction of a new two - storey bankside pavilion to replace " Belfast " s existing retail and admissions building . The structure , for which planning permission was received in October 2011 , provides a ground floor café , shop and admissions area , and a rooftop bar . Previously expected to be complete in summer 2012 , the structure opened in April 2013 .