HMS "BELFAST" C35 - BRITISH ROYAL NAVY LIGHT CRUISER 1942

Description

HMS Belfast was commissioned into the British Royal Navy on 5th August 1939 but no sooner than she’d entered service she sustained serious damage that would see her out of military service for nearly three years. On 21st November 1939 when HMS Belfast struck a mine and broke her back. In a testament to the strength of her construction and the excellent workmanship of the Harland and Wolff shipbuilders she returned to service in November 1942. The HMS Belfast went on to serve the British Royal Navy with distinction. On 26th December 1943, along with the cruisers Norfolk and Sheffield, the HMS Belfast assisted the Duke of York to encounter, engage and sink the German battle-cruiser Scharnhorst. Later on in the war, immediately prior to the D-day landings on 6th June 1944 the HMS Belfast was engaged in bombarding enemy coastal positions to assist the allied landings on the beaches of Normandy in northern France. After the end of hostilities in 1945 the HMS Belfast served in the Far East and then refitted in 1948 before returning to the Far East, later in 1951 and 1952 the HMS Belfast actively served in the Korean War before retiring from active service to perform ceremonial duties, representing Britain and the Commonwealth. On 24th August 1963, after having steamed half a million miles HMS Belfast was decommissioned and saved for the nation. On 14th October 1971 HMS Belfast arrived and anchored on the River Thames in London. She now resides opposite the Tower of London, an outpost of the Imperial War Museum. (Scale : 1/350e)