Difference between revisions of "HMS Belfast"

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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
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<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot; if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
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<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
 
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].
 
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} British light cruiser {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].
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The Belfast is a modified Southampton-class (more popularly known as the Town-class) light cruiser, and is a sister-ship of the [[HMS Southampton|Southampton]] and [[HMS Liverpool|Liverpool]]. She is depicted in her post-war reconstruction form, as the ship appears in the present day, moored on the River Thames as a museum ship. As such, she does not have the torpedo armament originally fitted to all Southampton-class cruisers, but has much improved anti-aircraft armament and a distinctive modified bridge and lattice masts.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
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=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
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''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.''
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<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' -->
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The Belfast's basic armour protection is almost identical to that of her sister ships. She has a 114.5 mm belt protecting her engine citadel, 63.5 mm on the bow and stern ends, and 36.5 mm on the deck. Belfast's machinery space is thus fairly well-protected against destroyers and most light cruisers when angled. The magazine protection is also identical, which serves to prevent magazine detonations from other cruisers' AP shells. However, that the Belfast has to expose a lot of her broadside in order to unmask the rear turrets, essentially negating the Belfast's belt armour if all main guns are to be used.
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Like her sister ships, the Belfast's main gun turrets are also decently armoured, with 102 mm of armour at the front and 50.8 mm elsewhere. This mostly protects them against light cruiser HE shells and weaker AP shells from the front. However, she retains the same weakpoint shared by almost all British cruisers: the open bridge. This has some 12 mm protection around parts, but is still essentially unarmoured and very vulnerable to nearby explosions and any sizeable shell hits.
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The Belfast has a respectably sized crew complement at 956 men. However, the crew compartments are almost entirely located near the deck, which means the ship will lose a lot of crew when a sizeable HE shell hits them and from any subsequent fires. The close proximity of the crew compartments and the shell rooms can also help the fire to spread to them, possibly causing ammunition detonations.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
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The HMS Belfast has 80,000 shaft horsepower on its screws. This power is provided by four Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers. The four propellers are driven by four Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines. This gives the Belfast a maximum forward speed of 32 knots (60 km/h) in RB, and 38 knots (70 km/h) in AB. Her acceleration and manoeuvrability are quite good and she answers the helm fairly quickly for a cruiser.
  
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The HMS Belfast has 80,000 shaft horsepower on its screws. This power is provided by four Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers. The four propellers are driven by four Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines. This gives the Belfast a maximum forward speed of 32 knots (59 km/h).
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{{NavalMobility}}
  
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
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{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}
 
{{main|6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)}}
  
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The HMS Belfast comes with 12 x Ordnance BL 6 inch (152 mm) Mk XXIII naval guns. These guns are housed in 4 turrets of 3 guns each. Two turrets face forwards and two are facing backwards. The guns have a rate of fire of 8 rounds per minute and fire three types of shells, one of which is the 6 inch CPBC SAPBC shell. This shell is an effective shell to fight other cruisers. Another one is an HE shell, use this shell to fight destroyers and small patrol boats. HE can really shred a destroyer apart in 3 salvos. The last shell is the timed HE shell which can be used to fight aircraft. However, this is not an effective method so taking this shell for the main armament is not recommended. Take around 600 shells of HE and 1,800 shells of SAP. You will never be out of ammo because the Belfast can carry around 2,200 shells. So another option is to take less shell's to minimize the chance to get ammo wrecked. 400 HE and 800 AP shells should be more than enough.
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The Belfast comes with twelve 6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII guns in four triple turrets. These turrets are housed in an A-B-X-Y layout, with two at each end, one superfiring over the other. This gives te Belfast a broadside of 12 guns, and a forward and rear salvo of 6. Each gun has a maximum rate of fire of 8 rounds/minute, for a maximum theoretical shell output of 96 rounds/minute with a fully upgraded crew.
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The Belfast has four shell choices: a basic HE shell with 3.96 kg of TNT equivalent, the SAPBC shell with a large filler (1.87 kg TNT equivalent) that can deal significant damage against cruisers within 7 km, but loses its effectiveness at longer ranges, and HE-TF and HE-VT shells for long-range anti-aircraft purposes (these have the same filler as the basic HE shell).
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It is important to note that the Belfast's X and Y turret have fairly poor turret traverse arcs, which means it is difficult to use her firepower to its fullest without exposing a lot of the ship to damage.
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==== Ammunition ====
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{{:6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)/Ammunition|6 inch HE, 6 inch CPBC, 6 inch HE-TF, 6 inch HE-VT}}
  
 
=== Secondary armament ===
 
=== Secondary armament ===
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{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}
 
{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}
  
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Belfast has 4 secondary turrets (2 at each side) containing two Ordnance QF 4 inch (102 mm) Mk XVI dual-purpose guns. They can fire 4 types of shells, an AP shell, HE shell, timed (fuzed) HE-shell and proximity (fused) HE-shell. Taking the AP shells is recommended (to fight destroyers and smaller patrol boats) as well as proximity HE-shells to fight arcraft. The ratio AP:proximity-HE should be around 40:60.
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The Belfast has eight 4 inch/45 Mark XVI cannons, mounted in four dual mounts behind her second funnel, two on each side of the ship. It mainly serves as a long-range anti-aircraft battery, and can be quite effective once the HE-VT shell is unlocked. An SAP shell is also available for use against surface targets.
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{{:4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)/Ammunition|4 inch HE, 4 inch SAP, 4 inch HE-TF, 4 inch HE-VT}}
  
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
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{{main|QF Mark V (40 mm)}}
 
{{main|QF Mark V (40 mm)}}
  
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When fighting aircraft in the Belfast, you have both the secondary Ordnance QF 4 inch Mk XVI turrets and also 40 mm QF Mark V guns in six dual-mounted turrets. There is no ammunition you can select between, you will only get the default HE belt, but don't dismay, this belt is very effective when shooting down planes.
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The Belfast carries a fairly potent anti-aircraft battery consisting of twelve QF Mark V Bofors guns in dual mounts. These guns have a greater effective range than the QF 2-pounder 'pom-pom' gun found on most British cruisers and are highly effective against aircraft thanks to their high sustained rate of fire. They can also be deadly to small coastal craft that get within range.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
  
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HMS Belfast is a very strong cruiser and gives you the ability to fight other cruisers very effectively. However, there are very dangerous cruisers which should be your main priority to kill. These cruisers are the [[USS Brooklyn (CL-40)]] and [[USS Helena (CL-50)]]. These cruisers can fire 15 shells each salvo and do significant damage to your ship. So when starting a match, make sure you try and disable or destroy these cruisers as soon as possible.
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The Belfast plays similarly to her sister-ships in the British naval tech tree, the Southampton and Liverpool. As a light cruiser, she relies on her fast rate of fire to overwhelm enemies, especially destroyers and slower-firing cruisers. The 6 inch CPBC round combines reasonably good penetration with a much larger filler than the AP rounds found on most contemporary light cruisers. It is highly effective against other light cruisers and larger destroyers, inflicting serious damage on internal components. At close ranges, it is even capable of penetrating heavy cruiser belt armour. With HE-VT shells on her secondary and main guns and the twelve Bofors 40 mm guns, the Belfast is also quite effective at providing anti-aircraft cover for allied ships.
  
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A typical cruiser game starts very slow. You and your teammates are spawning in the back and far away from the light fleet. As a cruiser, you need your light fleet because they can cap and win the game. As a cruiser, a lot of places on the map are not accessible. Your ship has a draught of 17 feet 3 inches (5.3 m) so you can't go anywhere you want. Your main goal is to achieve supremacy over the other team in terms of cruiser and destroyer power. Destroyers are very vulnerable against other cruisers so your main goal is to fight these cruisers. Destroyers should help the patrol boats with capping and getting an advantage. When destroying other cruisers, make sure your destroyer can fulfil this role. This also means that when the majority of the enemy cruisers are destroyed, you should be focusing on shooting down enemy destroyers. This increases the chance of the survivability of a small fleet to capture the points. Don't be that cruiser captain that is desperate to kill another cruiser that is far away from your fleet and far away from a capture point. The fleet needs you because you can tank a lot of shots. Stick with your team, make sure that they don't need to worry about big guns so you achieve a victory.
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Her thick belt armour and magazine protection, conversely, mean that she is quite hard to knock out quickly by other light cruisers, and destroyers will struggle to inflict much damage beyond knocking out the open bridge, especially at range. Unlike most British cruisers, the Belfast also has a reasonable amount of turret armour, which allows her to more comfortably engage at closer ranges than other British cruisers without worrying too much about getting her turrets knocked out. The Belfast also has a relatively large crew complement for a British cruiser, and can thus take a bit more crew attrition.
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All of these features, combined with the rather low penetration and long shell flight time at longer ranges, mean that the Belfast is most effective at medium/close ranges, where the main guns are most effective. However, unlike her sister ships, she does not have any torpedo tubes, so she is completely helpless against battleships.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
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* Powerful main armament
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* Main guns have high rate of fire
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* Strong armour (citadel is very well protected)
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* Access to HE-VT shells for both main and secondary guns
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* Effective AA protection
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* Decent top speed and mobility
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* Doesn't flood very easily
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* Effective anti-aircraft battery
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* Decent manoeuvrability
 
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
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* Doesn't have any torpedo armament
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* No proper armour-piercing round, will struggle to damage armoured targets at long ranges
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* Mediocre turret protection
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* Restricted turret traverse arcs, forcing her to show the vulnerable boardsides
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* Weak bridge protection
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* No torpedo armament, restricting her damage output
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* Mediocre barbettes
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* Unarmoured bridge, fire control room, and crew compartments, prone to taking crew damage
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
  
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[[File:HMS Belfast (C35) in Japan 1950.jpg|thumb|450x450px|HMS Belfast (C35) at Kure in 1950.]]
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HMS Belfast (C35) was a Town-class cruiser of the Royal Navy built just before the Second World War. Designed as a counter to the Japanese [[Mogami (Family)|Mogami]] class, Belfast carried a substantial main armament and had an improved anti-aircraft armament compared to the previous Town-class cruisers. Belfast had a storied service career, almost sunk by a naval mine in 1939 but returned to service later in the Second World War after a three-year refit. This upgrade resulted in her being the heaviest and best armoured of all the Town-class cruisers. She served in the Arctic theatre, where she escorted convoys and assisted in the destruction of the battleship Scharnhorst. Belfast later participated in the Korean War and received numerous refits to her armament and sensors. She was retired in 1963, and is now a museum ship moored on the Thames in London, UK.
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=== Design and development ===
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After the construction of the Japanese Mogami class, the British urgently needed a modern light cruiser to complement their older Arethusa and Leander-class cruisers. As such, they designed a new class of light cruiser, which would become the Town class, named after various towns and cities in the United Kingdom. A total of three subclasses would be designed - the [[HMS Southampton|Southampton]], Gloucester and Edinburgh subclasses. Belfast was the second of two Edinburgh - class cruisers, the other being HMS Edinburgh herself. Compared to the other Towns, they had a longer hull, which was intended to house a new quadruple turret allowing for a total of sixteen main guns. However, this idea was eventually shelved due to difficulties in producing an effective turret. As a result, Belfast retained the twelve-gun main armament scheme of the previous Towns, but carried an additional pair of 4-inch dual AA guns as well as several more 40 mm Pom Pom guns.
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Belfast displaced 11 550 tons standard and almost 15 000 tons full. Her crew complement initially consisted of 881 crewmembers, though this number varied depending on time. Belfast carried a main armament of twelve 6-inch (152) mm guns in four triple turrets, two fore and two aft; firing at up to 8 rounds per minute (RPM) each, the ship was capable of firing 96 RPM using all main guns. Belfast was initially equipped with twelve 4-inch (102 mm) secondary DP guns, sixteen 40 mm Pom Pom guns in two octuple mountings along with two quadruple Vickers machine guns for anti-aircraft defence - this armament was improved over the course of her service career. Belfast also carried two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes. Powered by steam turbines developing 80 000 shaft horsepower, she was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h).
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=== Operational history ===
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After her commissioning on August 5th 1939, Belfast joined the Home Fleet, and was soon involved with the naval blockade of Germany following the start of the Second World War. She intercepted two German blockade runners, earning her crew members a substantial amount of prize money. However, on November 10th 1939, Belfast struck a mine during exercises in the Firth of Forth. The explosion killed one crewmember and wounded 20, and caused serious damage to the ship itself. Most importantly, her keel had been severely damaged and bent upwards. The massive repairs would take almost two and a half years to complete; during this time, Belfast had her anti-aircraft armament strengthened with 18 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, and received additional armour plating.
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Following her recommissioning in November of 1942, Belfast was made the Flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, tasked with escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. In December of 1943, Belfast was escorting convoy JW 55B when they encountered the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. After a long night engagement, Scharnhorst was sunk by gunfire from the battleship Duke of York. Belfast played an important role in this engagement, shadowing the Scharnhorst using her radar to allow for her interception and eventual destruction by the British task force.
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[[File:HMS Belfast (C35) and HMS Ocean (R68) off Korea 1952.jpg|thumb|450x450px|HMS Belfast with HMS Ocean in 1952.]]
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In 1944, Belfast participated in the D-Day landings, providing artillery support at Gold and Juno beaches. She received a refit in April of 1945, with two of her dual 4-inch turrets removed in exchange for more anti-aircraft guns and advanced radar systems. She sailed to the Pacific to join the British Pacific Fleet, and was serving as the flagship of the British 2nd Cruiser Squadron when the Japanese surrendered. After the war, Belfast remained in the Pacific with the British Far East squadron at Hong Kong, and was visiting Hakodate, Japan when the Korean War broke out.
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With the outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula, Belfast joined the Allied forces and provided fire support as well as carrier escort abilities. By the end of the Korean war in 1953, she had fired over 8,000 rounds from her 6-inch guns and steamed 130,000 km within the Korean combat zone. After returning home from the Korean conflict, Belfast was modernized one final time, revising her anti-aircraft armament to twelve 40 mm bofors guns in six dual mounts. Serving with the East Indies fleet until 1963, Belfast was expected to be scrapped, but was saved by the HMS Belfast Trust, an organization composed of former crewmembers and other individuals. On Trafalgar Day, October 21st 1971, she was formally opened to the public; she was purchased by the Imperial War Museum in 1978, and remains a museum ship today, anchored on the Thames in London near Tower Bridge.
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=== [[wt:en/news/6461-development-belfast-the-guardian-of-the-thames-en|Devblog]] ===
 
The light cruiser 'Belfast' was the next big step in shipbuilding design, following the Manchester cruisers, and, according to experts, this vessel (tied together with her sister ship, the cruiser Edinburgh) was the most advanced light cruiser in the Royal Navy of Great Britain during WWII. Belfast was laid down in 1938, and a year later, the cruiser came into service. The ship initially played a part in the British naval blockade against the German forces during WWII, however, in November 1939, the Belfast struck a mine and spent three years undergoing repairs, during which she also received a number of upgrades.
 
The light cruiser 'Belfast' was the next big step in shipbuilding design, following the Manchester cruisers, and, according to experts, this vessel (tied together with her sister ship, the cruiser Edinburgh) was the most advanced light cruiser in the Royal Navy of Great Britain during WWII. Belfast was laid down in 1938, and a year later, the cruiser came into service. The ship initially played a part in the British naval blockade against the German forces during WWII, however, in November 1939, the Belfast struck a mine and spent three years undergoing repairs, during which she also received a number of upgrades.
  
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After taking part in a number of military operations and missions in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the old war dog finally retired from the battlefield in 1963. The era of those ships was over and it seemed that the Belfast was essentially doomed to become scrap metal. However, fortune favoured the cruiser, as a group of enthusiastic war historians, among whom was a former Belfast commander, persuaded the British government to use the ship as a museum of war history. Since 1978, light cruiser Belfast has served as a branch of the Imperial War Museum and is permanently moored on the Thames in London.
 
After taking part in a number of military operations and missions in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the old war dog finally retired from the battlefield in 1963. The era of those ships was over and it seemed that the Belfast was essentially doomed to become scrap metal. However, fortune favoured the cruiser, as a group of enthusiastic war historians, among whom was a former Belfast commander, persuaded the British government to use the ship as a museum of war history. Since 1978, light cruiser Belfast has served as a branch of the Imperial War Museum and is permanently moored on the Thames in London.
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- ''From [[wt:en/news/6461-development-belfast-the-guardian-of-the-thames-en|Devblog]]''
 
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
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;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_cruiser_belfast Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
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;Videos
 
{{Youtube-gallery|lIgoj8bT0H4|'''The Shooting Range #196''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:16 discusses the last voyage of HMS Edinburgh, the sister ship of HMS Belfast.}}
 
{{Youtube-gallery|lIgoj8bT0H4|'''The Shooting Range #196''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:16 discusses the last voyage of HMS Edinburgh, the sister ship of HMS Belfast.}}
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
 
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
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* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''encyclopedia page on the ship;''
 
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
  
 
* [[wt:en/news/6461-development-belfast-the-guardian-of-the-thames-en|[Devblog] Belfast: The Guardian of the Thames]]
 
* [[wt:en/news/6461-development-belfast-the-guardian-of-the-thames-en|[Devblog] Belfast: The Guardian of the Thames]]
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* [https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast Official Imperial War Museums HMS Belfast Page]
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=== References ===
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* Dday.center. (2020). Historic Ships. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from <nowiki>http://www.dday.center/preserving-history-historic-ships-hms-belfast.html</nowiki>
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* Mason, G. B., RN. (2004). HMS Belfast, British Light Cruiser. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from <nowiki>https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Belfast.htm</nowiki>
  
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{{ShipManufacturer Harland and Wolff}}
 
{{Britain light cruisers}}
 
{{Britain light cruisers}}
 
{{Britain premium ships}}
 
{{Britain premium ships}}

Latest revision as of 20:22, 28 July 2023

Introducing Wiki 3.0
HMS Belfast
uk_cruiser_belfast.png
GarageImage HMS Belfast.jpg
HMS Belfast
Britain flag.png Britain
IV Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
5.7 5.7 5.7
Class:
PREMIUM
Purchase:8 020 Specs-Card-Eagle.png

Description

The Town-class, HMS Belfast (C35), 1959 is a premium rank IV British light cruiser with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack".

The Belfast is a modified Southampton-class (more popularly known as the Town-class) light cruiser, and is a sister-ship of the Southampton and Liverpool. She is depicted in her post-war reconstruction form, as the ship appears in the present day, moored on the River Thames as a museum ship. As such, she does not have the torpedo armament originally fitted to all Southampton-class cruisers, but has much improved anti-aircraft armament and a distinctive modified bridge and lattice masts.

General info

Specification Information
Crew (Complement): 956
Displacement: 14,900 tons
Length: 613 ft 6 in (186.99 m) overall
Beam: 63 ft 4 in (19.3 m)
Draught:
  • 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) forward
  • 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) aft
Armour:
  • Main belt: 4.5 inches (114 mm)
  • Main turrets: Up to 4 inches (102 mm)
  • Decks over magazines: 3 inches (76 mm)
  • Decks over machinery: 2 inches (51 mm)
  • Bulkheads: 2.5 inches (63.5 mm)
Installed power: 80,000 shp (60,000 kW)
Propulsion:
  • 4 × Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers
  • 4 × Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines
Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h)
Other: Flagship of 10th Cruiser Squadron

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Citadel64 / 114 / 51 mm
Main fire tower102 / 51 / 51 mm
Hull25 mm (steel)
Superstructure8 mm (steel)
Number of section8
Displacement14 900 t
Crew956 people

The Belfast's basic armour protection is almost identical to that of her sister ships. She has a 114.5 mm belt protecting her engine citadel, 63.5 mm on the bow and stern ends, and 36.5 mm on the deck. Belfast's machinery space is thus fairly well-protected against destroyers and most light cruisers when angled. The magazine protection is also identical, which serves to prevent magazine detonations from other cruisers' AP shells. However, that the Belfast has to expose a lot of her broadside in order to unmask the rear turrets, essentially negating the Belfast's belt armour if all main guns are to be used.

Like her sister ships, the Belfast's main gun turrets are also decently armoured, with 102 mm of armour at the front and 50.8 mm elsewhere. This mostly protects them against light cruiser HE shells and weaker AP shells from the front. However, she retains the same weakpoint shared by almost all British cruisers: the open bridge. This has some 12 mm protection around parts, but is still essentially unarmoured and very vulnerable to nearby explosions and any sizeable shell hits.

The Belfast has a respectably sized crew complement at 956 men. However, the crew compartments are almost entirely located near the deck, which means the ship will lose a lot of crew when a sizeable HE shell hits them and from any subsequent fires. The close proximity of the crew compartments and the shell rooms can also help the fire to spread to them, possibly causing ammunition detonations.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB70 / 29 km/h
RB60 / 24 km/h

The HMS Belfast has 80,000 shaft horsepower on its screws. This power is provided by four Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers. The four propellers are driven by four Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines. This gives the Belfast a maximum forward speed of 32 knots (60 km/h) in RB, and 38 knots (70 km/h) in AB. Her acceleration and manoeuvrability are quite good and she answers the helm fairly quickly for a cruiser.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 70 29
RB/SB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 60 24

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB5 903 Sl icon.png
RB6 496 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts800 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 500 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 340 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 450 / 600 / 50 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 190 / 190 / 190 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Mods engine smoke screen system.png
Smokescreen
Mods ship anti fragmentation protection.png
Shrapnel Protection
Mods ship venting.png
Ventilation
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Mods ship ammo wetting.png
Ammo Wetting
Mods new aa caliber turrets.png
Anti-Air Armament Targeting
Mods tank ammo.png
152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_cpbc_ammo_pack
Mods tank ammo.png
102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_SAP_ammo_pack
Mods new aux caliber turrets.png
Auxiliary Armament Targeting
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_dist_fuse_ammo_pack
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_dist_fuse_ammo_pack
Mods new main caliber turrets.png
Primary Armament Targeting
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_radio_fuse_ammo_pack
Mods he frag proxi fuze ship.png
152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_radio_fuse_ammo_pack

Armament

Primary armament

4 х Turret3 x 6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII cannon
Ammunition600 rounds
Vertical guidance-5° / 45°
Main article: 6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII (152 mm)

The Belfast comes with twelve 6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII guns in four triple turrets. These turrets are housed in an A-B-X-Y layout, with two at each end, one superfiring over the other. This gives te Belfast a broadside of 12 guns, and a forward and rear salvo of 6. Each gun has a maximum rate of fire of 8 rounds/minute, for a maximum theoretical shell output of 96 rounds/minute with a fully upgraded crew.

The Belfast has four shell choices: a basic HE shell with 3.96 kg of TNT equivalent, the SAPBC shell with a large filler (1.87 kg TNT equivalent) that can deal significant damage against cruisers within 7 km, but loses its effectiveness at longer ranges, and HE-TF and HE-VT shells for long-range anti-aircraft purposes (these have the same filler as the basic HE shell).

It is important to note that the Belfast's X and Y turret have fairly poor turret traverse arcs, which means it is difficult to use her firepower to its fullest without exposing a lot of the ship to damage.

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
6 inch HE HE 37 37 37 37 37 37
6 inch CPBC SAPBC 197 172 137 110 90 67
6 inch HE-TF HE-TF 37 37 37 37 37 37
6 inch HE-VT HE-VT 37 37 37 37 37 37
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(s) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
6 inch HE HE 841 50.8 0 0.1 3.96 79° 80° 81°
6 inch CPBC SAPBC 841 50.8 0.025 7 1.7 48° 63° 71°
6 inch HE-TF HE-TF 841 50.8 0 0.1 3.96 79° 80° 81°
Proximity-fused shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Arming
distance (m) 		Trigger
radius (m) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
6 inch HE-VT HE-VT 841 50.8 0 0.1 240 16 3.96 79° 80° 81°

Secondary armament

4 х Turret2 x 4 inch/45 Mark XVI cannon
Ammunition400 rounds
Main article: 4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)

The Belfast has eight 4 inch/45 Mark XVI cannons, mounted in four dual mounts behind her second funnel, two on each side of the ship. It mainly serves as a long-range anti-aircraft battery, and can be quite effective once the HE-VT shell is unlocked. An SAP shell is also available for use against surface targets.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
4 inch HE HE 20 20 20 20 20 20
4 inch SAP SAP 102 85 64 48 38 30
4 inch HE-TF HE-TF 20 20 20 20 20 20
4 inch HE-VT HE-VT 20 20 20 20 20 20
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(s) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
4 inch HE HE 811 15.88 0 0.1 1,550 79° 80° 81°
4 inch SAP SAP 811 17.35 0.015 5 600 47° 60° 65°
4 inch HE-TF HE-TF 811 15.88 0 0.1 1,550 79° 80° 81°
Proximity-fused shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Arming
distance (m) 		Trigger
radius (m) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
4 inch HE-VT HE-VT 811 15.88 0 0.1 274 18 1,550 79° 80° 81°

Anti-aircraft armament

6 х Turret2 x 40 mm QF Mark V gun
Ammunition4000 rounds
Belt capacity4 rounds
Fire rate156 shots/min
Main article: QF Mark V (40 mm)

The Belfast carries a fairly potent anti-aircraft battery consisting of twelve QF Mark V Bofors guns in dual mounts. These guns have a greater effective range than the QF 2-pounder 'pom-pom' gun found on most British cruisers and are highly effective against aircraft thanks to their high sustained rate of fire. They can also be deadly to small coastal craft that get within range.

Usage in battles

The Belfast plays similarly to her sister-ships in the British naval tech tree, the Southampton and Liverpool. As a light cruiser, she relies on her fast rate of fire to overwhelm enemies, especially destroyers and slower-firing cruisers. The 6 inch CPBC round combines reasonably good penetration with a much larger filler than the AP rounds found on most contemporary light cruisers. It is highly effective against other light cruisers and larger destroyers, inflicting serious damage on internal components. At close ranges, it is even capable of penetrating heavy cruiser belt armour. With HE-VT shells on her secondary and main guns and the twelve Bofors 40 mm guns, the Belfast is also quite effective at providing anti-aircraft cover for allied ships.

Her thick belt armour and magazine protection, conversely, mean that she is quite hard to knock out quickly by other light cruisers, and destroyers will struggle to inflict much damage beyond knocking out the open bridge, especially at range. Unlike most British cruisers, the Belfast also has a reasonable amount of turret armour, which allows her to more comfortably engage at closer ranges than other British cruisers without worrying too much about getting her turrets knocked out. The Belfast also has a relatively large crew complement for a British cruiser, and can thus take a bit more crew attrition.

All of these features, combined with the rather low penetration and long shell flight time at longer ranges, mean that the Belfast is most effective at medium/close ranges, where the main guns are most effective. However, unlike her sister ships, she does not have any torpedo tubes, so she is completely helpless against battleships.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Main guns have high rate of fire
  • Access to HE-VT shells for both main and secondary guns
  • Decent top speed and mobility
  • Effective anti-aircraft battery

Cons:

  • No proper armour-piercing round, will struggle to damage armoured targets at long ranges
  • Restricted turret traverse arcs, forcing her to show the vulnerable boardsides
  • No torpedo armament, restricting her damage output
  • Unarmoured bridge, fire control room, and crew compartments, prone to taking crew damage

History

HMS Belfast (C35) at Kure in 1950.

HMS Belfast (C35) was a Town-class cruiser of the Royal Navy built just before the Second World War. Designed as a counter to the Japanese Mogami class, Belfast carried a substantial main armament and had an improved anti-aircraft armament compared to the previous Town-class cruisers. Belfast had a storied service career, almost sunk by a naval mine in 1939 but returned to service later in the Second World War after a three-year refit. This upgrade resulted in her being the heaviest and best armoured of all the Town-class cruisers. She served in the Arctic theatre, where she escorted convoys and assisted in the destruction of the battleship Scharnhorst. Belfast later participated in the Korean War and received numerous refits to her armament and sensors. She was retired in 1963, and is now a museum ship moored on the Thames in London, UK.

Design and development

After the construction of the Japanese Mogami class, the British urgently needed a modern light cruiser to complement their older Arethusa and Leander-class cruisers. As such, they designed a new class of light cruiser, which would become the Town class, named after various towns and cities in the United Kingdom. A total of three subclasses would be designed - the Southampton, Gloucester and Edinburgh subclasses. Belfast was the second of two Edinburgh - class cruisers, the other being HMS Edinburgh herself. Compared to the other Towns, they had a longer hull, which was intended to house a new quadruple turret allowing for a total of sixteen main guns. However, this idea was eventually shelved due to difficulties in producing an effective turret. As a result, Belfast retained the twelve-gun main armament scheme of the previous Towns, but carried an additional pair of 4-inch dual AA guns as well as several more 40 mm Pom Pom guns.

Belfast displaced 11 550 tons standard and almost 15 000 tons full. Her crew complement initially consisted of 881 crewmembers, though this number varied depending on time. Belfast carried a main armament of twelve 6-inch (152) mm guns in four triple turrets, two fore and two aft; firing at up to 8 rounds per minute (RPM) each, the ship was capable of firing 96 RPM using all main guns. Belfast was initially equipped with twelve 4-inch (102 mm) secondary DP guns, sixteen 40 mm Pom Pom guns in two octuple mountings along with two quadruple Vickers machine guns for anti-aircraft defence - this armament was improved over the course of her service career. Belfast also carried two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes. Powered by steam turbines developing 80 000 shaft horsepower, she was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h).

Operational history

After her commissioning on August 5th 1939, Belfast joined the Home Fleet, and was soon involved with the naval blockade of Germany following the start of the Second World War. She intercepted two German blockade runners, earning her crew members a substantial amount of prize money. However, on November 10th 1939, Belfast struck a mine during exercises in the Firth of Forth. The explosion killed one crewmember and wounded 20, and caused serious damage to the ship itself. Most importantly, her keel had been severely damaged and bent upwards. The massive repairs would take almost two and a half years to complete; during this time, Belfast had her anti-aircraft armament strengthened with 18 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, and received additional armour plating.

Following her recommissioning in November of 1942, Belfast was made the Flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, tasked with escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. In December of 1943, Belfast was escorting convoy JW 55B when they encountered the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. After a long night engagement, Scharnhorst was sunk by gunfire from the battleship Duke of York. Belfast played an important role in this engagement, shadowing the Scharnhorst using her radar to allow for her interception and eventual destruction by the British task force.

HMS Belfast with HMS Ocean in 1952.

In 1944, Belfast participated in the D-Day landings, providing artillery support at Gold and Juno beaches. She received a refit in April of 1945, with two of her dual 4-inch turrets removed in exchange for more anti-aircraft guns and advanced radar systems. She sailed to the Pacific to join the British Pacific Fleet, and was serving as the flagship of the British 2nd Cruiser Squadron when the Japanese surrendered. After the war, Belfast remained in the Pacific with the British Far East squadron at Hong Kong, and was visiting Hakodate, Japan when the Korean War broke out.

With the outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula, Belfast joined the Allied forces and provided fire support as well as carrier escort abilities. By the end of the Korean war in 1953, she had fired over 8,000 rounds from her 6-inch guns and steamed 130,000 km within the Korean combat zone. After returning home from the Korean conflict, Belfast was modernized one final time, revising her anti-aircraft armament to twelve 40 mm bofors guns in six dual mounts. Serving with the East Indies fleet until 1963, Belfast was expected to be scrapped, but was saved by the HMS Belfast Trust, an organization composed of former crewmembers and other individuals. On Trafalgar Day, October 21st 1971, she was formally opened to the public; she was purchased by the Imperial War Museum in 1978, and remains a museum ship today, anchored on the Thames in London near Tower Bridge.

Devblog

The light cruiser 'Belfast' was the next big step in shipbuilding design, following the Manchester cruisers, and, according to experts, this vessel (tied together with her sister ship, the cruiser Edinburgh) was the most advanced light cruiser in the Royal Navy of Great Britain during WWII. Belfast was laid down in 1938, and a year later, the cruiser came into service. The ship initially played a part in the British naval blockade against the German forces during WWII, however, in November 1939, the Belfast struck a mine and spent three years undergoing repairs, during which she also received a number of upgrades.

The modernised light cruiser was then deployed to escort Arctic convoys heading to the USSR, where she fought the German fleet for the first time. In June 1944, the Belfast provided cover for the US landing troops on the well-known D-Day, which took place in Normandy. At the end of World War II, Belfast was sent to the Pacific Ocean, where she joined the British Pacific Fleet. The next combat action the light cruiser saw was the Korean War, in which she participated from 1950 to 1952.

After taking part in a number of military operations and missions in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the old war dog finally retired from the battlefield in 1963. The era of those ships was over and it seemed that the Belfast was essentially doomed to become scrap metal. However, fortune favoured the cruiser, as a group of enthusiastic war historians, among whom was a former Belfast commander, persuaded the British government to use the ship as a museum of war history. Since 1978, light cruiser Belfast has served as a branch of the Imperial War Museum and is permanently moored on the Thames in London.

Media

Skins
Videos
The Shooting Range #196 - Pages of History section at 04:16 discusses the last voyage of HMS Edinburgh, the sister ship of HMS Belfast.

See also

Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the ship;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

References

  • Dday.center. (2020). Historic Ships. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from http://www.dday.center/preserving-history-historic-ships-hms-belfast.html
  • Mason, G. B., RN. (2004). HMS Belfast, British Light Cruiser. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Belfast.htm


Harland & Wolff
Frigates 
Whitby-class  HMS Blackpool
Light Cruisers 
Town-class  HMS Belfast
Battlecruisers 
Courageous-class  HMS Glorious

Britain light cruisers
Emerald-class  HMS Enterprise
Dido-class  HMS Dido
Leander-class  HMNZS Leander
Arethusa-class  HMS Arethusa
Town-class  HMS Belfast · HMS Liverpool · HMS Southampton
Tiger-class  HMS Tiger
Abdiel-class*  HMS Abdiel

Britain premium ships
Motor torpedo boats  MTB-1(2) · MTB-422 · Fairmile D (5001) · HMS Gay Archer
Motor gun boats  MGB-75 · SGB Grey Goose
Gunboats  HMS Spey
Sub-chasers  LÉ Orla
Frigates  HMS Whitby
Destroyers  HMS Montgomery · HMS Valhalla · HMS Verdun · ORP Garland · HMS Jervis · HMCS Haida · HMS Mohawk · HMS Cadiz · HMS Diamond
Light cruisers  HMS Belfast
Battleships  HMS Iron Duke

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