HMS Belfast Prepares For 80th Anniversary Of Launch

HMS Belfast has been welcoming visitors ahead of events to mark 80 years since the warship was launched.

HMS Belfast was launched on St Patrick's Day in 1938 and commissioned into the Royal Navy in August 1939. But after only two months at sea the warship hit a mine and was out of action for three years

On rejoining the fleet in 1942 HMS Belfast was deployed protecting the Arctic convoys and in 1944 was called upon to support the D-Day landings where she reportedly fired one of the first shots at the start of the invasion.

During D-Day HMS Belfast was one of the few ships to be equipped with a sick bay. At 1300 on 6 June 1944, the surgeon commander and two surgeon lieutenants started treating the casualties that began to arrive on board.

After the Second World War HMS Belfast worked with Allied Forces to support the retreating US and South Korean troops during the Korean War from 1950-1952.

HMS Belfast was retired from service in 1963 and opened to the public as a museum in October 1971. 

The Imperial War Museum is holding a series of events for visitors ahead of the HMS Belfast anniversary weekend on 17-18 March 2018.