Hms belfast

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

<span style='color:green'>HMS Belfast is a cruiser. She was launched in March 1938 (on Saint Patrick's Day in fact) and served throughout the Second World War, playing a leading part in the destruction of the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst at the Battle of North Cape and in the Normandy Landings.

After the war, she supported United Nations forces in Korea and remained in service with the Royal Navy until 1965. In 1971 she was saved for the nation as a unique and historic reminder of Britain’s naval heritage in the first half of the twentieth century.

HMS Belfast Specifications

Standard

displacement:

11,553 tons

Length overall:

187 m (613 ft 6 ins)

Beam:

21 m (69 ft)

Draught:

6.1 m (19 ft 9 ins)

Armament:

Twelve (4 x 3) 6-inch

Eight (4 x 2) 4-inch HA/LA

Twelve (6 x 2) 40mm Bofors AA

Max Speed:

32 knots (58km/h 36 mph)

Armour:

side: 114mm (4.5 inches)

deck: 76mm ( 3 inches)

Complement:

750 - 850 (as flagship)

HMS Belfast is currently docked on the River Thames, upstream from Tower Bridge next to Butler's Wharf.

The sinking of Scharnhorst, December 26 1943

By the end of 1942, the German Navy had moved the main part of what was left of its forces to Norway to cut off the Allied convoys to Murmansk in northern Russia. The German ships in the Norwegian fjords was: Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Prinz Eugen, Tirpitz (Bismarck's sister ship), Lützow, Scheer, Hipper, Köln and Nürnberg, a fearsome armada with a terrifying strike capability.

To protect the convoys, the Allied used forces from the Royal Navy, and it was during the December convoy 1943 that Belfast played her role in capturing and sinking the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst.

The escort from the Royal Navy was Force One: three cruisers (Belfast, Sheffield and Norfolk) and 14 destroyers as close cover.

On long distance south of the convoy followed Force Two: The battleship Duke of York, the light cruiser Jamaica and four destroyers. The role of Force Two was to be a "trap" for any Germans trying to attack the convoy.

German agents contacted Kiel to report that the convoy was on it way and on Christmas Day 1943 Admiral Dönitz ordered Scharnhorst and four destroyers to leave Altenfjord (in Norway) to attack the convoy. Scharnhorst was a 26,000 tons cruiser armed with 11-inch guns and with a speed of 29 knots she would have no problems with any British ship.

Belfast and Scharnhorst tracked each other 240 km north of North Cape at 08.40 on the 26th. Belfast opened fire with star shells to light up the German cruiser and then the rest of the British cruisers opened fire and managed to hit Scharnhorst's radar. Scharnhorst tried to escape to attack the convoy from another side but only to find that Force One was now between the German cruiser and the convoy. After another battle where the British cruiser Norfolk lost one of her turrets Scharnhorst turned to the south to steam back to Norway and Vice Admiral Robert Burnett, the commander of Force One on board Belfast, decided to follow her.

At 16.17 on a distance of 32 km, Duke of York found Scharnhorst on her radar and opened fire on 11,000 m distance. Scharnhorst turned east to get away from the British cruisers but there was no hope for her. By 19.00 she started to lose speed and Admiral Bey, commander of Scharnhorst sent out the message "We will fight to the last shell". None of Scharnhorst's turrets was working and one of her boilers was destroyed, the British destroyers finally fired 20 torpedoes and 19.50 the German cruiser sank.

Of Scharnhorst crew of 1970 men, only 36 survived.</span>

[Col. Kurtz 0]

Is this another history class like the one on Greece in WW2?

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Of Scharnhorst crew of 1970 men, only 36 survived<span id='postcolor'>

Sounds about right for a WW2 Naval Battle. They had shocking death rates when the ships went down. Subs didn't do too much better either. Something like 70% of German U-Boat crewmen died.

[Othin 0]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing that. That's the first ship I've seen that still had the sea cammo paint job on it.