In our grand tour around Northern Europe, we went to many museums in London. As one of the Imperial War Museum displays, we went to the battleship on the Thames.
Battleship museum
The battleship HMS Belfast was an extra entrance of £ 26.35, and the battleship is prominently moored at Queens Walk, opposite the Tower of London and just upstream of Tower Bridge. You pay the entrance fee, pass through the gift shop, and traverse the walkway to board the ship.
Once on the HMS Belfast, we immediately felt that we were in an older time. The ship has a feel that it is straight out of the 60’s, which is when she was last in use. When on board, you can’t see the “dazzle” camouflage painted on the sides, which was a weird but successful way to protect battleships in the second world war.
We headed immediately to the rear gun turret, which had an audio simulation of the noises and voices that would be heard inside the gun during firing. Because of the multiple very large speakers, it was a good approximation of the noise, and was very enlightening. We then progressed into the main deck of the ship. The ship is divided into three zones, with nine decks being accessible. However, to us it seemed like only three decks were on display.
Within the ship, we saw the kitchens and the laundry. According to the signs, the laundry had Chinese workers who would work and sleep in the laundry, barely leaving the room, and send all their wages back to China. The kitchen was supplemented by interior shops that sailors could purchase additional food at.
We progressed to the very front of the ship, where Bianca tossed me in the brig, and then we explored the medical bay, officer’s quarters and stores. We then climbed down a very steep staircase two decks down to see the gun magazines and ammunition stores.
Walking to the rear of the ship, we again climbed down two decks to the boiler room and engine room. This was a maze of pipes and cables, a tight area that would have been very noisy and hot. The restoration has removed all the oil and grease, and the entire area is very clean. You can touch most of the equipment, and in many places you need to hold on as you go around a walkway.
The ship is a bit of a maze, as it was not designed for a one-way tour. We found ourselves backtracking, and trying to work out if we had been down a corridor or through a hatch. We then emerged on to the deck again, and declared that we thought we had seen it all.
