After living in London for ten years, and having been away for thirty, I finally visited HMS Belfast this summer.
It was a pretty amazing experience as you clamber up and down the ships ladders to get to the various parts of the ship. My Grandfather served on this ship in WW2, so the visit had a personal connection for me.
Stunning. Somewhere I've wanted to go, but never have.
Alan
I was an Instrument Engineer long ago, so loved those gauge panels. Steam turbine powered boat, I guess ...
You should, It is a pretty interesting experience, as they have left the ship as it is and climbing up and down all those steep ships ladders gives you a genuine idea of how the ships crew lived. I was surprised the Elf and Safety bods have been kept away, as some of the stairs are quite perilous. The IWM have done a great job I think.
It is quite expensive, and you need almost a whole morning or afternoon to explore her.
I pieced together another bit of my Grandfathers war service, on my visit. The ship hit a mine in the early days of the war, and he and most of the crew were transferred to HMS Hood. He was one of the lucky one who changed ships again before that ships last fateful voyage.
The Engine Room, was the most fascinating part of the ship, if you try to immagine the place in action with deafening noise and extreme heat, in amonst a jungle of tubes.
Propulsion
4 × Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers
4 × Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines
My Dad joined up into the navy and was going to serve on HMS Hood. But after his initial land based training, he was transferred to the army and sent the Germany to help in the war tribunals. He's not sure why but he did his two years and then got out (he'd met my mother and life went on wth her.
Alan
These are fascinating. Well taken shots of an interesting place.
I think I've seen them from you somewhere before a while back.
Must have been a tough and dangerous life working on a ship like that.
My grandfather perished at sea during WW2. I don't really know much about it, in fact I didn't even know he existed; while growing up at home,I didn't know that my "step" grandfather wasn't my "real" grandfather. Maybe I should find out some more about him.
Yes I posted these on the weekly thread some time ago, but I just thought I would post these to a wider audience.
My Grandfather died quite soon after the war as a result of an illness that was not treated due to lack of experienced manpower, keeping him in service. My Grandmother had a war Widows pension as a result. We lived in Fareham, near Portsmouth, and our street had a large number of War Widows.
Let's hope continental Europe does not get us involved with a wider war, as an escalation of the present one in Ukraine. We wasted too many good people the last time.
