HMS Belfast reopens in July and celebrates 50 years on the Thames
27th April 2021
After an extended period of closure, since March 2020, HMS Belfast will reopen its doors this July with an enhanced visitor experience.
Visitors can enter new areas of the ship, learn about the lives of the crew who served on-board and engage in multi-sensory and interactive experiences which bring the rich history of this Royal Navy warship to life.
Over the last year, exhibition spaces within the ship have been reinterpreted, including the Quarter Deck, 2 Deck, the Forward Steering Position and one of the main gun turrets, with the new interpretation focusing on three narrative periods; entitled Second World War, End of Empire and Cold War.
The extended closure has also enabled essential conservation work to be carried out, including anti-corrosion measures, deck repairs and repainting of the ship’s hull.
The most extensive changes have been made to 2 Deck where visitors will be introduced, for the first time, to the lives of key members of the ship’s crew from over the years.
These include Surgeon Lieutenant Robert Anthony Rowan who saved many lives when serving on HMS Belfast during the Korean War and whose story will be the focal point of the Sick Bay.
Visitors will be able to discover what the conditions were like for the crew in the Mess Decks where they slept, ate and spent their free time and learn more about the challenges faced by the crew in this home away from home.
This year will also mark a milestone anniversary in the ships history – 50 years since it arrived in the Pool of London. HMS Belfast has witnessed a dramatic change in the landscape of the city that surrounds it, welcomed a host of famous faces on board and become a treasured London landmark.
Having welcomed visitors for half a century, in 2021 HMS Belfast will once again welcome the public on board to explore nine decks of remarkable history.
