HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast

Britain

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.7	5.7	5.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Light cruiser

Purchase:8 020

Show in game

Description

The Town-class, HMS Belfast (C35), 1959 is a premium rank IV British light cruiser with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack".

General info

Specification	Information
Crew (Complement):	956
Displacement:	14,900 tons
Length:	613 ft 6 in (186.99 m) overall
Beam:	63 ft 4 in (19.3 m)
Draught:	18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) forward 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) aft
Armour:	Main belt: 4.5 inches (114 mm) Main turrets: Up to 4 inches (102 mm) Decks over magazines: 3 inches (76 mm) Decks over machinery: 2 inches (51 mm) Bulkheads: 2.5 inches (63.5 mm)
Installed power:	80,000 shp (60,000 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers 4 × Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines
Speed:	32 knots (59 km/h)
Other:	Flagship of 10th Cruiser Squadron

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Citadel64 / 114 / 51 mm

Main fire tower102 / 51 / 51 mm

Hull25 mm (steel)

Superstructure8 mm (steel)

Number of section8

Displacement14 900 t

Crew956 people

Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB70 / 29 km/h

RB60 / 24 km/h

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	70	29
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	60	24

The HMS Belfast has 80,000 shaft horsepower on its screws. This power is provided by four Admiralty oil-fired 3-drum boilers. The four propellers are driven by four Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines. This gives the Belfast a maximum forward speed of 32 knots (60 km/h) in RB, and 38 knots (70 km/h) in AB.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB5 903

RB6 496

Crew training10 000

Experts800 000

Aces1 500

Research Aces1 340 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 450 / 600 / 50 %

2 × 190 / 190 / 190 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Rudder Replacement Propeller Replacement Engine Maintenance	Damage Control Division Fire Division Smokescreen Shrapnel Protection Ventilation New Pumps Ammo Wetting	Anti-Air Armament Targeting 152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_cpbc_ammo_pack 102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_SAP_ammo_pack Auxiliary Armament Targeting 152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_dist_fuse_ammo_pack 102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_dist_fuse_ammo_pack Primary Armament Targeting Improved Rangefinder 102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_radio_fuse_ammo_pack 152mm_uk_navy_5_10crh_radio_fuse_ammo_pack

Armament

Primary armament

4 х Turret3 x 6 inch/50 BL Mark XXIII cannon

Ammunition600 rounds

Vertical guidance-5° / 45°

The HMS Belfast comes with 12 x Ordnance BL 6 inch (152 mm) Mk XXIII naval guns, in four triple turrets. These turrets are housed in an A-B-X-Y layout, with two at each end, one superfiring over the other. This gives Belfast a broadside of 12 guns, and a forward and rear salvo of 6. These guns reload at a maximum of 8 RPM, giving her 96 RPM on a broadside, with a fully upgraded crew. The WW2-era British 6" comes with four shells; HE, SAP, HE-TF (timed-fuse HE) and HE-VT (variable proximity-fused HE). The HE-VT fills the roles of both HE and HE-TF simultaneously, detonating on impact like HE but also proximity fusing on aircraft. The SAP is the sole round capable of penetrating armour, with excellent filler but relatively low penetration. Against destroyers and earlier light cruisers, HE should be used. Against the armoured portions of cruisers, or heavier cruisers in general, SAP should be used. Against battleships, your best hope is that they don't notice you, as even the SAP will not reliably penetrate them. Belfast has so many rounds that you'll never run out of either, but a 50:50 ratio is a good place to start.

Secondary armament

4 х Turret2 x 4 inch/45 Mark XVI cannon

Ammunition400 rounds

Belfast has 4 secondary turrets (2 at each side) containing two Ordnance QF 4 inch (102 mm) Mk XVI dual-purpose guns. They can fire 4 types of shells, an AP shell, HE shell, timed (fused) HE-shell and proximity (fused) HE-shell. Taking the AP shells is recommended (to fight destroyers and smaller patrol boats) as well as proximity HE-shells to fight aircraft. The ratio between AP and HE-VT should be around 40:60.

Anti-aircraft armament

6 х Turret2 x 40 mm QF Mark V gun

Ammunition4000 rounds

Belt capacity4 rounds

Fire rate156 shots/min

When fighting aircraft in the Belfast, you have both the secondary Ordnance QF 4 inch Mk XVI turrets and also 40 mm QF Mark V guns in six dual-mounted turrets. There is no ammunition you can select between, you will only get the default HE belt, but don't dismay, this belt is very effective when shooting down planes.

Usage in battles

HMS Belfast is a cruiser with weak-to-mediocre combat capability. She cannot fight evenly against other mainstream cruisers, namely Helena, Prinz Eugen, Zara, etc. Therefore, you should not put HMS Belfast in an up-tiered line-up so that you can maximize your chance to fight weaker opponents.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Strong armour protection over citadel
• Effective AA protection

Cons:

• Weak main battery: high firing arc and curved trajectory, which result in low penetration and low kinetic impact at long distance
• Very limited horizontal firing sector: You have to expose your broadside to make a salvo
• Doesn't have any torpedo armament
• Unarmoured bridge and fire control room. Crew compartments taking up all the space above citadel

History

HMS Belfast (C35) at Kure in 1950.

HMS Belfast (C35) was a Town-class cruiser of the Royal Navy built just before the Second World War. Designed as a counter to the Japanese Mogami class, Belfast carried a substantial main armament and had an improved anti-aircraft armament compared to the previous Town-class cruisers. Belfast had a storied service career, almost sunk by a naval mine in 1939 but returned to service later in the Second World War after a three-year refit. This upgrade resulted in her being the heaviest and best armoured of all the Town-class cruisers. She served in the Arctic theatre, where she escorted convoys and assisted in the destruction of the battleship Scharnhorst. Belfast later participated in the Korean War and received numerous refits to her armament and sensors. She was retired in 1963, and is now a museum ship moored on the Thames in London, UK.

Design and development

After the construction of the Japanese Mogami class, the British urgently needed a modern light cruiser to complement their older Arethusa and Leander-class cruisers. As such, they designed a new class of light cruiser, which would become the Town class, named after various towns and cities in the United Kingdom. A total of three subclasses would be designed - the Southampton, Gloucester and Edinburgh subclasses. Belfast was the second of two Edinburgh - class cruisers, the other being HMS Edinburgh herself. Compared to the other Towns, they had a longer hull, which was intended to house a new quadruple turret allowing for a total of sixteen main guns. However, this idea was eventually shelved due to difficulties in producing an effective turret. As a result, Belfast retained the twelve-gun main armament scheme of the previous Towns, but carried an additional pair of 4-inch dual AA guns as well as several more 40 mm Pom Pom guns.

Belfast displaced 11 550 tons standard and almost 15 000 tons full. Her crew complement initially consisted of 881 crewmembers, though this number varied depending on time. Belfast carried a main armament of twelve 6-inch (152) mm guns in four triple turrets, two fore and two aft; firing at up to 8 rounds per minute (RPM) each, the ship was capable of firing 96 RPM using all main guns. Belfast was initially equipped with twelve 4-inch (102 mm) secondary DP guns, sixteen 40 mm Pom Pom guns in two octuple mountings along with two quadruple vickers machine guns for anti-aircraft defence - this armament was improved over the course of her service career. Belfast also carried two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes. Powered by steam turbines developing 80 000 shaft horsepower, she was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h).

Operational history

After her commissioning on August 5th 1939, Belfast joined the Home Fleet, and was soon involved with the naval blockade of Germany following the start of the Second World War. She intercepted two German blockade runners, earning her crew members a substantial amount of prize money. However, on November 10th 1939, Belfast struck a mine during exercises in the Firth of Forth. The explosion killed one crewmember and wounded 20, and caused serious damage to the ship itself. Most importantly, her keel had been severely damaged and bent upwards. The massive repairs would take almost two and a half years to complete; during this time, Belfast had her anti-aircraft armament strengthened with 18 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, and received additional armour plating.

Following her recommissioning in November of 1942, Belfast was made the Flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, tasked with escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. In December of 1943, Belfast was escorting convoy JW 55B when they encountered the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. After a long night engagement, Scharnhorst was sunk by gunfire from the battleship Duke of York. Belfast played an important role in this engagement, shadowing the Scharnhorst using her radar to allow for her interception and eventual destruction by the British task force.

HMS Belfast with HMS Ocean in 1952.

In 1944, Belfast participated in the D-Day landings, providing artillery support at Gold and Juno beaches. She received a refit in April of 1945, with two of her dual 4-inch turrets removed in exchange for more anti-aircraft guns and advanced radar systems. She sailed to the Pacific to join the British Pacific Fleet, and was serving as the flagship of the British 2nd Cruiser Squadron when the Japanese surrendered. After the war, Belfast remained in the Pacific with the British Far East squadron at Hong Kong, and was visiting Hakodate, Japan when the Korean War broke out.

With the outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula, Belfast joined the Allied forces and provided fire support as well as carrier escort abilities. By the end of the Korean war in 1953, she had fired over 8000 rounds from her 6-inch guns and steamed 130 000 km within the Korean combat zone. After returning home from the Korean conflict, Belfast was modernized one final time, revising her anti-aircraft armament to twelve 40 mm bofors guns in six dual mounts. Serving with the East Indies fleet until 1963, Belfast was expected to be scrapped, but was saved by the HMS Belfast Trust, an organization composed of former crewmembers and other individuals. On Trafalgar Day, October 21st 1971, she was formally opened to the public; she was purchased by the Imperial War Museum in 1978, and remains a museum ship today, anchored on the Thames in London near Tower Bridge.

Devblog

The light cruiser 'Belfast' was the next big step in shipbuilding design, following the Manchester cruisers, and, according to experts, this vessel (tied together with her sister ship, the cruiser Edinburgh) was the most advanced light cruiser in the Royal Navy of Great Britain during WWII. Belfast was laid down in 1938, and a year later, the cruiser came into service. The ship initially played a part in the British naval blockade against the German forces during WWII, however, in November 1939, the Belfast struck a mine and spent three years undergoing repairs, during which she also received a number of upgrades.

The modernised light cruiser was then deployed to escort Arctic convoys heading to the USSR, where she fought the German fleet for the first time. In June 1944, the Belfast provided cover for the US landing troops on the well-known D-Day, which took place in Normandy. At the end of World War II, Belfast was sent to the Pacific Ocean, where she joined the British Pacific Fleet. The next combat action the light cruiser saw was the Korean War, in which she participated from 1950 to 1952.

After taking part in a number of military operations and missions in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the old war dog finally retired from the battlefield in 1963. The era of those ships was over and it seemed that the Belfast was essentially doomed to become scrap metal. However, fortune favoured the cruiser, as a group of enthusiastic war historians, among whom was a former Belfast commander, persuaded the British government to use the ship as a museum of war history. Since 1978, light cruiser Belfast has served as a branch of the Imperial War Museum and is permanently moored on the Thames in London.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the HMS Belfast from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #196 - Pages of History section at 04:16 discusses the last voyage of HMS Edinburgh, the sister ship of HMS Belfast.

See also

Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Belfast: The Guardian of the Thames

References

• Dday.center. (2020). Historic Ships. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from http://www.dday.center/preserving-history-historic-ships-hms-belfast.html
• Mason, G. B., RN. (2004). HMS Belfast, British Light Cruiser. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Belfast.htm

Britain light cruisers
Emerald-class	HMS Enterprise
Dido-class	HMS Dido
Leander-class	HMNZS Leander
Arethusa-class	HMS Arethusa
Town-class	HMS Belfast · HMS Liverpool · HMS Southampton
Tiger-class	HMS Tiger
Abdiel-class*	HMS Abdiel

Britain premium ships
Motor torpedo boats	MTB-1(2) · MTB-422 · Fairmile D (5001) · HMS Gay Archer
Motor gun boats	MGB-75 · SGB Grey Goose
Gunboats	HMS Spey
Sub-chasers	LÉ Orla
Frigates	HMS Whitby
Destroyers	HMS Montgomery · HMS Valhalla · HMS Verdun · ORP Garland · HMS Jervis · HMCS Haida · HMS Mohawk · HMS Cadiz · HMS Diamond
Light cruisers	HMS Belfast
Battleships	HMS Iron Duke