HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast is a permanent display aboard the Second World War cruiser moored on the Thames at The Queens Walk, Southwark, London. It presents the ship's history across its decks, engine spaces and upper levels.

The permanent display aboard HMS Belfast traces the life of the cruiser through the ship itself rather than through a gallery of separate objects. Visitors move between its decks and compartments, where the fittings, guns and machinery illustrate the vessel's service in wartime and later years. The material on offer highlights the guns that fired the opening rounds linked to D-Day, and the engine rooms that powered the ship through cold northern waters and tropical seas.

The venue is a preserved warship, part of the Imperial War Museums group, moored on the River Thames near Tower Bridge. Its interior is the exhibition, so the visit is shaped by the layout of the vessel, with stairways and hatches linking one level to the next.

The display suits visitors interested in naval history, engineering and the Second World War, and families who enjoy exploring a large historic ship. From the Flag Deck, nine levels up, lookouts once watched the horizon for enemy vessels; today the same platform offers views over central London.