Exercise BENSON BELFAST

Flt Lt Matthew Wright

On Wednesday 12 April 23, 11 members of 28 (AC) Sqn set sail for the river Thames to spend the day aboard HMS Belfast, learning about the history of the great warship, and the way of life for the sailors who lived and served as part of her crew.

Commissioned in 1939, HMS Belfast was one of 10 ‘townclass’ light cruisers built for the Royal Navy. Following this, her crew saw a wide array of action. Only two months later, HMS Belfast struck a German mine and suffered significant damage but fortunately was able to be repaired and returned to service. Later, she played a vital role in escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union in 1943, as well as taking part in the Battle of North Cape, assisting in the destruction of the German battleship Scharnhorst. Perhaps most notably, she was involved in the bombardment of the Normandy beaches prior to the D-Day landings in 1944. Having made our way aboard, the tour immediately hit a minor setback as it became apparent that despite the wealth of military experience in our group, no one could definitively identify whether we were stood at the front or the back of the ship. You’d think it would be obvious, but it all looks very similar when you’re up close, fortunately the team of Imperial War Museum volunteers were more than able to help us out (it was the stern), and we continued our tour feeling suitably oriented. We first arrived at the gun turrets of HMS Belfast, and we were able to see first-hand the cramped working conditions that the crews had to endure whilst operating the 12 x 6-inch guns that bombarded German defenses during the D-Day landings. Capable of operating individually, firing a 52KG shell 23Km, each gun required a team of 7 sailors within the gun turret itself, as well as an even larger team in the hull of the ship below. Certainly not a job for the claustrophobic (or those keen on keeping their hearing).

As we ventured ever deeper inside, it became more evident why this ship could be described as a floating city, with a post office, a bakery, a surgery and a NAAFI all on board. This was impressive enough, but when squeezed between the shell rooms, engine spaces and control rooms that made HMS Belfast a second world war fighting force we began to understand how impressive the ship was. The group were then able to listen to an interesting talk given by one of the volunteer guides at the Imperial War Museum, who gave a history of the Supermarine Walrus, the amphibious biplane that made up part of the ship’s arsenal. Known affectionately as ‘the shagbat’ (naturally... due to its likeness to a mythical bird who could fly in ever tightening circles), this odd-looking aircraft was used mainly as a reconnaissance asset. Bridging the gap between the ancient technology of ‘standing on the tallest part of the ship and looking to the horizon’ and the new creation of RADAR, the Walrus gave HMS Belfast the ability to gain aerial intelligence during battle, able to spot other shipping and monitoring the accuracy of their own gunfire.

The Shagbat was at one point fitted with small depth charges, with the aim of it becoming an attacking force. However, apparently, it’s most notorious kill occurred during a training exercise where the crew spotted a school of cod, which they decided to use as target practice. One successful raid later... the crew had loaded the entire aircraft with fresh fish, ready to be taken back to a hungry HMS Belfast. Unable to fly due to the sheer number of fish in the fuselage, they were forced to taxi across the ocean 3 miles back to their ship!

The remainder of our time was spent touring the lower decks, seeing the various working areas of the ship including the engine bays, shell room and the bridge. Seeing how a crew of up to 880 sailors were able to live and operate in such a congested space was fascinating, and certainly gave much to think about. The team then re-grouped in a convenient local venue for some facilitated discussion on what we had seen, and some further reflection. Overall, the day proved to be a great success, allowing everyone to see an insight into Naval power, and experience something different from the day to day at 28 (AC) Sqn.