In this week's roundup of our best boat photos we pay homage to HMS Belfast, which half a century ago put her hull up as her active service drew to a close
Half a century ago HMS Belfast’s active service drew to a close
when Captain H C J Shand DSC RN brought her alongside Devonport Dockyard for
the last time under her own steam on 24 August 1963.
When he gave the order to ring off the main engines it signalled the end of a remarkable career that included the capture of the German liner Cap Norte, the Arctic Convoys, the Battle of North Cape which culminated in the sinking of the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst, the D-Day Landings, the Yangste Incident and the Korean War.
Since 1971 she has been preserved in the Pool of London as a lasting reminder of the big gun armoured warships that formed the backbone of the Royal Navy at the turn of the 20th Century.
See our gallery of HMS BELFAST PHOTOS.
