HMS Belfast

HMS Belfast has been moored on the Thames between Tower Bridge and London Bridge since 1971 as an outpost of the Imperial War Museum. The Town-class light cruiser was built in Belfast in 1936-39, struck a German magnetic mine in November 1939 and took nearly three years to repair. She later helped sink the Scharnhorst off the North Cape in 1943 and fired some of the opening shots of D-Day from the English Channel onto Normandy. Walkways thread nine decks – engine rooms, magazines, mess, bridge – conveying the cramped life of her 950-man crew. The thunderous gun-turret experience is a hit with families. Book tickets ahead in summer.