HMS Belfast – a pre Covid 19 trip
HMS Belfast trip
I’ve spent the last week struggling with IT issues which still aren’t sorted. I currently can’t access my photos from my Jorvik trip or the film rushes I recently did for a client, to create his video.
So what can I do I ask myself?
Why not a post about my last photography trip to the HMS Belfast? I had the photos on my mobile and haven’t had a chance to download them yet.
I haven’t been on HMS Belfast for years. I’d forgotten just how big it is. I had to be careful given my spinal issue, but because of my work with my trainer, I was able to manage the ladders better than I expected.
The Ship Tour
I started the tour in one of the gun turrets. A video showed how it would have operated during the war. The floor shook when the guns fired. It was quite scary and very claustrophobic. Not somewhere I would have liked to have been.
Inside the Ship
I then moved inside, seeing places like the kitchen, the sickroom and the Artic Messdecks where the crew slept in hammocks. I saw where the woodworkers and metalworkers would have worked, where the sail makers worked and where the Admiral and Captains slept. There is a Bursar’s office where money and food would have been purchased. I also popped into the communications room and had a go tapping out my name in Morse Code.
The Admiral’s Bridge
I also visited the Admiral’s Bridge which was great as I got a chance to sit in the Admiral’s chair. The view from the bridge is great.
Out on deck it was very blustery, but no where near as bad as it would have been in the artic. There are good views up and down the River Thames. HMS Belfast is moored near the Tower of London, so there is also a great view of the Tower.
HMS Belfast is a great day out for anyone interested in naval history, World War 2 history and the Artic campaign. There is a lift to access some areas of the ship, but overall it is not that disabled friendly. There are a lot of ladders, many of which are quite steep. Some of the hatches were very narrow, making it difficult to get through if you aren’t that mobile.
The story behind my short film What did you do in the war Grandad?
Tips to help you make short films on a budget.
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