Belfast

13.3

Belfast

Cruiser | U.K. | Tier VII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points35,700

Main Battery

152 mm/50 BL Mk.XXIII on a Mk.XXIII mount4 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire8 shots/min.

Reload Time7.5 sec.

Rotation Speed7 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time25.71 sec.

Firing Range15.42 km.

Maximum Dispersion139 m.

HE Shell152 mm HE 6crh Mk IV

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,100

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell9 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity841 m./s.

HE Shell Weight50.8 kg.

AP Shell152 mm AP 6crh Mk IV

Maximum AP Shell Damage3,100

Initial AP Shell Velocity841 m./s.

AP Shell Weight50.8 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

102 mm/45 QF Mk.XVI on an RP50 Mk.XIX mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range5.6 km.

Rate of Fire20 shots/min.

Reload Time3 sec.

HE Shell102 mm HE 35 lb

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,500

Initial HE Shell Velocity811 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell6 %

AA Defense

102 mm/45 QF Mk.XVI on an RP50 Mk.XIX mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second71.6

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

40 mm/56 OQF Mk.XI on an RP50 mount6 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second140.4

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed32.5 knot

Turning Circle Radius730 m.

Rudder Shift Time9.6 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range11 km.

Air Detectability Range7.16 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.3

Belfast

Cruiser | U.K. | Tier VII

Tech Tree Position

General

Purchase priceSpecial

Hit Points35,700

Main Battery

152 mm/50 BL Mk.XXIII on a Mk.XXIII mount4 х 3 pcs.

Rate of Fire8 shots/min.

Reload Time7.5 sec.

Rotation Speed7 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time25.71 sec.

Firing Range15.42 km.

Maximum Dispersion139 m.

HE Shell152 mm HE 6crh Mk IV

Maximum HE Shell Damage2,100

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell9 %

Initial HE Shell Velocity841 m./s.

HE Shell Weight50.8 kg.

AP Shell152 mm AP 6crh Mk IV

Maximum AP Shell Damage3,100

Initial AP Shell Velocity841 m./s.

AP Shell Weight50.8 kg.

Secondary Armament #1

102 mm/45 QF Mk.XVI on an RP50 Mk.XIX mount4 х 2 pcs.

Firing Range5.6 km.

Rate of Fire20 shots/min.

Reload Time3 sec.

HE Shell102 mm HE 35 lb

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,500

Initial HE Shell Velocity811 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell6 %

AA Defense

102 mm/45 QF Mk.XVI on an RP50 Mk.XIX mount4 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second71.6

. . . Firing Range5.01 km.

40 mm/56 OQF Mk.XI on an RP50 mount6 х 2 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second140.4

. . . Firing Range3.51 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed32.5 knot

Turning Circle Radius730 m.

Rudder Shift Time9.6 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range11 km.

Air Detectability Range7.16 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

VII

Special

Belfast — British special premium Tier VII cruiser.

An Edinburgh-class light cruiser, one of the most powerful among same-type ships in the Royal Navy during World War II. Underwent several major upgrades. Instead of AA and torpedo armament, the ship received improved anti-torpedo protection and an enhanced surveillance radar.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
152 mm/50 BL Mk.XXIII on a Mk.XXIII mount	8	25.7	139	2,100	9	3,100		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Belfast	35,700	6	114	4	4	6/4				0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Mk VII mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 80,000 hp	32.5		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5

Player Opinion

Performance

Belfast is a Tier VII premium British cruiser of the same class as the Tier VIII Edinburgh, but does not carry any torpedoes. However, she has the ability to mount smoke, hydro, and radar consumables at the same time, as well as having HE rounds available. This trifecta of consumables makes her a fearsome destroyer hunter, which is even further enhanced by her ability to mount upgrades in Slot 6 — a slot normally reserved for Tier VIII+ ships — allowing her to boost her concealment (for getting close to destroyers) or her rudder shift (for dodging incoming shells and torpedoes). Her shell arcs are fairly high, making hitting fast moving targets at range difficult, but she can also hide behind low islands in a similar play style to American destroyers and fellow Tier VII premium cruiser Atlanta.

LittleWhiteMouse's Premium Ship Review: Belfast from the NA forums

Pros:

• Able to simultaneously mount the Smoke Screen, Surveillance Radar, and Hydroacoustic Search consumables.
• Has access to Concealment System Modification 1.
• Decent range and turret traverse speeds.
• Good concealment.
• Great acceleration.

Cons:

• Mediocre armor, as befitting a light cruiser. She can weather incoming 203mm rounds, but anything larger than that is going to cause havoc.
• Lacks the torpedoes that her tech tree counterparts have.
• Poor shell velocity at longer ranges.
• Somewhat poor trainer. Specializing captains for her can be very different to captains specialized to other British light cruisers due to the He and lack of torpedoes.

Research

As a premium ship, Belfast doesn't have any upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

Upgrade Slot 1 is best filled with Main Armaments Modification 1 to reduce the chances of her turrets getting incapacitated. Upgrade Slot 2 is a toss-up between Aiming Systems Modification 1 — which improves her shell dispersion and provides a minor buff to her secondary battery — and AA Guns Modification 2 to improve the size of her anti-aircraft bubble. Most of Belfast’s AA punch is from her 40mm Bofors mounts which start with a maximum range of 3.5km. Damage Control Systems Modification 1 or Propulsion Modification 1 are probably the top choices for Upgrade Slot 4, while Steering Gears Modification 2 is likely the best choice for Upgrade Slot 5.

Unique amongst her Tier VII counterparts, Belfast has access to Upgrade Slot 6, giving her additional flexibility. Most captains will opt for Concealment System Modification 1, but Steering Gears Modification 3 is also available and should not be overlooked. With her small turning radius, stacking both Steering Gears Mods 2 and 3 gives Belfast a lightning-quick rudder shift that will make even Pensacola captains envious.

Commander Skills

Given Belfast’s unique access to three different consumables — Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, and Smoke Screen — Superintendent is highly recommended as a Tier 3 skill. Jack of All Trades should not be overlooked at Tier 5 for similar reasons.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Endurance		Attack		Support		Versatility
1	Priority Target Situational Awareness indicator will show the number of opponents currently aiming at you with main battery guns.	Preventative Maintenance -30% to the risk of incapacitation of main turrets, torpedo tubes, steering gear, engines. ★	Expert Loader -50% to reload time when shell type is switched. ★	Air Supremacy -5% aircraft restoration time.	Direction Center for Fighters +1 fighter to carrier fighter squadrons or catapult fighters.	Improved Engine Boost +10% Aircraft engine boost time.	Incoming Fire Alert Indicator of long-range enemy artillery fire. ★★	Last Gasp Completely restores the engine boost for the last attack flight of the carrier's planes.
2	High Alert -10% to reload time of Damage Control Party consumable. ★★★	Jack of All Trades -5% to reload time of all consumables. ★★	Expert Marksman +2.5 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber up to 139mm. +0.7 deg/sec to traverse speed of guns with a caliber above 139mm. ★★★	Torpedo Acceleration +5 knots to torpedo speed. -20% to torpedo range.	Smoke Screen Expert +20% to the radius of the smoke screen.	Improved Engines +2.5% Squadron speed.	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% to reload times of all types of armament for each 1% of total health lost. +0.2% squadron speed for each 1% of total health lost.	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★
3	Basics of Survivability -15% to time of repair, fire extinguishing, and recovery from flooding. ★★★	Survivability Expert +350 ship HP for each ship tier. +15 aircraft HP for each ship tier.	Torpedo Armament Expertise -10% to reload time of torpedo tubes.	Aircraft Armor Reduces continuous damage to aircraft in all AA defense zones. -10% continuous damage.	Basic Firing Training -10% to reload time of main battery guns with a caliber up to and including 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +10% to continuous damage from AA guns. ★★	Superintendent +1 additional charge to all consumables mounted on a ship. ★★★	Demolition Expert +2% chance of HE shells causing a fire on target. +1% chance of rockets causing a fire on target. +5% chance of HE bombs causing a fire on target. ★★★	Vigilance +25% to detection range of enemy torpedoes. ★★
4	Manual Fire Control for Secondary Armament Tightens dispersion of shells from secondary batteries. -15% for Tier I-VI ships. -60% for Tier VII-X ships. Manually selected target only.	Fire Prevention -10% to the risk of fire. The maximum number of fires on a ship is reduced to three. ★★	Inertia Fuse for HE Shells +30% to the armor penetration capacity of HE shells. -1% chance of fire on target caused by shells <=139mm. -3% chance of fire on target caused by shells >139mm.	Sight Stabilization Speeds up the aiming of a carrier's aircraft. +5% attack aircraft aiming speed. +5% torpedo bomber aiming speed. +10% dive bomber aiming speed.	Advanced Firing Training +20% to firing range of main battery guns with a caliber up to 139mm and all secondary battery guns. +15% damage/sec. within the explosion radius of shells fired from long-range AA defenses. ★★	Massive AA Fire Instantaneous Damage +100%. Priority AA sector cooldown +50%.	Radio Position Finding Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken.	Concealment Expert -10% to the detection radius of all ships and aircraft. ★★★
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful       ★★ - Frequently Useful       ★ - Occasionally Useful      No stars - Meh     Χ - Not recommended

Consumables

Belfast differs from her Tier VIII sister Edinburgh in that she has an additional consumable slot dedicated to Surveillance Radar; thus, she is not forced to choose between Smoke Generator and Surveillance Radar and can equip both. However, she does not have access to Repair Party as Edinburgh does. Captains are recommended to equip premium versions of all four consumables available to Belfast (Damage Control Party, Hydroacoustic Search, Smoke Generator, Surveillance Radar) for maximum efficiency in hunting down destroyers and survivability. Remember, Belfast is a premium ship and will make extra credits that can go towards paying for the premium consumables.

Camouflage

As a premium ship, Belfast comes included with Type 10 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, and increases the amount of experience she earns.

Signals

As a premium ship with three highly useful consumables, it is best to mount November Foxtrot for faster cooldowns. Additionally, captains can mount Zulu Hotel for faster captain (re)training and Zulu for more credit earning.

Gallery

• 

  Belfast enters the Land of Fire.

• 

  Belfast uses smoke to her advantage.

• 

  Belfast engages an enemy Yorck backed by a friendly Flint.

• 

  Belfast succumbs to her wounds and begins to list.

Historical Info

Construction

Harland and Wolff Shipyard; Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Laid down: 10 December 1936

Launched: 17 March 1938

Commissioned: 3 August 1939

Specifications

10,550 tons displacement, standard

187m length

19.30m beam

6.5m draft

Machinery

4 boilers, 4 turbines

Performance

32.5 knots at 80,000 shaft horsespower

8,000nm at 14 knots

Armor

Main belt: 114mm

Decks: 51-77mm

Bulkheads: 63.5mm

Turrets: 102mm face, 51mm sides, 51mm roof

Armament

Twelve (4x3) 152mm guns, twelve (6x2) 102mm guns, sixteen (2x8) 40mm guns, eight (2x4) 12.7mm guns, and six (3x2) 533mm torpedo tubes

Aircraft

Three Supermarine Walrus, one catapult

History

Design

HMS Belfast and her sister HMS Edinburgh were designed as modified Town class cruisers. The ships of this class were constructed in response to the Japanese Mogami class cruisers, which were armed with fifteen 152mm guns. British ship designers sought to match the Japanese cruisers’ number of guns, but due to length restrictions, were unable to properly fit five turrets onto the ships. Other plans called for Belfast to be mounted with quadruple turrets; however, these mountings proved to be unsatisfactory. Ultimately, Belfast was mounted with twelve 152mm guns arranged in two superfiring turret pairs.

Belfast, like the preceding cruisers, was designed to have armor capable of protecting the ship against 152mm caliber gunfire. The ship featured a smaller magazine and citadel space compared to previous cruisers. This shortened length allowed for more armor to be mounted around the machinery and weaponry spaces. Additionally, Belfast carried more powerful machinery than previous cruisers which allowed her to maintain the designed speed of 32knts. Due to having an increased fuel capacity, Belfast also had an extended range over her older sister ships.

Belfast was laid down at the Harland and Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 10 December 1936. She was launched on 17 March 1938 and spent the following year fitting out and beginning her sea trials.

Service

HMS Belfast entered service in August 1939, with further trials and testing scheduled when World War Two began one month later. Assigned to the 18th Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet alongside her sister ship, HMS Edinburgh, Belfast participated in interception and interdiction missions designed to destroy whatever elements of the German fleet could be found. These efforts proved mostly unsuccessful, gaining the confiscation of the liner Cap Norte as the only success.

In November 1939, Belfast was transferred to the 2nd Cruiser squadron, and that same month was nearly sunk after striking a German mine. The explosion damaged nearly all her machinery mountings, many hull plates below the waterline, and most importantly, bent the keel. Repairs would, of necessity, be long.

Belfast did not sail again for three years, leaving the dockyards in December 1942 with significant upgrades. Her armor plating was extended, new 20mm anti-aircraft mounts shipped, and a new radar suite installed. The latter two improvements comprised sufficient top-side weight that she was also bulged, providing a measure of torpedo protection to complement the added stability. Belfast returned to the Home Fleet and conducted escort duty for the Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. It was on one such mission in December 1943 which saw Belfast as a participant in the Battle of the North Cape in which the German battleship Scharnhorst was sunk.

Belfast returned to England for a hurried refit, rejoining the fleet as the headquarters ship of the Eastern Fleet in April 1944 in time for the Normandy landings of Operation Overlord. During the landings, Belfast conducted naval gunfire support missions, remaining on station until July 1944, returning to dockyards in England in August for a more thorough refit in preparation for deployment to the Pacific Theater.

Belfast arrived in the Pacific just as Japan was concluding surrender negotiations. She remained as part of the Far Eastern forces of the Royal Navy until 1955, participating in the Korean War, where she conducted patrols and naval gunfire support missions. In 1955, Belfast was placed in the naval reserve while undergoing extensive refit. Reactivated after refit in 1959, she returned to Asian waters until 1962 when she left for home to serve her final year of active service as flagship of the Home Fleet. Belfast was finally retired from active service in 1963.

In July 1967, Imperial War Museum personnel dined aboard Belfast while investigating the possibility of preserving one of the 6-inch gun turrets from HMS Gambia, anchored nearby. During the meal, they conceived of the idea of preserving not just a turret, but an entire ship as a living museum. Belfast was the perfect candidate; she was in relatively good shape having only recently been retired. Their initial efforts failed to convince the British government of the value of the concept, however, and on 4 May 1971, HMS Belfast was scheduled for disposal.

Led by the efforts of one of Belfast’s final commanding officers — then a serving Member of Parliament — the ship was finally saved from the breakers in July by a private foundation and opened to the public as a museum on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1971, berthed along the south bank of the Thames in central London. She officially became a branch of the Imperial War Museum in 1978, and now hosts more than 250,000 visitors per year as one of the best preserved warships of the modern era.

Historical Gallery

• 

  HMS Belfast at her London berth, painted in Admiralty pattern Disruptive Camouflage.

• 

  One of Belfast’s Supermarine Walrus aircraft, photographed in an Icelandic fjord, 1942-1943.

• 

  Photograph of Belfast’s damaged hull, taken while the ship was drydocked for repairs.

• 

  Admiral Burnett in his cabin aboard HMS Belfast.

• 

  HMS Belfast’s 4-inch guns bombarding German positions in Normandy at night.

• 

  Belfast at anchor in Sydney Harbour, August 1945.

• 

  Belfast arriving at Kure, southern Japan, in May 1950.

• 

  March 1951: Belfast fires a salvo against enemy troop concentrations on the west coast of Korea.

• 

  After modernization; showing the enclosed bridge, lattice mast, and twin 40mm Bofors mountings.

• 

  Belfast at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1962.

• 

  Belfast’s permanent home on the Thames, seen here with Tower Bridge in the background.

• 

  HMS Portland, a Royal Navy frigate, is moored alongside HMS Belfast prior to deployment.

• 

  The view of the Belfast's turrets from the bridge.

• 

  HMS Belfast resting at night on the Thames River, with the Tower Bridge in the background.

• 

  A trip to the dentist can be dangerous in any location.

• 

  6-inch shells are laid out and ready to be loaded into elevators on the lowest level of B turret. Belfast fired some 2,000 rounds of such ammunition in support of the D-Day landings.

• 

  The breech of the central 6-inch gun inside Y turret.

• 

  The ship's bell of HMS Belfast, presented to the crew her by her namesake city of Belfast, Ireland in October 1948.

• 

  HMS Belfast is a museum ship maintained by the Imperial War Museum.

Ships of U.K.

Cruisers