Rule 5 Warships – HMS Belfast

Let’s start the new year strong with a Rule 5 of one of the Royal Navy’s most popular maids. Meet Belfast, Head Maid for the Royal Maids.  She’s an expert in everything, but most especially at hospitality, tea brewing, and keeping the rest of the Royal Maid Corps on their toes (no mean feat considering some of the personalities involved).

The real HMS Belfast was a Town-class light cruiser. Due to changes in the design during building, she became a part of the Edinburgh sub-class, differentiated from her sisters in the other sub-classes by being 9,000 tons heavier, primarily because she carried a heavier main armament. Launched on March 17^th, 1938 (Saint Patrick’s Day), she was officially commissioned on August 5^th, 1939.

HMS Belfast saw near continuous service throughout World War II, save for intermittent stops for repairs and/or refitting. Most of the refits would be focused on improving her AAA capabilities, though one other significant change was fitting of radar sets in 1942 which reduced her need to rely on catapult-launched spotter aircraft. The radar would prove extremely useful during the Battle of North Cape, when Belfast would shadow KMS Scharnhorst from beyond visual range, allowing HMS Duke of York to successfully intercept the German battleship.

Unlike most allied ships, Belfast would continue to serve well beyond World War II. Further modernization would see her operate during the Korean War. A final set of changes would update her close-range armament, and enclose most of her deck. She would operate until 1963 before being retired for the final time.

At this point, fate and good timing intervened. Where the story for most ships ends here with “Decommissioned and scrapped” or “Decommissioned and sunk as a target”, Belfast would be saved by a combination of public and private efforts to turn her into a museum ship. She was opened to the public on October 21^st, 1971 (Trafalgar Day), and has remained open ever since. This is a definite addition to my “British Bucket List” of places to visit if I ever make it over to Britain for an extended sight-seeing excursion.

In Azur Lane, Belfast is the loyal rock who holds the Royal Maid together. She gets a fair amount of screentime in the Azur Lane anime, and despite being one of the earliest units, she remains a solid member of a vanguard fleet. As might be expected by her longevity in the game, a fair number of cosplayers have interpreted some of her costumes, including her iconic maid outfit, over the past few years.