| |  | HMS Belfast arriving at Kure, Japan, on 16 May 1950. |
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| Despite serving throughout the Second World War, it was in the Korean War that HMS Belfast saw some of the most intense action. | During her two years of service in Korea, she fired so much ammunition that she had to have her worn-out gun barrels replaced.
In June 1950, tensions on the Korean Peninsula were high. After the Second World War, the country was divided along a line known as the 38th Parallel.
The northern area fell under Soviet control and the region to the south came under US control. Originally intended as a temporary solution, neither side was willing to acknowledge the other.
The Korean War broke out on 25 June 1950 when Kim Il Sung ordered the North Korean army to invade South Korea. At that time, HMS Belfast was docked in the small Japanese port of Hakodate.
She had been carrying out peacetime operations and wasn’t carrying a full crew compliment. When Captain Aubrey Sinclair Ford heard the news of the invasion he prepared his ship for war, sailing to Yokohama to re-arm and re-equip.
Control of the sea was crucial. Naval forces were contending with hundreds of miles of coastline and thousands of small islands.
HMS Belfast was soon in action in Korean waters, joining an international force sent by the UN to support South Korea. This group provided support for troops in Korea by bombarding enemy positions.
Belfast regularly used her 6- and 4-inch guns to bombard enemy railway lines, roads, gun emplacements, or anywhere that needed firepower. She quickly made a name for herself for her accuracy. An American admiral praised her as ‘that straight-shooting ship’.
HMS Belfast veteran Ron Yardley recalls the power of her forward guns when she went into action: ‘If you were in your hammock, a blast used to lift you up and drop you down again.’
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Family activities at IWM branches this half term
Activities vary, we recommend checking details at the admissions desk on arrival. |  | Family Activities at
HMS Belfast | Discover how to keep the iconic ship in tip-top condition and take charge of HMS Belfast in our interactive family activity Sea Legs.
Daily from 28 May until 5 June. Free with admission. | | | |
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 | Family Activities at
IWM Duxford | Put your paper plane making skills to the test with Flight Academy or travel back in time to D-Day 1944 with Family Mission.
Daily from 28 May until 5 June. Free with admission. | | | |
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|  | Story Seekers:
Chocolate Edition | Learn all about rationing during the Second World War, how chocolate boosted morale and unwrap your very own chocolate treat!
IWM London: Daily from 28 May until 5 June. Free entry.
IWM North: Daily from 28 May until 12 June. Free entry.
IWM Duxford: Daily from 28 May until 5 June. Free with admission. | | | |
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 | We Were There:
Tales of Chocolate | Meet eyewitnesses to conflict and gain first-hand insight into the impact of war on people’s lives through stories of chocolate.
IWM London: 29 and 30 May. Free entry.
IWM North: 2 and 9 June.
Free entry.
IWM Duxford: 28 May and 1 June. Free with admission. | | | |
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| North Korea advanced, forcing South Korea and its allies back into the southern tip of the peninsula, and close to defeat. UN Forces eventually regained territory and traction by using heavy firepower, pushing North Korean forces back to the Yalu River.
The Commander in Chief of the UN forces, General MacArthur, developed an ambitious plan to ensure this momentum continued. In August 1950, HMS Belfast was among several ships to participate in diversionary operations.
They were to shell a city along the west coast called Inchon. This shelling continued throughout August to normalise the bombardments and conceal preparations for MacArthur’s plan.
In September 1950, Belfast was recalled back to Britain to reequip, rearm and receive more than 900 men to put her on a wartime footing.
On 15 September, General McArthur put his plan into action. Operation Chromite was a surprise amphibious landing of 261 UN naval vessels in Inchon.
The assault was one of the first major victories for UN forces, taking North Korea completely by surprise. Two weeks later, the South Korean capital of Seoul was recaptured from North Korean forces. It seemed like the tide was finally turning in favour of South Korea.
At this point, China entered the war and again pushed United Nations forces back into the South. During the first half of 1951 fighting stalled. Armistice negotiations began in July but achieved little success.
HMS Belfast returned to Korea in July 1951 to find the war in a deadlock. The front line had stabilised, and Belfast was mainly concerned with supporting actions against the islands along the Korean coasts.
(continues below) |  | Part of the invasion fleet in the approaches Inchon. |
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| The winter sea conditions brought sub-zero temperatures, ice floes, stormy seas, and snow. Between periods at sea, HMS Belfast returned to Sasebo in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture, where the crew was able to relax. At other times, she may have gone for refits in Singapore, and spent brief periods back home in Britain.
The negotiations continued. One major sticking point remained the prisoners of war - tens of thousands had been taken by both sides.
Belfast took enemy prisoners during some of its island operations as it was equipped with a sick bay, large mess decks, and holding cells. Royal Marines would look after them until they could be transferred to larger UN ships or ashore to prisoner of war camps.
HMS Belfast spent more than 400 days on patrol during the Korean War, steaming over 80,000 miles. She was relieved by HMS Birmingham and HMS Newcastle in September 1952. Superstitious sailors thought Belfast carried Irish luck because of its St Patrick's Day launch.
Only one Belfast sailor was killed during action in Korea – leading steward Lao So from Hong Kong. His funeral was held on Belfast’s quarter deck. In total, around 3 million people lost their lives during the Korean War, many of them civilians.
An armistice was signed in July 1953, bringing an end to the fighting. But it was not a peace treaty. Technically, North and South Korea are still at war with each other to this day. The war in Korea is often overshadowed by the Second World War and Vietnam War, earning it the name ‘the forgotten war’. |
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| Events coming up this summer at IWM Duxford |  | IWM In Conversation:
Lancaster Filmmakers | 25 June 2022
Join the filmmakers behind the new documentary Lancaster as they discuss bringing the iconic aircraft to life through the words of the last surviving crew members. | | | |
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 | Duxford Summer
Air Show | 18 and 19 June 2022
Fuel your senses with fast-flying, all-action aerobatics, and spectacular sights in the air and on the ground. A day out full of highs! Pre-booking required. | | | |
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