previous subclasses. The savings in terms of mass due to the change of arms and armor in the armament was reinvested in the air raid.

The Belfast was launched on St. Patrick’s Day (17 March) of 1938 at the Harland and Wolff of Belfast by Anne Chamberlain, the wife of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. The total cost of the ship was of 2,141,514 pounds, of which 75,000 to 66,500 for the guns and naval aircraft. Entered service in August 1939 under the command of Captain GA Scott and was assigned to the 18th CruiserSquadron.

At the beginning of the war the 18th CruiserSquadron was one of the ships involved in the effort undertaken by the British to impose a naval blockade to the Germans. During this mission, the Belfast managedto intercept the liner Cap Norte October 9, 1939 while trying to return to Germany pretending to be neutral ship.

At one o’clock of November 21, 1939 was then severely damaged, while abandoning the Firth of Forth, from the impact with a magnetic mine dropped from November 4 German submarine U-21 commanded by Fritz Kapitänleutnant Frauenheim. The incident caused the wounding of 21 men of the crew and the mine opened a gash in the keel, hull and machinery damage so severe that repairs made ​​to Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport demanded three years’ work.

The cruiser is riaggregò to the Home Fleet in November 1942 under the command of Captain Frederick Parham. During the repair, improvements were also implemented on the ship, such as enlargement of the central