Gun Turret Experience: A Sailor’s Story, 1943 Dynamic New Addition to Historic HMS Belfast

Opens 31 July 2011

This summer visitors to HMS Belfast, a branch of the Imperial War Museum, can get a feel for what it would have been like to fight at sea in the thrilling new Gun Turret Experience: A Sailor’s Story, 1943. This permanent addition to the historic ship uses lights, imagery, sound, smoke effects, movement and smells to recreate the atmosphere and conditions of a cramped Gun Turret with its crew at action stations.

When visitors step into the Gun Turret Experience they embark on an unforgettable journey, following the story of a young sailor on HMS Belfast on Boxing Day, 1943. With the sighting of the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst you’re transported back in time to the Battle of North Cape and, now part of the Gun crew, you’re under the command of the Captain and Gunnery Officer. You’ll even witness the central gun raise for firing and feel the floor shake as it ‘shoots’. The fully immersive space aims to recreate both the physical and emotional sensations of war at sea and offers visitors a new way to understand the extraordinary experiences of the sailors who served on HMS Belfast.

The Gun Turret Experience, which is housed within one of the original Triple Gun Turrets overlooking the ship’s Quarterdeck, has been developed with the help of Royal Navy veterans as well as eye witness accounts from IWM’s collections. These include a letter by a young sailor, M-D Withers, sent to his mother shortly after the Battle of the North Cape where HMS Belfast was instrumental in the destruction of the Scharnhorst.

Phil Reed, Director of HMS Belfast says: “The Gun Turret Experience gives visitors an exhilarating new perspective on life at sea and really enhances the ship’s historic surroundings. By immersing people in the sights and sounds of a naval battle we hope visitors will leave HMS Belfast with not only a greater knowledge of the Second World War but also a deeper understanding of its impact.”

Gun Turret Experience: A Sailor’s Story, 1943 is the second addition to HMS Belfast this year following the opening of the interactive Operations Room in April. The historic Ops Room has been brought to life using simulated radar and an interactive plotting table game which helps you imagine what it would have been like to participate in the real-life naval operation Pony Express from 1961.

HMS Belfast, a branch in the IWM family, is a great day out for all the family just a short walk from both London Bridge and Tower Bridge. On board visitors can explore all nine decks of the large light cruiser which saw action in both the Second World War and the Korean War. Imagine how sailors once hurried up and down ladders, or take a look at the mess desk where her 950-strong crew ate and slept. A mixture of historic spaces, displays, temporary exhibitions and special events all help bring to life the ship’s history and the exciting stories of those who served on her.

Entry to Gun Turret Experience: A Sailor’s Story, 1943 is included in admission. Designed for children aged seven years and over. Warning: Strobe Lighting is used in the Gun Turret Experience

For further information or images contact Ellie Farrell, Senior Press Officer, 020 7416 5497, [email protected] Nina Smetek, Press & Marketing Assistant, 020 7091 3069, [email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Gun Turret Experience has been developed by Sarner (www.sarner.com) using materials from the Imperial War Museum’s Collections

HMS Belfast HMS Belfast is the most significant surviving Second World War Royal Navy warship, with a history that extends to the Arctic Convoys, D-Day, the Cold War, Korea and beyond. Moored on the River Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast tells the story of life on board and explores how war affects and impacts on the morale, resilience and determination of a ship’s community. We take visitors on a journey though the ship’s nine decks and show them what life was like for the 950 strong crew, through the real life stories of the people who served in her.

Open daily 1 November-28 February, 10am-5pm (last admission 4pm) and 1 March-31 October, 10am- 6pm (last admission 5pm). Admission £13.50 adults; £10.80 seniors and students; £8.10 visitors with disabilities (free carer); children under 16 free; special rates for groups of ten plus. Please note entry prices include a voluntary donation, making a valuable contribution to the care and conservation of the historic site. HMS Belfast, Morgans Lane, Tooley Street, London SE12J

IWM IWM (Imperial War Museums) tells the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War.

Our unique Collections, made up of the everyday and the exceptional, reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events. Using these, we tell vivid personal stories and create powerful physical experiences across our five museums that reflect the realities of war as both a destructive and creative force. We challenge people to look at conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war and its impact on people’s lives.

IWM’s five branches are IWM London, IWM’s flagship branch with six floors of exhibitions and displays; IWM North, housed in an iconic award-winning building designed by Daniel Libeskind; IWM Duxford, a world renowned aviation museum and Britain's best preserved wartime airfield; Churchill War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; and the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast.

First World War Centenary 2014 - 2018 marks the centenary of the First World War, a landmark anniversary for Britain and the world. IWM will mark the centenary by leading a vibrant, four year programme of cultural activities across the country, including the opening of brand new First World War galleries at IWM London in 2014. For more information visit www.1914.org