Russian cash to keep HMS Belfast shipshape

Historical appeal: HMS Belfast, which protected the Arctic convoys, needs repairs to her rusted masts
12 April 2012

Russian firms are coming to the aid of HMS Belfast, the former Royal Navy cruiser docked near Tower Bridge.

The vessel, which is in need of repairs, is the sole survivor of the Arctic convoys that kept Russia supplied and able to fight the Germans during the Second World War.

So far Russian businesses in London have contributed £250,000. The aim is to double this by 9 May, when the country celebrates Victory Day.

The Russian embassy in London is also seeking to contact veterans of the convoys. A Russian jubilee medal commemorating 65 years since the end of the war will be awarded to about 15 former sailors in a ceremony on HMS Belfast, which entered service in 1939, on 24 March.

Fundraising efforts to replace the rusting masts on the ship, which is operated by the Imperial War Museum, began three years ago but were hit by the economic downturn.

Hopes that Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, would authorise a £1 million donation failed to materialise.

Brad King, director of HMS Belfast, said: "I thought it would be really nice if Russian businesses could help. We are part of Russia's history and the ship has touched a lot of lives.

"We felt it was probably best to get official support from the Russian government, and Vladimir Putin, who was then president, did sign it off.

"Since then we have been working out ways of getting companies to support us. The Russian embassy has swung behind it to help it along."

Veterans of the convoys can email the Russian embassy at: Office@rusemblon.org or write to: 6/7 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QP.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in