What do the HDMS Peder Skram in Copenhagen and HMS Belfast in London having in common? They are both museum ships!
Museum Ships In Focus
HDMS Peder Skram
The HDMS Peder Skram, code named (as you can see) F352. It is named after a 16th Century Danish Admiral. It is now docked in Holmen which is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Now the ship functions as a privately owned museum having been saved from scrapping and fully restored. But, it was once a fully functioning part of the Danish navy.
The Peder Skram was equipped with an innovative hybrid propulsion system and a combined gas and diesel turbine. It saw 25 years of service and was decommissioned in 1990. But it has an interesting history! On 6 September 1982 it accidentally fired a harpoon missile which luckily hit a row of empty cottages (which burnt to the ground). No-one was hurt. Since then it has had the nickname ‘Hovsa Missil’ or ‘Oops Missile’. The exact cause of the malfunction was never found.
HMS Belfast
The HMS Belfast is a town-class light cruiser built for the British Royal Navy and commissioned in 1939. It is now a museum ship operated by The Imperial War Musem and is permanently moored on the River Thames in London.
Not long after her launch the ship hit a mine and was out of action for three years for repairs. Fitted with one of the most advanced radar systems, on her return she was heavily involved in protecting Arctic convoys. These were vital in delivering supplies to the Soviet Union. Later she was involved in supporting the D-Day landings.
In the Battle of North Cape, HMS Belfast sank the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst with the loss of most of the cruiser’s crew. After the end of the Second World War, the ship was used in the Korean War to support retreating American and South Korean troops. She retired in 1963 after spending the last years of her active life on peacekeeping duties.
These are just two examples of museum ships of course. All of the images illustrating my blog are for sale as fine art prints, just click on an image to be taken to a page with more information.
Before you go
My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.
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Thank you for reading!
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