Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:02:24-3:03:17

Why HMS Belfast was not a helicopter cruiser

By the time Belfast could be converted, purpose-built or converted carrier hulls offered better helicopter capacity while Belfast remained valuable as a gun and command cruiser.

CruisersHelicoptersRoyal NavyWarship Design
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Question

Why was a large cruiser such as HMS Belfast not converted into a helicopter cruiser?

Short answer

Other carrier hulls were better suited to helicopter conversion, while Belfast remained useful as a gun-armed command cruiser.

Notes

Helicopter-carrier conversions make most sense when there are no better hulls available. The Royal Navy had carrier options, whereas Belfast still offered useful guns and command facilities. Building a helicopter carrier from the keel up would eventually be more effective than sacrificing those cruiser qualities.