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The British Royal Navy ship HMS Belfast was presented yesterday with an Order of the Red Star, as a reminder of her service to Russia during the Arctic Convoys (1943).
The gift was presented to Brad King, Director of HMS Belfast by The Honourable Tim Lewin.
The symbolic presentation launches a high profile project between Russia and HMS Belfast to continue to preserve the ship for future generations. Russian Industrialists have been called upon to help the ship, as her 70 years of service begin to take their toll on her fabric. The project brings memories of the past ties between the ship and the people of Russia, as she played a key role in escorting convoys bringing vital supplies to Murmansk for a besieged Leningrad during the Second World War. She is now the Last Witness to momentous events in Arctic waters.
A call for support, both in-kind and monetary, has been organised by Tim Lewin, with support from the British Embassy in Moscow. The project aims to raise $2 million dollars and the replacement of both masts, which have so far stood the ravages of time but are now nearing the end of their useful life.
HMS Belfast is often called the ‘Last Witness’ of the Great Patriotic War. She served with distinction in both the Second World War and the Korean War. She is now the only surviving example of big gun armoured warships built for the Royal Navy in the first half of the twentieth century and the first ship to be preserved for the nation since Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory. Saved from scrapping in 1971, she provides nine decks of insight into her structure, power and what life at sea would have been like for sailors during major campaigns from Normandy to the Arctic Convoys where temperatures would reach sub zero. She also played a vital part in sinking the Scharnhorst during the Battle of North Cape. Since 1978 she has been a branch of the Imperial War Museum, moored within London’s financial district. For further information on HMS Belfast please visit www.iwm.org.uk/hmsbelfast.
The Honourable Tim Lewin is the son of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin, Baron Lewin of Greenwich, who served during the Arctic Convoys, and was a frequent visitor to Russia before he sadly passed away in 1999. The Honourable Tim Lewin is a British businessman who actively supports Russian businesses in gaining a foothold in the UK economy.
