It may seem odd that an article on HMS Belfast should appear on the LEFARS blog, but a number of members of the club are also members of the RNARS London (HMS Belfast) Group and operate regularly from there.
When the masts were replaced in September 2010 ,the ship lost its 2m & 70cms aerials. Although new aerials were purchased, they could not be installed without specialist erectors to climb the fore mast. Luckily the Imperial war museum, the Belfast’s owners agreed to put the aerials up on the mast.
Prior to the aerials going up Marc G0TOC and John G1DJI would put the aerials together and get the installation ready to go up on the mast. However a slight hitch occurred in the autumn of 2011 in that the walkway onto the ship from the quay gave way isolating the ship. This necessitated the complete closure of the ship, the cancellations of all functions, activities and no public access. As one can imagine, all sorts of agencies were involved in finding out whom, why, how and of course who is going to pay.
The owners needed to get some of the staff and maintenance people on board so they had to hire a launch to do this on a daily basis.
On a cold damp Saturday, April 14th, four of us, Marc G0TOC, John G1DJI, Derek M0XDC and I boarded the launch to get to the ship. We were to meet the rigging crew who were to install the aerials at the top of the mast.
(L to R) Rod the leading yeoman 2E0RPS , John G1DJI and Marc G0TOC
HMS Belfast isolated. No walkway.
Derek M0XDC
Nearly there
Explaining to the riggers what is required..
spot the supervisor
The rigger is at the fore mast top (image below), the orange rope was used to haul up the 6m / 2m / 70cm collinear on the stub mast. The aerial was installed some 18m above the deck. The co-ax was then dropped through the encased trunking and fed through the bulkheads, decks etc. and into the bridge wireless office.
Having fed the co-ax from the foremast to the bridge wireless office the feeder was terminated and plugged into the rig. All seemed to be well and a couple of contacts were make on 2m. The most notable one was from club member, Cliff 2E0RCW, who had just left the Gunpowder Mills, in Waltham Abbey, after a spell of duty. Cliff replied using his 2m handheld and gave 5/9+.
Here we see ‘Steptoe’ Litchman carefully examining half a bracket found atop the mast. It wasn’t gold or silver, just old steel.
73
John G0VEH (email: g0veh@lefars.org.uk)
