The veteran World War Two cruiser, HMS Belfast, is to have her rusting masts replaced courtesy of a former ally she fought to support - Russia. Lloyd's Register has been asked to help out on the project by its Russian sponsors.

Now owned by the Imperial War Museum, HMS Belfast has been on permanent display on the Thames in central London since 1971.

However for several years her profile has been marred by unsightly scaffolding surrounding her mainmast, due to corrosion, which has affected both the cruiser's steel-lattice masts. The museum has been involved in trying to raise sufficient funds for repairs.

This year, HMS Belfast's role in helping to fight through vital wartime convoys to the Soviet Union has been recognised by the Russian government and the Russian marine industry with a commitment to replace the masts and restore the ship to her former glory.

As part of Russia's marking  the 65th anniversary of VE Day and the end of World War Two in Europe, the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, presented a signed commemorative diploma to the ship, and ordered the ‘State Jubilee Medal for the 65th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945' be awarded to Belfast's surviving crew members.

More significantly for Belfast, the Russian shipping company, Sovcomflot, has mobilised several Russian shipyards to work on new steel-lattice masts for the ship. In support of the project, Sovcomflot also invited Lloyd's Register to help in assessing and designing the restoration work.

As well as service on the Arctic convoys, Belfast also took part in the sinking of the German battlecruiser, Scharnhorst off the North Cape of Norway in December 1943, and was part of the bombardment force covering the D-Day landings. She also saw service during the Korean War in 1950-53.