Launch! is an exploration of the history of naval shipbuilding in Britain from about the 18th century to the present day. It charts the changes in technology such as the shift from wood to iron then steel, the move from sail to steam with paddlewheels then propellers and later the development of the steam turbine.
There are elements of the display looking at the tools, the lives of workers, shipbuilding trades and techniques, shipbuilding towns and ship design. This is mainly through a sequence of display panels with text and photographs, although there are also real touchable artefacts (especially tools) and video displays. There is a good degree of interactivity with push buttons to make sounds, Lego to play with, telephones for listening to oral stories, model boats in the water, a replica welding experience and an ICT based warship design exercise. The academic standard of the information is high.
However there is rather too much text (even for a reasonably technical and interested adult) and it was hard to work out the sequence of the panels (basically chronological, although some read from right to left). The interactive elements were fun and relevant but on the day we visited, the welding experience was out of order as, disappointingly, were the model boats in the water.
The ICT area was excellent and we all enjoyed more than one turn at getting our warships not to sink. The whole exhibition could entertain an erudite adult for an hour. We spent about half an hour with our children playing with everything until they wanted to move on.
HMS Belfast itself remains a favourite - a floating museum with lots of bits which you can fiddle with. My favourite is still the engine room: icy cold below the Thames waterline and a surreal and scary nightmare of pipes and valves. You can do lots of pretend gunning and sit in the Captain's and the Admiral’s highchairs. They are experimenting with a new signage system, but I still find this a large and confusing ship. I have been several times and still get lost, finding and missing different sections each time. A circular route would be so much better. The exhibits about daily life on board remain engaging, particularly seeing what sailors ate and where they slept and showered.
The queue to get tickets is slow: we waited for about 15 minutes, even though it was not that busy on the ship itself. There is a need to wrap up well: the river is cold at this time of year. A woolly hat is a good idea because there are lots of places to bang your head. Our children loved all the climbing up and down the ladder-like stairways, but this might not be such a hit if you take granny with you. There is a café on board, some toilets somewhere and a small and not unduly painful gift shop.
HMS Belfast is moored on the Thames between London Bridge and Tooley Street
Nearest tube: London Bridge or Tower Hill
Opening times:
1 March to 31 October: 10.00am to 6.00pm
1 November to 28 February: 10.00am to 5.00pm
Admission prices:
Children (under 16) free – must be accompanied by an adult
Adult £10.30