During Exercise Pony Express (May 1961) off Borneo, the RFA TIDEREACH refuelling three ships simultaneously, the frigate HMS YARMOUTH (left), the New Zealand cruiser HMNZS ROYALIST (right) and, in rear, HMS BELFAST.

 

From HMS Belfast site - 

In May 1961, the Operations Room in the heart of HMS Belfast was playing a major part in Operation Pony Express. This was an exercise carried out to rehearse large-scale amphibious landings involving 60 warships, 20,000 naval personnel and 6,000 British, US and Australian troops off North Borneo in the South China Sea.

This photo shows RFA Tidereach refuelling three ships simultaneously, the frigate HMS Yarmouth (left), the New Zealand cruiser Royalitst (right) and, in rear, HMS Belfast.

You can experience the sights and sounds of this real-life naval operation in the nerve centre of HMS Belfast. Use our interactive plotting tables to make decisions about the ship's movements to see if you can help recover a downed plane from the sea off the coast of North Borneo.

© IWM A 34437