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The Japanese training ship, JS Kashima, passes under Tower Bridge to join World War 2-era warship, HMS Belfast, alongside in London as part of a UK-Japan relationship visit. JS Kashima (TV-3508) is the flaship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) training fleet. The training ship was commissioned in 1995 and named after the Kashima Shrine outside Tokyo. The Japanese warship was escorted by the Port of London Authority and HMS Ranger, an Archer-class patrol vessel with the Royal Navy. The ship traveled up the River Thames and under Tower Bridge as it lifted to it's full height. The historic suspension/draw-bridge was opened in 1894. Two tugs assisted. The Japanese vessel then moored alongside HMS Belfast, a Town-class light cruiser that served in World War 2. Belfast was commissioned in 1939 and served with the Royal Navy until 1963. In 1971, the Imperial War Museum opened the museum ship to the public on the River Thames in London. Read more:
