National Winner - Desmond Wettern Media Awards
November 8, 2007: Aboard the MV Silver Sturgeon on the ThamesIt was the annual Desmond Wettern Media Awards, which are run by the British Maritime Charitable Foundation (BMCF) in memory of the late Desmond Wettern, who wrote about naval matters for some three decades, including being the Naval Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph.
The BMCF describes the awards as commemorating ‘Desmond’s single minded dedication to the belief that the United Kingdom’s well-being and security are inextricably bound up with the sea and to encourage publicists and writers to draw attention to this linkage.’
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I have been nominated for the big one - The Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award - many times, principally for my work over the past decade as Editor of WARSHIPS IFR magazine.
However, the committee always picked much more worthy winners than myself, and it was the same again in 2007, with the eminent naval historian Brian Lavery, Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, receiving the top accolade.
However, this year, much to my surprise I was one of five foot soldiers in the trenches of the maritime media war saluted with a Special Recognition Award for making ‘a consistent and unwavering contribution to raising maritime awareness over the years.’
I was first up to the podium. Having only downed a single glass of red wine and also a port, to toast the Immortal Memory as we passed the old Greenwich Royal Naval College, I was fortunately able to navigate my way through the tables and chairs without mishap.
Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, who is the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief Fleet, presented the award –a magnificent engraved port decanter. In shaking hands, the Admiral passed comment on our time in the frigate HMS London some 16 years earlier. Back then I was Defence Reporter for the Evening Herald, Plymouth, and spent around a fortnight in the London, as she made a historic visit to Murmansk and Archangel, the first Western warship to visit the Soviet ports since the end of WW2.
It was an amazing trip, taking place amid great uncertainty as the Hardliners’ Coup of August 1991 faltered then collapsed. We really did wonder, as we sailed north, tracked by Soviet submarines and buzzed by the old foe’s maritime patrol aircraft, if the Cold War might be on again. However, once the hardliners surrendered, strenuous diplomatic efforts in the UK and USSR ensured the ‘friendship visit’ was fully on again.
I devoted a chapter on the remarkable voyage in my book ‘H.M.S. LONDON’ (Pen & Sword, 2003), which told the stories of all British warships named London, but featured mainly the cruiser (a veteran of the WW2 Arctic convoys) and the Type 22 Broadsword Class frigate of Cold War and Gulf War fame.
The August 1991 trip was remarkable for not only the huge amounts of vodka consumed, as the Cold War between the Royal Navy and Red Navy thawed, but also for the incident in which a Russian submarine nearly hit HMS London with a ‘practice’ torpedo. They reassured us it was a genuine accident and we almost believed them.
In 2007, aboard the Silver Sturgeon, with only a brief handshake and presentation, obviously Admiral Stanhope and I could manage no more than a smile and sentence or two.It still felt great to receive the award from the former captain of a long-gone ship that had provided such an amazing experience for me at the beginning of my career ‘raising maritime awareness’.
Watching me from our table was Derek Knoll, the boss of HPC Publishing, which has expended so much effort to make WARSHIPS IFR the leading magazine of its kind in the UK, if not the world. I feel that the award was as much for Derek and the rest of the HPC team as it was for me.
Surely the navies of the world, and the Royal Navy in particular, have no finer benefactor in publishing than Derek Knoll, for establishing and running a magazine on naval topics is never going to make anyone rich. It was Derek who first recognized the need for such a magazine and to this day I am extremely grateful for the trust he places in me.
Good to see, as the magazine’s voyage reaches its tenth year, that via my BMCF award it has been recognized for the remarkable publication that we believe it is.
Also at the awards dinner as part of the HPC team was Captain Peter Hore RN (Retd), the magazine’s Associate Editor, who has stuck with WARSHIPS IFR through thick and thin, recognizing its importance as a forum for navies right from the start in 1998. Peter is a true gent, a wonderful writer and one of those naval officers who exemplifies the best qualities of the Royal Navy.
My special guest was the indefatigable Des Good, the MD of Grosvenor Vision, the cutting edge London-based multi-media company for whom I have worked on a number of projects. Des is a true unsung hero of the maritime community in the UK, having been at the helm of so many projects, furthering the cause of the Royal Navy in particular. He is another gent, showing that good guys can operate in a very competitive industry and retain their humanity. Des and Grosvenor recently won their own top award for their excellent work on a media campaign to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery and the Royal Navy’s part in stamping out an evil trade.
CITATION: EXTRACT FROM BMCF PRESS RELEASE Special Recognition Awards were presented by Admiral Stanhope to Iain Ballantyne, Editor of WARSHIPS International Fleet Review; Michael Critchley of Maritime Books; Richard Hargreaves of Navy News, Professor Andrew Lambert of Kings College London and Andrew Linington, Head of Communications at NAUTILUS UK, in recognition of their consistent and unwavering contribution to raising maritime awareness over the years. www.bmcf.org.uk
WARSHIPS IFR MAGAZINE PRESS RELEASE - The Editor of an HPC Publishing title received a 'Special Recognition Award' at the Desmond Wettern Media Awards 2007 in London earlier this month (November).
Iain Ballantyne, who is Editor of the naval news monthly magazine WARSHIPS International Fleet Review (established in 1998) received the award - a magnificent crystal engraved ship's port decanter - for his "consistent and unwavering contribution to raising maritime awareness over the years."
Aside from taking WARSHIPS IFR from a quarterly to a monthly publication, establishing it as the UK's, if not the world's, foremost high street naval news magazine, Iain Ballantyne has also written several naval history books and in the past worked as a newspaper and news agency Defence Correspondent.
Iain received his award from the Royal Navy's new Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope during a glittering awards dinner aboard the MV Silver Sturgeon on the Thames.Said Iain after receiving the award: 'It was fantastic, and also humbling, to have all my hard work recognised by my peers, and especially to have the award presented by Admiral Stanhope. He was the captain of the frigate HMS London when I sailed in her to the Soviet Union in 1991, while working as Defence Reporter of the Evening Herald, Plymouth.
However, it was wonderful that the commitment of HPC Publishing to WARSHIPS IFR since its inception nearly a decade ago was also recognised via the award.
It is no easy matter to raise awareness of naval matters in the UK today, so the role the magazine plays in supporting the Royal Navy, and other navies of the world, cannot be underestimated. It is brilliant that others also appreciate what we do on WARSHIPS IFR."HPC Publishing Managing Director Derek Knoll and Associate Editor, Captain Peter Hore RN (Retd), were at the dinner to see Iain presented with his award.
"It is superb Iain's hard work on the magazine - which we are rightly proud of - has been recognised," said Derek. "There is nothing else that comes close in its field as far as we are concerned. The Royal Navy is a very important organisation, and the maritime community as a whole in the UK is still vital. HPC Publishing, via not only 'WARSHIPS IFR' but also sister title 'Shipping Today & Yesterday' is supporting an arena that remains relevant, vibrant and a deserving of the kind of coverage they provide.
The British Maritime Charitable Foundation, which runs the Wettern Awards, works very hard to raise the profile of the maritime sector and we are honoured that Iain and 'WARSHIPS IFR' have been thought worthy of such a fine award."
Iain Ballantyne is also the Editor of HPC Publishing's 'Guide to the Royal Navy', which will be published in its fourth edition on November 30. Among the other publications Iain has edited for HPC Publishing are 'Submarine 1901 - 2001' and 'Guide to the US Navy 2005'.
The cream of the UK’s maritime media community attended the awards dinner. Those present included many serving and retired senior naval officers, including Lord West of Spithead, a recent First Sea Lord, who warmly congratulated Iain on his award.
The Desmond Wettern Awards, the UK's leading awards in the maritime field, aim to salute those working in print and TV journalism, film-making and television as well as maritime/naval literature, in order to raise awareness of the enduring importance of the sea to Britain. They are run by the British Maritime Charitable Foundation. www.warshipsifr.com
PEN & SWORD BOOKS PRESS RELEASE - One of Pen & Sword's authors received a 'Special Recognition Award' at the Desmond Wettern Media Awards 2007 in London earlier this month (November).
Iain Ballantyne, who is also Editor of the naval news monthly magazine WARSHIPS International Fleet Review (established in 1998) received the award - a magnificent crystal engraved ship's port decanter - for his "consistent and unwavering contribution to raising maritime awareness over the years."Aside from taking WARSHIPS IFR from a quarterly to a monthly publication, establishing it as the UK's if not the world's foremost high street naval news magazine, Iain Ballantyne has written four books published by Pen & Sword Books - 'WARSPITE' (2001), 'HMS LONDON' (2003), 'STRIKE FROM THE SEA' (2004) and, with Jonathan Eastland, 'HMS VICTORY' (2005). His latest, 'HMS RODNEY' will be published in the near future.
Iain received his award from the Royal Navy's new Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope during a glittering awards dinner aboard the MV Silver Sturgeon on the Thames.Said Iain after receiving the award: 'It was fantastic, and also humbling, to have all my hard work recognised by my peers, and especially to have the award presented by Admiral Stanhope. He was the captain of the frigate HMS London when I sailed in her to the Soviet Union in 1991, while working as Defence Reporter of the Evening Herald, Plymouth. That historic voyage, which ended the Cold War between the Royal Navy and Red Navy, forms a chapter of my book 'HMS LONDON', including the incident where the Russians nearly sank us with a practice torpedo. Meeting Admiral Stanhope brought memories of that amazing voyage flooding back."
The awards dinner was attended by the cream of the UK's maritime media community. Those present included many serving and retired senior naval officers, including Lord West of Spithead, a recent First Sea Lord, who warmly congratulated Iain on his award. The Desmond Wettern Awards, the UK's leading awards in the maritime field, aim to salute those working in print and TV journalism, film-making and television as well as maritime/naval literature, in order to raise awareness of the enduring importance of the sea to Britain. They are run by the British Maritime Charitable Foundation.
Pictured: Iain Ballantyne with his Special Recognition Award. Photo: Dennis Andrews.