Captain Richard Woodman awarded Maritime Fellowship Award for outstanding achievement.

BBC Defence Correspondent Caroline Wyatt won the Desmond Wettern Media Award at the Maritime Media Awards 2011 for her excellence in reporting on maritime defence issues.

Of her award – named in honour of Desmond Wettern – she said: “I am utterly delighted and honoured to have been nominated for this award. I think it’s very important that we at the BBC ensure that we cover the vital work of the Royal Navy properly on our news bulletins”

More than 200 senior officers, journalists, writers, authors, celebrities and business figures including First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope attended last night’s Maritime Media Awards, held at the Institute of Directors in London (November 22).

The Maritime Media Awards provide recognition and encouragement to journalists, writers and television programme makers, who during the past year have made the best contribution to promoting maritime awareness in the public domain. In total 15 journalists, 39 books and 29 television documentaries were nominated for awards.  Julian Parker, Chairman of the Awards Committee commented, “This was the largest entry ever and the standard throughout was consistently high.”

Gillian Wettern, representing the President of The Maritime Foundation, Countess Mountbatten of Burma presented the awards to winners of the six categories:

• The Maritime Fellowship Award for outstanding achievement – Captain Richard Woodman, Shipmaster, Elder Brother of Trinity House and Maritime Historian
• The Desmond Wettern Media Award for journalism – Caroline Wyatt, Defence Correspondent BBC News
• The Desmond Wettern Fleet Award for promoting the best positive image of the RN – Commander Jolyon Woodard RN, Commanding Officer 845 Naval Air Squadron
• The Donald Gosling Award for best television documentary – Spencer Kelly for “Titanic: The Mission” – Twenty Twenty Television
• The Mountbatten Award for the best maritime literature – Professor David Abulafia for his book “The Great Sea – A human history of the Mediterranean”
• Lifetime Achievement Award for journalism – Peter Greenfield, Editor and Publisher of Water Craft

Certificates of Merits for television documentaries were awarded to:

• James Rogan – “The Trouble with Pirates” – BBC Films of Record
• Kate Jackson – “HMS Ark Royal” – ITV Studios
• Andrew O’Connell – “Sea Vision” – Channel Five

While in the Maritime literature category, Certificates of Merits for outstanding books were presented to:

• John Lee and Matthew Jones – “HMS Warrior 1860″ – Conway Maritime Press
• Paul Greenberg – “Four Fish – A journey from Ocean to your Plate” – Penguin
• Jean Hood – “Carrier – A century of first hand accounts” – Conway Maritime Press
• John Mahon – “Drink up and be a Man”- Seafarer Books
• Norman Friedman – “British Cruisers -Two World Wars and After” – Seaforth Publishing

Editors’ Notes

• Further details of the awards can be found by logging onto www.bmcf.org.uk.
• Desmond Wettern wrote on maritime matters for over 30 years but is probably best known for his role as The Daily Telegraph’s naval correspondent. He was so respected within the service he wrote about that the Royal Navy sent a signal to every ship and naval establishment to inform them of his death in 1991. The Maritime Media Awards were established in 1995 with a single journalism prize presented in his memory. Over the years the event has steadily grown to become the largest and most prestigious within the maritime sector.
• The Maritime Foundation was set up in the early 1980s to promote Britain’s interests across the entire maritime sector. Its purpose is to inform and raise public and parliamentary awareness of the importance of our maritime industries, commerce and defence.
• For further information, please call Ali Kefford on 07775 737062.

Ends.

Gallery

Available shortly

Downloads

Available shortly

THE Maritime Foundation’s annual appeal for the country’s top maritime journalists, writers and broadcasters comes has recently closed with a record number of nominations.

Winners of the five following major categories will be honoured at a dinner at the Institute of Directors, in London on Tuesday November 22, where the theme of the evening will be “Media and Communication”:

• The Desmond Wettern Media Award for the best journalistic contribution.
• The Donald Gosling Award for the best television, film contribution.
• The Desmond Wettern Fleet Award for the best media contribution from HM Ship, submarine, Royal Naval Air Squadron or Royal Marine Unit.
• The Mountbatten Maritime Award for best literary contribution.
• The Maritime Fellowship Award for an outstanding life time contribution in a particular maritime field.

The Awards will be presented by Gillian Wettern. Tradition has it that the winner of the Desmond Wettern Award for journalism not only receives a crystal ship’s decanter but a bottle of vintage port with the instruction that, in true naval tradition, the vessel must never be allowed to run dry.

Over the past sixteen years the Maritime Media Awards have steadily grown to become the largest and most prestigious event within the maritime sector. Previous winners include broadcasters Ross Kemp and Dan Snow, columnists Peter Elson and Charles Clover and editors Michael Grey and Julian Bray.

“In recent year’s interest in the Maritime Media Awards has grown enormously with the realisation that the maritime sector is an integral part of the nation’s economic recovery” stated Julian Parker, Chairman of the Awards Committee, “and the accomplishments of journalists, the eclectic book titles and the inspiring documentaries present an uplifting challenge to the judges”. He went on to say ‘To have a work nominated is to achieve a deservedly high level of recognition”.

In early October, the judges will decide their short list of exemplary entries and on Tuesday, 22nd November at the Annual Awards Dinner the winners will be announced’.

A list of the nomination can be viewed by logging onto the Maritime Foundation’s website at www.bmcf.org.uk/awards/

Editors’ Notes

Desmond Wettern wrote on maritime matters for over 30 years but is probably best known for his role as The Daily Telegraph’s naval correspondent. He was so respected within the service he wrote about that the Royal Navy sent a signal to every ship and naval establishment to inform them of his death in 1991.

The Maritime Foundation was set up in the early 1980s to promote Britain’s interests across the maritime sector. Its purpose is to inform and raise public and parliamentary awareness of the importance of Britain’s maritime industries, commerce and defence.

For further information, please call Ali Rayden on 07775 737062.

Ends.

In his opening speech, he will tell the Festival audience: “I am speaking this year in the wake of General Dannett who spoke eloquently about our country’s requirement for a large standing Army.  May I take this opportunity to provide however a bit of balance to the debate?  For example, he may have missed the fact that – today – 45% of the UK’s Armed Forces in Afghanistan are part of the Royal Navy – 3 Cdo Bde, 42 & 45 Cdo, Commando Helo Force, AEW Seakings, Field Hospital & a plethora of HQ staff.  In addition, while the Army is engaged in one operation, your RN is engaged in a large number of dispersed global operations. For example:

• Provides the UK’s national strategic deterrent
• Provides one of 2 high readiness Battle Groups for near instant deployment
• The Special Boat Service
• Fishery Protection
• Defence of UK Economic Zone
• Counter drug operations
• Deterrence ops in South Atlantic
• Counter piracy in the Indian Ocean
• T42 (LIVERPOOL – paying off next year) off Libya
• MCM – counter mining off Libya
• 4 Standby MCMs in the Gulf
• High readiness SSN
• Force protection off Gibraltar
• High readiness forces for sea lane protection

And must not forget that any significant deployment of the Army has to be deployed and supported from the sea.  History tells us that global land operations can only be undertaken once we are able to secure the maritime flank.”

Retiring in 2009 after 37 years service, he was one of the RN’s most experienced operational Commanders.  His last appointment was Chief of Staff at the Navy’s Headquarters and also head of the RN surface ships from aircraft carriers to patrol vessels.  As Deputy Chief of Joint Operations, he was responsible for supporting UK operations overseas.  He fought in HMS Ambuscade during the Falklands War and commanded the destroyer HMS Gloucester (decommissions later this month) in the first Gulf War when his ship destroyed an Iraqi silkworm missile, sank 7 enemy ships and survived 2 mine attacks – following this operation he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Read more about the speakers at the Maritime Debate

The Maritime Debate  “Island Nations” takes place at the Hay Festival in the Barclays Wealth Pavilion on Thursday June 2 at 18.45 (Event 272). Tickets for the event are available on-line www.hayfestival.com or through the Box office 01497 820629 with credit/debit card.

The “Island Nations” event will be held at the Hay Festival in the Barclays Wealth Pavilion on Thursday June 2 at 18.45 (Event 272).

The event is hosted by the Maritime Foundation and will be introduced by Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks, until recently head of the RN’s surface ships. The Admiral said, “In this challenging and troubled world, the importance of the sea to this maritime nation of ours will increase significantly. Sadly, ‘sea blindness’ in our country continues to increase; thus maritime debates such as this one are crucial to reverse this regrettable trend and help make more people aware of the relevance of the sea to our way of life.”

Christopher Lee, the well known historian and writer, Cambridge Contemporary History Fellow and author of the acclaimed BBC series “This Sceptred Isle”, will lead the discussion. He said: “The SDSR debate has shown exactly how delicately balanced British seapower is to defend the country and safeguard its overseas commercial interests. The need to protect the ocean environment brings into focus all aspects of marine life as well as security of the sea lanes which is essential to world trade.”

Other members of the panel, who will be discussing the urgent need to protect the ocean environment, are international oil subsea engineering specialist Dr Bil Loth and renowned oceanographer and author Dr John Gould.

Julian Lewis, Conservative MP for New Forest East, served as Shadow Defence Minister for the Royal Navy, covering the nuclear deterrent and strategic issues for over eight years while Tom MacSweeney, as RTE’s (Irish Broadcasting Service) Marine Correspondent, presented the national weekly maritime programme, SEASCAPES for over a decade and is now a regular columnist for The Marine Times.

The Island Nations event is being hosted by The Maritime Foundation, a charity set up in the early 1980s to promote Britain’s maritime interests through training education and research projects. Its purpose is to inform and raise public and parliamentary awareness of the importance of Britain’s maritime industries, commerce and defence. Further details can be found at www.bmcf.org.uk. Alternatively, contact Anthony Harvey secretary@bmcf.org.uk or Hannah Lort-Phillips hannah@hayfestival.org.

Tickets for the event are available on-line www.hayfestival.com or through the Box office 01497 820629 with credit/debit card.

Now in its third year, Seafarers Awareness Week provides a great focus for Seafarers UK and beneficiary charities to raise funds to support seafarers and their families.

Widespread publicity via broadcast, social and print media will help to overcome ‘sea blindness’, the term used to describe how people overlook the vital role played by seafarers as they toil to deliver food, fuel and goods to our island nation.

95% of imports are sea borne and three quarters of our exports leave the UK by ship.

Seafarers UK is the leading charity for our maritime community, giving grants totalling £2.5M annually to 70+ frontline charities.

Formed in 1917 as King George’s Fund for Sailors, Seafarers UK is unique in providing funds to support UK and Commonwealth seafarers in greatest need, whether they are from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Merchant Navy or fishing fleets.

For more information, please visit the Seafarers Awareness Week website.

After leaving the Royal Navy in 1974 during which time he served in submarines and naval intelligence, Mike became the founder secretary of the Solent Branch of the Nautical Institute with Admiral Macdonald as Chairman. Subsequently joining the Institute as Deputy Secretary in 1984. He was responsible for all the Branches, Membership and the Papers and Technical Committee. Upon retirement in 1998 Mike then worked on the history of The Nautical Institute and published his book ‘A Nautical Odyssey’ which is a treasured legacy. He also became Hon. Secretary of the Maritime Media Awards Committee where his stalwart support and wise counsel was unstinting.

Mike will always be remembered for his practical approach to life and the genial manner in which he engaged with everyone. He will be greatly missed by all of us.

A Memorial Service is to be held at St Peters Church, Bishops Waltham, Hampshire at 14:00 on Thursday 21st April 2011

Messages and tributes can be entered online at Telegraph Announcements

Watch on BBC iPlayer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/s06f2/

More information available on the BBC Parliament website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s06f2