082/2012 - Ice ship snapper wins Royal Navy competition in 50th year
The winners of the Royal Navy’s annual photographic competition, known as The Peregrine Trophy, were announced by the First Sea Lord at a ceremony at the Old Naval College Greenwich last night (June 25).
The competition included entries from Naval photographers deployed in Afghanistan, on counter-piracy operations and other operations both abroad and in the UK. The combination of raw action-shots and insightful studies of sailors and Royal Marines created a great variety of images documenting the past year.
The winning portfolio came from Leading Airman (Phot) Arron Hoare, who captured Antarctic’s dramatic winter wilderness while he served in the ice patrol ship HMS Protector.
The entries were judged by a panel of experts from the photographic world for a range of categories, with prizes presented at a reception in the beautiful Old Naval College Greenwich.
The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope GCB OBE ADC, remarked of the photographers’ efforts in his speech:
With some 8,000 sailors and marines deployed at any one time for much of last year off Libya, on our seas and in Afghanistan, there have been plenty of opportunities to capture that sense of purpose, that passion and that pride of people making a positive difference.
LA (Phot) Hoare’s Peregrine Trophy win is even more impressive since it his first time at sea, as a new entry in to the Photographic Branch. Previously he served at sea as an AB Communicator. LA (Phot) Hoare’s portfolio secured the 50-year-old trophy for HMS Protector in her first year on operations.
The Peregrine Trophy itself is awarded to the unit which submits the best portfolio of images. They can be taken by one photographer or several. HMS Protector, winner of the 2012 competition, is the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship and is soon to return from her first deployment to the Antarctic.
The winning portfolio captured the experiences of the ship’s company as they served in a ship at the other end of the world. As well as assisting UK research and exploration in the Antarctic, HMS Protector and her ship’s company also act as a floating embassy as they travel to and from the UK. The Royal Navy’s ships routinely call into foreign ports to engage with foreign governments and dignitaries on behalf of HM The Queen and the UK Government.
Other portfolios of photographs reflect the varied role the Naval Service plays around the world. Images of Royal Marines and Fleet Air Arm helicopters in Afghanistan were entered alongside photographs of the warships on patrol in the Indian Ocean preventing pirate attacks on shipping.
The judges commented that:
As a collection, these images and short films bring into focus the amazing diversity of the Royal Navy and what an asset the various photographic sections are.
Some of the photographs were taken during exercises designed to prepare ships, submarines, aircraft and Royal Marines for a number of potential situations. Several images show sailors on humanitarian and disaster relief exercises, whilst the naval aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm feature heavily too, demonstrating the impressive and exciting nature of flying aircraft from ships at sea and in Afghanistan.
When selecting the winners for the various categories, the judges said:
All entrants are to be congratulated for the high standard of images; it made our job extremely difficult.
Next year’s Peregrine Trophy is expected to feature many images captured during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the Olympic Games.
Notes to editors
High quality images from the Peregrine Trophy are available at: www.defencenewsimagery.mod.uk
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For further information on the Peregrine Trophy please contact:
Lieutenant Commander Steve Hayton RN, Royal Navy PR Team,
Tel 0207 218 7508 or Mob 07980 817457 dmc-opsprnavyso2marketing@mod.uk