National Historic Ships UK 2023 Winners Featuring Belfast’s Awarded Flagship HMS Caroline

27th November 2023

To watch the National Historic Ships UK Annual Awards Ceremony (click the link below), where presenters Ash Faire-Ring and Dan Snow reveal the winners of this year's Photography Competition, Marsh Volunteer Awards, the Martyn Heighton Award for Excellence in Maritime Conservation and the ‘Flagships of the Year’ which AFLOAT highlight include the above Belfast based HMS Caroline (YouTube from 17:30 mins) and the former Royal Yacht Britannia, from where the awards were filmed on board the historic vessel in Leith Docks, near Edinburgh. Credit: HMS Caroline-facebook

Winners of the National Historic Ships UK 2023 Photography Competition, Marsh Volunteer Awards, and Excellence in Maritime Conservation Award were revealed on Wednesday 22 November, during an Awards Ceremony filmed at The Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith Docks, Edinburgh and streamed online.

The Awards film also celebrated the six Flagships of the Year, among them the Belfast Harbour based HMS Caroline, as Afloat reported of the National Historic Ships announced earlier in the season. In addition to featuring some exclusive content filmed aboard Britannia, including an exclusive interview on the Royal Racing Yacht Bloodhound.

To watch the Awards film on YouTube, click here

National Historic Ships UK’s (NHS-UK) annual awards are a celebration of maritime heritage around the UK. They encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with historic vessels through photography, volunteering, conservation, online activities, and skills-based training.

Britannia was chosen as this year’s host venue as she celebrates two special anniversaries in 2023 - 70 years since her launch, and 25 years as a visitor attraction. Guest presenters were Norfolk sailor and boat restorer Ash Faire-Ring, and historian and TV presenter Dan Snow.

Flagships of the Year

The annual Flagship of the Year Awards provide an opportunity to demonstrate and celebrate the value of historic vessels to the wider public, through online activities, museum engagement, events, open days and special tours.

Flagships promote the role of NHS-UK and ‘fly the flag’ as ambassadors for the UK’s maritime heritage sector. This year, the judges were especially impressed by the high quality of applications, and therefore awarded Flagship status to a record three Operational and three Static vessels.

Operational Flagships of the Year 2023

Swan (Lerwick, Shetland)
Lady of the Lake (Ullswater, Cumbria)
The Chieftain (Whitstable, Kent)

Static Flagships of the Year 2023

HMS Caroline (Belfast)
LV21 (Gravesend, Kent)
Marjorie R (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

Meet our 2023 Flagships, by clicking here and specifically for HMS Belfast, this link.

For more links regarding the Photography Competition, Marsh Volunteer Awards, and Excellence in Maritime Conservation Award, click here.

Published in Historic Boats

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About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals.

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