A Hollywood-esque evening of glitz and glamour awaited hundreds of serving submariners, veterans, their families and industry partners as the very best of the Silent Service were celebrated.
Dubbed the 'Submarine Oscars', the black tie event rolled out the red carpet at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow, with 12 awards recognising the achievements of the current generation of submariners, and those supporting them.
Hosted by Magic Radio DJ Nick Snaith, the awards were presented by Deputy Rear Admiral Submarines and Commander Submarine Flotilla, Commodore Ben Haskins.
Cdre Haskin said: "The Submarine Awards are a fantastic opportunity to recognise the efforts of all of the extraordinary people, both in uniform and without, who make the submarine service so formidable.
"I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to all of this year's winners and my sincere thanks to our industrial and charitable partners without whom this celebration would not be possible."
A host of sponsors supported the evening, including ACTS, TKMS, Veolia, Rolls-Royce, RB Safety, Babcock, Thales, QinetiQ, GE Vernova, Lockheed Martin, WRS, ESS and Malin Group.
The night also included a fundraising raffle and auction in support of Military vs Cancer and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC), which raised more than £8,000.
And the Oscar goes to…
Without further ado, the recipients of the night are as follows:
The Conqueror Prize
Recognising operational excellence within the underwater battlespace.
Winner: HMS Anson
The Submarine Engineering Excellence Award
Awarded to the crew or organisation demonstrating engineering excellence in support of submarine operations.
Winner: HMS Vanguard's SCPO Union
The Royal Navy Family and People Support (RNFPS) Award
Presented to the individual or organisation providing the highest level of support to the submarine community.
Winner: Mrs Megan Thompson
The Dean Rogers MBE Submarine Family Award
Recognising the volunteer or team providing significant benefit to the wellbeing of submariners and their families.
Winner: Able Seaman Kirk
The Submariners Association Award
Awarded to the SSBN-streamed trainee who has displayed the qualities and ethos of the submarine cadre and stood above their peers during initial training.
Winner: Lt Hayes RN
The Naval Families Federation Award
Awarded to advocates who have successfully championed positive change and improvements on behalf of naval families.
Winner: Fiona Howard
The WRS Award
Awarded to a serving submariner, veteran, or family and community member whose dedication and commitment have made a lasting contribution to the wellbeing of the Submarine Service and its people.
Winner: Laura Eales
The Molyneux Award
Awarded to the SSN-streamed trainee who has displayed the qualities and ethos of the submarine cadre and stood above their peers during initial training.
Winner: AB(WS) Van Staden
The Distinguished Achievement Award
Awarded to those who have achieved distinction within their chosen discipline while enhancing the reputation of the Submarine Service.
Winner: SMERAS Training Facility and Staff
Creating a space for families and loved ones
Speaking to BFBS Forces News after receiving the Naval Families Federation Award, Fiona Howard, whose husband is a submariner currently on deployment, reflected on her campaign to improve support for families over the past decade.
"[I've been] working with charities in Helensburgh to try and fund weekend support, because I find that, Monday to Friday, there's plenty of support around for the families," she said.
"But at the weekend, there's very little, and that is where families struggle."
In the past, deployments lasted around 90 days, she said, but have since got significantly longer.
"I'm determined to try and make things better for the family, the children, and the loved ones of those deployed all the time," she added.
Ms Howard currently hosts Sunday morning and afternoon coffee catch-ups, with the long-term ambition of providing crèche facilities – a place where young children are cared for during the day while their parents are engaged.
Supporting personnel on deployment
Following a deployment last year, Able Seaman Kirk developed an app designed to "help people at sea".
"Any kind of life situation they're going through or emotion that they might be having challenges with, I basically put it all into an app to help people whilst deployed," she explained.
Explaining her motivation behind developing the app, she added: "We're away for such a long period of time; sometimes it can be up to six months.
"People face so many challenges and miss home, miss family – it's absolutely something a lot of people face when they're deployed."
She was awarded the Dean Rogers MBE Submarine Family Award during the evening, named in honour of Warrant Officer Dean Rogers, who enjoyed a distinguished 35-year career as a submariner.
It recognises the volunteer or team providing significant benefit to the wellbeing of submariners and their families.
'Complete and utter shock'
Megan Thompson was awarded the Royal Navy Family and People Support (RNFPS) Award for her volunteering work at a local youth group in Helensburgh.
"I go with two of my children, and I just help out [at] different family events just to support the families when the husbands are away or even when they're here as well," she told BFBS Forces News.
She described receiving the award as a "complete and utter shock", admitting she had no idea she had even been nominated.
Nevertheless, she recognised the significance of the award, adding: "It's an achievement, like my husband said, very well deserved."
The couple were at college together, before her husband joined the Navy.
Reflecting on their journey together, she said: "As time's gone on, the deployments have got longer, [and] we've had more children, so the challenges have been there.
"But with the support of the charities, the RNFBS, Royal Navy Charity, and the boats when they're away, the company, it helps."
The annual awards continue to shine a spotlight on the professionalism, resilience and community spirit that underpin the Royal Navy's Submarine Service, recognising the individuals, teams, and organisations whose efforts make a lasting difference both at sea and ashore.
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