- Tuesday 09 February / 14h59 (Paris)
| Monday, May 19, 2008 | 09:21 |
Russia and Britain unite to save HMS Belfast
(Drinks Media Wire). Russian Standard Vodka Supports Effort to Rescue WWII Battleship’s Masts HMS Belfast Played Pivotal Role in Russia’s Arctic Front
The British Ambassador to Russia hosted senior members of the Russian government and defense forces at the British Embassy today to inaugurate a unique project celebrating the historic relationship between Great Britain and Russia. The project honors HMS Belfast, which spent two years escorting convoys through Arctic waters to North Russia during World War Two, and seeks to raise funds from Russian businesses to replace HMS Belfast’s deteriorating steel masts.
HMS Belfast took part in some of the most defining moments of WWII, from firing the opening salvos of the Second Front and the D-Day landings to her historic role in escorting convoys to Russia. The project to rescue HMS Belfast’s masts is called “Last Witness”, because the ship is the last material witness to the history of the Arctic convoys.
The guests at the British Embassy viewed a special exhibit of photographs by the Soviet wartime photographer Robert Diament, who chronicled the convoy era. Many of the photographs, which were selected by Diament’s heirs, have not been seen before in public.
His Excellency Sir Anthony Brenton, British Ambassador to Moscow, said, “HMS Belfast is not only a British national treasure, it is a treasure of the many countries it helped to during the war, including Russia. Now after so many years of sea-service the elements have begun to take their toll. Both of HMS Belfast’s masts are corroded by rust beyond reasonable repair and need to be replaced. We wish to celebrate our long mutual friendship by inviting our Russian allies to participate in their rescue.”
The project is seeking further support from major Russian businesses to cover the restoration budget, estimated at $2 million.
Betrayed and invaded in World War Two, the Soviet military needed urgently weapons and supplies to resist Hitler’s armies while they regrouped their own industrial forces. The conditions in the Arctic which set the convoys to Northern Russia apart from other theatres of war. In winter seamen fought a continual battle against gales and ice in almost perpetual darkness; in summer the sun rarely set and there was no respite from the threat or reality of attack by submarines and aircraft. In fact the Arctic convoys were amazingly successful. Of a total of 40 outward convoys comprising of 811 ships only 68 were sunk. Those that got through delivered great quantities of tanks, aircraft, ammunition, and other essential war materials which made a significant contribution to Russia’s role in the war.
The “Last Witness” evening at the British Embassy was made possible in part through the support of Russian Standard Vodka, Russia’s number one premium vodka.
About Russian Standard Vodka
Russian Standard Vodka is the global leader in authentic Russian premium vodka. The Russian Standard vodka portfolio dominates the premium segment in Russia with a 60 percent market share and sales of over 1.9 million cases per year in Russia and over 50 export markets across Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Roustam Tariko, the founder of Russian Standard, introduced Russian Standard Original in 1998 as the first authentic Russian premium vodka. Russian Standard vodkas are made with only the finest Russian ingredients, uniquely conforming to the formula for vodka established in 1894 by famed Russian scientist Dimitri Mendeleev for Russia’s Czars. Two years after launch, sales of Russian Standard Original surpassed all imported premium vodkas on the Russian market, leading to broad international expansion and the launch of Russian Standard Platinum in 2001, and Imperia Vodka, the company's luxury brand, in 2004.
Contact
| Name: Kate Finn |
| E-mail: kkf@abmac.com |
| Web: http://www.russianstandardvodka.com |
| Company: Russian Standard Vodka |
| Address: - New York |
| Country: UNITED STATES |
| Phone: +1 (212) 371-5999 |
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