Iain Ballantyne
Editor Warships IFR magazine and its associated guides to the US Navy and Royal Navy. Author of books, including 'Hunter Killers', 'The Deadly Trade', 'Killing the Bismarck', plus the novel 'Martin's Eyes', out 10.4.26.
- Long hours across several weeks (day job permitting) in 'the bunker' (with occasional parole) to get 'Martin's Eyes' over the line. The final big edit is done...and dog-eared hard copy seen here. #book #WW2 #historicalfiction #thriller #novel
- Yes, I commissioned a special 'Martin's Eyes' pen to do the marks on the big 'set proof' for final tweaks to the 'set script' 😃 and which is to be published by Chiselbury Books on 10 April. #novel #newbook #fiction #ww2 #coldwar #espionage #combat #thriller
- More info here www.chiselbury.co.uk/bookstore/p/...
- A new Warships IFR mag is now out & packed with news, views, great pics & a dash of history. Cover pic by Sandy McClearn. It's of Canadian frigate HMCS St. John's returning to Halifax after a very busy time on NATO duties. Avail hard copy & digital sundialmedia.escosubs.co.uk/subscribe/wa...
- Just £1.99 for the Kindle variant of my book 'Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' at the moment! www.amazon.co.uk/Arnhem-Days-... In addition to museum research includes accounts by some remarkable #ww2 Airborne warriors I met and interviewed. #history #ww2history #books
- Here's a review of it www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2019/09/sund... by @drfarls.bsky.social
- Here's the Russian Navy Kilo Class, missile-armed submarine RFS Krasnodar off the UK, with naval tug RFS Altay. Monitoring the two Russians is the British fleet oiler RFA Tidesurge, with a Merlin anti-submarine helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron aloft to lend a hand. Photo: Royal Navy/UK MoD.
- New Warships IFR mag #podcast alert: 'Churchill’s Peril: U-boat Wolfpacks'. A real pleasure to discuss the reality of WW2 warfare under the waves with Roger Moorhouse & touch on related topics & people, namely Churchill, Dönitz & the character of U-boat captains pod.fo/e/362b94 #ww2 #history
- The next episode of our podcast is a deep dive into the world of U-boats in WW2. Our guest is Roger Moorhouse whose latest book is 'Wolfpack'. Ep: 'Churchill’s Peril: U-boat Wolfpacks'. Out this week! In the meantime, check out some other episodes podfollow.com/warships-pod... #ww2 #uboats #history
- 'Britain is an island nation...Naval power must predominate. And if the UK can today build and (eventually) operate two different types of frigate for certain roles, why can't it have the SSN-SSK mix, like it did in the old Cold War?' www.linkedin.com/pulse/case-n... #coldwar #submarines #royalnavy
- Cover reveal day for my forthcoming novel, 'Martin's Eyes'. Billed by publisher Chiselbury as 'an enthralling historical thriller of conscience and survival - where the line between hero and villain is sometimes blurred by the ashes of war.' And more! Out 10.4.2026. #novel #historicalfiction #ww2
- 'Battleships Reborn!?' is the latest Warships Pod episode pod.fo/e/357416 with Dr James Bosbotinis & myself discussing the prospect of latter-day battleships - a topic James returns to in our forthcoming Jan 2026 edition, which is in production right now. Current Dec ed also looks at battleships.
- BANG! A new edition of Warships IFR magazine is now deployed in shops and avail direct warshipsifr.com/subscriptions/ Cover star is US Navy battleship USS Wisconsin firing a broadside. Courtesy NHHC/USN. #navies #magazine #digitalpublishing #publishing #newedition #battleship #usswisconsin
- Amid headlines about the Yantar spy ship & recent submarine Novorossiysk incident our latest podcast episode sees Dr James Bosbotinis & myself discuss Russian Navy reality. Plus the air of uncertainty over US commitment to NATO creating potential for catastrophic miscalculatio pod.fo/e/3534b7
- It's that aggravating Russian spy ship Yantar up to no good again off the British Isles. Thermal image courtesy of the UK MoD. The MoD says Yantar has been targeting Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPAs) of the RAF with light lasers. Could potentially blind pilots.
- Our latest Warships IFR TV naval news video in case you missed it. A wildcat helicopter armed with Martlet missiles. Some 'whoosh!' A bit of 'bang!' And some .50-calibre 'rat-tat-tat-tat-tat.' All from the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZjg...
- Busy times on NATO's Northern Flank: footage & pics from the Norwegian Armed Forces in a special for the Warships IFR magazine video channel - exercises at sea off/ashore in Norway & further North + Russian intel-gatherers. Also covered in the new edition of the mag www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaUA...
- The cows of Countess Wear: encountered on a walk from Exeter to Topsham. The spot where Airborne infantry of the Ox & Bucks rehearsed the D-Day attack on 'Pegasus Bridge'. Wrote about that assault for the prologue of my 'Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' @canelobooks.bsky.social #ww2 #history
- Deployed now! The new edition of Warships IFR magazine, with Indian Navy warship INS Tamal (pic by Michael Nitz) on the cover. Get it in shops or direct digital, hard copy direct from the publisher sundialmedia.escosubs.co.uk/subscribe/wa... #warships #navies #naval #military #defence #maritime
- Reposted by Iain BallantyneAnother ‘narco submarine’ found in the Solomon Islands, after it sailed all the way across the Pacific(!). This is the 3rd publicly reported example there. Note that it’s empty and the outboard motors have been removed
- Here's a video of how a Norwegian frigate was sunk by a submarine-launched torpedo off Norway www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovdn... Caution: if you are prone to seasickness the up close angles of the finale may not be for you 🤢 More to come in Warships IFR magazine... #maritime #news #weapons #naval
- The Duke Class (Type 23) frigate HMS Somerset has conducted the first ever Royal Navy firing of a Naval Strike Missile (NSM), on the Andøya range off Norway. It was part of Aegir 25, an exercise that also saw missile firings using land-based launch systems. #hmssomerset #royalnavy #warship #naval
- Reposted by Iain BallantyneAlthough old, no longer amphibious (?), and not all active, the vintage Be-12 MAIL remains in active use for maritime patrol off Crimea, detecting Ukrainian small boat and USV operations
- Reposted by Iain BallantyneThis telephone box in the heart of Sea Mills is the Sea Mills Museum. Opened in 2019, it repurposed a disused 1936 K6 red telephone box (originally installed to celebrate the jubilee of George V). Inside are historic photographs, artefacts and information about the area’s history.
- Royal Navy patrol boat HMS Explorer at Portsmouth earlier in September, seemingly acting as drone mothership. Video by Stephen Jagger. For articles on the UK fleet's use of autonomous systems see the Warships IFR 'Guide to the Royal Navy 2026' sundialmedia.escosubs.co.uk/store/produc... #royalnavy
- Here's Russian Navy intel-gathering ship RFS Vasiliy Tatishchev, returning from the Norwegian Sea to Baltic Sea, after shadowing US Navy's USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. Also check out our next Warships IFR mag (in production). Photo: Michael Nitz, Naval Press Service. #russian #spyship
- Video inspired by my 'Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' @canelobooks.bsky.social using archive footage, caps & quotes from the book to tell the story in brief www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZBr... #ww2 #history #arnhem #airborneforces #battleofarnhem #arnhem81
- The Warships IFR team maintained a high speed of advance July - September to produce two mags while also turning out the latest 'Guide to the Royal Navy' special edition. BZ all. Both are in UK shops & globally or direct warshipsifr.com/subscriptions/ or sundialmedia.escosubs.co.uk/store/produc...
- Reposted by Iain BallantyneI wonder what the names of SSN 1 and 2 were.
- Reposted by Iain BallantynePHOTO OF THE DAY. Jimi Hendrix in Montagu Place, London. 📷 David Magnus (1967).
- Reposted by Iain Ballantyne***New Analysis*** China’s New Giant Underwater Drone Increases Naval Mine Threat Around Taiwan The AJX002's covert, almost deniable nature, increases the likelihood that China will use naval mines. www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...
- Lt Jeff Noble, aged 20, Medium Machine Gun Platoon CO in the 156th Para Bn, has his 39 men split across two Dakotas for the 18.9.44 drop, but the aircraft turns back after the parachute on one of two containers underneath deploys. This sees an interesting attempt to ditch it... #ww2 #history #Arnhem
- Another 1st for the Royal Navy clocked up during the UK Carrier Strike Group 2025 deployment. A Malloy T-150 octo-copter flew ‘critical supplies...from ship to ship,’ said the RN. Here we see the drone flying between destroyer HMS Dauntless & carrier HMS Prince of Wales.
- We've reactivated the Warships IFR 'TV channel' after a fallow period, so if you want to dive into almost 100 videos of naval action take a look. And here's something on a recent rather large exercise off Australia www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbrb... Also covered in the magazine itself #warships #navies
- As this is the official #VJDay 80 let's not forget the so-called 'Forgotten Fleet' & its part. Here's a photo of sailors of the British Pacific Fleet - led by & mainly Royal Navy units - on the flight-deck of one carrier studying a vista containing two others. #ww2 #history #navy #naval #JVDay80
- A milestone for the UK's Type 31 frigate programme was installation of the first ship's mainmast by Babcock as seen in this video. Btw there's a feat on future Royal Navy frigates in our forthcoming 'Guide to the Royal Navy'. Pre-order sundialmedia.escosubs.co.uk/store/produc... #royalnavy
- What can be done to save the Royal Navy? Lee Pilgrim recommends radical surgery of a Daring kind & some Astute decisions. 'Dr Lee' outlines excisions that may be be necessary in this latest Warships IFR #podcast chat pod.fo/e/312331 with myself. First of two doses from Mr Pilgrim. #defence #navy
