Worlds Greatest Ships

Here is the extraordinary story of the Flagship of Englands most notorious pirate Sir Francis Drake Sent on a secret mission to plunder Spanish ships in the Pacific the Golden Hinds voyage was packed with adventure Its tangled history includes witchcraft and attempted mutiny The Golden Hinde became the first English Ship to sail around the world

One of the most glamorous ships of her day Cutty Sark made her name racking precious cargoes of tea from Shanghai to London The ship endured long vagabond years of lsquotramping when she was mistreated by her captains and deserted by her crews He uncovers the Cutty Sarks link to Prohibition and a famous brand of whiskey and how the ship survived fire with a remarkable piece of good luck

This is the story of Henry VIIIs great warship a vast vessel that went down nearly five centuries ago killing more than four hundred men Over the years a host of theories have emerged to explain the disaster including accounts of enemy fire mistakes made by the ships builders an unruly crew an inexperienced captain and even King Henry VIII himself But who was really responsible

Here is the extraordinary story behind what was once the longest passenger ship in the world Designed by Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel this vast vessel redefined shipbuilding pioneering innovations that are still found on most modern ships The ship was plagued by disaster from running aground on the coast of Ireland to nearly capsizing in a storm

Admiral Nelsons personal flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar was the largest warship in the world with firepower equivalent to a whole army on land Its construction included the felling of 6000 oak trees for planking and 27 miles of rope rigging Her most famous captain Nelson was renowned as much for scandal as for his dazzling military leadership

This the story of the only surviving British warship to bombard the Normandy coast on DDay Host Rob Bell clambers aboard experiencing firsthand the awesome power of its guns He gets a taste of life on board from the daily tot of rum to the hammocks and officers cabins He relives the Battle of North Cape where Belfast took on the mighty German battleship Scharnhorst