World's Greatest Ships

Here is the extraordinary story of the Flagship of England’s most notorious pirate, Sir Francis Drake. Sent on a secret mission to plunder Spanish ships in the Pacific, the Golden Hind’s voyage was packed with adventure.

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 ‘tramping’, when she was mistreated by her captains and deserted by her crews.

This is the story of Henry VIII’s great warship, a vast vessel that went down killing more than four hundred men. Over the years a host of theories have emerged to explain the disaster, even blaming King Henry VIII himself. But who was really responsible?

Admiral Nelson’s 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.

This the story of the only surviving British warship to bombard the Normandy coast on D-Day. Host Rob Bell clambers aboard, experiencing first-hand the awesome power of its guns. He gets a taste of life on board, stepping into the shoes of sailors.