
Great British Ships
Visiting the ships as they stand today, Rob Bell will reveal how and why these monumental vessels were originally built. He’ll uncover a murder on board on the Cutty Sark, reveal the mystery of why the Mary Rose sank and discover how HMS Belfast helped turn the tide on D-Day. From Nelson on board HMS Victory to Sir Francis Drake on the Golden Hind, Rob will reveal how daring, genius and dazzling invention led to Britain becoming the world’s greatest sea power.
- Created By
- First Aired on
Sep 20, 2018
- Popularity: 2.2505
- 2 votes
- Networks
- (GB)
- Production
Windfall Films (GB)
- Status: Ended
Show Ended
2 seaons till Feb 17, 2020
Last episode: HMS Ark Royal
Seasons & episodes
Total 2 seasons, 12 episodes

Season 1
Aired
Episode 1HMS Victory: Nelson's Great Warship45 min
HMS Victory was already 40 years old before it secured its place in history at Trafalgar. Rob discovers the extraordinary feats of engineering behind its construction, and the celebrity of its famous captain, Nelson.
Episode 2The Mary Rose: Secrets From the Deep45 min
Henry VIII's great warship went down nearly 500 years ago.
Episode 3HMS Belfast: WW2's Great Survivor45 min
Rob Bell delves into the fascinating history of HMS Belfast, the cruiser that played a critical role in some of the most dramatic battles of World War 2, and whose daring deeds helped defeat the Nazis.
Episode 4Secrets of SS Great Britain45 min
In the final part of his documentary series, Rob Bell uncovers the extraordinary story behind what was once the longest passenger ship in the world. Designed by Victorian engineering genius Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the SS Great Britain rewrote the shipbuilding rulebook, pioneering innovations still found on almost all modern ships. Rob learns how the origins of the vast vessel lay in an off-the-cuff boast of Brunel's. Though the ship's early years were plagued by disaster, it finally met with success thanks to the Australian gold rush - and today 250,000 Australians can trace their direct ancestors to its passengers.
Episode 5Cutty Sark: 150 Years of War & Speed45 min
Rob Bell explores the extraordinary tea clipper Cutty Sark, a ship that endured drunken captains and murderous crews, inspired a whiskey and survived the coming of the steam age. Rob clambers aboard to experience first-hand the beauty and superior design of the ship. He delves into her tragic past - the vagabond years of `tramping', mistreatment by her captains and desertion by her crews