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.

en
Documentary
Created By

First Aired on

Sep 20, 2018

2 seaons till Feb 17, 2020

Popularity: 2.2505
2 votes
Networks
(GB)
Production

Windfall Films (GB)

Status: Ended

Show Ended

Last episode: HMS Ark Royal

Seasons & episodes

Total 2 seasons, 12 episodes

Season 1

Aired

6 Episodes
  • 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

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