Extraordinary, iconic, lethal: these incredible ships have told our story for the past four-hundred years. And define what it means to be part of our island’s nation. Rob Bell, Great British Ships s2e1: Endeavour, Channel 5 2019
I discover the amazing story of HMV Endeavour: a humble coal-bark from Yorkshire that transformed our understanding of the world. With her famous captain James Cook, she sailed to the edge of the world to reveal a world of mystery and wonder. ibid.
James Cook was the son of a farm labourer from Yorkshire … He joined the Royal Navy and he rose quickly through its ranks. ibid.
Cook was to continue deep into the uncharted south Pacific to look for a fabled land they called Terra Australis Incognita. ibid.
The Queen Mary: built to rule the north Atlantic in style … A true survivor, she faced down formidable foes. And went on to win the hearts of two nations. This is the Queen Mary: for the past fifty years this legendary British ship has been winning hearts and minds in Long Beach, California. Rob Bell, Great British Ships s2e2: The Queen Mary: Britain’s First Super Liner
One of the biggest and fastest liners ever built … She’s nearly twice the weight of the Titanic. ibid.
Her three steam whistles weigh a ton each. ibid.
The first ever passenger ship to make the crossing in less than four days. ibid.
Rob: What do we know about the rogue wave that struck the Queen Mary? ibid.
Professor Dominic Hudson: They think it was about thirty metres high. And I think she rolled the ship to an angle of about fifty degrees. ibid.
The Queen Mary is put up for auction. ibid.
The Royal Research Ship Discovery: she set sail on a voyage to the last uncharted continent on the planet: Antarctica. A journey that would attract the world’s most famous explorers. Discovery was the first ever purpose-built scientific vessel, and she ignited a global passion for exploration. Rob Bell, Great British Ships s2e3: Scott & Shackleton
A ship conceived for one mission: an expedition that would capture the imagination of the world: a journey to the uncharted South Pole. ibid.
The extraordinary story of the Mayflower, the ship that brought the pilgrims to the New World. The story of her voyage is one of hardship, desperation and survival against the odds. And one which ultimately leads to the birth of the United States of America. Rob Bell, Great British Ships s2e4: The Mayflower
In July 1620 the Mayflower departs London for the New World. The crew of the Mayflower have little idea that on the voyage ahead they will face sabotage, attempted mutiny and death. ibid.
Extraordinary. Iconic. These incredible ships have told our story for the past 400 years and defined what it means to be part of our island nation. Britain’s Top Ten Ships, Channel 5 2021
The exploits of some have earned them legendary status: the fastest, the most luxurious, the most deadly. ibid.
One of the most famous and revered ships in the Royal Navy. The flagship of our most celebrated Admiral, Horatio Nelson, in the battle of Trafalgar – HMS Victory ... Constructing Victory was a monumental task that required the felling of over 6,000 trees … Trafalgar was a hugely important strategic victory. ibid.
One of Britain’s most famous wrecks, The Mary Rose ... raised from the seabed nearly 400 years after she sank. ibid.
One of the most famous and glamorous superliners ever to sail the seas: this is the HMS Queen Mary … The Queen Mary set sail on her maiden voyage in 1936 … The Queen Mary becomes indispensable to the war effort. ibid.
The ship that brought the pilgrims to the new world: the Mayflower. ibid.
The first ever purpose-built scientific vessel. It travelled to the ends of the Earth and back: the RRS Discovery. ibid.
Her disastrous sinking continues to fascinate to this day: the Titanic. ibid.
This humble 18th century coal bark from Yorkshire rewrote maps and revolutionised natural science. With her famous captain, James Cook, she sailed to the edge of the Earth to reveal a world of mystery and wonder … Few are more revered than the Endeavour. ibid.
Our next ship set sail in Britain’s darkest hour: HMS Belfast. ibid.
Its journey marked by piracy and violence … One of the most daring ocean voyages of all time … the Golden Hind. ibid.
A true survivor, a game-changer for speedy travel on the high seas … the SS Great Britain. ibid.
A huge cargo ship vanishes with 27 on board. New science suggests the culprit could be a near-mythical killer … MS München, the pride of the German merchant navy … the MS München vanishes … They call them rogue waves. Mysteries of the Missing s1e3: Ghost Ship of the Missing, Discovery 2018
And in California a strange disappearance in the middle of the desert. Could this recently discovered petroglyph be proof of the ghost ship? … The lost ship of the desert. Sightings reoccur across the centuries. ibid.
On the shores of the Ionian Sea is an island called Skorpios. This island and everything on it once belonged to a very rich man. Aristotle Socrates Onassis was born probably in 1906 and not in Greece but in Turkey. His father was a tobacco trader. Reputations s1e3: Aristotle Onassis: The Golden Greek, BBC 1994
Onassis created his own brand of cigarette. ibid.
Before long he was getting a handsome return on his [shipping] capital. ibid.
Onassis said, ‘I approach every woman as a potential mistress.’ ibid.
Onassis had bought up much of Monte Carlo. ibid.
Commercial whaling was an indispensable source of hard cash for the Onassis empire. This terrible damage to whale stocks did not concern Onassis. ibid.
The QE2: a 70,000 ton marvel of British maritime engineering. Built half a century ago she remains the most iconic ship afloat. QE2: The World’s Greatest Cruise Ship I, Channel 5 2018
When she was launched many believed she would be a ship without a future. A folly destined to fail in the era of the jet … The most luxurious ship in the world. ibid.
Consuming one-fifth of the world’s caviar. ibid.
The fastest passenger ship ever built in Britain, even when she was going backwards. ibid.
The ship was notoriously hard to stop. ibid.
The QE2: the most famous passenger ship ever built. She ruled the waves for four decades and set the standard that all others would follow. Launched at the end of the ’60s the QE2 became an instant legend. QE2: The World’s Greatest Cruise Ship II
Her owners survived the threat of bankruptcy. Ransom demands. Disastrous refits. And even war. ibid.
To plough the 3,400 miles of ocean to America in just four and a half days whatever the weather. ibid.
A nine-thousand-ton ship with a blind spot over safety … One of the most horrific maritime disasters since the Titanic. James Nesbitt: Disasters that Changed Britain II: Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster
On the night of the 6th March 1987 the Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in the icy waters of the English channel. 193 died from drowning and hypothermia. And the one thing everybody knows: they forgot to close the doors. But there is another story: one of near misses, ignored warnings, a story of time and money. ibid.
Time was money and all the crew knew it. ibid.
19th December 1982: Just outside Harwich harbour the Townsend roll-on ferry the European Gateway smashed into a cargo vessel: water flooded the ship and within ten minutes capsized … six died. ibid.
By the late ’80s the English channel was in a golden age. ibid.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy by far stretching longer than the Houses of Parliament and standing taller than Nelson’s column, an aircraft carrier so immense different sections have had to be constructed in different shipyards throughout Great Britain and then transported by barge to Scotland for final assembly. Britain’s Biggest Warship s1e1: Crewing Up, BBC 2019
Make or break sea trials in which everything must be tested. ibid.
‘It’s amazing how much stuff you need.’ ibid. supplies officer
In 1967 on the USS Forrestal an electrical fault led to the discharge of a missile on deck setting off a train of events which killed 134 sailors. ibid.
It’s taken 10,000 workers 8 years to build Britain’s first supercarrier. Britain’s Biggest Warship s1e2: In at the Deep End
The Navy’s first grey city: vibrant, bustling, multicultural … Little Britain on the ocean waves. ibid.
This blade is a whole 26mm out of alignment: in propeller engineering terms that may as well be a mile … The divers work round the clock. ibid.
At 65,000 tonnes she’s three times biggest than the Navy’s last aircraft carrier. Britain’s Biggest Warship s1e3: Out With the Old, In With the New
Some of the most significant Naval action of World War II began in Scapa Flow: the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck started here, as did raids on her sister ship Tirpitz. ibid.
Her first sea trial complete HMS Queen Elizabeth heads south to her new home of Portsmouth. ibid.