History Channel: History Of The Royal Navy

This History Channel series takes a fascinating look at the rise and decline of one of the most powerful fleets the world has ever known The Royal Navy.
Disc 1. The King's Ships 1500 - 1599
In an exciting miniseries exploring the dramatic rise and decline of English naval power, host Prince Andrew, Duke of York, examines Britannia's rule of the seas in 16th century. The story begins with the creation of a Royal Navy under orders of the powerful King Henry VIII with ships such as GREAT HARRY and the MARY ROSE.
We follow the daring exploits of Sir Francis Drake's GOLDEN HINDE and the revolutionary innovations of John Hawkins' race-built Galleons - the backbone of Elizabethan naval power during the Age of Discovery. Finally the climatic showdown with Spain's Invincible Armada in 1588 laid the groundwork for the dramatic rise of English naval power and Britannia's Rule of the Seas in the years to come.

Disc 2. Wooden Walls 1600 - 1805
1 x 44:00 min
During the 17th century, the Royal Navy's war efforts were aided immeasurably by Samuel Pepys' visionary reforms of the Admiralty and the codification of naval tactics in "The Fighting Instructions" which transformed naval battles from uncontrollable melees into linear chess games on water. Led by Admirals Robert Blake, George Monck and others the Royal Navy's MIGHTY WOODEN WALLS confronted the great Dutch Admirals, such as Maarten Tromp, in decisive battles that sustained Britain's naval might. However, reforms initiated by France's brilliant Minister of Marine, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, begin to bear fruit. The French built better designed, faster ships and trained their sailors more effectively than the British.
During the American War for Independence, Admirals such as Francois de Grasse and Pierre Suffren won astonishing victories over the Royal Navy that, ultimately, helped free America and threatened to topple England from the pinnacle of naval power. However, a little-known Scottish landlubber named John Clerk, stimulated a revolution in naval tactics and when the incomparable naval leader, Admiral Horatio Nelson, took the helm of HMS VICTORY at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Britain's mastery of the waves was re-established.

Disc 3. Steam, Steel and Dreadnoughts 1806 - 1918
1 x 44:00 min
With the exception of the surprising setbacks inflicted by America's fledgling navy during the War of 1812, the 19th century was a time of unchallenged mastery for the Royal Navy. Nevertheless, technical innovations developed at an unprecedented rate and forever changed the face of the navy. Muzzle-loading cannon fired in broadsides were replaced by powerful breech-loaders mounted in revolving armoured turrets. Mighty Wooden Walls were shattered and replaced by iron and steel as sail gave way to steam power.
Finally, in an extraordinary leap forward in naval design and construction, a super-ship named the DREADNOUGHT was launched in 1906. She was the brainchild of the British admiral Sir John "Jacky" Fisher and, under the first Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, sparked a naval arms race with Germany that culminated with the gigantic showdown at Jutland during WWI. Ironically, the very expense and complexity of the Dreadnought, which had kept the Royal Navy in the lead over its rivals, led to Britain's ultimate naval downfall. The Washington Naval treaties of the 1920's and 30's saw Britain finally give up what no rival has been able to take from her in battle - absolute rule of the seas.

Disc 4. The Sun Never Sets 1919 - Present
1 x 44:00 min
The beginning of WWII found Winston Churchill standing alone and paying the price of the Naval Treaty limitations which allowed Germany and Japan to secretly build larger and more powerful ships. The loss of England's superiority was devastatingly clear with the quick and deadly sinking of HMS HOOD and other powerful ships by Germany's mighty monster, the BISMARCK, and deadly raider, the GRAF SPEE.
Alone in the Battle of the Atlantic among deadly submarine Wolfpacks, Admirals such as Sir Max Horten awakened the shocked British Admiralty and began the long fight back. With the rallying cry, "Sink The Bismarck!" and the successful pursuit of the GRAF SPEE, the Royal Navy began to turn the tide of the Navy. After WWII, the downsizing of the armed s and decline of the British Empire, signaled the end of the Royal Navy as a world . However, The Falklands War in 1982, and the sinking of the Argentine cruiser BELGRANO by a British nuclear submarine, once again demonstrated the continuing resolve and effectiveness of the Royal navy. Today, with her nuclear missile submarines and jump-jet carriers, the Royal Navy remains a decisive in NATO and a powerful reminder of the extraordinary centuries when Britannia ruled the waves.

Disc 5. HMS Victory
1 x 47:00 min
It was at the centre of one of the most famous naval conflicts of all time, the battle of Trafalgar. From its decks, Admiral Nelson oversaw the destruction of the combined Spanish and French fleets - even as he met his own death. The HMS Victory remains in the service of the Royal Navy some 200 years after its moment of glory. ENGLAND'S ROYAL WARSHIPS takes us aboard the legendary ship. From this unrivalled historical backdrop, we paint a picture of what it was like to serve on one of these "Wooden Worlds" 200 years ago.
Dramatic reconstructions take us into the heat of the fierce battles of the age of sail, showing just how these epic conflicts were fought and what life was like for the sailors of that day. Then, see how much has changed in two centuries with a tour of the HMS Manchester, one of Britain's most modern warships. Follow the crew and feel the excitement and drama as they take their "action stations." From the most famous warship in British history to the vessels that will carry the navy into the future, this is a fascinating look at ENGLAND'S ROYAL WARSHIPS.

Disc 6. HMS Dasher
1 x 45:00 min
It came without any warning. On Saturday, March 27th, 1943, the HMS Dasher, a British craft carrier, had completed two days of take off and landing exercises and was steaming to port just an hour and a half away.Suddenly, there was a terrific explosion, shaking the ship and propelling the two-ton landing crane 60 feet into the . Within minutes, the Dasher was sinking rapidly at the stern and the crew of 528 men were struggling to survive. The fate of the carrier has been shrouded in secrecy for over half a century and, even today, many of the families of the 379 men who perished do not know what happened. What is clear is that the survivors, floating in the cold water awaiting rescue from the many ships steaming toward them, were engulfed in flames as the sea, coated in diesel and aviation fuel, caught fire, killing most men and complicating the rescue. Drawing on the memories of survivors and evidence from the wreck, DISASTER AT SEA challenges the official reports and exposes schemes of secrecy.

Disc 7. History of the Royal Navy 1900 - 1943
1 x 54:00 min
In 1900, the role of the Royal Navy was to defend the Empire which spanned the globe. It had the largest and most powerful navy in the world and her fleet of 36 Battleships was more than all her potential enemies put together. The development and launch of the super-ship named the Dreadnought in 1906, made all other battleships obsolete. Her superior speed and armament was unprecedented and, under the first Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, sparked a naval arms race with Germany culminating with the gigantic showdown at Jutland during WWI. The early part of the century also saw the development of the craft carrier and the introduction of naval aviation.
Germany chose to ignore its potential but, by 1939, the carrier was an essential arm to the Royal Navy's fleet. Hitler's bombarded of Danzig in 1939 was the start of six years of Naval conflict. The scuttling of the Sraff Spee off Montivideo was a dramatic coo for the Allies and, at the Norway Campaign in 1940, many lessons were learnt about the need for specialist landing vehicles. The miraculous evacuation of the British Expeditionary at Dunkirk in1940 was a carefully planned operation where the Navy turned a tactical defeat into a strategic victory. By the end of the operation a staggering 338,000 men were rescued. When the battlecruiser, HMS Hood, was sunk in May 1941, Churchill's subsequent order was to "Sink the Bismarck". After a relentless pursuit by the Royal Navy lasting three days, Germany's flagship was sunk. It was a great victory to the Royal Navy.

Disc 8. History of the Royal Navy 1943 - 2000
1 x 53:00 min
After the fiasco of The Dieppe Raid in 1942, where 1,000 men were killed, the lessons learnt in amphibious warfare were put to good use on D-Day in June 1944. The Naval operation was called Naptune and its outcome turned the tide of the war. After WWII, the downsizing of the armed s and decline of the British Empire signaled the end of the Royal Navy as a world . However, the advent of the jet age saw the development of strike craft such as the Attacker, Scimitar, Buccaneer and the Harrier which helped bring the Royal Navy back to the forefront of world power. The Falklands War in 1982 and the sinking of the Argentine cruiser BELGRANO by a British nuclear ubmarine, once again demonstrated the continuing resolve of the Royal navy. At the end of the 20th Century, the Royal Navy is a slimmed-down but its craft carriers and fleet of Trident submarines patrol of world's seas fulfilling the combined roles of war, peacekeeping and humanitarian relief, either alone or with its allies.

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