Original subtitles

[MISSILE ROARS]

Narrator: FOR CENTURIES, AN EXTRAORDINARY WAR HAS RAGED

ACROSS THE WORLD'S OCEANS, ABOVE AND BELOW THE WAVES.

Man: YOU COULD KILL HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH ONE BROADSIDE.

THESE WERE EXTREMELY POWERFUL WAR MACHINES.

Narrator: SHIPBUILDERS DESIGNED BIGGER AND FASTER VESSELS

TO OUTWIT AND CRUSH THEIR OPPONENTS.

Man: THAT NATION THAT HAS THE MOST POWERFUL BATTLESHIP FLEET

CAN DESTROY THE ENEMY'S BATTLESHIP FLEET

AND THEREFORE CONTROL THE SEAS,

AND IF YOU CONTROL THE SEAS, YOU CONTROL THE WORLD.

Narrator: THEY CARRIED TERRIFYING WEAPONS.

Man: THIS WAS GONNA BE THE FIRST TIME

THAT SOMEBODY HAD FIRED A TORPEDO IN ANGER

SINCE WORLD WAR II.

THEY NEEDED TO GET IT RIGHT.

Narrator: BUT SHIPS HAVE ALSO LIBERATED

AND RESCUED THOUSANDS.

Man: YOU COULD THINK OF GERDA III

AS BASICALLY A LIFEBOAT FOR PERSONS HUNTED BY THE NAZIS.

Narrator: AND INSPIRED MEN AND WOMEN

TO ACTS OF INCREDIBLE BRAVERY.

Man: I WILL TAKE YOU THERE NOW, TO YOUR CANNONS,

TO YOUR DEATH, WE WILL SINK BEFORE SURRENDER.

Narrator: THESE VESSELS AND THEIR CREWS

HAVE SHAPED WORLD HISTORY.

Man: AS THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF A MISSILE‐CARRYING SUBMARINE,

I WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE

FOR HELPING TO PREVENT WORLD WAR III.

[MISSILE ROARS]

Narrator: THIS TIME, WE RETURN TO THE DAYS

OF THE MIGHTY WOODEN WARSHIP.

Man: THEY WERE THE MOST SOPHISTICATED PIECES

OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE PLANET.

Man: WE THINK THERE'S THE BEST PART OF 6,000 OAK TREES

GO INTO HER CONSTRUCTION.

Narrator: FROM THE TERRIFYING CHAOS OF THE GUN DECK...

Man: IT'S DESCRIBED BY ONE OF THE OFFICERS AS HELL ON EARTH.

[CANNON FIRES]

Narrator: ...TO AN HONORABLE DEATH IN BATTLE.

AND A TALE OF UPSTARTS TAKING ON THE SUPERPOWER OF THE DAY.

Man: THE AMERICANS NEVER THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT

THEY COULD DEFEAT THE ROYAL NAVY.

BUT HERE WAS A CHANCE... ONE TO ONE.

♪

[EXPLOSION]

♪

♪

Man: THESE TIMBERS HAD NOT SEEN DAYLIGHT

SINCE SHE FOUNDERED ON THIS SPOT IN JULY 1545.

Narrator: IN 1982, A SALVAGE OPERATION TOOK PLACE

IN THE SHALLOW WATERS OF THE SOLENT,

OFF ENGLAND'S SOUTH COAST.

60 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED

AS ONE OF THE FIRST GREAT WOODEN WARSHIPS EMERGED

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 400 YEARS.

Man: SHE BROKE THE SURFACE TO THE SOUNDS OF A CELEBRATION.

[SHIP HORNS BLOWING]

Narrator: MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF CONSERVATION WORK FOLLOWED.

THE VESSEL IS NOW ON VIEW TO THE ENGLISH PUBLIC.

HER NAME: THE MARY ROSE.

♪

Alex Hildred: AND HERE IS THE HULL OF THE MARY ROSE.

WE'VE GOT THE STARBOARD SIDE FROM THE KEEL

RIGHT THE WAY UP TO THE BEGINNING OF THE BOW CASTLE,

OR WHERE THE BOW CASTLE WOULD HAVE BEEN,

SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE INSIDE OF BASICALLY HALF A SHIP.

Narrator: FOR 437 YEARS, THE SILT SEABED PROTECTED

THIS REMARKABLE CROSS‐SECTION OF A TUDOR WARSHIP.

♪

THE MARY ROSE HAS GIVEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS AN INSIGHT

INTO THE YOUNG KING WHO COMMISSIONED HER IN 1509‐‐

HENRY VIII.

Hildred: WHEN HE CAME TO THE THRONE

HE ONLY INHERITED FIVE SHIPS FROM HIS FATHER.

BY THE TIME MARY ROSE SINKS IN 1545,

WITHIN THE FLEET THERE ARE 53 VESSELS,

20 OF THEM ARE GREAT WARSHIPS.

Narrator: BEFORE HENRY, ENGLISH SHIPS HAD BEEN USED

TO TRANSPORT SOLDIERS.

THE MARY ROSE MARKED A TURNING POINT.

HENRY'S SHIPS WOULD BECOME MORE COMBATIVE.

Hildred: I THINK YOU COULD CALL HER

THE FIRST PROPER‐BUILT WARSHIP, BASED ON THE FACT

THAT SHE IS A GUN PLATFORM FOR FIGHTING AT SEA.

BUT WHAT ONE HAS TO IMAGINE IS THAT IT WAS CRAMMED

FULL OF 39 BIG GUNS ON THEIR CARRIAGES,

ANOTHER 20 SWIVEL GUNS,

YOU'VE GOT THE SOLDIERS, 185 SOLDIERS,

200 MARINERS, 30 GUNNERS,

YOU THEN HAVE THE OFFICERS AND THEIR CREW,

SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 500 PEOPLE.

Narrator: AS ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXPLORED THE WRECK,

THEY FOUND AN INTRIGUING MIX OF NEW AND OLD TECHNOLOGY ON BOARD.

SKELETONS OF ARCHERS WERE FOUND, STILL CARRYING THEIR WEAPONS.

THERE WERE BOXES OF ARROWS AND LONGBOWS STILL NAILED SHUT,

NEWLY DELIVERED FROM THE TOWER OF LONDON.

IN ALL, 138 LONGBOWS WERE RECOVERED.

Hildred: THESE ARE ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE,

THEY'RE MADE OF ONE SINGLE STAVE OF YEW,

WHICH HAS TWO DIFFERENT QUALITIES, REALLY.

IT'S GOT, AT THE BACK OF THE BOW, THE FLAT BIT,

IS THE BIT THAT STRETCHES, IT'S THE SAPWOOD OF THE TREE,

SO IT ACTUALLY ALLOWS THE BOW TO BEND,

AND HERE, THIS D SECTION,

IS ACTUALLY THE HEARTWOOD, WHICH IS THE CENTER OF THE TREE,

AND THAT'S REALLY GOOD UNDER COMPRESSION,

SO IT MAKES A NATURAL SPRING

WITH THE TWO DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF THE SAME PIECE OF BRANCH.

Narrator: AS PART OF THE FIGHTING NAVY,

THE MARY ROSE'S CREW FACED MANY HAZARDS.

BUT THEIR LIVING CONDITIONS WERE OFTEN BETTER THAN THOSE ON LAND.

Hildred: LIFE AT SEA WASN'T TOO BAD

BECAUSE YOU KNEW YOU GOT FOOD EVERY DAY,

THE RATIONS WERE GOOD, YOU HAD FISH A COUPLE OF DAYS A WEEK,

YOU HAD MEAT A FEW DAYS A WEEK,

AND IT WAS A GUARANTEED AMOUNT PORTIONED OUT,

UM, YOU HAD BEER, YOU KNOW, A GALLON OF BEER A DAY.

WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?

HOWEVER, THERE... THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT,

THAT THEY DIDN'T OCCASIONALLY RUN OUT,

BECAUSE ALL OF THESE SHIPS HAD TO BE PROVISIONED AT SEA,

SO, SOME OF THE WONDERFUL LETTERS WE HAVE,

THAT ARE WRITTEN ACTUALLY IN THE MARY ROSE, SAY,

"FOR GOODNESS' SAKE, SEND US SOME, SOME FOOD,"

"THERE WAS NEVER A SHIP SO SORELY PROVISIONED AS OURS.

WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF BEER,

AND THE MEAT THAT YOU SENT HAS GONE FOUL."

Narrator: INSIDE THE WRECK WAS A REMARKABLE NUMBER

OF WELL‐PRESERVED OBJECTS,

OFFERING A GLIMPSE OF LIFE IN THE TUDOR NAVY.

Hildred: BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS ONE OF THE MANY PARTS

OF A BASKET THAT WE RECOVERED FROM THE SHIP.

BASKETS WERE USED FOR ALL SORTS OF THINGS.

WE HAD ONE BASKET THAT HAD LOADS OF SHOES IN IT,

THE CARPENTER HAD BASKETS THAT HAD SOME OF HIS TOOLS IN IT,

AND THEN JUST OFF‐CUTS OF WOOD,

WE HAD A BASKET WITH PLUM STONES IN IT,

WE HAD FISH THAT WERE STORED IN A BASKET

AT ONE END OF THE SHIP.

OBVIOUSLY THE MA... THE ONLY MOTIVE POWER WAS SAIL,

SO WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF RIGGING BLOCKS,

LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT SORTS,

SO THESE ARE JUST A SERIES OF DIFFERENT TYPES.

SO, THIS IS A SINGLE SHEAVE PULLEY BLOCK.

SOMETIMES THE INSIDES OF SHEAVES

ARE BRASS OR COPPER ALLOY,

SOMETIMES LIKE THIS THEY'RE WOOD.

THEY'RE ALL OF DIFFERENT SIZES,

AND OBVIOUSLY EACH HAVE

A PARTICULAR POSITION ON THE SHIP

AND A PARTICULAR ROLE.

THIS IS QUITE INTERESTING IN THAT IT'S TWO,

SO IT'S A DOUBLE SHEAVE PULLEY BLOCK,

AND STILL, STILL HAS THE ROPE IN IT, AND MANY OF THEM DID.

Narrator: THE WRECK OF THE MARY ROSE

HAS REVEALED A GREAT DEAL.

BUT AS OF YET,

IT HASN'T REVEALED THE BIGGEST MYSTERY OF ALL:

WHY THE SHIP SANK.

WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT HENRY VIII'S FLAGSHIP

WENT DOWN FACING A FRENCH INVASION FLEET

OF 128 SHIPS AND 30,000 TROOPS.

THE KING HAD DISPATCHED 80 SHIPS TO PROTECT PORTSMOUTH HARBOR.

ON THE MORNING OF JULY 19, 1545,

HENRY HIMSELF WATCHED THE BATTLE UNFOLD

FROM THE RAMPARTS OF SOUTHSEA CASTLE.

AT FIRST, BOTH FLEETS WERE BECALMED.

BUT THEN THE WEATHER CHANGED.

Hildred: WE DO HAVE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF IT,

AND THE BEST ACCOUNT ACTUALLY SAYS

THAT TOWARDS THE LATE AFTERNOON OR TOWARDS THE EVENING, IT SAYS,

A WIND PICKED UP SO THAT THE ENGLISH COULD ACTUALLY SET SAIL,

AND SO THEY'D GO OUT TO MEET THE FRENCH,

AND IT SAYS QUITE SPECIFICALLY

THAT MARY ROSE FIRED GUNS ON ONE SIDE OF THE SHIP,

AND SHE WAS TURNING TO BRING THE GUNS ON THE OTHER SIDE TO BEAR

WHEN SHE SANK ON THE SIDE OF THE GUNS SHE'D JUST FIRED.

Narrator: SURE ENOUGH, WHEN THE MARY ROSE WAS FOUND,

THE GUN PORTS ON THE STARBOARD SIDE WERE STILL OPEN,

THE GUN MUZZLES EMBEDDED IN THE SILT.

Hildred: SO, THE GUN PORTS ARE OPEN,

THE MOMENT THE GUN PORTS REACH THE WATER LINE,

WATER WILL ENGULF THE SHIP.

THAT'S HOW THE MARY ROSE SANK,

WATER WENT IN THROUGH THE OPEN GUN PORTS.

WHAT GOT TO THAT SITUATION, WE DON'T KNOW.

♪

Narrator: WHY HAD THE SHIP TIPPED OVER SO FAR

THAT HER OWN GUN PORTS BROUGHT ABOUT HER DOWNFALL?

ONE THEORY IS THAT HER CAST‐IRON WEAPONS HAD MADE HER TOP HEAVY.

BUT THEY'D BEEN FITTED IN LONDON,

AND THE SHIP HAD MADE THE CHANNEL VOYAGE

WITHOUT CAPSIZING.

ANOTHER THEORY IS THAT THE FRENCH CANNONS

HAD MANAGED TO HIT HER BELOW THE WATERLINE.

Hildred: HAD SHE BEEN HIT?

BECAUSE THE FRENCH CATEGORICALLY SAY WE SANK HER BY OUR GUNFIRE.

♪

THE MARY ROSE HAS NOT YIELDED UP ALL HER SECRETS.

THERE'S STILL A LOT TO COME, I THINK.

Narrator: TWO AND HALF CENTURIES AFTER MARY ROSE'S LOSS,

A BRITISH FLEET WOULD SCORE A MAJOR VICTORY

AGAINST THE FRENCH.

IT TURNED THE FLAGSHIP INTO AN ICON.

PORTSMOUTH DOCKYARD IN ENGLAND

IS HOME TO A GRAND OLD LADY OF THE SEA.

BUILT 200 YEARS AFTER THE MARY ROSE SANK,

SHE IS THE MOST FAMOUS VESSEL FROM AN AGE

WHEN WOODEN WARSHIPS WERE THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING MACHINES.

THIS IS HMS VICTORY.

♪

♪

♪

Andrew Baines: SHE'S THE LARGEST WARSHIP IN THE WORLD

WHEN SHE'S LAID DOWN.

WE THINK THERE'S THE BEST PART OF 6,000 OAK TREES

GO INTO HER CONSTRUCTION.

WELL, TODAY SHE IS THE SOLE SURVIVING LINE OF BATTLESHIPS,

YOU CAN'T SEE ONE OF THESE THINGS ANYWHERE ELSE.

♪

Narrator: WHEN VICTORY WAS BUILT IN THE 1760s,

MARITIME DESIGN HAD MOVED ON CONSIDERABLY

FROM THOSE EARLY GUNSHIPS OF THE TUDOR ERA.

THE MARY ROSE WAS A CARRACK‐‐

A THREE‐MASTED SHIP WITH A HIGH STERN CASTLE

AND FORECASTLE FOR ARCHERS TO FIRE DOWN ON ENEMY SHIPS.

IT WAS A DESIGN THAT LASTED FROM THE 14th TO THE 16th CENTURY.

Baines: THE PROBLEM WITH SHIP DESIGN AT THAT POINT

IS THAT IT'S STILL BASED ON THE IDEA

THAT YOU ARE GOING TO FIGHT A LAND BATTLE AT SEA, ALMOST.

SO ONE IS GOING TO APPROACH THE ENEMY,

BOARD THEM IN HAND‐TO‐HAND COMBAT

AND CAPTURE THEIR SHIPS.

SO ALTHOUGH SHE HAS A LOT OF GUNS,

ONLY A FEW OF THEM ARE HEAVY GUNS

THAT CAN REALLY DAMAGE A SHIP,

AND THE IDEA IS THAT ALMOST LIKE A CAVALRY CHARGE,

YOUR SHIPS WILL SAIL AGAINST THE ENEMY LINE ABREAST,

THEY'LL TURN JUST AS THEY MEET THEM,

THEY'LL FIRE A BROADSIDE.

IF THAT HAS A DECISIVE EFFECT, THEY'LL THEN BOARD THE ENEMY.

Narrator: BUT CARRACKS COULDN'T COMPETE

AGAINST A SURPRISINGLY ANCIENT ENEMY‐‐THE GALLEY.

WITH HEAVY GUNS IN ITS BOW,

A GALLEY COULD SAIL DIRECTLY AT A WARSHIP,

ATTACKING AS SHE APPROACHED.

Baines: THAT BRINGS ABOUT A CHANGE

IN THE DESIGN OF THE CARRACK.

THE GALLEON'S INTRODUCED.

AND THE GALLEON HAS GUNS MOUNTED IN THE EYES,

RIGHT AT THE HEAD OF THE SHIP,

SO IT CAN ATTACK AS YOU GO INTO BATTLE.

Narrator: THE SIZE OF SHIPS AND THE NUMBER OF GUNS THEY CARRIED

GREW RAPIDLY.

Baines: THE GALLEON, OVER A PERIOD

OF AROUND ABOUT 80, 90 YEARS,

EVENTUALLY GIVES WAY TO THE IDEA OF THE LINE OF BATTLE SHIP

WHERE NO LONGER WILL YOU COME INTO BATTLE LINE ABREAST,

BUT YOUR AIM IS TO BRING ABOUT A TACTIC

WHERE ALL OF YOUR HEAVY GUNS ON THE SHIP SIDE

CAN BE BROUGHT TO BEAR WITH MOST EFFECT AGAINST AN ENEMY.

AND THAT MEANS YOUR FELLOW SHIPS

HAVE TO BE AHEAD OF YOU AND BEHIND YOU,

NOT TO YOUR SIDES.

SO THAT GIVES RISE TO THE LINE OF BATTLE,

THESE LONG LINES, 15, 20, 25, 30 SHIPS IN SOME CASES,

BY THE LATE 18th AND EARLY 19th CENTURY.

Narrator: THE ULTIMATE EVOLUTION OF THE WOODEN WARSHIP

WOULD BECOME KNOWN AS A "SHIP OF THE LINE."

Eric Grove: THESE CARRIED THE SAME ARTILLERY

AS AN ENTIRE ARMY ASHORE.

EACH SHIP.

IT WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY CONCENTRATION OF FIREPOWER,

AND WHAT THESE SHIPS COULD DO TO EACH OTHER,

PARTICULARLY IF THEY RAKED EACH OTHER,

THEY FIRED CANNONBALLS

FROM THE STERN FORWARD IN A SHIP.

YOU COULD KNOCK OUT A SHIP.

YOU COULD KILL HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH ONE BROADSIDE.

THESE WERE EXTREMELY POWERFUL WAR MACHINES.

Narrator: A FIRST‐RATE SHIP OF THE LINE,

LIKE HMS VICTORY,

WAS DESIGNED FROM THE GROUND UP TO BE A FLOATING GUN PLATFORM.

Baines: THE FIRST QUESTION THAT IS ASKED

IS WHAT ARE THE TYPE OF GUN SHE'S GOING TO CARRY

AND WHAT IS THE WEIGHT OF THAT GUN?

SO WE'RE USING MUZZLE LOADERS, 42‐POUNDERS.

WE ARE GOING TO CARRY 30 OF THEM ON THE LOWER DECK,

THAT GIVES US A DECK LENGTH,

WE NEED 10 FEET IN BETWEEN EACH GUN, 150 FEET OF DECK.

YOU THEN ROUND THAT DECK OFF AT ONE END,

YOU BLUNT IT OFF AT THE OTHER, AND YOU STACK THE DECKS UP.

SO ONCE YOU'VE WORKED OUT WHERE ALL THE GUNS ARE GOING TO GO,

WHERE THE MAGAZINES ARE GONNA GO

AND WHERE THE SUPPLIES ARE GONNA GO,

YOU SLOT THE MEN IN

OVER AND IN BETWEEN AND AROUND THAT EQUIPMENT.

Grove: ALTHOUGH WHEN WE LOOK AT SHIPS LIKE VICTORY TODAY

THEY SEEM RATHER OLD‐FASHIONED,

IN THEIR DAY, THEY WERE ITEMS OF WONDER.

I MEAN, THEY WERE THE MOST SOPHISTICATED PIECES

OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE PLANET.

♪

Narrator: VICTORY'S GUNS WERE FIRED

BY A WELL‐DRILLED GUN CREW,

AND THEY CAME FROM MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

Simon Willerton: THERE WERE 20‐ODD NATIONALITIES

ON BOARD THE SHIP,

THERE WERE EVEN A FEW FRENCHMEN ON BOARD THE SHIP AT TRAFALGAR,

BUT THERE WERE AMERICANS, UM, MALTESE, GERMANS,

DUTCH, CARIBBEAN, AFRICAN.

SO THERE WERE LOTS OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES.

OF COURSE THERE WERE ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH AND WELSH,

AND THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN A FAIRLY ROUGH BUNCH, BASICALLY.

YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO MEET THEM IN A DARK ALLEY

WALKING DOWN THE ROAD.

IN CHARGE OF EACH GUN WOULD BE A GUN CAPTAIN,

AND THEN THERE'S AN ASSISTANT CAPTAIN, A LOADER,

ASSISTANT LOADER, A RAMMER, ASSISTANT RAMMER,

AND THEN VARIOUS OTHER MEN

THAT WOULD HELP PHYSICALLY MOVE THE GUN AROUND.

IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 90 SECONDS

FOR A BRITISH CREW TO FIRE AND RELOAD THEIR GUNS.

THESE GUNS ARE ALL MUZZLE‐LOADING GUNS,

SO EVERYTHING HAS TO BE PUSHED DOWN THE FRONT.

THE FIRST THING THEY WOULD USE IS A SPONGE.

IT LOOKS LIKE A LARGE COTTON BUD.

THEY DIP THAT INTO A BUCKET OF WATER

AND PUSH IT DOWN THE BARREL,

THEY'RE DOING THAT FOR TWO REASONS, REALLY.

ONE IS TO HELP COOL THE BARREL DOWN,

BECAUSE IF THE BARRELS BECOME TOO HOT, THEY MAY EXPLODE.

THE OTHER ONE IS REALLY JUST TO MAKE SURE

THERE'S NOTHING LEFT BURNING INSIDE THE BARREL

BEFORE THEY START PUSHING THE NEXT GUNPOWDER CHARGER.

AND THEN FINALLY THEY START TO USE THE RAM.

WELL, THAT'S WHAT YOU LOAD THE GUN WITH.

SO THE FIRST THING TO BE RAMMED DOWN

WOULD BE THE GUNPOWDER CHARGE,

THAT COMES UP ON DECK ON A CANVAS BAG,

AND IT'S PUSHED STRAIGHT DOWN THE GUN.

THEN YOU PUT THE AMMUNITION IN,

USUALLY A ROUND SHOT, A CANNONBALL.

THE ROYAL NAVAL GUNS WERE FITTED WITH GUN LOCKS.

THAT'S A SIMPLE FLINTLOCK MECHANISM

LIKE YOU FIND ON A MUSKET OR A PISTOL.

AND YOU JUST PULL ON A PIECE OF STRING AND IT CREATES SPARKS,

AND IT IGNITES THE GUNPOWDER INSIDE THE BARREL.

[BOOM]

Narrator: AT THE HEIGHT OF BATTLE,

THE GUN DECK WOULD HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH THICK SMOKE.

THE NOISE WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO MAKE A MAN'S EARS BLEED.

Willerton: SO THE WHOLE SHIP IS SHAKING

FROM YOUR OWN GUNS GOING OFF,

AND OF COURSE YOU CAN'T FORGET

THAT THE ENEMY ARE NOT THAT FAR AWAY,

AND THEY'RE FIRING BALLS THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE SHIP AS WELL.

SO IT WILL BE HORRIFIC.

IT'S DESCRIBED BY ONE OF THE OFFICERS AS HELL ON EARTH,

AND THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST DESCRIPTION YOU CAN THINK

OF A GUN DECK DURING THE HEIGHT OF A BATTLE.

[CANNON FIRES]

Narrator: UP ON DECK, THERE WERE JUST AS MANY DANGERS.

THE MEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHIP'S 37 SAILS

RISKED THEIR LIVES EVERY TIME THEY CLIMBED HER MASTS.

A MAN'S SIZE DETERMINED WHERE HE WORKED.

Willerton: SO RIGHT DOWN THE BOTTOM

YOU HAVE THE LARGEST SAIL,

SO YOU WANT SOME OF THE BIGGEST MEN TO BE DOWN THERE

BECAUSE THE SAILS ARE VERY HEAVY,

RIGHT AT THE TOP YOU WANT SOME FAIRLY LIGHT MEN

BECAUSE THE SAILS AREN'T AS BIG AS THE OTHER SAILS,

AND IF YOU FALL FROM A HEIGHT OF ABOUT 150 FEET,

THE WATER IS GOING TO BE LIKE HITTING CONCRETE,

IT'S NOT GOING TO DO YOU MUCH GOOD,

AND OF COURSE THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO RESCUE YOU

FROM THE WATER, EITHER.

Narrator: BUT THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE ON VICTORY

WAS ACTUALLY THE VERY FRONT OF THE SHIP‐‐

THE WOODEN SPAR CALLED BOWSPRIT.

Willerton: THE BOWSPRIT WAS OFTEN KNOWN AS THE WIDOWMAKER.

REALLY, IF YOU FALL INTO THE WATER,

THE SHIP'S GOING TO RUN YOU OVER.

Narrator: DANGEROUS OR NOT, VICTORY IS A NAVAL ICON...

AND HER COMMANDER, HORATIO NELSON, A HERO.

BRILLIANT AND BRAVE,

NELSON AIMED TO MAKE HIS COUNTRY THE ULTIMATE NAVAL POWER.

BUT THE COST WOULD BE HIGH.

HMS VICTORY,

THE LARGEST, MOST HEAVILY ARMED SHIP OF HER AGE.

BUT SHE BECAME THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL WOODEN WARSHIPS

BECAUSE OF HER COMMANDER, HORATIO NELSON.

NELSON WAS BORN IN 1758, THE SON OF A CLERGYMAN.

LITTLE WAS EXPECTED OF HIM.

BUT AT AGE 12 HE WAS SENT TO SEA,

SERVING UNDER HIS NAVAL CAPTAIN UNCLE.

"WHAT," HIS UNCLE NOTED, "HAS POOR HORATIO DONE..."

BUT THE YOUNG MIDSHIPMAN WOULD SOON PROVE HIMSELF

TO BE A TOUGH AND SKILLED SEAMAN.

Matthew Shelton: BY THE AGE OF 15,

HE HAS CROSSED THE ATLANTIC,

BEEN OVER TO THE WEST INDIES, CROSSED INTO THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.

SO HE HAS A VERY INTENSE EARLY EDUCATION, ACTUALLY,

IN SHIP HANDLING AND SEAMANSHIP.

AND PEOPLE FEEL THAT THIS IS WHERE HE LEARNED

SOME OF THE HABITS THAT HE USED LATER AS A LEADER.

Narrator: NELSON WOULD PUT HIMSELF

IN THE THICK OF THE ACTION.

HIS INJURIES HAVE BECOME PART OF HIS LEGEND.

HE LOST HIS RIGHT ARM AND VISION IN ONE EYE.

THE FEARLESS OFFICER BECAME AN IDOL TO THE BRITISH PUBLIC.

Shelton: THE FIRST TIME THAT HE'S REALLY NOTICED IS IN 1797

AT WHAT'S CALLED THE BATTLE OF CAPE ST. VINCENT.

AND HE TAKES THIS INCREDIBLY DARING MANEUVER,

WHERE HE TAKES HIS SHIP OUT OF ITS POSITION,

ATTACKS ONE SPANISH SHIP, CAPTURES IT,

AND THEN INCREDIBLY CAPTURES ANOTHER.

Narrator: NELSON'S GREATEST MOMENT, HOWEVER,

CAME EIGHT YEARS LATER.

IN 1804, FRENCH EMPEROR NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

FORMED AN ALLIANCE WITH SPAIN.

NOW WITH A MUCH BIGGER FLEET,

THIS WAS HIS CHANCE TO INVADE BRITAIN.

IT FELL TO NELSON TO HUNT DOWN THE FRANCO‐SPANISH SHIPS‐‐

AND IN HIS WORDS, "ANNIHILATE THEM."

♪

ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1805,

THE BRITISH FLEET WAS OFF THE COAST OF PORTUGAL.

THE ENEMY WAS CLOSE BY.

ADMIRAL NELSON AND HIS 27 CAPTAINS

GATHERED HERE IN VICTORY'S DINING CABIN.

HE OUTLINED HIS STRATEGY.

Shelton: IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY UNDERSTAND

THE FORMATION OF THE LINE OF BATTLE

THAT THEY'RE GETTING INTO FOR SAILING.

BUT VERY IMPORTANT ALSO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW,

WHEN AND WHERE THEY SHOULD TAKE THE INITIATIVE.

SO NELSON SAYS, "NO CAPTAIN CAN DO VERY WRONG

IF HE PLACES HIS SHIP ALONGSIDE THAT OF THE ENEMY."

SO WHAT HE'S SAYING IS USE YOUR INITIATIVE, BE AGGRESSIVE,

THAT WILL WIN THE DAY.

Narrator: IT'S SAID THE CAPTAINS

LOVED THEIR ADMIRAL'S PLAN SO MUCH,

SOME OF THEM WEPT WITH JOY.

ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 21st, THE TWO FLEETS FACED EACH OTHER.

THE LOCATION: CAPE TRAFALGAR.

NELSON ORDERED A BATTLE‐CRY TO BE SIGNALED FROM VICTORY:

"ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY."

NELSON'S PLAN WAS EXTRAORDINARY.

INSTEAD OF SAILING PARALLEL TO THE ENEMY,

HE ORDERED THE FLEET INTO TWO COLUMNS.

ONE WAS LED BY NELSON IN VICTORY,

AND THE OTHER BY ADMIRAL COLLINGWOOD

IN THE ROYAL SOVEREIGN.

HE WAS MAKING AN AGGRESSIVE ATTEMPT TO CUT THE ENEMY LINE.

Shelton: IT IS QUITE A RISKY JOB.

YOU LINE YOUR SHIPS UP IN TWO LINES AND SAIL AT THE ENEMY.

THAT MEANS THAT THEY CAN FIRE AT YOU

WHEN YOU CAN ONLY FIRE

A FEW FORWARD‐FACING CANNONS AT THEM.

SO YOU'RE TAKING A LOT OF PUNISHMENT.

Narrator: NELSON AIMED THE VICTORY

AT THE FRENCH FLAGSHIP BUCENTAURE.

Shelton: HE TAKES VICTORY

THROUGH A GAP IN THEIR LINE OF SHIPS

AND RAKES THE STERN OF THE BUCENTAURE.

RAKING IS WHEN YOU FIRE YOUR WHOLE BROADSIDE

AS YOU PASS THROUGH THE WEAKEST PART OF A SHIP,

WHICH IS AT THE STERN.

SO VERY EARLY ON HE KNOCKS THE BUCENTAURE OUT OF ACTION.

THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.

AND THEN HIS SHIPS CAN POUR THROUGH THE LINE BEHIND HIM.

Narrator: THE BROADSIDES FROM VICTORY WERE LETHAL

AND HIGHLY COORDINATED...

BUT NOT SIMULTANEOUS.

Willerton: SO THE BROADSIDE YOU'D SEE IN THE FILMS

IS ALL THE GUNS GOING OFF AT THE SAME TIME.

YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY DO THAT, BECAUSE IF YOU DID THAT,

IT WOULD ROLL THE SHIP.

SO YOU START AT ONE END,

PROBABLY MORE OFTEN THAN NOT AT THE BOW OF THE SHIP,

AND THE FIRE SLOWLY ROLLS DOWN THE DECK,

SO AS EACH GUN FIRES, IT FIRES IN SEQUENCE.

Narrator: WITH BUCENTAURE DEFEATED,

VICTORY NOW FACED THE FRENCH SHIP REDOUTABLE.

Shelton: LITERALLY KIND OF LOCKED TOGETHER

AND THEY ARE FIGHTING,

FIRING THEIR GUNS AT VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY

WITH PRETTY SEVERE CARNAGE,

PARTICULARLY ON THE SIDE OF THE REDOUTABLE.

Willerton: BRITISH CREWS WOULD TAKE ABOUT 90 SECONDS

TO FIRE AND RELOAD THE GUNS.

THE FRENCH AND SPANISH CREWS

WERE TAKING BETWEEN THREE AND FIVE MINUTES

BECAUSE THEY'D HAD FAR LESS PRACTICE.

[CANNON FIRES]

Narrator: AFTER FOUR HOURS OF BITTER FIGHTING,

THE FRENCH FLEET SURRENDERED.

THEY HAD LOST 6,000 MEN; THE BRITISH, 1,700.

BUT ADDED TO THE LIST OF THE DEAD

WOULD BE THE NAME NELSON.

A SHARPSHOOTER IN THE REDOUTABLE

HAD SHOT HIM AS HE PACED VICTORY'S QUARTERDECK.

THE ADMIRAL WAS CARRIED BELOW, BUT LIVED ONLY A FEW HOURS.

Shelton: IN A VERY DIFFICULT SCENE,

I MEAN, THIS IS A SCENE WHERE AMPUTATIONS ARE GOING ON,

WHERE PEOPLE ARE CRYING IN AGONY, AND WHERE HE IS,

YES, HE'S MADE COMFORTABLE,

BUT HE IS DYING ULTIMATELY ALONGSIDE HIS MEN.

VERY FAMOUSLY HE IS VISITED

BY THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP, CAPTAIN HARDY,

AND HARDY IS ABLE TO TELL HIM ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE HE DIES

THAT, "WE'VE WON A GREAT VICTORY."

SO HE DIES WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE.

Narrator: IN DECEMBER, A BATTERED HMS VICTORY

CARRIED NELSON'S BODY HOME TO ENGLAND.

NAPOLEON'S HOPES FOR AN INVASION WERE IN TATTERS.

NELSON AND VICTORY

HAD ESTABLISHED BRITAIN'S COMMAND OF THE OCEANS.

IT WOULD LAST FOR OVER A CENTURY.

BUT WHILE TRAFALGAR WAS STILL BEING CELEBRATED,

BRITAIN'S ROYAL NAVY WAS IMPROVING

ITS NEXT GENERATION OF WOODEN WARSHIP.

AND FROM A SAILOR'S POINT OF VIEW,

IT WAS THE MOST POPULAR OF THEM ALL.

THE FRIGATE.

ONE OF ONLY TWO BRITISH FRIGATES FROM THAT ERA

CAN NOW BE FOUND IN HARTLEPOOL IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

HMS TRINCOMALEE.

♪

LIKE ALL FRIGATES,

TRINCOMALEE'S FLAT UPPER DECK KEEPS HER LOW AND FAST,

AND SHE HAS A DISTINCTIVE ARRANGEMENT OF WEAPONRY.

Grove: THIS SINGLE RANK OF MAIN ARMAMENT GUNS

IS WHAT MAKES A FRIGATE A FRIGATE.

YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL A FRIGATE.

IT'S GOT THIS SINGLE RANK OF GUNS.

THEY FOUND THAT LONGER SHIPS ARE LOWER IN THE WATER,

WERE ACTUALLY A MORE SEAWORTHY WAY

OF PRODUCING A FAST SHIP

CARRYING A MODERATELY GOOD ARMAMENT.

THE SHIPS OF THE LINE,

WITH THEIR DOUBLE OR TRIPLE RANKS OF GUNS,

THESE WERE THE SHIPS WHICH ACTUALLY FOUGHT THE MAIN BATTLES

IN THE LINE OF BATTLE.

THESE FRIGATES SUPPORTED THE SHIPS OF THE LINE,

SCOUTED FOR THEM,

AND ALSO ENGAGED IN A HUGE RANGE OF OTHER OPERATIONS,

NOTABLY COMMERCE RAIDING AND COMMERCE DEFENSE.

Narrator: SAILORS LOVED FRIGATES.

THEY HAD MORE LIVING SPACE.

AND IF YOU HAD A CAPTAIN SKILLED AT CAPTURING ENEMY VESSELS,

THE REWARDS WERE CONSIDERABLE.

Grove: FRIGATES WERE VERY POPULAR SHIPS,

MUCH MORE POPULAR THAN SHIPS OF THE LINE.

THEY OFTEN HAD FAMOUS CAPTAINS

WHO WERE GOOD AT GETTING PRIZE MONEY,

SO AS WELL AS BEING MORE COMFORTABLE,

YOU COULD GET A LOT RICHER AS WELL.

Narrator: BRITAIN'S COMMAND OF THE SEAS WAS UNQUESTIONED.

BUT IT HAD A PROBLEM.

SO MANY SHIPS HAD BEEN BUILT TO FIGHT THE NAPOLEONIC WARS,

THERE WAS NOW A SHORTAGE OF BRITISH OAK.

SO THE COUNTRY LOOKED OVERSEAS TO ITS EXPANDING EMPIRE

AND FOUND AN EXCELLENT ALTERNATIVE: TEAK.

Clare Hunt: TEAK WAS A REALLY SUPERIOR SHIPBUILDING MATERIAL,

AND IT'S VERY HARD, IT'S RESISTANT TO SEAWATER,

IT ROTS AT A MUCH SLOWER PACE THAN OAK,

IT'S MUCH MORE RESISTANT TO SHIPWORMS,

WHICH SHIPS WERE ATTACKED BY.

Grove: TEAK WAS ACTUALLY PROBABLY BETTER THAN OAK

IN SOME WAYS,

ALTHOUGH THE SAILORS WERE VERY SUSPICIOUS OF IT.

THEY SAID THAT THEIR WOUNDS FESTERED,

BECAUSE WOOD SPLINTERS WERE VERY IMPORTANT WOUND PRODUCERS,

AS THE CANNONBALLS CAME INTO THE SHIP.

WHETHER THEY DID FESTER OR NOT IS ANOTHER MATTER.

BUT THAT WAS A SORT OF OLD SAILOR'S TALE.

Narrator: MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE ROYAL NAVY HAD EASY ACCESS

TO VAST QUANTITIES OF TEAK IN INDIA.

TRINCOMALEE WAS BUILT IN BOMBAY,

UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF A MASTER SHIPBUILDER

NAMED JAMSETJEE BOMANJEE WADIA.

HE'D BEEN COMMISSIONED TO MAKE A THOROUGHLY BRITISH SHIP.

BUT HE UPHELD A FEW TRADITIONS OF HIS FAMILY'S SHIPYARDS.

THE WADIAS WERE ZOROASTRIANS,

AN ANCIENT RELIGION THAT OBSERVED AN IMPORTANT RITUAL.

Hunt: WHEN THE KEEL WAS LAID DOWN,

OBVIOUSLY THAT'S THE FIRST PIECE OF THE SHIP TO BE,

TO BE LAID DOWN IN THE DRY DOCK,

THEY WOULD HAVE A CEREMONY

WHEREBY A SILVER NAIL WAS HAMMERED INTO THE KEEL.

SO IT'S A SORT OF A PURIFICATION CEREMONY,

AND IT WAS ATTENDED BY A PARSI PRIEST,

AND THERE WAS ALL SORTS OF CEREMONY, FLOWERS.

I OFTEN WONDER WHETHER THE SILVER NAIL

IS STILL THERE SOMEWHERE.

Narrator: AND WITH BARLEY TWISTS

AND CARVED WOODEN ELEPHANTS ON THE STERN,

TRINCOMALEE IS ONE BRITISH SHIP

THAT OFFERS A TRUE TASTE OF BOMBAY.

♪

BUT BRITAIN WASN'T THE ONLY NATION

DEVELOPING ITS WOODEN WARSHIPS.

THE UNITED STATES THOUGHT THEY, TOO, WOULD BUILD FRIGATES.

BUT THEIRS WERE BIGGER AND BETTER.

WHEN WAR CAME,

THEY NOW TOOK THEIR CHANCES AGAINST THE OLD ENEMY.

Craig Symonds: THE AMERICANS NEVER THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT

THEY COULD DEFEAT THE ROYAL NAVY IN A STAND‐UP FIGHT,

BUT HERE WAS A CHANCE, ONE TO ONE, FRIGATE TO FRIGATE.

Narrator: BRITANNIA RULED THE WAVES IN THE 19th CENTURY.

BUT ONE YOUNG NATION HAD NO INTENTION OF BEING INTIMIDATED.

Symonds: THE AMERICANS KNEW

THEY COULD NOT BUILD SHIPS OF THE LINE;

TOO EXPENSIVE, TOO BIG, TOO DIFFICULT.

BUT THE AMERICANS COULD BUILD THE NEXT SIZE SHIP BELOW THAT,

WHICH WERE KNOWN AS FRIGATES.

Narrator: THE MAN TASKED WITH BUILDING NEW VESSELS

WAS PHILADELPHIA SHIPBUILDER JOSHUA HUMPHREYS.

Symonds: AND IT WAS HIS NOTION THAT THEY WOULD BE

WHAT WE MIGHT CALL FRIGATES ON STEROIDS.

Matt Brenkle: HIS GENIUS, I THINK, WAS IN TAKING

THE BEST OF EUROPEAN DESIGN

AND COMBINING THEM INTO SOMETHING

THAT IN THE END WAS UNIQUELY AMERICAN.

♪

Narrator: ONE OF THOSE SUPER FRIGATES SURVIVES

AND IS UNDER RESTORATION IN BOSTON.

THIS IS THE USS CONSTITUTION.

♪

Symonds: A CONVENTIONAL FRIGATE IN THE AGE OF SAIL WOULD CARRY

BETWEEN 32 AND 36 GUNS, SOMETIMES 38.

THE CONSTITUTION WAS RATED AS A 44‐GUN FRIGATE,

AND DID CARRY AS MANY AS 60,

IT COULD OUTRUN ANYTHING THAT WAS MORE POWERFUL,

IT COULD DEFEAT ANYTHING THAT COULD CATCH IT,

SO IN SOME CURIOUS WAYS IT WAS A KIND OF POCKET BATTLESHIP.

Narrator: AND THE CONSTITUTION WOULD GET THE CHANCE

TO PROVE HERSELF AGAINST THE MIGHT OF BRITAIN'S ROYAL NAVY.

IN RESPONSE TO RESTRICTED AMERICAN TRADE

AND PRESS‐GANGING ITS CITIZENS INTO THE ROYAL NAVY,

THE UNITED STATES DECLARED WAR ON BRITAIN IN JUNE 1812.

DESPITE THE ODDS, THE AMERICANS LIKED THEIR CHANCES.

Brenkle: THAT SEEMS LIKE

A VERY DAVID AND GOLIATH SORT OF FIGHT,

BUT IN FACT THE BRITISH NAVY WAS STRUNG OUT ALL OVER THE WORLD.

THE ENTIRE ROYAL NAVY

WASN'T COMING TO THE COAST OF NORTH AMERICA

TO FIGHT THE AMERICANS.

Symonds: THE AMERICANS NEVER THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT

THEY COULD DEFEAT THE ROYAL NAVY IN A STAND‐UP FIGHT,

BUT HERE WAS A CHANCE, FRIGATE TO FRIGATE, ONE TO ONE.

Narrator: THE USS CONSTITUTION WAS UNDER THE COMMAND

OF CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL.

SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF WAR,

HE'D PREPARED HIS GUN CREWS FOR AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE BRITISH.

Brenkle: HE KNEW IF HE WAS GONNA SAIL OUT

FROM THE UNITED STATES

HE WAS GONNA MEET A WARSHIP OF THE ROYAL NAVY

THAT WOULD HAVE A VERY WELL‐TRAINED CREW,

VERY PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS, SO HE WANTED TO BE, YOU KNOW,

OF THE, OF THE SAME CALIBER AS THOSE MEN.

THE BIG FEATHER IN THE CAP OF ANY...

FOR ANY AMERICAN CAPTAIN

WOULD BE TO CAPTURE A BRITISH SHIP

OF EQUAL OR GREATER SIZE,

AND HE IS VERY INTENT ON DOING THAT.

Narrator: SO ISAAC HULL WENT HUNTING FOR BRITISH SHIPS.

ON AUGUST 19, 1812, 600 MILES FROM BOSTON,

A FRIGATE APPEARED ON THE HORIZON.

THIS WAS THE ROYAL NAVY'S GUERRIERE,

WHICH HAD BEEN CAPTURED FROM THE FRENCH FIVE YEARS EARLIER.

Symonds: IN THE AGE OF SAIL

ALMOST ALL SHIPS FIT A CERTAIN TYPE;

THEY WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER.

WHEN THE BRITISH CAPTURED FRENCH SHIPS,

THEY OFTEN TOOK THE SHIPS INTO THE ROYAL NAVY,

AND ROYAL NAVY SAILORS COULD GO ON BOARD AND RUN THEM

JUST AS IF THEY WERE A ROYAL NAVY SHIP.

Narrator: FOR AN HOUR,

THE CONSTITUTION AND GUERRIERE DREW CLOSER,

BOTH JOCKEYING FOR POSITION.

Brenkle: THE CAPTAIN OF THAT BRITISH SHIP,

JAMES RICHARD DACRES, WAS A YOUNG OFFICER,

ONLY ABOUT 24 YEARS OLD,

BUT HAD BEEN IN THE NAVY FOR A LONG TIME,

HAD SEEN SOME PRETTY HARD SERVICE.

SO HE WAS NO, NO NOVICE.

NEITHER WAS ISAAC HULL, THOUGH, THE AMERICAN CAPTAIN.

Narrator: AT 5:00 P.M. THE BATTLE BEGAN.

BOTH SHIPS EXCHANGED BROADSIDES.

[CANNON FIRE]

BUT THE GUERRIERE'S SHOTS EITHER MISSED OR REBOUNDED

OFF THE CONSTITUTION'S TOUGH OAK HULL.

Brenkle: IT BECAME CLEAR VERY SHORTLY

THAT THE AMERICAN GUNNERY WAS SUPERIOR TO THE BRITISH GUNNERY.

A SEAMAN NAMED MOSES SMITH IN THE 1840s

PUBLISHED A MEMOIR ABOUT HIS TIME IN THE U. S. NAVY.

AND HE SAYS THAT DURING THE ENGAGEMENT

SEVERAL OF THE SHOT FROM THE ENEMY

STUCK IN THEIR HULL,

AND ONE OF THE LARGEST THAT THEY COULD COMMAND

WAS SEEN TO BOUNCE OFF THE SIDE.

AND SOMEONE YELLED: "HUZZA, HER SIDES ARE MADE OF IRON!"

Narrator: FROM THAT DAY ON, THE USS CONSTITUTION

HAS BEEN AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS "OLD IRONSIDES."

Brenkle: THE BRITISH SHIP, ON THE OTHER HAND,

REALLY GOT THE WORST OF IT.

AFTER A FEW BROADSIDES, THE SHIP'S MIZZENMAST,

THE SMALLEST MAST AT THE STERN, FELL OVER THE SIDE.

THE FOREMAST FOLLOWED.

SO THE SHIP WAS BASICALLY INCAPACITATED,

AND TO PRESERVE THE REST OF HIS CREW,

CAPTAIN DACRES SURRENDERED.

♪

Narrator: THE GUERRIERE WAS LITTLE MORE

THAN A FLOATING WRECK.

BUT CAPTAIN HULL'S VICTORY WAS NOT COMPLETE.

THE CHANCE TO MAKE HIS FORTUNE

WAS SLOWLY SINKING BEFORE HIS EYES.

Brenkle: THE NORMAL PROCESS WAS TO TAKE IT...

THE ENEMY SHIP THAT THEY'D CAPTURED,

FIX IT UP, BRING IT HOME.

IT WOULD BE BOUGHT INTO THE AMERICAN NAVY.

THE CREW WOULD GET A LOT OF PRIZE MONEY,

WHICH THEY WOULD SHARE AMONGST THEMSELVES.

BUT IN THIS CASE THEY JUST COULDN'T,

SO ALL THE BRITISH PRISONERS AND THEIR BAGGAGE

WERE TRANSFERRED TO CONSTITUTION,

AND THE DAY AFTER THE BATTLE GUERRIERE WAS SET ON FIRE

AND EXPLODED AND SANK INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC.

Narrator: BUT DESPITE THE LOSS OF THEIR PRIZE,

THE CONSTITUTION RETURNED HOME TO A HERO'S WELCOME.

Brenkle: LOSING ONE FRIGATE WAS NOTHING TO THE ROYAL NAVY

IN TERMS OF MATERIAL.

BUT IN TERMS OF MORALE, THIS WAS, I THINK,

A VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT FOR AMERICA IN GENERAL

BUT ESPECIALLY FOR THE AMERICAN NAVY.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO SAY

WE'RE EQUAL TO OUR EUROPEAN COUNTERPARTS.

Symonds: INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH,

WHITEHALL DID SEND OUT AN ORDER TO ALL NAVAL CAPTAINS

ORDERING THEM NOT TO TAKE ON THE AMERICAN FRIGATES ONE TO ONE.

AND WHEN THE AMERICANS FOUND OUT ABOUT THAT,

THEY WERE, THEY WERE PUFFED UP WITH PRIDE,

"WOW, LOOK AT THAT, THEY'RE AFRAID OF US!"

Narrator: THE SHIP THAT MADE THIS IMPORTANT BREAKTHROUGH

HAS BEEN LOVINGLY MAINTAINED AS A NATIONAL TREASURE

FOR OVER 200 YEARS.

BY THE MID 19th CENTURY, THE AGE OF IRON HAD ARRIVED.

NAVAL WARFARE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.

BUT AN EXTRAORDINARY VESSEL IS MOORED IN LIVERPOOL...

AN ELEGANT THREE‐MASTED SCHOONER BUILT IN 1900.

SHE'S THE LAST OF HER KIND AFLOAT.

FOR DECADES SHE PLIED THE SEAS CARRYING CARGO.

BUT SHE ALSO BOASTS A SURPRISING WAR RECORD.

HER NAME: THE KATHLEEN AND MAY.

♪

Jeff Grice: WE'RE NOW ENTERING INTO THE CARGO HOLD

OF THE KATHLEEN AND MAY.

ALTHOUGH WE'VE GOT A VERY NICE STAIRCASE TO COME DOWN,

IT DIDN'T HAVE IT IN THEM DAYS.

THEY HAD TO SCRAMBLE DOWN THROUGH THE TOP HATCH.

BUT DOWN HERE THEY WOULD PACK IN

OVER 200 TON OF CARGO.

OVER THE YEARS HER BIGGEST TONNAGE WAS COAL,

BUT ALONG WITH THAT SHE CARRIED GENERAL CARGO.

ONE PARTICULAR TRIP RECORDED 190 TON OF MANURE.

I DON'T THINK I WOULD WANT TO HAVE BEEN ON THAT TRIP.

THE ONLY SPACE THAT THE CREW HAD FOR RELAXATION,

IF THEY GOT SUCH A THING, WAS DOWN HERE IN THE MESS.

SPACE FOR CREW WAS MINIMAL.

THE MONEY WAS IN CARGO,

SO THAT'S WHERE ALL THE BIG SPACES GOT USED UP.

♪

Narrator: BUT KATHLEEN AND MAY'S UNASSUMING CAREER

WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

FOR BRITAIN TO SURVIVE, IT WAS ESSENTIAL

THAT SUPPLIES CONTINUED TO ARRIVE AT BRITISH PORTS.

WITH GERMAN U‐BOATS A CONSTANT THREAT,

LARGE CONVOYS WERE ESCORTED ACROSS THE ATLANTIC BY WARSHIPS.

BUT SMALL VESSELS, LIKE THE KATHLEEN AND MAY,

PLAYED A KEY ROLE, TOO.

THEY TACKLED SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS WATERS OF ALL.

Grice: DURING THE WAR SHE WAS TRADING,

OPERATING FROM THE SOUTHWEST COAST

ACROSS TO THE IRISH COAST.

THIS WAS THE ROUTE THAT THE GERMAN U‐BOATS USED TO TAKE

WHEN THEY CAME OUT OF THE U‐BOAT PENS IN BREST IN FRANCE.

THEY WOULD SAIL THROUGH THE IRISH SEA

TO GET TO THE NORTH SEA

AND THEN DO AS MUCH DAMAGE TO OUR CONVOYS AS POSSIBLE.

Narrator: SAIL‐POWERED CARGO SHIPS

WERE NOT ONLY CHEAP TO OPERATE,

THEY WERE VERY QUIET.

Grice: UNDER SAIL THERE WAS NO ENGINE NOISE,

NO PROPELLERS TURNING.

SO THERE WAS NO TRACE OF HER APPEARING ON A SONAR SCREEN.

SHE COULD SLIP THROUGH THE WATERS

UNDETECTED IN MANY ASPECTS.

SHE COULD USE ALL THE SAIL‐‐

AND SHE CARRIES 4,500 SQUARE FEET OF SAIL‐‐

TO TAKE HER THROUGH THE WATER.

NOT TREMENDOUS SPEEDS, BUT A SAFE PASSAGE,

AND THAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT.

Narrator: KATHLEEN AND MAY

CARRIED URGENTLY NEEDED FOOD AND FUEL.

BUT SHE ALSO CARRIED SOMETHING MORE DANGEROUS‐‐

LARGE AMOUNTS OF EXPLOSIVES.

Grice: THE KATHLEEN AND MAY HAS WHAT THEY TERM

A VOLUMETRIC TONNAGE TOTAL OF 220 TON.

SO IF YOU CAN PICTURE THAT AS BEING EXPLOSIVES, AMMUNITION,

THAT'S QUITE A LOT OF DANGEROUS CARGO THAT SHE CARRIED.

IT WAS JUST ACCEPTED THAT IT WOULD BE SAFE,

THERE WAS NO SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS THAT THEY COULD MAKE AT ALL.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THE BRITISH NAVY,

GOING BACK TO NELSON'S DAYS,

THERE WERE WOODEN SHIPS AND THERE WAS NO...

NO PROTECTION AT ALL.

THEY JUST CARRIED THEIR EXPLOSIVES AS THEY WERE,

AND EXACTLY THE SAME WITH THE KATHLEEN AND MAY.

Narrator: ON SOME VOYAGES,

KATHLEEN AND MAY HAD MORE THAN SUPPLIES HIDDEN IN THE HOLD.

Cindy Grice: WE HAVE BEEN TOLD

BY A FAIRLY GOOD GOVERNMENT SOURCE

THAT SHE ALSO CARRIED PRISONERS OF WAR AND ESCAPEES

BACK FROM IRELAND TO ENGLAND.

IT WAS EASIER TO GET, SAY,

AIRMEN THE FRENCH RESISTANCE HAD MANAGED TO CONCEAL,

AND THE EASIEST ROUTE WAS TO TAKE THEM THROUGH IRELAND

RATHER THAN STRAIGHT HERE, YOU SEE.

Narrator: THE OWNERS OF THIS REMARKABLE WOODEN COMBAT SHIP

HAVE NOTHING BUT ADMIRATION FOR HER WARTIME CREW.

Jeff Grice: I PERSONALLY HAVE GONE ACROSS THE IRISH SEA

FROM THE SOUTHWEST COAST TO IRELAND,

AND I'VE THOUGHT HOW THEY MUST HAVE FELT.

THEY MUST HAVE BEEN DREADING SEEING A PERISCOPE

OR A SUBMARINE POP UP OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE.

AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY HARD TO COMPREHEND

WHAT THEY MUST HAVE BEEN FEELING.

Narrator: THE WARTIME ROLE

OF THIS BEAUTIFUL THREE‐MASTED SAILING SHIP

PROVED TO BE A FASCINATING FOOTNOTE

TO THE STORY OF WOODEN WARSHIPS.

BY 1945, THE BATTLESHIP WAS ALREADY GIVING WAY

TO THE MIGHTY CARRIER

AS THE ULTIMATE COMBAT SHIP OF THE AGE.

BUT FOR CENTURIES, WOOD HAD REIGNED SUPREME,

ALONG WITH THE UNIQUE SKILLS NEEDED TO MASTER IT.

Grove: YOU GET TO UNDERSTAND THE SEA

WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO USE WIND

AS YOUR MAIN MEANS OF PROPULSION.

YOU GET AN INSTINCT FOR THE WEATHER

AND YOU BECOME CLOSER, IF...

IF YOU LIKE, TO THE ENVIRONMENT

THAN YOU DO IF YOU'RE IN A STEAMER.

AND I THINK THAT WAS WHY A LOT OF PEOPLE

WHO'D BEEN BROUGHT UP IN THE DAYS OF SAIL

AND WHO ENDED UP WITH THE DREADNOUGHTS

OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

FELT THAT SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT HAD BEEN LOST.