About this season
Maritime historian Dr Sam Willis looks at how and why the shipwreck came to loom so large in British history.
Episodes (3)
1
E1
1. Home Waters to High Seas
Aired 2 December 2013 • 60 min
The story of the top-heavy Mary Rose, the wrecking of the Spanish Armada and the real-life sea disasters that inspired The Tempest and Robinson Crusoe.
2
E2
2. A World Turned Upside Down
Aired 9 December 2013 • 60 min
Dr Sam Willis takes the story of shipwrecks into the Georgian age when Britain began to rule the waves and disasters at sea imperilled its trading power.
3
E3
3. Civilising the Sea
Aired 16 December 2013 • 60 min
Dr Sam Willis tells how the Victorians found preventative solutions, from rockets that could fire rescue lines to lifejackets, lifeboats and the Plimsoll Line.