About this season
This series tells the history of three great ships, the Titanic, the Bismarck, and the TS Canberra, that mirror the history of the century.
Episodes (3)
1. Titanic & the Race for the Atlantic
Aired 6 February 2008 • 40 min
By far the most famous, the Titanic was just one of nearly 2000 ships built by Harland & Wolff during the company’s history. The shipyards of Belfast once produced no less than one eighth of the world’s total shipping output. The saga of how that came to be is as grand as the Titanic herself.
2. Ships at War
Aired 13 February 2008 • 40 min
The sinking of the Hood in 1941 – symbolic flagship of the British fleet - was a huge blow, and Churchill retaliated by ordering the sinking of the Bismarck. This tale became a symbol of Britain’s defiance in the Second World War.
3. From the Sea to the Air
Aired 20 February 2008 • 40 min
The race to restore the huge quantities of merchant shipping sunk during the war reinvigorated the shipyard. However, the age of the luxury liner was over. In the 1980's, the Canberra, a liner, was being deployed to the Falklands during that conflict.