Channel 5 - Worlds Greatest Ships Series 1 (2018) Part 6 HMS Belfast WW2's Great Survivor

– Also known as “Great British Ships” –

The British Isles have a long, rich and celebrated seafaring history stretching from the earliest times through the victories of Drake and Nelson, the voyages of discovery and the defence of the realm by vessels of all types in the present century. Much of this history is recorded in literature and in museums but reaches its most tangible form in the large number of historical ships that have been preserved and are continually restored as monuments to a proud past. This new series explores some of the most celebrated and accessible ships and looks the history of each vessels design, construction, active service and subsequent restoration and preservation. Visiting the ships as they stand today, Rob Bell will reveal how and why these monumental vessels were originally built. He'll reveal the mystery of why the Mary Rose sank and discover how HMS Belfast helped turn the tide on D-Day. From Nelson on board HMS Victory to Sir Francis Drake on the Golden Hind, Rob will reveal how daring, genius and dazzling invention led to Britain becoming the world's greatest sea power.

A Windfall Films Production for Channel 5

Part 6 HMS Belfast WW2's Great Survivor

Rob Bell delves into the fascinating history of the WW2 cruiser, HMS Belfast – a ship that played a critical role in some of the most dramatic battles of World War 2, and whose daring deeds helped bring down the Nazis. HMS Belfast is the sole survivor of the British ships that bombarded the Normandy coast on D-Day. Rob clambers aboard the immaculately-preserved warship – experiencing at first-hand the awesome power of Belfast's guns… by firing one. He hears the testimony of a veteran who was on board Belfast at the very moment she was blown up by the Nazi's new secret weapon – a magnetic mine. He gets a taste of life on board, from the daily tot of rum, to the hammocks and officers' cabins – exploring how the class divide played out among the officers and seamen who lived and fought side by side. And Rob re-lives the tactical brilliance of the Battle of North Cape – an extraordinary act of courage that saw Belfast take on the pride of the German Navy, the mighty battleship Scharnhorst.

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