Channel 5 - Worlds Greatest Ships Series 1 (2018) Part 1 The Golden Hind Drake's Royal Voyager

– 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 1 The Golden Hind Drake's Royal Voyager

Rob explores the extraordinary story of the Golden Hind – the personal ship of England's most notorious pirate, Sir Francis Drake. Bound on a secret mission to plunder Spanish ships in the Pacific, the voyage of this surprisingly modest vessel was packed with adventure from witchcraft and attempted mutiny, to the supreme triumph of her most famous achievement - becoming the first English ship to sail around the world. Rob climbs aboard the replica Golden Hind on London's South Bank to get to grips with the human stories behind this remarkable vessel. He samples weevil-ridden sailors' rations, gets a crash course in Tudor firearms and learns how a bitter betrayal would force Drake to execute one of his closest friends. And when it came to taking on formidable Spanish galleons, Rob learns how Drake put the Golden Hind's small size to good use – using stealth and cunning to rob untold riches from unsuspecting enemy ships. Most remarkably, Rob learns how Drake's circumnavigation of the globe was not only an accident, but also initially a state secret that he might have taken to the grave – had it not been for the surprise intervention of Queen Elizabeth herself.

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