History Channel - History of the Royal Navy (2002) Part 4 The Sun Never Sets 1919-Present

This History Channel series, hosted by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, explores the dramatic rise and decline of British naval power over the last 500 years. Since its creation under orders of King Henry VIII, the Royal Navy heralded Britain's emergence as a global superpower, presiding over what was the largest colonial empire in world history. This documentary series explores the evolution of British sea power from wooden galleons and ships-of-the-line, through to ironclad dreadnoughts and modern aircraft carriers. Discover how the Royal Navy was created during the reign of King Henry VIII, travel with Sir Francis Drake aboard his famous ship Golden Hinde in 1577, admire Admiral Nelson's triumph at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and learn why so many illustrious ships were decommissioned at the end of the Falklands War.

Part 4 The Sun Never Sets 1919-Present

The beginning of WWII found Winston Churchill standing alone and paying the price of the Naval Treaty limitations which allowed Germany and Japan to secretly build larger and more powerful ships. The loss of England's superiority was devastatingly clear with the quick and deadly sinking of HMS HOOD and other powerful ships by Germany's mighty monster, the BISMARCK, and deadly raider, the GRAF SPEE. Alone in the Battle of the Atlantic among deadly submarine Wolfpacks, Admirals such as Sir Max Horton awakened the shocked British Admiralty and began the long fight back. With the rallying cry, “Sink The Bismarck!” and the successful pursuit of the GRAF SPEE, the Royal Navy began to turn the tide of the war. After WWII, the downsizing of the armed forces and decline of the British Empire, signaled the end of the Royal Navy as a world force. However, The Falklands War in 1982, and the sinking of the Argentine cruiser BELGRANO by a British nuclear submarine, once again demonstrated the continuing resolve and effectiveness of the Royal Navy. Today, with her nuclear missile submarines and jump-jet carriers, the Royal Navy remains a decisive force in NATO and a powerful reminder of the extraordinary centuries when Britannia ruled the waves.

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