History of the Royal Navy

In an exciting miniseries exploring the dramatic rise and decline of English naval power, host Prince Andrew, Duke of York, examines Britannia's rule of the seas in 16th century. The story begins with the creation of a Royal Navy under orders of the powerful King Henry VIII with ships such as GREAT HARRY and the MARY ROSE.

During the 17th century, the Royal Navy's war efforts were aided immeasurably by Samuel Pepys' visionary reforms of the Admiralty and the codification of naval tactics in The Fighting Instructions which transformed naval battles from uncontrollable melees into linear chess games on water. Led by Admirals Robert Blake, George Monck and others the Royal Navy's MIGHTY WOODEN WALLS confronted the great Dutch Admirals, such as Maarten Tromp, in decisive battles that sustained Britain's naval might. However, reforms initiated by France's brilliant Minister of Marine, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, begin to bear fruit. The French built better designed, faster ships and trained their sailors more effectively than the British.

With the exception of the surprising setbacks inflicted by America's fledgling navy during the War of 1812, the 19th century was a time of unchallenged mastery for the Royal Navy. Nevertheless, technical innovations developed at an unprecedented rate and forever changed the face of the navy. Muzzle-loading cannon fired in broadsides were replaced by powerful breech-loaders mounted in revolving armoured turrets. Mighty Wooden Walls were shattered and replaced by iron and steel as sail gave way to steam power.

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.

It was at the centre of one of the most famous naval conflicts of all time, the battle of Trafalgar. From its decks, Admiral Nelson oversaw the destruction of the combined Spanish and French fleets - even as he met his own death. ENGLAND'S ROYAL WARSHIPS takes us aboard the legendary ship. From this unrivalled historical backdrop, we paint a picture of what it was like to serve on one of these Wooden Worlds 200 years ago.

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