History of the Royal Navy

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[edit] General Information

War Documentary hosted by Monte Markham, published by History Channel in 2002 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

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. Produced by Perpetual Motion Films for The History Channel

[edit] The King's Ships 1500-1599

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.
We follow the daring exploits of Sir Francis Drake's GOLDEN HINDE and the revolutionary innovations of John Hawkins' race-built Galleons - the backbone of Elizabethan naval power during the Age of Discovery. Finally the climatic showdown with Spain's Invincible Armada in 1588 laid the groundwork for the dramatic rise of English naval power and Britannia's Rule of the Seas in the years to come.

[edit] Wooden Walls 1600-1805

During the 17th century, the Royal Navy's war efforts were aided by Samuel Pepys' visionary reforms of the Admiralty and the codification of naval tactics in "The Fighting Instructions" which transformed naval battles from uncontrollable mellees 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 efficiently than the British. During the American War for Independence, Admirals such as Francois de Grasse and Pierre Suffren won astonishing victories over the Royal Navy that, ultimately, helped free America and threatened to topple England from the pinnacle of naval power.
However, a little-known Scottish landlubber named John Clerk, stimulated a revolution in naval tactics and when the incomparable naval leader, Admiral Horatio Nelson, took the helm of HMS VICTORY at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Britain's matery of the waves was re-established.

[edit] Steam, Steel and Dreadnoughts 1806-1918

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.
Finally, in an extraordinary leap forward in naval design and construction, a super-ship named the DREADNOUGHT was launched in 1906. She was the brainchild of the British Admiral Sir John Jacky Fisher and, under the first Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, sparked a naval arms race with Germany that culminated with the gigantic showdown at Jutland during WWI.
Ironically, the very expense and complexity of the Dreadnought, which had kept the Royal Navy in the lead over its rivals, led to Britain's ultimate naval downfall.
The Washington Naval treaties of the 1920s and 30's saw Britain finally give up what no rival has been able to take from her in battle - absolute rule of the seas.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L3
Video Bitrate: 2 217 Kbps
Video Resolution: 704x544
Video Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 192 kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 43mn 30s
Number Of Parts: 4
Part Size: 741 MB - 750 MB
Ripped by: DocFreak08