Combat Ships Episode Rating Graph

French surveillance frigate Nivôse executes a plan to capture pirates off the coast of Somalia, and the U.S. retaliates after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor with the help of the USS Hornet.

A look at how technological advances over the centuries have led to bigger and faster combat ships and transformed maritime warfare.

Anti-war sentiment and racial unrest during the Vietnam War spark rebellions at sea, mutineers overthrow Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty, and a U.S. slave ship revolt ends in triumph.

From the capture of U-505 to the sinking of the Lusitania; from the war games of Gilbert Roberts that man behind the fabled 'Operation Raspberry," which nullified the threat of German U-boats, to the highly cinematic deception at the heart of the Pentagon's capture of a sunken Soviet nuclear sub. Covert missions and secret strategies have been at the heart of naval engagement since the very beginning, often helping pick the winners. Join us on a revealing and highly classified look.

Throughout the ages, combat ships were built to be fast and deadly, combining clever design, raw firepower and human heroism to carve out glory in battle. But some vessels, let down by bad design or bad luck, would go on to become bywords for failure: from the 16th-century Swedish warship that sank on its maiden voyage, to the Royal Navy's HMS Hood--a WWI cruiser with so little armor, she was easily dispatched by Germany's legendary Bismarck. It's a sobering account of the greatest tragedies in naval history.

Over the past century, combat ships have been operating in secret, unseen by the enemy. Today, the military uses groundbreaking, radar-reflecting technology to evade detection, but well before then, the U.S. Navy has employed stealth tactics to pull off crucial operations that helped win wars. Join us as we take a look at World War II operations involving the small and fast PT boat and the legendary submarine HMS Seraph. Then see how the 1985 prototype Sea Shadow paved the way for the stealth ships of today.

Over the centuries, longships evolved from swift war canoes to become the preeminent fighting machines of the age. For over 200 years, Vikings depended on these vessels to carry them across the ocean to trade and to plunder. With names such as Surf Dragon and Great Serpent, these ships became part of Viking culture and took on almost magical properties. But what was the secret behind their power? We examine the story of longships and those who built them, a people who were often violent and bloody...but also expert craftsmen.

The Navy captures an armed group of Somali pirates, a Coast Guard crew raids a drug-smuggling submarine, and Norwegian civilians in fishing boats outwit the Germans during World War II.

It was a microcosm of naval warfare, involving battleships, carriers, destroyers, submarines, kamikazes, and fighter jets, all embroiled in an epic, three-day battle that marked the beginning of the end to the Pacific War. This is an inside look at the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the thousands of vessels involved, including the largest, most powerful battleships ever built: Japan's Musashi and Yamato. We detail the brilliant strategies, heroic acts, stunning decisions, and mighty machines that made this the biggest sea conflict in history.

The Battle of Inchon, an amphibious invasion and conflict within the Korean War, which resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command. It was one of the the riskiest amphibious assaults in history, in one of the world's most treacherous harbors.

The ships involved in the biggest naval deployments in recent history - Persian Gulf, Iran-Iraq War and Desert Storm.

Stories of naval ships that sank below the waves, from veterans who survived during the Falklands War to a hi-tech mission to solve a Second World War mystery.

Voyage back to the age when wooden warships were the ultimate fighting machines. From the Mary Rose, one of the first great combat ships, to the HMS Victory, which tattered Napoleon's plans of invading Britain in 1805, celebrate history's brave commanders and crews who rode these wooden wonders into battle. Witness how technological advancements in Europe and America led to longer, faster, and more heavily armed vessels.

A look at the game-changers of maritime combat-revolutionary ships and the groundbreaking designers behind them

The vessels employed in the Battle of Trafalgar, a naval engagement contested in October 1805 in the Atlantic Ocean between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies.

The Cold War was an era of espionage, treachery, and the flexing of military muscle. Over four decades, the naval capabilities of East and West threatened assured mutual destruction, which helped maintain a tense but stable peace between the superpowers. Witness stories of remarkable humanity and bravery as we examine the period's most fearsome warships and subs and their operations in Cuba, Vietnam, and Soviet waters.

It began with a barrel-shaped submersible that patrolled New York Harbor during the American Revolutionary War. Since then, the submarine has evolved into a vital weapon of war. Dive in as we track its history, from the 1775 Turtle to the 1879 Resurgam to the mighty German U-boats and nuclear subs of today. Rare archival footage, visits to surviving decommissioned subs, and interviews with crewmembers help explain how these machines became such a powerful symbol of naval supremacy.

In the late 1800s, the invention of the self-propelled torpedo incited a revolution in ship design. Navies needed new vessels to fire them and to defend against them. Enter torpedo boats--fast, lightweight ships that would play a big role in both World Wars. Examine some of these sophisticated speedsters, from the German S-boats, which turned one D-Day rehearsal into a very real battle, the MTB 102, the smallest vessel to ever serve as a Royal Navy flagship, and the PT 109, which made a hero of a young JFK.