Combat Ships Show Summary, Upcoming Episodes and TV Guide

A look at riverine warfare from the Civil War to Vietnam and small but powerful combat ships that led important 'brown water navy' missions.

A look at how navy weapons have evolved over the centuries, from cannons to gun turrets to nuclear missiles and beyond.

The Persian Gulf has been the stage for some of the biggest naval deployments in recent history, and since 1987, the U.S. military and its warships have been in the middle of the action, facing missiles, mines, and terrorist attacks. In this episode, we follow some of the major operations that have taken place in this small body of water—from Earnest Will to Praying Mantis to Desert Storm—and examine the combat vessels from both sides, including the Mark III Patrol Boat, the IRIS Sabalan with the USS Samuel B. Roberts, the USS Missouri on its final mission, and USS Cole hit by a suicide bomber.

The Battle of Trafalgar pit the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies in October 1805 in the Atlantic Ocean. The naval engagement lasted only five hours but established the Royal Navy's supremacy for over a century. The deadly conflict featured legendary leaders Napoleon Bonaparte and Horatio Nelson along with the greatest warships of their era: the HMS Victory and the Santísima Trinidad. We present a blow-by-blow account of the conflict, from the innovative tactics to the events that unfolded when the guns began firing to the tragic climax that cemented Admiral Nelson's legacy.

Explore vessels built for amphibious combat over the last century, from D-Day LCTs to Vietnam hovercrafts. This account of amphibious assault craft includes the restoration and story of Britain's last surviving landing craft, tank (LCT 7074), designed to carry six Churchill tanks for D-Day. Vietnam-era craft covered are the Swift Boats and PACV (Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle) combat hovercraft. Other types include the Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Independence-class and Freedom-class.

In the 16th century, the Spanish Armada was the reigning maritime superpower, with mighty galleons at their disposal. On the other hand, the English were the upstarts, opportunistic pirates with inferior ships. Led by buccaneering figures such as Francis Drake and John Hawkins, English ship technology began to catch up, leading to the revolutionary 'race-built galleons.' In 1588, both sides would meet in battle for the right to be declared rulers of the waves. England defeated the Spanish Armada and became a world power.

Destroyers and cruisers are the quintessential combat ships, each featuring speed and firepower while carrying out unique roles within a navy. We highlight the similarities and differences of these two warships and share stories of some of the most influential vessels and battles, from the lone-wolf cruiser, HMS Gannet, which became a powerful symbol of the Victorian anti-slavery campaign to the legendary USS Laffey, the World War II destroyer that stared down the largest kamikaze attack in history off Okinawa. Other ships featured are the cruiser HMS Belfast on D-Day, the heavy cruisers USS Salem and USS Newport News, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Howard. 

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 long before, 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, the daring motor yacht Sundowner, and the legendary submarine HMS Seraph. Then see how the 1985 prototype Sea Shadow paved the way for the stealth ships of today like the Ghost.

Explore the dark side of naval warfare--a world of deception, double-dealing, and disguised vessels--throughout the first half of the 20th century. See how Britain's Royal Navy attempted to fool German U-boats through the technique of'dazzle painting.' This camouflaged the HMS President, a Q-ship made to ram U-boats. Over 602 days in 1940-1941, the German raider Atlantis, equipped with fake funnels while its sailors dressed as women pushing prams to fool Allied merchant ships, sank or captured 22 ships. From the cargo ship Automedon, she secured an intelligence assessment of Britain's Far East capabilities and vulnerabilities that directly contributed to Japan's early successes. Look at the ingeniously designed Gizmo, an American spy semi-submersible designed for the invasion of Japan that never made it beyond American waters. Witness the wild, creative, and audacious ways navies disguised their vessels in times of war and the use of intelligence to carry out naval attacks.

For centuries, small vessels have made immense contributions in times of war, thanks to the expertise, bravery, and sheer willpower of their designers and crews. See the remarkable stories of war's small ships and the major roles they played at Pearl Harbor, Dunkirk, and more. Witness David-and-Goliath stories involving the tiny combat vessels that took on massive battleships and deadly subs. From the short-lived but legendary 1776 gunboat USS Philadelphia built to stop a British invasion on Lake Champlain, to the British gunboat M33 at Gallipoli, to the remarkable story of the Japanese HA.-19 minisubmarine at Pearl Harbor, see how ships of war don't have to be large to make history.

From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the covert naval operations of the 1980s, see the role of combat ships during the Cold War. This was an era of espionage, treachery, and the flexing of military muscle. Over four decades, the naval capabilities of East and West threatened mutually assured 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.

Explore two submarines, the Soviet Foxtrot B49 and the British HMS Ocelot – former Cold War enemies now moored in River Medway, Kent, U.K. Hear the story of Vasili Arkhipov, a Soviet submariner aboard the Foxtrot B59 who refused to authorize a nuclear launch. On board the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, see the role that she played in the blockade of Cuba. The Cold War spilled into the Far East, and we hear from Gerald Feola, a Vietnam vet and A-1 Skyraider crewmember on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. We tell the story of USS Midway whose Captain Larry Chambers ordered valuable helicopters to be pushed into the sea so Major Buang Lee (a South Vietnamese pilot) and his family fleeing Saigon could land in a small Cessna.

The evolution from wooden ships to metal ones in the second half of the 19th century is examined. This episode opens in 1845 with a tug of war between HMS Rattler and HMS Alecto to test which was better - paddle or propeller. We reinstate HMS Warrior's place in history; in 1860, she was the largest, fastest ship in the world. The Civil War battle between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads changed naval warfare. We pinpoint the moment the USA became a global superpower when we recreate how the USS Olympia won the Battle of Manila Bay, and we show how the revolutionary British HMS Dreadnought brought ship design into the 20th century.

The 200-year evolution of the submarine in wartime is examined, told by the designers and engineers behind the machines. This episode begins with the story of HMS Conqueror sinking the ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War. Then the beginnings of submarines – the Turtle in the War of Independence, and the Civil War craft the Hunley. Resurgam was a Victorian submarine that sank off the Welsh coast. We tell the story of Charles Fryatt who used his ferry to ram a U-Boat rather than surrender. We explore the US submarine Becuna and the story of the giant I-400 Japanese subs. A crewmember from the USS Nautilus describes what it was like to serve on the world's first nuclear submarine.