Smithsonian · Running

Combat Ships

2017

Last aired: S4 E8, Lightning Strikes · 2023-05-14

Combat Ships is a series that shows how technology transformed naval warfare and tells the stories of the greatest maritime battles, escapes and disasters. From the deadly 18th century Ships of the Line, the primitive submarines of the American Civil War, the landing craft of the D-Day beaches, the fearless hospital ships of the First World War, to the might of nuclear warships - these vessels have shaped world history. Each episode includes powerful eye-witness accounts, interviews with veterans and maritime experts, reconstructions, intriguing technical data and fascinating historical detail.

Cast

Kieran O'Brien Narrator

Joseph Balderrama Narrator

Season 4

Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4

E1 Courageous Captains 2023-03-26 · 60 min Larry Chambers makes a risky decision during the Vietnam War. Ernest Evans faces a formidable Japanese fleet during WWII, and enslaved steamship pilot, Robert Smalls, stages a daring escape.

E2 Explosion! 2023-04-02 · 60 min Experts discuss nautical explosions, including an attack on the USS Westchester County during the Vietnam War, a collision in Canada during WWI and a nuclear test in the Pacific Ocean.

E3 Hidden Figures 2023-04-09 · 60 min A Black Merchant Marine in World War II forces the Navy to desegregate his ship, a teenage slave pressed into Royal Navy service finds himself in the thick of the Seven Years' War, and more.

E4 Heroes of Guadalcanal 2023-04-16 · 60 min American troops' determination to secure a vital airfield and preserve communication lines with Australia leads to a chaotic and deadly night battle in the Pacific theater of World War II.

E5 Mutiny 2023-04-23 · 60 min Anti-war sentiment irrupting on the SS Columbia Eagle and racial unrest aboard the USS Kitty Hawk spark rebellions at sea during the Vietnam War; mutineers overthrow Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty; and the revolt on the American slave ship Creole ends in triumph.

E6 Smugglers and Pirates 2023-04-30 · 60 min A look at how maritime task forces and the Coast Guard are keeping commercial vessels and US shores safe from pirates and drug smugglers.

E7 Record Breakers 2023-05-07 · 60 min A look at how technological advances over the centuries have led to bigger and faster combat ships and transformed maritime warfare.

E8 Lightning Strikes 2023-05-14 · 60 min Examining some of maritime history's most effective lightning strikes; how the French frigate Nivôse set a trap to lure Somali pirates; how the HMS Illustrious captured a well-defended Mediterranean harbor in WWII; a surprise attack on Tokyo in 1942.

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