Maritime history

The remains of a 1940 naval battle in Narvik, Norway – several battles between German and Norwegian forces took place in the Ofotfjord in the spring of 1940. (Photo by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)

The Navy and the battle for Britain in 1940

A depiction of HMS Endeavour off the coast of New Holland, by Samuel Atkins c1794. (Photo by UtCon Collection / Alamy Stock Photo)

5 facts about Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour

An illustration showing the last moments of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the explorer, soldier and half-brother of Sir Walter Ralegh. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

The Tudor guide to colonising the world

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Captain Cook's Endeavour podcast

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English actor Trevor Howard as Captain William Bligh on the set of 'Mutiny On The Bounty', directed by Lewis Milestone, 1962. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Q&A Was Captain Bligh hated by the crew of the Bounty?

Police hold back Mrs Lillian Bilocca on the quayside at Hull

The 1968 Triple Trawler Disaster and the women who fought for change

The ruins of the Canadian port of Halifax in the wake of the explosion in December 1917. Almost 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 injured when two ships collided at the height of the First World War. (Photo by Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images)

Catastrophe in Canada

British & African Steam Navigation Company postcard showing the Mendi.

First World War

“We die like brothers”: The sinking of the SS Mendi

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5 facts you (probably) didn’t know about Nelson’s navy

Matthew Perry Entertaining Japanese Commissioners on Ship

What happened when US Commodore Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay?

Lady Hall launches the British India Company passenger liner SS Uganda in Clydeside docks with the traditional bottle of champagne, 1952. The first time champagne was used to launch a ship was when Queen Victoria launched HMS Royal Arthur in 1891. (Photo by George Douglas/Getty Images)

Q&A Why do we smash champagne bottles against new ships?

Crew of the HMS Terror. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

Finding HMS Terror and making sense of the past

A Royal Navy battle

The Royal Navy’s American disaster

The history of maritime travel could explain why we use the word 'posh' for the British upper classes. (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

Q&A Where does the word ‘posh’ come from?

A Roman galley warship

Q&A How did a crow help Rome defeat Carthage?