Combat Ships

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A look at how maritime task forces and the Coast Guard are keeping commercial vessels and US shores safe from pirates and drug smugglers.

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

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.