This documentary explores the sinking of the Britannic during the First World War, examining how she ultimately came to suffer the same fate as her sister ship, the Titanic.
Titanic had a twin sister, Britannic, which despite being bigger and better built, sank to the bottom three times faster than the Titanic.
With the outbreak of WW1 the Britannic was transformed from the largest ocean liner in the world to the greatest hospital ship in the world – and yet she is virtually unknown today. Why she sunk so suddenly has remained a mystery for 100 years.
Presenters Kate Humble and Andy Torbet go in search of what caused the demise of the Britannic. While Andy dives to the deadly wreck to find physical evidence Kate speaks to descendants of those aboard and actors bring alive the dramatic eyewitness testimony of survivors.
Up Next in Maritime Stories
-
Saving South
Shackleton's incredible story of survival, the 1914-16 Endurance expedition, is remembered partly because of its extraordinary heroics, but also because it was filmed and photographed by a cinematic genius, the Australian Frank Hurley. Filming in extremes of cold, in unimaginably difficult condit...
-
Industrial Revolution: Canal Mania
Join Dan Snow on an adventure through beautiful scenery, industrial landscapes and epic engineering, to discover a story that shaped the modern world.
Dan travels by narrowboat across the canals of England and Wales to explore a transformation in transport and time. Over just a few decades, jour...
-
Captain Cook's Endeavour
Captain James Cook is one of the greatest maritime navigators in history. Born in 1728 to a Scottish father and English mother, Cook grew up in Yorkshire and soon developed a great fascination with the sea and exploration. In 1746 Cook joined the merchant shipping industry when he moved to the ne...
16 Comments