Last episode
Lightning Strikes
s04e08 · 2023-05-14
Running · GB
Combat Ships
Smithsonian Documentary
What it is
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.
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Episode guide
8 this season · 34 totals04e01 Courageous Captains 2023-03-26 19:00
Courageous Captains
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.
s04e02 Explosion! 2023-04-02 19:00
Explosion!
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.
s04e03 Hidden Figures 2023-04-09 19:00
Hidden Figures
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.
s04e04 Heroes of Guadalcanal 2023-04-16 19:00
Heroes of Guadalcanal
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.
s04e05 Mutiny 2023-04-23 19:00
Mutiny
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.
s04e06 Smugglers and Pirates 2023-04-30 19:00
Smugglers and Pirates
A look at how maritime task forces and the Coast Guard are keeping commercial vessels and US shores safe from pirates and drug smugglers.
s04e07 Record Breakers 2023-05-07 19:00
Record Breakers
A look at how technological advances over the centuries have led to bigger and faster combat ships and transformed maritime warfare.
s04e08 Lightning Strikes 2023-05-14 19:00
Lightning Strikes
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.