Shipwrecks: Britain’s Sunken History

Episode one
From the Mary Rose to the Spanish Armada, shipwrecks are a big part of British history. Maritime historian Dr Sam Willis kicks off a three-part series on the subject with a look at these and other tragic results of our treacherous coastline. At first, this is a fairly gloomy look at the technicalities of disasters at sea, pepped up by the preponderance of works of art depicting them.

As Willis and commentators focus more on the cultural significance of shipwrecks, it becomes more engaging for those less interested in the morbid details. Shakespeare, after all, was inspired to write ‘The Tempest’, and Daniel Defoe used shipwrecks at the catalyst for his ‘Robinson Crusoe’ story. There’s also considerable chat about the way the Spanish Armada wreck changed the course of British history – including the theory that some of us are descended from the survivors.