David Hayman travels to Australia to uncover the links the Cutty Sark forged with this Commonwealth country, and to reflect on her legacy. It's a story of adventure, money, mutiny and murder. Ravaged by fire in 2007, Cutty Sark has been restored and today stands as a testament to the craftsmanship and ingenuity of Scottish ship designers.
This was the Victorian internet of its day. It's also the story of a date with disaster. This ship and her crew recovered the bodies of those who died when the Titanic sank and in doing so they sparked a mystery that's taken over a century to solve.
The story of the Robert E. Lee, one of the most famous Clydebuilt blockade running paddle steamers. During the American Civil War, Glasgow shipbuilders and captains made a fortune running the supplies of war to the Confederate South and bringing out valuable cotton. To run the blockade of Union warships these paddle steamers had to be fast and their crews fearless. Glasgow provided both but Britain was neutral and these ships shouldn't have been anywhere near someone else's war.
David travels to Scapa Flow to experience what life was like for the hundreds of people working to protect the vital North Atlantic convoys. In Australia he uncovers the legacy of HMS Hood's flag waving visits and tries his hand at riveting to understand what it took to make this battlecrusier strong and watertight. David also investigates why this 'mighty' ship was flawed from the very day she was launched.
