The Remarkable Engineering of the Man of War

At the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood sailed alone into the enemy line. At home, he walked the countryside with his pockets full of acorns, planting warships for the future. A single man of war like HMS Victory needed around 6,000 trees, 104 cannons and more than 26 miles of rope, and every piece of it was built by hand. This is the remarkable engineering of the man of war: how Europe raced to build ocean-going warships, why the Sovereign of the Seas helped push England toward civil war, how shipwrights hunted for curved oak, why shipworms nearly destroyed wooden navies until copper saved them, what life was like on Victory's gun decks, how the Spanish four-decker Santísima Trinidad met her end at Trafalgar, and why HMS Victory is still standing today. 0:00 Collingwood, Trafalgar and the Admiral Who Planted Acorns 2:41 The Race to Build an Ocean Warship: Carrack, Galleon and Hawkins 6:13 The Sovereign of the Seas, the "Golden Devil" 10:04 Grown, Not Built: Oak Forests, Compass Timber and Seasoning 13:36 Building the Hull: Keel, Frames, Tumblehome and Caulking 17:28 Shipworms, Fouling and the Copper-Bottomed Navy 21:38 Life on the Gun Deck and Victory at Trafalgar 25:30 The Santísima Trinidad: The Largest Warship on Earth 29:21 Masts, Sails and 26 Miles of Rope 32:53 The Pumps, HMS Victory Today and the Final Twist Subscribe for more deep dives into the forgotten engineering of naval history, from the age of sail to the age of steam. Which machine should I break down next? Tell me in the comments. #NavalHistory #ManOfWar #HMSVictory