How does a navy evolve from a loose collection of borrowed merchant ships into a high-tech force tasked with protecting global trade, maintaining nuclear deterrence, exploring the deep ocean, and preparing for autonomous warfare? In this episode, we trace the extraordinary history of the Royal Navy, from its improvised medieval beginnings to its modern role as one of the world’s most technologically advanced maritime forces.

We explore how Henry VIII created the foundations of a permanent navy, how British sea power shaped empire, science, and global commerce, and how the fleet transformed through the age of sail, steam, dreadnoughts, world wars, nuclear submarines, and aircraft carriers. Along the way, we look at the Royal Navy’s role in everything from defeating the Spanish Armada and winning at Trafalgar to protecting Atlantic convoys, s ...