Maritime history

The remains of a 1940 naval battle in Narvik, Norway – several battles between German and Norwegian forces took place in the Ofotfjord in the spring of 1940. (Photo by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)

Second World War

The Library The Navy and the battle for Britain in 1940

A depiction of HMS Endeavour off the coast of New Holland, by Samuel Atkins c1794. (Photo by UtCon Collection / Alamy Stock Photo)

5 facts about Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour

An illustration showing the last moments of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the explorer, soldier and half-brother of Sir Walter Ralegh. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

The Library The Tudor guide to colonising the world

Captain Cook's Endeavour podcast

Captain Cook’s Endeavour

History Extra’s top 10 podcast episodes

Charles Cundall’s painting ‘The Withdrawal From Dunkirk, June 1940’. (Photo by IWM via Getty Images)

Second World War

9 things you (probably) didn’t know about Dunkirk

The arrival of Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), in Virginia, leading to the settlement established on Roanoke Island under John White (c.1540-93 (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

What happened to the lost colony of Roanoke Island?

English actor Trevor Howard as Captain William Bligh on the set of 'Mutiny On The Bounty', directed by Lewis Milestone, 1962. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Q&A: Was Captain Bligh hated by the crew of the Bounty?

Police hold back Mrs Lillian Bilocca on the quayside at Hull

The 1968 Triple Trawler Disaster and the women who fought for change

The ruins of the Canadian port of Halifax in the wake of the explosion in December 1917. Almost 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 injured when two ships collided at the height of the First World War. (Photo by Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images)

First World War

Catastrophe in Canada

British & African Steam Navigation Company postcard showing the Mendi.

First World War

“We die like brothers”: The sinking of the SS Mendi

NelsonNavyMAIN-c5e4f7e

5 facts you (probably) didn’t know about Nelson’s navy

Matthew Perry Entertaining Japanese Commissioners on Ship

What happened when US Commodore Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay?

Rocky cliffs loom above the fjords of Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Sir John Franklin's expedition faced harsh conditions in summer - and life-threatening cold and hunger in winter (Michael Nolan/robertharding Getty Images)

Captain Franklin’s last expedition: an ill-fated Victorian voyage

Lady Hall launches the British India Company passenger liner SS Uganda in Clydeside docks with the traditional bottle of champagne, 1952. The first time champagne was used to launch a ship was when Queen Victoria launched HMS Royal Arthur in 1891. (Photo by George Douglas/Getty Images)

Q&A Why do we smash champagne bottles against new ships?