Before the nuclear bomb, no weapon on earth had evoked so much fear, veneration and passion as the battleship.

In destructive power it had no equal. In four dramatic episodes, The Battleships unveils the dramatic saga of power, international politics and one-upmanship that led to the titanic wars of the twentieth century.

It is a story involving rulers, warlords and admirals who all became intoxicated by the grandeur, majesty and sheer power of these floating fortresses. Enriched with eyewitness accounts and contributions from naval experts around the globe, the series explores the rapid evolution of firepower and battleship design from canvas to steam, timber to steel, muzzle-loading cannon to 18-inch guns, and beyond, to rocket launchers and missiles.

As the spearhead of colonial expansion and in defence of the great empires the battleship reigned supreme.