Hi everybody, welcome to Dan Snow's History Hit. I'm now in the wonderful naval dockyard

at Chattam, the historic dockyard. I've got HMS Cavalier in front of me. It's the only

surviving Second World War destroyer in Britain. It was built in a hurry. It was built during

the Second World War, one of 96 destroyers built during the war to replace over 100 that

were lost during convoys or at Dunkirk or on various missions throughout the world. We're

full on Cavalier today because of our program on Bismarck. It's coming out next month

for the 18th anniversary of Bismarck. Destroyers like this one, howundid Bismarck through the

night through its final night. Well, I mustn't spoil the story. But anyway, destroyers like

this one howundid the mighty Bismarck as part of that great clash of arms. But what I love

about Chattam, it's some here on the medway, they're ever medway. A lot of history here,

guys. This is where during the Claude in invasion of 43 AD, the Roman army somewhere on the

river medway clashed with one of the British tribes and one of the kind of decisive military

engagements of that Roman invasion of Britain. And if I look, I can see over the superstructure

Rochester castle, one of the best preserved keeps in Europe. The 1215 siege of Rochester

when King John tried to take the castle back from his rebel barrens, one of the great

Sieges of history, one of those rare Sieges where it went all the way. They didn't just

breach the outer wall and surrender. They fought room to room. It was the Hollywood version

of the medieval siege. Go and check that one out. 1215, Rochester castle. And then I'm

looking at the river rolling by, and this was a site of one of the greatest reverses in

history of the Royal Navy. 1667, I think it was the Dutch sailed up here to one of the

main bases of the Royal Navy and burned the English fleet at their moorings and stole

the flagship the Royal Charles and took it back to Holland where it was used as a tourist

...