Documentary overview

About What Was Life Really Like At Sea? (16-19th Century) | After Dark

Dan Snow joins After Dark with Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling to chat about the brutal reality of sailing in the Age of Sail. They explore the horrifying life at sea for a Royal Navy sailor from the 16th to 19th century, covering the truth about press ganging, shipboard discipline, and the myths vs. realities of naval life. Dan details the real killers at sea, revealing that more sailors died from disease like scurvy and in catastrophic shipwrecks than in famous naval battles. The conversation also covers the cosmopolitan nature of the crews, the horrors of naval combat, the complex truth about pirates, and what it really took to survive in Nelson's Navy. You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

What Was Life Really Like At Sea? (16-19th Century) | After Dark is presented by History Hit. Its listed runtime is 42 minutes. The source link and publisher attribution are provided with the embedded film.

As a history documentary, What Was Life Really Like At Sea? (16-19th Century) | After Dark uses really, century, after as its central frame. Historical documentaries interpret surviving evidence rather than simply replaying the past. Watch how archives, archaeology, expert interpretation and first-hand records are used, and note where uncertainty or competing explanations remain.

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Documentary details and original source

Title
What Was Life Really Like At Sea? (16-19th Century) | After Dark
Category
History
Runtime
42 minutes
Language
English
Publisher
History Hit

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