Ships and History

What nationalities served in the British navy of the 18th century and what difference did peacetime and wartime conditions have on the make-up of crews? How does visiting a landlocked village that was once a thriving Gloucestershire port change our view of history? What did enslaved people think about their rescue by anti-slavery rescue ships? These are the questions Rana Mitter will be asking three writers and historians: Sara Caputo, Tom Nancollas and New Generation Thinker Jake Subryan Richards. Plus the artist Hew Locke describes his new commission for the entrance hall of Tate Britain and the artwork now on show at Tate Liverpool which is built from 45 votive boats suspended from the ceiling.

Tate Britain Commission 2022: Hew Locke is on show until 22 Jan 2023. His work Armanda 2019 is on show at Tate Liverpool
The Ship Asunder: A maritime history in eleven vessels by Tom Nancollas is out now
Seafaring - an exhibition of fifty works from 1820 to the present day runs at Hastings Contemporary from Saturday 30 April – Sunday 25 September 2022 and includes works by Eric Ravilious, Elisabeth Frink, James Tissot, Edward Burne-Jones, Richard Eurich, Alfred Wallis, Edward Wadsworth, Frank Brangwyn and Maggi Hambling
Dr Sara Caputo from the University of Cambridge researches maritime history
Dr Jake Subryan Richards is an Assistant Professor at LSE and a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker. He researches law, empire, and the African diaspora in the Atlantic world.

Producer: Luke Mulhall