Surviving Disaster

Latest Episodes

• Season 1 Episode 7: The Sinking of The Estonia

  Reconstruction of the Estonia ferry tragedy. Considered a symbol of freedom from Communist rule by the Estonian people, the ship set off through the Baltic sea in 1994. When a fierce storm occurred, the crew remained determined to arrive at its destination on time and maintained full speed. However, this caused the car ramp to open, sinking the vessel and killing more than 800 people

• Season 1 Episode 6: Iran Hostage Rescue

  Examining the United States' failed attempt to end the 1980 siege at their embassy in Tehran. A combination of poor planning and schoolboy errors led to the deaths of eight American servicemen as they sought to rescue the 53 remaining hostages. The debacle raised the Ayetollah's profile and is said to have directly contributed to President Carter's failure to be re-elected. The crisis finally and peacefully concluded after 444 days, in January 1981

• Season 1 Episode 5: The Fastnet Yacht Race

  Reconstruction of the 1979 Fastnet yacht race, which was struck by a force 10 transatlantic storm that lasted 24 hours. The greatest disaster in the history of the sport claimed the lives of 15 sailors, and out of the 300 vessels that set out, only 85 completed the course. The programme tells the story from the perspective of two crews and examines the safety concerns raised in the aftermath of the race