The Mariner's Mirror Podcast

This episode forms part of a new strand of our podcast: Seapower Past and Present which explores seapower as it is understood and practised in the modern world whilst offering a historical perspective on the themes we explore. Each episode is chosen according to a theme or a location – a hotspot in the modern world where seapower has a major influence on geopolitics. So if you enjoy this episode do please seek out others in this strand – you will shortly be able to find episodes on economic warfare, critical national infrastructure, how technology is changing the nature of warfare at sea; and on hugely significant locations in the modern maritime world – the Black Sea, South China Sea, Middle East and Arctic.To make this series come alive we’ve teamed up with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. In each episode you will hear from at least one historian and from at least one practitioner, a member of the armed forces who has direct first hand, personal experience of the topic being discussed.For this episode our host Dr Sam Willis is joined by Dr Ziya Meral Senior Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute and lecturer at the International oriental studies. He is an expert on global trends shaping defence and security, climate change and security, Turkey and Middle Eastern countries, and intersection of religion with global affairs. The second guest in this episode is Commander Edward Black of the Royal Navy. He is the First Sea Lord’s Visiting Fellow at Royal United Services. As a Mine Clearance Diving Officer Commander Black has served extensively abroad including Operational Tours in Afghanistan and Bahrain; Loan Service with the Royal Navy of Oman; as Defence Attaché in Mali and Deputy Defence Advisor in Kenya.

The paddle steamer Waverley is one of the real treasures of the maritime world. The last surviving seagoing and passenger-carrying paddle steamer, she continues to this day to take day trippers on joyrides around our coast, her paddles churning up the sea as she goes. Built on the Clyde in 1946 she spent almost thirty years taking passengers up to Loch Long before being bought by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, a maritime heritage group with its own proud and important history. To find out more about the ship, her preservation and her summer cruises, Dr Sam Willis travelled up to Glasgow to sail from her contemporary berth in the city centre, yards from where she was built, to the west coast resort of Largs.

This episode continues our series on the Cinque Ports, an ancient confederation of towns in southeast England that provided ships and men to the crown in return for special powers and privileges. They have since become rightly dubbed as the cradle of the Royal Navy. This episode brings us to the lovely town of Tenterden, which joined the Cinque Ports confederation in 1449 supplying ships and men against French raiders. Nearby was the important port of Small Hythe, once a bustling and thriving shipbuilding centre before environmental change dramatically altered the landscape. Recent archaeological investigation has hinted at the scale of maritime industry that was once here, and a visit to Tenterden shows just how wealthy and significant this town once was.

This episode forms part of a new strand of our podcast: Seapower Past and Present which explores seapower as it is understood and practised in the modern world whilst offering a historical perspective on the themes we explore. Each episode is chosen according to a theme or a location – a hotspot in the modern world where seapower has a major influence on geopolitics. So if you enjoy this episode do please seek out others in this strand – you will shortly be able to find episodes on economic warfare, critical national infrastructure, how technology is changing the nature of warfare at sea; and on hugely significant locations in the modern maritime world - the Black Sea, South China Sea, Middle East and Arctic.To make this series come alive we’ve teamed up with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies centre. In each episode you will hear from at least one historian and from at least one practitioner, a member of the armed forces who has direct first hand, personal experience of the topic being discussed.This episode explores seapower in the Arctic, and how today’s unique balance of power and strategic concerns was born from its rich and fascinating history.

This episode forms part of a new strand of our podcast: Seapower Past and Present which explores seapower as it is understood and practised in the modern world whilst offering a historical perspective on the themes we explore. Each episode is chosen according to a theme or a location – a hotspot in the modern world where seapower has a major influence on geopolitics. So if you enjoy this episode do please seek out others in this strand – you will shortly be able to find episodes on economic warfare, critical national infrastructure, how technology is changing the nature of warfare at sea; and on hugely significant locations in the modern maritime world - the Black Sea, South China Sea, Middle East and Arctic.To make this series come alive we’ve teamed up with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies centre. In each episode you will hear from at least one historian and from at least one practitioner, a member of the armed forces who has direct first hand, personal experience of the topic being discussed.This episode explores how and why maritime infrastructure is critical to our lives as we live them today. To find out more Dr Sam Willis spoke with Tim Edmunds, Professor of International Security at the university of Bristol and an advisor for the UK's National Strategy for Maritime Security, and Erin Bisset, infrastructure Superintendent at the Royal Naval Base in Portsmouth.  

This episode forms part of a new strand of our podcast: Seapower Past and Present which explores seapower as it is understood and practised in the modern world whilst offering a historical perspective on the themes we explore. Each episode is chosen according to a theme or a location – a hotspot in the modern world where seapower has a major influence on geopolitics. So if you enjoy this episode do please seek out others in this strand – you will shortly be able to find episodes on economic warfare, critical national infrastructure, how technology is changing the nature of warfare at sea; and on hugely significant locations in the modern maritime world - the Black Sea, South China Sea, Middle East and Arctic.To make this series come alive we’ve teamed up with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies centre. In each episode you will hear from at least one historian and from at least one practitioner, a member of the armed forces who has direct first hand, personal experience of the topic being discussed.This episode explores economic warfare and how it relates to seapower. In a world in which we hear so much of sanctions being imposed on one country by another this is something that we all need to know about – not only to understand our modern world but also to understand how this particular aspect of it has been so clearly shaped by the past.To find out more Dr Sam Willis spoke with three experts, each with their own unique knowledge and experience. Dr Anna Brinkman is Associate Professor in the history of strategy and international law at the University of Lincoln and director of the maritime studies centre located at Britannia Royal Naval College, and Commander Andrew Livsay spent 25 years as a Royal Naval warfare officer and is now working for the Ministry of Defence while completing a PhD at King’s College London.

This episode continues our series on the Cinque Ports, an ancient confederation of maritime towns in southeast England that from the early Middle Ages provided ships and men to the crown in return for special powers and privileges. They have since become rightly dubbed as the cradle of the Royal Navy. Our first episode explored the Cinque Ports’ rich history and now we’re on the road, visiting these magnificent sites of maritime history to bring you their individual stories. It’s a world of castles, churches, creeks, cobbled lanes, docks and harbours.This episode takes us to Faversham, nestled up the swale estuary in east Kent. Faversham was associated with the Cinque Ports from that group’s earliest days – we know that the town’s Barons were granted all the liberties of the ports as early as 1302. Today it is a fabulous place to enjoy maritime heritage: you can see the preservation of maritime skills and trades in creek-side sites and celebrate the restoration of historic ships & boats. All around are constant reminders that Faversham was a proud independent town and yet intimately linked with the Crown. To find out more Dr Sam Willis met up with past mayor, Trevor Martin, and Councillor Josh Rowlands, both brimming with stories of their town.

The Bremen Cog is a historical gem; the best-preserved medieval trading ship in the world. We know from her beautifully-preserved timbers that her construction dates from 1380, and her discovery dramatically unlocked a fascinating world not only of shipbuilding and seamanship but also of trade. This was a period in which trade routes and shipping were readying themselves for a great awakening that would lead to the making of the modern world.

This episode is the first of a series on the history of the Cinque Ports in which we bring you a mixture of fascinating history alongside a glimpse into contemporary life in these vibrant and ancient maritime towns. In the eleventh century during the reign of Edward the Confessor, five ports in the south-east of England joined together into a confederation for mutual protection and trade privileges. Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover, and Sandwich were the original five ports; they were subsequently joined by Lydd, Faversham, Folkestone, Deal, Tenterden, Margate and Ramsgate which became known as ‘Limbs’ of the Cinque Ports; and then Rye and Winchelsea, designated as ‘Ancient Towns’. Not only did they help each other but they also helped the Crown: in return for providing men for the King’s ships they received significant municipal benefits. The nominal head of the Cinque Ports was given the title of ‘Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports’ and became one of the most influential people in the Kingdom. Over time the position has retained is significance and honour and has often been held by members of the Royal Family and Prime Ministers.To find out more Dr Sam Willis explores the deep history of the Cinque Ports with archaeologist and historian Dr Andrew Richardson and also speaks with Sue Jones, former Mayor of Dover and twice Speaker of the Cinque Ports. We also bring you along for a very special day at the Royal Military School in Dover to witness the installation of the new Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Admiral Sir George Zambellas. In subsequent episodes we will explore some of the individual towns to get a sense of their intriguing past and dynamic present.