# Mighty Ships

Mighty Ships is a documentary television program produced by Exploration Production Inc. in Canada and aired on Discovery Channel Canada and also broadcast around the world. Each episode of the series follows a particular sea-going vessel and provides an insight into the ship and its crew.
The first episode of the tenth season, featuring the Faroes' largest ferry ship, MS Norröna, was first broadcast in Canada on 3 December 2017. The second episode, first aired on 10 December 2017, featured MSC Oscar, the largest container ship in the world.
Mighty Cruise Ships is a spin-off series focusing on cruise ships which began to air in late 2014.

## Series overview

A typical episode follows the crew of a particular vessel as it prepares to embark upon a voyage and concludes at the end of the journey or once a particular job has been completed. The operational capabilities and technical aspects of the ship feature heavily in the series, whilst members of the ship's crew provide an insight into life at sea and provide a human perspective. The series also makes use of computer-generated animation to show scenes which would otherwise be unobtainable, such as underwater operations.
The series was started after the success of a one-off special on the Discovery Channel entitled Inside Queen Mary 2. The series has featured an extensive range of different types of marine vessels, with cruise ships, an aircraft carrier, fishing boats, dredgers and various types of cargo ships, naval and specialist ships being shown.
In a first for the series, season 7 includes a double-length episode about the maiden voyage of cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway and its construction and sea trials. Season 7 also includes a compilation episode showing vessels from the first six seasons.
The show's mixture of technical insight and human stories has proved popular with audiences.
Mighty Planes is a spin-off series in the same format but featuring aircraft rather than ships. Other later series in the franchise have included Mighty Trains and The Mightiest.

## Episodes
### One-off special

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 1 | 1 | "Inside Queen Mary 2" | Ocean Liner | Cunard Line | Barbara Budd | 2008 (2008) |
| The world's largest ocean liner prepares to set sail on a five-night voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from New York City to Southampton, United Kingdom. Whilst providing entertainment and 16,000 meals a day to passengers, the crew must deal with bad weather and an infectious virus requiring passengers to be quarantined. |||||||

### Season 1

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 2 | 1 | "Emma Maersk" | Container Ship | Maersk Line | Barbara Budd | 22 July 2008 (2008-07-22) |
| Container ship Emma Maersk battles the threat of piracy and monsoons as she transports her cargo from Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, through the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea to Algeciras, Spain. |||||||
| 3 | 2 | "Becrux" | Livestock carrier | Siba Ships | Barbara Budd | 29 July 2008 (2008-07-29) |
| Livestock carrier MV Becrux carries 16,000 cattle from Darwin, Australia to Jakarta, Indonesia. The crew ensure they are not at risk from piracy whilst also maintaining the welfare and condition of their animals. |||||||
| 4 | 3 | "Faust" | Car Carrier | Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics | Barbara Budd | 5 August 2008 (2008-08-05) |
| One of the largest car carriers in the world makes a winter Atlantic crossing between Southampton, UK and Newark, New Jersey, United States. |||||||
| 5 | 4 | "Henry Larsen" | Icebreaker | Canadian Coast Guard | Barbara Budd | 12 August 2008 (2008-08-12) |
| Off the coast of Newfoundland, Canadian Coastguard icebreaker CCGS Henry Larsen patrols the frozen seas, assists the ferry Beaumont Hamel to navigate through the ice fields on its journey from Fogo Island and rescues cargo vessels which become trapped by ice. |||||||
| 6 | 5 | "Paul R. Tregurtha" | Lake Freighter | Interlake Steamship Co. | Barbara Budd | 19 August 2008 (2008-08-19) |
| The bulk carrier Paul R. Tregurtha, largest freighter on the Great Lakes, has a difficult first journey of the season from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to Superior, Wisconsin, through ice-choked waters, to pick up coal destined for Detroit, Michigan. |||||||
| 7 | 6 | "Tyco Resolute" | Cable Layer | Tyco Telecommunications | Barbara Budd | 26 August 2008 (2008-08-26) |
| Off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Tyco Resolute lays fibre optic cable to connect the country into PAC-1, a major subsea telecommunications cable running between Panama and California. |||||||

### Season 2

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel Type | Vessel Operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 8 | 1 | "MV Resolution" | Turbine Installation Vessel | MPI Offshore Ltd | Barbara Budd | 28 August 2009 (2009-08-28) |
| The first ever purpose built vessel for constructing wind turbines, MV Resolution, docks at Belfast, Northern Ireland to collect turbine components before setting sail for the Robin Rigg Wind Farm in the Solway Firth to assist with its construction. |||||||
| 9 | 2 | "Peace in Africa" | Dredger | De Beers | Barbara Budd | 2009 (2009) |
| In the Southern Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of South Africa, the world's largest offshore mining vessel, MV Peace in Africa, searches for diamonds using its sub-sea crawler. |||||||
| 10 | 3 | "Akamalik" | Factory Trawler | Royal Greenland | Barbara Budd | 2009 (2009) |
| Factory trawler of Royal Greenland fleet, Akamalik, sets sails from Sisimiut to the shrimping grounds of the North Atlantic Ocean as the lives of the crew are put at risk in the freezing winter weather. |||||||
| 11 | 4 | "USS Nimitz" | Supercarrier | US Navy | Barbara Budd | 10 August 2009 (2009-08-10) |
| Nuclear powered supercarrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and her 75 aircraft and 5000 crew, train from three months off the coast of Southern California, as she prepares for deployment to the Arabian Sea as part of the war in Afghanistan. |||||||
| 12 | 5 | "HDMS Absalon" | Flexible Support Ship | Royal Danish Navy | Barbara Budd | 2009 (2009) |
| Danish warship HDMS Absalon [L16] leads Combined Task Force 150 in its fight against Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. |||||||
| 13 | 6 | "MV Fairplayer" | Heavy-Lift Ship | Jumbo Shipping | Barbara Budd | 2009 (2009) |
| On her maiden voyage, the MV Fairplayer transports 4000 tonnes of oil refinery components from Ortona, Italy to a refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. |||||||

### Season 3

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel Type | Vessel Operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 14 | 1 | "G.O. Sars" | Research Vessel | Norwegian Institute of Marine Research | Barbara Budd | 2010 (2010) |
| G.O. Sars sets sail from Tromsø, Norway on a research voyage to the Arctic Ocean to examine a subsea volcano and hydrothermal vent field,with the aim of discovering new lifeforms. |||||||
| 15 | 2 | "Africa Mercy" | Hospital Ship | Mercy Ships | Anthony Green | 2010 (2010) |
| Floating hospital Africa Mercy sails from Tenerife bound for Lomé, Togo on the west coast of Africa. On arrival the medical staff provide treatments to Togolese patients both on-board the ship and within clinics set-up onshore, whilst mechanics ensure the ship remains serviceable. |||||||
| 16 | 3 | "Cristóbal Colón" | Dredger | Jan De Nul Group | Barbara Budd | 2010 (2010) |
| The world's first super dredger provides 2.5 million cubic metres of sand for the construction of a new port at Cuxhaven on the mouth of the Elbe River in Germany. |||||||
| 17 | 4 | "USS Kentucky" | Ballistic Missile Submarine | US Navy | Barbara Budd | 2010 (2010) |
| USS Kentucky (SSBN-737) departs Bangor, Washington state on a highly classified 70-day mission in the Pacific Ocean. One of the largest submarines ever built, she forms part of the United States' strategic nuclear deterrent. |||||||
| 18 | 5 | "Oasis of the Seas" | Cruise Ship | Royal Caribbean International | Anthony Green | 2010 (2010) |
| The largest cruise ship ever built prepares to set sail on her maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her 5400 passengers are taken on a seven-day Caribbean cruise which includes stops in the US Virgin Islands, St. Maarten and the Bahamas. |||||||
| 19 | 6 | "MV Solitaire" | Pipe-Laying Ship | Allseas Group | Barbara Budd | 2010 (2010) |
| In the Ormen Lange Gas Field, located 120 miles off the west coast of Norway, MV Solitaire lays pipeline to connect a new gas well into the existing subsea pipe network. |||||||

### Season 4

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel Type | Vessel Operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 20 | 1 | "MV Beluga Bremen" | Cargo Ship | Beluga Shipping | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |
| On her maiden voyage, super heavy lifter Beluga Bremen transports Beluga Shipping's largest ever load – mining equipment bound for a gold mine in the Dominican Republic. After careful loading in Kuantan, Malaysia and picking up a further load in Shanghai, she sets sail across the Pacific Ocean. |||||||
| 21 | 2 | "USNS Robert E. Peary" | Cargo Ship | US Navy | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |
| 22 | 3 | "DSV Skandi Arctic" | Diving Support Vessel | DOF Subsea | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |
| 23 | 4 | "MV Stena Britannica" | ROPAX Ferry | Stena Line | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |
| 24 | 5 | "USCGC Bertholf" | National Security Cutter | US Coast Guard | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |
| 25 | 6 | "CCGS Amundsen" | Icebreaker and Arctic Research Vessel | Canadian Coast Guard | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |

### Season 5

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel Type | Vessel Operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 26 | 1 | "Norwegian Epic" | Cruise Ship | Norwegian Cruise Line | Barbara Budd | 20 July 2011 (2011-07-20) |
| 27 | 2 | "North Star" | Roll-on/Roll-off Cargo Ship | TOTE Maritime Alaska | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |
| 28 | 3 | "Le Boréal" | Cruise Ship | Compagnie du Ponant | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |
| 29 | 4 | "FPSO Maersk Peregrino" | Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel | Maersk FPSO | Anthony Green | 2011 (2011) |
| 30 | 5 | "Umiak I" | Icebreaking Bulk Carrier | Fednav Group | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |
| 31 | 6 | "USS Gravely" | Guided Missile Destroyer | US Navy | Barbara Budd | 2011 (2011) |

### Season 6

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 32 | 1 | "MV Stornes" | Fallpipe vessel | Van Oord | Barbara Budd | 2012 (2012) |
| 33 | 2 | "USNS Grasp" | Salvage ship | US Navy | Barbara Budd | 2012 (2012) |
| 34 | 3 | "Crystal Serenity" | Cruise ship | Crystal Cruises | Barbara Budd | 2012 (2012) |
| 35 | 4 | "USS New York" | Amphibious Transport Dock | US Navy | Barbara Budd | 2012 (2012) |
| 36 | 5 | "Northern Eagle" | Fishing Trawler | American Seafoods | Barbara Budd | 2012 (2012) |
| 37 | 6 | "Neptune" | Jackup Vessel | GeoSea NV | Barbara Budd | 2012 (2012) |

### Season 7

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 38 | 1 | "Norwegian Breakaway: The Build" | Cruise Ship | Norwegian Cruise Line | Barbara Budd | 10 November 2013 (2013-11-10) |
| 39 | 2 | "Norwegian Breakaway: The Voyage" | Cruise Ship | Norwegian Cruise Line | Barbara Budd | 10 November 2013 (2013-11-10) |
| 40 | 3 | "Wind Surf" | Motor Sailing Yacht and Cruise Ship | Windstar Cruises | Anthony Green | 15 November 2013 (2013-11-15) |
| During an eight-day Mediterranean cruise Wind Surf's three hundred passengers depart from Venice and call at the Croatian ports of Rovinj, Split and Dubrovnik, Kotor in Montenegro and Messina in Sicily, before arriving at her final destination of Rome. |||||||
| 41 | 4 | "MV Avataq" | Cargo Ship | NEAS | Barbara Budd | 22 November 2013 (2013-11-22) |
| Avataq is on a 3500km journey to provide essential supplies to the community of Kuujjuaq in Canada's near-Arctic. |||||||
| 42 | 5 | "Ibn Battuta" | Cutter Suction Dredger | Jan De Nul Group | Barbara Budd | 29 November 2013 (2013-11-29) |
| 43 | 6 | "Stemat Spirit" | Cable Laying Vessel | Stemat Marine Services | Barbara Budd | 6 December 2013 (2013-12-06) |
| 44 | 7 | "Best of Mighty Ships" | Various | Various | Barbara Budd | 13 December 2013 (2013-12-13) |

### Season 8

Source:
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 45 | 1 | "Quantum of the Seas" | Cruise Ship | Royal Caribbean International | Barbara Budd | 19 July 2015 (2015-07-19) |
| 46 | 2 | "Hawk" | Semi-submersible heavy-lift ship | Offshore Heavy Transport | Barbara Budd | 19 July 2015 (2015-07-19) |
| 47 | 3 | "Happy Star" | Heavy-Lift Ship | Big Lift Shipping | Barbara Budd | 26 July 2015 (2015-07-26) |
| 48 | 4 | "Algoma Equinox" | Lake Freighter | Algoma Central Marine | Barbara Budd | 2 August 2015 (2015-08-02) |
| 49 | 5 | "HDMS Peter Willemoes" | Frigate | Royal Danish Navy | Barbara Budd | 9 August 2015 (2015-08-09) |
| 50 | 6 | "Maersk Interceptor" | Jackup Rig | Maersk Drilling | TBA | 16 August 2015 (2015-08-16) |

### Season 9

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 51 | 1 | "North Sea Giant" | Subsea Construction Vessel | North Sea Shipping | Barbara Budd |
| One of the world’s largest subsea construction vessels sets out to build a massive natural gas compression station – 300 metres underwater. |||||||
| 52 | 2 | "Tonsberg" | Roll-on/roll-off Transport Vessel | Wilh. Wilhelmsen | Barbara Budd | 8 May 2016 (2016-05-08) |
| The world’s largest roll-on/roll-off vessel races against the clock to load and transport luxury cars, SUVs and construction equipment across the Atlantic Ocean. |||||||
| 53 | 3 | "USNS Comfort" | Hospital Ship | United States Navy | Barbara Budd | 15 May 2016 (2016-05-15) |
| US Navy hospital ship travels from Colombia and through the Panama Canal on a mission of mercy to the tiny Caribbean island of Dominica. |||||||
| 54 | 4 | "Northern Leader " | Longline Fishing Vessel | Alaskan Leader | Barbara Budd | 22 May 2016 (2016-05-22) |
| Alaska’s biggest longline fishing ship battles high waves and hurricane-force winds to bring home a massive catch of cod. |||||||
| 55 | 5 | "Maersk Viking" | Drill Ship | Maersk | Barbara Budd | 29 May 2016 (2016-05-29) |
| One of the world’s most advanced drill ships builds an oil well more than 2000 metres below the waterline in the Gulf of Mexico. |||||||
| 56 | 6 | "Fram" | Expedition Cruise Ship | Hurtigruten Group | Barbara Budd | 5 June 2016 (2016-06-05) |
| The world’s most adventurous cruise ship fights through the ice-choked fjords of Greenland to visit a spectacular collection of wildlife and icebergs. |||||||

### Season 10

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 57 | 1 | "MV Karadeniz Powership Yasin Bey" | Powership | Karpowership | Barbara Budd | 7 January 2018 (2018-01-07) |
| 58 | 2 | "MSC Oscar" | Container ship | Mediterranean Shipping Company | Barbara Budd | 10 December 2017 (2017-12-10) |
| 59 | 3 | "MS Norröna" | Ferry | Smyril Line | Barbara Budd | 3 December 2017 (2017-12-03) |
| 60 | 4 | "MSC Meraviglia" | Cruise Ship | MSC Cruises | TBA | 17 December 2017 (2017-12-17) |
| 61 | 5 | "Sapura 3500" | Pipe-Laying Ship | Sapura Energy | TBA | 14 August 2018 (2018-08-14) |
| 62 | 6 | "Edda Freya" | Subsea Construction Vessel | DeepOcean | TBA | 14 August 2018 (2018-08-14) |

## Mighty Cruise Ships

Mighty Cruise Ships is a spin-off series in a similar style, with each episode about the operations and voyages of a different cruise ship. It was first broadcast in Canada during late 2014, and its final episode before being cancelled was on 12th January 2021.

### Season 1

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 1 | 1 | "Paul Gauguin" | Cruise Ship | Paul Gauguin Cruises | Shauna MacDonald | 9 November 2014 (2014-11-09) |
| 2 | 2 | "Le Soléal" | Cruise Ship | Compagnie du Ponant | Shauna MacDonald | 16 November 2014 (2014-11-16) |
| 3 | 3 | "Azamara Journey" | Cruise Ship | Azamara Club Cruises | Shauna MacDonald | 23 November 2014 (2014-11-23) |
| 4 | 4 | "Celebrity Solstice" | Cruise Ship | Celebrity Cruises | Shauna MacDonald | 30 November 2014 (2014-11-30) |
| 5 | 5 | "Stella Australis" | Cruise Ship | Australis | Shauna Macdonald | 7 December 2014 (2014-12-07) |
| 6 | 6 | "Marco Polo" | Cruise Ship | Cruise & Maritime Voyages | Shauna MacDonald | 14 December 2014 (2014-12-14) |

### Season 2

A second season of Mighty Cruise Ships aired on the Discovery Channel and repeated on the quest channel in the UK. Ships featured on this series included Carnival Vista, Royal Clipper, MV Viking Sea, MS Europa 2, MS Ocean Endeavour, MSC Divina.
| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 7 | 1 | "Carnival Vista" | Cruise ship | Carnival Cruise Line | Shauna MacDonald | 12 February 2017 |
| 8 | 2 | "Royal Clipper" | Cruise ship | Star Clippers | Shauna MacDonald | 19 February 2017 |
| 9 | 3 | "MV Viking Sea" | Cruise ship | Viking Ocean Cruises | Shauna MacDonald | 26 February 2017 |
| 10 | 4 | "MS Europa 2" | Cruise ship | Hapag-Lloyd | Shauna MacDonald | 5 March 2017 |
| 11 | 5 | "MS Ocean Endeavour" | Cruise ship | Kristina Cruises | Shauna MacDonald | 12 March 2017 |
| 12 | 6 | "MSC Divina" | Cruise ship | MSC Cruises | Shauna MacDonald | 19 March 2017 |

### Season 3

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 13 | 1 | MS Koningsdam | Cruise ship | Holland America Line | Shauna Macdonald | 31 March 2019 |
| 14 | 2 | Viking Long Ships | Cruise ship | Viking River Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 7 April 2019 |
| 15 | 3 | Regal Princess | Cruise ship | Princess Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 14 April 2019 |
| 16 | 4 | MV Viking Star | Cruise ship | Viking Ocean Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 21 April 2019 |
| 17 | 5 | Symphony of the Seas | Cruise ship | Royal Caribbean International | Shauna Macdonald | 28 April 2019 |
| 18 | 6 | MS Marina | Cruise ship | Oceania Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 5 May 2019 |

### Season 4

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Vessel type | Vessel operator | Narrated by | Original air date |
| 19 | 1 | Seven Seas Explorer | Cruise ship | Regent Seven Seas Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 25 November 2020 |
| 20 | 2 | AIDAnova | Cruise ship | AIDA Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 1 December 2020 |
| 21 | 3 | Diamond Princess | Cruise ship | Princess Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 8 December 2020 |
| 22 | 4 | MS Nieuw Statendam | Cruise ship | Holland America Line | Shauna Macdonald | 15 December 2020 |
| 23 | 5 | Costa Diadema | Cruise ship | Costa Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 22 December 2020 |
| 24 | 6 | Norwegian Joy | Cruise ship | Norwegian Cruise Line | Shauna Macdonald | 29 December 2020 |
| 25 | 7 | MS Roald Amundsen | Cruise ship | Hurtigruten | Shauna Macdonald | 5 January 2021 |
| 26 | 8 | Sky Princess | Cruise ship | Princess Cruises | Shauna Macdonald | 12 January 2021 |

## Broadcasters

| Country | Network(s) | Notes |
| Canada | Discovery Channel Canada | |
| Asia Pacific | Discovery HD World | All season including spin off |
| Australia | Seven Network 7mate | |
| United Kingdom | Quest | |
| United States | HD Theater Smithsonian Channel | |
| The Netherlands | Discovery Channel The Netherlands | |
| Belgium | Discovery Channel Belgium | |
| Spain | La Sexta HD | |