Mighty Ships

The super-sized ship MV Beluga Bremen Colon was built to be a heavyweight champion, capable of lifting and transporting the largest machinery in the world. Witness her very first mission: to lift, transfer, and deliver two of the largest autoclaves ever built to a gold mine in the Dominican Republic. Follow the crew on this 12,500-mile journey as they test-drive new technology and fight through rough seas to complete this massive job on time. Billions of dollars are riding on their success. Will the weight of the pressure (and the cargo) prove to be too much?

USNS Peary is a high-tech Mighty Ship, built for 21st-century naval warfare. Her mission: to resupply a fleet of 20 warships patrolling the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden. Peary is considered to be one of the most luxurious military ships on duty, but this is no pleasure cruise. Acting as the supply lifeline to the naval anti-pirate task force, her role is critical to keeping warships operational and marauding pirates at bay. To add to the pressure, her timeline is strict. If she fails to supply one warship on schedule, the entire fleet could be at risk.

Climb aboard the world's most advanced dive support vessel, the Skandi Arctic. On board, a crew of more than 90 life support supervisors will assist saturation divers hired to repair a gas pipeline on the floor of the icy North Sea. To prepare, the divers must live in a pressurized habitat aboard the ship before diving hundreds of feet below the surface in diving bells. For both the divers and the ship's crew, the mission is critical, the environment hostile, the technology space age, and the potential for disaster constant. Can they handle the pressure?

Take a tour of the largest, most luxurious, most technically advanced ferry in the world. Stena Britannica caters to everyone, from truck drivers to business professionals to vacationing families on its 6-hour jaunt across the English Channel. With 530 cabins, three restaurants, a movie theater, even a casino, she's one super-sized ferry sailing a very busy ferry route. The crew must run a tight ship in tight traffic. One mistake on the bridge, in the engine room, or at the terminal could mean super problems.

Loaded with chase boats, high-tech weaponry, and a helicopter gunship, the U.S. Coast Guard ship Cutter Bertholf is America's latest weapon in the war on drugs. Bertholf is the first of eight Legend Class ships built for homeland security. Join her and her crew as they patrol the dangerous waters of the eastern Pacific off the coast of Colombia. Hunting for drugs, weapons, human trafficking and other suspicious activity is one mighty assignment, but this maritime super-cop is fully equipped for the task.

Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen is a state-of-the-art research icebreaker. With 12 world-class labs, a multi-beam echo-sounder to map the ocean floor, and a moon-pool to launch an ROV under the arctic ice, she's a battle tested workhorse. Yet this mission will push her to the brink as she transports 24 scientists on a dangerous expedition into the treacherous Northwest Passage. Out in the cold water, deadly weather, rogue icebergs, and battered equipment threaten to put this mission into deep-freeze.