This two-hour series covers the evolution of the design and armament of ocean-going warships. From wooden hulls and sails to nuclear powered floating naval bases, Heavy Metal has it all. The first hour of the series tells the story of wind-driven vessels, from the Viking longship to the effective end of the sail era, in 1860. The Vikings used a larger version of their longship for trade. It evolved into the medieval cog, a merchant vessel, which, led to the development of the carrack. This ship, with the advent of gunpowder, evolved into the galleon. The most famous example this new style was Drake's Golden Hinde, and having a fleet of these much nimbler ships enabled the English to defeat the awkward Spanish Armada, in 1588. The galleon quickly evolved into the tougher, faster Dutch East Indiaman trading ship, which provided the basic design of warships from the mid-1600s to 1860. Nelson's Victory and the other great ships of the Napoleonic era were really just larger, somewhat more refined versions of the Dutch East Indiaman. The second hour of Heavy Metal covers the steam age from 1860 with the launching of the Warrior to about 2010. It is the story of the evolution and extinction of the battleship, which is a specific type of vessel, designed to fight other battleships in large, decisive fleet actions. The advent of the submarine and the aircraft carrier made the battleship obsolete.