Summary As the 21st century arrives, technology takes center stage in marine warfare. Soviet Union has collapsed and US are unchallenged on the seas. Drones. Terrorism emerges as a new enemy. China is a rising power. Russia is a developing a nuclear armed and nuclear powered torpedo, that can travel 1000's of kms to strike its target.

In 1987 Soviets launch the Kirov class of battle cruisers. They replace guns with missiles. 20 nuclear tipped. anti-ship missiles. each can take out a fleet of enemy ships. For defense, if carries anti aircraft and anti-ship missiles. US has no comparable battleships. But the soviets are going bankrupt by fueling the arms race. Ronald Reagan decides to bring back the US battleships. He brings back the IOwa class battleship and modernizes the USS Wisconsin. Tomahawk cruise missiles, which could be nuclear. Reagan modernizes 4 Iowa class ships and puts them into service, compelling the Soviets to track each one of them.

In 1990 Iraq invades Kuwait. US is compelled to intervene as its energy supplies are at risk. US attacks on Jan 17th 1991. USS Wisconsin is pressed into service. Tomahawks are deployed. along with the heavy guns on the ship. Pioneer drones are deployed for surveillance. After the gulf war, the Wisconsin is retired since the Soviets are no longer a super power. Soviets were forced to spend 3 times as much to match US firepower and this pushed them to bankruptcy. In Dec 1991, Gorbachev announces the disbandment of the soviet union. Russia inherits bulk of the fleet that it cannot afford. They were scrapped and sold for tonnage.

US is suddenly the only superpower in the world and has 10 large super carriers. each carrier is accompanied by cruisers, submarines and destroyers. But in 2000, terrorism emerges as a threat with an attack on Destroyer USS Cole (an Arleigh Burke class ship). Cole berthed at Yemen to refuel. A boat approaches the ship and explodes hundreds of kgs of explosives, blasting a hole in its hull. 17 sailors are killed and 39 injured. On Sep 11th 2001, world trade center is brought down by terrorists. In 2003 Us and its Allies attack Afghanistan. Even though weapons are very sophisticated, there are civilian casualties. The US conduct tests and simulations to see if their carriers are safe from small conventional submarines that can attack it underwater. The tests are conducted in 2005, but the results are kept top secret till date. The rouge submarine, is able to penetrate all the protective screens around the carrier and is able to launch dummy torpedoes at it. A small conventional sub defeats $ 6.2 Bn ship and 5000 men.

Pirates are a new threat to ships and navies all over the world. Navies deploy frigates to protect their merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden against Somalian pirates. New age frigates, such as the French Lafayette, are made from composite materials which reduce its radar cross-section and make them invisible to the enemy. But ships do make a wake, and wakes are easily seen on radar. Ships are armed with close range arms to deter pirates. If a merchant ship is captured, special forces are deployed via helicopters. Pirates captured are not brought to justice as no country wants to prosecute them, so they are released after 12 hrs. So, their equipment is destroyed, and the pirates are let go.

Increasingly China is improving its presence on the world seas. They want to become a major naval power and invest billions in their navy. They purchase an unfinished Ukrainian ship and convert it into the country's first aircraft carrier. Liaoning enters service in 2012. It has a steam engine, and doesn't have enough power for catapults. So it has a ramp and planes rely on their jet engines for takeoff power. It carries 40 planes and 14 helicopters. But in 2013, US launches the USS Gerald Ford, a $ 13 Bn super carrier. carries 75 planes, 8 helicopters. Has electro-magnetic catapults. But China is determined to close the gap. Russia is re-entering the game too. Putin revives the Russian economy with crude oil sales. he then pours money into modernizing the armed forces. 2 of the Kirov class battleships are being modernized. They also deploy a long range nuclear armed and powered torpedo, called the Poseidon. It can travel thousands of kms over great depth. It can be exploded underwater to create a giant tsunami that will radiate the entire east coast of the US and make in inhabitable for decades to come.

• Documentary