It's hard to wrap your head around all the disasters that befell Captain Anson's Royal Navy voyage around the world in the 1740s. Rampant scurvy, horrendous storms, marooning and mutiny to name but a few. 90% of the original crew never returned. Those who made it back to Britain were hailed as heroes for surviving! Dan Snow joins Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling for this unbelievable tale of naval adventure and endurance. This episode was edited by Anna Brant. The producers were Tomos Delargy and McKenna Fernandez. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick. 0:00 Introduction 2:16 Context of the 1730s Anglo-Spanish conflict 3:09 Who was Commodore George Anson? 6:38 Anson's mission in the Pacific Ocean 9:23 The ill-prepared crew and old soldiers 11:06 Setting sail and initial disasters at sea 15:12 Scurvy and rampant disease on board 17:33 Dropping anchor in Brazil and Pearl's separation 20:50 Facing the terrifying storms of Cape Horn 23:31 The tragedy and shipwreck of HMS Wager 25:23 Horrific conditions and extreme casualties 26:52 Reaching the Pacific against the odds 29:49 Cross-Pacific voyage and losing the fleet 33:25 Strandings, typhoons, and Macau refit 38:11 Ambushing the Spanish treasure galleon 43:19 Returning home with 30 tons of silver 45:03 Legacy of the expedition on the Royal Navy After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #HistoryHitPodcast #AfterDark #NavalHistory