ZDF - Mars the Magnificent: Battle of Giants (2015)

Mars the Magnificent was a giant floating fortress that sank 1564 in "the first modern naval battle", pitting Sweden against Denmark and the Hanseatic city of Lubeck. How and why did the 'unsinkable' Swedish warship catch fire and explode during the Northern Seven Years' War in 1564? An expedition to the wreck site reveals all.
In the 16th century, Erik XIV had the world's largest warship built, which made Europe tremble. With a new kind of war machine that was unlike any other ship, he was going to conquer Europe. The ship was called Mars for the Roman god of war, but was nicknamed Makalos ("peerless"). Erik XIV wanted a ship full of cannons, so that the enemy could be shot down from a safe distance and avoid close combat on deck. Mars was larger than the Vasa ship and it was Erik XIV's main secret weapons to gain dominance over the Baltic Sea.
The Nordic war of 1563 erupted between Sweden and an alliance of Denmark, Lubeck and Poland during the years 1563-1570. On 30 May 1564, the Swedes led a naval attack with Mars under the leadership of Admiral Jacob Bagge. They clashed with the Danish-Lubeck fleet off the northern tip of Oland, a battle which ended with the defeat of Sweden, and Mars sank.When Mars went down, it took around 800 Swedish crewmen and several hundred German sailors to the bottom. For centuries, there had been rumors about the cursed ship, but no one knew for sure what happened to it. In summer 2011, a team of divers made a remarkable discovery. It was a sensation in the world of marine archaeology when the legendary warship was found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in the, after nearly 450 years of unsuccessful searching.
When located, Mars was remarkably intact, probably the world's largest wooden shipwreck. The film follows a spectacular exploration by scientists and deep water divers. Re-enactments paint a vivid picture of the harsh conditions of naval warfare, as Europe's emerging nation states fight over the key trade routes in the Baltic. Here is the story of Mars the Magnificent.