London, Oct 21 (ANI): A research has revealed that British children reckon the Spanish Armada is a national dish, Walter Raleigh invented the bicycle and 18th Century explorer Captain Cook was the helm of Starship Enterprise.
Many also think that the Battle of Waterloo was fought at the London rail terminal, Horatio Nelson captained the French football team in the Nineties and that thousands have never set foot in the sea.
The worrying statistics emerged from a study of 2,000 school children, which found most of them are clueless when it comes to Britain's nautical history.
One in 20 believe the Spanish Armada is a tapas-style cuisine, not the fleet of ships that sailed against the English.
One in six thought Raleigh was the brain behind the Chopper, not the adventurer responsible for bringing tobacco and potatoes back to our home shores.
And 14 per cent believe Captain James Cook instead of Captain James T Kirk uttered 'Beam me up Scotty' in Star Trek rather than command the Endeavour in his first voyage of discovery to Australia and New Zealand.
"These findings highlight that for a lot of young people, being part of a maritime nation is something they do not connect with or have much understanding of," the Daily Mail quoted Captain Mark Windsor, of the Sea Cadets, as saying.
"As an island nation our relationship with the sea is a critical one since much of our food and trade passes over the oceans and our place in the world largely stems from our maritime heritage.
"But it seems children are very confused when it comes to what key historical events occurred on the sea which helped shape the world in which we live.
"Horatio Nelson wouldn't be impressed to learn kids think he was a football captain and Columbus's discovery of America went completely unnoticed.
"By picking up a book, exploring the UK and getting involved with activities on the sea, children can become much more clued up," Windsor added.
The research was carried out to mark Trafalgar Day and the Sea Cadets' National Trafalgar Day parade on Sunday. (ANI)
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