All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S08E09.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

Narrator:
THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES
CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW,
MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

[ BEEPING, DISTORTED MUSIC ]

DISCOVERED FROM THE SKIES,

THE LOST FUGITIVES
OF THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP.

Hunt: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
WHOLE COMMUNITIES

LIVING FOR GENERATIONS

IN THIS WILDLY
INHOSPITABLE PLACE.

Narrator: THE HUNT FROM SPACE

FOR THE KNIGHTS
OF THE ROUND TABLE.

SOME PEOPLE SUGGEST
THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY

THE INSPIRATION FOR KING ARTHUR.

Narrator: AND THE TOWN
THAT NEVER WAS.

WHAT CAN MAKE A TOWN
JUST DISAPPEAR?

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

[ WHIRRING ]
[ BEEPING ]

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

[ BEEPING CONTINUES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]
[ WHIRRING ]

**

[ BEEPS ]

SEPTEMBER 2019.

A NASA SATELLITE
SCANS THE BORDER

BETWEEN THE STATES OF VIRGINIA
AND NORTH CAROLINA.

Hunt: LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE,
THERE IS A LOT OF FARMLAND.

BUT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE,

THERE'S A VERY LARGE
SORT OF RECTANGULAR BLOCK.

Bellinger:
IT'S JUST LIKE A HOLE,

THERE'S NOTHING THERE.

IT LOOKS VERY FOREBODING.

**

Narrator: NORTH CAROLINA
RESIDENT HAYLEY CHAMBERLAIN

RECOGNIZES THE OMINOUS FEATURE.

Chamberlain: WHAT WE'RE LOOKING
AT IN THIS IMAGE

IS A PLACE CALLED
THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP.

Narrator: THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP
IS A HUMID, FETID MIRE

COVERING 750 SQUARE MILES.

THE DISMAL SWAMP IS A GREAT NAME
FOR THIS PLACE

BECAUSE AROUND EVERY CORNER

THERE'S SOMETHING
THAT'S POISONOUS, VENOMOUS,

OR HAS BIG ENOUGH TEETH
TO END YOU.

Narrator: ACCORDING
TO HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS,

THIS HOSTILE WILDERNESS
IS THE SITE OF

ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY
MYSTERIES IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

[ WILDLIFE CHIRPING ]

WE HAVE TANTALIZING BITS
OF EVIDENCE THAT ENSLAVED PEOPLE

MADE THEIR WAY TO THE SWAMP
AND LIVED THERE.

Narrator:
THE ACCOUNTS DESCRIBE HOW

FROM THE MID-17th CENTURY
ONWARDS,

GROUPS OF DESPERATE RUNAWAYS,
KNOWN AS MAROONS,

ESCAPE INTO
THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP,

NEVER TO EMERGE.

Hunt: WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING
ABOUT SURVIVAL HERE,

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
LIVING FOR GENERATIONS

IN THIS WILDLY
INHOSPITABLE PLACE.

[ CRICKETS CHIRP ]

Narrator: YET PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
TO SUPPORT THESE TALES

HAS REMAINED ELUSIVE,

LEADING TO MANY HISTORIANS
DISMISSING THEM AS FOLKLORE.

**

RIGHT HERE?

Sayers: ABOUT HERE.

TODAY, DAN SAYERS
AND BECCA PEIXOTTO

ARE PREPARING TO VENTURE
DEEP INTO THE SWAMP.

YOU READY?
READY.

OKAY. LET'S GO.

**

THE ARCHEOLOGISTS ARE
ON THE HUNT FOR RELICS

OF THE SWAMP'S
LOST MAROON COMMUNITIES,

AND THEY'RE TURNING TO
LiDAR AERIAL TECHNOLOGY

TO HELP THEM IN THEIR QUEST.

LiDAR IS PULSES OF LIGHT
THAT ENABLE US

TO ESSENTIALLY SEE
THROUGH THE TREES

AND SEE WHAT THE LANDSCAPE
OF THE SWAMP

LOOKS LIKE
IN A WHOLE NEW WAY.

AS IT SCANS THE TREE CANOPY,
THE LiDAR CAMERA REVEALS

A SERIES OF STRANGE SHAPES.

**

TO REACH THEM,

SAYERS AND PEIXOTTO
MUST WAVE NORTHWARDS

DEEP INTO
THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP'S

VAST INTERIOR.

**

WHEN STORIES OF FUGITIVES

ESCAPING INTO THESE MARSHLANDS
FIRST EMERGE,

THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP IS THREE
TIMES THE SIZE IT IS TODAY.

AN ALMOST IMPENETRABLE
2,000-SQUARE MILE QUAGMIRE

THICK WITH PANTHERS,
BEARS, AND VENOMOUS SNAKES.

**

ITS STAGNANT WATERS ARE ALIVE
WITH INTESTINAL PARASITES

AND A BREEDING GROUND
FOR MALARIA.

Bellinger: IT'S ONE THING TO
THINK ABOUT SOMEBODY ESCAPING

OUT OF DESPERATION
INTO THE SWAMP

AND HIDING THERE,

IT'S ANOTHER THING ALTOGETHER
TO TRY TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND

HOW THEY COULD HAVE ACTUALLY
MADE A HOME IN THIS PLACE.

IF YOU COULD GO THIS WAY
A BIT IN THE WATER.

Sayers: OH.
AND THEN TURN LEFT.

Narrator: AS SAYERS AND PEIXOTTO

APPROACH THE SHAPES
REVEALED IN THE IMAGE,

THE TERRAIN BEGINS TO CHANGE.

YOU CAN SEE
THEIR EYES THERE.

LOOK AT THAT. THAT IS
DRY GROUND RIGHT THERE.

THE LiDAR DATA HAS UNCOVERED
A VITAL CLUE

TO THE FUGITIVES' FATE.

IT REVEALS THAT
THERE WERE AREAS OF DRY LAND

IN THE MIDST
OF THIS VERY INHOSPITABLE SWAMP.

THIS IS A HUGE REVELATION.

THAT COULD ACTUALLY BE WHERE
THESE ESCAPED SLAVES SETTLED.

Narrator: THE ISLANDS REVEALED
FROM THE SKIES ARE SHIELDED

FROM POTENTIAL PURSUERS

BY MANY MILES
OF DEEP, PUTRID WATER

AND DENSE VEGETATION.

I CAN SEE DOZENS OF PEOPLE
OR MORE CERTAINLY LIVING IN THIS

AT ONE TIME,
MAYBE EVEN HUNDREDS.

**

Narrator: YET AS SAYERS AND
PEIXOTTO EXPLORE THE ISLAND,

THEY FIND NO EVIDENCE
OF ANY SETTLEMENTS.

**

SO THEY BRING IN A TEAM
TO UNDERTAKE A FORENSIC SEARCH

OF THE LANDSCAPE.

INCREDIBLY, WHEN THEY SCRATCH
BENEATH THE SURFACE,

THEY FIND BUILDINGS,

THEY FIND
WATER COLLECTION SYSTEMS,

PIECES OF POTTERY JARS.

WHAT IT REVEALED WAS

THAT MAROONS WERE LIVING
FULL LIVES HERE

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE SWAMP.

Sayers: PRETTY MUCH AS ANYWHERE
WE PUT A SHOVEL IN THE GROUND,

WE'RE FINDING
SOME KIND OF EVIDENCE

THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE LIVED HERE.

Narrator: BETWEEN THE YEARS
1619 AND 1860,

THE AMERICAN SLAVE POPULATION

GROWS FROM 20
TO ALMOST 4 MILLION.

THE SCALE OF THE SETTLEMENTS
DISCOVERED HERE

SUGGESTS THAT DURING THIS TIME,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
FLED INTO THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP

AND MADE THEIR HOME THERE.

FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN THEIR WHOLE LIVES,

THEY CAN HAVE CONTROL.

THEY UNDERSTOOD THE SWAMP IS
THE BARRIER THAT PROTECTS THEM

FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD
AND KEEPS THEM SAFE.

Narrator:
AS THEIR NUMBERS SWELLED,

EMBOLDENED MAROONS SECRETLY WORK
FOR LOCAL MERCHANTS,

INCLUDING A YOUNG
GEORGE WASHINGTON

WHO HAD BEGUN TO ACCESS
THE SWAMP'S TIMBER RESERVES.

Paul: WHAT'S AMAZING IS THAT
THEY'RE NOT JUST ABLE

TO HANG ON TO THEIR FREEDOM,

BUT EARN A LIVING
WHILE DOING IT.

Narrator: FOLLOWING
THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY,

THE MAROONS FINALLY EMERGED
FROM THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP

AS FREE PEOPLE.

EVIDENCE OF THEIR WORLD
WAS QUICKLY SWALLOWED BY NATURE.

BUT THANKS TO ARCHEOLOGISTS
USING AERIAL IMAGING,

THEIR HEROIC STRUGGLE
FOR FREEDOM HAS BEEN REMEMBERED.

Sayers: WHAT WE SEE
IN THE STORY OF MAROONS

IS PEOPLE IN VERY
ADVERSE CONDITIONS

TAKING CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES,
THEIR FAMILIES,

AND IT'S QUITE REMARKABLE.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ BEEPS ]

Narrator: THE AGE OF SATELLITE
SURVEILLANCE HAS PROVIDED US

WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY
NEW PERSPECTIVE ON OUR PLANET,

REVEALING BIZARRE PHENOMENA
WHICH ARE OFTEN HARD TO EXPLAIN.

BUT SOMETIMES
THE BIGGEST MYSTERIES

AREN'T WHAT YOU CAN SEE
FROM SPACE, BUT WHAT YOU CAN'T.

THIS IS REALLY STRANGE
IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS MAP,

THERE'S A TOWN
CALLED AGLOE HERE,

BUT WHEN I LOOK
AT THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

THERE'S NOTHING THERE.

ACCORDING TO
THE SATELLITE IMAGES,

AGLOE HAS JUST VANISHED
WITHOUT A TRACE.

WHAT COULD MAKE AN ENTIRE TOWN
JUST DISAPPEAR?

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP --

WHAT'S MESSING
WITH NEVADA'S WEATHER?

THERE'S ONLY ONE THING
THAT I KNOW IT COULD BE,

AND THAT'S A BIOLOGICAL SIGNAL.

Narrator: AND SOMETHING WEIRD
IN THE WATERS OFF SCOTLAND.

THAT'S SO STRANGE,

IT'S LIKE TEETH
COMING OUT OF THE OCEAN.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: A SATELLITE PASSING
OVER UPSTATE NEW YORK

HAS UNCOVERED A MYSTERY.

ON THE MAP,

THERE'S THE TOWN OF AGLOE,

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THE SATELLITE IMAGES,

IT'S NOT THERE.

WHAT CAN MAKE A TOWN
JUST DISAPPEAR?

Narrator: ROB NELSON KNOWS
OF ANOTHER URBAN VANISHING ACT

THAT COULD SHED LIGHT
ON AGLOE'S FATE.

THERE ARE FEW INSTANCES
WHEN AN ENTIRE TOWN

IS COMPLETELY
ERASED OFF OF THE MAP,

ONE OF THOSE
IS TIMES BEACH, MISSOURI.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

Narrator: THE STORY OF
TIMES BEACH BEGINS IN 1925

WHEN, AS PART OF A PROMOTION,

A LOCAL PAPER OFFERS
CHEAP PLOTS OF LAND FOR SALE

ALONG MISSOURI'S
MERAMEC RIVER.

ORIGINALLY, THE TOWN STARTED
AS A BUNCH OF VACATION HOMES

OUT IN THE COUNTRY,

BUT THEN A THRIVING
COMMUNITY DEVELOPS.

Narrator: YET BY THE 1970s,

THE ONCE PROSPEROUS TOWN
HAS RUN OUT OF MONEY

AND CAN NO LONGER AFFORD
TO MAINTAIN ITS ROADS.

Fanara:
ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER,

THE ROADS GOT REALLY DUSTY.

DUST IS KICKED UP,

SPREADS THROUGHOUT
THE COMMUNITY,

AND IT REALLY BECAME A PROBLEM.

Narrator: TO STOP TIMES BEACH
FROM DROWNING IN DIRT,

IN 1972, TOWN OFFICIALS
HATCHED A PLAN.

SO THEY HAVE THIS
BRILLIANT IDEA,

JUST COVER THE ROAD
IN WASTE OIL WITH THE IDEA

THAT THE OIL WILL STICK
TO THE DIRT AND DUST

AND CREATE, LIKE,
KIND OF A CHEAP ASPHALT.

WHAT THE TOWN DIDN'T KNOW

IS THAT THE OIL BEING SPRAYED
IS MIXED WITH CHEMICAL WASTE.

Narrator: UNBEKNOWN
TO THE ROAD SPRAYERS,

THE TANKS USED TO STORE
THE OIL ONCE HELD

AND ARE STILL CONTAMINATED
WITH DIOXIN.

IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF DIOXIN,
THINK AGENT ORANGE.

IT'S HIGHLY TOXIC,
AND IT'S HIGHLY CARCINOGENIC.

Narrator: SINCE IT WAS
FIRST USED IN VIETNAM,

AGENT ORANGE HAS KILLED OR
MAIMED OVER 3 MILLION PEOPLE,

AND ITS MOST TOXIC INGREDIENT
IS BEING SPRAYED

OVER THE ROADS
OF AN UNSUSPECTING TOWN.

Carter: ANIMALS ARE DYING,

PEOPLE ARE BECOMING
TERRIBLY ILL,

THE HOSPITALS ARE FILLING UP.

BASICALLY THE COMMUNITY
IS LIVING A NIGHTMARE.

Nelson: THE EPA COMES IN,

THEY FIND LEVELS OF DIOXIN
THAT ARE OFF THE CHART,

SO THEY BUY THE LAND,
EVERYBODY LEAVES.

Narrator: FOLLOWING THE
RESIDENTS' EVACUATION IN 1983,

THE EPA RAZES TIMES BEACH
TO THE GROUND

AND REMOVES THOUSANDS OF TONS
OF CONTAMINATED SOIL.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT
THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE,

SOME TERRIBLE
ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER

THAT WIPED AGLOE OFF THE MAP?

Narrator: YET STUDIES
OF HISTORIC IMAGES

AND LOCAL LAND RECORDS SUGGEST
THIS ISN'T THE CASE.

THIS IS REALLY WEIRD,
NO MATTER HOW FAR BACK YOU GO,

THERE'S NOTHING AT THIS SITE.

THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF AGLOE
EXISTING OTHER THAN ON THE MAP.

Narrator: ANALYSTS DISCOVER AN
UNEXPECTED REFERENCE TO THE TOWN

IN MID-20th CENTURY
COURT DOCUMENTS

RELATING TO A MAPMAKING MOGUL
CALLED OTTO LINDBERG.

OTTO LINDBERG IS BASICALLY
THE KING OF ROAD MAPS

ON THE EAST COAST.

Narrator: LINDBERG'S EMPIRE
IS BUILT ON THE SUCCESS

OF THE WORLD'S FIRST TRULY
MASS-PRODUCED VEHICLE,

THE MODEL T FORD.

Ruben: ROAD MAPS SUDDENLY BECAME
VERY IMPORTANT

IN THE 1920s AND 30s

BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE HAD CARS.

BEFORE THEN,
YOU COULD LIVE MOST OF YOUR LIFE

WITHOUT VENTURING
BEYOND A SMALL AREA.

Narrator: BY THE 1930s,
LINDBERG'S FIRM,

THE GENERAL DRAFTING COMPANY,

IS PRINTING 20 MILLION
MAPS PER YEAR

AND UNDER MASSIVE
FINANCIAL PRESSURE

TO PROTECT ITS INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY FROM COMPETITORS.

TO KEEP RIVALS
FROM PLAGIARIZING THEIR MAPS,

CARTOGRAPHERS WOULD USE
SOMETHING CALLED A PAPER TOWN.

THESE ARE FAKE TOWNS AND STREETS
THAT A CARTOGRAPHER

WILL JUST MAKE UP
AND PUT ON THEIR MAP

ONLY FOR THE PURPOSE
OF PROTECTING THEIR COPYRIGHT.

THEY GENERALLY PUT
THESE PAPER TOWNS

IN REALLY REMOTE PLACES

SO THAT IF YOU COULD FIND ONE
OF THESE TOWNS ON A RIVAL'S MAP,

IT PROVED THAT
THEY STOLE YOUR WORK.

THE COURT DOCUMENTS REVEAL THAT
THE GENERAL DRAFTING COMPANY

MADE UP THE TOWN OF AGLOE
IS ONE OF THESE COPYRIGHT TRAPS.

SOON, THE RUSE APPEARS
TO PAY OFF.

Ruben: A COUPLE YEARS LATER,

RAND McNALLY ISSUES
THEIR MAP OF NEW YORK STATE,

AND GUESS WHAT'S RIGHT
IN THE SAME PLACE?

THE TOWN OF AGLOE.

Narrator: YET WHEN
GENERAL DRAFTING TRIES

TO SUE RAND McNALLY
FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT,

THE STORY TAKES
ANOTHER STRANGE TWIST.

RAND McNALLY'S LAWYERS ARGUED
THAT WHEN THEY WENT TO THE TOWN,

THEY FOUND A PLACE CALLED
THE AGLOE GENERAL STORE.

THE OWNERS OF THE STORE REVEALED
THAT THEY HAD SEEN

THE NAME AGLOE ON THE MAP

AND ASSUMED IT MUST BE
THE NAME OF THE PLACE,

SO THEY NAMED THEIR STORE
THE AGLOE GENERAL STORE.

Narrator: CAUGHT IN
THEIR OWN COPYRIGHT TRAP,

THE JUDGE RULES
THAT AGLOE LEGALLY EXISTS

AND THROWS GENERAL DRAFTING'S
CASE OUT OF COURT.

SO THE TOWN OF AGLOE
HAS HAD QUITE A JOURNEY,

IT WENT FROM BEING A FAKE TOWN
TO BEING A REAL TOWN

TO BEING A FAKE TOWN AGAIN.

Narrator: WHEN THESE OLD MAPS
ARE DIGITIZED,

MOST PAPER TOWNS
ARE ERASED FROM HISTORY.

BUT AGLOE REMAINED,
INVISIBLE FROM SPACE.

IT MAKES ME SUSPICIOUS
OF OTHER PLACES ON THE MAP.

I DON'T THINK
DELAWARE REALLY EXISTS,

AND I GREW UP THERE.

[ WHIRRING ]
[ BEEPS ]

Narrator: COMING UP --

THE $30 BILLION FISH WARS...

INTELLIGENCE REPORTS INDICATE
THAT MANY OF THE FISHING VESSELS

ARE SERVING
AS A KIND OF MARITIME MILITIA.

Narrator: ...AND A MYSTERY
IN SIN CITY.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE SKIES
OVER LAS VEGAS

THAT'S BEING PICKED UP
BY THE RADAR, BUT WHAT IS IT?

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ BEEPS ]
[ WHIRS ]

Narrator: SPY SATELLITES SCAN
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA,

A 1.5 MILLION-SQUARE MILE
PATCH OF OCEAN

THAT IS OF INTENSE INTEREST
TO MILITARY ANALYSTS.

THE SOUTH CHINA SEA IS PROBABLY
ONE OF THE MOST

STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT PARTS
OF THE WORLD.

IT'S A LARGE REPOSITORY
FOR LOTS OF NATURAL RESOURCES

THAT COMPETITORS IN THE REGION
WANT TO GET AHOLD OF.

Narrator: THE BATTLE FOR CONTROL
OF THESE WATERS

HAS LONG BEEN
DOMINATED BY CHINA,

WHICH HAS CONSTRUCTED
A SO-CALLED GREAT WALL OF SAND

AMONG THE REEFS,

ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS BRISTLING
WITH MILITARY HARDWARE.

CHINA IS GOING FOR THE CLASSIC
TAKE-IT-BY-OCCUPATION STRATEGY,

AND IT'S HARD TO ARGUE
THAT THEY DON'T OWN SOMETHING

WHEN THEY HAVE
A HUGE MILITARY OUTPOST THERE.

[ WHIRS ]

Narrator: ON FEBRUARY 28, 2019,

A SATELLITE UNCOVERS UNUSUAL
ACTIVITY ON LADD REEF,

A TERRITORY CLAIMED BY
CHINA'S MAIN MILITARY COMPETITOR

IN THE REGION,

VIETNAM.

Carter: WHAT YOU HAVE IS
A LOT OF STRANGE BOATS

IN THIS CORRIDOR
ALONG THE WATERWAY.

Kays: ZOOMING IN ON THE BOATS,

YOU CAN SEE
THEY HAD THESE CROSS SHAPES,

SO THEY'VE GOT SOME KIND OF
BOOMS STICKING OUT

FROM THE SIDE.

Narrator:
THE STRANGELY-SHAPED BOOMS

COULD BE EVIDENCE OF VIETNAM

MUSCLING IN ON THE REGION'S
MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE.

Kays: THE SOUTH CHINA SEA IS
A REALLY HEAVILY FISHED AREA.

THESE CROSS-SHAPED STRUCTURES
ARE ACTUALLY BOOMS

USED TO HOLD NETS

THAT THE FISHERMEN USE
TO CATCH THE SEAFOOD.

Narrator: BUT SUBSEQUENT IMAGES
REVEAL THERE'S SOMETHING WEIRD

ABOUT THIS FISHING FLEET.

Kays: IT'S ANCHORED IN
THE SAME SPOT FOR A LONG TIME,

WHICH ISN'T USUALLY A
GOOD STRATEGY FOR CATCHING FISH.

AND IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY,

THEY DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE
FISHING GEAR IN THE WATER.

Narrator: EXPERTS THINK
SATELLITES HAVE UNCOVERED

A DISTURBING NEW TACTIC

IN THE BATTLE
FOR CONTROL OF THESE WATERS.

INTELLIGENCE REPORTS INDICATE
THAT MANY OF THE FISHING VESSELS

IN THIS AREA
ARE ACTUALLY NOT FISHING AT ALL

BUT RATHER SERVING
AS A KIND OF MARITIME MILITIA.

Narrator: IN 2019, A U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REPORT

REVEALS THAT COMPETING NATIONS
ARE USING VAST FLEETS OF VESSELS

TO PATROL THESE WATERS.

DISGUISED AS FISHING BOATS,

BUT EQUIPPED
WITH REINFORCED HULLS,

30 MILLIMETER GUNS, AND MINES.

THEY'RE SENDING OUT
THEIR COMMERCIAL FISHING FLEETS

UNDER THE DUBIOUS CLAIM
OF COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY

WHEN IN REALITY THEY'RE
PERFORMING A MILITARY FUNCTION.

Narrator: THE CAMOUFLAGED FLEETS

DISABLE THEIR GPS
TRACKING SYSTEMS

SO THEY CAN HARASS
AND RAM OTHER NATIONS' BOATS

WHILE REMAINING ALMOST INVISIBLE
TO SATELLITE SURVEILLANCE.

SO THERE'S REALLY THREE WAYS

ANY NATION CAN APPROACH
CONTROLLING TERRITORY --

THE FIRST IS THROUGH DIPLOMACY,

THE OTHER ONE
IS OVERT MILITARY ACTION,

AND THEN THERE'S THIS THIRD WAY
THAT FALLS SOMEWHERE IN-BETWEEN,

AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON
WITH THESE FISHING MILITIAS.

Narrator: STUDIES SUGGEST
THAT CHINA ALONE OPERATES

AROUND 20,000 SUCH CRAFT,

WHICH IT USES
AS A KIND OF SECRET NAVY.

[ BEEPS ]
[ METAL CRUNCHES ]

AND UNDER MARITIME LAW,

FISHING BOATS ARE ALMOST IMMUNE
TO RETALIATORY ATTACKS.

Munoz: IT'S INCREDIBLY CLEVER,

BECAUSE IF ANY
OF THE OTHER REGIONAL POWERS

TRY AND CALL CHINA OUT
FOR THEIR ACTIONS,

THEY HAVE A MASSIVE AMOUNT
OF PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY.

Narrator:
THE SATELLITE IMAGE SUGGESTS

THAT VIETNAM IS ALSO ADOPTING
THE USE OF SUCH MILITIAS

TO DEFEND ITS ASSETS.

THE VIETNAMESE KNOW THAT THEY
CAN'T COMPETE WITH CHINA

ECONOMICALLY OR MILITARILY,

WHAT THEY CAN DO,
THOUGH, IS INTIMIDATE

AND TRY TO PREVENT CHINA
FROM TAKING OVER IN THIS AREA.

IMAGE ANALYST BRONWYN AGRIOS

THINKS THE STORY
DOESN'T END THERE.

THIS CHANNEL THAT CONNECTS
THE LAGOON TO THE OCEAN,

IT LOOKS REALLY UNNATURAL.

LOOKING BACK IN TIME TO
SEPTEMBER 4, 2016,

THERE'S NO SIGN OF THIS CHANNEL.

AND THEN JUST TWO
SHORT MONTHS LATER,

THERE'S INFRASTRUCTURE
BEING BUILT.

Narrator: THE SHIPS SEEN
FROM SPACE APPEAR TO BE

GUARDING THE CONSTRUCTION
OF A MYSTERY FACILITY

IN THE CENTER OF THE REEF.

THIS DREDGE CHANNEL IS PROBABLY
ONE OF THE CLEAREST INDICATORS

THAT WE HAVE THAT VIETNAM
IS READY TO RAMP UP

ITS MILITARY OPERATIONS THERE.

Narrator: WHAT'S MORE,
CHINA'S ADVERSARY APPEARS

TO BE GETTING HELP FROM
ANOTHER MILITARY SUPERPOWER.

INTELLIGENCE SUGGEST THAT
THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT

IS BUILDING AN ENTIRE
NEW MILITARY FLEET

UNDER CONTRACT AND LICENSE
FROM RUSSIA.

[ PROPELLER WHIRS ]

Narrator: WITH RUSSIAN AID,
THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT

HAS QUADRUPLED
ITS MILITARY SPENDING,

UPGRADING ITS SMALL
RIVER-BASED NAVY

INTO A FULLY FLEDGED
COASTAL FIGHTING FORCE.

THERE IS A HUGE MISCONCEPTION
IN THE WESTERN WORLD

THAT CHINA AND RUSSIA
ARE VERY, VERY CLOSE ALLIES.

THAT IS NOT THE CASE WHATSOEVER.

Munoz: TENSIONS WITHIN
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

HAVE BEEN BUBBLING FOR DECADES,

BUT WITH THE RECENT RAMP UP
IN MILITARY CAPABILITIES

BY BOTH RUSSIA AND VIETNAM,

THE THREAT OF ESCALATION
IS HIGHER THAN IT'S EVER BEEN.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP --

NEVADA'S MASSIVE FLYING BLOB...

Major: THIS IS STRETCHING
ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE,

WHAT IS IT?

Narrator: ...AND
A 2,000-YEAR-OLD ENIGMA.

THIS IS VERY MYSTERIOUS INDEED.

LOOKS LIKE A HALF-BURIED
GIGANTIC TURTLE SHELL.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ BEEPS ]

Narrator: ACROSS THE GLOBE,

SATELLITES ARE
AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TOOL

FOR TRACKING EXTREME WEATHER.

BY COMBINING THE IMAGE
WITH DOPPLER RADAR DATA,

THEY CAN REVEAL
THE INTENSITY AND DIRECTION

OF A WEATHER FRONT.

DOPPLER RADAR USES RADIO WAVES
TO DETECT THE POSITION

AND MOVEMENT OF THINGS
LIKE WATER DROPLETS

IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

Cerveny: WHEN WE LOOK
AT A DOPPLER RADAR IMAGE,

IN ESSENCE, WHAT WE'RE SEEING
IS AN X-RAY MACHINE FOR THE AIR.

Narrator: ON JULY 26, 2019,
THE WEATHER DATA SHOWS

WHAT APPEARS TO BE
A MASSIVE WEATHER FRONT

DESCENDING ON LAS VEGAS.

Fanara:
SEEING THIS GREEN BLOTCH,

THIS TELLS ME THAT LAS VEGAS
IS GETTING A SOAKING.

Narrator: BUT IT TRANSPIRES THAT
SOMETHING WEIRD IS GOING ON.

Cerveny: WHEN WE LOOK
AT LAS VEGAS,

WE'RE NOT SEEING
ANY KIND OF RAINFALL.

SO WHAT IS CAUSING THIS SIGNAL
THAT WE SEE ON RADAR,

BUT IT'S NOT RAIN?

Narrator: GEORGE KOUROUNIS
HAS A THEORY.

Kourounis: THERE ARE NUMEROUS
MILITARY INSTALLATIONS

IN THE NEVADA AREA,

AND IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WHAT
WE'RE SEEING ON RADAR HERE

IS THE RESULT OF SOME CHAFF
DISBURSEMENT COUNTERMEASURES

TESTING THAT THEY'RE DOING.

IN 2013,

A CLOUD OF SUCH
COUNTERMEASURES MESSES

WITH DOPPLER READINGS
IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA.

WELL, IT IS THE BLOB THAT ATE
HUNTSVILLE ON RADAR, AT LEAST.

A GIANT,
ANGRY-LOOKING RED SPOT,

IT CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF ALL
KINDS OF FOLKS ON TUESDAY.

Kourounis: IF AN AIRPLANE
RELEASES THE CHAFF,

THE CHAFF CAN THEN CONFUSE
OR BLOCK THE RADAR SIGNAL

FROM HITTING THE PLANE
THAT RELEASED IT,

BASICALLY MAKING
THE PLANE INVISIBLE.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator:
BUT SCALE ANALYSIS SHOWS

THAT WHATEVER IS HAPPENING
ABOVE VEGAS,

IT'S NOT MILITARY TESTING.

THIS IS LIKE A BIG, ORGANIC BLOB

THAT'S STRETCHING
ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE.

SO IF IT'S NOT CHAFF,
AND IT'S NOT RAIN,

WHAT IS IT?

Narrator: TRACY FANARA
THINKS THE IMAGE HAS CAPTURED

SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.

Fanara: IF IT'S NOT ONE OF
THESE ANOMALIES,

THERE'S ONLY ONE OTHER THING
THAT I KNOW IT COULD BE,

AND THAT'S A BIOLOGICAL SIGNAL.

Narrator: FANARA THINKS
THE MYSTERY BLOB IS ALIVE.

RADAR CAN PICK UP LIVING THINGS,

BUT FOR THIS TO BE
A BIOLOGICAL SIGNAL,

THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A TON
OF WHATEVER WAS IN THE AIR.

Narrator: NOT ONE LIVING THING,
BUT COUNTLESS MILLIONS.

SURVIVORS FROM THE AGE
OF THE DINOSAURS.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS
AN INFESTATION OF GRASSHOPPERS.

[ INSECTS RUSTLE ]

Narrator: A COLOSSAL SWARM
OF THE FOUR-WINGED INSECTS

IS DESCENDING
ON THE VEGAS STRIP.

Major: IMAGINE YOU'RE GOING
TO LAS VEGAS,

AND YOU'RE LOOKING FORWARD
TO A GOOD TIME,

AND INSTEAD YOU END UP
IN THE MIDDLE OF

AN OLD TESTAMENT-STYLE PLAGUE.

[ INSECTS RUSTLE ]

YOU'RE OUT IN LAS VEGAS
ALL DRESSED UP,

HEELS ON, ROLLING DICE,
AND OPEN THE CASINO DOOR

AND IN COMES THOUSANDS
OF GRASSHOPPERS.

Narrator: THE GRASSHOPPERS'
ATTACK ON SIN CITY

BAFFLES SCIENTISTS.

MOST OF THE TIME
THEY'RE SOLITARY.

THEY'RE FOUND ALL THROUGHOUT
THE WESTERN UNITED STATES,

AND THEY DON'T DO THIS BEHAVIOR.

SO WHAT IS IT THAT'S BRINGING

THIS HUGE SWARM OF GRASSHOPPERS
TO LAS VEGAS?

I MEAN, I DON'T
THINK THEY GAMBLE MUCH.

Narrator:
STUDIES SUGGEST THE MEGA-SWARM

HAS ITS GENESIS
SEVERAL WEEKS EARLIER

WHEN NEVADA'S DESERTS
EXPERIENCED

UNUSUALLY WET, COOL WEATHER.

[ WIND WHISTLES ]

[ THUNDER CRACKS ]

Kourounis: THE UNUSUALLY WET
CONDITIONS CAUSED THE VEGETATION

TO GROW FASTER,

AND THE DESERT COMES ALIVE
WITH GREEN,

PERFECT CONDITIONS
FOR FEEDING GRASSHOPPERS.

Narrator: THIS ABUNDANCE OF FOOD

KICK-STARTS
A SIX-LEGGED SEXUAL MARATHON.

THE GRASSHOPPER REPRODUCTION
SKYROCKETED.

THEY HAD MORE THINGS
THAT THEY NEEDED TO SURVIVE

THAN EVER BEFORE.

AND SO THEIR POPULATIONS
REACHED A TREMENDOUS SIZE.

Narrator: A FREAK WEATHER FRONT
THEN FORCES THE SWARM

INTO THE SKIES

AND CARRIES IT
THROUGH THE CLOUDS

TOWARDS THE CITY
OF SECOND CHANCES.

IN THIS CASE, IT WAS A PERFECT
CIRCUMSTANCE OF WIND AND STORMS

HAPPENING ALL AT THE RIGHT TIME
TO LIFT UP MILLIONS OF BODIES

AND THEN DUMP THEM IN LAS VEGAS.

Narrator: EXACTLY WHY INSECTS
ARE ATTRACTED TO LIGHTS

CONTINUES TO BUG EXPERTS.

BUT FOR THESE CRITTERS,
THE LURE OF VEGAS'S NEON STRIPS

PROVES IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ BEEPS ]

COMING UP --

THE MYSTERY OF THE MONK,

THE MOUND,

AND THE MEDIEVAL LEGEND...

Hunt: HE DOES CONNECT
THIS PART OF WALES

WITH THE MYTHICAL KING ARTHUR.

Narrator: ...AND HITLER'S
SECRET SUBS.

THE NAZI NAVAL THREAT IS REAL,
AND IT'S TERRIFYING.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ BEEPS ]

Narrator: JANUARY 27, 2019...

[ WHIRRING ]

...AS THE WorldView-3 SATELLITE
ORBITS OVER NORTHERN EUROPE,

IT CAPTURES SOMETHING STRANGE
IN THE WELSH COUNTRYSIDE.

[ WHIRRING ]

THIS IS VERY MYSTERIOUS INDEED.
IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE

A HALF-BURIED GIGANTIC
TURTLE SHELL.

Narrator: END TO END,
THE MYSTERY STRUCTURE

MEASURES ALMOST 300 FEET.

IT'S OVERGROWN,

SO WHATEVER IT IS,
IT'S BEEN LEFT ALONE

FOR ENOUGH TIME TO BE
COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER BY NATURE.

Narrator:
THE ANCIENT PEOPLES OF BRITAIN

ARE KNOWN TO HAVE ERECTED
CIRCULAR STRUCTURES

TO MARK SEASONAL PAGAN RITUALS.

COULD THIS BE A MEGALITHIC HENGE
AROUND 4,000 YEARS PLUS

FOR ASTRONOMICAL
CALCULATIONS?

WE HAVE TO CONSIDER
THIS POSSIBILITY.

Narrator: MARK HORTON DISAGREES.

HE TIES THE STRUCTURE
TO THE HISTORY OF A NEARBY TOWN.

THE SITE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT
IS IN THIS PLACE

CALLED CAERLEON,

WHICH IS A ROMAN LEGIONARY
FORTRESS, AND IT SEEMS POSSIBLE,

THEREFORE, THAT WE'RE LOOKING
AT A ROMAN BUILDING.

Narrator:
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS REVEAL

THAT CAERLEON PLAYED
A CRUCIAL ROLE

IN THE ROMAN EMPEROR CLAUDIUS'S
INVASION OF WALES IN 48 A.D..

**

THE ROMANS ARE DRAWN HERE

BY THE COUNTRY'S RESERVES
OF PRECIOUS METALS,

BUT FIND THAT ITS MOUNTAINS

ARE FIERCELY DEFENDED
BY LOCAL WARRIOR TRIBES.

Horton: THE WELSH WERE
DIFFICULT TO SUBDUE...

[ MEN SHOUTING ]

...AND SO THE ROMANS HAD
TO MOVE THE MILITARY FRONTIER

INCREASINGLY TO THE WEST,

AND CAERLEON WAS THEIR BASE
IN ORDER TO CONQUER WALES.

[ BIRDS CHIRP ]
[ TOOLS CLATTER ]

Narrator:
OVER THE FOLLOWING DECADES,

THE INVADERS TRANSFORM CAERLEON
FROM A SMALL VILLAGE

INTO A FORTRESS TOWN
BRISTLING WITH 6,000 SOLDIERS.

ARCHEOLOGICAL STUDIES REVEAL
THE ROLE THE MYSTERY STRUCTURE

PLAYED DURING THE FOLLOWING
THREE CENTURIES OF ROMAN RULE.

Horton: THE EXCAVATIONS SHOW

THAT THIS WAS
A GREAT ROMAN AMPHITHEATER,

AND IT DATES TO
THE 2nd CENTURY A.D..

THE ARCHEOLOGISTS FIND EVIDENCE
OF GLADIATORIAL COMBAT,

COMBAT WITH BEASTS,

ALL OF THE TRIMMINGS
OF ROMAN ENTERTAINMENT.

[ SOLDIERS MARCH ]

Narrator:
IN THE LATE 4th CENTURY,

THE ROMANS START
ABANDONING BRITAIN,

AND IT IS THE ROLE OF THE
AMPHITHEATER DURING THIS PERIOD

THAT INTRIGUES SOME SCHOLARS
OF BRITISH HISTORY.

IT APPEARS THAT WHEN THE ROMANS
PULLED OUT OF BRITAIN,

THEY LEAVE BEHIND A BRAVE
WARRIOR, A MIGHTY GLADIATOR.

WHOSE LEGEND DOES ACCRUE
TO THIS VERY PLACE.

Merritt: ACCORDING TO
THE CHRONICLES OF A MONK

IN THE 6th CENTURY A.D.,

THE WARRIOR AMBROSIUS AURELIANUS
RISES FROM CAERLEON

TO LEAD THE BRITONS TO VICTORY
AGAINST INVADING ANGLO-SAXONS.

HE IS NICKNAMED THE BEAR,

OR ARTOS
IN THE LOCAL CELTIC LANGUAGE,

THE FIRST POSSIBLE REFERENCE
TO KING ARTHUR IN HISTORY.

Horton: KING ARTHUR IS
A VERY CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE

AMONG ARCHEOLOGISTS.

AT ONE END, PEOPLE SAY
THAT HE WAS A COMPLETE FICTION.

OTHER PEOPLE SAY THAT ACTUALLY
THERE WAS A HISTORICAL ARTHUR

THAT REALLY LIVED,

AND HE WAS OPERATING
IN THE EARLY 6th CENTURY

AS A WAR LEADER.

Narrator: THE 1,500-YEAR-OLD
TEXTS DESCRIBE

HOW ARTOS'S VICTORY
OVER THE GERMANIC INVADERS

AT A PLACE CALLED MONS BADON

BRINGS A GENERATION
OF PEACE TO BRITAIN.

THE BATTLE SITE HAS NEVER
BEEN SATISFACTORILY IDENTIFIED.

BUT THE NOTION THAT
THE HISTORICAL ARTHUR

MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIVING
IN SOUTH WALES

IS NOT AN UNREASONABLE ONE
IN THIS PERIOD, AROUND 500.

Narrator: 600 YEARS LATER,
MORE POSSIBLE EVIDENCE EMERGES.

WE HAVE A 12th CENTURY
MEDIEVAL CHRONICLER

OF THE HISTORY OF BRITAIN,
GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH,

AND HE DOES CONNECT
THIS PART OF WALES

WITH THE MYTHICAL KING ARTHUR.

**

Narrator: ONE OF THE MOST
ENDURING ARTHURIAN TALES

IS THAT OF THE ROUND TABLE,

AROUND WHICH SIT AS MANY
AS 1,600 KNIGHTS

TASKED WITH MAINTAINING ORDER
IN THE KINGDOM.

Jellicorse:
MAYBE THE TABLE IS A METAPHOR

FOR SOME KIND
OF CIRCULAR STRUCTURE

AT WHICH THESE PERHAPS
QUITE LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE

COULD HAVE GATHERED.

Horton: ALL YOU NEEDED TO DO
WITH AN AMPHITHEATER

IS BLOCK UP
THE EIGHT ENTRANCEWAYS,

AND YOU'VE GOT,
NOT A PHYSICAL TABLE,

BUT A SPACE IN WHICH
YOU ARE GATHERING TOGETHER.

Narrator: LIKE
THE TALE OF ARTHUR HIMSELF,

THE FULL STORY
OF THE STRANGE STRUCTURE

SEEN FROM SPACE
MAY NEVER BE FULLY KNOWN.

Hunt: COULD THIS BE
IN ANY WAY IDENTIFIED

WITH THE KNIGHTS
OF THE ROUND TABLE?

STRANGER THINGS HAVE
HAPPENED IN HISTORY.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]
[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP --

SCOTLAND'S WEIRD
ANCIENT MEGASTRUCTURES.

WE REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHY THESE WERE BUILT.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ BEEPS ]

Narrator: FEBRUARY 23, 2020.

[ WHIRRING ]

THE GeoEye SATELLITE
ORBITING OVER SCOTLAND

CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

I'VE NEVER SEEN AN ISLAND
QUITE LIKE THIS ONE.

THIS PIECE OF LAND APPEARS
TO BE CONNECTED TO THE MAINLAND,

BUT IT'S NOT
BY A ROAD OR A BRIDGE.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE TEETH
COMING OUT OF THE OCEAN.

Narrator:
THE 3,500-FOOT-LONG CAUSEWAY

IS TOO THIN FOR TRAFFIC.

IT APPEARS TO BE MADE FROM
A LINE OF INDIVIDUAL STONES.

THIS LITTLE ISLAND CONNECTED
BY WAY OF, LIKE, A TAIL

OR AT LEASH REMINDS ME
OF SOMETHING CALLED CRANNOG.

CRANNOGS ARE ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS
BUILT IN ANCIENT TIMES.

Narrator: CRANNOGS ARE ONE OF
THE GREAT MYSTERIES

OF PREHISTORIC BRITAIN.

CONSTRUCTED BY HAND USING
MONSTROUS PILES OF BOULDERS,

STUDIES SUGGEST THEY WERE ONCE
CROWNED WITH STONE DWELLINGS,

POSSIBLY FOR RITUAL PURPOSES.

SOME SUGGEST THAT
THEY COULD HAVE BEEN USED

TO MARK TRANSITIONS

FROM ONE PHASE OF LIFE
TO THE OTHER.

WHAT IS REALLY STRIKING
IS THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT

THAT WE KNOW WOULD HAVE
BEEN INVOLVED TO CREATE THEM.

Narrator: RECENT UNDERWATER
EXCAVATIONS HAVE REVEALED

THAT SOME DATE FROM 3500 B.C.,

MAKING THEM
OLDER THAN STONEHENGE

AND THE GREAT PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT.

Bellinger:
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

WE'RE TALKING IN
THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD,

BUILDING FAKE ISLANDS
OFF THE COAST

AND CONNECTING THEM
BY A STONE CAUSEWAY.

Narrator: GUY WALTERS THINKS
THE LINE OF STONES

IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE
HAS A MORE RECENT ORIGIN.

THEY'RE IN AN ABSOLUTE
STRAIGHT LINE,

THEY'RE EVENLY SPACED

SO I'M THINKING MILITARY.

I RECKON THESE ARE PART
OF A FORTIFICATION SYSTEM.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURES SIT AT
THE MOUTH OF ONE OF SCOTLAND'S

MOST STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT
WATERWAYS, THE FIRTH OF FORTH.

WHEN YOU SEE COASTAL
FORTIFICATIONS LIKE THIS,

THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF
IS THE SECOND WORLD WAR

WHEN BRITAIN REALLY BEEFED UP
OUR COASTAL DEFENSES

ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR II,

SCOTLAND'S SHIPYARDS
ARE THE ENGINE

OF THE BRITISH
MARITIME WAR MACHINE,

AND ITS COASTLINE IS THE BASE
FOR THE MAIN FLEET OF THE NAVY.

Walters: YOU MAY NOT THINK
THAT SCOTLAND'S

OF MUCH STRATEGIC INTEREST
TO HITLER --

IT'S QUITE A LONG WAY NORTH,
WHO NEEDS IT?

BUT NO, HE REALLY WOULD LOVE
TO GET HIS HANDS ON IT.

Narrator: IN AN ATTEMPT TO
CRIPPLE SCOTLAND'S INDUSTRIES

AND NAVAL BASES,

THE LUFTWAFFE UNLEASHES OVER
500 AIR RAIDS ON THE COUNTRY.

[ EXPLOSION ]

YET MORE DANGER COMES FROM
THE NORTH SEA

IN THE FORM OF SNIPING ATTACKS
FROM GERMAN SHIPS

BASED OUT OF NORWAY.

THE NAZI NAVAL THREAT IS REAL,
AND IT'S TERRIFYING.

HITLER REALLY WANTS
TO PUT A SIZABLE DENT

IN BRITAIN'S WARTIME EFFORTS.

Narrator: THE NORTH SEA NAZI
THREAT FORCES THE ROYAL NAVY

TO DEPLOY SEVEN MASSIVE WARSHIPS
AND 15 BATTLE CRUISERS

TO PROTECT SCOTLAND'S
SHIPYARDS AND NAVAL BASES.

BUT FEARING ATTACKS FROM
THE PROWLING U-BOAT WOLF PACKS,

PRIME MINISTER WINSTON CHURCHILL

INSTRUCTS GENERAL
EDMUND IRONSIDE

TO SHORE UP THE EAST COAST

WITH A COLOSSAL LINE
OF SEA DEFENSES.

Man: COASTAL DEFENSE, THAT MEANS
DEFENSE OF A COASTLINE

OF 4,750 MILES.

NOW, THIS DEFENSIVE LINE
RUNS ALL THE WAY UP

TO CENTRAL SCOTLAND,

SO IT'S MY MASSIVE HUNCH
THAT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE

IS SOME OF IRONSIDE'S HANDIWORK.

Narrator: AS PART
OF THIS DEFENSIVE LINE,

GENERAL IRONSIDE SLINGS GIANT
NETS ACROSS THE FIRTH OF FORTH.

Man: ITS CHIEF USE IS TO PREVENT
SUBMARINES ENTERING THE PORTS,

BUT IT IS OBVIOUS THERE'S SOME
DEFENSE ALSO AGAINST ANY SHIP

WITH A CONSIDERABLE DRAFT.

Narrator:
TO FURTHER PROTECT THE COAST,

ENGINEERS INSTALL
GUN EMPLACEMENTS

ON THE ISLAND IN THE IMAGE

AND BUILD THE WEIRD SET OF SEA
SPIKES STILL VISIBLE FROM SPACE.

Hymel: A SERIES OF BLOCKS
IS SUNK IN THE WATER

TO CREATE SORT OF A WALL
TO PREVENT THE GERMAN FLEET

FROM GAINING ACCESS
TO THIS AREA.

THIS IS AN ISLAND READY
FOR ANY SIGN OF NAZIS

COMING INTO THE FORTH.

IT IS WAITING
FOR HITLER TO ARRIVE.

Narrator: TO TRY TO
CIRCUMNAVIGATE

IRONSIDE'S DEFENSES,

THE NAZIS SECRETLY DEPLOY
THE SEEHUND MINI-SUB,

A 39-FOOT-LONG ATTACK CRAFT
CARRYING JUST TWO CREW,

YET ARMED
WITH DEVASTATING WEAPONRY.

IT WAS CAPABLE OF CARRYING
TWO OF THE SAME G7e TORPEDOES

THAT THE FULL SCALE U-BOATS
WERE CAPABLE OF LAUNCHING.

IT COULD PENETRATE
ALMOST ANYTHING

BECAUSE OF ITS SMALL SIZE.

Narrator: BETWEEN 1941 AND 1945,
THE NAZI SUBS AND BRITISH NAVY

ENGAGED IN AN EPIC GAME
OF SUBSEA CAT AND MOUSE

ALONG THE SCOTTISH COAST.

[ EXPLOSION ]

BUT THANKS TO BIZARRE DEFENSES
SUCH AS THE ONE

REVEALED FROM SPACE,

TERROR NEVER REACHES
THESE SHORES.

YOU JUST LOOK AT THESE
JAGGED TEETH IN THE SEA,

THEY'RE REALLY
HIGHLY VISIBLE REMINDER

OF THE MONUMENTAL EFFORTS TO
PROTECT BRITAIN DURING THE WAR.