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Tom ward (narrates):
The twisted remains
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of a war-torn
mountainside complex.
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It's such a
strange-looking site.
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00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:12,680
It kind of starts, but just
disappears into the forest.
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00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,800
A secretive military structure
marooned in freezing waters.
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00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,400
It's a place with
lots of mystery.
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There really aren't
many clues left.
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The stranded rusting carcass
of a vessel deserted long ago.
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There is that slightly
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spooky element to it.
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You do feel there's a
story here somehow.
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00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:44,720
And a crumbling bridge in
america's southern-most state.
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It doesn't seem to go anywhere.
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There's nothing on it.
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Where did this come
from? What was it for?
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Once, they were some of
the most advanced structures
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and facilities on the planet,
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at the cutting edge of
design and construction.
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Today, they stand abandoned,
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contaminated and
sometimes deadly.
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But who built them and how
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and why were they abandoned?
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In southeastern Europe,
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in the hills around Sarajevo
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a major city in
former yugoslavia
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is a strange, abandoned complex.
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Weaving its way down
the side of a mountain
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is a network of
snow-covered concrete walls,
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Bridges and channels.
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It's such a
strange-looking site.
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It curves around with
these oblong structures
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coming out of the high wall
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and it kind of starts, but
just disappears into the forest.
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It looks like something
from 'mad Max'.
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The setting for a
futuristic game of death.
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A concrete channel sits hidden
in the forest high above the city.
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It's covered in graffiti
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and it's stained with
algae and decay.
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It is a strange place indeed.
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It's not the only
deserted structure here.
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On different slopes around the
city are other devastated buildings.
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And together, they tell of a
story of violence and death.
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But what were they all built for
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and what sinister event
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left them severely
damaged and abandoned?
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00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:12,760
Some of the answers
are linked to the battle
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that ripped Sarajevo apart
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during the terrible
war in the Balkans.
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The siege of Sarajevo,
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the capital of Bosnia
and Herzegovina,
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00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:26,880
became a bloody
emblem of the conflict.
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00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,800
It began in April 1992
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00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,360
when 13,000 Bosnian serb
troops surrounded the city
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00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,080
and it lasted almost four years,
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00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,280
far longer than the infamous
sieges of stalingrad and Leningrad
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00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:43,600
during world war ii.
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The events that unfolded here
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cast a dark and tragic shadow
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00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,040
and made men such
as Stanislav galic
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00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,440
and dragomir milosevic
notorious throughout the world.
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00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,680
So, was the complex billed as part
of an elaborate military structure?
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00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:08,200
At first sight,
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it has all the
hallmarks of a damaged
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and war-torn defensive line.
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00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:17,240
Its location is
strategically important,
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because typically, those
who hold the high ground
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00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:21,880
in a military conflict
have an advantage.
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In this case, that was very true
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00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,280
in terms of artillery
positionings and snipers
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being able to
terrorise the city.
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00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,200
You've got snipers
shooting anybody.
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00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:35,656
We're not just
shooting soldiers,
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we're shooting civilians,
we're shooting children.
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They're shooting
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00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,560
people who just are
caught in the crossfire.
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It is a ghastly place.
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In fact, they weren't
originally built for war.
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They were all involved
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in one of the cities
proudest moments.
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These are the remains of the
1984 winter olympic venues.
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00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,680
The winter Olympics
were extremely important
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for Sarajevo.
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For a start,
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it's the first time
that a socialist state
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has hosted the winter Olympics.
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But for yugoslavia,
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it was a chance to put
the best foot forward
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on a world stage.
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This gives Sarajevo
a chance to be seen.
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So, they really think,
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with that much focus coming
onto them from abroad,
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this is going to do wonders
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for the yugoslavian
tourist industry.
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But as previous
hosts had found out,
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the cost of putting on the games
often got completely out of control.
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The decaying structures
here tell a story of despair,
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rather than celebration.
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So, was Sarajevo really able to
make a success of the games?
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00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:04,296
You're going to need
to look after the athletes.
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00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:05,656
You're going to
look after everybody
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00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:07,056
who's going to come
to see the games.
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So, what they've already got,
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they're going to
need to reinvigorate.
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Sarajevo had to invest
a large amount of money
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in both the venues themselves
as well as the infrastructure
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to handle all of the crowds.
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So, it was quite
a daunting task.
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One of the key sites was
this curving concrete channel.
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00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:31,640
And its position on this mountain
offers a clue as to what it was.
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00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,120
A huge bobsleigh and luge track.
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Slavko malec is a former manager
of one of the olympic venues.
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This is one of the
steepest tracks in the world,
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where crews were able to
achieve super high speeds
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and had to possess a lot
of skill to avoid flipping over.
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But despite all those elements,
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the speed, the
steepness and the rest,
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it was still considered
one of the safest tracks.
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00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:13,280
Today, its crumbling
remains peppered with holes
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tell only of a deadlier use.
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00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:19,200
But was the track and the
other sites on this mountain
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00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:20,880
an olympic success story?
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00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,120
On 8 February 1984,
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the world tuned in to find out.
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00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,320
The Olympics weren't just
successful in a technical
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00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,080
and organisational sense,
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00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:38,680
it was also a financial success.
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00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,160
The equivalent of
a 20 million surplus
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00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,320
speaks for itself.
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00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:46,800
I do not remember any olympic
games that were so successful,
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especially nowadays.
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It was the first winter Olympics
to actually make money
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since the early 1930s.
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So, for the people of
yugoslavia, it was a great success.
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00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:02,120
After the winter Olympics,
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00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:04,920
the facilities
continued to be in use.
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The luge track, for instance,
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00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:10,080
was used in many
world cup competitions,
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00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:12,440
while the ski resort
went on to become
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00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,440
one of the most
popular in the country.
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00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:19,880
But the sites today show
that the olympic dream
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00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:21,440
was eventually shattered.
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00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:24,720
So, what happened?
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I never believed that there
could be a war in Sarajevo.
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Not for one moment did
I believe it could happen.
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Life in Sarajevo was such
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that you could not
foresee war coming here.
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00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,120
Just eight years later, in 1992,
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the Yugoslav federation
was breaking apart
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and civil war engulfed Sarajevo.
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00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:04,160
For more than three years,
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fighting between Bosnia's
Muslim, serb and croat populations,
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tore the region apart.
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The Bosnian Serbs
held the city to ransom
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and the siege lasted 44 months.
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The longest siege of a
capital city in modern history.
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The scars of war
can still be seen
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in the pockmarked
concrete of the buildings.
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00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,360
And the mountainside that
housed the bobsleigh track
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had a deadly role to play.
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The bobsleigh
track was, in effect,
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the frontline between
the two sides.
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And unfortunately, the track
was damaged by both mortars
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and used as an
artillery position.
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00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,680
All of the nearby
facilities were destroyed.
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00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,400
Because of its elevated
position overlooking the city,
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this slope and others
surrounding Sarajevo
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became key offensive locations
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00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,560
from where Bosnian serb
artillery constantly pounded the city.
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00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:18,200
In the peak of the
siege, 300 shells a day
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00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,200
rained down on Sarajevo.
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00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,080
The Bosnian serb commander says,
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00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,240
"shell them to the
edge of madness."
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And he's good to his word.
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Memories of the city's
bright past disappeared
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00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,320
as stories of horrific
scenes began to emerge.
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It's at the medal podium
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where perhaps some of the
most tragic events happen.
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Soldiers, when they've
captured people from the town,
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they take them to the medal
podium and there, they are executed.
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It's even said that
the olympic hotel
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was used as a prison.
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So many thousands of
people died during the siege
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that they ran out of
space to Bury them.
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00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:05,880
In the end, they had to
use the olympic arena
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as a mass cemetery.
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The ordeal finally
came to an end
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on 29 February 1996.
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But by then,
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the lives of 11,541 sarajevan's
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00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:22,320
had already been lost.
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00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:33,800
Today, while some areas
have been patched up,
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00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,720
the abandoned structures
across this mountain
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still display the visible
reminders of a very dark period
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in the city's history.
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When you look at what's
left from those winter games,
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we have to look at that
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00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:53,200
as a memorial to the
spirit and accomplishment
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00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:54,600
of the yugoslavian people.
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00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:59,280
Not to the horrific
events that came later.
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00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,320
160km southwest of Miami
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lies a vast abandoned structure.
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00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:22,240
Straddling the waters
of the Florida keys,
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00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:25,920
this bridge stretches
out for almost 1.5km.
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00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,360
It looks almost like a metal
superstructure on its side.
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00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,760
It's an amazing ribbon
of steel and concrete.
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00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,600
There's a big gap in the
middle of the structure...
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00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:45,320
And a smaller gap
towards the southern end.
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00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,320
It doesn't seem to go anywhere
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00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:50,680
there is nothing on it.
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00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,400
So, where did this come
from? What was it for?
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00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:59,880
A rusting pipe that runs
the length of the lower level
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00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:02,400
seems lost amongst
the intricate metalwork.
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00:13:03,560 --> 00:13:05,840
While perched precariously above
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00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:08,960
is a series of badly
cracked concrete slabs.
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00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:14,000
Could the structure's location
hold the key to its current state?
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00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:18,920
The Florida keys sit right in
the middle of hurricane alley.
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00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:23,120
Southern Florida is
target number one.
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00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,000
So, what was the purpose
of this colossal bridge?
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00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:34,240
Why was it built here
220
00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,840
and why was it left to
disintegrate in the sea?
221
00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:45,280
The story is closely linked
to a site over 1,600km away
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00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:46,560
in Central America.
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00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:49,800
At the turn of the 20th century,
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00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,120
one of the most ambitious
engineering projects in history
225
00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,080
was taking place
226
00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:57,800
the construction of
the Panama canal.
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00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:02,040
A lot of ships have
come from the pacific,
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00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,440
into the Atlantic,
into the Caribbean,
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00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:05,920
without having to go
230
00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,680
many thousands of
miles around the horn,
231
00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:10,600
the southern tip
of South America.
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00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,240
It was going to
revolutionise transport.
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00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:18,960
It was an 82km stretch
of artificial waterway
234
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,520
that connected the pacific
and the Atlantic oceans
235
00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,440
and it was designed to
make maritime trade easier
236
00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:26,520
and speedier.
237
00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,560
Work actually began in 1881,
238
00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:36,280
but construction was a slow,
complex and hazardous business.
239
00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,080
It wasn't until the usa
240
00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,720
took control of
the project in 1904
241
00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:44,960
that real progress was made
242
00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,240
and the canal opened in 1914.
243
00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,520
The shortcut suddenly
put key west on the map.
244
00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,280
As the most southerly
point in the usa,
245
00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:01,600
it was perfectly placed to
become the gateway to america
246
00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:02,800
for the shipping industry.
247
00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:06,800
But the state of
Florida wasn't prepared.
248
00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,200
Key west was a
pretty thriving port city.
249
00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,680
It was one of the largest
towns in all of Florida.
250
00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:18,800
What's interesting
is the rest of Florida
251
00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:20,160
wasn't very developed this time.
252
00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:23,400
It was largely
uninhabited scrubland
253
00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:24,840
and swamps.
254
00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,560
The grand resorts and
cities and Disney world,
255
00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:29,320
none of that was
there at that time.
256
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,440
The main problem
was that key west
257
00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:34,920
had no transport
link to the mainland.
258
00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:39,240
And the state wasn't about
to construct a new one.
259
00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:46,320
So, who built this and why?
260
00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,160
Park ranger Elaine
Mason has the answer.
261
00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:55,280
A man named Henry Morrison
flagler decided to build this bridge.
262
00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,400
He had already started building
the railroads on the east coast
263
00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,000
and he had gotten to Miami
264
00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:03,800
and then, he decided he was
going to build the railroad to key west.
265
00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:05,400
He was the man to do it.
266
00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:08,560
These remains spanned
267
00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:10,600
the most treacherous
section of water
268
00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:12,880
the railroad had to cross.
269
00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,520
This is the bahia Honda bridge.
270
00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:19,560
This was one of the biggest
271
00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,920
single engineering
challenges of the entire project
272
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,480
because of the sheer
depth of the water.
273
00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,160
So, really challenging
place to build.
274
00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:33,000
This was one of the great
engineering innovations of that era.
275
00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,280
And look at it now. It's
still there after 100 years.
276
00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,800
But this bridge was
just one of many.
277
00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:48,680
The whole route
was planned to stretch
278
00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,720
more than 200km from key west,
279
00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:53,360
all the way to the mainland.
280
00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:58,920
This was just an incredibly
audacious undertaking,
281
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,000
because when you
look at that map, you see
282
00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,560
there's almost as much
water between the islands,
283
00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,040
as there is land on the islands.
284
00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,280
Just imagine trying
to build Bridges
285
00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:14,600
over around 40 different
stretches of water.
286
00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:18,160
In 1905,
287
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,440
work began on what was
called the overseas railroad.
288
00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:27,720
To be in with a
chance of success,
289
00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:31,400
it had to be completed before
the Panama canal opened.
290
00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:36,280
And if they couldn't cross the
water around bahia Honda quay,
291
00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:38,080
then the whole
project would fail.
292
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:42,680
The bahia Honda bridge
was the biggest challenge
293
00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:44,520
the workmen faced.
294
00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:46,440
It's almost a mile long.
295
00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:48,320
It's the deepest
channel in the quay.
296
00:17:48,360 --> 00:17:50,080
It's 30 feet deep.
297
00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:52,440
The currents are very fast.
298
00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:54,480
And you'll get four
changes of tides a day.
299
00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:59,720
But the unpredictable
tropical weather
300
00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:01,640
would soon play its part.
301
00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:07,080
One of the challenges in the
quays, of course, is hurricanes.
302
00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:09,120
Today, we know a week in advance
303
00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:10,800
when a hurricane is coming.
304
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,080
Back then, these things
came out of nowhere.
305
00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:14,200
They didn't have
306
00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,240
that kind of
weather forecasting.
307
00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,200
So, they couldn't anticipate
them, they couldn't prepare for them
308
00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,200
and many, hundreds of
lives were lost in the quays.
309
00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:26,760
During construction,
310
00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:30,360
three major hurricanes
struck the Bridges,
311
00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,480
killing more than 100 workers
312
00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:34,760
and putting the entire
project in jeopardy.
313
00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,760
After three years of hard toil,
314
00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,280
the bahia Honda bridge
successfully stretched
315
00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:44,520
the 1,540m to the next quay.
316
00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:48,480
But would the rest of
the overseas railroad
317
00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:49,800
be finished in time?
318
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:57,680
It was very difficult,
building the Bridges.
319
00:18:57,720 --> 00:18:59,920
A lot of it was
unknown territory.
320
00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:02,240
There were mosquitos, bugs,
321
00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:03,760
the heat was intense.
322
00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:07,360
They had to bring everything,
all fresh water, all the food,
323
00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:09,280
plus all of the materials.
324
00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:13,840
Finally, in 1912,
325
00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:15,200
the bahia Honda bridge
326
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,840
and the overseas
railroad were ready for use.
327
00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,760
It had beaten the construction of
the Panama canal by two years.
328
00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,960
Everybody in the world who
was interested in engineering
329
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:30,200
knew about the Panama canal.
330
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:32,640
It was by far the
most impressive
331
00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,160
work of engineering
on the planet.
332
00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,880
But a lot of people thought that
this railroad was a close second.
333
00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:42,520
So, had it worked?
334
00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,520
Did this become
the route into the us?
335
00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:49,800
Sadly, the dream of the trade
336
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,400
from the Panama
canal never materialised.
337
00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:55,800
The ships bypassed
key west altogether,
338
00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:58,720
went straight to the major
ports on the east coast
339
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,200
or into Texas or
New Orleans areas.
340
00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,280
Unfortunately, it never
really made any money.
341
00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:09,000
But it had the tourists going
back and forth to key west.
342
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:12,840
Then, in 1935, the
labour day hurricane hit.
343
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:17,240
Between 250 and 300 men
344
00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:19,640
working on a new
road bridge network
345
00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:21,760
were lost to the storm,
346
00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:25,000
which also killed more than
100 natives of the quays.
347
00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:28,960
As well as the
devastating loss of life,
348
00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:32,760
the hurricane caused
damage estimated at $3 million
349
00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:35,080
to the overseas railroad.
350
00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:37,600
And the company
couldn't afford the repairs.
351
00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:41,280
They sold the entire thing,
352
00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,040
lock, stock and
barrel, to the state,
353
00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:47,000
who was already
building a highway.
354
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:49,960
They converted
all the old Bridges
355
00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,800
and people started
driving their automobiles.
356
00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:56,520
In the 1970s,
357
00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:00,000
a larger, four-Lane highway
was built right beside it.
358
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:04,040
Two sections were removed
from the bahia Honda bridge
359
00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,040
to allow boat traffic through.
360
00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,520
And, finally, it was
abandoned for good.
361
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,480
Today, the two sections
of the bahia Honda bridge
362
00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,040
are the most obvious signs
363
00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:23,320
of this extraordinary
engineering project.
364
00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:27,280
But a few small remains
can still be found.
365
00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,600
A few weeks ago, I was
walking on the beach
366
00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:33,880
and I found this railway spike.
367
00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,160
It's over 100 years old.
368
00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:39,880
You can still see the marks of
the hammer on the top of here.
369
00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,440
And it really does
make you think, though.
370
00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,400
All the brutally hard
work and the hot sun.
371
00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,360
Pounding these railroad
spikes into the ground.
372
00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:50,080
There's a whole
story in this itself.
373
00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:58,000
In central Europe,
374
00:21:58,040 --> 00:21:59,960
on the north coast of Poland,
375
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,600
is a mysterious
structure lost at sea.
376
00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,000
Just over 300m from the shore,
377
00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:16,800
this crumbling concrete building
dominates the coastal waters.
378
00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,200
With its high observation
tower and isolated position,
379
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,960
it looks like a
maximum-security prison.
380
00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,360
That, or a James
Bond villain's lair.
381
00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:31,280
A tower is a bit odd.
382
00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:33,960
Then you think, "well, was
this some kind of lighthouse
383
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,080
or some kind of marine
research centre?"
384
00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,600
It's really a skeleton of what
385
00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:43,000
was once probably a much larger
and much more imposing structure.
386
00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,720
But what remains above the
water is only part of the story.
387
00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:53,120
There's a sunken walkway nearby.
388
00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:55,680
One wonders whether that was
389
00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:57,400
in any way part of
this construction.
390
00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:01,520
It's a place with
lots of mystery,
391
00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:03,400
lots of questions
you can ask yourself.
392
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,640
So, what was this
complex used for
393
00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:13,000
and why was it finally
cut off from the land
394
00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:14,840
and abandoned out at sea?
395
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,000
The answers are to be
found in the Nazi's effort
396
00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,600
to advance their weapons
programme during the second world war.
397
00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:31,176
When it comes to world war ii,
398
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,920
one of the most significant
weapons systems deployed
399
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:35,000
was the torpedo.
400
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,600
Normally, we think about
the torpedo fired by a u-boat
401
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,960
as being a real potential
war winner for Nazi Germany.
402
00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,880
Torpedos might damage a
battleship. They won't sink it.
403
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,600
But merchant ships,
which are unarmoured,
404
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,600
are easy prey for torpedoes.
405
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,480
Operating with deadly force
in the battle of the Atlantic,
406
00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:00,080
groups of u-boats
called wolf packs
407
00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:02,800
terrorised the allies'
merchant fleets.
408
00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:09,520
The convoys across the Atlantic
were vital to the British war effort
409
00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:11,440
and the fight against
the u-boat peril
410
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,880
was part of the longest
continuous campaign of world war ii.
411
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,680
In all, 3,500 allied
merchant ships
412
00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,880
and 175 war ships were lost
413
00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:28,600
and more than 72,000
allied seamen were killed.
414
00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,760
The man most associated
with the wolf pack tactic
415
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,400
is admiral Karl donitz,
416
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:41,360
who from 1942,
417
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,040
marshalled his type vii
u-boats to devastating effect.
418
00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,680
But u-boat torpedoes had
not always been reliable.
419
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,256
U-boats, at the
beginning of the war,
420
00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:05,320
are finding that 30%
of their torpedoes
421
00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:08,720
are simply not exploding
when they're supposed to.
422
00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:12,440
German torpedoes suffered
from their proximately detonators.
423
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,600
These were affected by the
magnetic core of the earth,
424
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,440
which mean the torpedo just went
off well before it should have done.
425
00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:23,040
So, you need a lot of critical,
detailed research early on.
426
00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:24,640
And when the war
breaks out in 1939,
427
00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,120
Germany has not done
that critical research.
428
00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:32,960
The Germans knew they
had to quickly improve
429
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:34,600
their torpedo technology.
430
00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:38,640
This site was built to
help solve the problem.
431
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:41,480
During the war,
432
00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,360
it was called
torpedowaffenplatz hexengrund,
433
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:49,040
meaning torpedo weapons
place of the witch's ground.
434
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:55,400
Local diver mariusz
szymanski knows the site well.
435
00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:01,760
The first time I dived
436
00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,760
near the torpedo testing
station was in 2001.
437
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,280
It's always been
shrouded in mystery.
438
00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:09,360
You can say that
439
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,160
it's a very difficult
area for diving
440
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,080
because there are many dangerous
items left behind in the water.
441
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:19,080
There are various parts of torpedoes
and other dangerous objects there.
442
00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:30,600
Today, this structure is
known as torpedownia,
443
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:34,520
but what remains is just a
small part of the vast complex.
444
00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,840
Onshore, the Nazis
constructed an airfield,
445
00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:42,840
manufacturing facilities,
446
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:44,760
a railway yard and more.
447
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:50,360
Around 2,500 people worked
across the coastal sites,
448
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,880
which were dedicated
to torpedo development.
449
00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:59,520
You had diver embarkation areas,
you had harbours for small vessels,
450
00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,040
you had research
facilities, workshops,
451
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,200
even living quarters for
the staff who worked there.
452
00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,720
Torpedownia was connected
to it all by a long pier
453
00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:11,920
used to bring in
the new torpedoes.
454
00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:17,720
All leading to this unique,
455
00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:19,160
u-shaped building,
456
00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,760
which is there to actually
launch the torpedoes
457
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:23,400
that are being
assembled and tested.
458
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:27,760
So, torpedownia is a
crucial final element.
459
00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,000
The Nazis were relying
heavily on this site
460
00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:35,080
to give them the advantage
in the fight for the oceans.
461
00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:41,080
But why build such a
sophisticated research site here,
462
00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:43,520
hundreds of miles from
the battle of the Atlantic?
463
00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:51,520
The torpedo testing
station was built in 1940
464
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:53,840
and put into operation in 1942.
465
00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,600
This location was chosen
as it was a remote place.
466
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:01,000
It could not be reached
by the allied air force.
467
00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:04,680
The goal was to protect
468
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:06,960
this research and
development centre,
469
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:08,400
which was of great importance
470
00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,520
as far as creating torpedo
prototypes was concerned.
471
00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,480
But these torpedoes were
not destined for u-boats.
472
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:27,080
Torpedownia was, in
fact, run by the luftwaffe,
473
00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:28,400
the German airforce.
474
00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,680
These weapons would soon be
strapped to the underside of an aircraft.
475
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:40,040
A number of countries
476
00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:43,200
already possessed
effective aerial torpedoes.
477
00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,600
Most notably Japan,
478
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,040
who had demonstrated
their destructive power
479
00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:49,960
on the us fleet at Pearl harbor.
480
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,920
Germany, however,
lagged far behind.
481
00:28:58,560 --> 00:28:59,880
In the early years of the war,
482
00:28:59,920 --> 00:29:02,520
Germany misses
a major opportunity
483
00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,400
to attack British warships
484
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:06,136
particularly in the
campaign around Norway
485
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:07,440
and cripple the British fleet.
486
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,920
They simply don't have
a viable airdrop torpedo
487
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:12,000
that can do the job.
488
00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:17,240
Nazi high command
489
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:21,120
ordered the luftwaffe
to get up to speed.
490
00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:23,720
And this site became
the heart of the operation.
491
00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:29,480
But developing aerial torpedoes
492
00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,240
presented a whole
new set of challenges.
493
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,080
Because torpedoes
are so delicate,
494
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,880
it's difficult enough to
fire them from a submarine
495
00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:43,000
or fire them from
a surface vessel.
496
00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:47,280
Dropping them from an air
is a whole different project.
497
00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:53,040
You need some kind of
apparatus to make it fly effectively
498
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:54,880
as it goes from
one medium, the air,
499
00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:56,720
into the second
medium, the water,
500
00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,600
and not start doing
all kind of crazy things.
501
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,120
On the surface,
there's little to suggest
502
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:09,120
the Nazis ever developed
effective torpedoes here.
503
00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:12,360
But the secrets of the facility
have begun to be offered up
504
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:13,480
by the waters below.
505
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,800
I hold, in my hands,
a very rare object.
506
00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:22,280
It's an emersion device
507
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:24,840
which was mounted on the
warhead at the front of the torpedo.
508
00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:27,480
It's a prototype,
509
00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:30,160
probably the only one in
the world that has survived.
510
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:36,160
But it's not only this outer
casing that has survived.
511
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,920
Even some of the more
complicated components
512
00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,240
have remained in
astonishingly good condition.
513
00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,160
And here's the gyroscope.
514
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:48,920
It still works. Have a look.
515
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:51,520
You could say it
was like the computer
516
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:53,640
that controlled the
torpedo trajectory.
517
00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,440
It was all up to the
gyroscope, really.
518
00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:59,960
It was the most important
device in the torpedo.
519
00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:07,000
From here, the new
torpedo prototypes
520
00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:08,760
would undergo vital tests...
521
00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:13,360
While the engineers tracked
their progress from the watchtower.
522
00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:18,480
The torpedo on a ramp
523
00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:21,120
was pulled down to a
submerged torpedo launcher.
524
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:27,160
It was then launched along a channel
that ran seven miles across the bay.
525
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:33,440
When they were at
the end of their rung,
526
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:35,280
they were caught
in torpedo nets.
527
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:38,560
Divers were then deployed from
small boats down to the bottom,
528
00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:39,880
recovered the torpedoes,
529
00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,000
and any adjustments
that were being needed
530
00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:44,680
and were being observed from
the observation tower were made
531
00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:46,400
and the torpedoes
were tested again.
532
00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:52,120
Further testing saw aircraft
dropping torpedoes into the bay.
533
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:53,240
But ultimately,
534
00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:57,400
the Nazis never managed to
catch up with the other nations.
535
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,040
In the field, initial successes
536
00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:02,760
quickly turned into
mounting losses
537
00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:07,200
as the allies learned to defend
against low-flying torpedo aircraft.
538
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:12,320
If they'd been able to employ
539
00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:15,840
these airdrop torpedoes
earlier in the war,
540
00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:19,160
it could have had a
big effect on the war
541
00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,320
in the mediterranean,
for example.
542
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,280
But it didn't.
543
00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:25,760
Torpedownia is a
great might-have-been
544
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,600
when it comes to
world war ii structures.
545
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:31,000
Yes, it did its job. It
worked very effectively.
546
00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:33,920
But really, it was
too late to do the job
547
00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:35,840
it was supposed to
be doing much earlier.
548
00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,040
Torpedownia was
just too little, too late.
549
00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:42,480
They were never going to get
550
00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:45,720
their torpedo technology
perfected in time.
551
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:49,320
The Germans had hoped
552
00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:53,040
that torpedownia would be
a game changer in the war,
553
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,120
but they were always
one step behind.
554
00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:57,480
And soon enough,
555
00:32:57,520 --> 00:32:59,800
with the Soviets closing in,
556
00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:01,240
the site was abandoned.
557
00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:11,440
Today, the front wall of the
building has disappeared,
558
00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:14,720
having fallen in to
the sea years ago.
559
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:17,760
And what remains seems
to be about to collapse.
560
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,960
But it's still a visible
monument to Nazi failure.
561
00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,920
When you see torpedownia
today, it reminds you that
562
00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:31,560
even the greatest empires
are heavily dependent
563
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:32,880
on technological advancement.
564
00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:36,560
If you don't move fast
enough, technology will fail you.
565
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:38,560
And that's exactly what
happened to the Germans
566
00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:39,880
and their torpedo development.
567
00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:47,160
In the south Atlantic ocean,
568
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,560
in the waters of
the Falkland Islands,
569
00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:50,960
is a bizarre site.
570
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,440
A deserted sailing ship
stranded on a sand bank.
571
00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:02,840
Here's this rusting carcass
572
00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,240
just stuck out there in the bay.
573
00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:06,360
Where did it come from?
574
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:09,656
Usually, when we
think of a shipwreck,
575
00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:11,800
we think of a ship
that's pretty broken up.
576
00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:14,040
But this one
looks pretty intact.
577
00:34:15,240 --> 00:34:18,200
What's it made of? How
come it hasn't fallen apart?
578
00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:22,040
It's very hard to see
what's wrong with it.
579
00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:24,160
There's a bit of damage,
but not that much.
580
00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:26,896
It almost looks as
though you could stick
581
00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:28,240
some sails on that thing
582
00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:29,800
and sail it out of
the harbour today.
583
00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:33,680
Still almost upright,
584
00:34:33,720 --> 00:34:36,040
she seems to have
defied both time
585
00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:38,760
and the elements to
remain anchored to this spot.
586
00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:41,640
There is that slightly
587
00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:43,520
spooky element to it.
588
00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:46,080
You do feel there's a
story here somehow.
589
00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:50,520
There's something behind
this relic of a bygone age
590
00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:52,720
just sitting, waiting
for its crew to return.
591
00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:56,680
It makes you wonder,
592
00:34:56,720 --> 00:35:00,280
what happened that
left it in this sorry state?
593
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,400
Was it attacked in war
594
00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:03,880
or did pirates take it
595
00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:05,960
and just leave it
there to be abandoned
596
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,280
or did the crew actually
mutiny and leave on their own?
597
00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:13,320
So, how did it all go
wrong for this ship?
598
00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:17,000
And of all the
places in the world,
599
00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:20,400
why is she stranded here,
in such a remote location?
600
00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:30,600
The beginnings of her story
can be found far across the seas
601
00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:33,760
in the second half
of the 19th century,
602
00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:37,800
when one mighty power
ruled the waves, britain.
603
00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:43,240
This was the time of
the industrial revolution.
604
00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:45,320
Only a few decades earlier,
605
00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:49,320
britain's economy had been
based on the textile industry.
606
00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:52,800
But now, it was known as
the workshop of the world,
607
00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:55,120
a mighty industrial powerhouse
608
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:58,080
driven by the new
factories in the big cities.
609
00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:00,760
Two things were crucial
610
00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:03,320
to keep britain's
industrial wheels turning.
611
00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:07,480
One was her all-powerful Navy,
612
00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:10,080
which was the
greatest in the world.
613
00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:12,400
The second was her empire.
614
00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:17,416
The British empire,
the largest empire
615
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,360
the world has ever known,
was an empire built on trade.
616
00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:23,680
There was simply no
way britain could survive
617
00:36:23,720 --> 00:36:26,160
once the industrial
revolution had taken over.
618
00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,320
And once britain really
stopped being able to feed itself,
619
00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:30,920
it was heavily reliant on trade,
620
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:32,720
bringing food and
raw materials in
621
00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:34,360
and exporting its goods
622
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:36,000
so they could be
sold around the world.
623
00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:39,840
To keep the British
empire running,
624
00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:43,880
greater numbers of cheaper
ships were desperately needed
625
00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:47,160
and this was one
of those vital crafts,
626
00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:48,400
the lady Elizabeth.
627
00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:56,520
She made her
maiden voyage in 1879.
628
00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:00,080
But in the age of steam power,
629
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:01,920
why did she have three masts?
630
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:05,920
It all came down to cost.
631
00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:08,720
A sailing ship
632
00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:11,840
doesn't need to
burn expensive coal.
633
00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:13,160
The wind is free
634
00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:16,120
and as long as you're
not in too much of a hurry,
635
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:20,360
the sailing ship will get your
cargo to its destination eventually.
636
00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:23,960
Though it looks very old,
637
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:26,800
it's actually a much more
modern vessel than you'd realise,
638
00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:29,600
and that's because
of what it's made from.
639
00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:32,400
The iron plates along
the side rather than timber.
640
00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:39,680
Iron essentially offers more
bang for your buck than wood.
641
00:37:39,720 --> 00:37:41,640
So there's more space for cargo,
642
00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:43,240
which means that
each of your journeys
643
00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:44,600
is going to be more profitable.
644
00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:50,440
So, what disaster
645
00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:53,480
caused such a reliable
and profitable ship
646
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,760
to be abandoned
so far from home?
647
00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:04,720
Life at sea back then
was no ocean cruise,
648
00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:08,360
as the lady Elizabeth
soon discovered in 1884
649
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,040
on a treacherous journey
from London to Sydney.
650
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:19,040
They hit real hurricane-force
winds going around the horn,
651
00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:20,920
and which caused a lot
of damage to the ship.
652
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:24,800
The crew had to fight for hours
653
00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:26,840
to survive this storm
and this heavy weather.
654
00:38:28,680 --> 00:38:31,400
All of a sudden, these guys
have to climb up these lines,
655
00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:34,000
high up the mast of the ship
that's swaying back and forth.
656
00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:36,640
At one moment, you're out
over one side of the boat,
657
00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:38,640
the next moment, you're
out over the other side.
658
00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:42,080
It was not uncommon for
sailors to fall out of the rig
659
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:43,360
and not even hit the boat.
660
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:44,936
They would just fall
right into the water
661
00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,600
and, of course, there was no way
to turn around and pick them up.
662
00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:53,400
The lady Elizabeth survived,
663
00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:55,800
but the narrow escape
terrified her crew.
664
00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,800
And the moment they reached
port, a number of them jumped ship.
665
00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:06,640
The grim mood
aboard wasn't helped
666
00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:10,480
when two seamen contracted
highly contagious malaria
667
00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:13,040
and then mysteriously
went missing.
668
00:39:15,960 --> 00:39:20,320
All is well until one of
the men goes missing.
669
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:23,320
And word goes around
the ship really quickly that,
670
00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:24,720
"hey, he's gone."
671
00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:26,416
And, you know, that
creates some concern.
672
00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:27,440
Of course it does.
673
00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:30,720
But it got worse that evening
when the other man went missing.
674
00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:35,640
Now there's a state of panic.
675
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:37,840
Now they go and they
cheek the lifeboats.
676
00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:40,200
They're all there. Well,
how about the sea?
677
00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:42,240
It's not rough.
It's really still.
678
00:39:43,720 --> 00:39:46,720
Nobody really knows what
happened to the two men
679
00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:48,920
and to this day, it
remains a mystery.
680
00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:55,760
But if the ship could withstand
unexplained disappearances
681
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:59,440
and the worst weather mother
nature could throw at her,
682
00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:03,320
then what happened in the
falklands that finally cut her time short?
683
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:11,120
The end came for the lady
Liz in 1913, her final voyage.
684
00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:14,960
She was doing
a fairly long haul.
685
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,000
All the way from Vancouver
to Africa, carrying timber.
686
00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:19,960
But again, she
hit heavy weather.
687
00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:21,736
There was a lot of
damage to the ship itself.
688
00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:24,120
And actually, four men
were washed overboard
689
00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:25,760
in this appalling
weather she met
690
00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:29,520
going round the southern tip
of South America, cape horn.
691
00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:30,600
It was so bad, in fact,
692
00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:32,760
there was so much
damage to the ship itself,
693
00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:34,480
the captain decided
he had no choice
694
00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:36,200
but to run for the
nearest safe harbour.
695
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:39,760
The remaining sailors
fought for their lives
696
00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:42,520
as they battled
through the storm.
697
00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:44,760
But disaster was
about to strike.
698
00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:47,960
As she neared the port,
699
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:50,440
the lady Elizabeth
smashed into a rock.
700
00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:57,720
The ship was
headed to a small port
701
00:40:57,760 --> 00:40:58,760
in the Falkland Islands,
702
00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:01,960
which are really in the middle
of nowhere in the south Atlantic.
703
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,640
And on their way towards
the port, they hit a rock.
704
00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:06,776
They knocked a pretty good
size hole in the bottom of the boat.
705
00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:08,440
It started to flood.
706
00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:11,440
She had been fatally
holed below the water line.
707
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:17,280
Lady Elizabeth crawled into
harbour with water pouring in.
708
00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,440
And that was the end of
her days on the open seas.
709
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:24,280
She was patched up, sold
710
00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:26,080
and moored in the harbour
711
00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:28,320
to become a floating
warehouse for timber.
712
00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:34,200
But if she couldn't be sailed,
713
00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:36,200
how did she make
it across from there
714
00:41:36,240 --> 00:41:38,000
to her final resting place?
715
00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:41,640
On 17 February 1936,
716
00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:44,000
a heavy storm hit the falklands.
717
00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:47,240
Lady Elizabeth was
moored in port Stanley,
718
00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:48,920
but her moorings broke loose.
719
00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:52,320
She drifted round
to whalebone cove,
720
00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:54,200
where she beached on the sands
721
00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:56,800
and that's where
she's been ever since,
722
00:41:56,840 --> 00:41:58,480
slowly rusting away.
723
00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:04,400
What's so interesting
and kind of spooky
724
00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:05,720
about the lady Elizabeth
725
00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:07,360
is it looks so intact.
726
00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:08,920
That's that iron hull.
727
00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:11,880
Usually when a boat's
been wrecked for,
728
00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:13,640
you know, the better
part of a century,
729
00:42:13,680 --> 00:42:18,560
it's really broken down to
some pretty scattered pieces.
730
00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:20,240
The masts are still sticking up
731
00:42:20,280 --> 00:42:21,400
for the most part
732
00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:24,360
and it looks pretty
intact and dramatic,
733
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:27,760
like it just sailed in maybe
just, you know, not long ago.
734
00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:39,440
Today, the lady
Elizabeth's rusting remains
735
00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:42,360
are a haunting memorial
to both the sailors
736
00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:45,880
who lost their lives in
the service of the ship
737
00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:49,040
and the perils of life
on the open oceans.
738
00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:53,720
If the lady Elizabeth
has a moral,
739
00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:56,480
it's that the life of ships
and the life on the sea
740
00:42:56,520 --> 00:42:58,600
is difficult, dangerous
741
00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:00,640
and often does not
come to a happy end.
742
00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:04,800
There have been
plans over the years
743
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:07,280
to convert lady Liz
744
00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:09,600
into a floating museum
745
00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:12,520
as testament to all the work
she did around the globe
746
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:14,400
for so many years.
747
00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:17,080
Sadly, that's never
come to fruition.
748
00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:18,160
Sheer lack of funding.
749
00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:35,800
Now, they lie abandoned,
750
00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:37,040
but once,
751
00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:39,200
they were at the cutting
edge of engineering.
752
00:43:40,480 --> 00:43:44,720
There are echoes from history
in these decaying structures.
753
00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:47,640
They remind us
of terror and war,
754
00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:50,000
but also of great innovation
755
00:43:50,040 --> 00:43:51,400
and human endeavour.
756
00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:55,880
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