Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:05,880
Tom ward (narrates): An
apparent paradise in Italy
2
00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:09,440
designed to hold an
all powerful prisoner.
3
00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,480
It was reserved
for mafia bigwigs
4
00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,520
including one of the top
mafiosi in Italy at the time.
5
00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:20,240
A Maltese fortress
with hidden depths.
6
00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,240
These old tunnels formed the basis
for a network of underground spaces
7
00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,080
that would save an
incredible number of lives.
8
00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,680
An industrial monster
lost in the Alaskan tundra.
9
00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,240
It's half structure,
it's half machine,
10
00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,200
it's a burnt out carcus
and you wonder
11
00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:43,080
what this was used for,
what it's purpose was.
12
00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:47,200
And scattered remains
both above and below ground
13
00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,320
on a beautiful korean island.
14
00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,200
This shore line is honeycombed
15
00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,440
with these caves yet
there is something more
16
00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:59,280
to this island than
being a tropical paradise.
17
00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:06,720
Decaying relics.
18
00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,600
Ruins of lost worlds.
19
00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,960
Sites haunted by the past.
20
00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,560
Their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
21
00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,480
On the shoreline
of Malta is a site
22
00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,640
that's watched over the capital
city of valetta for centuries.
23
00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,600
You see old forts
all across Europe
24
00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,160
but this is something
different, something unique.
25
00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,400
This is a fortress that
is lavishly designed,
26
00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,960
expensively designed
to not only be functional
27
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,320
but also be beautiful.
28
00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,400
Originally built to
face one old enemy,
29
00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,000
certain features betray a
more recent call to arms.
30
00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:14,960
The closer you get
the more you can see
31
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,400
it's actually a little bit of
a patchwork of buildings,
32
00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,920
they've had to rebuild and,
and change things and refortify.
33
00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:26,040
But the fort itself is
only part of this story.
34
00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,040
Nearby there are tunnels
hidden beneath the streets
35
00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:30,760
and buildings of the city,
36
00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:36,520
they're dark wet and humid and
got a spooky feeling about them.
37
00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:37,936
It's almost like a
little underground
38
00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:39,520
labyrinth beneath the city.
39
00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,200
So, what connects
these two places?
40
00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:45,840
And how would they work together
41
00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,680
in Malta's most
desperate time of need?
42
00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,480
Originally home to an
order of Christian knights,
43
00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:02,040
in 1565 just over a decade
after being constructed
44
00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,960
the fort was facing
an unrelenting attack
45
00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:06,240
by the ottomans.
46
00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,200
The knights were
vastly outnumbered,
47
00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:15,080
it was something like 35,000
against less than 10,000.
48
00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,440
It was a bloody
and brutal conflict.
49
00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,560
The siege lasted
for almost a month,
50
00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:27,040
in the end though the
invading forces broke through.
51
00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:33,120
A last band of knights found
themselves hold up in the chapel,
52
00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,480
they said their final prayers
before heading out to face
53
00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,000
what was almost certain death.
54
00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,280
Charles debono is the
site's resident historian.
55
00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,440
They were praying for
their soul, you know?
56
00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,000
They were defending their
religion, the Roman catholic church,
57
00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:59,560
so this chapel was very important
for them as the last chance
58
00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:04,080
to pray before sacrificing
themselves against the Turks.
59
00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,560
The ottomans finally took the
fort but couldn't hold on to the city.
60
00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,960
Soon leaving the knights to
reclaim and rebuild this place.
61
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,480
I mean the fighting
was so brutal
62
00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,640
that what you actually look
at today is really constructed
63
00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:22,240
after this, this time
64
00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:23,960
but if you hunt
around the patchwork
65
00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,240
you can find some remnants
66
00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:27,440
of the original
constructs of this era.
67
00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,440
This building, here that we are,
68
00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,160
is the only remaining
part of the original fort,
69
00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:40,920
which was then later incorporated
into the new fort Saint elmo.
70
00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:44,920
The fort Saint
elmo visible today
71
00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,760
tells of hundreds of years
of preparation for war.
72
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,600
But eventually the second
siege of Malta would arrive.
73
00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,000
Those extra towers and
more modern editions
74
00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,680
they show you what was to come
75
00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,640
but that begs the question
was a centuries old fort
76
00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,200
up to the task of dealing with
a very modern kind of war?
77
00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:13,720
The first stage of the
reconstruction began in 1566.
78
00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:20,000
But the fort was in fact just
one part of a far larger plan.
79
00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:25,520
The fort wasn't the only piece
of construction under way,
80
00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:30,360
the city itself was being rebuilt
as well and it all linked together.
81
00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,840
So, in order to build this
lavish defensive facility
82
00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:36,560
around the harbour,
83
00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:41,840
the knights of Malta commission
the local Maltese builders
84
00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,400
to start quarrying the
ground underneath.
85
00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,400
As local historian
Ryan vella knows well,
86
00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,800
this was the starting point
for the city's next chapter.
87
00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:59,480
We are currently
underneath the city of Valletta.
88
00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:03,920
The place we are visiting
today was constructed way back
89
00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,840
during the knight's period
in the late 16th century.
90
00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:13,080
Probably the rock that was
cut from within this quarry
91
00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:18,280
was used to build the famous
co-cathedral of Saint John,
92
00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,200
which was the main church
of the order of the knights.
93
00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:26,880
As the city itself grew taller
using the quarried stone,
94
00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:29,640
so too did the new fort.
95
00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:33,960
There are lots of different
quarries around the whole area.
96
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,800
For example, beneath
the area of fort Saint elmo
97
00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:41,720
you had the digging
up of the ditch,
98
00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:46,280
which that rock was
transformed into masonry stones
99
00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:47,840
in order to build the fort.
100
00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,040
The lower section of the walls
101
00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,360
are from this early
period of construction
102
00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:59,160
but such fortifications weren't
limited to this site alone.
103
00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:04,640
The walls extended
all around the city
104
00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,720
with this fort
spearheading the defence
105
00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:09,280
and it didn't stop there.
106
00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:15,560
You can see the fort being rebuilt
but then there was an upgrade 1.1
107
00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,600
you build it again, upgrade
1.2 you go even higher,
108
00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:20,320
you make it more fortified
109
00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,680
and the very fact that this
particular strategic position
110
00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,000
was important did not
change for centuries.
111
00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:31,800
The underground quarries
also evolved over the years,
112
00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,040
with the final and
most surprising use
113
00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:36,040
occurring in the
second world war.
114
00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,040
The place was first
originated as a quarry
115
00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:46,360
then it turned out to be changed
over into a water reservoir.
116
00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:50,160
Later on, in the mid
of the 20th century
117
00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,400
it had another vital use,
118
00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:57,200
which was fully exploited
by the Maltese community.
119
00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,120
In the 1930s with Malta
under British control
120
00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:09,640
final preparations were made
both below and above ground,
121
00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,520
tragically it would
be fort Saint elmo
122
00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,280
that suffered the first
blow in Malta's fight.
123
00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:21,200
When Mussolini declares
war on britain and France
124
00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:23,040
on 10th June 1940,
125
00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,160
on the next day, the first
Italian aircraft appeared
126
00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,160
over Malta and
dropped their bombs.
127
00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,560
The event is important
128
00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,400
because the first
soldiers were killed
129
00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,960
during the first day of
attacks on fort Saint elmo.
130
00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:42,760
The second siege
of Malta had begun.
131
00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:47,640
It would continue
for over two years
132
00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:52,400
and some 15,000 tonnes of
bombs would fall from the skies.
133
00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,480
They used these spaces,
134
00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,880
to enlarge them and
also to dig extra rooms
135
00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,360
in order to shelter the
community over here.
136
00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:07,480
People can immediately
go underground
137
00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:10,000
and spend some hours
even maybe even days
138
00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:12,600
living in these small
little sort of holes
139
00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:14,040
that they've carved
for themselves.
140
00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:20,200
It was scary for sure because
the electricity was very minimal.
141
00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,280
The place was overcrowded
142
00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:27,120
because you had the whole
community going down here for shelter.
143
00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:34,440
The city's foundations
helped protect the people,
144
00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:38,480
but above ground the old
fort had it's own role to play.
145
00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:43,520
On the 26th of July 1941
146
00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:46,720
Italian naval ships were
spotted approaching the fort
147
00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:48,760
and the grand harbour area.
148
00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:50,800
An attack was on the cards
149
00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:53,400
and the guns were
about to be put to use.
150
00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,840
The twin 6 pound coastal
guns hit their targets.
151
00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:03,840
There were only a
handful of enemy vessels
152
00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,440
approaching that day but
the fort had done it's job.
153
00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,680
A full invasion of the
harbour was never attempted,
154
00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:15,800
it seems the defensive
presence of the fort
155
00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:17,520
was enough to deter the enemy.
156
00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:23,640
It was the same reason
why the fort was built in 1552
157
00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:28,360
and then at the end of
the great siege of 1565.
158
00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:33,720
So, the role of the fort
remained important and relevant
159
00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:38,680
and very strategic until
the second world war.
160
00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:45,680
Finally decommissioned
in 1972 for over 400 years
161
00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,240
the old fort had kept
the harbour safe.
162
00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,160
Around 15,000
buildings were destroyed
163
00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:00,040
by the bombing of Malta.
164
00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:04,320
And tragically more
than 1500 lives were lost.
165
00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:09,120
If you look at a Maltese flag
you'll see a George cross,
166
00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:12,720
the highest medal
that the British empire
167
00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:15,200
gives to civilians
168
00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,960
and that medal was awarded
169
00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,960
to the entire
population of Malta
170
00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:27,840
for standing up under relentless
German and Italian bombardment
171
00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:29,720
throughout the second world war.
172
00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,920
In the north west of Alaska
lies an industrial wreck
173
00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:41,960
trapped in a frozen landscape.
174
00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,440
For people who weren't
indigenous this is a harsh landscape,
175
00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:55,760
it's bitter cold, there's snow,
there's, there's frost, there's ice.
176
00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:00,640
In stark contrast to it's
desolate surroundings
177
00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:02,600
stands an engineering giant.
178
00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,520
It's hard to say what
it is at first glance.
179
00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:10,240
It looks kind of like a
building or a warehouse
180
00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,200
but then it's got
something that looks
181
00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,920
kind of like a crane
off of one end.
182
00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:20,240
So, you've got this mad
giant steam punk set up,
183
00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:22,560
you've got all sorts
of things going on.
184
00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:24,456
The first question you have
when you look at something
185
00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:26,400
like this is who built this?
186
00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:29,680
Who brought this
massive piece of equipment
187
00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:31,480
in to the middle of nowhere,
188
00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:35,240
they must have been after
something of extraordinary value
189
00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,360
to go this absurd effort.
190
00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:50,800
Rising from the flat and
seemingly endless tundra,
191
00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,920
this industrial monument
can be seen for miles.
192
00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:00,040
As you approach you see
the top, the frame peaking out,
193
00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,960
you see rusting metal,
it's a skeletal structure
194
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,920
that you wonder
195
00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:09,560
whether it's meant to help
extract something from the earth.
196
00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:15,160
Bob hafner worked on
this contraption for 25 years
197
00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,120
and still remembers the
first time he laid eyes on it.
198
00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,160
So, the first time
I'd seen one of those
199
00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:24,120
I came here working
for the airlines
200
00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,320
and we were flying over the
tundra and it was just bare tundra
201
00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,400
for miles and then we
came over the top of a hill
202
00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,680
and seen what looked
like a small village.
203
00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:34,120
And everything sitting there
204
00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:36,080
and I asked the pilot,
I said what is that?
205
00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:37,440
He said a dredge camp.
206
00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,480
This is dredge number five,
207
00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:45,720
a modern solution to a
centuries old problem.
208
00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,200
How to pull gold
out of the ground.
209
00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:55,720
It's found less than five
miles outside the city of nome,
210
00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,080
once a lawless frontier town
211
00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:02,040
and site of the last great
north American goldrush.
212
00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:03,640
This is nome, Alaska,
213
00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:06,880
a city that sprang up
out of almost nothing
214
00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:11,400
practically overnight
for one reason, gold.
215
00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:16,600
In September 1898 they
discovered gold in this area,
216
00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,280
suddenly gold prospectors
came in from Europe,
217
00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,400
from the rest of the america,
from the San Francisco,
218
00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:24,680
from Seattle
219
00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:26,880
and even from as
far away as Australia.
220
00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:31,840
Just getting to nome was
an adventure of a lifetime.
221
00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,680
From Seattle it was either a
treacherous two week boat ride
222
00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:37,520
or an even longer land journey.
223
00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:40,840
Finding the gold when
you had arrived though
224
00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:42,280
was surprisingly simple.
225
00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,600
Here in nome, a few
prospectors realised
226
00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,960
they could literally
find gold on the beach.
227
00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,320
The very fact that the gold
was found on a beach here,
228
00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,000
that information
flew around the world
229
00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:00,520
yeah because if anyone was
looking for gold it's hard work
230
00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:02,240
and you have to
stake your claim.
231
00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:06,480
But on a beach there are no
claims, it's every man for himself.
232
00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:10,960
Within just a few months
this little village of nome
233
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,800
had turned in to a
city of 20,000 people.
234
00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:19,360
This new city was a
wild and boisterous place.
235
00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:23,320
It had it's bars, it had it's
clubs, it had it's brothels.
236
00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:26,760
This was a rough
tough frontier town.
237
00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,840
Alaska still was a
territory, it wasn't a state
238
00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:32,080
so there wasn't
much law up here.
239
00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,680
Eventually they sent in a,
a contingency of the army
240
00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:39,040
er, to try to keep rule,
it's a lot of claim jumping,
241
00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:40,320
a lot of back stabbing
242
00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,160
you know, gold especially
when you get hungry
243
00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,280
can turn men into something
we don't want to admit we are.
244
00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,440
At the turn of the 20th
century searching for gold here
245
00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,960
was mostly a very
basic manual process.
246
00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,120
Had simple means what's
called a rocker and a, a...
247
00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:00,440
A bucket that they would
flow water over the top
248
00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,920
and put some dirt in there
and shake it back and forth
249
00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:04,720
while they add a
little bit of water to it.
250
00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:06,280
It teaches you Patience.
251
00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:11,760
Tolerance of this painstaking
method did not last long.
252
00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:13,560
Prospectors and engineers
253
00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:17,120
soon began looking for more
efficient ways to extract the gold.
254
00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,440
As the easy pickings got taken,
255
00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:24,920
bigger companies
started moving in...
256
00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:27,920
With serious
investment in machinery.
257
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,040
It takes on a more
industrial scale
258
00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,280
that becomes a
different beast really,
259
00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,440
a more rationalised
way of extracting
260
00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:39,200
the resources from the land.
261
00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:45,840
Dredge number five built in
1941 was a new breed of machine
262
00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,920
that revolutionised
the hunt for gold,
263
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:50,520
it could dig deeper,
264
00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:54,720
faster and longer than any
human with a pick and shovel.
265
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,560
On the front of the dredge
here you can see the bucket line
266
00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,280
which is a lot like a chainsaw,
267
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,800
it has a series of
buckets linked together
268
00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:06,760
and rotates in a big circle
driven by a motor on the dredge
269
00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,640
and it picks up the
material from the pit.
270
00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:15,680
But it did more than simply
dig, it was a factory too.
271
00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:19,160
Inside the dredge larger
rocks were filtered out
272
00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,040
before the gold was then
separated from this finer mixture
273
00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:25,360
by running water
through a sluice box.
274
00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:28,680
A lot of fine gold
would wash out
275
00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,000
which was what we really
have around nome here,
276
00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:33,760
it's mostly a real
fine gold erm,
277
00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:37,200
like salt pepper shaker
kind of size pieces.
278
00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:42,880
If you can move enough
material every day
279
00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,440
it could be worth investing
a huge amount of money
280
00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:48,200
in building a dredge like this.
281
00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,280
But there was only so
much gold in one place.
282
00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,960
The dredge needed
access to untapped ground.
283
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:03,560
What's amazing about these
dredges and if you haven't seen one
284
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:05,440
I think this is the
incredible thing,
285
00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:07,080
is that they move.
286
00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:10,600
There's no way you could put
big enough wheels on this thing
287
00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,200
to roll across this
rugged terrain.
288
00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:17,640
But if you can dig a pond
then you can float the dredge
289
00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,360
and then you can keep
expanding your pond
290
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:22,000
as you move forward.
291
00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,720
But the frozen ground surrounding
the dredge was a major obstacle.
292
00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,880
Thawing it involved the
construction of huge ditch lines
293
00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,680
that bought water in
from 70 miles away
294
00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:40,200
and once afloat moving the
dredge was still a complex procedure.
295
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:43,480
What we have on the sides here,
296
00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:46,440
what you're looking
at is the winchlines
297
00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,320
that are there to pull
the boat back and forth,
298
00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:52,840
there's a series of winches
that one pulls forward,
299
00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:55,280
two pull sideways like this.
300
00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:59,520
Incredibly this mechanical
beast actually walked.
301
00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:04,280
And what it has on the
back that you can't really see
302
00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:06,760
from this angle are two spuds.
303
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,560
One spud would drop
down and lift the other one up
304
00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:13,360
and so it would alternate and
walk, the dredge would walk forward.
305
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,240
Shuffling this giant
structure even a few metres
306
00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:20,680
was a huge amount of work.
307
00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,880
But all this effort was worth
it when gold was struck.
308
00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,640
There's nothing more satisfying
309
00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:31,160
when you get that
first bit of gold and...
310
00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:34,240
And it's in your hands and
you're looking at it and this is yours
311
00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:36,640
and you can take that
almost anywhere in the world
312
00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,560
and use that for money.
313
00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:44,360
Despite it's decades of success,
the profitable years would not last.
314
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:50,000
Often the price of the thing
that you're mining is going down,
315
00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:51,840
there are people
mining all over the world,
316
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,040
the supply is increasing,
317
00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,800
you're not getting as
much out of the ground
318
00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:58,560
that's not a great combination.
319
00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,560
It extracted millions
of dollars of gold
320
00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:03,920
from the ground here
321
00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,680
and the town of
nome has survived
322
00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,600
and thrived over the
years because of it.
323
00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,120
Shutdown in 1996,
324
00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,960
dredge number five now
lies as a silent reminder
325
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:19,760
of a golden age.
326
00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:27,840
For people like Bob it's
not just the hunt for gold
327
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:29,320
that keeps them here,
328
00:20:29,360 --> 00:20:31,640
it's something that
runs a little deeper.
329
00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,560
I love nome, I love the
region, I love the people.
330
00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,520
So, I've, I don't really plan
on retiring anywhere else,
331
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:41,240
if I made my million I'd spend
it here at the grocery store.
332
00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:50,680
On the island of jeju off the
southern tip of South Korea
333
00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,120
is an area littered
with strange features.
334
00:20:57,360 --> 00:21:01,400
They look almost natural in the
way they're kind of carpeted in grass
335
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,520
but they're too symmetrical
336
00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,160
and they're laid out in
some kind of a pattern.
337
00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:08,320
You can see one after another
338
00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:10,800
more than a dozen
of these structures
339
00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,360
which are not
part of the terrain.
340
00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,960
These unusual forms
however are not alone.
341
00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:26,160
Looking along the coast we
see these evenly spaced caves,
342
00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:30,120
dug in to the rock of the
island and sort of disappearing
343
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:31,680
in to the island out of sight.
344
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,320
Very symmetrical, all sort
of the same size openings
345
00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:38,240
so they don't look
like natural caves.
346
00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:43,280
These cave structures
are all over the island,
347
00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:47,680
this shoreline is
honeycombed with these caves.
348
00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:50,800
Forgotten for years,
349
00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,720
only recently has the full
picture been pieced together.
350
00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:58,840
You start to see
that this whole island
351
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:01,080
might be hiding something.
352
00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:04,520
These strange little
helices on the plateau,
353
00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:08,480
these strange caves
along the coast,
354
00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:11,440
they all tie together
in the same story.
355
00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,680
The first clue to
what happened here
356
00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,880
is found within these
small grass covered mounds
357
00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,120
that date back to
the second world war.
358
00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:31,320
If we look at the actual
opening in to these hills
359
00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:33,080
it's shaped like an aircraft
360
00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:35,880
with a cut out for the
fuselage and for the wing span
361
00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:37,520
so basically these are hangars.
362
00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:43,160
Local resident Lee yun-heong
has scoured this land for clues
363
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,680
relating to the site's past life
364
00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,400
when Korea was under
Japanese occupation.
365
00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:51,256
Lee translation: "There
were fighter planes
366
00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:53,040
"in this hangar like zero...
367
00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:54,760
"Fighters or naval bombers.
368
00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:59,640
"A total of 36 hangars
were built on this airfield."
369
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,920
While today the
surviving 20 hangars
370
00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,200
are the most prominent
reminders of this time,
371
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,800
hidden all around
are other ruins.
372
00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:14,920
"There is an airfield runway,
an underground bunker,
373
00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,920
"anti aircraft bunkers
and many other facilities
374
00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,440
"within a 1 kilometre
radius of the airfield.
375
00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:23,760
"Such a concentration
of military facilities
376
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,600
"like this is hard to
find anywhere else."
377
00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,280
These are the remains
of alddreu airfield,
378
00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:37,240
a key part of Japan's
operation seven defences.
379
00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:40,736
Translation: "Number
one to number six
380
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,480
"were operational
areas in mainland Japan.
381
00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:47,480
"However only jeju island
was included in number seven.
382
00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,280
Most of what we're
seeing here is infrastructure
383
00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:57,000
from late in the second world
war when Japan shifts it's focus
384
00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:02,600
to defending the Japanese
home islands from allied invasion.
385
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,320
Translation: "Jeju was the
only place outside of Japan
386
00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:10,720
"that was included in the
mainland's final defensive plans.
387
00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:15,320
"That shows how much Japan
valued the defence of jeju island."
388
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:22,600
From the moment the
occupation of Korea began in 1910
389
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,160
Japan had ruled
with an iron fist.
390
00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:28,920
For those living
in the south of jeju
391
00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:31,600
the regimes brutal
approach was felt
392
00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:33,640
with the establishment
of this airfield.
393
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:36,936
Translation: "The first phase
of the airfields construction
394
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:38,680
"began in 1926.
395
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,000
"There were six
villages here in jeju-do
396
00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:45,960
"and the residents from
each of those villages
397
00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:48,720
"were evicted to make
space for this airfield."
398
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,520
Japans treatment
of the locals on jeju
399
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:54,280
was like their
treatment of the locals
400
00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:55,960
everywhere they occupied.
401
00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:57,720
It was absolutely brutal,
402
00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:02,480
they would force all
the men into slave labour
403
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,600
and the women of jeju
were forced in to prostitution.
404
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:09,520
The famous comfort women that
the Japanese military demanded
405
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,440
to take care of their soldiers.
406
00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:15,520
So, when the Japanese
armed forces decide
407
00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:18,960
that they need to use
this area for an airfield,
408
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:20,920
they shave it flat
409
00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:25,120
and they do that not by
using industrial machinery
410
00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:29,600
which is in short supply but
by using korean forced labour.
411
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:33,176
Translation: "There
were hills all over,
412
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:35,920
"however many residents of jeju
413
00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:39,360
"were called up for forced labour
to flatten the landscape here.
414
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,120
"The workers lived around here
and did not have much to eat,
415
00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:48,680
"there was a lot of hunger
416
00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:50,800
"and there were many
casualties in the process."
417
00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:01,280
Japan held little regard
for the locals wellbeing,
418
00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,360
their focus was firmly fixed
419
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,480
on exploiting this
islands potential,
420
00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,240
a potential that explains
why jeju became so important
421
00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,280
to their later defensive plans.
422
00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,000
If you look at jeju
island on a map
423
00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,360
it's just in an unbelievably
strategic location,
424
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,520
it's right smack in the
middle of the east China sea
425
00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:25,920
between Japan
and mainland China.
426
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:30,200
If you wanted to build a base
that would allow you to dominate
427
00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:33,040
that whole region this
is where you'd put it.
428
00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,960
In the 1930s Japan
was on the front foot
429
00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,040
and looking to expand,
430
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:44,520
as they did with the invasion of
China in the sino-Japanese war.
431
00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:50,440
When Japan goes to war with
China they need forward air bases,
432
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:53,240
this is an ideal spot
433
00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,920
because it takes
you part way to China
434
00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,880
so that targets in manchuria
435
00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:03,440
are bought within the
range of Japanese air power.
436
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:06,640
But a few years later
437
00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,960
when Japan was losing
ground in the second world war
438
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,600
the role of the island
was flipped on it's head.
439
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,576
Translation: "The airfield
was originally built by Japan
440
00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:19,040
"because of the sites
geographical importance.
441
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,960
"That's why Japan's strategy
was to think of jeju island
442
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:29,120
"as an important defensive base
for the Japanese mainland battles
443
00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:31,920
"and to devise and prepare
for the mainland show down."
444
00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:38,040
It's envisioned more and more
as a sort of iwo jima type place
445
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:40,960
where the Japanese
will mass ground troops
446
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,760
to fight a last stand
against the Americans
447
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:47,080
who will be forced to attack it
because of it's strategic location.
448
00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:52,320
In January 1944
449
00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:56,840
there were just 300 Japanese
troops stationed on jeju
450
00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:00,840
but that number was
about to sky rocket.
451
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:05,760
By mid 1945 there are 70,000
Japanese troops on the island,
452
00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:08,520
a third of the, the total
number of Japanese troops
453
00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,320
on the whole korean peninsula.
454
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:13,320
The Japanese defence concept
455
00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:16,720
was that the invader
might land on the island
456
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,520
but that the island might then
become a living hell for them.
457
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,640
Once again the local population
458
00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:27,840
was forced to carry
out back breaking work
459
00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:31,120
as a new network of defences
and subterranean bases
460
00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:32,760
were carved out of the island.
461
00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:38,800
Translation: "This is a
large underground bunker
462
00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:40,760
"built by the Japanese.
463
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,680
"It was big enough for
vehicles to pass through,
464
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,440
"there were
important facilities here
465
00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:49,720
"including the command
headquarters of the airfield
466
00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:51,880
"and a torpedo
storage facility."
467
00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:57,400
This single underground facility
stretches on into the darkness
468
00:28:57,440 --> 00:28:59,760
for 3 quarters of a mile.
469
00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:03,200
But it was just a fraction of
the true extent of the defences
470
00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:04,880
hidden beneath the surface.
471
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:09,000
Translation: "In
jeju there are about
472
00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:10,680
"700 underground tunnels
473
00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:12,960
"dug by the Japanese
during the pacific war."
474
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:19,000
As the so called operation
seven got underway
475
00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:21,080
the foremost defensive tunnels
476
00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,680
were cut right in
to the island's cliffs
477
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,160
and they harboured
a deadly weapon.
478
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:30,440
They begin carving out these
caves for these mini submarines
479
00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:35,800
that will launch under sea kamikaze
attacks against American warships.
480
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,400
Translation: "These bases
were used to station boats
481
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:44,320
"loaded with over 500
pounds of explosives,
482
00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:45,800
"they would be
driven by a soldier
483
00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:49,320
"and used as a suicide bomber
boat against the us ships."
484
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:58,120
The idea that somebody
might give his life
485
00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:01,120
in order to sink an
American destroyer
486
00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:03,280
using himself as
part of a weapon,
487
00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:06,760
that idea was
genuinely disturbing
488
00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:09,600
to Americans and very effective
489
00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:15,080
both as a propaganda
tool and as a military reality.
490
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,000
In the last years of the war,
491
00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:23,720
it's estimated that over
7,000 naval personnel
492
00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:27,400
were killed by aerial or
seaborne kamikaze attacks.
493
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:33,000
It was a devastating tactic
but it came at a huge price.
494
00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:35,360
And it may help explain
495
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,920
why so many of these
military positions here
496
00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:39,640
are still intact.
497
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,560
In a way though all
these kamikaze missions
498
00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:45,200
might have backfired
on the Japanese,
499
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,040
it convinced the Americans
500
00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:49,680
that the Japanese military
would never surrender,
501
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:52,000
that they would
fight to the last man.
502
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,120
Taking the Japanese
home islands to end the war
503
00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:56,440
would have killed millions.
504
00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:01,680
Using atomic bombs to
end the war killed thousands.
505
00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:05,160
The choice wasn't easy
but the choice was clear.
506
00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:09,760
The allied invasion
of jeju at the beginning
507
00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:14,120
of the allied invasion of Japan,
that carnage was avoided.
508
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:22,960
What remains on jeju are
some of the best examples
509
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:27,280
of Japanese pacific war
infrastructure still in existence.
510
00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,800
And now these remnants
from that brutal occupation
511
00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,400
have a far greater purpose.
512
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:37,176
Translation: "I hope
people around the world
513
00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:38,920
"will recognise these facilities
514
00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:42,120
"as places to reflect on that
original war of aggression.
515
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:45,000
"The violation of the human
rights of those enslaved
516
00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:47,040
"and the importance of peace."
517
00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:59,880
Off the coast of sardinia is
an 11 mile long slither of land.
518
00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:02,240
A haven for nature and wildlife.
519
00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:12,720
This island is a bit of a
paradise, the lush vegetation,
520
00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:16,600
the waters it's not surprise
that it's a national park.
521
00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:19,096
When you first come on the scene
522
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:22,640
this looks like an idyllic
mediterranean island
523
00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:26,160
with little rocky
outcrops and olive trees.
524
00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:30,000
Yet beyond this pastoral beauty
525
00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:34,040
lies a series of
abandoned buildings,
526
00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:37,480
although virtually
uninhabited by man today,
527
00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:41,480
they suggest the island once
housed a significant population.
528
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:46,080
One particular building
looks like it might almost be...
529
00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:49,480
A monastery or
religious retreat.
530
00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:53,800
It's very inward facing but
then you see the barbed wire,
531
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:57,320
you see the guard towers,
inside you see the locked doors,
532
00:32:57,360 --> 00:32:59,920
you realise this
is no monastery.
533
00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:04,600
Eight miles away at the
northern end of the island
534
00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:08,720
is a second structure with
strange design features.
535
00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:11,120
The closer you look you realise
536
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:14,280
that this wasn't
just any old prison,
537
00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:17,640
you have these huge high
walls, the guard towers,
538
00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:21,680
the spotlights and
just one tiny hatch
539
00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:23,560
for an entrance.
540
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:27,240
Within it's outer walls
the mystery deepens.
541
00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:32,760
There are hardly any windows
or openings to speak of...
542
00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:38,480
And from above you can see
there's a secondary inner structure,
543
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:41,880
almost a prison
within the prison.
544
00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:45,560
Whoever was held here
was dangerous indeed.
545
00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:49,640
So, how are these
two sites linked
546
00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:52,880
and who was locked up at
the heart of this complex?
547
00:33:57,080 --> 00:33:59,000
On the southern
end of the island,
548
00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:00,760
a large rectangular building
549
00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:03,640
is ominously surrounded
by search lights,
550
00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:06,400
metal bars and
smashed guard huts.
551
00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:11,120
Today access inside
is strictly forbidden
552
00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,880
but former prison
guard gianmaria deriv
553
00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:16,960
remembers what life was
like for those on the inside.
554
00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:22,280
Gianmaria translation:
"Less freedoms, less space,
555
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:24,360
"the procedures
are really strict.
556
00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:29,520
"So, they can't leave
the building at all,
557
00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:31,520
"everything takes place inside."
558
00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:36,560
This is forneli prison,
559
00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:41,040
a maximum security facility
where guards like gianmaria
560
00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:43,320
could keep inmates
on a tight leash.
561
00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,336
Translation: "Bringing them
to an island on an island
562
00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:50,920
"we could say it was like
cutting the umbilical cord."
563
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:57,520
Separated from the mainland
by 180 miles of open sea,
564
00:34:57,560 --> 00:34:58,680
the Italian government
565
00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:01,840
saw the potential for this
site as a place to lock up
566
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:04,520
Italy's most
dangerous criminals.
567
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:09,000
Translation: "Originally it
was a judiciary sanitorium
568
00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:10,720
"and tuberculosis hospital
569
00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:14,240
"but then with the emergence
of red and black terrorism in Italy
570
00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:16,440
"the government
decided to turn this facility
571
00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:18,080
"in to a supermax prison."
572
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:25,720
Extreme left wing groups
known as red terrorists
573
00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:29,960
were leading a wave of violence
across Italy in the late 1970s.
574
00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:35,280
Revolutionaries attempting
to overthrow the capitalist state
575
00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:38,360
and force Italy's
withdrawal from NATO,
576
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,480
the north Atlantic
treaty organisation.
577
00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:45,120
They had home
grown ultra left wing
578
00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:47,520
terrorist groups
like the red brigades,
579
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,640
they were literally going
to war against the country
580
00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:51,880
and against the government.
581
00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:54,960
In 1978,
582
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,000
they even assassinated
former Italian prime minister
583
00:35:58,040 --> 00:35:59,400
Aldo moral...
584
00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:04,480
As members of the organisation
were rounded up in response
585
00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:06,680
the government
increasingly turned
586
00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:09,120
to the isolated
island of asinara
587
00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:12,120
and used fornelli as
a dumping ground.
588
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:15,120
They sent so many
members of the red brigade
589
00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:16,480
to the fornelli prison
590
00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:18,600
that it became a
huge focus of the group
591
00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:20,360
to get those people released.
592
00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:25,280
September 1979,
593
00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:28,160
a clash broke out on
the streets of Rome.
594
00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:34,360
There was a huge shootout
between red brigade forces
595
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:36,840
and the authorities
596
00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:40,840
and when one of them
was captured he had on him
597
00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:45,040
this whole elaborate
plan for a mass escape
598
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:46,320
from the fornelli prison,
599
00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:48,240
they were going to
smuggle in machine guns,
600
00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:50,520
they were gonna
have motor boats,
601
00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:52,760
they were going to
overwhelm the prison
602
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:54,800
and get all these prisoners out.
603
00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:59,520
The plan had been scuppered
but members of the brigade
604
00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:03,360
inside fornelli took matters
in to their own hands.
605
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:05,400
Rioters destroyed cells
606
00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:07,680
and smashed
sections of the building.
607
00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:12,016
Translation: "They had packed
their stove top coffee machines
608
00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:13,800
"with explosives and plastic.
609
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:17,680
"They had managed
to create real bombs."
610
00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:24,040
Riot police on horseback
surround the maximum security wing.
611
00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:26,816
Translation: "There
were tense moments
612
00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:28,760
"but you weren't
supposed to show fear."
613
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,080
Tear gas was launched in
to the heart of the uprising.
614
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,280
Translation: "The red
brigade attempted a rebellion
615
00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:40,000
"and then tried to leave
the facility but they failed,
616
00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:42,440
"they surrendered at about 3am."
617
00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:49,120
The riot was quashed but
soon after without warning
618
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:52,720
the authorities transferred
all the terrorists off the island.
619
00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:56,200
They began replacing them
620
00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:59,240
with Italy's new public
enemy number 1,
621
00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:00,800
mafia bosses.
622
00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:04,680
But to handle them they were
going to need a new facility.
623
00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:11,416
Enrico translation:
"At the end of the day
624
00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,480
"we were selected.
625
00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:17,880
"500 guards were chosen
because of this situation."
626
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:24,960
Enrico mereu was selected as head
guard of a new specialised facility.
627
00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:28,880
Look out towers
stood at each corner
628
00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:33,520
while walkways around the
perimeter left no area out of sight.
629
00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:35,320
But at the centre
of the facility
630
00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:37,920
was one particularly
strange feature.
631
00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:43,400
A new area was added
to the design, the bunker,
632
00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:47,520
built with reinforced concrete
and surrounded with barbed wire.
633
00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:51,600
The bunker was a singular
prison within a prison,
634
00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:55,720
a tiny villa built
within high stone walls
635
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:58,080
and only one small entrance.
636
00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:01,000
It was designed to
house just one man.
637
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:06,720
That's where the top mafia
boss or bosses were sent,
638
00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:10,480
where they could really be isolated,
you could keep an eye on them,
639
00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:14,120
you could also protect
them from being executed
640
00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:16,760
by other forces or poisoned.
641
00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:23,160
The bunker was
reserved for the top dog,
642
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,000
the last great
sicilian mafia chief,
643
00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:30,880
Salvatore riina who was the
head of the corleonesi clan.
644
00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:35,600
He came from corleone in sicily
645
00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:40,280
and that is famously associated
with the godfather trilogy.
646
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,760
Riina had gone to
war with the state,
647
00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:46,520
targeting top officials
648
00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:49,040
and organising
terrorist style bombings.
649
00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:54,560
As the government fought back
just as it had with the red terrorists
650
00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:58,760
this island became it's
main prison for mobsters.
651
00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:01,560
Riina was given
26 life sentences
652
00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:03,880
for the murder of
hundreds of individuals.
653
00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:09,680
Two of riina's victims
enrico had known personally.
654
00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:14,000
Translation: "It was an
awful experience for me,
655
00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:17,320
"I found myself here with riina,
656
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:19,280
"the instigator of
those murders."
657
00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:24,280
Riina's influence was such
that even within prison walls
658
00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:26,680
he could wield great power.
659
00:40:26,720 --> 00:40:30,520
For a lot of Americans whose
idea about the mafia comes from
660
00:40:30,560 --> 00:40:33,320
you know, the godfather
movies and things like that
661
00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:37,280
it's hard to appreciate just
how powerful the mafia was...
662
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:39,520
Up until really
quite recent times,
663
00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:41,960
it was almost like a
shadow government.
664
00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:48,840
The surrounding area
was patrolled by 100 agents,
665
00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:52,120
boats crisscrossed
the sea day and night,
666
00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:55,360
threats from the sky
were monitored with radar.
667
00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:00,840
Controls within the bunker
had to be equally water tight.
668
00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:05,360
Translation: "So, every time
we entered or left the bunker
669
00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:06,840
"we had to search each other.
670
00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:10,680
"In fact there were no
friends allowed here."
671
00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:16,720
Even his food was bought
to him in a special briefcase
672
00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:19,640
to avoid attempts at poisoning.
673
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:23,160
We always hear a lot about codes
of honour among the mafia types
674
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,080
but history shows that
provided with the right incentives
675
00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:28,240
they'll turn on each
other in a heartbeat.
676
00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:32,720
Protocols were designed
to prevent corrupt guards
677
00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:36,400
carrying out assassinations
on behalf of rival mafiosi
678
00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:38,280
looking to take riina's crown.
679
00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:43,136
Translation: "We couldn't
carry cell phones or paperwork
680
00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:46,040
"that might endanger you
by revealing your identity.
681
00:41:48,240 --> 00:41:51,160
"We couldn't talk or mention
names of wives or daughters.
682
00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:54,240
"Nothing at all.
683
00:41:56,640 --> 00:41:59,760
"We talked only
about the service,
684
00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:00,960
"that was it."
685
00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:07,520
Prison is brutalising for
everyone, these prisons were,
686
00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:09,480
were terrible places
for the prisoners
687
00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:11,776
but also for the guards who
were in fear for their lives
688
00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:17,000
and so isolated, so far
away from normal civilisation,
689
00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:19,880
it had to have been a
very rugged existence.
690
00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:24,600
The real need for
this extreme isolation
691
00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:28,920
was not about preventing escape
but getting them to turn informer.
692
00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:36,720
They isolated them so thoroughly
that the idea was they would realise
693
00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:38,960
wait if I'm facing 20 years
694
00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:41,600
where I can't talk to
any of my associates,
695
00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:45,920
I can't do any of
my former business,
696
00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:49,160
I might as well become an
informant and maybe get out earlier.
697
00:42:50,240 --> 00:42:52,880
Yet riina never turned.
698
00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:56,880
Enrico hand delivered his
dinner in an armoured briefcase
699
00:42:56,920 --> 00:42:59,280
every day for 4 years.
700
00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:03,040
Until the prison was
closed down in 1997.
701
00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:06,320
By the late 90s
the tide of violence
702
00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,960
from first the red brigades
and then the mafia
703
00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:13,720
was receding and law enforcement
was getting the upper hand
704
00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:17,600
and they realised they didn't
need this kind of ultra security
705
00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:20,360
er, prison to the same degree.
706
00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:25,880
The so called beast lived out
his days in a different prison
707
00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:27,600
in solitary confinement.
708
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,680
At the time of his death in 2017
709
00:43:31,720 --> 00:43:35,280
some claimed that tota
riina was still operating
710
00:43:35,320 --> 00:43:37,560
as the head of sicilian mafia.
711
00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:43,680
Today, asinara
is a national park,
712
00:43:43,720 --> 00:43:47,880
home to the rare albino donkeys
that gave the island it's name.
713
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:51,280
The dilapidated
prison structures
714
00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:54,520
are preserved as relics
of a very different time.
715
00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:57,840
One that is thankfully
consigned to the past.
716
00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:04,120
Captioned by
ai-media ai-media. TV
59951
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.