Original subtitles

Narrator: MYSTERIOUS REMAINS OF RUSTING SHIPS

STRANDED IN AN ARID DESERT...

IT WAS ECOLOGICAL SUICIDE.

Narrator: ...A GHOSTLY SET OF CONCRETE TEETH

HIGH IN THE ITALIAN PEAKS...

A VERY STARK AND STRANGE SIGHT TO HAVE

IN THIS LARGELY BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE.

Narrator: ...AND AN EERIE COLLECTION OF BUILDINGS

HIDDEN IN A REMOTE FOREST.

HIDDEN IN A REMOTE FOREST.

IT'S LIKE A VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED.

YOU CAN TELL THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED HERE.

*

Narrator: ONCE, THEY WERE SOME OF THE MOST ADVANCED STRUCTURES

AND FACILITIES ON THE PLANET,

AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.

TODAY, THEY STAND ABANDONED, CONTAMINATED,

AND SOMETIMES DEADLY.

BUT WHO BUILT THEM? AND HOW?

AND WHY WERE THEY ABANDONED?

AND WHY WERE THEY ABANDONED?

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

*

*

IN THE SOUTHWEST OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION

IS THE COUNTRY OF UZBEKISTAN.

AND NOT FAR FROM THE SMALL TOWN OF MOYNAQ

AND NOT FAR FROM THE SMALL TOWN OF MOYNAQ

IS AN ASTONISHING SIGHT.

FOR MILE AFTER MILE,

ALL YOU CAN SEE IS A DRY AND DUSTY DESERT LANDSCAPE.

THERE, IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS SANDY EXPANSE,

THERE ARE SHIPS OF EVERY SIZE,

FROM THE SMALL TO THE SUBSTANTIAL.

BUT WHERE IS THE WATER?

Jerram: IT'S A VERY ODD THING, SEEING A BOAT IN A DESERT.

Jerram: IT'S A VERY ODD THING, SEEING A BOAT IN A DESERT.

YOU THINK OF WATER INSTANTLY.

A BOAT IS AN INDICATIVE SIGN OF WATER,

BUT THEN YOU LOOK AROUND, AND THERE'S NONE AVAILABLE.

Bell: IT'S LIKE AN ARMADA OF RUSTING HULKS

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT

WITHOUT A SHORELINE ANYWHERE IN SIGHT.

IT IS AN INTENSELY POST-APOCALYPTIC IMAGE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT

TO TELL THAT SOMETHING HAS GONE EXTREMELY WRONG HERE.

Narrator: THE TOWN OF MOYNAQ IS VIRTUALLY DESERTED.

BUT WHAT HAS GONE ON HERE?

THE ONLY CLUE IS THIS SYMBOL OF A FISH,

WHICH ADORNS THE TOWN'S SIGN.

Bell: THERE ARE SIGNS THAT FISHING

WAS ABSOLUTELY ONCE VERY IMPORTANT HERE.

BUT WHAT MAKES THIS SO EXTRAORDINARY

IS THAT THERE'S NO WATER TO BE SEEN.

IN FACT, IT'S MILES FROM THE NEAREST SEA.

Narrator: SO, WHAT HAPPENED?

WHERE HAS THE SEA GONE?

AND WHY WAS MOYNAQ ABANDONED?

*

THE ANSWER TO THIS PUZZLE LIES 2,600 MILES AWAY,

IN THE HEART OF RUSSIA'S CAPITAL -- MOSCOW.

IN THE 1950s, UZBEKISTAN WAS PART OF THE SOVIET UNION,

AN EMPIRE 2 1/2 TIMES THE SIZE OF THE USA,

AN EMPIRE 2 1/2 TIMES THE SIZE OF THE USA,

WHICH STRETCHED FROM THE BALTIC SEA TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

THE SOVIET UNION RAN ON A COMMAND ECONOMY.

ALL THE DECISIONS WERE MADE AT THE TOP.

AND THEY WOULD DECIDE, "COMRADE, YOU WILL GROW THE WHEAT,

AND YOU WILL GROW THE COTTON,

AND YOU WILL MAKE THE IRON AND STEEL."

THE INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS, AND CERTAINLY INDIVIDUAL WORKERS,

HAD VERY LITTLE SAY IN THE MATTER.

AND THE TECHNOCRATS IN CHARGE THOUGHT THEY HAD

AND THE TECHNOCRATS IN CHARGE THOUGHT THEY HAD

ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEEDED TO MAKE ALL THE DECISIONS.

Narrator: EACH SOVIET STATE HAD TO PROVIDE GOODS AND RAW MATERIALS

TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT,

WHO WOULD IN TURN PROVIDE FOOD AND OTHER PRODUCTS.

EVERYTHING WAS CONTROLLED BY MOSCOW.

Meigs: THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR EXPERIMENTATION.

THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR ANYBODY TO DEVIATE

FROM THE CENTRAL AUTHORITY.

SO ONCE THE ORDER CAME DOWN FROM ON HIGH,

SO ONCE THE ORDER CAME DOWN FROM ON HIGH,

EVERYBODY GOT IN LINE AND CONFORMED.

Narrator: THE SOVIET LEADERSHIP'S EYES

FELL ON A NEW TARGET FOR EXPLOITATION --

MOYNAQ.

IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE NOW,

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DESERT THAT SURROUNDS IT,

BUT 60 YEARS AGO, MOYNAQ WAS ON THE EDGE

OF THE WORLD'S FOURTH-LARGEST INLAND STRETCH OF WATER --

OF THE WORLD'S FOURTH-LARGEST INLAND STRETCH OF WATER --

THE ARAL SEA.

40,000 OF ITS RESIDENTS

WERE EITHER FISHERMEN OR WORKED AT ITS FISH-PROCESSING PLANT,

THE LARGEST IN THE SOVIET UNION.

ALMAS TOVASHIV WAS ONE OF THEM.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

Interpreter: MORE THAN 200 VESSELS WERE ENGAGED IN THE FISHING INDUSTRY.

MORE THAN 100 VESSELS WERE TRANSPORTING FISH

MORE THAN 100 VESSELS WERE TRANSPORTING FISH

TO THE FISH-CANNING FACTORY, WHERE 1,200 PEOPLE WORKED

AND ANNUALLY PRODUCED UP TO 12 MILLION CANS OF FISH.

Jerram: THE FISHING INDUSTRY WAS ABLE TO THRIVE IN THE ARAL SEA

BECAUSE IT WAS FAIRLY SHALLOW ALL AROUND,

SO IT WAS ACTUALLY QUITE EASY TO FISH.

AND BY ITS NATURE, IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY FREEZE IN THE WINTER,

SO YOU COULD DO FISHING ALMOST ALL YEAR 'ROUND.

Narrator: OVERALL, 1/6 OF RUSSIA'S ANNUAL FISHING QUOTA

Narrator: OVERALL, 1/6 OF RUSSIA'S ANNUAL FISHING QUOTA

WAS CAUGHT FROM THE ARAL SEA,

AND A SUBSTANTIAL INDUSTRY THRIVED ON ITS SHORES.

Interpreter: AT THAT TIME,

80% TO 90% OF THE FISH PRODUCTION IN UZBEKISTAN

WAS PROVIDED BY THE ARAL SEA.

THERE WERE 34 SPECIES OF FISH,

20 OF WHICH WERE OF COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE.

THEN THERE WAS ONE MOYNAQ FISHING CANNING FACTORY,

12 FISHING COLLECTIVE FARMS, AND SIX FISHING FLOTILLAS.

12 FISHING COLLECTIVE FARMS, AND SIX FISHING FLOTILLAS.

THE WHOLE POPULATION WAS ENGAGED IN FISHING.

*

Narrator: BUT BY 1990, ALL FISHING HAD STOPPED.

THE SEA HAD BECOME A DESERT.

THE ANSWER AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED IS EVEN STRANGER.

IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF SOMETHING CALLED WHITE GOLD --

IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF SOMETHING CALLED WHITE GOLD --

OR, AS WE KNOW IT, COTTON.

Bell: COTTON'S BEEN GROWN IN THE ARAL BASIN FOR CENTURIES,

BUT THIS REALLY RAMPED UP UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF STALIN

WHEN HE ANNOUNCED TO THE WORLD THAT THE SOVIET UNION

WOULD BE THE LEADING PRODUCER OF THIS CROP.

Narrator: BUT HOW COULD COTTON PRODUCTION HAVE SUCH A DEVASTATING IMPACT

ON A FISHING COMMUNITY LIKE MOYNAQ?

ON A FISHING COMMUNITY LIKE MOYNAQ?

AND HOW DID THE ARAL SEA VIRTUALLY DISAPPEAR?

*

Narrator: 60 YEARS AGO, MOYNAQ WAS ON THE EDGE

OF THE WORLD'S FOURTH-LARGEST INLAND STRETCH OF WATER --

THE ARAL SEA.

BUT BY 1990, ALL FISHING HAD STOPPED.

MOST OF THE SEA HAD BECOME A DESERT.

AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF COTTON.

Meigs: IT ONLY RAINS ABOUT 4 INCHES A YEAR IN THAT PART OF UZBEKISTAN.

THAT'S ABOUT THE SAME AS THE MOJAVE DESERT IN THE U.S.

OR EVEN THE SAME AS SOME PARTS OF THE SAHARA,

SO THEY NEEDED TO IRRIGATE.

THEY NEEDED TO GET WATER FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE.

WHERE DID THEY GET IT?

FROM THE TWO RIVERS THAT FED THE ARAL SEA.

THEY DAMMED THEM UP. THEY MADE RESERVOIRS.

THEY MADE THIS HUGE COMPLEX OF IRRIGATION CANALS,

THOUSANDS OF MILES OF IRRIGATION CANALS.

IT WAS A TYPICAL VAST, AMBITIOUS SOVIET PROJECT.

IT WAS A TYPICAL VAST, AMBITIOUS SOVIET PROJECT.

Narrator: BUT THE CROPS NEEDED MORE THAN WATER TO FLOURISH.

THEY USED 20 TIMES THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS.

Meigs: COTTON, ESPECIALLY THE WAY THE SOVIETS GREW IT,

TOOK A LOT OF FERTILIZER, A LOT OF PESTICIDES.

THEY SPRAYED THIS STUFF ON WITH ABANDON.

IT FLOWED OUT, IT POLLUTED THE GROUNDWATER,

SO WHAT LITTLE WATER DID FLOW INTO THE ARAL SEA

WAS HEAVILY POLLUTED WITH TOXINS.

WAS HEAVILY POLLUTED WITH TOXINS.

Narrator: BUT THE SOVIET IDEA TO CONCENTRATE COTTON PRODUCTION

AT THE EXPENSE OF THE ARAL SEA WORKED.

Meigs: UZBEKISTAN BECAME THE DOMINANT SUPPLIER OF COTTON,

THE DOMINANT GROWER OF COTTON IN THE SOVIET UNION,

AND REMAINS A MAJOR GROWER OF COTTON.

Narrator: BUT THERE WAS A HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL COST TO PAY.

Jerram: IF YOU'VE GOT 4/5 OF YOUR WATER SOURCE COMING FROM ELSEWHERE

AND BEING BROUGHT IN TO MAINTAIN AND SUSTAIN THE SEA,

IF YOU SHUT THAT LIFEBLOOD OFF,

THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE VERY DRAMATICALLY.

Meigs: IT WAS ECOLOGICAL SUICIDE,

BECAUSE ONCE THEY TOOK ALL THE WATER OUT OF THOSE RIVERS,

THERE WASN'T ENOUGH WATER TO FEED THE ARAL SEA.

IN THIS HOT ENVIRONMENT, IT'S SUNNY MOST OF THE TIME.

THERE'S A LOT OF EVAPORATION.

WITHOUT WATER CONTINUING TO FLOW INTO IT,

WITHOUT WATER CONTINUING TO FLOW INTO IT,

THE ARAL SEA BEGAN TO EVAPORATE.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

Interpreter: PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS LESS WATER.

IT WAS NOT ENOUGH,

EVEN FOR WATERING GARDENS AND USE ON THE FARMS.

Narrator: MOYNAQ'S FISHERMEN DEPENDED ON THE LAKE FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD,

SO THEY FOLLOWED ITS SHRINKING SHORES.

BUT THEY SOON REALIZED THERE WAS AN EVEN BIGGER PROBLEM.

BUT THEY SOON REALIZED THERE WAS AN EVEN BIGGER PROBLEM.

THE FISH WERE DYING OFF.

Jerram: NOT ONLY IS THE SHORELINE MOVING AWAY

BECAUSE YOU'RE DECREASING THE VOLUME OF THE WATER,

BUT YOU'RE INCREASING THE SALINITY.

AND IT WENT FROM ABOUT 10 GRAMS PER LITER

TO OVER 100 GRAMS PER LITER -- A MASSIVE JUMP,

10 TIMES MORE SALT IN THE WATER, AND THE FISH CAN'T HANDLE THAT,

AND THE FISH ESSENTIALLY GET POISONED.

IT WAS TURNING FROM A THRIVING, RICH FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM

IT WAS TURNING FROM A THRIVING, RICH FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM

INTO A DEAD SEA.

Narrator: BY THE LATE 1980s, THE LAST NATIVE ARAL FISH HAD VANISHED,

DROWNED BY THE SHRINKING TOXIC SEA.

IN JUST 34 YEARS, THE SEA LEVEL DROPPED BY 55 FEET

AND THE SHORELINE RECEDED BY ALMOST 100 MILES.

AND THE SHORELINE RECEDED BY ALMOST 100 MILES.

Jerram: THE SPEED AT WHICH THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED IS QUITE REMARKABLE.

AND IT'S REALLY QUITE SHOCKING TO SEE THIS JEWEL,

ONE OF THE FOURTH-LARGEST INLAND SEAS IN THE WORLD,

SUDDENLY JUST DIMINISHING TO A FEW SORT OF ISOLATED LAKES

AND REALLY JUST A BIG, DRY DESERT.

Bell: 1/3 OF THE SEABED WAS EXPOSED,

SPREADING 100 MILLION TONS OF DUST AND SALT.

ADD TO THAT THE RESIDUE FROM THE PESTICIDES

ADD TO THAT THE RESIDUE FROM THE PESTICIDES

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA,

AND YOU'VE GOT A HIGHLY TOXIC COMBINATION.

*

Narrator: TODAY THE TRAWLERS LIE RUSTING ON THE EDGE OF MOYNAQ'S HARBOR,

A GHOST FLEET IN A TOWN WHERE THE SEA IS A DISTANT MEMORY.

THE FEW REMAINING PEOPLE STILL LIVING HERE

THE FEW REMAINING PEOPLE STILL LIVING HERE

ARE PLAGUED BY HEALTH PROBLEMS.

THE ARAL SEA HAS NOW BECOME THE DESERT OF ARAL.

Jerram: WHEN YOU SEE SUCH A DRAMATIC CHANGE,

IT SHOWS US HOW DELICATE THE ENVIRONMENT CAN BE

AND HOW MUCH WE NEED TO BE AWARE

THAT WE DON'T FLIP THE SWITCH THE WRONG WAY

AND SEND THOSE ENVIRONMENTS

CATASTROPHICALLY INTO THE WRONG DIRECTION.

*

*

Narrator: NEARLY 7,000 FEET UP IN THE ITALIAN ALPS

IS THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SIGHT.

*

PUNCHING THROUGH TONS OF SNOW

ARE ROWS OF MENACING CONICAL STRUCTURES.

THEY'RE THESE STRANGE PYRAMID-LIKE STRUCTURES

THAT ALMOST LOOK LIKE A MODERN ART INSTALLATION.

THAT ALMOST LOOK LIKE A MODERN ART INSTALLATION.

SEEING HUNDREDS OF THESE CONCRETE TEETH

JUTTING UP OUT OF THE GROUND IN THE ALPINE LANDSCAPE,

IT IS ALMOST HARD TO GRASP WHAT THAT IS.

Narrator: THIS BIZARRE SET OF TEETH ARE MADE OF CONCRETE AND IRON

AND RANGE IN SIZE UP TO 3 FEET TALL.

THEY STRETCH OUT OVER THE REMOTE MOUNTAINTOPS

IN A SERIES OF LONG CLUSTERS.

IN A SERIES OF LONG CLUSTERS.

BUT WHY WERE THEY BUILT AT SUCH A REMOTE LOCATION?

AND WHAT COULD BE THEIR STRANGE PURPOSE?

Bell: WHAT'S REALLY ODD IS WHERE THESE THINGS ARE --

RIGHT NEAR THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN.

THEY JUST DON'T BELONG THERE.

Dickrell: IT LOOKS VERY MEDIEVAL.

IT'S ALMOST EXACTLY OUT OF "GAME OF THRONES,"

A VERY STARK AND STRANGE SIGHT TO HAVE

IN THIS LARGELY BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE.

Narrator: A CLUE AS TO WHAT THESE ROWS OF CONICAL SPIKES ARE

Narrator: A CLUE AS TO WHAT THESE ROWS OF CONICAL SPIKES ARE

CAN BE FOUND IN THE VALLEY BELOW.

*

A LABYRINTH OF SECRET TUNNELS

THAT STRETCH DEEP INTO THE MOUNTAIN ITSELF

LURK BEHIND A HIDDEN ENTRANCE

BUILT INTO THE SIDE OF THE VALLEY,

DISGUISED AS A ROCK.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT, IT SEEMS INCREDIBLY SOLID,

WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT, IT SEEMS INCREDIBLY SOLID,

AND IT BLENDS ALMOST SEAMLESSLY INTO THE BACKGROUND.

SOMEONE WENT TO AN INCREDIBLE EFFORT TO BUILD THAT HERE.

Narrator: WHO BUILT THIS BIZARRE ALPINE ENGINEERING?

AND WHAT WAS ITS PURPOSE?

*

THE ANSWER LIES IN THE UNEASY PEACE THAT EXISTED

THE ANSWER LIES IN THE UNEASY PEACE THAT EXISTED

ACROSS WESTERN EUROPE IN THE 1930s.

SHAKEN BY THE CARNAGE OF WORLD WAR I,

THE MAJOR EUROPEAN POWERS STARTED TO FORTIFY THEIR BORDERS

WITH ELABORATE DEFENSES.

Corum: ALL THROUGH EUROPE, YOU SEE THESE BORDER DEFENSE LINES.

AND THIS IS A REASONABLE PRECAUTION

BY MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES THAT HAD GENUINE THREATS.

Narrator: SINCE 1931, ITALIAN DICTATOR BENITO MUSSOLINI'S ENGINEERS

HAD BEEN CONSTRUCTING AN AMBITIOUS SOLUTION

TO THIS PROBLEM --

A LINE OF DEFENSES THAT AIMED TO PROTECT ITALY

OVER A 1,000-MILE FRONT THROUGH THE ITALIAN ALPS,

FROM VENTIMIGLIA ON THE WEST COAST

TO FIUME ON THE EAST.

IT WAS KNOWN AS THE VALLO ALPINO, OR ALPINE WALL.

IT WAS KNOWN AS THE VALLO ALPINO, OR ALPINE WALL.

BUT WHY WERE THESE SECRETIVE DEFENSES BUILT HIGH IN THE ALPS?

AND WHY, AFTER SO MUCH EFFORT, WERE THEY ABANDONED?

*

Narrator: HIGH IN THE ITALIAN ALPS

LURKS PART OF A FORMIDABLE MOUNTAIN FORTIFICATION

KNOWN AS THE VALLO ALPINO, OR THE ALPINE WALL.

ROWS OF CONCRETE-AND-IRON TEETH CROWN THE RIDGES,

AND THE VALLEYS BELOW ARE LINED WITH GUN EMPLACEMENTS

AND BUNKERS FOR SOLDIERS.

NOT STARTED UNTIL 1938, THIS SECTION OF THE ALPINE WALL

FACED NOT A HOSTILE ENEMY, BUT MUSSOLINI'S CLOSEST ALLY --

ADOLF HITLER'S NEWLY ANNEXED AUSTRIA.

Corum: MUSSOLINI WAS RATHER DISTRUSTFUL OF HITLER

BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT HITLER HAD EXPANSIONIST IDEAS IN GERMANY

AND CERTAINLY HAD EYES ON AUSTRIA.

NOW, THIS MEANT PROBLEMS FOR THE ITALIANS

NOW, THIS MEANT PROBLEMS FOR THE ITALIANS

BECAUSE THEY HAD ANNEXED THIS ONE REGION, SOUTH TYROL,

OF AUSTRIA AFTER 1918.

MUSSOLINI, UNDERSTANDING HITLER,

KNEW THAT HITLER WOULD LIKELY WANT TO DEMAND THIS TERRITORY

AND COULD ATTACK ITALY AND TAKE THE TYROL.

Narrator: SINCE WORLD WAR I, FAST-MOVING TANKS HAD BECOME

ONE OF THE MOST DOMINANT WEAPONS ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

ONE OF THE MOST DOMINANT WEAPONS ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

AND GERMANY WERE THE MASTERS AT THIS TYPE OF WARFARE.

HOW COULD THE ITALIAN ALPINE DEFENSES

HALT HITLER'S MECHANIZED ARMY IN THEIR TRACKS?

Dickrell: SO, THE DRAGON'S TEETH, OR THE DENTE DE DRAGO,

WERE WOODEN POLES THAT WERE POUNDED INTO THE GROUND

AND THEN CAST CEMENT AROUND THEM,

CAPPED OFF WITH AN IRON PYRAMID OR CONE.

THIS CREATES A BARRIER FOR WHICH

THIS CREATES A BARRIER FOR WHICH

ARMORED VEHICLES AND TROOPS CANNOT PASS THROUGH

AND EFFECTIVELY FUNNELING A LARGE ARMORED FORCE

INTO EFFECTIVELY KILL ZONES.

*

Narrator: THE ITALIANS DESIGNED AN ELABORATE NETWORK

OF INTERCONNECTED BUNKERS AND GUNS

TO STOP ANY GERMAN ADVANCE,

AND THE STRATEGY WAS CALLED DEFENSE IN DEPTH.

AND THE STRATEGY WAS CALLED DEFENSE IN DEPTH.

BUT WOULD IT WORK?

Bell: SO, THE IDEA OF HAVING MULTIPLE LAYERS OF DEFENSE

IS THAT YOU'LL SLOW DOWN THE MOMENTUM OF AN ATTACK,

MAKING IT MUCH EASIER TO REPEL.

Corum: IT'S A SERIES OF STRONGPOINTS.

IT WILL STOP AND DELAY ANY ENEMY ADVANCE.

THIS GIVES THE DEFENDER TIME TO MOVE UP RESERVES

FOR A COUNTERATTACK.

Narrator: HIDDEN IN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

Narrator: HIDDEN IN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

IS THE HEAVILY CAMOUFLAGED ENTRANCE

TO THE ITALIANS' SECRET ALPINE FORTRESS --

A FORTIFIED DOOR TO BUNKER NUMBER 20.

THE DOOR OPENS UP TO REVEAL A NETWORK OF PASSAGES

THAT LINK SECRET ROOMS AND MACHINE GUN POSTS.

LOCAL GUIDE LUDWIG SCHOPF KNOWS JUST HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS.

LOCAL GUIDE LUDWIG SCHOPF KNOWS JUST HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS.

Schopf: SO, WE STAY HERE IN THE MACHINE GUN ROOM

OF THE BUNKER NUMBER 20.

AND HERE, INSIDE, WERE THREE SOLDIERS.

THE ROOM IS OUTSIDE OF THE ROCK.

HERE IS BEGINNING THE ROCK, AND HERE OUTSIDE OF THE...

AND THE SOLDIERS KNOW THAT THEY WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO DIE.

Narrator: THE BUNKER WAS SO WELL-CAMOUFLAGED

TO GIVE THE ITALIAN SOLDIERS THE BEST POSSIBLE CHANCE

OF ELIMINATING THE ENEMY

BEFORE THEY EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO ATTACK.

Corum: THEY WOULD COVER THE FACE OF THE BUNKER

WITH A ROCK SLURRY MATERIAL.

YOU COULD NOT TELL THAT THIS IS NOT PART OF A CLIFF FACE

UNTIL YOU'RE ACTUALLY THERE,

AND THEN THE GUNS OPEN UP ON YOU.

Narrator: BUT HOW SECURE WERE THE BUNKERS THEMSELVES?

Narrator: BUT HOW SECURE WERE THE BUNKERS THEMSELVES?

Bell: THE BUNKERS WERE BUILT USING A VAST AMOUNT OF CONCRETE,

UP TO 13 FEET DEEP IN PLACES.

Jerram: WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY ACTUALLY BUILT CONCRETE

IN AND AMONGST THE ROCK UNITS TO TRY AND UTILIZE THE FACT

THAT YOU'VE GOT THESE STRONG ROCKS EITHER SIDE OF THE PASS

AND ACT AS A NATURAL DEFENSE

AND THEN BUILD 'ROUND THAT NATURAL DEFENSE

WITH SOME MAN-MADE FORTIFICATIONS.

Narrator: BUT WHY DID MUSSOLINI THINK THAT HITLER WOULD ATTACK HERE?

ON THE AUSTRIAN SIDE OF THE BORDER

THERE WAS JUST A MULE TRACK,

WHICH WOULDN'T HAVE SUPPORTED THE WEIGHT OF A TANK.

Dickrell: BUT THE ITALIANS WERE WORRIED

THE GERMANS WOULD CONSTRUCT A ROAD INTO THAT REGION,

ALLOWING ARMORED VEHICLES, TANKS,

AND A LARGE NUMBER OF TROOPS TO PASS INTO THE AREA.

Corum: YES, IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE

THE GERMANS COULD SEND TROOPS UP HERE,

THE GERMANS COULD SEND TROOPS UP HERE,

BECAUSE THAT IS, IN FACT,

HOW THEY BROKE THROUGH MOUNTAIN DEFENSE LINES.

Narrator: BUT WERE THESE FORTIFICATIONS EVER USED?

Dickrell: WITH THE FALL OF MUSSOLINI AND THE ADVANCE OF THE GERMANS,

THE VALLO ALPINO DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES

WERE NEVER ACTUALLY USED.

THE ITALIANS JUST SURRENDERED,

AND EFFECTIVELY, THE GERMANS WALKED INTO NORTHERN ITALY.

Corum: THE VALLO ALPINO WAS ACTUALLY,

FOR THE MOST PART, VERY LIGHTLY GUARDED,

FOR THE MOST PART, VERY LIGHTLY GUARDED,

AND THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN ESSENTIALLY BORDER TROOPS.

THESE ARE NOT YOUR FRONTLINE TROOPS,

SO IT PROVIDED NO REAL DEFENSE AT ALL.

Dickrell: THE DEFENDING SOLDIERS JUST GAVE UP.

AND EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE THESE VERY ELABORATE

DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES THAT WERE CONSTRUCTED,

IN ESSENCE, THEY WERE NEVER USED AND WERE USELESS.

Narrator: IRONICALLY, THE GERMANS INCORPORATED THE VALLO ALPINO

INTO THEIR OWN DEFENSES AGAINST THE ALLIES,

INTO THEIR OWN DEFENSES AGAINST THE ALLIES,

WHO WERE SWEEPING THROUGH ITALY.

BUT IN THE END, THESE EXTENSIVE ALPINE FORTIFICATIONS

WERE NEVER USED.

TODAY, THE RUSTING SPIKES OF THE DRAGON'S TEETH

STILL DOMINATE THE LANDSCAPE.

THEY DEMONSTRATE HOW FAR MUSSOLINI WAS PREPARED TO GO

TO DEFEND HIS COUNTRY.

Dickrell: SO, WHEN YOU SEE THESE DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES NOW,

IT'S AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL THROWBACK TO A DIFFERENT TIME.

FOR NOW, THEY'RE TOO EXPENSIVE TO REMOVE,

SO WE JUST SORT OF ACCEPT THEM AS HISTORICAL REMINDERS,

AS WELL AS JUST STRANGE STRUCTURES

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ALPS.

*

Narrator: 31 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BERLIN

LIES A VAST COMPLEX OF ABANDONED BUILDINGS

LIES A VAST COMPLEX OF ABANDONED BUILDINGS

HIDDEN AWAY IN A FOREST.

*

Bell: IT'S LIKE A VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED.

YOU CAN TELL THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED HERE.

Dickrell: DUE TO ITS DECREPIT AND DILAPIDATED NATURE,

IT'S A VERY UNIQUE AND CREEPY ENVIRONMENT.

IN ONE BUILDING, THERE'S A BATHTUB

SITTING BY ITSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF A ROOM.

SITTING BY ITSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF A ROOM.

IT'S REALLY MYSTERIOUS. WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

Bell: YOU CAN TELL THE AMOUNT OF CARE

THAT WAS TAKEN WHEN IT WAS BUILT.

WITH ITS PILLARS AND TERRACES AND ELABORATE ENTRANCES,

IT'S ALMOST PALATIAL.

Narrator: THERE ARE AROUND 60 SEPARATE BUILDINGS ON THE SITE.

Narrator: THERE ARE AROUND 60 SEPARATE BUILDINGS ON THE SITE.

AND THE WHOLE COMPLEX SPRAWLS ACROSS A MILE.

BUT WHAT DARK SECRETS DOES THIS FACILITY HOLD?

AND HOW COME ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST EVIL MEN ENDED UP HERE?

THE ANSWER LIES

IN THE SPECTACULAR INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

GERMANY EXPERIENCED TOWARDS THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY.

THE GERMAN POPULATION DOUBLED BETWEEN 1871 AND 1910,

THE GERMAN POPULATION DOUBLED BETWEEN 1871 AND 1910,

AND ITS CAPITAL, BERLIN, GREW BY 300% IN JUST 30 YEARS.

Meigs: FACTORIES WERE BOOMING.

LABOR WAS POURING IN FROM IMPOVERISHED RURAL AREAS

INTO THE BIG CITIES.

PEOPLE WERE CRAMMED INTO CROWDED TENEMENTS,

UNHEALTHY LIVING SITUATIONS.

AND ALONG WITH ALL THOSE PEOPLE CAME A LOT OF DISEASES.

*

*

Narrator: BUT WHAT DISEASE RAVAGED GERMANY

IN THE LATE 19th AND EARLY 20th CENTURY?

AND WHAT ROLE DID THIS ABANDONED ESTATE PLAY?

*

Narrator: OVER 120 YEARS AGO,

ONE DISEASE IN PARTICULAR THREATENED GERMANY --

A DISEASE THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE

FOR KILLING ONE IN SEVEN OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS --

TUBERCULOSIS.

Meigs: IT'S A DISEASE THAT'S PASSED BY COUGHING OR SNEEZING.

GERMS GET IN THE AIR, AND IN CROWDED CONDITIONS,

GERMS GET IN THE AIR, AND IN CROWDED CONDITIONS,

IT PASSES FROM PERSON TO PERSON VERY EASILY.

[ KRAUSE SPEAKING GERMAN ]

Interpreter: HYGIENE BACK THEN WASN'T LIKE TODAY, OF COURSE.

IF THERE WAS A TOOTHBRUSH AT ALL IN A WORKING-CLASS HOUSEHOLD,

IT WAS USED BY THE WHOLE FAMILY.

SO MANY PEOPLE INFECTED THEIR CHILDREN WITH TUBERCULOSIS

WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT.

Narrator: FOR OVER A CENTURY, IT WAS THE BIGGEST CAUSE OF DEATH

Narrator: FOR OVER A CENTURY, IT WAS THE BIGGEST CAUSE OF DEATH

ACROSS THE WHOLE OF EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES.

AT THE TIME, THERE WAS NO CURE,

AND 80% OF THE INFECTED WOULD EVENTUALLY DIE.

Meigs: T.B. WAS NOT REALLY TREATABLE

IN THE SENSE THAT THERE WAS A CURE FOR IT.

WHAT PEOPLE TRIED TO DO WAS CREATE A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT

FOR PEOPLE WITH TUBERCULOSIS, AND THE IDEA WAS

"IT'S A LUNG DISEASE. IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH AIR.

"IT'S A LUNG DISEASE. IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH AIR.

LET'S GET THEM OUT OF THE CITY,

OUT TO WHERE THERE'S FRESH AIR, DRY AIR."

IT WAS VERY COMMON FOR RICH PEOPLE

TO BE ABLE TO GET SENT OFF TO ONE OF THESE HOSPITALS

IN SOME LOVELY MOUNTAINOUS SETTING,

BUT MANY OF THE VICTIMS OF TUBERCULOSIS WEREN'T AFFLUENT.

THEY COULDN'T AFFORD THAT.

Narrator: SO A NEW KIND OF FACILITY WAS NEEDED.

Narrator: SO A NEW KIND OF FACILITY WAS NEEDED.

BEELITZ HEILSTATTEN WAS THE ANSWER.

ITS AIM WAS TO PROVIDE CUTTING-EDGE CARE

IN A HEALTHY SETTING --

NOT FOR THE VERY RICH, BUT THE VERY POOR.

Bell: AN INSURANCE COMPANY WAS BEHIND THE BUILDING OF THIS SANATORIUM.

THEY WANTED TO CREATE THIS MODEL CLINIC FOR WORKERS IN BERLIN

WHO HAD LIMITED ACCESS TO TREATMENT OTHERWISE.

WHO HAD LIMITED ACCESS TO TREATMENT OTHERWISE.

*

Narrator: BUT WOULD IT WORK?

WOULD A PATIENT COMING FROM THE SQUALOR OF BERLIN

ACTUALLY BE HELPED IN A SANATORIUM LIKE THIS?

Meigs: FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN VERY CROWDED CONDITIONS --

THEY WERE, MANY OF THEM, FACTORY WORKERS.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY.

THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE AT HOME

WHO COULD TAKE CARE OF THEM IN THEIR SICK CONDITION.

SO TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THIS LOVELY RETREAT,

SO TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THIS LOVELY RETREAT,

EVEN AS THEIR PROGNOSIS FOR GETTING BETTER

WASN'T THAT GREAT,

IT MUST HAVE SEEMED LIKE A KIND OF BLESSING.

Narrator: BUILDING BEGINS IN 1898,

AND THE INITIAL CONSTRUCTION PHASE TAKES FOUR YEARS.

THE INTRICATE ORNAMENTAL FACADES AND THE LIGHT, SPACIOUS ROOMS

WERE A STARK CONTRAST TO THE CONDITIONS

THE WORKERS WERE USED TO BACK IN THE CITIES.

THE WORKERS WERE USED TO BACK IN THE CITIES.

Meigs: WHAT'S REALLY KIND OF LOVELY IS THAT THEY DESIGNED IT

TO FEEL LIKE A RESORT, LIKE A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY TOWN.

I THINK THE RESPECT THEY SHOWED

TO THESE SICK PEOPLE -- WHO WERE NOT AFFLUENT,

WHO WEREN'T PAYING THEIR OWN WAY --

WAS REALLY SOMETHING ADMIRABLE.

Narrator: BUT WITH THE THREAT OF WORLD WAR I LOOMING,

THERE WAS A DARK SECRET THAT LAY AT THE HEART OF THIS GENEROSITY.

THERE WAS A DARK SECRET THAT LAY AT THE HEART OF THIS GENEROSITY.

[ KRAUSE SPEAKING GERMAN ]

Interpreter: THE KAISER WAS SIMPLY AFRAID OF THE INABILITY

OF SOME OF HIS PEOPLE TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY.

ALSO, THE ECONOMY WOULD HAVE LOST ITS CHEAP LABORERS.

THAT WAS THE REAL REASON

BEHIND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SANATORIUM.

Narrator: EVENTUALLY, THERE WOULD BE BEDS FOR 1,200 PATIENTS,

WHICH MADE IT ONE OF THE LARGEST SANATORIUMS IN THE WORLD.

AND IT WOULD GO ON TO HOUSE

ONE OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST KILLERS OF THE 20th CENTURY.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST KILLERS OF THE 20th CENTURY.

*

SO, WHO WAS BEELITZ'S MOST INFAMOUS PATIENT?

AND WHY WAS THIS CUTTING-EDGE FACILITY ABANDONED?

*

Narrator: IN 1914, WORLD WAR I STARTED,

AND THE HOSPITAL FOUND ITSELF IN THE FRONT LINE.

BEELITZ HEILSTATTEN WAS REQUISITIONED

AS A FIELD HOSPITAL FOR THE RED CROSS.

THE NUMBER OF BEDS INCREASED TO OVER 1,500.

THE NUMBER OF BEDS INCREASED TO OVER 1,500.

ONE OF ITS PATIENTS WAS A YOUNG CORPORAL

BY THE NAME OF ADOLF HITLER.

HITLER WAS A PATIENT THERE FOR TWO MONTHS

TOWARDS THE END OF 1916,

WHEN HE WAS HIT BY A GRENADE IN HIS LEFT LEG

AND WAS SENT TO BEELITZ FOR TREATMENT.

Narrator: AFTER THE WAR, THERE WAS A RESURGENCE OF TUBERCULOSIS,

AND IN 1920,

BEELITZ HEILSTATTEN REVERTED TO A SANATORIUM.

BEELITZ HEILSTATTEN REVERTED TO A SANATORIUM.

FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS,

IT CONTINUED TO TREAT THE DISEASE.

BUT AN END TO TUBERCULOSIS WAS JUST 'ROUND THE CORNER.

Meigs: TUBERCULOSIS REMAINED A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD

UNTIL SHORTLY AFTER WORLD WAR II,

WHEN THE ANTIBIOTIC STREPTOMYCIN WAS DISCOVERED

AND TURNED OUT TO BE PRETTY EFFECTIVE

AT TREATING THE DISEASE.

AT TREATING THE DISEASE.

Narrator: BY THE MID-1950s, TUBERCULOSIS BECAME A CURABLE DISEASE,

AND THE NEED FOR THE HOSPITAL SLOWLY DECLINED WITH THE CURE.

BUT THAT WASN'T QUITE THE END OF THIS HOSPITAL.

AFTER THE WAR,

THE RUSSIANS TOOK OVER THE EASTERN SECTOR OF BERLIN,

AND BEELITZ HEILSTATTEN SERVED AS A SOVIET MILITARY HOSPITAL

FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

[ KRAUSE SPEAKING GERMAN ]

Interpreter: THE SOVIETS OPERATED BEELITZ SANATORIUM

AS THE LARGEST MILITARY HOSPITAL

OUTSIDE OF THEIR COUNTRY'S BORDERS.

IN 1991, THE SOVIET TROOPS SLOWLY STARTED THEIR WITHDRAWAL.

AND IN 1994, THE GROUNDS WERE EMPTY AGAIN.

*

Narrator: TODAY, THIS ONCE-VITAL HOSPITAL IS A GHOSTLY SHELL...

Narrator: TODAY, THIS ONCE-VITAL HOSPITAL IS A GHOSTLY SHELL...

...THE DISEASE IT WAS BUILT TO BEAT NOW A FOOTNOTE IN HISTORY.

OR IS IT?

WITH THE RISE OF DRUG-RESISTANT STRAINS OF TUBERCULOSIS

EMERGING IN THE 1980s,

BEELITZ HEILSTATTEN REMINDS US THAT THE BATTLE

AGAINST THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL DISEASE CONTINUES.

Dickrell: THE SIZE OF THE EPIDEMIC OF TUBERCULOSIS

IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY WAS LARGE.

ITS IMPACT WAS FELT WIDE THROUGH EUROPE.

SITES LIKE BEELITZ HELP US REMEMBER THAT.

AND WITH THE ONSET AND INCREASE OF MODERN TUBERCULOSIS,

PERHAPS IT'S A REALLY GOOD REMINDER

OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE DISEASE.

*

Narrator: ON THE FAR EASTERN TIP OF CANADA,

Narrator: ON THE FAR EASTERN TIP OF CANADA,

JUST VISIBLE ABOVE THE WATERLINE,

LIES A RUSTING HULK OF CORRODING METAL.

*

Bell: IT'S ALMOST LIKE THIS MONSTER OF THE DEEP.

BUT WHY IS THIS LEVIATHAN BEING GRADUALLY RECLAIMED BY THE SEA?

Narrator: IT LIES IN A FORGOTTEN COVE OFF THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND.

Narrator: IT LIES IN A FORGOTTEN COVE OFF THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND.

Bell: THIS PARTIALLY SUBMERGED STRUCTURE

HAS SUCH MYSTERY AROUND IT.

AND THAT IS COMPOUNDED BY WHERE IT SITS,

IN THIS COMPLETELY IDYLLIC SETTING.

THIS WEIRD SORT OF ASSEMBLAGE OF JUNK, OF RUSTY STEEL.

ONE CHUNK OF IT YOU CAN RECOGNIZE

AS SOME KIND OF MODERN TRAWLER OR SOMETHING PARKED ALONGSIDE,

BUT WHAT IT'S NEXT TO IS LIKE AN EXPLODED FACTORY.

BUT WHAT IT'S NEXT TO IS LIKE AN EXPLODED FACTORY.

IT JUST DOESN'T BELONG THERE.

Narrator: ONLY SOME OF ITS STRUCTURE IS STILL VISIBLE.

THE REST IS COMPLETELY SUBMERGED.

Caldwell-Evans: IT'S SO DEVASTATED. IT'S SO DESTROYED.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THERE'S ANY OTHER REASON

FOR THAT LEVEL OF DESTRUCTION

OTHER THAN SOME MAJOR CATACLYSMIC EVENT.

Narrator: THESE ARE THE REMAINS OF HMS CALYPSO,

ONCE ONE OF THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED SHIPS

ONCE ONE OF THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED SHIPS

IN THE BRITISH FLEET --

NOW ABANDONED, ROTTING IN THE WATER.

SO, HOW DID SUCH A VALUABLE VESSEL MEET ITS END?

AND WHY WAS SHE ABANDONED SO FAR FROM HOME?

*

Narrator: LYING IN A FORGOTTEN COVE OFF THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND

IS THE PUZZLING WRECK OF HMS CALYPSO.

BUT HOW DID THE SHIP SINK?

AND WHY DID IT END UP IN THIS CANADIAN BACKWATER?

THE REASON FOR CALYPSO'S DESTRUCTION

LIES IN THE ROLE IT WAS DESIGNED TO FULFILL.

LIES IN THE ROLE IT WAS DESIGNED TO FULFILL.

IN THE 1870s, BRITAIN WAS A DOMINANT GLOBAL FORCE,

THANKS PARTLY TO ITS NAVY.

THE ROYAL NAVY EXISTS TO ENSURE

THAT WHATEVER DIFFICULTIES THERE ARE IN THE WORLD,

NOBODY STOPS TRADE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND HER COLONIES.

*

Narrator: DESIGNED TO FIGHT COMPETING EUROPEAN POWERS AND PIRATES

Narrator: DESIGNED TO FIGHT COMPETING EUROPEAN POWERS AND PIRATES

IN THE FAR CORNERS OF THE GLOBE,

CALYPSO'S DESIGN WAS A QUIRKY COMBINATION OF SAIL AND STEAM.

Nusbacher: SHE HAS A STEAM ENGINE,

BUT CALYPSO CAN ALSO GO UNDER SAIL POWER.

THAT MEANS THAT CALYPSO CAN GO ON A LONG PATROL

AND JUST USE THE WIND TO GET WHERE SHE NEEDS TO GO.

Keeping: THIS HELPED THE VESSEL PLY THE WATERS

THAT WERE IN VAST, DISTANT COLONIES,

THAT WERE IN VAST, DISTANT COLONIES,

WHERE THEY MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO ANY RESOURCES.

WHAT WE SEE HERE IS DESIGN FEATURES

THAT ACTUALLY MAKE THE VESSEL MORE RELIABLE

AND ALLOW IT TO CARRY OUT ITS DUTIES.

Narrator: ENDURANCE AND TOUGHNESS WAS AT THE HEART OF THE CALYPSO,

AND HER STRENGTH WAS REINFORCED

BY HER STRANGE HULL CONSTRUCTION.

Caldwell-Evans: HER HULL IS ACTUALLY COMPOSITE.

Caldwell-Evans: HER HULL IS ACTUALLY COMPOSITE.

IN EFFECT, IT'S A STEEL HULL -- STEEL PLATES OVER AN IRON FRAME,

ALL VERY MODERN.

BUT THEN YOU'VE GOT THIS WEIRD ADDITION OF WOOD.

YOU CAN SEE THE TIMBER STILL STICKING OUT OF THE WATER TODAY.

NOW, WHY WOULD YOU BOTHER PUTTING WOOD OVER STEEL?

Bell: STEEL ON ITS OWN WON'T PROTECT THE SHIP

FROM WHAT'S CALLED BIOFOULING,

WHICH IS THE BUILDUP OF BARNACLES AND ALGAE,

WHICH CAN DAMAGE THE HULL AND THE PROPULSION SYSTEM.

Narrator: SO THE SOLUTION WAS TO COAT THE HULL WITH COPPER.

Caldwell-Evans: BUT YOU CAN'T PUT COPPER PLATES ON A STEEL HULL

BECAUSE YOU GET CARBONIC CORROSION.

YOU'LL ACTUALLY CORRODE THE HULL ITSELF

BECAUSE OF THE REACTION BETWEEN THESE TWO METALS.

THE ONLY THING TO DO IS TO HAVE YOUR STEEL HULL,

PUT WOOD OVER THE TOP OF THAT,

AND THEN COPPER SHEETS IN THE SAME OLD WAY OVER THE TOP AGAIN.

Narrator: IN JUNE 1883, SHE IS LAUNCHED TO GREAT FANFARE

Narrator: IN JUNE 1883, SHE IS LAUNCHED TO GREAT FANFARE

FROM THE CHATHAM DOCKYARDS IN ENGLAND.

BUILT FOR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE,

SHE IS ONE OF THE LAST STEAM-AND-SAIL SHIPS

EVER CONSTRUCTED.

Caldwell-Evans: THIS WASN'T AN OLD-FASHIONED, WEAKLY ARMED WARSHIP.

FOR HER SIZE, FOR HER SPEED, SHE COULD PACK QUITE A PUNCH.

Narrator: SO, HOW DID SUCH A STRONG SHIP MEET ITS END?

DID THE PIRATES OR AN ENEMY NAVY

MANAGE TO OVERWHELM HER IMPRESSIVE DEFENSES?

CALYPSO'S DESIGN WAS ACTUALLY HER UNDOING.

AS SOON AS THE ROYAL NAVY BUILDS A SHIP,

THE FRENCH NAVY OR THE GERMAN NAVY BUILDS A COMPARABLE SHIP

AND MAKES THAT ROYAL NAVY VESSEL OBSOLETE.

IN THE 1870s, THE KIND OF SHIP THAT WE SEE IN THE CALYPSO

IS BRIEFLY VERY POWERFUL,

BRIEFLY USEFUL AGAINST ENEMY VESSELS,

BRIEFLY USEFUL AGAINST ENEMY VESSELS,

AND WITHIN 10 YEARS IS OBSOLETE.

Narrator: IN 1902,

SHE WAS SENT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC TO BECOME A TRAINING SHIP

FOR THE NEWFOUNDLAND ROYAL NAVY RESERVE.

60 YEARS LATER, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO SCRAP HER.

Keeping: IN 1968, IT WAS FINALLY DECIDED

THAT THE VESSEL SHOULD BE ABANDONED.

THAT THE VESSEL SHOULD BE ABANDONED.

IT WAS TOWED TO A SMALL COVE OUTSIDE OF EMBREE, NEWFOUNDLAND,

AND IT WAS BURNED TO THE WATERLINE.

*

Narrator: TODAY HMS CALYPSO LIES ABANDONED OFF THE COAST OF CANADA.

WHEN I SEE A SHIP LIKE THE CALYPSO,

I SEE A MONUMENT TO SO MANY PEOPLE

WORKING SO HARD TOGETHER TO MAKE SOMETHING GREAT.

WORKING SO HARD TOGETHER TO MAKE SOMETHING GREAT.

*