All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S09E16.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[und]

[narrator] A forgotten
facility that changed
the face of a nation.

[Nehemiah] The factory
was the envy of producers
all over Europe.

[narrator] Tunnels of terror
hidden beneath a city.

[Rob] Many people believe
that body snatchers
might have used the vaults

to store
their victims' bodies.

[narrator] And ruins
of a battle
that shook America.

[narrator] And ruins
of a battle
that shook America.

The Japanese were able
to put their boots
on American soil.

[narrator] Decaying Relics.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Sites haunted by the past.

Their secrets waiting
to be revealed.

In the heart
of Scotland's capital city,

cursed caverns
hide from view.

[Jim] We're on a bustling
main street in Edinburgh.

You have no idea
that below the pavement

lies this whole series
of vaults, of open spaces.

It's a maze that you wouldn't
want to get lost in.

It's a maze that you wouldn't
want to get lost in.

They weren't built
to be beautiful.

There's dappled stones.

Clearly, these were built

long before modern
construction techniques.

[Rob] This place
is spookily dark,

untouched by sunlight.

You definitely need a torch
to explore down there.

[narrator]
What secrets are hiding

in the darkness
of Edinburgh's vaults?

[Naomi] I've worked here
for many, many years now.

And when you begin to get
to know a place very well,

you become more and more aware
of what there is
still to know about it.

[narrator] As a tour guide
for these vaults,

Naomi Wells is fascinated
by Edinburgh's hidden past.

It's just a very haunting
human story

and how people use
and experience space

is something I'm particularly
interested in.

is something I'm particularly
interested in.

[narrator] This vast network
of tunnels and chambers

lies under
a very unusual street.

What looks like
an ordinary street

is actually a bridge
spanning a low valley.

[narrator]
This is South Bridge.

It was completed in 1788

with a bizarre ceremony
to mark the occasion.

[Rob] When the bridge
was complete,

it was agreed that
the eldest local resident,

a rich judge's wife,

a rich judge's wife,

would be the first person
to cross the bridge.

Unfortunately, the particular
old lady in question

passed away a few days
before the opening ceremonies.

They decided they would
still have the unfortunate
old lady cross the bridge,

only it would be
her funeral procession

and she would be riding
in a casket.

Many people
from that day forward

believe the bridge
was therefore cursed,

and some people even refused
to walk across it.

and some people even refused
to walk across it.

[narrator]
Yet others recognized
its value.

These spaces left
under the bridge's arches

opened up a new world
of opportunities.

When the bridge was built,
it was simply
a series of arches

holding up the roadway.

But very quickly,
people realized

that this artery
of transportation

was a valuable piece
of real estate.

They started
building buildings
on either side of the bridge.

They started
building buildings
on either side of the bridge.

That meant that the arches
were completely surrounded
by these dwellings.

[narrator] Floors and ceilings
were added within the arches

to create a series of chambers
up to four storeys deep.

In total,
the space is broken up

into around
120 individual vaults.

The people who own
the buildings on either side

now had access to this space
under the bridge,
these vaults.

now had access to this space
under the bridge,
these vaults.

[narrator] South Bridge
became Edinburgh's
first shopping street,

and its merchants made shrewd
use of the hidden floors
below street level.

Some of the vaults
were used as workshops
by the vendors,

and those deeper below ground
were used as storage.

[Nehemiah]
You can still see the numbers

painted on the store shelves

used as inventory
for the tradespeople.

[Naomi] It's a way
of creating further profit.

They can make more money
by converting and renting out

They can make more money
by converting and renting out

the space beneath it as well.

[narrator] These chambers
may have been convenient
and profitable,

but a huge problem
was starting to rear its head.

These vaults tended to get
very damp when it rained.

So, here is probably
the best example

of how damp it is.

Anyone who's familiar
with how long it takes

these mineral deposits
to form will know that

in about 250 years
we shouldn't really have
anything this size

in about 250 years
we shouldn't really have
anything this size

which shows truly just
how much water

has been dripping down
through the bridge.

[Jim] The construction
of the bridge
was somewhat rushed

and done a little bit
on the cheap,

and the bridge builders
neglected a key step.

[Rob] One crucial material
was missing,

puddling clay,

which would have made
the bridge watertight.

Water percolated
through the structure

Water percolated
through the structure

and into the vaults.

[narrator] It was
a catastrophic blow
to the merchants.

Goods are rotting,
tools are rusting.

It's creating
health conditions

and just the noise.

The continued drip, drip,
drip from the ceiling
for 12, 14 hours a day.

[narrator] One by one,
businesses began to leave.

Only seven years
after their creation,

the vaults were
completely deserted,

the vaults were
completely deserted,

but not for long.

Edinburgh was in the midst
of a humanitarian crisis.

During this period,
there was enormous migration
within Scotland

as people left the countryside

where the poverty was terrible

and they moved
by the thousands into the city

looking for any kind of work
they could get.

[Naomi] As the population
doubles in the early 1800s,

more and more people
are not finding anywhere
to live.

more and more people
are not finding anywhere
to live.

Alternative to trying
to find shelter

somewhere above ground
was to come down

into the now vacated chambers
beneath the bridge.

Despite being damp and dark,

the vaults appeared warm
and safe

compared to sleeping out
on the streets.

[Naomi] Rooms such as this one
would have been advantageous

because it had a space
that at least
gives the opportunity

for parents to get
their children up
off of the floor,

away from the damp,
and, of course, any vermin.

away from the damp,
and, of course, any vermin.

[narrator] But dangers
were lurking around
every corner.

[Nehemiah] It was a hotbed
for criminal activity,

illegal whiskey distilleries,
black market dealings
and worse.

[Rob] These dark,
secluded chambers
were the perfect place

because the police would
never come down here looking.

No one would ever be
any the wiser.

[narrator]
Up to 3000 people
could have been living here.

[narrator]
Up to 3000 people
could have been living here.

By the 1860s, overcrowding,

disease and poverty
was spiraling out of control.

Authorities needed
to take drastic action.

[narrator]
In the 19th century,

Scotland's capital city
had a grim crisis
on its hands.

As Edinburgh's
population boomed,

along came the eternal
urban problem of disease

spread by human filth.

There was no sewage system.

Waste would collect
in the low lying areas

Waste would collect
in the low lying areas

and cholera was rampant.

The council needed
to do something about this
to reduce mortality.

[Jim]
They began knocking down
many of the old tenements

so they could be rebuilt
with modern sanitation.

[Nehemiah] The new standards
of hygiene

made a big difference
in the city,

but destroying vast amounts
of housing

is a major job
and created a lot of rubble.

is a major job
and created a lot of rubble.

[Jim] In the process,
some wound up getting

stashed in these old vaults.

[Naomi] The clearances
were not intended
to do anything

about those
that were underneath
the bridge,

but filling in these chambers
with rubble and stone

effectively evicted them.

[narrator] Abandoned
by the people of Edinburgh,

the vaults remained untouched
for around a century.

[Rob] Filled with rubble
the vaults
were forgotten about

[Rob] Filled with rubble
the vaults
were forgotten about

until the 1980s,
when they were rediscovered
and excavated.

[Jim] A Scottish former
rugby star made it a project
to start excavating

and exploring
these old vaults.

[narrator] Even after four
decades of excavation,

Naomi believes
there's still more
to be discovered

underneath South Bridge.

A few years ago,
more vaults came to light.

So there is always
a possibility

that there might still be some
left to discover.

that there might still be some
left to discover.

[narrator] On the remote
Alaskan Aleutian Islands

is a collection
of crumbling ruins

that seem eerily out of place.

These islands are so far out

that they're actually closer
to Russia

than they are
to the contiguous
United States.

[narrator] The area is known
for its harsh,

[narrator] The area is known
for its harsh,

inhospitable climate,

yet there are
many structures here.

[Katherine] There are bunkers.

There are gun emplacements.

This is definitely part
of some military activity
on the island.

This must have been
an important place to defend.

[narrator]
And there's evidence
of a violent attack.

The cratering here
makes it clear that

this was caused by bombs
dropped in anger.

this was caused by bombs
dropped in anger.

[narrator] Why were these
rugged, isolated islands
so fiercely contested?

Many flat tires in my
lifetime. Another injustice.

This is a really scary place
to drive.

Very sheer cliffs.

[narrator] Laresa Syverson
is a native
of the Aleutian Islands

and looks after
many military structures
left abandoned here.

As a kid
it was a giant playground.

So right now, it's...
it's a pretty important
national historic area.

[narrator]
The Aleutians military history
began in 1867,

when the United States
bought Alaska from Russia.

But army presence
wasn't really felt until 1940,

But army presence
wasn't really felt until 1940,

when US troops descended
onto Amaknak
and Unalaska islands.

[Lynette] The Aleutian Islands
are militarized

very rapidly and
very effectively

at the outset of World War II.

[narrator]
With a clear vantage point,

a series of defenses
were built on Mount Ballyhoo

to protect a US naval base
in Dutch Harbor.

These ruins are part
of Fort Schwatka.

These ruins are part
of Fort Schwatka.

[Jaega] The buildings
are made up
of multiple barracks

and recreation centers,

all to serve the 250 soldiers

who were stationed
on this mountain.

Well, we're going to go
over to the barracks.

This one, obviously, it's...
it's been pretty obliterated.

So that's happened a lot
to the other structures
as well.

[narrator]
Yet this isn't evidence
of war destruction.

Other factors
would come into play.

On Alaska's Aleutian Islands
are battered structures

built during
the Second World War.

But this isn't battle damage.

The weather here,

I mean, it can be beautiful
and calm and serene

and then it could also be
blowing 120 miles an hour.

[narrator] It made life
particularly tough

[narrator] It made life
particularly tough

for the US soldiers
stationed here.

Being sent to the Aleutians
was not a moment of joy

for many of the men
who served there.

[narrator] Despite
the harsh terrain,

a military presence here
was deemed crucial
by the US Army.

[bomb explosions]

[Katherine] After the attack
on Pearl Harbor,

December 7th, 1941,

the American people
shift their mindset.

They are ready for a war
in the Pacific.

They are ready for a war
in the Pacific.

[Jaega] As the Japanese
achieved victory after victory
in the Pacific,

the US was scrambling
to get their forces

to new defenses.

[Lynette] The Aleutian Islands
could enable
the Japanese forces

to attack the West Coast

of the American
and Canadian mainland.

And control the North Pacific.

[narrator] Fort Schwatka
was one of many
defense fortifications

[narrator] Fort Schwatka
was one of many
defense fortifications

strategically placed along
the archipelago's coastline.

They became known
as the iron ring.

[Laresa] So we have
a lot of cement bunkers.

We have the gun emplacements.

That's one of the gun mounts
out towards that way.

On a clear day, you could
potentially see aircraft.

[narrator] In June 1942,
the defender's worst fears
were realized.

[narrator] In June 1942,
the defender's worst fears
were realized.

A secret Japanese message
had been intercepted by the US

warning
of an impending attack.

[Katherine] They had
rushed planes
to nearby airfields

so that they would be ready
to launch
on a moment's notice.

They were just completely
ready for this attack.

[narrator] However,
the notoriously bad weather

was about to wreak havoc
on the US plan,

when the skies turned.

[Katherine] The Japanese fleet
got lost in the fog.

Not lost to themselves,
but lost to the Americans.

And that gave the Japanese
a new element of surprise.

[narrator] Steaming through
the fog,

the Japanese were heading
for the US naval base
below the fort, Dutch Harbor.

In the early hours
of June 3rd,

a barrage of bombs
was unleashed.

[Jaega] On the ground,
shrill sirens sounded,

[Jaega] On the ground,
shrill sirens sounded,

waking sleeping soldiers.

Men ran to
their anti-aircraft guns.

[Laresa] This was
an eight-inch gun,

largest gun the military
had at that time,

and it gave you 22 miles
in any direction

that you were shooting.

[narrator] It wasn't
just the fog
that would cause chaos.

[Dr. Lynette] The gunners
are shooting
at the Japanese planes.

They're expecting air support.

They're expecting it.
They weren't expecting it,
and it doesn't come.

They're expecting it.
They weren't expecting it,
and it doesn't come.

[narrator]
The nearest airfield,
70 miles away on Umnak Island,

was hampered
by communication problems.

[Katherine]
There was interference,

so the men
weren't able to get news

to the airplanes to take off.

So the crews sat there
completely unaware
of what was going on.

[narrator] The Japanese
were able to continue
their ferocious airstrikes

on Dutch Harbor the next day.

on Dutch Harbor the next day.

[Laresa] They attacked
fuel tanks, they attacked
the barracks

and they attacked
the hospital.

[narrator] And it was about
to get worse

in a landmark event
that would frighten America
to the core.

The Japanese landed
ground troops
on two of the islands.

[Lynette] Now, these islands
are not themselves
of great significance.

But the Japanese presence
on land

But the Japanese presence
on land

had the potential to be
psychologically effective.

This is a big deal
to the United States,
and it's a big deal to Japan.

[narrator] No other
foreign power
had occupied American soil

since the British in 1812.

[Jaega] The US government knew

that it could not allow
the Japanese to hold US soil

so close to the mainland.

[narrator] In June 1942,

a Japanese invasion
of Alaska's Aleutian Islands

took America by surprise.

They retaliated by launching
an all-out campaign
to recapture the islands.

Victory was secured
14 months later
at a heavy cost.

Victory was secured
14 months later
at a heavy cost.

Nearly 4000 American
and Japanese soldiers
had lost their lives.

The native Unangan people,
who had lived on the islands
for 8,000 years,

also suffered
the horrors of war,

not only at the hands
of the Japanese.

[Laresa] After the bombing,
the American government

rounded up
all the Unangan people

and interned them
in southeast Alaska
to abandoned fish camps.

and interned them
in southeast Alaska
to abandoned fish camps.

[narrator] The evacuation
was meant
to ensure their safety,

but the operation
was a disaster.

[Lynette] They are
not well-housed,

they are not well fed.

And it is not a good look
for America

that the Aleut islanders

were treated
like enemies almost.

[narrator] They were banished
for three years.

[narrator] They were banished
for three years.

[Laresa]
It's a very dark chapter.

It's really hard for people
to talk about it, like,
even my grandma.

It's really hard
to hear what those people
went through.

And with each time that,
you know, one of our
elders passes away,

we learn a little bit more
and we lose a little bit more.

[narrator]
Alaska would never be
the same again

after the battle
of the Aleutian Islands.

after the battle
of the Aleutian Islands.

In the Second World War,
it became very clear

how important Alaska is

for strategic control
of the North Pacific.

Only a few years
after Alaska becomes a state.

Alaska was not a folly.

Alaska was strategically
vital.

[narrator] In 1996,
US Congress designated
the Aleutian Islands

[narrator] In 1996,
US Congress designated
the Aleutian Islands

as a national historic area
dedicated to the Aleut people.

[Katherine] They lost so much.

And today
there's a national
World War II park

in the area that works
to recognize the sacrifices
that they made.

So those stories
are starting to be told

and becoming a part
of the broader story

of the United States
in World War II.

[narrator] In remote
northwest Iceland
lies a sleepy village

that was once
an economic powerhouse.

[Rob] This is a land
that's well known for things
like Vikings,

witchcraft, sorcery,

as well as the beautiful
Northern Lights.

[Nehemiah]
The surrounding landscape

gives this isolated village
an other worldliness
type feeling.

[narrator] Broad daylight
reveals clues
to the village's past.

[Rob] One building
really stands out,

this concrete structure that
you really wouldn't expect
to find

in an otherwise picturesque
place.

The first thing you see
when you step inside
are these vintage machines.

The first thing you see
when you step inside
are these vintage machines.

[Jim] We see conveyor belts
and pipes

and all kinds of equipment.

In its day
this was probably a pretty
cutting edge facility.

[narrator]
Could the industrial building

explain why this village
has been abandoned?

[Hedinn speaking]

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator]
This is Djupavik,

a quiet hamlet that sits
on one of Iceland's
many beautiful fjords.

Hedinn Asbjornsson
grew up here.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] Empty buildings,
no sounds of traffic,
nor people.

[narrator] Empty buildings,
no sounds of traffic,
nor people.

But in the first half
of the 20th century,

life here was very different.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] And they were
all here
because of one thing.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator]
Iceland's relationship
with this humble fish

began in 1867.

[Jim] The herring industry
really built the economy
of modern Iceland.

[narrator] By the early 1930s,

herring accounted
for almost a staggering

half of the nation's
total export income.

Djupavik,
with its natural harbor,

wanted a slice
of this herring pie.

In 1934, ambitious plans
were put in place

In 1934, ambitious plans
were put in place

to construct
a herring processing plant

and the largest
concrete building
Iceland had ever seen.

[Hedinn speaking]

[Jim] Construction
was a huge challenge.

There were no roads
to this location.

Everything had to be brought
in by ship.

The concrete, the equipment,
and ultimately,
all the workers.

[Hedinn speaking]

[Rob] Building this factory
was an utterly
remarkable engineering feat.

It really shows
how extraordinarily resilient

and resourceful
these Icelanders were.

[narrator]
It was one of the largest

[narrator]
It was one of the largest

and most modern of its kind
in all of Europe.

The production line
was set in motion in 1935,

when the first boats
sailed into the bay

with their holds
full of herring.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] All three storeys
of the factory were filled
with modern machinery

[narrator] All three storeys
of the factory were filled
with modern machinery

for processing the fish.

A production line this complex

had never been seen before
in Iceland.

[Jim] The key to a factory
like this was that
it broke the herring down

into constituent parts
that could be sold separately.

[narrator] One byproduct
was invaluable, herring oil.

And the sleek
modern production

was able to produce
a staggering amount.

was able to produce
a staggering amount.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] A lack of oil
before and during
the Second World War

meant this product
was in great demand.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] Prices went up
and the factory experienced
rapid success.

[narrator] Prices went up
and the factory experienced
rapid success.

[Hedinn speaking]

The owners of the factory
became incredibly wealthy.

[narrator] Herring transformed
the economic landscape.

Entire towns and cities
such as Djupavik

were built on the legacy
of the trade.

This was Iceland's version
of the American gold rush.

This was Iceland's version
of the American gold rush.

People came from far
and wide
to seek their fortune.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] At the height
of the fishing season,

hundreds of people
would descend on Djupavik.

[Nehemiah]
The factory was so crowded

that workers lived in tents

and even
on an abandoned steamship.

[Hedinn speaking]

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] Business was good,

but the very thing
that created
this bustling town

was about to destroy it.

[narrator] In 1930s, Iceland,

people were flocking
to villages like Djupavik

to seek their fortunes
in the herring industry.

However, the bubble
was about to burst.

By the 1940s, the ships
were bringing back

just a fraction
of what they'd been
bringing in a decade earlier.

[narrator] The number
of herring
in Icelandic waters

[narrator] The number
of herring
in Icelandic waters

had dramatically declined.

[Nehemiah]
You have bigger boats,
bigger nets,

and with that, bigger catches.

And so herring stocks
began to collapse
in parts of the Atlantic.

[narrator] And climate change
was a major factor

affecting ocean currents.

As a result,
the fishes' migration route
shifted

and with no herring
in nearby waters,

the tanks dried up.

[Jim] The plant finally
shut its doors for good
in 1954.

It had had a brief
but intense run less than
20 years from boom to bust.

[narrator]
After the factory's closure,

the village remained abandoned
until the 1980s.

[Hedinn speaking]

The hotel that they run

has been referred
to as the loneliest hotel
in Europe.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] The upkeep
of the former factory
isn't an easy task.

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator] There's no doubt
that without the hearing,

Iceland wouldn't be
the country it is today.

[Hedinn speaking]

[Hedinn speaking]

[narrator]
In Northwest Croatia

in the calm waters
of the Adriatic

is a ruin that charts
the rise and fall
of a European empire.

[Geoff] It's a beautiful,
rugged stretch

and with beautiful aquamarine
blue water

and with beautiful aquamarine
blue water

washing against a rocky coast.

[Sascha] Then perched high
on this hillside
is a building

that seems to blend
into the surroundings.

[Dominic] The top
is carpeted in vegetation,

but as you get closer,
there are distinctive features

that indicate that this is
a complex built for defense.

It's a fortress.

[narrator]
A circular construction

at the building's heart
appears older
than its surroundings.

[Sascha] The way
the rest of the structure

[Sascha] The way
the rest of the structure

radiates out
from the central point

seems to suggest that
it expanded over time.

[narrator] Underground
is a maze
of claustrophobic passageways.

[Geoff] Once you get inside,
it's quite cramped,

quite dark and dingy
into these narrow galleries
and narrow rooms.

The sheer scale of it
suggests that
it housed a lot of soldiers

and a lot of supplies.

[Sascha] Who built this?

And what was it that required
such immense protection?

And did this fort do the job
it was designed for?

And did this fort do the job
it was designed for?

[narrator] The story
of this structure

dates back
to the early 19th century,

a time when Croatia
fell under the rule
of the Austrian empire,

and then later
the combined forces
of the Austro-Hungarians.

[Igor speaking]

[narrator] Igor Jovanovic
is a local teacher

[narrator] Igor Jovanovic
is a local teacher

intrigued
by the building's past.

[Igor speaking]

[Sascha] The first structure's
built in the 1820s.

And that's when
the Austrian empire

really started
to fortify this area.

[narrator]
Its original construction

owes much to the strategic
position of the city
and harbor it overlooks.

[Dominic]
Pula has a long history

that goes back centuries.

You only have to look
at the incredible
Roman amphitheater

to get an idea
of just how long.

[Sascha] What's interesting
is that
it was kind of forgotten

about until the early 1800s.

At that point,
it wasn't even a town.

It was just
a small fishing village
of around 800 or 900 people.

But suddenly
everything changed.

[narrator] Prior to 1815,

the Austrian Empire
was landlocked

the Austrian Empire
was landlocked

after it lost
its coastal lands
in the war with Napoleon.

After Napoleon's fall,
they were able
to claw back territory

and Pula
was top of their list.

They got their access
to the ocean back again,

and they didn't waste any time
in making it a center

for shipbuilding and a way
to project naval power.

[Geoff] And they've got
to endow it
with a fortifications

that will mean that
no foreign navy can
come in and tear it all up.

that will mean that
no foreign navy can
come in and tear it all up.

[narrator]
Located just a few miles
from the city of Pula

and the harbor it was built
to protect,

this is Fort Punta Christo.

[Igor speaking]

[Sascha]
From 1880 to 1883,

two additional wings
were added,

two additional wings
were added,

which transformed it
into the polygonal fort
that we see today.

[Dominic]
There are no cannons
or big guns left,

but you can still see
the circular metal mounting
points at strategic places.

[Igor speaking]

[narrator]
As the fortification grew,

so too did the empire's navy.

[Dominic] Soon,
the harbor was brimming
with heavy destroyers,

cruisers and torpedo boats.

[Sascha]
The pride of the fleet

was the new dreadnought
class battleships stronger,
faster

and more heavily armed
than any ships
ever built before them.

In a pretty short
space of time,
they had amassed

a significant
and powerful navy.

[narrator]
But would Fort Punta Christo

[narrator]
But would Fort Punta Christo

be ready to defend the fleet
from enemy attack?

This fortress
was heavily defended

and most definitely ready
for action.

[narrator] In Croatia
is the ruin of a mighty fort

built to safeguard
the rapidly expanding
Austro-Hungarian navy.

[Geoff] And it would have been
really a sight to look out

into this Bay of Pula

during the heyday
of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire,

when their entire battle fleet
was assembled there.

[Igor speaking]

[Igor speaking]

It's genuinely easy to see
why this was such a vital area
to protect.

[narrator] But to defend
this mighty naval fleet

Punta Christo was just
one of a series of forts

built during this time.

[Dominic]
The Austro-Hungarians knew

that it wasn't enough merely
to fortify the harbor of Pula.

They had to fortify
the entire area and coastline.

[Sascha] Twenty-seven forts
and 60 artillery batteries
were constructed,

[Sascha] Twenty-seven forts
and 60 artillery batteries
were constructed,

which Fort Punta Christo
was the largest.

[Geoff]
It's 100,000 square feet

that accommodates around
500 soldiers,

you know, several companies
of infantry
and all their stuff.

[Igor speaking]

[narrator] The soldiers slept
in cramped
underground quarters.

Each day, focused
on making certain
the men were ready for war.

Each day, focused
on making certain
the men were ready for war.

[Igor speaking]

[narrator] With the guns
at Fort Punto Christo ready,

[narrator] With the guns
at Fort Punto Christo ready,

who would possibly dare
to invade?

In December 1914,

the French prepared to strike.

[Igor speaking]

[Dominic] The sub was spotted
from the fort

and the south battery
was the first to open fire.

[Sascha] Very rapidly
other ships from the fleet
closed in and sunk the sub.

[Sascha] Very rapidly
other ships from the fleet
closed in and sunk the sub.

They took it down
very quickly.

[narrator] The failed attack
sent a powerful message

to the enemies of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The reality was that
there was no way

a conventional seaborne
attack could succeed.

[Geoff] They had to come up
with something much better

to get any hope of getting
into that harbor

and sinking a lot of
Austro-Hungarian ships.

[narrator] In the final days
of World War I,

[narrator] In the final days
of World War I,

the Italians
played their hand.

[Dominic] A 37-year-old major
named Raffaele Rossetti

had been working
on a new technology

designed specifically
to take out Pula's defenses.

[Sascha] Under
the cover of darkness,

two Italians secretly piloted
a torpedo

that had been designed
to run at low speed
to avoid detection.

And they go right up
to Austria-Hungary's
first dreadnought,

the Viribus Unitis,

and they attached TNT mines
to the hull of the ship.

and they attached TNT mines
to the hull of the ship.

[Dominic] The charges
were set, around 6:30 a.m.
they detonated.

Around 400 crew members
were killed

either by the initial blast
or by drowning afterwards.

[narrator]
This was one of the only times

the defenses
of Fort Punta Christo
were breached.

But the tragic
irony of this story

is that the war
was already over

for the Austro-Hungarians.

They had surrendered
their fleet
only the day before

They had surrendered
their fleet
only the day before

and had handed it over
to the newly created kingdom
of the Serbs,

Croats and Slovenes.

[Sascha] It's not sure
if the Italians

who made this attack
knew that
the Austro-Hungarian's

had already surrendered,

or if they just wanted
to make sure that
this ship didn't fall

into the hands
of their rivals.

Either way,
the outcome was the same,

and it meant that
a lot of people
were needlessly killed.

[narrator] At the war's end,

Fort Punta Christo
passed peacefully

into the hands of Croatia's
new occupying force.

into the hands of Croatia's
new occupying force.

[Igor speaking]

[narrator] The fort would soon
become redundant.

[Geoff] Basically built
on technology from the 1830s
through the 1890s,

it's now effectively obsolete.

So it's all abandoned
and has no military purpose
any longer.

[narrator]
Fort Punta Christo

may no longer be used
as an instrument of war,

may no longer be used
as an instrument of war,

but that hasn't stopped
marauding hordes
from invading.

[Sascha] Once a place
full of young soldiers,

it's now full
of young partygoers.

[Dominic]
For the last few years,
it's been the base

for summer music festivals,
exhibitions
and other cultural events.

It's a complete world away
from its original purpose,

which is probably
a good thing.