Original subtitles

[MISSILE ROARS]

\h\h\hNarrator: FOR CENTURIES, AN EXTRAORDINARY WAR HAS RAGED

ACROSS THE WORLD’S OCEANS, ABOVE AND BELOW THE WAVES.

\hMan: YOU COULD KILL HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH ONE BROADSIDE.

THESE WERE EXTREMELY POWERFUL \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAR MACHINES.

Narrator: SHIPBUILDERS DESIGNED BIGGER AND FASTER VESSELS

TO OUTWIT AND CRUSH \h\hTHEIR OPPONENTS.

Man: THAT NATION THAT HAS THE MOST POWERFUL BATTLESHIP FLEET

CAN DESTROY THE ENEMY’S \h\h\h\hBATTLESHIP FLEET

AND THEREFORE CONTROL THE SEAS,

AND IF YOU CONTROL THE SEAS, \h\h\hYOU CONTROL THE WORLD.

Narrator: THEY CARRIED \hTERRIFYING WEAPONS.

Man: THIS WAS GONNA BE \h\h\h\hTHE FIRST TIME

THAT SOMEBODY HAD FIRED \h\h\hA TORPEDO IN ANGER

SINCE WORLD WAR II.

THEY NEEDED TO GET IT RIGHT.

Narrator: BUT SHIPS HAVE ALSO LIBERATED

AND RESCUED THOUSANDS.

Man: YOU COULD THINK \h\h\h\hOF GERDA III

AS BASICALLY A LIFEBOAT FOR PERSONS HUNTED BY THE NAZIS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: AND INSPIRED MEN AND WOMEN

TO ACTS OF INCREDIBLE BRAVERY.

Man: I WILL TAKE YOU THERE NOW, TO YOUR CANNONS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO YOUR DEATH, WE WILL SINK BEFORE SURRENDER.

Narrator: THESE VESSELS \h\h\h\hAND THEIR CREWS

HAVE SHAPED WORLD HISTORY.

\hMan: AS THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF A MISSILE-CARRYING SUBMARINE,

I WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE

FOR HELPING TO PREVENT \h\h\h\hWORLD WAR III.

[MISSILE ROARS]

\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: THIS TIME, THE DARK SIDE OF NAVAL WARFARE.

\hA WORLD OF DECEPTION AND DOUBLE-DEALING...

AND VESSELS IN DISGUISE.

Man: HE’D GET HIS CREW \hTO COME OUT ON DECK,

\h\h\h\hSURE THAT THE SHIP THEY WERE ABOUT TO INSPECT

WAS NOT CARRYING ANY GUNS \h\h\hAND THEN, WHOOPS...

\h\h\h\h\hSIDES WOULD DROP DOWN, LIFEBOATS WOULD TURN INTO GUNS,

\h\h\h\h\hROYAL NAVY CREWS WOULD APPEAR FROM NOWHERE.

Narrator: THE SPY BOAT THAT SPURRED JAPAN INTO THE WAR.

Man: THIS MUST COUNT AS THE MOST VALUABLE

\h\h\h\hAND UNEXPECTED INTELLIGENCE WINDFALL

POSSIBLY OF THE 20th CENTURY.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: AND THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH

\h\h\h\hOF BRITAIN’S MOST FAMOUS SOLDIER.

Man: THE COFFIN WAS PUT \hIN A CHAPEL OVERNIGHT.

WHEN IT WAS OPENED, IT WAS FOUND THERE WAS NO BODY INSIDE AT ALL.

♪

[EXPLOSION]

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: WARSHIPS MAY LOOK INVINCIBLE,

BUT THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN VULNERABLE IN ONE AREA--

ATTACK FROM BELOW.

FOR CENTURIES, THERE HAVE BEEN \hATTEMPTS TO PERFECT A VESSEL

THAT COULD STRIKE WHILE UNDERWATER.

THE SUBMARINE.

AFTER MUCH TRIAL AND ERROR,

\hONE MAN CREATED THE BLUEPRINT FOR ALL THE SUBS THAT FOLLOWED.

BUT HIS DETERMINATION \hFOR SUCCESS DREW HIM

INTO THE 19th CENTURY WORLD

\hOF VIOLENT REVOLUTION AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE.

[EXPLOSION]

BY THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY,

\h\hBRITAIN HAD THE BIGGEST AND MOST POWERFUL NAVY IN THE WORLD.

BUT THEY HAD NO SUBMARINES.

\h\h\h\h\hONE BRITISH ADMIRAL DESCRIBED THEM AS "UNDERHAND"

AND A "DAMNED UN-ENGLISH \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWEAPON!"

BUT AS OTHER WORLD POWERS \h\hSTARTED TO BUILD SUBS,

THE ADMIRALTY DESPERATELY \h\h\h\hTRIED TO CATCH UP.

\h\h\hTHEY SEARCHED FOR THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED DESIGN

AND DECIDED THE VESSELS BUILT

\h\h\h\h\h\hBY AN IRISHMAN NAMED JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND

WERE BY FAR THE BEST.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBob Mealings: JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND WAS A SORT

OF NATURAL BORN ENGINEER, \h\h\h\h\h\h\hSELF-TAUGHT.

HE EMIGRATED TO AMERICA IN 1873.

IT IS SAID THAT HE EMIGRATED \h\hWITH JUST ONE SUITCASE,

AND EVEN THE SUITCASE HAD PLANS

FOR EARLY SUBMARINE \h\h\hDESIGNS IN IT.

Narrator: IN 1900,

THE ROYAL NAVY PURCHASED \h\h\hHOLLAND’S DESIGNS

AND BUILT THEIR OWN VERSION.

\h\hTHIS IS THE FIRST SUBMARINE COMMISSIONED BY THE ROYAL NAVY,

HMS HOLLAND 1.

♪

\hMealings: THE HOLLAND BOATS WERE THE FIRST REAL SUBMARINES

PRIMARILY BECAUSE

WHAT JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND’S \h\h\h\h\hREAL GENIUS WAS

\hWAS TO COMBINE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES,

ALL OF WHICH WERE AVAILABLE \hIN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,

INTO A SINGLE UNIT.

SO THE HOLLAND-CLASS BOATS \h\h\hHAVE PETROL ENGINES

TO DRIVE THEM ON THE SURFACE,

WHICH GIVES THEM THE REAL ABILITY

TO TRAVEL A FAIR DISTANCE.

BUT THAT PETROL ENGINE \h\hCAN BE SHUT DOWN,

AND THEN ONCE THEY DIVED

THE SUBMARINE CAN THEN OPERATE \h\h\h\hOFF AN ELECTRIC MOTOR.

NOW, WHEN THE SUBMARINE \h\h\h\hSURFACES AGAIN,

THE PETROL ENGINE IS RESTARTED

\h\hAND THE ELECTRIC MOTOR IS TURNED INTO A DYNAMO--

IT RECHARGES THE BATTERIES.

IN THE HOLLAND 1 CLASS

\h\hYOU SEE BASICALLY ALL THE FUNDAMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

\hTHAT WAS TO SHAPE SUBMARINE DESIGN FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

Narrator: BUT THE HOLLAND BOATS HAD A SECRET.

\hTHEY WERE FUNDED BY AN ORGANIZATION

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT HATED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT...

AN ORGANIZATION PREPARED TO USE VIOLENCE TO ACHIEVE ITS AIMS.

\h\hTHE FENIAN BROTHERHOOD WAS AN IRISH ORGANIZATION

FIGHTING AGAINST BRITISH RULE.

THEY HAD PLENTY OF SUPPORTERS \h\h\h\hIN THE UNITED STATES.

ONE WAS JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND’S \h\h\h\h\h\hBROTHER, MICHAEL.

\h\hIN 1880, MICHAEL HOLLAND MADE AN AUDACIOUS PROPOSAL--

\h\h\hTHAT THE FENIANS FINANCE BUILDING A SUB

TO TERRORIZE THE BRITISH.

Mealings: THERE ISN’T ACTUALLY \h\hANY GREAT DEAL OF EVIDENCE

\hTHAT JOHN PHILIP HIMSELF WAS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED,

\h\h\h\h\hBUT AS A TRUE AND OBSESSIVE ENGINEER,

\hHE WAS QUITE HAPPY TO RECEIVE FINANCE FROM WHEREVER HE COULD,

AND THE DESIGN OF HIS SUBMARINES AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION

WAS EXPENSIVE,

AND THE FENIANS WERE PREPARED \h\h\h\h\hTO PUT UP THE MONEY

TO DEVELOP A WEAPON \hWHICH THEY THOUGHT

THAT THEY COULD ACTUALLY DEPLOY AGAINST THE ROYAL NAVY.

Narrator: THE RESULT WAS \h\h\h\hTHE FENIAN RAM.

\h\h\h\hLAUNCHED IN 1881, THE SUBMARINE WAS EQUIPPED

WITH A REVOLUTIONARY \h\h\h"DYNAMITE GUN"

\hTHAT COULD FIRE STEEL PROJECTILES.

EARLY TRIALS WERE SUCCESSFUL,

AND THE FENIANS WERE CONFIDENT \hTHAT THEIR EXPERIMENTAL SUB

COULD SOON BE USED AGAINST \hTHE DESPISED ROYAL NAVY.

BUT HOLLAND BECAME UNHAPPY \h\h\hWITH HIS FINANCIERS.

Mealings: HE FELL OUT \h\h\hWITH THE FENIANS

BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO TAKE \hCONTROL OF THE SUBMARINES

AND OPERATE THEMSELVES,

\h\h\hAND AS A RESULT THEY ENDED UP SINKING

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAT LEAST ONE OF THE SUBMARINE DESIGNS,

\h\h\h\hWHICH THEY STOLE FROM JOHN PHILIP’S YARD

WITHOUT TELLING HIM.

Narrator: HOLLAND SPLIT \hWITH THE BROTHERHOOD.

HE STARTED HIS OWN COMPANY, \h\h\hPERFECTED HIS DESIGNS,

AND IN 1900 SOLD A SUBMARINE \h\h\h\h\hTO THE U.S. NAVY,

WHO CHRISTENED IT \hTHE USS HOLLAND.

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC,

THE ROYAL NAVY SOON FOLLOWED \h\h\h\h\hWITH HMS HOLLAND.

Mealings: THE HOLLAND DESIGN

WAS A BRILLIANT DESIGN \h\h\h\hFOR ITS TIME.

HAD IT NOT BEEN SO GOOD

THE ROYAL NAVY MIGHT HAVE DISCARDED THE WHOLE NOTION

OF DEVELOPING SUBMARINES.

\h\h\h\hTHE HOLLAND DESIGN REALLY SETS THE BLUEPRINT

FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

[GUNFIRE]

\h\hNarrator: 13 YEARS AFTER THE LAUNCH OF THE HOLLAND 1,

BRITAIN WAS AT WAR WITH GERMANY.

\hTHE COUNTRY WAS IN DESPERATE NEED OF MEN WILLING TO FIGHT.

[EXPLOSION]

THIS RECRUITING POSTER BECAME ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGES

OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

\h\h\h\hURGING MEN TO ENLIST IS THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR,

LORD HORATIO HERBERT KITCHENER.

BY THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY,

KITCHENER WAS KNOWN AS THE MAN \h\hWHO’D CONQUERED THE SUDAN.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE POSTER BECAME A POWERFUL RECRUITING TOOL.

\h\h\h\h\hBUT TWO YEARS LATER, THE GREAT WAR HERO WAS DEAD--

DROWNED OFF THE COAST \h\h\h\h\hOF SCOTLAND.

\h\h\h\hHIS DEATH REMAINS ONE OF THE GREAT MYSTERIES OF THE WAR.

IN THE SPRING OF 1916,

\h\h\hTHE SITUATION ON THE EASTERN FRONT

WAS DETERIORATING.

THE RUSSIANS WERE SHORT \h\h\h\h\h\hOF MUNITIONS

AND MORALE IN THE ARMY WAS LOW.

WITH A GERMAN VICTORY IMMINENT, THE BRITISH DECIDED

A CONFIDENTIAL DIPLOMATIC \h\hMISSION OFFERING HELP

WAS URGENTLY NEEDED.

IT WAS TO BE LED BY A MAN

GREATLY RESPECTED BY THE RUSSIANS--

THE 65-YEAR-OLD WAR HERO \h\h\h\hLORD KITCHENER.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON JUNE 4, 1916, KITCHENER TRAVELED FROM LONDON

TO THE NAVAL BASE AT SCAPA FLOW IN THE ORKNEYS.

\h\hTHERE HE BOARDED THE CRUISER THAT WOULD TAKE HIM TO RUSSIA--

HMS HAMPSHIRE.

♪

Andrew Hollinrake: SHE WAS VERY HEAVILY ARMORED FOR HER TIME;

\h\hSIX-INCH ARMOR, AND CRUISERS WERE DESIGNED TO BE LONG RANGE.

\h\h\h\hBASICALLY TO OPERATE FOR THE FLEET ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,

ALL AROUND THE EMPIRE.

DESIGNED TO BE FAST

AND TAKE ON REALLY ANYTHING \hSMALLER THAN A BATTLESHIP.

Narrator: GERMAN U-BOATS PATROLLED THE NORTH SEA.

SO WHEN HMS HAMPSHIRE SET SAIL ON JUNE 5th,

\hSHE WAS ESCORTED BY TWO DESTROYERS.

THEY WERE ORDERED TO SAIL \h\hAT A SPEEDY 18 KNOTS.

\hSHIPS TRAVELING AT THAT SPEED WERE A HARD TARGET FOR U-BOATS.

BUT THEN, A VIOLENT STORM

\h\hSUDDENLY BLEW IN FROM THE NORTHEAST.

\h\h\h\h\h\hEmily Turton: SO THE DECISION WAS MADE,

\hINSTEAD OF GOING THE NORMAL ROUTE,

WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN \h\h\hOUT TO THE EAST

OF THE NORTHERN ISLES OF ORKNEY,

THE DECISION WAS TAKEN \h\h\h\hTHAT HAMPSHIRE

WAS GOING TO GO OUT TO THE WEST

AND THEREFORE WOULD BE PROTECTED FROM THE NORTHEASTERLY GALES

\h\h\h\hBY THE BIG CLIFFS THAT RUN UP THE WEST SIDE

OF ORKNEY’S MAINLAND.

Hollinrake: NOW, THEY REGULARLY SWEPT THE EAST COAST OF ORKNEY

FOR MINES, BECAUSE IT WAS \h\hSUCH A REGULAR ROUTE.

NOW, THIS HADN’T BEEN DONE \h\h\h\hON THE WEST SIDE.

\hTurton: DURING THE VOYAGE, THE WIND SHIFTS DRAMATICALLY

\h\h\hAND INCREASES TO GALE FORCE NINE,

BUT FROM THE NORTHWEST.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBECAUSE OF THIS, THE ESCORT SHIPS WITH HAMPSHIRE

\h\h\h\h\h\hHAD TO TURN BACK, AND HAMPSHIRE CONTINUED ALONE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: AT 7:40 IN THE EVENING,

\h\h\h\hABOUT A MILE FROM LAND, HMS HAMPSHIRE SUDDENLY EXPLODED.

[EXPLOSION]

THE CENTER OF THE VESSEL \h\h\hWAS RIPPED APART.

SHE BEGAN TO SINK...FAST.

Turton: SO I THINK FOR THE MEN \h\hTHAT WENT INTO THE WATER,

THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE \h\h\h\hTO SEE THE CLIFFS.

THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE

WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN \h\hTHEIR SALVATION,

AND I THINK TO PERISH \hTHAT CLOSE TO SHORE

WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST TERRIFYING.

♪

Hollinrake: IT’S THOUGHT THAT PROBABLY ABOUT 500 OF THE CREW

DIED WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR--

SOME FROM THE EXPLOSION, \h\hSOME FROM EXPOSURE,

SOME OF THEM DRAGGED DOWN \h\h\h\hAS THE SHIP SANK.

Narrator: ONLY 12 MEN SURVIVED. 737 DIED.

\h\hTHE BODIES RECOVERED FROM THE SEA WERE BURIED ON ORKNEY.

BUT WHAT OF LORD KITCHENER,

\hTHE MAN SYNONYMOUS WITH THE WAR EFFORT?

\hTHERE WERE REPORTS THAT HE WAS ON DECK

AS THEY STRUGGLED TO GET THE LIFEBOATS LAUNCHED.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHollinrake: ONE OF THE SURVIVORS REPORTED

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT HE HEARD THE GUNNERY OFFICER SAYING,

"MAKE WAY FOR LORD KITCHENER,"

BUT, UH, NONE OF THE SURVIVORS \h\h\h\hSAY THEY SAW KITCHENER

GETTING INTO ONE OF THE BOATS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE NEWS OF KITCHENER’S DEATH

MADE HEADLINES AROUND THE WORLD.

THE BRITISH PUBLIC FOUND IT \h\h\h\h\h\hHARD TO BELIEVE

\h\h\hTHAT THE MAN WHO EMBODIED THE BRITISH WAR EFFORT WAS GONE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWITH THE DEATH OF SUCH A PUBLIC FIGUREHEAD,

CONSPIRACY THEORIES IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO SPRING UP.

\h\hONE RUMOR CLAIMED KITCHENER WAS ALIVE AND LIVING IN RUSSIA.

\h\h\h\hANOTHER SUGGESTED THAT A GERMAN SPY ON THE HAMPSHIRE

\hDIRECTED A U-BOAT TO TORPEDO THE SHIP.

[EXPLOSION]

\h\hONE MAN DETERMINED TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF KITCHENER’S DEATH

\hWAS A JOURNALIST NAMED FRANK POWER.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD REMAINED \hQUIET ABOUT THE DROWNING.

\h\hSO POWER CAME UP WITH SOME THEORIES OF HIS OWN.

Hollinrake: NOW HE WAS STIRRING THE STORY UP IN 1925, 1926,

\h\h\h\hMOSTLY TO SELL HIS OWN PUBLICATIONS,

\hAND THE NAVY REACTED AT THE TIME BY SAYING

THAT THEY SAW NO NEED FOR A PUBLIC ENQUIRY,

THAT’S NOT HOW THEY DID THINGS,

AND THAT THERE WAS NO NEED FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: ONE CLAIM BY POWER

WAS THAT KITCHENER DID FLEE \h\h\h\h\hTHE SINKING SHIP,

BUT WAS SHOT BY A BRITISH AGENT AS HE MADE IT TO SHORE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHollinrake: THE DAY AFTER THE SINKING,

SOLDIERS WERE POSTED TO PREVENT THE PUBLIC FROM GETTING CLOSE;

\h\h\h\h\hNOT BECAUSE OF ANY GREAT SECRECY,

BUT THEY DID WANT TO KEEP THEM AWAY

\hBECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF BODIES WASHING ASHORE,

AND, UH, NOT INTACT BODIES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAT THAT.

Narrator: FRANK POWER PERSISTED WITH MORE OUTLANDISH THEORIES

AND CONTINUED HIS SEARCH.

HE EVEN CLAIMED TO HAVE FOUND \h\h\h\h\h\hKITCHENER’S BODY,

WHICH HAD BEEN WASHED ASHORE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN NORWAY.

Hollinrake: AND THEN HE BROUGHT IT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO LONDON,

AND THE INTENTION WAS THAT IT WOULD BE, UH,

\h\hHE WOULD BE BURIED AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY,

SO THE COFFIN WAS PUT IN A CHAPEL OVERNIGHT,

BUT THE CORONER IN WESTMINSTER

DECIDED THAT THE COFFIN \h\h\hSHOULD BE CHECKED,

AND, UH, WHEN IT WAS OPENED,

IT WAS FOUND THERE WAS NO BODY INSIDE AT ALL.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: IN 2014 ALL THE GOVERNMENT PAPERS

ON THE LOSS OF HMS HAMPSHIRE \h\h\hWERE FINALLY RELEASED.

DESPITE RUMORS OF SABOTAGE, \h\h\h\h\h\hIT’S NOW CERTAIN

THAT SHE WAS SUNK BY A MINE \h\hLAID BY A GERMAN U-BOAT.

ONE OF HAMPSHIRE’S PROPELLERS \h\h\h\h\h\hWAS BROUGHT ASHORE

AND STANDS AS AN UNOFFICIAL \h\h\h\hMEMORIAL ON ORKNEY.

THE SINKING WAS A STARK REMINDER

OF THE DEADLY THREAT POSED \h\h\h\hBY GERMAN U-BOATS.

TO DEFEAT THEM, THE ROYAL NAVY TURNED TO A FORM OF DECEPTION

\h\h\h\hTHAT WAS QUITE OUT OF THE ORDINARY...

MODERN ART!

A LONG-RETIRED WARSHIP IS MOORED

ON ENGLAND’S RIVER MEDWAY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN KENT.

\h\h\h\h\h\hHER UNIQUE PAINT JOB AND HER HULL SHAPE TELL A STORY

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF WARTIME LIES AND DECEIT ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

THIS IS HMS PRESIDENT.

♪

IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

THE GREATEST MENACE \hTO ALLIED SHIPPING

\h\h\h\hWAS THE FORMIDABLE AND ELUSIVE GERMAN U-BOAT.

[EXPLOSION]

\h\hMERCHANT VESSELS WERE AN EASY TARGET.

THE BRITISH NEEDED A PLAN.

Christopher Cooper: THE SHIPS THEMSELVES WERE OFTEN DONE OUT

IN VERY PROUD BRITISH COLORS,

\h\h\hBUT THAT GAVE ANYONE WHO WANTED TO ATTACK THEM

\h\h\h\h\hA VERY CLEAR IDEA OF EXACTLY WHAT SHIP IT WAS.

\h\h\h\h\hONCE IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THAT WAS HELPING U-BOATS,

\hTHEY HAD TO THINK ABOUT OTHER CHANGES.

Narrator: DESPERATE MEASURES \hWERE NEEDED, AND IN 1917,

\h\h\hINSPIRATION CAME NOT FROM THE WORLD OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE,

BUT FROM AN UNLIKELY SOURCE.

\h\h\h\hCooper: AN IDEA CAME UP WHICH HAD BEEN USED BY ARTISTS,

YOUNG CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS-- \h\hPICASSO, FOR INSTANCE--

WHO WERE BREAKING UP THE LINES

OF PAINTINGS AND PORTRAITS \h\h\h\h\hAND STILL LIVES

IN ORDER TO SHOW PEOPLE \h\h\h\hA DIFFERENT VIEW

OF WHAT THAT OBJECT LOOKED LIKE.

AND THE CONCEPT CAME ABOUT,

WELL, IF YOU COULD DO THAT

\h\hWITH PAINTINGS, WITH BOWLS OF FRUIT,

YOU COULD DO THAT WITH A SHIP

SO THAT IT WOULD CONFUSE \h\h\hTHE U-BOAT CAPTAIN

AS TO WHICH DIRECTION \hTHE SHIP WAS GOING,

AND WHAT SPEED WAS IT GOING,

\h\h\hAND WAS THERE ONE SHIP OR TWO SHIPS OR THREE SHIPS,

\h\h\hBECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE U-BOAT CAPTAIN

\h\h\h\hIN ORDER TO DECIDE WHERE TO FIRE HIS TORPEDO.

Narrator: THE MAN BEHIND THIS EXTRAORDINARY IDEA

WAS AN ARTIST NAMED \hNORMAN WILKINSON.

\h\h\hHE WORKED OUT THAT YOU COULD NEVER

COMPLETELY CAMOUFLAGE A SHIP,

\h\h\hBECAUSE THE FUNNELS WOULD ALWAYS GIVE IT AWAY.

BUT YOU COULD CONFUSE THE ENEMY

\h\hBY TURNING YOUR SHIP INTO A FLOATING PICASSO!

THE TECHNIQUE BECAME KNOWN \h\h\hAS DAZZLE PAINTING.

Cooper: NORMAN WILKINSON THREW \h\hA GREAT DEAL OF ENTHUSIASM

\h\h\h\h\hINTO THE IDEA OF DAZZLE PAINTING THE SHIPS.

\hIN FACT, HE SET UP A STUDIO IN THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN PICCADILLY

WHERE HE HAD 50 OR 60 PEOPLE

WORKING ON LITTLE MODELS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF SHIPS

AND PAINTING THEM IN A WAY

THAT THE MODELS COULD THEN \hBE SENT TO THE DOCKYARD

WHERE, HEAVEN KNOWS \hWHAT THEY THOUGHT,

BUT THE SHIP PAINTERS \h\h\h\hWOULD BE THERE

WITH ALL THESE BRIGHT, \h\hBRILLIANT COLORS,

\h\h\h\h\h\hPAINTING THE SHIPS TO THESE EXTRAORDINARY SHAPES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE TECHNIQUE WAS UNPROVEN

AND HUGELY TIME-CONSUMING.

BUT IT WAS TAKEN UP ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

MERCHANT SHIPS, WARSHIPS \h\h\h\hAND TROOP SHIPS

WERE ALL PAINSTAKINGLY REPAINTED IN MINUTE DETAIL.

\h\h\hCooper: WHEN WE DECORATED THIS SHIP WITH THE DAZZLE DESIGN

TO HELP THE COMMEMORATION \h\h\h\h\hOF WORLD WAR I,

IT TOOK US SIX OR SEVEN DAYS \h\hTO GET THE SHIP COVERED

IN THE DAZZLE PAINT \hTHAT WE HAVE NOW,

AND THEY WERE SIX OR SEVEN \hINTENSIVE WORKING DAYS.

\h\h\h\h\hTO DO 2,000 SHIPS, AS THEY DID IN WORLD WAR I,

WITH A BROOM AND A BUCKET, \hIT WAS AN AWESOME TASK.

I SUSPECT THE ROYAL NAVY \h\hWERE RATHER SHOCKED

\h\h\h\hAND PERHAPS APPALLED BY THE FACT THAT THEIR SHIP

\hWAS SUDDENLY TURNING, WENT OFF TO THE DOCKYARD

\h\h\h\hAND CAME BACK LOOKING LIKE A CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND.

\h\h\hBUT IF IT MEANT THE SHIP WAS GONNA BE SAFER TO OPERATE,

THEN I THINK THE CREWS \h\hWERE MUCH HAPPIER.

Narrator: HMS PRESIDENT \hWASN’T JUST DISGUISED.

SHE ALSO HAD A SECRET WEAPON.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSHE AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER WARSHIPS WERE DESIGNED

TO LURE U-BOATS INTO A TRAP

\h\h\h\h\h\hBY EXPLOITING THE SUBMARINE’S WEAKNESS.

Cooper: TORPEDOES WERE EXPENSIVE

AND A SUBMARINE COULD ONLY CARRY A LIMITED NUMBER.

SO THE U-BOAT CAPTAIN \h\h\h\h\hWOULD PREFER

TO APPROACH THE CARGO SHIP \h\h\h\h\hON THE SURFACE,

TO CHECK AND SEE WHAT GOODS \h\h\hTHE SHIP WAS CARRYING.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: A SUBMARINE IS MOST VULNERABLE ON THE SURFACE.

[GUN FIRES]

SO THE BRITISH ADMIRALTY CREATED A WHOLE NEW CLASS OF VESSEL

WITH THE CODENAME QUEENSTOWN,

\hAFTER THE IRISH PORT WHERE THEY WERE BASED.

BUT THEY WERE KNOWN \hSIMPLY AS Q-SHIPS.

\h\hCooper: IT WAS CREATED SO THAT THE U-BOAT THOUGHT

IT WAS AN UNARMED CARGO SHIP,

AND THEREFORE THE U-BOAT

WOULD APPROACH THE CARGO SHIP \h\h\h\h\h\h\hON THE SURFACE.

IT DID HAVE THE ABILITY \h\hTO TURN VERY QUICKLY

AND RAM THE U-BOAT.

Narrator: Q-SHIPS WERE DESIGNED

TO INFLICT MAXIMUM DAMAGE \h\h\h\h\h\hIN A COLLISION

WHILE STAYING SEAWORTHY \h\h\h\h\h\hTHEMSELVES.

HMS PRESIDENT WAS ONE OF THE 360 Q-SHIPS BUILT BY THE NAVY.

Cooper: ONE OF THE KEY THINGS \hYOU’LL NOTICE ABOUT THE SHIP

\h\h\h\hIS HOW CLOSE THE RIBS OF THE SHIP WERE CONSTRUCTED,

THEREFORE MAKING THE SHIP

AN EXTREMELY STRONG VESSEL \h\h\h\h\h\h\hALTOGETHER.

\h\h\h\h\hAND IF YOU GO TO THE BOW OF THE SHIP,

IT’S RATHER BEAUTIFUL,

BUT YOU’LL SEE THESE RIBS COME \h\hCLOSER AND CLOSER TOGETHER

SO THAT THE ACTUAL POINT \h\h\h\h\h\hOF THE SHIP

ALMOST LOOKS LIKE AN AXE,

AND THE REASON FOR THAT WAS

\hTHAT WAS THE STRENGTH OF THE BOW OF THE SHIP,

REINFORCED AS IT WAS,

\hCOULD TAKE ON ANY U-BOAT AND DISABLE IT JUST BY RAMMING IT.

Narrator: HMS PRESIDENT \h\hWAS BUILT AS A RAM,

BUT SHE ALSO PACKED \h\hA LETHAL PUNCH.

SHE HAD TWO 4-INCH GUNS \h\hAND TWO 12-POUNDERS

TO ATTACK SUBMARINES \h\hON THE SURFACE.

SOME OF THE GUNS WERE INGENIOUSLY CONCEALED.

Cooper: SO THE U-BOAT CAPTAIN

\h\h\hWOULD BE LOOKING THROUGH HIS PERISCOPE.

\hHE’D GET HIS CREW TO COME OUT ON DECK,

HAVING BEEN SURE THAT THE SHIP \h\hTHEY WERE ABOUT TO INSPECT

WAS NOT CARRYING ANY GUNS, \h\h\hAND THEN, WHOOPS...

\h\h\h\h\hSIDES WOULD DROP DOWN, LIFEBOATS WOULD TURN INTO GUNS,

\h\h\h\h\hROYAL NAVY CREWS WOULD APPEAR FROM NOWHERE,

AND BEFORE THE U-BOAT CAPTAIN

\h\h\h\h\hCOULD GET HIS CREW BACK INTO THE CONNING TOWER,

BACK INTO THE SUBMARINE, \hBACK DIVE, DIVE, DIVE,

THE Q-SHIP WOULD HAVE HIT HER \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND RAMMED HER

AND DISABLED THE U-BOAT.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH THE CONCEPT \h\hOF Q-SHIPS WAS DECEPTION,

THE ADMIRALTY INSISTED \h\hON SHIPS’ CAPTAINS

STICKING TO THE RULES \h\h\h\hOF ENGAGEMENT.

Cooper: THE MEETING OF A U-BOAT AND A Q-SHIP

WAS A LITTLE BIT OF THEATER.

SO BEFORE ANYBODY COULD PULL \h\h\hTHE TRIGGER ON ANY GUN

\h\h\h\h\h\hOR TURN THE SHIP TO, IN ACTUAL FACT, RAM THE U-BOAT,

THE FLAGS HAD TO BE CHANGED

AND THEN MEN IN ROYAL NAVY GEAR COULD APPEAR ON THE DECKS.

SO AN EXCITING PIECE OF THEATER WHICH WOULD TAKE PLACE,

\h\hBEING FATAL FOR EITHER THE U-BOAT OR THE Q-SHIP.

Narrator: ONE OF THE TWO VESSELS

WAS CERTAIN NOT TO SURVIVE \h\h\h\h\h\hTHE ENCOUNTER.

THE Q-SHIP CONFRONTATIONS \h\hOF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

\hSHOWED JUST HOW EFFECTIVE DISGUISING A SHIP COULD BE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h20 YEARS LATER, A GERMAN VESSEL WOULD ACHIEVE

AN EVEN GREATER LEVEL \h\h\h\h\hOF DECEPTION

AND MAKE AN AMAZING DISCOVERY.

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

\h\hTHE GERMANS ENGAGED IN THE ART OF DECEPTION

WITH AN AUDACIOUS SCHEME \h\h\h\h\hOF THEIR OWN.

\h\h\h\hTHIS IS THE STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CON GAMES

OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

\h\h\h\hGERMANY KNEW THAT TO WIN THE WAR

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY HAD TO HIT THE BRITISH MERCHANT FLEET.

BUT THEIR NAVY LACKED RESOURCES.

THREE POCKET BATTLESHIPS \h\h\h\hWEREN’T ENOUGH.

\h\h\h\h\hTHEY CAME UP WITH AN INGENIOUS IDEA

OF CONVERTING EXISTING SHIPS

\h\h\hINTO SOMETHING MUCH MORE MENACING.

\h\h\hAndrew Gordon: IF YOU ADD A NUMBER

OF MERCHANT SHIP CONVERSIONS,

\h\h\hWHICH WENT OUT INTO THE SEA LANES IN DISGUISE,

MORE OR LESS EQUIPPED \h\h\h\h\hAS Q-SHIPS,

WITH GUNS AND THINGS

BEHIND BEHIND FALSE BULKHEADS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND SO ON,

THEN THEY, TOO, COULD ACT \h\h\hAS MERCHANT RAIDERS

\h\h\hAND DISRUPT THE PASSAGE OF MERCHANT SHIPS AROUND THE WORLD.

Narrator: ONE OF THE SHIPS \h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY CONVERTED

\h\h\hWAS A CARGO SHIP CALLED THE GOLDENFELS.

A FEAT OF NAVAL ENGINEERING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND DISGUISE,

SHE USED HER BEST ATTRIBUTES \h\h\h\h\hTO HER ADVANTAGE.

SHE WAS RENAMED ATLANTIS.

♪

Gordon: SHE WAS QUITE A BIG \hMERCHANT SHIP FOR HER DAY.

\hAND SHE HAD A RANGE OF ABOUT 60,000 MILES,

WHICH WAS JUST ASTONISHING,

AND NOT REALLY UNTIL \hNUCLEAR PROPULSION

COULD WARSHIPS MATCH THAT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE IDEA WAS A SIMPLE ONE.

ATLANTIS WOULD USE HER ENORMOUS RANGE

\h\hTO HUNT MERCHANT SHIPS AND CAPTURE OR SINK THEM.

\h\h\h\h\hSHE WOULD HAVE THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE,

\h\h\hBECAUSE HER FIREPOWER WOULD BE CLEVERLY CONCEALED.

\h\hGordon: HER WEAPONS WOULD BE HIDDEN BEHIND HINGED BULKHEADS,

WHICH COULD DROP DOWN,

REVEALING GUNS ALREADY LOADED \h\hAND WAITING TO OPEN FIRE.

\hNarrator: IF STOPPED BY A BRITISH WARSHIP,

SHE WOULD BE HARD TO IDENTITY \h\h\h\h\hAS AN ENEMY VESSEL.

Gordon: ATLANTIS HAD TO BECOME \h\h\h\h\hEXPERT AT DISGUISES,

\h\h\hSO SHE’D HAVE WAYS OF ALTERING HER PROFILE,

AND SHE COULD CLAIM TO BELONG TO VARIOUS DIFFERENT NATIONS,

AND SHE WAS REALLY BUYING TIME,

AND MAYBE IF DARKNESS \hARRIVED FAIRLY SOON,

\h\h\hSHE COULD SLIP AWAY BEFORE THE BRITISH CRUISER

GOT THE ANSWER BACK \hFROM THE ADMIRALTY

\h\hAS TO WHETHER THAT WAS A GENUINE IDENTITY OR NOT.

ATLANTIS WOULD BE ABLE TO ALTER THE SHAPE OF HER FUNNEL.

SHE WOULD HAVE FALSE MASTS

OR MAYBE CHANGE THE HEIGHT \h\h\h\h\h\hOF HER MASTS.

SHE COULD CHANGE HER PAINT SCHEME

AND SHE COULD PUT UP \h\h\hCANVAS SCREENS

\hTO LOOK LIKE BULKHEADS OR STRUCTURES ON BOARD.

Narrator: IN MARCH 1940,

\h\h\h\hUNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN BERNHARD ROGGE,

SHE SAILED FROM GERMANY

\hWHILE UNDERGOING A NUMBER OF DISGUISES ALONG THE WAY.

INITIALLY, SHE WAS DISGUISED

AS A NEUTRAL SOVIET VESSEL.

AS SHE HEADED FOR THE SHIPPING \hLANES OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC,

\hTHE KIM TRANSFORMED INTO A JAPANESE VESSEL

CALLED THE KASII MARU.

HER FIRST VICTIM WAS A BRITISH \hCARGO SHIP CALLED SCIENTIST,

SUNK OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA.

ATLANTIS THEN SAILED EAST,

PRETENDING TO BE A DUTCH SHIP \h\h\h\h\hCALLED THE ABBEKERK.

BY NOVEMBER 1940, ATLANTIS \h\h\hHAD SUNK 11 VESSELS.

WHEN POSSIBLE, CAPTAIN ROGGE \h\h\h\hRESCUED THEIR CREWS

AND TRANSFERRED THEM \h\hTO OTHER SHIPS.

HE LOOKED AFTER HIS OWN MEN \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAS WELL,

\hSHARING CAPTURED GOODS SUCH AS BEER AND SWEETS.

[CREW LAUGHING]

THE ATLANTIS WAS FEARED.

\h\h\h\hBRITISH MERCHANT VESSELS BEGAN LENGTHENING THEIR VOYAGES

JUST TO AVOID HER.

\h\hTHE ROYAL NAVY SENT FOUR WARSHIPS

\h\h\h\hTO TRACK DOWN THE AUDACIOUS RAIDER.

THEN, ON NOVEMBER 11th,

\h\h\h\hTHE ATLANTIS CAME ACROSS A BRITISH CARGO PASSENGER LINER

CALLED THE AUTOMEDON.

\h\hTHE CONFRONTATION WOULD REVEAL A SECRET,

\h\h\hHIGHLY ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THE GERMANS AND THEIR ALLIES.

Gordon: AND WHEN SHE’S \hREALLY QUITE CLOSE,

\h\h\h\hUP GOES THE GERMAN FLAG, DOWN GO ALL THE FAKE BULKHEADS,

AND SHE STARTS REVEALING \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHER GUNS

\h\h\h\hAND STARTS FIRING A COUPLE OF WARNING SHOTS.

AND DOES AN AWFUL LOT OF DAMAGE TO HER SUPERSTRUCTURE

\h\hAND UPPER WORKS, KILLING SEVERAL MEN.

Narrator: A BOARDING PARTY CROSSED TO THE AUTOMEDON.

THE EXPECTATION WAS THAT THEY’D DISCOVER WEAPONS, AMMUNITION,

OR EVEN RICHES.

\h\h\h\hBUT WHAT THEY FOUND WAS FOOD SUPPLIES AND BAGS OF MAIL!

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hGordon: IN THE SHIP’S CHART HOUSE

\hTHEY FOUND A GREEN BAG FULL OF SOME DOCUMENTS,

\hAND THEY JUST GRABBED THEM ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE,

BUT NO INDICATION THAT THIS WAS ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY

\h\h\h\h\hEXCEPT ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL INTERCEPTION

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND DESTRUCTION OF AN ALLIED MERCHANT SHIP.

Narrator: CAPTAIN ROGGE \h\h\hCOULD READ ENGLISH

AND RECOGNIZED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PAPERS.

\h\hGordon: ON BOARD AUTOMEDON WERE SOME WAR CABINET MINUTES

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHICH CONTAINED A COMPLETELY BLUNT APPRAISAL

\hOF HOW VULNERABLE BRITAIN HAD BECOME IN THE FAR EAST.

\h\hTHE PAPERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN OVERBOARD, THEY WEREN’T.

Narrator: THE OFFICER ASSIGNED \h\h\hTO PROTECT THE DOCUMENTS

HAD BEEN KILLED.

BRITAIN’S FAR EAST ASSESSMENT

WAS PARTICULARLY VALUABLE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO JAPAN,

ANXIOUS TO EXPAND ITS EMPIRE

\h\h\hAND TAKE ON BRITISH AND AMERICAN TERRITORIES.

Gordon: THIS MUST COUNT \h\hAS THE MOST VALUABLE

\h\h\h\hAND UNEXPECTED INTELLIGENCE WINDFALL,

POSSIBLY OF THE 20th CENTURY.

\h\h\h\hTHIS IS WORLD STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE,

\hAND, IN DUE COURSE, THOSE PAPERS ENDED UP

\h\h\h\h\h\hIN POSSESSION OF THE JAPANESE NAVY IN TOKYO.

Narrator: THE JAPANESE REALIZED

THAT IF THEY ATTACKED \h\hAN AMERICAN BASE,

BRITAIN COULDN’T HELP.

[EXPLOSION]

THEY TARGETED PEARL HARBOR.

\h\h\h\h\h\hATLANTIS CONTINUED HER REMARKABLE SECRET MISSION

FOR 12 MORE MONTHS.

\h\h\hTHEN, ON NOVEMBER 22nd, SHE RENDEZVOUSED WITH A U-BOAT

NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND \h\hIN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

SHE WAS SPOTTED BY THE BRITISH HEAVY CRUISER HMS DEVONSHIRE.

\hTHE WARSHIP SIGNALED TO THE MERCHANT VESSEL

TO IDENTIFY HERSELF.

Gordon: DEVONSHIRE ISN’T FOOLED BY THE REPLY ATLANTIS GIVES,

AND SHE HAS THE SENSE \h\h\h\hTO KEEP AWAY,

\h\hOUT OF THE RANGE OF ANY POSSIBLE GUNS

THAT THIS STRANGE SHIP \h\h\h\h\hMIGHT HAVE.

\hAND, IN THE END, SHE ENGAGED ATLANTIS WITH HER 8-INCH GUNS,

AND THAT IS THE END OF ATLANTIS.

\h\h\hNarrator: CAPTAIN ROGGE WAS THE LAST TO ABANDON SHIP.

\h\h\h\hHE AND MOST OF THE CREW WERE RESCUED BY A GERMAN U-BOAT.

DURING HER 602-DAY VOYAGE,

\h\h\hATLANTIS ACHIEVED SOME REMARKABLE RESULTS.

\hSHE SANK 22 SHIPS AND MANAGED TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE WAR.

IN 1986, A DANISH WRECK HUNTER \h\hMADE AN AMAZING DISCOVERY

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE WATERS BETWEEN DENMARK AND SWEDEN.

\h\h\h\hIT WAS A GERMAN U-BOAT, RUMORED TO BE FULL OF NAZI GOLD!

IT WASN’T UNTIL AUGUST 1993

THAT THE SHIP WAS FINALLY \hBROUGHT TO THE SURFACE.

IT’S NAME: U-534.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hChris Ince: SHE’S A TYPE IXC/40 U-BOAT,

SO SHE WAS AN OCEAN-GOING TYPE.

SHE COULD TRAVEL IN EXCESS OF 13,000 NAUTICAL MILES,

\hSTAY AWAY AT SEA FOR THREE MONTHS.

Narrator: THE SALVAGED SUB WAS ONE OF OVER A THOUSAND

BUILT BY THE GERMAN NAVY.

\h\h\h\h\hU-534 WAS WELL-ARMED FOR CONFLICT IN THE ATLANTIC.

\h\hInce: SHE WAS EQUIPPED FOR BEING ON THE OFFENSIVE

BY HAVING SIX TORPEDO TUBES;

SHE HAD FOUR TORPEDO TUBES \h\h\hFORWARD AND TWO AFT,

\h\h\h\hAND SHE COULD FIRE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TORPEDO

AS WELL AS LAYING MINES.

♪

\h\hNarrator: SUBMARINES COULD EASILY BE DETECTED

BY SURFACE VESSELS USING SONAR.

BUT U-534 HAD AN INGENIOUS \h\h\h\hCOUNTER STRATEGY.

Ince: U-BOATS WERE SOMETIMES \h\h\hEQUIPPED WITH A DEVICE

CALLED THE PILLENWERFER, \h\h\h\hOR PILL THROWER,

WHICH IS WHERE THE RECTANGULAR \h\h\h\h\h\hOPENING IS THERE.

THAT WOULD HAVE ORIGINALLY HAD \h\h\h\h\h\h\hA PLATE OVER IT

WITH JUST A SMALL APERTURE.

FROM INSIDE THE U-BOAT

THEY COULD FIRE OUT A CANISTER \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF A CHEMICAL

WHICH WOULD REACT WITH SEAWATER, AND THAT WOULD FIZZ VERY LOUDLY,

\h\hWHICH WOULD REALLY DISRUPT THE SONAR ON ANY ALLIED SHIPS.

Narrator: DESPITE BRISTLING \h\h\h\h\h\hWITH FIREPOWER,

\hU-534 WAS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTACK SUBMARINE.

IT HAD A LITTLE-KNOWN \h\h\hBUT CRUCIAL ROLE

IN THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC.

Ince: SHE WAS USED FOR TRAINING AND FOR WEAPONS TESTING,

AND AN IMPORTANT ROLE THAT SHE WAS USED FOR

AND ONE OF HER BIGGEST PATROLS

\h\h\h\hWAS ACTUALLY WEATHER FORECASTING,

\h\h\h\hWEATHER REPORTING OUT IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC.

IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT \h\hFOR THE WAR EFFORT

TO KNOW WHAT WEATHER WAS COMING ACROSS TO EUROPE.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: BY 1945, THE ALLIES HAD THE UPPER HAND.

THEY HAD WARSHIPS EQUIPPED

WITH SOPHISTICATED DEPTH CHARGES AND SHORT-WAVE RADAR SETS.

THE U-BOAT CREWS WERE ON THE RUN.

\hInce: CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WERE FAIRLY POOR, ACTUALLY.

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE WAR

\hWHEN THEY WERE BEING VERY SUCCESSFUL, REASONABLY GOOD,

BUT AS WE GOT BETTER AND BETTER AT SINKING THEM,

THEIR CHANCES STARTED \hTO REALLY DIMINISH.

SO YOU’RE TALKING \hABOUT 40,000 MEN

WERE TRAINED TO WORK ON U-BOATS DURING WORLD WAR II,

AND ABOUT 30,000 OF THEM \h\h\h\h\h\hWERE KILLED.

IT’S A 75% MORTALITY RATE; \h\h\hIT WAS REALLY HARSH.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: U-534 SHOULD HAVE HAD

\h\h\hA GOOD CHANCE TO SURVIVE THE WAR.

[EXPLOSION]

\h\hBY MAY 1945, GERMANY WAS CLOSE TO SURRENDER.

\hHITLER WAS DEAD, BERLIN HAD FALLEN,

AND ON MAY 5th, THE GERMAN NAVY ORDERED ALL SUBMARINES,

INCLUDING U-534, TO SURRENDER.

♪

BUT HER CREW HAD OTHER IDEAS.

\h\h\hU-534 WAS SPOTTED BY RAF LIBERATOR BOMBERS

OFF THE COAST OF DENMARK.

Ince: SHE MADE NO ATTEMPT \h\h\h\h\h\hTO SURRENDER,

\h\hAND IN FACT SHE OPENED FIRE ON THEM,

SUCCEEDING IN SHOOTING \h\hONE OF THEM DOWN.

ONE OF THE LIBERATOR BOMBERS

SUCCEEDED IN DROPPING \h\h\hA DEPTH CHARGE,

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHICH LANDED UPON THE DECK BEHIND US.

IT ROLLED OFF, DETONATED,

\h\hCAUSING THE DAMAGE THAT WE CAN SEE HERE.

SO CLEARLY WE CAN SEE THE DAMAGE TO THE OUTER HULL,

IT’S JUST A THIN PLATING THERE, BUT INSIDE IS THE PRESSURE HULL.

\h\h\hTHAT PRESSURE HULL WAS COMPLETELY RUPTURED,

THERE IS A LARGE SPLIT IN IT, \h\h\hAND IT LET IN SEAWATER.

IT WAS UNRECOVERABLE,

SO THE ORDER WAS GIVEN \h\h\hTO ABANDON SHIP.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: 47 MEN ESCAPED IN RAFTS,

BUT FIVE WENT DOWN \h\hWITH THE BOAT,

TRAPPED IN THE TORPEDO ROOM.

\h\hAFTER THE SUB HIT THE SEABED 200 FEET DOWN, THEY BAILED OUT.

\h\hInce: ONCE THE FORWARD TORPEDO ROOM HAD FLOODED,

\h\hTHEY WERE ABLE TO OPEN THE TORPEDO LOADING HATCH

AND SURFACE.

SADLY ONE OF THOSE GUYS \h\h\h\h\h\hPASSED AWAY,

HAVING HELD HIS BREATH \h\h\hAS HE SURFACED,

\h\h\hAND THAT CAUSED TERRIBLE LUNG DAMAGE.

WE THINK THE OTHER TWO DIED \h\h\h\h\h\h\hFROM EXPOSURE.

Narrator: TWO MEN MANAGED \h\hTO ESCAPE AND SURVIVE.

IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT ONLY THREE MEN FROM U-534 DIED.

BUT WHY DID THE CAPTAIN PUT THEIR LIVES AT RISK?

\h\h\hWHY DID U-534 REFUSE TO SURRENDER?

FOR YEARS AFTER THE WAR,

\hTHERE WAS INTENSE SPECULATION THAT SHE WAS CARRYING NAZI GOLD.

THIS LED TO THE SALVAGE \h\h\hOPERATION IN 1993.

BROUGHT UP WITH THE SUB WERE CREW RECORDS AND DOCUMENTS--

\h\h\hEVEN A LEGENDARY ENIGMA CIPHER MACHINE.

BUT THERE WAS NO NAZI GOLD.

THERE WAS, HOWEVER, \hAN AMAZING FIND--

A SECRET REVOLUTIONARY TORPEDO \h\h\h\h\h\h\hCALLED THE T-11.

\h\h\h\h\hInce: THIS WAS CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II.

IT WAS AN ACOUSTIC TORPEDO,

SO IT WOULD LISTEN OUT \h\h\hFOR ITS TARGET.

HERE AT THE NOSE IS WHERE

ALL THE LISTENING EQUIPMENT \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND TECH WAS,

LEADING ONTO THE WARHEAD.

\h\hTHIS WARHEAD, 440 POUNDS OF HEXANITE HIGH EXPLOSIVE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: ACOUSTIC TORPEDOES STRUCK

BY HOMING IN ON THE SHOCKWAVES

CREATED BY A SHIP’S ROTATING PROPELLER.

HOWEVER, THE ALLIES HAD DESIGNED A DECOY KNOWN AS A FOXER--

A DEVICE TOWED BEHIND A SHIP

SIMULATING THE NOISE \h\hOF A PROPELLER.

Ince: THIS VERSION, THE T-11, \h\h\hWAS ACTUALLY INTELLIGENT

AND IT COULD TELL \hTHE DIFFERENCE.

RATHER THAN JUST LISTEN OUT \h\h\hFOR THE LOUDEST SOUND,

\h\h\h\h\hIT WOULD PICK OUT THE ACTUAL SHIP’S PROPELLER

RATHER THAN THE FOXER DEVICE.

Narrator: THIS HIGH-TECH TORPEDO COULD BE THE REASON

\h\h\h\hWHY U-534’S SKIPPER REFUSED TO GIVE UP HIS SUB.

\hONE THEORY IS THAT HE WAS TRYING TO GET IT TO JAPAN--

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hGERMANY’S ALLY STILL FIGHTING IN THE PACIFIC.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hInce: SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SMUGGLING

THIS LATEST WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY OFF TO THEIR ALLIES IN JAPAN.

SHE HAD THE RANGE TO GET THERE.

SHE WAS FULLY FUELED UP, \h\h\h\h\hFULL OF FOOD,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND QUITE EASILY COULD HAVE DONE THAT JOURNEY.

Narrator: BUT IF U-534 HAD MADE IT TO JAPAN,

\h\hIT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO LATE TO ALTER THE COURSE OF THE WAR.

BUT IT WASN’T JUST THE GERMANS.

THE U.S. HAD SURPRISES \h\h\h\hOF THEIR OWN.

THEY WERE GETTING READY FOR A MASSIVE INVASION,

AND A SECRET EXPERIMENTAL VESSEL WAS A KEY PART OF THE PLAN.

\h\h\h\h\hAMONG THE ICONIC WORLD WAR II PATROL BOATS

IN THE BATTLESHIP COVE MUSEUM \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN MASSACHUSETTS

IS AN ODD-LOOKING WOODEN CRAFT.

WHEN THE MUSEUM ACQUIRED IT \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE 1970s,

\h\h\hTHEY BELIEVED IT WAS A JAPANESE KAMIKAZE BOAT,

BUILT FOR SUICIDE MISSIONS \hAGAINST ALLIED WARSHIPS.

\hTHEN, IN 2011, CLASSIFIED CIA DOCUMENTS WERE RELEASED,

\hREVEALING IT TO BE NOTHING OF THE KIND.

THE BOAT WAS NOT JAPANESE, \h\hBUT IN FACT, AMERICAN.

IT WAS A SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE,

\h\h\h\h\hDEVELOPED AND BUILT BY THE FORERUNNER OF THE CIA--

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES--THE OSS.

Donald Shannon: IT WAS DESIGNED TO RUN SHALLOW IN THE WATER

JUST ENOUGH FOR THE GLASS CUPOLA AND THE STACKS

TO BE ABOVE THE WATER.

ONLY TWO OF THESE VESSELS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWERE BUILT.

Narrator: THE MEN WHO DEVELOPED THIS SECRET CRAFT

NICKNAMED IT GIZMO.

♪

\h\h\hGIZMO WAS BUILT FOR THE PACIFIC WAR VERSION OF D-DAY--

AN AMPHIBIOUS INVASION OF JAPAN CALLED OPERATION OLYMPIC.

\hX-DAY, AS IT WAS KNOWN, WOULD BE NOVEMBER 1, 1945.

SUPPORTED BY BOMBERS,

OVER 42 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS \h\h\h\hAND 400 DESTROYERS

WOULD BE INVOLVED.

INTELLIGENCE ON MILITARY BASES \h\h\hNEAR THE INVASION SITES

WAS ESSENTIAL.

\h\h\h\h\hKOREAN SPIES WERE KEY TO OPERATION OLYMPIC’S SUCCESS.

\h\h\h\hKOREA HAD BEEN UNDER JAPANESE CONTROL SINCE 1905,

AND THERE WERE PLENTY OF RECRUITS AVAILABLE.

Shannon: THE IDEA WAS \h\hTHESE TWO VESSELS

\h\h\hWERE GONNA BE OPERATED BY ONE OSS AGENT PILOTING IT

AND TWO KOREAN OPERATIVES \h\h\h\hINSIDE THE VESSEL.

THEY WOULD BE TRANSPORTED IN \h\h\h\h\h\hON A SUBMARINE.

\hTHEY WOULD SNEAK IN AT NIGHT USING A COMPASS WITH NO LIGHT,

NAVIGATE INTO THE BEACH \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF JAPAN,

DROP OFF TWO KOREAN OPERATIVES, RETURN TO THE SUBMARINE,

\hPICK UP TWO MORE KOREAN OPERATIVES

AND MAKE THE TRIP ONE MORE TIME.

A SEVEN-HOUR TRIP WITH THREE MEN IN THIS VERY SMALL VESSEL.

THE STEERING MECHANISM

IS ACTUALLY VERY MUCH LIKE A SIMILAR, LIKE GO-KART--

\hJUST A SMALL HANDLE YOU PUSH BACK AND FORTH FOR THE RUDDER.

Narrator: THE GIZMOS WERE TESTED AT NIGHT, WITHOUT PERMISSION,

OUTSIDE THE LOS ANGELES \h\h\h\h\h\hNAVAL BASE.

IF DISCOVERED, THEY WOULD BE \hTREATED AS ENEMY VESSELS.

\hShannon: THE IDEA WAS TO SNEAK INTO THE NAVAL BASE UNDETECTED--

EVEN THE NAVAL BASE \h\h\hWAS NOT AWARE

THAT THEY WERE SNEAKING IN--

TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE \h\h\hMORE REALISTIC.

\hNarrator: THE GIZMOS SUCCEEDED EVERY TIME,

\hTHANKS TO THEIR INGENIOUS DESIGN.

Shannon: THE LOW PROFILE

\h\h\h\hJUST RUNNING JUST ABOVE THE WATER

WAS ONE WAY TO AVOID THE RADAR.

THE STACKS ABOVE THE WATERLINE

WERE ACTUALLY WRAPPED \h\h\hWITH STEEL WOOL

\hTO ALSO DEFLECT THE RADAR SIGNALS.

\hNarrator: BUT X-DAY AND OPERATION OLYMPIC

NEVER MATERIALIZED.

THE GIZMO TEAMS NEVER MADE IT \h\h\hBEYOND AMERICAN WATERS.

UNKNOWN TO ANY OF THEM,

\hA PARALLEL STRATEGY TO END THE WAR WAS BEING DEVELOPED.

[EXPLOSION]

\h\h\h\h\h\hON AUGUST 6th AN ATOMIC BOMB WAS DROPPED

ON THE JAPANESE CITY \h\h\hOF HIROSHIMA.

JAPAN SURRENDERED \hNINE DAYS LATER.

THE SECRET GIZMO PROJECT \h\h\h\h\hWAS CANCELLED.

BUT 60 YEARS OF INTRIGUE, SPYING AND DECEPTION WASN’T OVER.

IT HAD BECOME PART AND PARCEL \h\h\h\h\h\hOF MODERN WARFARE.

THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

MEANT THAT ALL THAT CREATIVITY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND INGENUITY

WOULD NOW BE DIRECTED \h\hAT A NEW ENEMY...

THE SOVIET UNION.

THE SECRETS AND LIES CONTINUED.