All language subtitles for The.World.From.Above.S02E08.WEBRip.x264-ION10

(wind whooshing)

(inspirational orchestral music)

(bright orchestral music)

(gentle orchestral music)

- [Narrator] Our journey starts

at the historic town of Williamsburg

before moving on to the James River

and the plantation houses along its banks.

Downstream is Jamestown,

where early English settlers
arrived in the 17th century.

From there to the important
historical site of Yorktown

and the English surrender
to George Washington

at the end of the War of Independence.

To the South is Hampton and
the enormous Fort Monroe.

Across the estuary is Norfolk,

the largest Naval Base in the world.

On the coast is the popular
resort of Virginia Beach,

overlooking the entrance
to Chesapeake Bay.

Our journey ends along
the unspoiled peninsula

of creeks and marshes at Assateague Island

and its wild horses.

(bright acoustic guitar music)

The James River runs
right across Virginia,

the tenth state to join the Union.

It was named after Elizabeth the First,

the Virgin Queen of England.

And along the river is much of
the early history of America

and an important part of it
can be seen at Williamsburg.

And in particular, Colonial Williamsburg.

This is an interpretation
of a colonial town

where old buildings have been restored

and others that were lost, recreated.

The idea was for visitors
to feel the atmosphere

and understand the way of life

of the 18th century
colonists and in particular,

to appreciate how the
revolutionary leaders

lived their lives.

Visitors are greeted by
interpreters in colonial dress

who use the language
and diction of the time.

And all the shops and the taverns

are staffed by people
dressed from the past.

The modern age is cut
out in a 300 acre site.

There are no cars and horse
drawn buggies and wagons

drive up and down the streets.

This enormous historical
project was begun in the 1930's

with the generous financial
help of John D. Rockefeller.

Buildings were rescued
and brought to the site

others were restored on their plot of land

and some, like the Governors Palace,

were rebuilt from original plans.

A few, like Bruton Church,

had been standing for nearly 300 years.

And in fact, it was the rector,
the Reverend Doctor Goodwin

who started the successful
campaign to restore Williamsburg,

after raising money to restore the church.

In the 1920's, he realized

that too many of the old buildings
were in a terrible state.

And that unless something
was done about it,

they would be lost forever.

He was introduced to
the Rockefeller family,

who made a major financial
commitment to the project.

It was decided to keep
the whole project secret

while old buildings were
quietly bought and stored

to avoid inflating the
local property prices.

After two years of buying
up 18th century houses,

Goodwin and Rockefeller announced

their plans to create Williamsburg.

Today this living museum
is one of the State's

top attractions, with around
a million visitors a year.

But keeping Williamsburg going
is an expensive operation.

And in 2007, it was decided to sell

the nearby plantation
house of Carter's Grove,

which John D. Rockefeller had
bought in 1969 for the museum.

The house was built in
1755 for Carter Burwell,

and over the next 200 years,

it had a succession of owners

until the Williamsburg Foundation

took over and opened it to the public.

However it was becoming
increasingly difficult

to attract sufficient visitor numbers

as the house was 7 miles
away from the main museum

and so it was decided to sell it off,

with strict controls to ensure the house

and landscape would be fully protected.

(birds chirping)

Along the James River are
many other plantation houses

and Shirley Plantation is the
oldest active one in Virginia.

And one of the oldest family
owned businesses in America,

dating back to 1614.

The present house dates from 1723

and was built for the Hill family.

It's referred to as the Great House

and is largely still
in it's original state.

Tobacco was the main crop and at the time,

the European Market could
not get enough of it.

Slaves were used for economic reasons

as cultivating tobacco
was very labor intensive

and needed to be produced
in large quantities.

In the 18th century, tobacco plantations

spread across the state to satisfy demand.

Slavery was finally abolished in 1865

and those slaves who stayed on,

became hired workers and
known as tenant farmers.

(gentle piano music)

Building by the river was prudent,

as this was a main highway for
exporting and importing goods

in Virginia until the
arrival of the railway.

(gentle orchestral music)

250 years ago, great sailing
ships would take tobacco

from this new world to the
old world across the Atlantic.

Even today, there's a certain
amount of river traffic,

as it is still one of the best ways

of delivering large, heavy loads.

On the East bank is another
estate, the Barkley Plantation.

The Harrison family

built this three story
brick house in 1726.

It was to be the home of
two American Presidents,

William Henry Harrison in 1841

and his son, Benjamin Harrison in 1889.

Barkley is also well
known for three events,

the place where the bugle called Taps

was composed and played
for the first time in 1862.

(somber trumpet music)

The site where the first
bourbon whiskey was distilled

in 1621 and perhaps the most famous event

was when the Barkley Plantation
held the first official

Thanksgiving Day in 1619.

This sense of history can
be felt all along the river.

As a few miles downstream,

where the Jamestown to
Scotland ferry operates

is the first English
settlement in America.

It was established by the
Virginia Company of London

in 1607, 13 years before the
pilgrims on the Mayflower

landed in Massachusetts.

It was here on May the 14th

that 104 men and boys began a settlement

on the banks of the James River

which they named after
King James the First.

(bright medieval music)

The site may have been a good
ones for ships on the river

but the land was marshy, no good for crops

and plagued with mosquitoes.

And on top of that,

the site was in the middle of a chieftain

of about 14,000 Algonquin Indians.

After several years of hardship,

starvation, disease and Indian attacks,

the colony survived and was to become

America's first permanent English colony.

The statue is of Captain John Smith,

one of the early leaders who
is associated with Pocahontas,

the Indian girl who
later became a Christian

and married one of the settlers.

John Smith also championed
what he named, New England

and said, here every man
may be master and owner

of his own labor and land,

if he had nothing but his hands,

he may by industry, quickly grow rich.

Upstream from the original settlement

is a recreated James Fort and harbor,

where visitors can
experience what life was like

for the early settlers.

The living museum was built in 1957,

on the 350th anniversary
of the first landing.

Here people can learn and
experience a number of activities

including tobacco growing,

watching blacksmiths forge metal objects,

practice how to fire a
musket and even try on armor.

And in the small harbor, are
replicas of the three ships

that the settlers arrived in,

they were the Discovery, the Godspeed

and the Susan Constant, the
largest ship of the group.

The ships are seaworthy

and sometimes sail to
other historical events.

On board, visitors can
experience life at sea,

climb into a sailor's bunk, steer the ship

and learn about handling the rigging.

They can see for themselves
the cramped conditions

that the settlers as well
as crew had to endure.

It's all too easy in the modern world,

when we can fly across the
Atlantic in a few hours

to forget how, back in 1607,
it took four and a half months.

(lively marching band music)

15 miles to the East on the York River,

is one of the most
important historical sites

in American History because
it was here at Yorktown,

on October the 19th, 1778,

that the English General
called Cornwallis,

surrendered his forces
to George Washington

and effectively ended the
American War of Independence.

In August of 1781, Washington
learned that the English Army

was encamped at Yorktown.

He marched his army from
New York and on the way,

joined up with French forces,

who were his allies against the English.

The bombardment and
battle was fiercely fought

and eventually hinged on the
English hope of reinforcements,

which did not arrive in time.

And when Cornwallis tried to
retreat across the York River

and escape, he lost his boats in a storm.

With little ammunition left,
he was forced to surrender.

Although the conflict
dragged on for another year,

it was this major English defeat

that eventually saw
the old American Colony

become the new United States.

(birds chirping)

It was not until 1884 that
the monument at Yorktown,

celebrating the victory
was eventually built,

having been authorized a century earlier.

On the top is the figure of Liberty.

(birds chirping)

(gentle flute music)

A few miles to the South is Langley

and one of the oldest continuously working

Air Force Bases in America,
which was established in 1916.

In 2010, Langley Air Force Base

was amalgamated with
the Army's Fort Eustis,

to become joint base, Langley Eustis.

On the Air Force side, it's
home to the 633 Air Base Wing

and the base's mission
is to sustain the ability

for fast, global deployment

and air superiority for the United States

or allied armed forces.

Amongst the many aircraft flown
from here is the F-15 Eagle,

as well as the Lockheed
Martin F-22 Raptor,

which was introduced in 2005.

However at the cost of
around $150 Million dollars

in aircraft, it's future is in jeopardy.

(sweeping orchestral music)

Close by Langley is the
enormous, moated Fort Monroe,

built in the 1830's.

At the time it was referred to as,

the Gibraltar of Chesapeake
Bay for it's strategic position

on the peninsula guarding the James River

as well as the vast Naval Base at Norfolk,

which is coming up next.

Even though Virginia sided with

the South's Confederate
forces during the Civil War,

Fort Monroe remained in the
control of Union forces,

indeed, escaped slaves from the South

were offered a safe haven if
they could make it to the fort.

It was rearmed during the
first and second World Wars

but with the development
of long range bombers,

the fort became obsolete.

But it was only in 2011

that Fort Monroe was
finally decommissioned.

(intense drumming)

Cruising out to sea on patrol,

past Fort Monroe is the
United States Ship Bulkeley,

and Arleigh Burke-class
destroyer, commissioned in 2001.

(dramatic orchestral music)

During it's operations in 2011,

the ship had participated in
capturing 75 Somali pirates

as part of a combined taskforce.

And launched missiles
against targets in Libya.

The USS Bulkeley's home port is Norfolk,

where the US Fleet for the
Atlantic and Indian Oceans

as well as the Mediterranean sea is based.

At the entrance to the Elizabeth
River is Sewell's Point

and Naval Station
Norfolk, which dates back

to when the US entered the
First World War in 1917.

It has an 11 kilometer long
set of piers and wharves

and can accommodate 75
warships which makes it

the largest concentration
of Navy Forces in America

as well as the largest
Naval Base in the world.

And before the age of oil,
all the ships needed coal

and in vast quantities.

Virginia was and still is rich in coal.

And at Landwards point,
is one of the largest

coal trans loading
facilities in the world.

Which has a history
going back to the 1880's.

Further up the Elizabeth River

is the Norfolk Naval
Shipyard, a facility for

building, remodeling and
repairing the Navy ships.

It is the oldest such facility in the US

and actually goes back to
the days of British rule

when it was founded in 1767
and named Gosport Shipyard.

After the War of Independence,
the US Congress passed an act

which took control of the facility.

But the Civil War brought
disaster to the yard,

when Virginia joined
the Confederacy in 1861,

the Union's supporting Commander
ordered it's destruction.

But it was too late and the
Southern Army took it over.

But when they in turn were booted out,

they actually did destroy it.

And it was while it was
being reconstructed,

back in the hands of the Union forces,

that they named it Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

By the time of World War Two,
43,000 personnel were employed

and close to 7,000 ships were built.

After the war, the shipyard
shifted from construction

to repair and today it
is one of the few places

where there is a dry dock large enough

to accommodate a nuclear aircraft carrier.

Lying in a permanent birth in the harbor

is the USS Wisconsin, an
Iowa class battle ship.

She was launched in
1941, weighed 45,000 tons

and had a formidable array of firepower.

Her biggest guns were 16 inches
and there were nine of them.

Which served her well
in the Second World War

and the Korean War.

In 1958, she was mothballed
into the US Reserve Fleet.

But she was brought out of retirement,

reactivated and modernized
in order to take part

in operation Desert Storm
during the first Gulf War.

(seagulls calling)

The Wisconsin was finally
decommissioned in 1991

and brought here to Norfolk to
the National Maritime Center

and opened as a museum.

However, the United States
Congress has ordered

that she must not be altered in any way

that could prevent her
from becoming active again.

She must be preserved in a good condition

and that the Navy should have a plan

for a rapid reactivation
in case she is needed

in a National emergency.

(somber orchestral music)

The city of Norfolk has
had a checkered history

and been destroyed several times,

both by enemy as well as by fire.

In 1776, during the War of Independence,

three British Ships sailed into the harbor

and bombarded Norfolk
for about eight hours.

Over eight hundred buildings were lost

and most of the city caught fire.

It was only just recovering by 1804

when another fire destroyed 300 buildings,

causing a serious economic setback.

During the Civil War,
Norfolk was taken and held

by the Union forces and as at Fort Monroe,

many slaves escaped Confederate lines

and sought freedom in the city

where they were welcomed
and schools set up

so that many of them could
learn to read and write

for the first time.

It was in 1907 during a
Naval review at Sewells Point

at the mouth of the river
that it became clear

the potential of the
harbor as a Naval base.

By 1917 the Naval dock
yard was expanding fast

and the city of Norfolk
prospered as a result.

It was a building at the
Virginia Beach Boulevard in 1922

from Norfolk to the ocean front

that put the city of
Virginia Beach on the map.

It was also the most easily
accessible resort in the state.

(gentle jazz music)

One historic building stands out.

It was constructed in the roaring 20's,

in the age of the Charleston,
the Cavalier Hotel.

This was one of the first luxury hotels

to be built in Virginia Beach and in 1927,

when it opened its doors, it
attracted the rich and famous.

Each room had a special tap for sea water,

as this was considered medically
beneficial at the time.

And in every room there was
also a tap for ice cold water

which came from a large
wooden tub on the roof,

packed with chunks of ice.

And it was not far to
go to enjoy a few hours

on the beach in the sun

or shelter behind an umbrella or two.

Virginia Beach is as popular today

as it was over 90 years ago.

To the North is Cape Henry,

overlooking the entrance
to Chesapeake Bay.

Where two lighthouses have in turn,

been warning ships of danger
for over two hundred years.

The shorter of the two is
the earlier lighthouse,

authorized by the fledgling
US Government in 1792.

It was also the first Federal construction

under the new constitution.

(gentle classical music)

George Washington, the first President,

took an active interest in the project

and indeed, had a hand in picking

the initial lighthouse keeper.

This historic landmark was
built with the same stone

which was used in the
White House in Washington.

It is eight sided and
rises to around 30 meters.

The light on the top used to
be two fish oil burning lamps.

By the 1870's, there were concerns about

the structure's safety and
a new, taller lighthouse

was built close by in 1881.

A hundred years later,

it was fully automated and
it's still active today.

Cape Henry was named after

the eldest son of King James
the First of England in 1607.

Because it was here that the
original settlers in the ships,

Godspeed, Discovery and Susan
Constant had their landfall

after crossing the Atlantic.

And to mark this event

and also give thanks for a safe crossing,

they erected a simple wooden
cross, before heading up river

where they founded the
Jamestown Settlement.

This stone cross was set up in 1935

by the Daughters of the American Colonists

and stands close to what is
thought to be the original site.

(birds chirping)

In the 1960's, it was decided

to build a bridge across Chesapeake Bay

which would also incorporate
two tunnels so that large ships

could get up to Baltimore and other ports.

(gentle music)

There are 19 kilometers of trestle bridge,

two one and a half
kilometers long tunnels,

four artificial islands,
two high level bridges

and roughly three kilometers of causeway.

Since it opened, the bay bridge tunnel

has been crossed by more than
a hundred million vehicles.

The construction cost roughly
two hundred million dollars

and was funded entirely
by selling bridge bonds

and no public money was spent.

Construction had to cope with

severe weather conditions,
including hurricanes

and during the two year building program,

seven workers were killed.

In the 1990's, the trestle bridge sections

were increased to four lanes

but it was considered too
expensive to widen the tunnels.

By law the bridge must
be checked and serviced

every five years but as it
takes five years to complete,

the work never stops.

The bridge joins the main part of Virginia

to a separate peninsula

which is joined to Maryland in the North.

And on the East side is a
wild and beautiful landscape,

especially the bays, inlets
and grass covered marshes.

(gentle classical music)

And running free

in the Chincoteague
National Wildlife Refuge,

are the Assateague horses.

Legend has it, that they
descend from the survivors

of a wrecked Spanish
galleon in the 16th century.

The total heard figure is around 150

and to keep it to that number,

the mares are given a
contraceptive injection.

These white Egrets live
happily alongside the horses

as they feed off the
insects that surround them.

(birds squawking)

This peaceful scene is a good
place to end this journey.

(sweeping orchestral music)

(air whooshing)