Original subtitles

Narrator: the twisted remains Of a war-torn

Mountainside complex...

This is just such A strange-looking site.

It kind of starts but just Disappears into the forest.

Narrator: ...A secretive Military structure,

Marooned in freezing waters...

Wisdom: it's a place With lots of mystery.

There really aren't Many clues left.

*

Narrator: ...And the stranded Rusting carcass

Of a vessel deserted long ago.

Of a vessel deserted long ago.

There is that slightly Spooky element to it.

You do feel there's A story here somehow.

*

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?

But who built them, and how?

And why were they abandoned?

*

*

-- captions by vitac -- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

[ whirs ]

Narrator: In southeastern europe,

In the hills around sarajevo,

A major city In former yugoslavia,

Is a strange abandoned complex.

Is a strange abandoned complex.

[ whirring ]

*

Weaving its way down the side Of a mountain

Is a network of snow-covered Concrete walls,

Bridges, and channels.

*

Gough: this is such A strange-looking site.

It curves around with these Oblong structures

Coming out of the high wall,

And it kind of starts but just Disappears into the forest.

And it kind of starts but just Disappears into the forest.

Bell: it looks like something From "Mad max,"

The setting for A futuristic game of death.

Narrator: a concrete channel Sits hidden in the forest,

High above the city.

Wisdom: It's covered in graffiti,

And it's stained With algae and decay.

It is a strange place, indeed.

Narrator: It's not the only deserted Structure here.

On different slopes Around the city

On different slopes Around the city

Are other devastated buildings,

And together, They tell a story

Of violence and death.

What were they all built for, And what sinister event

Left them severely damaged And abandoned?

Some of the answers Are linked to the war

That ripped sarajevo apart

Towards the end Of the 20th century.

So was this all built as part of An elaborate military structure?

So was this all built as part of An elaborate military structure?

At first sight, it has all The hallmarks of a damaged

And war-torn defensive line.

Dickrell: this location is Strategically important

Because typically those Who hold the high ground

In a military conflict Have an advantage.

In this case, that was very true

In terms of Artillery positionings

And snipers being able To terrorize the city.

Wisdom: you've got snipers Shooting anybody.

We're not just Shooting soldiers.

We're not just Shooting soldiers.

We're shooting civilians. We're shooting children.

They're shooting people who just Are caught in the crossfire.

It is a ghastly place.

Narrator: These structures, in fact,

Weren't built for war.

They were all involved

In one of the city's Proudest moments.

These are the remains of The 1984 winter olympic venues.

*

Gough: the winter olympics were Extremely important

Gough: the winter olympics were Extremely important

For sarajevo.

For a start, it's the first time That a socialist state

Has hosted the winter olympics.

But for yugoslavia, It was a chance

To put the best foot forward On a world stage.

This gives sarajevo A chance to be seen.

So they really think With that much focus

Coming onto them from abroad, This is going to do wonders

For the yugoslavian Tourist industry.

*

*

Narrator: but as previous hosts Had found out,

The cost of putting on the games

Had a tendency To spiral out of control.

The decaying structures here Tell a story of despair,

Rather than celebration.

So was sarajevo really able To pull it off?

Wisdom: you're going to need To look after the athletes.

You're going to look After everybody

Who's going to come To see the games.

So what they've already got,

They're going to Need to reinvigorate.

Dickrell: sarajevo had to invest A large amount of money

Dickrell: sarajevo had to invest A large amount of money

In both the venues themselves As well as the infrastructure

To handle all of the crowds, So it was quite a daunting task.

Narrator: One of the key sites was This curving concrete channel.

And its position on this Mountain offers a clue

To what it was --

A huge bobsleigh And luge track.

Slavko malec Is a former manager

Of one of the olympic venues.

*

*

[ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: This is one of the steepest Tracks in the world,

Where crews were able To achieve super-high speeds

And had to possess a lot Of skill to avoid flipping over.

But despite All those elements --

The speed, the steepness, And the rest --

It was still considered One of the safest tracks.

[ continues In foreign language ]

Narrator: Today, its crumbling remains

Narrator: Today, its crumbling remains

Peppered with holes Speak only of a deadlier use.

But was this track and the other Sites on the mountain

An olympic success story?

On february 8, 1984,

The world tuned in To find out.

Malec: [ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: the olympics Weren't just successful

In a technical And organizational sense.

It was also A financial success.

The equivalent of a $20 million Surplus speaks for itself.

The equivalent of a $20 million Surplus speaks for itself.

I do not remember Any olympic games

That were so successful, Especially nowadays.

Dickrell: it was the first Winter olympics

To actually make money Since the early 1930s.

So for the people of yugoslavia, It was a great success.

Gough: After the winter olympics,

The facilities continued To be in use.

The luge track, for instance,

Was used in many World cup competitions,

Was used in many World cup competitions,

While the ski resort Went on to become

One of the most popular In the country.

*

Narrator: but the sites today Show that the olympic dream

Was eventually shattered.

So what happened?

Malec: [ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: I never believed that there Could be a war in sarajevo.

Not for one moment Did I believe it could happen.

Life in sarajevo was such that

You could not Foresee war coming here.

You could not Foresee war coming here.

[ concludes In foreign language ]

*

Narrator: So if even the locals

Couldn't predict the outbreak Of armed conflict,

Then what event triggered it?

And why were the olympic sites Dragged into the bloodshed?

*

Narrator: on the hills around The city of sarajevo

Are some of the damaged remains

Of the 1984 Winter olympics venues.

Like everything else here,

They couldn't escape The oncoming bloodshed.

[ explosion ] Just 8 years later, in 1992,

The yugoslav federation Was breaking apart,

And civil war Had engulfed sarajevo.

And civil war Had engulfed sarajevo.

*

[ gunfire ] For 3 years,

Fighting between Bosnia's muslim,

Serb, and croat populations Tore the state apart.

Bell: the bosnian serbs Held the city to ransom,

And the siege lasted 44 months --

The longest siege of a capital City in modern history.

Narrator: The scars can still be seen

In the pockmarked concrete Of those structures,

In the pockmarked concrete Of those structures,

And the mountainside that housed The bobsleigh track

Had a deadly role to play.

*

Malec: [ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: the bobsleigh track Was, in effect,

The front line Between the two sides.

And unfortunately, the track Was both damaged by mortars

And used as An artillery position.

All of the nearby facilities Were destroyed.

*

Narrator: Because of its elevated position Overlooking the city,

Narrator: Because of its elevated position Overlooking the city,

This slope and others Surrounding sarajevo

Became key offensive locations From where artillery

Would unleash a savage Pounding upon the city.

Gough: In the peak of the siege,

300 shells a day rained Down on sarajevo.

Wisdom: The bosnian serb commander says,

"Shell them to the edge Of madness,"

And he's good to his word.

Narrator: the city's Bright future had faded,

Narrator: the city's Bright future had faded,

While whispered accounts Of horrific scenes emerged.

Wisdom: It's the medal podium

Where perhaps some of The most tragic events happened.

Soldiers, when they've Captured people from the town,

They take them To the medal podium,

And there, they are executed.

Narrator: it's even said

That the olympic hotel Was used as a prison.

Bell: So many thousands of people Died during the siege

Bell: So many thousands of people Died during the siege

That they ran out of space To bury them.

In the end, they had to use The olympic arena

As a mass cemetery.

Narrator: the ordeal Finally came to an end

On february 29th, 1996.

But by then, The lives of 11,541 sarajevans

Had already been lost.

Today, while some areas Have been patched up,

The abandoned structures Across this mountain

The abandoned structures Across this mountain

Still display the horrific scars Of a very dark period

In this city's history.

Gough: when you look at what's Left from those winter games,

We have to look at that As a memorial to the spirit

And accomplishment Of the yugoslavian people,

Not to the horrific events That came later.

*

Narrator: In the united states,

100 miles southwest of miami Is a vast abandoned structure.

*

[ whirring ]

*

Narrator: straddling The waters of the florida keys,

This bridge stretches out For almost a mile.

It looks almost like a metal Superstructure on its side.

Bell: it's an amazing ribbon Of steel and concrete.

Bell: it's an amazing ribbon Of steel and concrete.

There's a big gap in the middle Of the structure...

*

...And a smaller gap Towards the southern end.

It doesn't seem to go anywhere. There's nothing on it.

So where did this come from? What was it for?

Narrator: A rusting pipe that runs The length of the lower level

Seems lost amongst The intricate metalwork,

Seems lost amongst The intricate metalwork,

While perched Precariously above

Is a series of badly cracked Concrete slabs.

Could the structure's location Hold the key

To its current state?

Meigs: the florida keys sit Right in the middle

Of hurricane alley.

Southern florida Is target number one.

Narrator: So what was the purpose Of this colossal bridge?

Why was it built here?

Why was it built here?

And why was it left To disintegrate into the sea?

The story is closely linked To a site

Over 1,000 miles away In central america.

At the turn Of the 20th century,

One of the most ambitious Engineering projects in history

Was taking place --

The construction Of the panama canal.

Meigs: It allows ships to come from The pacific into the atlantic,

Into the caribbean Without having to go

Into the caribbean Without having to go

Many thousands of miles Around the horn,

The southern tip Of south america.

It was going to Revolutionize transport.

Narrator: the shortcut suddenly Put key west on the map.

As the most southerly point In the country,

It was perfectly placed To become the gateway to america

For the shipping industry.

But the state of florida Wasn't ready.

Meigs: key west was a pretty Thriving port city.

Meigs: key west was a pretty Thriving port city.

It was one of the largest towns In all of florida.

[ bird calls ] What's interesting is

The rest of florida wasn't very Developed at this time.

It was largely uninhabited Scrubland and swamps.

The grand resorts and cities And disney world --

None of that was there At that time.

[ camera shutter clicks ] Narrator: the main problem

Was that key west Had no transport link

To the mainland,

And the state wasn't about To construct a new one.

So then who built this, And why?

So then who built this, And why?

Park ranger elaine mason Has the answer.

Mason: a man named Henry morrison flagler

Decided to build this bridge.

He had already started building The railroads on the east coast,

And he had gotten to miami,

And then he decided He was going to build

The railroad to key west.

He was the man to do it.

Narrator: These remains span

The most treacherous section Of water

The railroad had to cross.

This is the bahia honda bridge.

This is the bahia honda bridge.

This was one of the biggest Single engineering challenges

Of the entire project because Of the sheer depth of the water.

So, a really challenging Place to build.

Meigs: this was one of the great Engineering innovations

Of that era.

And look at it now. It's still There after 100 years.

*

Narrator: but this bridge was Just one amongst many.

Narrator: but this bridge was Just one amongst many.

The whole route was planned to Stretch 128 miles

From key west All the way to the mainland.

Meigs: This was just an incredibly Audacious undertaking

Because when you look At that map,

You see there's Almost as much water

Between the islands As there is land on the islands.

Bell: just imagine trying to Build bridges over

Around 40 different Stretches of water.

Around 40 different Stretches of water.

[ camera shutter clicks ]

Narrator: In 1905, work began

On what was called The overseas railroad.

To in with a chance of success, It had to be completed

Before the panama canal opened, And if they couldn't cross

The water Around bahia honda key,

Then the whole project Would fail.

Mason: the bahia honda bridge Was the biggest challenge

That workmen faced.

It's almost a mile long.

It's the deepest channel In the keys.

It's the deepest channel In the keys.

It's 30 feet deep.

The currents are very fast,

And you get four changes Of tides a day.

Narrator: and was there Another danger to building

Across this deep water?

Could the missing section Suggest the bridge

Met with a violent end?

*

*

Narrator: at the turn Of the 20th century,

The completion of the bahia Honda bridge

Was critical to the success of The florida overseas railroad.

But the tropical weather would Soon take a turn for the worse.

One of the challenges in the Keys, of course, is hurricanes.

Today, we know a week in advance When a hurricane is coming.

Back then, these things Came out of nowhere.

Back then, these things Came out of nowhere.

They didn't have that kind of Weather forecasting,

So they couldn't Anticipate them.

They couldn't prepare for them,

And many hundred of lives Were lost in the keys.

*

Narrator: During the construction,

Three major hurricanes Struck the bridges,

Killing over 100 workers

And putting the entire Project in jeopardy.

But after 3 years' hard toil,

The bahia honda bridge Successfully stretched

The bahia honda bridge Successfully stretched

The 5,055 feet To the next key.

Would the rest of the overseas Railroad be finished in time?

Mason: it was very difficult Building the bridges.

A lot of it was unknown Territory.

There were mosquitoes, bugs.

The heat was intense.

They had to bring everything -- All fresh water, all the food,

Plus all of the material.

Narrator: finally, in 1912, The bahia honda bridge

Narrator: finally, in 1912, The bahia honda bridge

And the overseas railroad Were ready for use.

It had beaten the construction Of the panama canal by 2 years.

Everybody in the world who was Interested in engineering

Knew about the panama canal.

It was by far the most Impressive work

Of engineering on the planet, But a lot of people thought

That this railroad Was a close second.

*

Narrator: So had it worked?

Did this become the route Into the u.S.?

Did this become the route Into the u.S.?

Mason: Sadly, the dream of the trade

From the panama canal Never materialized.

The ships bypassed key west Altogether,

Went straight to the major ports On the east coast

Or into texas, New orleans areas.

Unfortunately, it never Really made any money,

But it had the tourists going Back and forth to key west.

Then in 1935, The labor day hurricane hit.

[ wind whooshing ]

[ wind whooshing ]

Narrator: Around 250 to 300 men

Working on a new Road-bridge network

Were killed by the storm,

Alongside more than 100 natives Of the keys.

As well as the devastating Loss of life,

The hurricane caused $3 million Worth of damage

To the overseas railroad,

And the company Couldn't afford the repairs.

They sold the entire thing, Lock, stock, and barrel,

To the state, who was Already building a highway.

To the state, who was Already building a highway.

They converted All the old bridges,

And people started driving Their automobiles.

[ camera shutter clicks ] Narrator: by the 1970s,

A larger four-lane highway Was built just beside it.

Two sections were removed From the bahia honda bridge

To allow boat traffic through,

And finally, It was abandoned for good.

Today, the standing remains Of the bahia honda bridge

Today, the standing remains Of the bahia honda bridge

Are the most obvious reminder

Of this incredible Engineering project.

But a few smaller fragments Can still be found.

Mason: a few weeks ago, I was walking on the beach,

And I found this railway spike.

It's over 100 years old.

You can still see the marks of The hammer on the top of here.

It really does Make you think, though --

All the brutally hard work In the hot sun,

Pounding these railroad spikes Into the ground.

There's a whole story In this itself.

*

*

Narrator: in central europe, On the north coast of poland,

Is a mysterious structure Lost at sea.

[ whirring ]

*

Over 1,000 feet From the shore,

This crumbling Concrete building

Dominates the coastal waters.

Bell: with its High observation tower

Bell: with its High observation tower

And isolated position,

It looks like A maximum security prison.

That, or a james bond Villain's lair.

*

Caldwell-evans: The tower is a bit odd.

Then you think, "Well, was this Some kind of lighthouse

Or some kind of marine Research center?"

It was really a skeleton Of what was once

Probably a much larger and much More imposing structure.

Narrator: But what remains above the water

Is only part of the story.

*

Wisdom: there's A sunken walkway nearby.

Wisdom: there's A sunken walkway nearby.

One wonders whether that was In any way

Part of this construction.

It's a place With lots of mystery,

Lots of questions You can ask yourself.

Narrator: so what was this Complex used for?

And why was it finally cut off From the land

And abandoned out at sea?

*

The answers are linked To the nazis' efforts

The answers are linked To the nazis' efforts

To advance their weapons program During the second world war.

When it comes to world war ii, One of the most significant

Weapons systems Deployed was the torpedo.

Normally, we think about The torpedo fired by a u-boat

As being a real potential War winner for nazi germany.

Corum: torpedoes might damage A battleship.

They won't sink it.

But merchant ships, Which are unarmored,

Are easy prey for torpedoes.

Are easy prey for torpedoes.

Narrator: Operating with deadly force

In the battle of the atlantic,

Groups of u-boats Called wolfpacks

Terrorized the allies' Merchant fleets.

But their torpedoes Were unreliable.

Caldwell-evans: u-boats At the beginning of the war

Are finding that 30 percent Of their torpedoes

Are simply not exploding When they're supposed to.

Wisdom: German torpedoes suffered From their proximity detonators.

These were affected by The magnetic core of the earth,

Which meant the torpedo Just went off

Which meant the torpedo Just went off

Well before it should have done.

Caldwell-evans: So you need a lot of critical, Detailed research early on.

And when the war Breaks out in 1939,

Germany has not done That critical research.

Narrator: the germans had To quickly advance

Their torpedo technology.

*

So could this structure Somehow help the nazis

Turn the tide of war?

And why was it built Here in poland,

Hundreds of miles From the action in the atlantic?

*

Narrator: Off the coast of poland

Sits an isolated structure

Once crucial to nazi plans During the second world war.

With the germans struggling To design reliable torpedoes,

This site was built to help Solve the problem.

During the war, it was called Torpedowaffenplatz hexengrund,

Meaning "Torpedo weapons place Of the witch's ground."

Meaning "Torpedo weapons place Of the witch's ground."

*

Local diver Mariusz szymanski

Knows the site well.

*

[ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: The first time I dived

In the torpedo testing station Was in 2001.

It's always been shrouded In mystery.

You can say that it's a very Difficult area for diving

Because there are many dangerous Items left behind in the water.

Because there are many dangerous Items left behind in the water.

There are various parts Of torpedoes

And other Dangerous objects there.

*

Narrator: today, this structure Is known as torpedownia.

But what remains is just A small part of a vast complex.

On shore, the nazis Constructed an airfield,

Manufacturing facilities, A railway yard, and more.

Manufacturing facilities, A railway yard, and more.

Around 2,500 people worked Across the coastal sites

Dedicated to Torpedo development.

*

Wisdom: you had diver Embarkation areas.

You had harbors For small vessels.

You had research facilities, Workshops,

Even living quarters For the staff who worked there.

Narrator: torpedownia Was connected to it all

By a long pier used to bring in The new torpedoes.

Caldwell-evans: All leading to this unique U-shaped building,

Caldwell-evans: All leading to this unique U-shaped building,

Which is there to actually Launch the torpedoes

That are being assembled And tested.

So torpedownia is a crucial Final element.

Narrator: the nazis were relying Heavily on this site

Giving them the advantage In the violent ocean arena.

But why build such A sophisticated research site

Here, hundreds of miles From the battle of the atlantic?

[ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: The torpedo testing station

Was built in 1940 And put into operation in 1942.

This location was chosen As it was a remote place.

It could not be reached By the allied air force.

The goal was to protect this Research and development center,

Which was of great importance As far as creating

Torpedo prototypes Was concerned.

*

Narrator: But these torpedoes were not Destined for u-boats.

Torpedownia was, in fact, Run by the luftwaffe,

The german air force.

These weapons would soon Be strapped

To the underside of an aircraft.

A number of countries Already possessed

Effective aerial torpedoes, Most notably japan,

Effective aerial torpedoes, Most notably japan,

Who had demonstrated Their destructive power

On the u.S. Fleet At pearl harbor.

[ whooshing, explosion ]

[ camera shutter clicks ]

Germany, however, Lagged far behind.

Caldwell-evans: In the early years of the war,

Germany misses A major opportunity

To attack british warships,

Particularly in the campaign Around norway,

And cripple the british fleet.

They simply don't have A viable airdrop torpedo

That can do the job.

*

*

Narrator: The nazi high command demanded That luftwaffe get up to speed,

And this site became The heart of the operation.

*

But developing aerial torpedoes

Presented a whole new Set of challenges.

*

Corum: because torpedoes Are so delicate,

It's difficult enough To fire them from a submarine

Or fire them From a surface vessel.

Dropping them from an air Is a whole different project.

Dropping them from an air Is a whole different project.

You need some kind of apparatus To make it

Fly effectively as it goes From one medium,

The air, into the second medium, The water,

And not start doing All kind of crazy things.

[ splashes ]

Narrator: on the surface, There's little to suggest

That nazis ever developed An effective technology here.

But the secrets of this facility Have begun to be offered up

By the waters below.

*

*

Translator: I hold in my hands A very rare object.

It's an immersion device,

Which was mounted on the warhead At the front of the torpedo.

It's a prototype,

Probably the only in the world That has survived.

Narrator: But it's not only this outer Casing that has survived.

Even some of the more Complicated components

Have remained incredibly Good condition.

Translator: And here's the gyroscope.

Translator: And here's the gyroscope.

It still works. Have a look.

You could say it was like The computer

That controlled The torpedo's trajectory.

It was all up to the gyroscope, Really.

It was the most important Device in the torpedo.

*

Narrator: so with the battle For the domination

Of the seas heating up,

Would the nazis perfect These weapons in time,

Or could the site's Scarred appearance today

Suggest it wasn't safe From allied bombers after all?

Suggest it wasn't safe From allied bombers after all?

*

Narrator: the site Of torpedownia

Today sits abandoned In the freezing polish waters.

But during The second world war,

The nazis pinned their hopes On this site

Giving them the edge Over their enemies.

However, the allies Were closing in.

From here, the new torpedo Prototypes

Would undergo a vital part Of their testing

While the engineers Tracked their progress

While the engineers Tracked their progress

From the watchtower.

[ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: the torpedo On the ramp was pulled down

To a submerged Torpedo launcher.

It was then launched Along a channel

That ran 7 miles Across the bay.

[ concludes In foreign language ]

Wisdom: when they were At the end of their run,

They were caught In torpedo nets.

Divers were then deployed From small boats

Down to the bottom, Recovered the torpedoes,

Down to the bottom, Recovered the torpedoes,

And any adjustments That have been needed

And been observed from The observation tower were made,

And the torpedoes Were tested again.

Narrator: further testing Saw aircraft

Dropping torpedoes Into the bay.

But ultimately, the nazis never Managed to catch up

With the other nations.

In the field, initial success Quickly turned into

Mounting losses, As the allies learned

To defend against low-flying Torpedo aircraft.

If they'd been able to employ

If they'd been able to employ

These airdrop torpedoes Earlier in the war,

It could have had a big effect On the war in the mediterranean,

For example, but it didn't.

Bell: torpedownia was just Too little, too late.

They were never going to get Their torpedo technology

Perfected in time.

Narrator: they had hoped

Torpedownia would be A game changer for the war.

But they were always One step behind,

But they were always One step behind,

And soon enough, With the soviets closing in,

The site was abandoned.

*

Today, the front wall Of the building has disappeared,

Having collapsed Into the sea years ago.

And what remains appears to be On the brink of disintegration,

A visible monument To nazi failure.

Wisdom: When you see torpedownia today,

It reminds you that even The greatest empires

It reminds you that even The greatest empires

Are heavily dependent On technological advancement.

If you don't move fast enough, Technology will fail you,

And that's exactly What happened to the germans

And their torpedo development.

*

Narrator: In the south atlantic ocean,

In the waters Of the falkland islands,

Is a bizarre site --

A deserted sailing ship Stranded on a sandbank.

[ whirs ]

*

*

Here's this rusting carcass Just stuck out there in the bay.

Where did it come from?

Usually, when we think Of a shipwreck,

We think of a ship That's pretty broken up,

But this one looks Pretty intact.

What's it made of? How come it hasn't fallen apart?

*

Caldwell-evans: it's very hard To see what's wrong with it.

There's a bit of damage But not that much.

It almost looks as though You could stick some sails

On that thing And set out of the harbor today.

On that thing And set out of the harbor today.

Narrator: Still almost upright,

She seems to have Defied both time

And the elements to remain Rooted to this spot.

There is that slightly Spooky element to it.

You do feel there's A story here, somehow.

There's something behind This relic of a bygone age

Just sitting, Waiting for its crew to return.

It makes you wonder,

What happened that left it In this sorry state?

What happened that left it In this sorry state?

Was it attacked in war, Or did pirates take it

And just leave it there To be abandoned,

Or did the crew actually mutiny And leave on their own?

Narrator: so how did it all Go wrong for this ship?

And of all the places In the world,

Why is she stranded here In such a remote location?

*

The beginnings of her story Can be found far across the seas

In the second half Of the 19th century,

In the second half Of the 19th century,

When one mighty power Ruled the waves -- britain.

Caldwell-evans: The british empire, the largest Empire the world has ever known,

Was an empire built on trade.

There was simply no way Britain could survive.

Once the industrial revolution Had taken over,

And once britain really stopped Being able to feed itself,

It was heavily reliant on trade,

Bringing food And raw materials in

And exporting its goods

So they could be sold Around the world.

So they could be sold Around the world.

Narrator: to keep The british empire running,

Great numbers of merchant ships Were always needed.

And this was one of Those vital crafts,

the lady elizabeth.

*

Her maiden voyage Came in 1879.

But in an age of steam power, Why does she have three masts?

It all came down to cost.

Meigs: A sailing ship doesn't need

To burn expensive coal.

The wind is free, And as long as you're not

In too much of a hurry, The sailing ship

Will get your cargo To its destination, eventually.

Caldwell-evans: Though it looks very old,

It's actually a much more Modern vessel than you realize,

And that's because Of what it's made from --

The iron plates along the side Rather than timber.

Gough: Iron essentially offers more Bang for your buck than wood,

Gough: Iron essentially offers more Bang for your buck than wood,

So there's more space for cargo,

Which means that each Of your journeys

Is going to be more profitable.

*

Narrator: so what disaster Caused the abandonment

Of such a reliable And profitable ship

So far from home?

And what was the fate Of her crew?

*

*

Narrator: deep in The south atlantic ocean,

In the protected waters Of the falkland islands,

Lies the deserted wreck of the lady elizabeth.

Appearing in surprisingly Good shape

After more than 80 years here,

She evokes eerie memories of the mary celeste,

Another late-19th-century ship Found mysteriously abandoned.

Another late-19th-century ship Found mysteriously abandoned.

*

But life on the seas back then Was no ocean cruise,

as the lady elizabeth soon discovered in 1884

On a treacherous journey From london to sydney.

[ thunder crashes ]

They hit real hurricane force Winds going around the horn,

Which caused a lot Of damage to the ship.

[ thunder rumbling ]

[ thunder rumbling ]

The crew had to fight for hours To survive this storm

And this heavy weather.

All of a sudden, These guys have to climb up

These lines high up the masts

On a ship that's swaying Back and forth.

At one moment, you're out over One side of the boat.

The next moment, You're out over the other side.

It was not uncommon for sailors To fall out of the rigging

And not even hit the boat.

They would just fall Right into the water,

And, of course, there was no way To turn around and pick them up.

[ camera shutter clicks ]

*

Narrator: the lady elizabeth survived,

Narrator: the lady elizabeth survived,

But the narrow escape Had terrified her crew.

The moment they reach port, A number of them jump ship.

They were the lucky ones,

As soon Death would strike the ship

When two sailors Became infected with malaria.

*

All was well until One of the men goes missing.

And word goes around the ship Really quickly that,

And word goes around the ship Really quickly that,

"Hey. He's gone."

And, you know, That creates some concern.

Of course it does, But it got worse that evening

When the other man went missing.

*

Now, there's a state of panic.

Now, they go and they check The lifeboats.

They're all there.

Well, how about the sea? It's not rough.

It's really still.

Nobody really knows What happened to the two men,

And to this day, It remains a mystery.

*

Narrator: but if this ship Could withstand

Narrator: but if this ship Could withstand

Unexplained disappearances

And the worst weather nature Could throw at her,

Then what was it About the falklands

That finally cut her time short?

the end came for the lady 'liz in 1913, her final voyage.

She was doing a fairly long haul All the way from vancouver

To africa carrying timber.

But again, She hit heavy weather.

There was a lot of damage To the ship itself.

Actually, four men were washed Overboard in this

Actually, four men were washed Overboard in this

Appalling weather that she met Going around the southern tip

Of south america, cape horn.

It was so bad, in fact, And there was so much damage

To the ship itself,

The captain decided He had no choice

But to run for The nearest safe harbor.

Narrator: the remaining sailors Fought for their lives

As they battled Through the storm.

But disaster Was about to strike.

As she neared the port,

the lady elizabeth crashed into a rock.

the lady elizabeth crashed into a rock.

[ thunder rumbles ]

Meigs: the ship was headed To a small port

In the falkland islands,

Which are really In the middle of nowhere

In the south atlantic.

And on their way towards The port, they hit a rock.

They knocked a pretty good size Hole in the bottom of the boat.

It started to flood.

Narrator: she had been fatally Wounded below the waterline.

Crawling into harbor with water Pouring in,

This was to be the end Of her days on the open seas.

She was patched up, sold,

She was patched up, sold,

And became a floating warehouse For timber,

Moored in the harbor.

But if she couldn't Be sailed again,

How did she make it across From there

To her final resting place?

Bell: On the 17th of february 1936,

A heavy storm hit the falklands.

lady elizabeth was moored in port stanley,

But her moorings broke loose.

She drifted round To whale bone cove,

Where she beached on the sands,

And that's where she's been ever Since, slowly rusting away.

And that's where she's been ever Since, slowly rusting away.

*

Meigs: what's so interesting And kind of spooky

about the lady elizabeth is it looks so intact.

That's that iron hull.

Usually, when a boat's Been wrecked for,

You know, The better part of a century,

It's really broken down To some pretty scattered pieces.

The masts are still sticking up For the most part,

And it looks pretty intact And dramatic,

Like it just sailed in Maybe just,

Like it just sailed in Maybe just,

You know, not long ago.

*

Narrator: today,

the lady elizabeth's rusting remains

Are a haunting memorial to both The sailors who lost their lives

In the service of this ship

And the perils of sailing Upon the open ocean.

*

meigs: if the lady elizabeth has a moral,

It's that the life of ships

It's that the life of ships

And the life on the sea Is difficult, dangerous,

And often does not come To a happy end.

*