Original subtitles

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW, MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

[ BEEPING, DISTORTED MUSIC ]

LABYRINTHS, CODES, AND WITCHES IN THE HEART OF ENGLAND...

I WAS STRUCK IMMEDIATELY BY THE SYMBOLISM.

ONE, MAYBE TWO, I'VE RECOGNIZED.

...THE MYSTERIOUS HEALING POWERS OF THE LAKE FROM MARS...

WHAT IS THIS?

AM I LOOKING AT AN ALIEN LANDSCAPE?

NO. THIS IS RIGHT HERE.

...AND THE TREASURE SHIP THAT APPEARS FROM NOWHERE.

THIS SHIP IS RUMORED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER

BY HORDES

OF CANNIBAL RATS.

BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

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

[ BEEPING ] [ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ] [ WHIRRING ]

[ BEEPING ]

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND.

[ HEARTBEAT ] [ WHIRRING ]

IN THE SPRING OF 1944,

A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE PHOTOGRAPHS

A SET OF CONCENTRIC CIRCLES

SEEMINGLY ETCHED INTO THE GROUND.

OVER 70 YEARS LATER, THE GRAINY IMAGE STILL BAFFLES.

IT LOOKS REALLY ODD.

IT'S REALLY QUITE INTRIGUING.

WHY WOULD THERE BE THESE ALMOST PERFECT CONCENTRIC CIRCLES

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANDSCAPE?

Gough: THIS IS SO WEIRD.

IT REMINDS ME OF CROP MARKS.

EXCEPT THERE ARE NO CROPS TO MAKE THE MARK IN.

IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH IT'S BEEN INSCRIBED

INTO THE GROUND ITSELF.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE IT LOOKS LIKE A GIANT SYMBOL.

BUT, IF SO, WHAT COULD IT MEAN?

YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE IMMEDIATELY THAT

IT'S A WARTIME IMAGE

AND IF IT WAS TAKEN THEN AND IT WAS TAKEN FROM THE AIR,

WHO TOOK IT?

**

Narrator: WARTIME MAPS REVEAL SEVERAL RAF AIRFIELDS NEARBY,

BUT THERE'S NO OBVIOUS REASON AN ALLIED PLANE

WOULD PHOTOGRAPH ITS OWN BACKYARD.

SUSPICION FALLS ON THE ENEMY.

EVEN IN 1944, THE LUFTWAFFE WAS CARRYING OUT

PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS OVER THE UNITED KINGDOM

ON A REGULAR BASIS.

Narrator: JUST 30 MILES TO THE SOUTH OF THE MYSTERIOUS CIRCLES

LIES BLETCHLEY PARK, [ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

THE CENTER FOR ALLIED CODEBREAKING.

HERE, CRYPTOGRAPHERS BUILT THE MACHINE WHICH CRACKED

THE NAZIS' SUPPOSEDLY UNBREAKABLE ENIGMA CODE.

THE FACT THAT THEY WERE UP THERE, PHOTOGRAPHING THIS SPOT,

DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO BLETCHLEY PARK,

IT CERTAINLY INDICATES THAT THE GERMANS KNEW

THAT SOMETHING WAS UP THERE AND THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR IT.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF THIS GIANT SYMBOL COULD BE A MARKER,

CARVED BY NAZI SPIES TO GUIDE ENEMY BOMBERS TOWARDS BLETCHLEY.

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

ALMOST EVERY NATION INVOLVED

HAD CONCERNS OF FIFTH-COLUMN ACTIVITY,

MEANING THAT THERE WOULD BE A COHORT OF PEOPLE

LIVING WITHIN THE COUNTRY THAT WERE HELPING THE ENEMY DIRECTLY,

AND THAT WAS CERTAINLY THE CASE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

WE DO KNOW THAT NAZI SYMPATHIZERS

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR

WOULD USE CERTAIN MARKINGS IN THE LANDSCAPE

TO KIND OF TIP OFF THE NAZIS.

Narrator: BUT THE CIRCULAR FORMATION IS 390 FEET WIDE,

SURELY TOO BIG TO BE A CLANDESTINE SYMBOL.

EVEN CREATING THIS TYPE OF THING

WOULD CERTAINLY ATTRACT A LOT OF ATTENTION.

Narrator: HISTORIAN ANDREW GOUGH DOESN'T BUY THE LUFTWAFFE THEORY.

HE CHECKS WITH AN ARCHIVE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

WHAT THEY TELL HIM CONFIRMS HIS HUNCH.

I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH

AND, ACTUALLY, IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS PHOTO,

IT WASN'T TAKEN BY THE GERMANS AT ALL.

IT WAS PROBABLY TAKEN BY A U.S. PILOT.

I DON'T THINK THIS IS THE WORK OF THE FIFTH-COLUMNIST.

IT LOOKS MORE ANCIENT THAN THAT.

I'M WONDERING IF THIS IS SOME SORT OF PREHISTORIC SITE.

Narrator: GOUGH KNOWS CIRCLES WERE COMMON SYMBOLS IN PREHISTORIC BRITAIN.

PEOPLE OFTEN BUILT CIRCULAR STRUCTURES.

NOT JUST THE WELL-KNOWN STONE CIRCLES,

BUT YOU ALSO HAVE HENGE MONUMENTS.

IT'S CLEARLY UBIQUITOUS IN PREHISTORIC LIFE

THAT PEOPLE WERE OBSESSED WITH CIRCLES.

Narrator: BUT GOUGH'S CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE IMAGE

REVEALS EVIDENCE THAT THE BAFFLING CIRCULAR SYMBOL

MAY HAVE BEEN CREATED MORE RECENTLY.

TO THE SOUTH, ANDREW PINPOINTS A CROSS-SHAPED BUILDING

WHICH HE DISCOVERS WAS BUILT FOR A MYSTERIOUS TUDOR NOBLEMAN:

SIR THOMAS TRESHAM, WHO ALSO OWNED THE LAND

WHERE THE CIRCULAR FORMATION IS FOUND.

**

HE HEADS FOR NORTHAMPTONSHIRE TO INVESTIGATE.

**

LOOK AT THIS THING.

IT'S LIKE IT'S BEEN TELEPORTED.

IT'S LIKE IT'S BEEN BURNT TO THE GROUND,

BUT THERE'S NO SCORCH MARKS.

WHAT IS IT DOING HERE?

**

Narrator: AS THE SIZE OF THE BUILDING SUGGESTS,

THOMAS TRESHAM WAS A MAN WITH BIG AMBITIONS.

HE WAS ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST LANDOWNERS IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

AND WAS LOATHED AND FEARED BY HIS PEASANTS.

HE HAD A PRETTY BAD REPUTATION AMONGST THE LOCALS.

THERE WAS A RIOT THAT TOOK PLACE OUTSIDE OF HIS HOUSE

AND, APPARENTLY, SOME HEDGES WERE DESTROYED.

SIR THOMAS TRESHAM WAS SO ANGERED BY THIS

THAT HE ENDED UP EXECUTING

50 OF THE PEOPLE WHO PERPETRATED THIS ATTACK.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT, KILLING 50 PEOPLE

JUST FOR WRECKING YOUR HEDGES?

[ FLAMES CRACKLING ] [ SHOUTING ]

Narrator: THIS IS A DANGEROUS TIME TO BE ALIVE.

THERE ARE SO MANY PLOTS AGAINST TRESHAM'S QUEEN,

ELIZABETH I,

SHE NEEDS HER OWN SPYMASTER: FRANCIS WALSINGHAM.

HE'S KIND OF LIKE THE NSA

OR LIKE AN FBI AGENT TODAY.

WALSINGHAM EMPLOYS A TEAM OF CRYPTOGRAPHERS.

THEY INTERCEPT CODED LETTERS

UNCOVERING CONSPIRACIES AGAINST THE QUEEN.

**

GOUGH WONDERS IF THE SYMBOLS CARVED ONTO THIS LODGE

COULD BE A REBEL TUDOR CODE.

Gough: I WAS STRUCK IMMEDIATELY BY THE SYMBOLISM.

IT'S SO WEIRD.

I MEAN, YOU HAVE THESE THREE IMAGES

REPEATING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

[ FLASHBULBS EXPLODING ]

I'VE SEEN THESE BEFORE.

AND THEN YOU HAVE THESE REALLY CURIOUS RELIEFS UP HERE

AND THEY'RE IN GROUPS OF SEVEN AND THEY JUST KEEP REPEATING.

ONE, MAYBE TWO, I'VE RECOGNIZED. THEY'RE CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS.

THE REST OF THEM, DON'T THINK SO.

MAYBE ONE OR TWO ARE COAT OF ARMS, BUT THE OTHERS,

THIS IS CRAZY.

Narrator: IF TRESHAM'S SYMBOLS ARE A CODED MESSAGE,

THEN GOUGH CONSIDERS IF THE NEARBY CONCENTRIC RINGS

COULD BE PART OF THE SAME SECRET CODE.

HE CROSSES THE FIELD TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.

**

FROM GROUND LEVEL, THE CIRCULAR PATTERN IS MORE CLEARLY DEFINED.

SOMEONE HAS MOWED PATHWAYS,

HIGHLIGHTING THE TUDOR RINGS BENEATH.

LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF PATH, CURVING AROUND,

BUT THIS IS FRESHLY CUT.

IT'S SYMMETRICAL. SOMEONE'S TAKING CARE OF THIS.

SOMEONE'S LOOKING AFTER IT.

LOOK AT THAT.

WITH AN ENTRANCE AND AN EXIT, THIS HAS GOT TO BE...

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ] ...A LABYRINTH.

Narrator: GOUGH KNOWS THAT LABYRINTHS HAD A SPECIAL PLACE

IN THE TUDOR WORLD.

THEY WERE USUALLY RESERVED FOR THE INTERIORS

OF GRAND CHURCHES OR CATHEDRALS.

BUT THIS LABYRINTH IS MILES FROM ANY CHURCH,

CARVED INTO A MEADOW.

IT WILL NEED ALL HIS INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS

TO UNRAVEL THIS MYSTERY.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ] COMING UP...

SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENING IN THE WILDERNESS...

IT'S LIKE A "GHOSTBUSTERS" MOVIE GOING OFF ON YOU.

...AND ANDREW GOUGH SETS OUT TO BREAK THE CODE.

THE GUY IS OBSESSED WITH THE NUMBER THREE.

HE'S TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING,

BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ] [ WHIRRING ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: ANDREW GOUGH IS IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND,

INVESTING A 70-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY.

A WARTIME AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE PHOTOGRAPH

OF A BAFFLING CIRCULAR SYMBOL

HAS LED HIM TO THE LYVEDEN ESTATE,

WITH ITS STRANGE LABYRINTH

AND TUDOR HUNTING LODGE ADORNED WITH SECRET SYMBOLS.

**

NOW, GOUGH LEARNS IT'S NOT THE ONLY MYSTERIOUS STRUCTURE BUILT

FOR TYRANT SIR THOMAS TRESHAM.

LYVEDEN WAS AMAZING.

NOW, SOMEONE TELLS ME THERE'S ANOTHER LODGE OF TRESHAM'S

NOT FAR FROM HERE, AND IT'S TRIANGULAR.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, BUT I'VE GOTTA CHECK IT OUT.

Narrator: GOUGH IMMEDIATELY CONFIRMS

THE WALLS FORM AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE

AND ITS ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES ARE IN TRIPLICATE.

THERE'S THREE WINDOWS, AND EACH OF THE WINDOWS HAS THREE PANELS.

AND THERE'S THE NUMBER 3 RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

THE GUY IS OBSESSED WITH THE NUMBER THREE.

HE'S TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING.

**

Narrator: GOUGH ARRANGES TO MEET EMILIE MURPHY,

AN EXPERT IN TUDOR CODES AND SYMBOLS.

HE SUSPECTS TRESHAM'S LABYRINTH AND HIS ECCENTRIC BUILDINGS

MUST CARRY HIDDEN MEANINGS.

SIR TRESHAM, IS THIS ABOUT SOME KIND OF SECRET SOCIETY OR A CULT

OR IS IT ACTUALLY WITCHCRAFT?

WELL, WITCHCRAFT AND THE OCCULT

WAS A HUGE CONCERN FOR THE AUTHORITIES.

FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN ELIZABETH I WAS VISITING NORWICH IN 1578,

THEY UNCOVERED A BODY THAT HAD BEEN BURIED

WITH THREE WAX FIGURES.

ONE OF THEM WAS CLEARLY MEANT TO REPRESENT ELIZABETH.

IT HAD "ELIZABETH" CARVED ONTO THE FOREHEAD.

AND ALL OVER THE WAX FIGURES WERE KIND OF

WEIRD KIND OF SYMBOLS

AND WITCHCRAFT WAS THE CONCLUSION.

Narrator: GOUGH LEARNS TRESHAM SPENT 15 YEARS INCARCERATED

IN A BRUTAL TUDOR JAIL, NOT FOR PRACTICING WITCHCRAFT,

BUT FOR BEING A CATHOLIC.

WAIT. HANG ON.

CATHOLICISM IS WORSE THAN WITCHCRAFT?

CATHOLICISM WAS EVEN MORE FEARED

BY THE GOVERNMENT THAN WITCHCRAFT.

-RIGHT. -BEING CATHOLIC MEANT

THAT YOU WERE OBEYING A FOREIGN POWER.

ELIZABETH WAS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

IF YOU WERE A CATHOLIC,

IT MEANT THAT YOU WERE SUPPORTING THE POPE.

Narrator: IN THE LATE 16th CENTURY,

ENGLAND'S CATHOLICS WERE THE ENEMY WITHIN,

SECRETLY PLOTTING TO BRING DOWN THE PROTESTANT QUEEN.

SO, TODAY, WE THINK OF CONSPIRACY

AS IN CODES AND PLOTS AND THINGS LIKE THIS.

THIS IS THE STUFF OF NOVELS AND FANTASY FILMS.

BUT, REALLY, AT THAT TIME, IT WAS THE STUFF OF REALITY.

I MEAN, YOUR RELIGION COULD CAUSE YOUR DEATH.

**

Narrator: NOW, GOUGH CAN PIECE TOGETHER THE MEANINGS

OF THE CODED EVIDENCE ON THE GROUND.

TRESHAM'S HUNTING LODGE REPRESENTS A CRUCIFIX.

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ]

**

THE EMBLEM IHS IS THE SIGNATURE OF THE JESUITS,

THE CATHOLIC ORDER KNOWN AS THE POPE'S FOOT SOLDIERS.

**

THE TRIANGULAR LODGE IS A REPRESENTATION

OF THE HOLY TRINITY.

AND THE LABYRINTH IS A CODED INVITATION TO CATHOLIC PRAYER.

YOU OFTEN SAW THEM IN CATHOLIC CATHEDRALS IN EUROPE.

THEY WERE KIND OF A MANIFESTATION OF A PILGRIMAGE

AS A SYMBOLIC JOURNEY OF YOUR PENANCE.

I MEAN, TRESHAM WAS BEING VERY BOLD IN WHAT HE WAS DOING.

HE WAS PUTTING HIS RELIGION OUT THERE AT A TIME

THAT YOU COULD BE BURNED FOR HAVING A CERTAIN BELIEF

THAT WAS WRONG ACCORDING TO WHO WAS ON THE THRONE AT THE TIME.

Narrator: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LABYRINTH COMES TO THE FORE

WHEN INVESTIGATORS CONFIRM THE ESTATE

WAS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN 1605,

THE SAME YEAR AS THE NOTORIOUS CATHOLIC-BACKED

GUNPOWDER PLOT TO BLOW UP BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

[ FLAMES CRACKLING ]

"REMEMBER, REMEMBER! THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER.

THE GUNPOWDER, THE TREASON, THE PLOT".

I MEAN, THIS WAS THE PLOT THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO KILL KING JAMES

AND AGAIN PUT SOMEONE ON THE THRONE

WHO WOULD REESTABLISH CATHOLICISM AS THE RELIGION.

Narrator: SO COULD THE LABYRINTH IDENTIFIED

IN THE WARTIME RECONNAISSANCE IMAGE

BE LESS OF A CALL TO PRAYER THAN A CALL TO ARMS?

HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS SHED NO LIGHT

ON THOMAS TRESHAM'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE PLOT.

BUT THEY DO REVEAL HIS SON FRANCIS TRESHAM

WAS ONE OF THE CONSPIRATORS.

CATHOLICS DURING THIS TIME PERIOD

WERE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO OVERTHROW

THE PROTESTANT RULERS OF THE LAND.

SO IS THIS SYMBOL AN ATTEMPT AT KIND OF

INCITING SOME TYPE OF AN INSURRECTION

OR IS THIS SIMPLY AN EXPRESSION OF HIS DEVOUT CATHOLIC FAITH?

IT'S A QUESTION WE'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO ANSWER FOR SURE.

[ BEEPING ]

**

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

A GHOST SHIP HAUNTS A CALIFORNIA BEACH.

WHERE HAS THIS THING BEEN FOR GOD KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS?

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: FEBRUARY 2016.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

A MARITIME APPARITION SHOCKS SUNSEEKERS ON CORONADO BEACH.

A SHIP DOESN'T JUST APPEAR OUT OF THIN AIR OVERNIGHT.

Narrator: SATELLITE ANALYSTS SCAN IMAGES OF THE BEACH TAKEN PREVIOUSLY,

BUT FIND NO CLUES TO EXPLAIN ITS SUDDEN APPEARANCE.

ONE MINUTE, IT'S NOT THERE,

AND THEN, THE NEXT MINUTE, IT'S THERE.

Narrator: LOCAL NEWS REPORTS SUGGEST THE TANTALIZING POSSIBILITY

OF TREASURE ONBOARD, BUT THE BIGGEST MYSTERY

IS THE SIMPLEST. [ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

HOW DID IT GET HERE?

[ WIND WHIPPING ]

THE NIGHT BEFORE,

A MAJOR EL NIÑO-CLASS STORM BATTERS CALIFORNIA'S COASTLINE.

EL NIÑO IS A PERIODIC WEATHER PATTERN

THAT CAN BRING WITH IT BIG WINDS AND RAIN,

AND CALIFORNIA'S BEACHES WERE PUMMELED WITH GALE-FORCE WINDS.

Chamberlain: IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF WIND

FROM AN EL NIÑO, THAT'S SERIOUS BUSINESS.

THESE GALE-FORCE WINDS MAY HAVE CRASHED THIS SHIP

INTO THE SHORE.

Narrator: BUT A REVIEW OF THE SHIPPING BULLETINS

CASTS DOUBT ON THIS IDEA.

THERE HAD BEEN NO REPORTS TO THE COAST GUARD

OF A SHIP IN DISTRESS.

THIS BOAT IS 300 FEET LONG, SO YOU WOULD THINK THAT,

IF THERE WAS SOMEONE LIVING ON IT,

THEY WOULD'VE CALLED IN A DISTRESS SIGNAL.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY DEEPENS WHEN A DETAILED EXAMINATION

OF THE AERIAL IMAGES REVEALS THIS SHIP IS SERIOUSLY OLD.

IF YOU LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER, YOU CAN SEE THAT

THIS IS NOT A NEW SHIP.

IT'S BARELY HELD TOGETHER.

IT BELONGS A BYGONE ERA, SO THE QUESTION IS:

WHERE HAS THIS THING BEEN FOR GOD KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

**

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE VESSEL

MAY BE A PHANTOM CRAFT ABANDONED ON THE WAVES.

GHOST SHIPS AREN'T JUST FROM HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS.

THEY'RE ACTUALLY REAL.

**

[ WHIRRING ] THERE ARE LOTS OF TALES

OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS

THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT ABANDONED AT SEA.

**

Narrator: FROM CLOSE ANALYSIS OF THE AERIAL IMAGES,

INVESTIGATORS CALCULATE THE MYSTERY SHIP

IS THE SAME LENGTH AS THE NOTORIOUS

RUSSIAN GHOST SHIP THE LYUBOV ORLOVA...

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

DESERTED IN 2013 ON ITS FINAL VOYAGE

FROM NEWFOUNDLAND TO THE CARIBBEAN.

IT WAS BEING TOWED AWAY FOR SCRAP

AND, ALONG THE WAY, THE TOWLINE BROKE

AND, NOW, THIS SHIP IS FLOATING IN THE OCEAN.

THIS SHIP IS RUMORED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER

BY HORDES OF CANNIBAL RATS.

Chamberlain: I MEAN, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO EAT, RIGHT?

SO IMAGINE THIS GIANT SHIP FULL OF THESE RAVENOUS HORDES

OF CANNIBAL RATS

APPEARING ON YOUR LOCAL BEACH, RIGHT WHERE YOU LIVE.

EW!

Narrator: BUT MANY DOUBT THE LYUBOV ORLOVA

COULD'VE MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO CALIFORNIA ON ITS OWN.

PROBLEM IS THAT THE RUSSIAN CRUISELINER

WAS LEFT IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,

SO, UNLESS THOSE RATS HAVE SOME NAVIGATIONAL ABILITIES

THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE, IT WOULD BE A PRETTY AMAZING FEAT

FOR IT TO GET ALL THE WAY TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN

AND WASH UP IN CALIFORNIA.

**

Narrator: WITH THE AID OF THE WorldView-2 SATELLITE,

ANALYST AMANDA MARCHETTI USES MULTISPECTRAL ANALYSIS

TO FURTHER PROBE THE LOCATION.

I THINK I CAN PEER THROUGH USING THE MULTISPECTRAL TECHNOLOGY

TO ACTUALLY PEER INTO THE WATER COLUMN

AND REALLY GET A FULL VIEW OF THE WRECKAGE.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE SENSORS PICK UP SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS

THAT THE HUMAN EYE CAN'T SEE, REVEALING THE INVISIBLE.

IT'S SOMEWHAT INTACT,

[chuckling] WHICH MEANS IT'S PROBABLY BEEN BURIED

FOR THE MAJORITY OF ITS TIME ON THIS BEACH,

BUT, BECAUSE OF THE SIGNIFICANT EROSION THAT'S OCCURRING

WITH THE EL NIÑO EVENT DURING THIS TIME PERIOD,

I CAN EASILY SEE THAT THE WRECKAGE WAS EXPOSED

AND, NOW, IT'S RAPIDLY BEING BURIED AGAIN.

Narrator: BEFORE THE SANDS ONCE AGAIN COVER THE WRECK,

GROUND-LEVEL EXAMINATION REVEALS AN IMPORTANT CLUE:

THIS SHIP APPEARS TO BE MADE FROM CONCRETE, NOT STEEL.

WHEN INVESTIGATORS CROSSCHECK THIS UNUSUAL DESIGN

WITH RECORDS AT THE SAN DIEGO ARCHIVES,

THEY MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH.

IT WAS ONE OF 12 EXPERIMENTAL VESSELS

BUILT FOR THE U.S. QUARTERMASTER CORPS DURING WORLD WAR I,

WHEN STEEL WAS IN SHORT SUPPLY.

CONCRETE IS HEAVY,

BUT IF MOLDED CORRECTLY, CONCRETE SHIPS DO FLOAT.

THIS ONE STAYED IN SERVICE FOR JUST 2 YEARS

BEFORE IT WAS DECOMMISSIONED AND SOLD ON.

IT TURNS OUT THIS SHIP IS ACTUALLY AN OIL TANKER

THAT WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE MOB IN THE 1930s.

Narrator: THE MOB ISN'T INTERESTED IN OIL.

[ FLASHBULB EXPLODES ] THEY RENAME THE VESSEL

THE SS MONTE CARLO AND LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL.

[ JAZZ PLAYS ] Sanford: THIS SHIP HAD IT ALL,

WHEN IT CAME TO ILLICIT THINGS.

IT WAS A FLOATING CASINO,

A BROTHEL,

AND A SPEAKEASY.

IT WAS A SHIP OF SIN.

**

Narrator: MOB BOSSES ARE CAREFUL TO KEEP THEIR SHIP FAR ENOUGH OFFSHORE

TO AVOID PROSECUTION.

[ HORN BLOWS ]

AN INDIVIDUAL COULD TRAVEL ON THIS SHIP,

OUT INTO INTERNATIONAL WATERS, AND INDULGE ALL OF THEIR VICES

AND THEY COULD DO SO SAFELY AND LEGALLY.

Narrator: IN ITS HEYDAY, 15,000 PEOPLE VISIT THE SS MONTE CARLO

EVERY WEEK.

THE MOB MAKES AN ESTIMATED $3 MILLION A YEAR.

THE LEVEL OF DEPRAVITY GOING ON ON THIS SHIP WAS SO GREAT

THAT THERE WERE LOCAL RELIGIOUS GROUPS

WHO ACTUALLY PRAYED FOR IT TO SINK.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

Narrator: ON NEW YEAR'S DAY 1937,

THOSE PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED.

A BIG STORM BROKE THE SHIP FREE OF ITS MOORINGS.

IT DRIFTED OFFSHORE AND THEN WAS PUSHED BACK INTO THE BEACH.

Narrator: BATTERED BY THE SURF, THE SHIP IS ABANDONED.

**

THE MOB DOESN'T WANT TO CLAIM IT

AND THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY

TO ACTUALLY PAY TO REMOVE IT, SO IT JUST SAT THERE.

Narrator: BY 1940, THE SANDS SWALLOW THE WRECK,

BUT THE MIGHTY STORM NEARLY 8 DECADES LATER

GIVES THE SS MONTE CARLO ANOTHER DAY IN THE SUN.

79 YEARS AFTER IT WAS LOST, THIS POWERFUL EL NIÑO STORM

SCOURED THE SITE OF WRECK OF THIS SHIP

AND REVEALED IT ONCE AGAIN.

**

Narrator: IN ONE FINAL TWIST...

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ] ...IT EMERGES THAT

LOCAL TREASURE HUNTERS RETRIEVED A HOARD

OF SILVER COINS FROM THE WRECK WHEN IT FIRST CAME ASHORE.

**

SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THERE IS STILL $100,000 OF SILVER COINS

IN THE WRECKAGE OF THIS SHIP.

AND NOW THAT IT'S UNCOVERED, IT RAISES QUESTIONS

ABOUT PEOPLE GOING BACK OUT TO THE SITE

AND DIGGING AROUND IN IT TO FIND THE REST OF THESE COINS.

AND, IF THEY DO FIND SOMETHING, THE BIGGER QUESTION IS:

WHO DOES THAT TREASURE BELONG TO?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

A SPOOKY VILLAGE THAT DIED AND NEVER CHANGED...

HOW DO YOU THINK SO LITTLE OF YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING

THAT YOU WOULD DO THAT?

...AND A MYSTERIOUS LAKE BRINGS MARS TO PLANET EARTH.

LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING THAT MIGHT COME OFF OF THE COVER

OF A SCI-FI NOVEL DEPICTING AN ALIEN PLANET.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

[ BEEP ]

[ WHIRRING ] Narrator: JULY 2016.

THE GeoEye SATELLITE PASSES

OVER A REMOTE VALLEY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

AND PHOTOGRAPHS A DRIED-UP LAKE BED

PEPPERED WITH HUNDREDS OF SHIMMERING POOLS.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

IT'S ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING.

YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS, GOING, "WHAT IS THIS?

AM I LOOKING AT AN ALIEN LANDSCAPE?"

IT'S RIDDLED WITH CRATERS, JUST LIKE THE MOON,

BUT THEY'RE SMALL AND LIGHTLY COLORED

AND ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES.

Narrator: THE DRY LAKE IS MORE THAN 2,000 FEET LONG

AND IS WIDER THAN FIVE FOOTBALL FIELDS.

WITHIN IT ARE OVER 300 GLISTENING POOLS.

FROM A SCIENTIST PERSPECTIVE,

THIS LAKE IS PARTICULARLY UNUSUAL.

TO SEE A WHITE CRUST IS PRETTY TYPICAL,

BUT THIS IS REALLY UNUSUAL,

WITH THESE LITTLE CIRCULAR DEPRESSIONS WITHIN THE LAKE.

IT'S A LITTLE WEIRD.

Narrator: EXPLORER GEORGE KOUROUNIS HAS SEEN HUNDREDS OF LAKES

THE WORLD OVER,

BUT NONE LIKE THIS.

IT REMINDS ME OF A SALT LAKE,

BUT THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN THESE CIRCLES.

THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON HERE, SOMETHING UNIQUE.

Narrator: THIS LAKE LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULDN'T EXIST ON PLANET EARTH,

BUT, WEIRDLY, IT LOOKS LIKE LAKES THAT EXIST --

OR USED TO EXIST -- ON MARS.

**

MARS APPEARS DRY NOW, BUT IT DOES HAVE WATER

AND IT ONCE HAD A LOT MORE, COVERED IN LAKES LIKE THIS ONE.

**

WHAT'S SITTING IN THIS LAKE COULD PROVIDE VALUABLE CLUES

ABOUT THE SECRETS OF MARS.

**

-HELLO! -AMY!

Narrator: KOUROUNIS CONTACTS SPACE RESEARCHER AMY SHIRA TEITEL.

FROM WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THIS LAKE,

THIS MIGHT BE ANALOGOUS TO WHAT MARS USED TO BE

WHEN IT WAS A WET PLANET,

INSTEAD OF THE DEAD, DRY ONE WE'VE GOT NOW.

IF WE CAN FIND ANY SIGNS OF LIFE THERE,

THAT MIGHT HELP US UNDERSTAND

WHETHER OR NOT THERE COULD'VE BEEN LIFE ON ANCIENT MARS.

Narrator: THIS STRANGE LAKE FROM MARS SITS IN TERRITORY CONTROLLED

BY THE INDIGENOUS OKANOGAN PEOPLE,

WHO REGARD THE LAKE AS SPECIAL.

THE OKANOGAN BELIEVE THIS LAKE HAS A LOT OF HEALING POWERS.

Narrator: THERE IS A LIMIT TO WHAT CAN BE GATHERED

FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

BUT KOUROUNIS IS CONVINCED THAT, IF HE CAN GO ONSITE

AND EXAMINE THE SPOTTED LAKE UP CLOSE,

HE MAY BE ABLE TO DETERMINE HOW THE WEIRD CIRCLES WERE FORMED

AND SHED LIGHT ON THE SUPPOSEDLY MAGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE WATER.

BUT, FIRST, HE HAS TO VISIT THE HEADQUARTERS

OF THE OKANOGAN NATION ALLIANCE

TO GET PERMISSION FROM THE ELDERS.

OUR LEADERSHIP ARE VERY ACTIVE IN ITS PROTECTION.

WE LIKE TO BE INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING

AND IF THERE IS NOT AGREEMENT, THERE'S NOT AGREEMENT.

**

Narrator: AFTER AN ANXIOUS FEW HOURS...

[ RING ] ...KOUROUNIS GETS THE PHONE CALL

HE'S BEEN WAITING FOR.

YOU HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR ME?

OH, THAT'S GREAT!

KOUROUNIS HAS PERMISSION TO GO TO THE SPOTTED LAKE.

BUT, AS HE APPROACHES,

IT DOESN'T APPEAR AS IT DOES IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

**

THE WATER LEVEL HAS RISEN SIGNIFICANTLY.

THERE HAVE BEEN HEAVY RAINS, BUT, FOR SOME REASON,

THOSE RAINS HAVE NOT DRAINED AWAY,

AS THEY WOULD IN MANY OTHER LAKES.

**

[ BEEP ] [ ROTORS WHIRRING ]

KOUROUNIS USES A DRONE TO GET A BETTER LOOK

AT THE UNEARTHLY SPOTS.

SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED AN EYE IN THE SKY.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

KOUROUNIS ARRANGES TO MEET LEON LOUIS, AN OKANOGAN ELDER,

TO FIND OUT IF THE LEGENDS OF THIS ANCIENT PEOPLE

CAN SHED ANY LIGHT ON THE ORIGIN OF THE LAKE.

Louis: OKAY.

YOU TAKE THE TOBACCO IN YOUR LEFT HAND, 'CAUSE THAT'S --

Narrator: BUT, FIRST, THEY MAKE AN OFFERING TO THE WATERS.

[ SPEAKING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE ]

**

GO AHEAD.

AND I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.

**

Narrator: LOUIS TELLS KOUROUNIS THE LAKE IS PART

OF THE OKANOGAN'S CREATION MYTH,

THE STORY THAT EXPLAINS HOW THE WORLD CAME INTO BEING.

IT IS SAID THAT COYOTE, A GODLIKE CREATURE,

WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNIQUE APPEARANCE OF THE POOLS.

THEY WERE FORMED WHEN HE DROPPED SOME BUFFALO MEAT

AND BONES INTO THE LAKE.

IT STARTED TO BOIL.

AND SO, WHEN IT STARTED TO BOIL,

ALL THAT BROTH CAME UP HERE.

AND, IF YOU'VE EVER BOILED MEAT

AND YOU SEE ALL THOSE LITTLE CIRCLES,

WELL, THIS IS THE MEDICINE

OF THE BUFFALO. -OH.

THAT'S HOW THIS LAKE WAS MADE.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO OKANOGAN LEGEND,

EACH COLORED POOL HAS A UNIQUE MEDICAL POWER.

Louis: THERE'S 365 CIRCLES HERE IN THIS LAKE.

EACH CIRCLE HAS A DIFFERENT HEALING PROPERTY TO IT.

SO, IF YOU HAVE WARTS, YOU MIGHT GO TO ONE TO HEAL;

AND IF YOU HAVE A BODY ACHE OR ANOTHER AILMENT,

YOU MIGHT GO TO ANOTHER.

AMONG THE MANY UNUSUAL FEATURES OF THIS LAKE...

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ] ...IS THE TOPOGRAPHY,

HOW IT LIES IN THE LANDSCAPE.

THE KEY TO THIS LAKE IS THAT IT'S A LAKE

THAT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE ANY OUTFLOW,

EVEN IN TERMS OF GROUNDWATER.

IT'S THE WATER THAT GETS INTO THIS THING STAYS PUT.

Narrator: WHAT'S UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS LAKE

IS THAT THERE ARE NO STREAMS FLOWING INTO IT

AND THERE ARE NO STREAMS FLOWING OUT OF IT.

THE LAKES LIES AT THE BOTTOM OF A SEALED, HOLLOW BASIN.

NORMALLY, THE WATER CYCLE GOES FROM THE HILLS

INTO STREAMS, INTO RIVERS, INTO THE OCEAN,

BUT, BECAUSE IT'S A CLOSED SYSTEM IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES,

THE MELTWATER FROM THE SNOWPACK IN THE WINTER

RUNS DOWN THE HILLS,

PICKING UP SALT ON THE WAY INTO THE LAGOON,

BUT THERE'S NOWHERE FOR THE WATER TO GO,

EXCEPT FOR THROUGH EVAPORATION.

Narrator: WHEN IN HIGH SUMMER, MOST OF THE WATER EVAPORATES.

IT LEAVES BEHIND MARTIAN-STYLE, MULTICOLORED,

INTENSELY SALINE, BRINE POOLS.

SO THE REASON THEY'RE DIFFERENT COLORS IS BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT

DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS AND MIXTURES OF SALTS.

WHEN THE WATER RUNS OFF OF A PARTICULAR PART OF THE HILL,

MAYBE THERE'S A GYPSUM SALT AND IT PULLS A LOT

OF THAT GYPSUM SALT INTO ONE OF THE PONDS;

AND ANOTHER PART OF THE HILL

HAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF MINERAL SALT

AND THAT'LL PULL IT INTO A DIFFERENT POND.

Narrator: THE WATER FOUND IN EACH POOL

RETAINS A DISTINCTIVE MINERAL PROFILE.

SOME POOLS, KOUROUNIS LEARNS, CONTAIN EPSOM SALTS,

WHICH TREAT RHEUMATISM AND ARTHRITIS.

FOR OKANOGAN HEALERS, THE COLOR OF EACH POOL

INDICATES WHICH MINERAL IS PRESENT.

FIRST NATIONS DOCTORS WOULD'VE ACTUALLY USED THEM

AS A PRESCRIPTION PAD.

Narrator: BUT THIS ISN'T THE MOST SURPRISING THING

ABOUT SPOTTED LAKE.

THE WATERS HERE HAVE AMONG THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS

OF SULFATES ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

IT'S LIKE A CHUNK OF MARS HAS SOMEHOW BROKEN OFF

AND TRAVELED 33 MILLION MILES.

AND WHAT'S EXCITING IS THAT SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

THIS MARTIAN-TYPE LAKE COULD CONTAIN MARTIAN-TYPE LIFE.

ANALYSIS OF WATER FROM SPOTTED LAKE

REVEALS THAT TINY ORGANISMS ARE, INDEED, LIVING IN THE POOLS.

**

IT'S LIKE MARS HAS COME TO EARTH.

[ STATIC CRACKLING ]

AND IN THESE WEIRD HOLES ARE CLUES TO LIFE ON THE RED PLANET.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT SOME KIND OF LIFE LIKE THAT

MIGHT BE EXISTING ON MARS,

WHICH WOULD BE AN INSANE DISCOVERY.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

GHOST VILLAGE OF THE DEAD COMES BACK FROM THE PAST...

IT'S ALMOST LIKE THIS IS

LIKE A PLAGUE AREA OR SOMETHING,

AND NOBODY'S GONE IN THERE FOR DECADES.

...AND, SUDDENLY, FROM NOWHERE,

A 6-MILE MYSTERIOUS SCAR IN THE DESERT.

[ FLASHBULBS EXPLODING ] IT'S NOT A SHAPE THAT

YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE FROM SOMETHING THAT

OCCURRED IN NATURE.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ] [ WHIRRING ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ] [ BEEPING ]

Narrator: NOVEMBER 2015.

A NASA SATELLITE PASSES

OVER THE GIBSON DESERT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

IT SPOTS A LARGE, CLEARLY-DEFINED SHAPE

NOT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED.

THIS IS A MAMMOTH SHAPE

OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK.

WHAT WOULD'VE CREATED THIS?

JUST ONE MONTH EARLIER, THERE WAS NO FEATURE HERE;

AND, ONE MONTH LATER, THERE'S THIS ODD-SHAPED FEATURE.

THEN YOU REALIZE IT IS 6 MILES LONG.

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator: THE GIBSON DESERT EXTENDS TO ALMOST 60,000 SQUARE MILES.

IT'S THE FIFTH-LARGEST DESERT IN AUSTRALIA

AND IT'S SO INHOSPITABLE THAT HARDLY ANYONE VENTURES HERE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE PLACES ON EARTH.

THE SHAPE LOOKS LIKE IT HAS BEEN SCORCHED INTO THE SOIL.

INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF IT COULD BE A GIANT BURN SCAR

CAUSED BY A BUSHFIRE.

AS THIS SATELLITE IMAGE OF AUSTRALIA SHOWS,

BUSHFIRES ARE COMMONPLACE IN THE OUTBACK.

THEY COST THE COUNTRY AN ESTIMATED $12 BILLION A YEAR.

THIS IS A DESERT LOCATION

WHERE TEMPERATURES CAN EASILY GET OVER 100°.

WHEN YOU GET THOSE HOT OF TEMPERATURES,

IT DRIES OUT THE VEGETATION.

SO IT DOESN'T TAKE ANYTHING MORE THAN A LITTLE SPARK

TO CREATE A FAIRLY LARGE WILDFIRE.

[ WHOOSHING ]

Narrator: CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE IMAGE REVEALS THE BURN MARKS

ARE UNLIKE THE RESULT OF A TYPICAL BUSHFIRE.

THE SHAPE IS TOO DEFINITE.

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ] BUT THERE IS ONE TYPE OF FIRE

THAT STRIPS AWAY EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH:

WHAT LOCAL EXPERTS CALL A FIRENADO.

[ FLAMES WHOOSHING ]

IT IS A TORNADO MADE OF FIRE AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S MADE UP

OR FROM AN "X-MEN" MOVIE, BUT IT REALLY HAPPENS,

THAT FIRE WILL START SWIRLING,

AND I WONDER IF THIS COULD BE A FIRENADO

MOVING ACROSS THE LAND AND MAKING THAT LONG SCAR.

Narrator: FIRENADOES CAN REACH TEMPERATURES

BEYOND 2,000° FAHRENHEIT

AND CREATE WINDS SO STRONG, THEY KNOCK OVER TREES.

**

Zeitler: IT'S THE SAME CONCEPT AS A TORNADO.

THE DIFFERENCE IS IS THIS IS ON FIRE.

IT'S NOT JUST AIR MOVING AROUND THAT MAY, SAY,

RIP OFF A ROOF OR BLOW DOWN A FENCE,

BUT IT'S ACTUALLY ON FIRE, IN ADDITION TO THE WIND,

SO IT'S SORT OF A DUAL THREAT, SO THEY'RE VERY DANGEROUS.

[ SIZZLING ]

Narrator: REPORTS OF FIRENADOES ARE COMMON IN AUSTRALIA,

BUT THE SCALE OF THE BURN SCAR DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

IN THIS CASE, THE SIZE OF THE FEATURE

WE'RE LOOKING AT ON SATELLITE IS TOO LARGE

FOR IT TO BE ONE OF THESE FIRE WHIRLS OR FIRE TORNADOES.

THEY'RE MORE OF THE SIZE OF, SAY, HALF OF A FOOTBALL FIELD,

50 YARDS, 50 METERS,

AND SO THEREFORE, IT WOULDN'T PRODUCE THAT.

IT'S MORE A WALL OF FLAME THAT WOULD'VE PRODUCED

THE FEATURE WE'RE LOOKING AT.

Narrator: AMERICAN WEATHERMAN SCOTT RUDLOSKY GOES BACK

TO METEOROLOGICAL RECORDS FOR NOVEMBER 2015.

**

[ LIGHTNING CRASHES ]

WHEN WE WENT AND LOOKED AT THE LIGHTNING DATA,

WE FOUND THAT THERE WAS LIGHTNING THAT OCCURRED

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BURN SCAR HERE,

AND SO THIS IS KIND OF A SMOKING GUN,

IN TERMS OF WHAT COULD'VE BEEN THE CAUSE FOR THIS BURN SCAR.

Narrator: SCOTT KNOWS THAT ONLY A MEGALIGHTNING STRIKE

COULD SET OFF SUCH A HUGE FIRE.

MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT LIGHTNING BOLTS

CAN BE REALLY MASSIVE, RIGHT?

THEY'RE ARCING ACROSS THE SKY, 200-MILES LONG.

THE LONGEST LIGHTNING STRIKE, EVER, LASTED ABOUT 8 SECONDS.

IF YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE.

I MEAN, GOOD LORD, THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICAL POWER.

IT'S LIKE A "GHOSTBUSTERS" MOVIE GOING OFF ON YOU.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHING ]

Narrator: SCOTT STARTS TO BUILD A PICTURE OF HOW A FIREWALL

PRODUCED BY A MEGALIGHTNING BOLT COULD'VE CREATED THIS SHAPE.

THE PREVAILING WINDS ARE COMING

FROM NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST IN THIS REGION.

THE ELEVATION IS HIGHER UP HERE IN THE NORTH

THAN IT IS TO THE SOUTH.

THOSE TWO THINGS COMBINE TO SUGGEST

THE FIRE WOULD GROW FURTHER IN THE SOUTH DIRECTION

THAN IN THE NORTH DIRECTION.

[ FLAMES CRACKLING ]

Narrator: BUT SCOTT STILL DOESN'T HAVE THE COMPLETE PICTURE.

HE KNOWS A MEGALIGHTNING STRIKE

COULD'VE IGNITED THE HUGE FIREWALL.

SOMETHING ELSE MIGHT'VE CAUSED IT TO STOP ABRUPTLY,

TO GIVE THE SCAR ITS KNIFE-LIKE EDGES.

HE FINDS NEW DATA, WHICH PROVIDES A POSSIBLE ANSWER.

SIX HOURS LATER,

THERE WAS A MUCH STRONGER STORM THAT CAME THROUGH.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHES ] Narrator: THE SECOND STORM

WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A BAND OF TORRENTIAL RAIN.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHING ]

THIS PRODUCED ENOUGH PRECIPITATION

TO STOP THE FIRE IN ITS TRACKS

AND THAT WOULD HELP TO EXPLAIN THIS SHARP EDGE

ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE BURN SCAR.

[ WHOOSHING ]

Narrator: SCOTT HAS SHOWN HOW THIS UNNATURAL-LOOKING FEATURE

COULD HAVE A NATURAL EXPLANATION.

BUT IF HIS MEGALIGHTNING-STRIKE THEORY IS CORRECT,

THE IMPLICATIONS ARE TERRIFYING.

WE'RE SO LUCKY THAT THIS 6-MILE- LONG SWATH OF DEVASTATION

HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT,

THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, INSTEAD OF, SAY, NEW YORK.

I MEAN, MANHATTAN IS ABOUT 6 MILES LONG.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHING ]

40 YEARS AGO, NEW YORK'S ENTIRE POWER GRID WENT DOWN

DUE TO A LIGHTNING STRIKE

AND THAT CAUSED $300 MILLION IN DAMAGE,

WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A LOT, BUT REMEMBER, YEARS AGO,

OUR LIFE WASN'T RUN BY COMPUTERS.

OUR CARS WEREN'T COMPUTERS.

I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW BAD IT WOULD BE NOW,

TO HAVE 9 HOURS OF BLACKOUT IN NEW YORK CITY.

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ] [ LIGHTNING CRASHING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

A HORROR VILLAGE FROZEN IN TIME...

REALLY STRANGE-LOOKING.

WE MIGHT SEE THESE BUILDINGS IN AN APOCALYPTIC MOVIE.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ] [ WHIRRING ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: A SATELLITE FLIES OVER THE REGION

OF NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE IN CENTRAL FRANCE

AND CAPTURES A GHOSTLY IMAGE.

IT LOOKS AS IF IT'S A COMPLETELY ABANDONED TOWN,

BUT NOT ONLY ABANDONED, COMPLETELY DESTROYED.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THERE WAS RECENTLY A FIRE

THAT SCOURED THROUGH HALF OF THIS COMMUNITY,

SCARRING IT, DESTROYING BUILDINGS, BURNING CARS UP.

Narrator: BUT THERE ISN'T THE CHARRING YOU'D EXPECT FROM A FIRE

AND THERE ARE NO MODERN BUILDINGS.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

SATELLITE ANALYST MARK D'ANTONIO SCOURS THE IMAGE FOR CLUES.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE THIS IS LIKE A PLAGUE AREA OR SOMETHING

AND NOBODY'S GONE IN THERE FOR DECADES.

Narrator: D'ANTONIO TURNS TO IMAGES TAKEN CLOSER TO EARTH.

**

THERE ARE UPTURNED STROLLERS, RUSTING CARS,

AND BULLET HOLES IN THE WALLS.

D'Antonio: IT'S REALLY STRANGE-LOOKING.

WE MIGHT SEE THESE BUILDINGS IN AN APOCALYPTIC MOVIE.

Narrator: BUT, WHEN D'ANTONIO CHECKS HISTORIC RECORDS,

HE DISCOVERS THIS IS NO MOVIE SET,

AND WHAT HAPPENED HERE WAS VERY REAL.

THIS IS ORADOUR-sur-GLANE, A FRENCH VILLAGE...

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ] ...THAT CEASES TO EXIST

ON JUNE 10, 1944.

WHEN YOU ACTUALLY REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS FRENCH VILLAGE,

WHEN YOU ACTUALLY REALIZE THE HORRORS

OF WHAT HISTORY REVEALS TO US,

IT WAS MUCH MORE DEVASTATING THAN ANY EARTHQUAKE OR FIRE.

Narrator: THE DETAILS OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE ARE UNCERTAIN.

THIS IS THE WORK OF THE GERMAN SS

AND WHAT BRINGS THEM HERE IS THE FRENCH RESISTANCE.

[ EXPLOSION ]

THE FRENCH RESISTANCE WOULD SABOTAGE FACTORIES

AND THEY WOULD SABOTAGE RAIL LINES...

[ RAPID GUNFIRE ] ...AND THEY WOULD TRY TO SOW

DESTRUCTION AND CHAOS INTO THE GERMAN SYSTEM OF OCCUPATION.

Harrison: ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE RESISTANCE IS

IT COULD BE ANYONE; IT COULD BE ANYWHERE.

SO THERE WAS THE SENSE OF INSECURITY, OBVIOUSLY,

AMONG THE GERMANS.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S IN THE RESISTANCE.

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]

**

Narrator: ONE CENTER OF RESISTANCE ACTIVITY LIES

25 MILES TO THE SOUTH OF ORADOUR-sur-GLANE.

IT HAS A VERY SIMILAR NAME: ORADOUR-sur-VAYRES.

FOUR DAYS AFTER D-DAY,

SS MAJOR ADOLF DIEKMANN IS ORDERED TO GO THERE.

A FELLOW GERMAN OFFICER IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED

BY THE FRENCH RESISTANCE.

DIEKMANN IS TOLD TO DETAIN 30 HOSTAGES,

AND KILL THEM, IF THE OFFICER IS NOT RELEASED.

HE TAKES A UNIT FROM THE SS DAS REICH REGIMENT,

BUT GOES TO THE WRONG PLACE,

TO THE VILLAGE OF ORADOUR-sur-GLANE.

[ FILM CRACKLING ]

HE GOES IN, DOESN'T FIND THE GERMAN OFFICER

THAT HE'S LOOKING FOR,

AND DECIDES TO RAZE THE VILLAGE ANYWAY.

[ EXPLOSION ] THE SS WAS NOT IN THE BUSINESS

OF TAKING PRISONERS.

THEY WERE IN THE BUSINESS OF KILLING PEOPLE.

Narrator: AT 2:00, THE SS ARRIVES.

EVERYONE IS ROUNDED UP AND TAKEN TO THE VILLAGE SQUARE.

THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE LOCKED INTO THE CHURCH.

197 MEN ARE FORCED INTO BARNS,

WHERE MACHINE GUNNERS ARE WAITING.

THE GERMANS AIM FOR THE LEGS,

THEN DOUSE THE WOUNDED IN GASOLINE.

THE IDEA THAT YOU WOULD SHOOT PEOPLE IN THE LEGS

AND THEN BURN THEM ALIVE SO THEY COULDN'T RUN AWAY,

IT'S OBVIOUSLY THE OUTCOME

OF HAVING AN INCREDIBLY TWISTED,

FANATICAL, MEDIEVALLY CRUEL MIND.

Narrator: THE CHURCH IS PACKED.

THE TRAPPED WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE TERRIFIED.

Carter: I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE SCREAMS, THE CRIES,

CHILDREN HUDDLED UP AGAINST THEIR MOTHER, YOU KNOW,

WONDERING WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.

Narrator: THEN, THE SOLDIERS DETONATE A LARGE INCENDIARY BOMB.

[ EXPLOSION ]

THE ENSUING INFERNO KILLS 240 WOMEN AND 205 CHILDREN.

HOW DO YOU THINK SO LITTLE OF YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING

THAT YOU WOULD DO THAT?

Narrator: THERE ARE NO MASSACRES ON THE SAME SCALE IN FRANCE.

THE SS COMMIT THE MOST SHOCKING CRIMES,

BUT MOST OF THE SLAUGHTER TAKES PLACE IN THE EAST.

THE NAZIS AIM TO EXTERMINATE EUROPE'S JEWISH POPULATION

AND ALL WHO THEY CONSIDER TO BE RACIALLY INFERIOR.

WE TYPICALLY TEND TO ASSOCIATE THESE SORT OF ACTIONS

AS REPRISAL ACTIONS ON THE RUSSIAN FRONT.

THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT MORE SURPRISING,

BECAUSE THE MOTIVATION BEHIND IT IS INCREDIBLY PERPLEXING

AND INCREDIBLY MYSTERIOUS.

SO WHY DID THEY DO IT?

IN MY CAREER AS AN HISTORIAN,

I HAVE FOUND MYSELF STUDYING A NUMBER OF INCIDENTS

THAT LOOK A LOT LIKE ORADOUR-sur-GLANE

AND WHAT I HAVE FOUND IS THAT THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES

THAT REMAIN CONSTANT THROUGH EACH OF THEM,

AND THAT IS THAT THEY TENDED TO DO IT WHEN NO ONE WAS LOOKING.

THEY DID IT UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE THEY COULD THEN

QUICKLY SLIP AWAY FROM THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

AND THEREBY ESCAPE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIVITY.

Narrator: AS THE ALLIED ARMIES APPROACH,

GERMAN OFFICERS FEAR THAT THEY WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

IN AN APPARENT EFFORT TO DISTANCE HIMSELF

FROM THE MASSACRE, DIEKMANN'S SENIOR OFFICER,

SYLVESTER STADLER, ORDERS A COURT MARTIAL,

BUT DIEKMANN DIES BEFORE HE CAN STAND TRIAL.

Harrison: HE WAS IN FACT KILLED IN BATTLE.

HE WASN'T THERE TO BE PART OF AN INVESTIGATION.

THAT WOULD HAVE TO WAIT TO AFTER WORLD WAR II.

Narrator: AFTER THE WAR, THERE ARE SEVERAL TRIALS,

BUT NONE ARE CONCLUSIVE.

THE BIGGEST, IN BORDEAUX, IN 1953,

INCLUDED JUST 21 OF THE 66 SURVIVING SOLDIERS

WHO TOOK PART IN THE MASSACRE.

[ MELANCHOLY TUNE PLAYS ]

THOUGH CONVICTED, NONE SERVED MORE THAN 5 YEARS IN PRISON.

THE SENIOR SS OFFICERS INVOLVED WERE NEVER TRIED.

**

ONE OF THE SADDEST FACTS ABOUT ORADOUR

IS THAT, OVER MANY DECADES,

THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS TO BRING THOSE WHO COMMITTED

THIS REALLY FOUL CRIME TO JUSTICE,

BUT, AS IS SO OFTEN THE WAY WITH THESE NAZI WAR CRIMINALS,

IT APPEARS THAT THE PERPETRATORS HAVE GOT AWAY WITH IT.

Narrator: THE FRENCH BURY THEIR DEAD,

BUT, AS THE SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS,

THEY DECIDE THAT ORADOUR-sur-GLANE

SHOULD REMAIN AS THE SS LEFT IT.

AFTER THE WAR, PRESIDENT CHARLES de GAULLE

DECLARES THIS A MEMORIAL SITE

AS A HAUNTING REMINDER OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

AND THE BRUTALITIES THAT WERE WAGED

AGAINST THE FRENCH POPULATION.

Narrator: THIS VILLAGE, FROZEN IN TIME, REMAINS A POTENT IMAGE.

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR A MEMORIAL,

LIKE THE VILLAGE HAS BEEN TURNED INTO, TO EXIST,

A MEMORIAL THAT WARNS US THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF THING

THAT CAN HAPPEN IN WARFARE.

**