All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S02E06.Secrets.of.the.Alien.Shrine.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

Narrator:
A mysterious concrete giant

Atop a mountain peak...

It looks like a u.F.O.
Or a flying saucer

With a concrete spire
Going above it.

Narrator:
...A fantastical structure

In the middle
Of an american river...

He was an amateur architect.

There were no blueprints.

He actually drew on napkins
And on paper.

Narrator: ...And a technological
Masterpiece lost to the sea.

When you get up
Close you realize

When you get up
Close you realize

That there's a lot more
That meets the eye.

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?

And why were they abandoned?

*

*

*

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

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

Over 5,000 miles away,

High up in the central
Balkan mountains of bulgaria

Is a structure that is
Literally out of this world.

*

*

Through the cold,
Swirling mist, a strange,

Curved concrete surface emerges,
Punctuated by oblong openings.

An amazing structure
That is a little bit mysterious

I think I'd say.

It reminds me of something out
Of a 1970s sci-fi film.

Narrator:
Eerie light and haze pierce the
197-feet-wide decaying copper

Narrator:
Eerie light and haze pierce the
197-feet-wide decaying copper

That covers this abandoned
22,550-ton structure.

It looks like a u.F.O.
Or a flying saucer

With a concrete spire
Going above it.

Narrator: a 230-feet-high
Sheer-sided tower

Punctuates the concrete disc.

But what on earth
Was it used for?

But what on earth
Was it used for?

If you told me it was a control
Center for nuclear missiles,

I'd believe you.

If you told me it was some
Pagan-ist cult worship center,

I'd believe you.

It's confusing.

Narrator: what is this
Extraordinary complex?

And why is it here, abandoned
4,600 feet up

In the central
Balkan mountains?

The answer lies behind
The iron curtain of the 1970s.

The answer lies behind
The iron curtain of the 1970s.

Bulgaria is the soviet union's
Most loyal follower,

Thanks the country's communist
Dictator, todor zhivkov.

To persuade his people
That the communist cause

Is part of bulgarian history,

Zhivkov needs a unifying
Project on a grand scale

That will win their
Hearts and minds.

And its seemingly
Remote location

Is vital to its success.

Is vital to its success.

Bell: the location's important
To bulgarians

Because it's on the site
Of a 19th-century battle

Between bulgarian rebels,

Which became
The communist party,

And the forces
Of the ottoman empire.

Narrator: this bizarre,
Crumbling shell of a building

Is the striking
Buzludzha monument.

Today it lies abandoned
On a mountaintop.

Bulgarian communist
Dictator todor zhivkov

Hopes that this structure
Will ignite nationalistic spirit

And unite his people under
The u.S.S.R. Communist banner.

First impressions
When you see the monument

Are sort of bewilderment.

When you see monuments
There's classical shapes.

This is not classical in anyway.

And so it's strikingly strange.

Bell: for me, buzludzha pretty
Much exemplifies

Bell: for me, buzludzha pretty
Much exemplifies

The methods communists used
To keep people under the thumb

And to exert the power
Over the power

Through their brutalistic
And oppressive architecture.

Narrator: the project begins
On january 23, 1974.

However, creating such
A massive structure

On top of this inhospitable
Mountain range

Is no easy task.

Is no easy task.

Dokrell: constructing anything
Of large size

In a remote area is challenging.

I think it was sort of classical
Socialist will that decided,

You know, "We're gonna build
This building right here,

And no matter what it takes,

We're gonna cart all this
Material up this mountain.

We're gonna dynamite
The top off the mountain,

And this is what
We're gonna do,"

And they did it.

Narrator:
Over 500,000 cubic feet of rock

Is blasted away to level
The top of the mountain,

Dropping its height
By an incredible 30 feet.

Dropping its height
By an incredible 30 feet.

At such high altitude,
The progress of construction

Is at the mercy
Of the elements.

The workers battle
Heavy snowfall, high winds,

And enveloping mists.

They work around the clock
To achieve the build

In the narrow weather window
From may to september.

With such a demanding schedule,

A constant supply
Of materials is vital.

A constant supply
Of materials is vital.

Agrawal: now, this thing's
Made out of concrete,

So you need to get
The aggregates up there,

You need get
The wet concrete up there,

You need mix it up,

Make sure that it's all, you
Know, properly molded together.

You need to get
The formwork up there

So that you can actually
Shape the concrete.

It's really a big
Logistical challenge.

Narrator:
Despite the challenges,
70,000 tons of concrete

And 3,000 tons of steel are used
To construct the monument.

And 3,000 tons of steel are used
To construct the monument.

At its core is a y-shaped base

That takes the whole
Vertical load

Of the unique flying saucer.

Centered around a simple
Interior structure,

The futuristic outer shell
Poses more of a problem.

The design of the monument
Was a great challenge

For the engineers in the '70s.

The shape in the concrete
Was calculated

The shape in the concrete
Was calculated

By computers in moscow.

Agrawal: when you're trying
To make something as curved

And as sinuous as this structure
That we're looking at here,

Then you need to think about,

"Well, how am I actually
Going to achieve that,"

So it's a really interesting
Challenge for engineers,

Especially in that era,

To create these
Really smooth curves

Against which they then
Want to pour the concrete.

Narrator:
An impressive 30 tons of copper

Cladding covers
The roof of the saucer,

Cladding covers
The roof of the saucer,

Which can be heated
To melt heavy snowfall,

Preventing the roof
From collapse.

Agrawal: one of the biggest
Challenges that the engineers

Would have had to consider
In designing

This is the amount of snow

That the roof
Would need to resist,

So having this
Shallow dome shape

Is actually a fairly good shape,

Because it will allow some snow
To kind of move its way off

And to flow off.

Narrator:
The most outstanding elements
Of this construction

Narrator:
The most outstanding elements
Of this construction

Is the tower that soars from
The mountaintop towards the sky.

Its summit takes the load of
2 39-feet-high red glass stars,

Each weighing
A colossal 3.5 tons.

Ivanova: they were the biggest
Illuminated stars in the world.

They could be seen from
Hundreds of kilometers

Away by good weather.

Narrator: no expense is spared

Narrator: no expense is spared

On the lavish interior
Of the structure.

Bell: from the outside you see
This brutalist,

Concrete version
Of the millennium falcon,

But on the inside
The feeling's quite different.

They used 35 tons of mosaic

And stained glass
To decorate the inside

To give it the atmosphere
That they wanted.

The mosaics are not just
For decorative purposes.

The mosaics are not just
For decorative purposes.

Every element
Within the monument

Must be a reminder
Of the communist cause.

From the one side,
Could be seen the faces

Of lenin, marx, and engels,

And from the other side
The bulgarian communist leaders.

Narrator:
A 5,490-square-feet mosaic

Of the sickle and hammer crowns

Of the sickle and hammer crowns

The center of this
Monumental achievement.

It takes seven years,
6,000 volunteers,

And $35 million in today's money
To construct buzludzha.

The grand opening
On august 23, 1981,

Is attended by the world's
Top communist leaders.

The site is immediately
Glorified throughout

The site is immediately
Glorified throughout

The communist world
As a beacon of power.

*

But communism collapses
Seemingly overnight,

And this icon falls with it.

*

Narrator: planted on top
Of a bulgarian mountain peak

Is buzludzha monument,

A powerful symbol
Of bulgarian communist

And its sudden collapse.

Bell: many of the communist
Structures that we see were

Almost monuments
To either individuals

Or to military control,

To the power
Of that communist party.

To the power
Of that communist party.

I mean, they weren't
Necessarily beautiful --

Or maybe they were
Beautiful in their own way.

There was certainly
A lot of concrete involved.

Narrator: this incredible
Structure doubles as

A meeting place for
The bulgarian communist party

As well as a site that draws
Over 3 million visitors.

Today, it sits derelict
And covered in graffiti

On the mountaintop.

People were really impressed
And astonished by the building.

People were really impressed
And astonished by the building.

They still remember,
Until today, their visits.

And in this sense, buzludzha's
A really effective tool

Of creating communist mythology.

Narrator: for eight years,
It serves as the emblem

Of bulgarian communism.

But in 1989,
The demise of the u.S.S.R.

Coupled with todor zhivkov's
Fall from power dooms

The buzludzha monument
To the past,

The buzludzha monument
To the past,

And it is abandoned.

Today buzludzha monument
Is a ruined shell,

Clouded in the mist,

And its future looks bleak.

But maybe its final chapter
Is soon to be written.

On november 24, 2016,

The bulgarian government
Passes a new law

That bans the public display
Of communist symbols.

That bans the public display
Of communist symbols.

So are they going to
Tear it down,

Or will this hill return
To its former glory?

Perhaps future generations
Will have no idea that

For a short period 40 years ago

A powerful icon rose
And fell here.

Bell: say what you like
About eastern europe

Communist regimes.

But they could certainly
Make a statement structurally.

But they could certainly
Make a statement structurally.

*

Narrator: high in
The chugach mountains of alaska

Is one of the world's first
Arctic feats of engineering.

*

Wedged in a glacier-lined gap
178 feet above

Wedged in a glacier-lined gap
178 feet above

The vast flowing copper river

Is this 1,550-feet
Rusting steel structure.

Borer: nothing had ever
Been built like it.

It was one of the greatest
Feats of arctic engineering.

It really required
Some innovative thinking,

And the challenges
Were pretty demonstrable.

Narrator:
Supporting the steel expanse

Are three
6-sided concrete masses,

64 feet long, and 21 feet
Wide at their bases.

64 feet long, and 21 feet
Wide at their bases.

But a closer look reveals
That this mammoth feat

Had structural flaws that
Soon heralded its destruction.

To get all of that material
In a very pristine

Alaskan wilderness
Is truly mind-blowing.

You have these concrete blocks
Coming out of the water.

You have these concrete blocks
Coming out of the water.

Why?

Narrator:
What are these concrete wedges?

And why is this seemingly
Perfect structure abandoned?

The answer lies in its history.

In 1900, alaska is rich
In undiscovered resources.

Deep in the territory's
Wrangell mountains, prospectors

Discover high-grade copper ore

And set up the kennicott mine
To extract it.

And set up the kennicott mine
To extract it.

But that is only
Half the battle.

How will they get all this
Priceless ore to civilization?

The mine's owners, j.P. Morgan
And daniel guggenheim,

Sink $25 million into
The creation

Of the 196-mile-long
Copper river railway.

But they know they have a major
Operation ahead of them.

But they know they have a major
Operation ahead of them.

Jerram:
Whenever you have engineering
Projects in high latitude,

The arctic regions, antarctic
Regions, it's a problem.

It might be easier
To work there in winter

When the ground's more solid.

You've got that dynamic
Problem of a melt season.

As you've got lots of snow,
When you get to summer,

Short summer, you get lots
And lots of water.

So you get big rivers.

So all of these things
Make engineering projects

In such environments
Very, very difficult.

In such environments
Very, very difficult.

Narrator: but how do engineers
Plan to get man and machinery

Across this icy expanse?

*

Narrator: deep in alaska's
Wrangell mountains

Are two formidable
Walls of ice --

The childs
And miles river glaciers.

Barely three miles apart,

They block both banks
Of the copper river.

But how do engineers plan
To span this icy expanse?

But how do engineers plan
To span this icy expanse?

The only solution
Is to build this --

The miles glacier bridge,

Better known
As the million dollar bridge.

The million dollar bridge
Is aptly named

Because that's what
It cost to construct.

It was a completely unique
Engineering challenge.

It was new technology
For everything.

Nobody had a glacier
On both sides of a bridges

Nobody had a glacier
On both sides of a bridges

That's dumping
1,000-ton icebergs

And 100-mile-an-hour winds

And 60-below-zero temperatures
Across a river

That has a current of 10 knots,

Plus the fact access to here
Was near impossible.

Narrator: this impossible bridge
Needs to be light enough

To stretch across the river

But strong enough
To take the strain

Of two fully-loaded trains

Meeting in the middle
Of the span.

Meeting in the middle
Of the span.

To achieve this economically,

Engineers build four
Steel truss bands,

Mounted on three concrete piers.

Agrawal: so this bridge is
A pennsylvania truss bridge.

Now, engineers love trusses

Because
They're full of triangles,

And triangles
Are a strong shape.

It also means you've got
Thinner pieces of steel,

And you're cleverly channeling
Loads and forces through it

And you're cleverly channeling
Loads and forces through it

Into the foundations

To create an efficient structure
And a light structure

And, basically,
Keep the bridge strong.

Narrator: construction of
The miles glacier bridge

Begins in april 1909.

Laborers act fast
Before the melt season

Releases 1,000-ton icebergs

That could sweep away
Their hard work.

This means finishing
In a breakneck 13 months

This means finishing
In a breakneck 13 months

And preparing for the worst.

So how do you stop these
Floating battering rams of ice?

You try and defect them.

You try and stop those
Massive pieces of ice

From actually hitting
The bridge itself.

There's two icebreakers --
One in front of pier one

And one in front of pier three.

They're both approximately
53 feet long, 31 feet wide,

They're both approximately
53 feet long, 31 feet wide,

Buried about 20 feet
Into the bed of the river

And sticking out of the water
At about 18 feet.

The iceberg comes down
And hit that

And are either split
Or deflected by the icebreaker

So that the ice doesn't
Hit the piers themselves.

Narrator: with the bridge
Complete and now protected,

The first 1,200-ton load
Of high-grade copper ore

The first 1,200-ton load
Of high-grade copper ore

Travels across the miles glacier
Bridge in 1911.

For the next 27 years,

The bridge withstands
The elements

To bring its investors
A massive return

And making every dime of its
$1.4 million spend worthwhile.

Dokrell: so, even though
The bridge is called

The million dollar bridge --

For its day,
Which was lot of money --

For its day,
Which was lot of money --

The amount of money
That came out of the mine,

Almost over $200 million,

More than paid
For the extravagant sum

That was spent at the time.

Narrator:
For almost three decades
The bridge is a vital lifeline.

But in november 1938,
Having exhausted its resources,

The kennicott copper mine
Shuts down

And the bridge turns
Into a highway for vehicles.

And the bridge turns
Into a highway for vehicles.

But at 5:36 p.M.

On march 27, 1964,
Disaster strikes.

Can the miles glacier bridge

Survive a catastrophic
Force of nature --

A 9.2 magnitude earthquake.

*

Narrator: near the southeast
Coast of alaska

Stands the miles glacier bridge.

In 1964, it's set to become

A vital piece
Of the new copper river highway.

But at 5:36 p.M.
On march 27th,

A terrifying
Natural disaster strikes --

An earthquake
Of epic proportions.

An earthquake
Of epic proportions.

Jerram: the earthquake
That struck alaska in 1964

Was recorded as the second
Largest earthquake

Ever recorded in human history.

Narrator:
Whole communities are destroyed,

And 139 people are killed
In the 9.2-magnitude quake.

Borer: the '64 earthquake
Knocked down stand four.

It fell down into the water
Basically intact,

It fell down into the water
Basically intact,

But the reason it fell

Is the pier supporting it
Had sliced itself in half

Because there was no structural
Reinforcement in the concrete.

Narrator: for next 40 years,

The engineers wrestle
With a problem.

If the rest of the bridge
Collapses,

It could create
An environmental disaster,

Not only blocking
The copper river below

But poisoning its waters
With its lead coating.

But poisoning its waters
With its lead coating.

The engineers are torn
Between repairing

Or demolishing the bridge.

But its fate is determined
By pure economics.

Borer:
It was less expensive to repair
It than it was to take it out.

An excess of $100 million
Was estimated

To take the bridge out,

And they spent $17 million
On phase one to fix the bridge.

Narrator: in 2004, work begins
To rebuild the damaged pier

Narrator: in 2004, work begins
To rebuild the damaged pier

And raise the fallen span
Back into place.

But despite the repairs,

The bridge is redundant
As the highway it serves

Can no longer reach it.

The miles glacier bridge
Is abandoned.

Today the bridge serves
No purpose,

But remains a tourist attraction

As well as being an
Environmental ticking time bomb.

As well as being an
Environmental ticking time bomb.

It requires upkeep.

It's too expensive
To get rid of,

So what are you
Gonna do with it?

Today the million dollar bridge

Is literally
A bridge to nowhere.

*

Deep in the forests of upstate
New york, hides a remote island

And on it what appears to be
The remnants of a mighty castle.

And on it what appears to be
The remnants of a mighty castle.

*

What is it doing here?

And why has it been forgotten?

When you first see these ruins
It looks like

Just another castle
Over a brooding scottish loch.

The site
Sprawls across the island.

Concealed amongst its trees
Are multiple turrets

Of a derelict castle.

But hidden in this carcass
Are clues to its real function.

But hidden in this carcass
Are clues to its real function.

Gough: so what is its purpose?

The giveaway is in the letter
Along one of its walls.

Narrator: what was this
Impressive fortification

Trying to protect?

And why was it abandoned?

In 1900, the the center
Of new york city,

In 1900, the the center
Of new york city,

Millionaire businessman
Francis bannerman vi

Runs a successful
Military surplus empire.

He needs a warehouse big enough
To house his explosive supplies,

Including some
30 million munition cartridges

Left over from
The spanish-american war.

The city did not want him
To store black powder there

Because it's very, very volatile
And just a small cup

Could blow up
An entire building.

Could blow up
An entire building.

Narrator: 50 miles up the
Hudson river from new york city

Is the solution --

Pollepel island.

Bannerman buys the rocky land
For $600

And creates a series
Of structures

To house his dangerous supplies,

Which evolve into
This mighty fortress --

Bannerman's island arsenal,

Better known
As bannerman's castle.

Gough:
This is no scottish castle.

Gough:
This is no scottish castle.

It's no british stately home
Or ruined french château.

This is an ammunition warehouse.

Narrator: it is close enough to
New york to carry on business

And where his lethal catalog
Of goods won't pose a threat.

Placing his own, unique stamp
On the island,

Bannerman turns
His hand to design.

He was an amateur architect.
There were no blueprints.

He was an amateur architect.
There were no blueprints.

He actually drew
On napkins and on paper.

And when he built
Something he said,

"I want you to build
It up to here,"

And if he didn't like it
He would say, "Break it up"

And put another window
In or something,

And the whole place
Was built like that.

Narrator:
Work starts in spring, 1901,

Blasting away tons of rock

To create a level platform
For a 3-story warehouse.

As business booms, so too does
Bannerman's island creation.

As business booms, so too does
Bannerman's island creation.

In 1905 he constructs two
More buildings and a harbor wall

To receive and store
His expanding arms empire.

But rather than designing them
In a simple fashion,

Instead he draws on his scottish
Heritage for inspiration.

Gough: why did bannerman design
The building like he did?

Well, he was a proud scot,

And he was paying homage
To his homeland.

And he was paying homage
To his homeland.

So anything he'd use to make
The structure look

Sort of castle-esque,
That's what he wanted to do.

Narrator: his building methods
Are anything but ordinary.

To create the harbor, he sinks
Multiple barges filled with junk

And rubble
To act as foundations.

Frank bannerman was
A practical businessman

Who made his fortune
Selling junk.

What does that mean?

It means he never
Wasted a thing.

If he couldn't sell it,
He used it --

If he couldn't sell it,
He used it --

Old bed stands,
Pieces of battleship,

He used them
To reinforce his building.

Narrator: his unconventional
Approach to building

Also extends to all
The structures on the island.

Agrawal: when you think
About the way this building's

Actually been put together,

Which is a complete mishmash of
All kinds of different materials

With a bit of brick and
A very thin layer of concrete

Actually surrounding that --

I mean, that sounds
Questionable enough

I mean, that sounds
Questionable enough

For someone to live
In or to reside in,

But then you put
Explosives in there,

And I think that's, quite
Frankly, a terrible idea.

Will bannerman's explosives
Destroy his castle?

And why was it abandoned?

*

Narrator:
50 miles from new york city
On an island on the hudson river

Is the mysterious and
Abandoned bannerman's castle.

But back in 1908,
It stored one of the largest

Private collections
Of army surplus and ammunition

Ever seen in the united states.

Gough: army surplus stores
Are everywhere today,

But that wasn't
Always the case.

It's thanks to bannerman.

He's the one
Who bought this stuff.

Nobody else cared, and before
Long, hollywood, broadway,

They're turning to him
And him only for their props.

Narrator:
To be closer to his ammunition,

Bannerman moves his family into
His own purpose-built castle.

But the patchwork construction
And the surplus stock

Within lay the foundations
For destruction.

Agrawal:
I love the idea of taking scrap
Bits of metal and material

And making something
Fantastic out of it.

The one thing
I wouldn't recommend

Is doing that
On a structure,

'cause ultimately
If you're gonna live in there

It needs to stand up.

I definitely wouldn't
Want to live there.

Narrator: on august 15, 1920,
Disaster strikes.

Narrator: on august 15, 1920,
Disaster strikes.

His wife was here,
Helen bannerman.

She was up at the residence
Sitting in her hammock,

And as soon as she got up --

She went into the house
To get a cup of tea.

She turned around
And the building blew up...

And a piece of that building
Right in the hammock

Where she was sitting.

Narrator: 200 pounds of black
Powder stored

In the powder house explodes,
Throwing a 25-feet section

Of wall across the river
On to the railway tracks.

Of wall across the river
On to the railway tracks.

But miraculously,
Bannerman's castle

Complex survives the explosion.

For the next 30 years, as
Bannerman's business dwindles,

His island complex
Falls into disrepair

And in 1969 a catastrophic fire

That burns for 3 days
Seals its fate.

Bannerman's castle is abandoned.

Bannerman's castle is abandoned.

*

Today the ruins are
Being stabilized

And bannerman's island

Is becoming a popular
Tourist attraction and venue.

Francis bannerman's
Fantasy castle

Continues to frighten
All those who see it.

Caplan: he left an incredible
Building here, which is an icon.

All over the world people come
And ask about bannerman island.

All over the world people come
And ask about bannerman island.

Gough: clearly, bannerman's
Building is in a state

Of disrepair.

It will require
Millions to restore,

But I think we should
Make the effort

Because this is
A slice of history

That, well, frankly, I don't
Think should be forgotten.

*

Narrator:
Deep beneath a norwegian fjord

Narrator:
Deep beneath a norwegian fjord

Near the port of narvik

Lies a forgotten
Engineering masterpiece.

*

From among the scattered
Debris littering the sea floor,

Rises a corroded bulk
Of metal 37 feet wide.

Bell:
When you first see this massive,

Twisted rusting steel
In the otherwise beautiful

Twisted rusting steel
In the otherwise beautiful

Setting of the norwegian
Fjords you think,

"Hang on -- someone's just
Been dumping junk down here."

Narrator: for over 390 feet,
It climbs towards

The rocky shoreline
Of rombaksfjorden,

Piercing the surface
Of the water.

But something has crushed
And warped this metal.

What force could do that?

Bell: when you get up close
And actually you see

Bell: when you get up close
And actually you see

Just how twisted and mangled
This massive rusty steel is,

You realize it's not just
The roof of someone's shed

That they've lobbed down there
To disintegrate into the sea.

Actually, there's a lot more
Than meets the eye.

Narrator: what is this
Mysterious metal structure

Doing here in the pristine
Nordic wilderness?

And why is it abandoned?

*

*

The answer lies in its history.

On march 1, 1940,

Adolf hitler orders
The invasion of neutral norway,

Intent on obtaining
Essential raw materials

For his growing war machine.

The high-grade iron ore
Flowing from the port of narvik

Is vital to his plans,

But there is a problem.

The large-scale and heavily
Armored british navy

The large-scale and heavily
Armored british navy

Patrol these waters.

To succeed, the germans need
A modern fleet of the fastest

And most maneuverable
Of ships -- destroyers.

They create a warship
That represents

The absolute apogee
Of german technology.

And these destroyers are gonna
Be the best warships on the sea.

Corum: destroyers are not
Mini battleships.

Corum: destroyers are not
Mini battleships.

They are, to some degree,
Expendable weapons

With relatively small crews,

And they're capable of
A multitude of operations.

They're an essential
Part of the navy.

Narrator: the german's ingenious
Solution is this --

A type 1934 destroyers,
the mighty georg thiele.

It is a quantum leap
In warship technology.

It is a quantum leap
In warship technology.

Costing $92 million
In today's money to build,

She enters service in 1937.

bell: the georg thiele was
one of the first of hitler's

New breed of warship

That he believed was gonna
Win him the war in the waves.

It was bigger, it was faster,
And much more heavily armed

Than anything he was
Gonna come up against.

*

*

Narrator: so did this great ship
Turn into a rusting wreck

In this fjord?

*

Narrator: these are remains
of the georg thiele,

One of hitler's destroyers

Spearheading
His invasion of norway.

On april 6, 1940,
georg thiele and 9 other

High-speed destroyers
Head for narvik

With 3,000 elite
Mountain troops on board,

But her design
Is far from perfect.

But her design
Is far from perfect.

The germans build warships
That on paper are excellent,

But on the high seas, they just
Can't perform properly.

narrator: georg thiele's speed
is overshadowed

By a key design flaw --

She is too top heavy, making her
Unstable in rough seas.

To avoid the threat
Of capsizing,

Her fuel tanks have to remain
Just 30% full at all times.

Her fuel tanks have to remain
Just 30% full at all times.

And that's not her
Only weakness.

Bell:
They were so heavy at the front.

They'd really dip into the water
In heavy weather

And take on hundreds
Of gallons of water.

The engines were unreliable,
And the guns were too big.

Narrator:
Armed with 5 5-inch guns,

4 37-millimeter
Anti-aircraft guns,

4 37-millimeter
Anti-aircraft guns,

And 8 21-inch torpedo tubes,

This is one fierce
Fighting machine.

On april 10, 1940,

Georg thiele and the
nine destroyers attack.

They actually very successfully
Landed in a surprise attack

On narvik,
Landed their invasion force,

On narvik,
Landed their invasion force,

Which fairly quickly
Seized the railhead

And the town of narvik,

Drove out
The defending norwegians.

Narrator: but their victory
Is short-lived.

A royal navy attack force
Thunders in to retake narvik.

They're coming with these highly
Tuned german sports cars

Of destroyers,

And they're coming up
Against these clunky

Royal navy
Land rover destroyers.

Royal navy
Land rover destroyers.

And the germans --
They fight very well.

Narrator: the georg
Thiele unleashes hell,

Taking out one
Of the royal navy destroyers,

But in the narrow confines
Of the fjord,

She can't use her superior speed
And firepower to her advantage,

Suffering seven major hits
In the process.

14 of her 325-man crew
Are killed.

14 of her 325-man crew
Are killed.

You're operating
An impossible situation.

You're in an enclosed area,

You can't effectively
Use your torpedos,

And the british
Have brought in cruisers.

Narrator: british firepower
Sends six german destroyers

To the bottom of the fjord.

Trapped,
Low on ammunition and fuel,

The surviving
German destroyers flee.

but the georg thiele
stands defiant.

but the georg thiele
stands defiant.

She fires her last torpedo
As british destroyer

hms eskimo closes in.

georg thiele last torpedo
blow the bow off the eskimo.

*

Britain's navy turns its sights
on the georg thiele.

She is badly damaged
And has no escape.

Bell: so, the only option
They had to ram their ship

As fast as they could
On to the shore.

That would allow their crew
Some chance of escape on to land

And would effectively
Scuttle the ship.

Narrator: the georg
thiele hits the shore
at nearly 40 knots,

Beaching herself
On rombaksfjorden.

*

Bell: what a sight
That must have been.

Bell: what a sight
That must have been.

It's pretty much a third of
The ship that made its way up on

To land to allow its crew
Some chance of escape.

But just a phenomenal sacrifice
That those captains made of --

Of the technology

And, potentially,
Of their crew as well.

Narrator: with the fate
Of the ship sealed,

The crew escape into
The surrounding hills.

Breaking in two, her stern sinks
Deep into the rombaksfjorden

Breaking in two, her stern sinks
Deep into the rombaksfjorden

While the bow rolls
Onto its side.

This german war machine
Now lies mangled and abandoned.

*

Today the twisted steel plate
of georg thiele still lie

In their norweigian backwater.

Never able to unleash her
Superior speed, maneuverability,

And firepower,

And firepower,

She was ultimately
Defeated by the british,

And the surroundings
Finished her off.

Bell: well, in another 20,
30 years or so

It's likely what's left
Will disintegrate

And slip further down

And finally come to rest
On the seabed,

Joining its sister ships
Down there.

Maybe that is a more fitting end
To the last remaining survivor

Of hitler's lost-vanished fleet.