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.

-HUNTING FROM SPACE. -OVER HERE!

Narrator: THE FIGHT TO RID PARADISE OF MONSTER SNAKES.

WE GOT IT!

THESE PYTHON ATTACK ANYTHING THAT'S WARM-BLOODED AND MOVES.

Narrator: CHINA'S SECRET PYRAMIDS.

IT IS ONE OF THE MOST

EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERIES MADE IN THE LAST MILLENNIUM.

Narrator: AND INTO THE HAUNTED SEAS.

WE'RE DEALING WITH THE GRAVEYARD OF SHIPS,

THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

**

**

DECEMBER 14, 2019.

IN ORBIT OVER FLORIDA, EYES IN THE SKY

CAPTURE THE VAST EVERGLADES,

A 5,000-YEAR-OLD WETLAND SYSTEM UNIQUE TO PLANET EARTH

AND ONE THAT'S BEEN INVADED BY MONSTERS.

FLORIDA HAS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THE BURMESE PYTHON.

**

THESE GIANT CREATURES ARE NATIVE TO THE STEAMY

JUNGLES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA BUT HAVE FOUND A HOME IN

THE EVERGLADES THANKS TO SOME EXOTIC PET KEEPERS WHO LOVE

THEIR PETS BUT NOT ENOUGH TO KEEP THEM.

Narrator: THE BURMESE PYTHON IS AMONG THE BIGGEST SNAKES

IN THE WORLD,

GROWING TO 20 FEET AND WEIGHING AS MUCH AS

A BABY ELEPHANT.

AND IN THE EVERGLADES,

A GROWING INFESTATION OF THESE GIANT PREDATORS

IS KILLING EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.

THESE PYTHONS BASICALLY ATTACK ANYTHING

THAT'S WARM-BLOODED AND MOVES.

**

Narrator: TO COMBAT THIS INVADING ARMY,

MILITARY VETERANS HAVE BEEN CALLED IN TO HELP.

TOM RAHILL LEADS A UNIT CALLED THE SWAMP APES.

[ BIRD CALLING ]

-SERGEANT MAJOR! -HELLO, TOM.

ALL RIGHT, GUYS, WE'VE GOT...

Narrator: AND TO TRACK THE ENEMY,

AS IN MODERN WARFARE,

THEY'RE USING SPACE TECHNOLOGY.

THESE PYTHONS,

THIS IS GONNA BE OUR TARGET AREA.

THIS IS WHERE I THINK THE BIG FEMALES ARE.

Narrator: HIDDEN AMONG THE VAST EXPANSES OF VEGETATION

ARE MORE BARREN PATCHES, WHICH DRAW SNAKES TO BASK IN THE SUN.

-SO... -Narrator: RAHILL FORENSICALLY

SCANS THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGES TO

LOCATE THESE AREAS,

THEREBY SAVING COUNTLESS HOURS OF GROUNDWORK.

...SIGN OF THE PYTHON.

NO GOING HOME UNTIL WE GET

A PYTHON TODAY, GENTLEMEN. -LET'S DO IT.

**

[ BIRD CALLING ]

**

Narrator: ARMED WITH PROTECTIVE GEAR,

THE SWAMP APES STRIKE OUT DEEP INTO THE EVERGLADES.

**

RAHILL REVEALS THAT THE FIRST PYTHONS WERE

LIKELY RELEASED

INTO THESE SWAMPS BY PET OWNERS IN THE 1970s.

THEY CAN LAY 100 EGGS AT A TIME AND BREED FOR 20 YEARS.

JACK PYTHON

MET JILL PYTHON, AND...

THAT'S IT.

HUNDREDS OF BABIES, THOUSANDS OF BABIES,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BABIES.

IT'S BEEN A PYTHON BABY BOOM EXPLOSION OUT HERE.

Narrator: UP TO 300,000 PYTHONS NOW STALK THE EVERGLADES.

THEY CAN CATCH AND KILL FARM ANIMALS, DEER,

AND EVEN ALLIGATORS.

IN THOSE AREAS WHERE THE PYTHONS HAVE ESTABLISHED

A POPULATION, IT'S EERILY QUIET.

IT'S A GHOST TOWN.

IT WOULDN'T EAT ME --

I HAVE A PYTHON BARRIER.

Narrator: IN PARTS OF THESE WETLANDS,

THEY HAVE DECIMATED THE NUMBER OF SOME ANIMALS BY OVER 98%.

AERIAL TECHNOLOGY COULD BE THE EVERGLADES'

LAST HOPE.

SO, SERGEANT MAJOR, YOU SEE HERE, THIS ISLAND IS THIS

WE'RE COMING UP ON.

THIS IS WHERE WE WANTED. THIS IS GOOD.

THIS IS GOOD. NICE AND EASY NOW.

BEAUTIFUL.

**

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGE SUGGESTS

A LIKELY BASKING AREA LIES

JUST BEYOND THIS FOREST OF MANGROVE AND SAWGRASS.

THE TEAM MUST BE ON THEIR GUARD.

IT SEEMS PYTHONS AREN'T

THE ONLY GIANT REPTILES IN THE VICINITY.

THIS IS A TURTLE GRAVEYARD UP HERE.

ALL THESE SIGNS THAT THERE'S A GATOR NEAR HERE, FOR SURE.

Narrator: AFTER A FEW HUNDRED YARDS, RAHILL

AND THE SWAMP APES APPROACH THE CLEARING IDENTIFIED

FROM SPACE.

I HEAR SOMETHING UP IN HERE.

HEY!

PYTHON, RIGHT THERE.

TOM, OVER HERE.

OH, I SEE YOU NOW. -THERE HE IS.

WE GOT IT!

I GOT HIM OVER HERE.

COMING MY WAY.

-THERE YOU GO, MAN. -GOT IT.

LOOK AT THAT, MAN. WOO-HOO!

THAT'S A PRETTY ONE.

IT'S A MALE, TOO.

THIS GUY WAS OUT LOOKING FOR A DATE.

LOOKING FOR LOVE.

Narrator: THIS YOUNG MALE WILL SOON REACH SEXUAL MATURITY,

AND LEFT TO ROAM THE SWAMPS, WOULD SIRE COUNTLESS

OTHER PYTHONS.

GOOD JOB, MAN.

**

Narrator: WITH HELP FROM AERIAL IMAGES,

RAHILL AND HIS TEAM HAVE PULLED OVER 1,000 BURMESE

PYTHONS FROM THE EVERGLADES.

Rahill: THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS.

IT PAINS ME THAT THEY HAVE TO BE KILLED,

BUT THERE'S WAY, WAY TOO MANY.

Narrator: SUCH IS THE NUMBER OF PYTHONS HERE THAT RAHILL

FEARS THAT EVEN WITH THE BEST SATELLITE DATA,

ERADICATION IS IMPOSSIBLE.

BUT THERE'S A NEW AERIAL WEAPON ON THE HORIZON

IN THE SNAKE WARS.

PYTHONING IS BENEFITING FROM THE TECHNOLOGY AS IT DEVELOPS.

THERE'S A BOOM GOING ON IN

THE WORLD RIGHT NOW WITH DRONE TECHNOLOGY.

[ DRONE BUZZING ]

Narrator: SCIENTISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY

OF CENTRAL FLORIDA HAVE DEVELOPED A CAMERA THAT CAN

DETECT WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT NOT VISIBLE TO HUMANS THAT

REFLECT OFF A PYTHON'S SCALES.

WE'LL SPOT THE ANIMAL, HOPEFULLY, IN 1/10 THE TIME

THAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR US TO DO ON FOOT.

Narrator: RAHILL HOPES THAT THIS GAME-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY

WILL FINALLY RID PARADISE OF THE INVASIVE PREDATORS.

UNTIL THEN, HE AND THE SWAMP APES

WILL CONTINUE USING SATELLITES IN SPACE

AND MANPOWER ON THE GROUND

TO KEEP THEM IN CHECK.

**

APRIL 4, 2019.

THE WorldView-3 SATELLITE

PASSING OVER NORTHWEST CHINA CAPTURES

AN IMAGE THAT CONTINUES TO PUZZLE ANALYSTS.

Carter: THIS IS ABSOLUTELY BIZARRE.

I SEE THIS

INCREDIBLE GEOMETRIC STRUCTURE,

THIS SQUARE WITH

THESE FOUR SEEMINGLY PERFECT TRIANGLES.

Narrator: DIAGONALLY, THE WEIRD FEATURE

MEASURES 1,500 FEET.

Nelson: THIS IS VERY MYSTERIOUS.

IF I'VE EVER SEEN AN X MARKS THE SPOT, THAT'S THIS.

WHAT IS IT DOING OUT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN CHINA?

Narrator: COMING UP,

ATTACK OF THE METAL SEA MONSTER.

Hymel: BY THE END OF THIS BATTLE,

EVERY FLEET AROUND THE GLOBE HAS BEEN RENDERED OBSOLETE.

Narrator: AND WHAT LIES BENEATH?

TO THINK THAT EXISTS UNDERGROUND IS REALLY TERRIFYING.

Narrator: HIGH ABOVE NORTHWEST CHINA,

A SATELLITE HAS UNCOVERED A MYSTERY.

THIS FEATURE WE'RE LOOKING AT IS ABOUT 1,000 FEET ACROSS.

WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?

Bellinger: IT'S BLENDING INTO THE LAND ITSELF.

WHATEVER IT IS, IT LOOKS LIKE

IT'S BEEN THERE A REALLY LONG TIME.

Narrator: MARK HORTON STUDIES THE IMAGE IN MORE DETAIL.

Horton: IT LOOKS AS IF IT'S A PYRAMID.

CHINA IS NOT FAMOUS FOR ITS PYRAMIDS.

WE THINK OF ANCIENT EGYPT, BUT ACTUALLY

THERE IS THIS EARLY PYRAMID TRADITION

IN CHINA ASSOCIATED WITH THE EARLY CHINESE EMPERORS.

Narrator: CHINA'S PYRAMIDS ARE REGARDED

BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS AS SOME OF

THE MOST MYSTERIOUS STRUCTURES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

[ HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRRING ]

FOR CENTURIES, THEY WERE KEPT HIDDEN FROM THE WEST.

BUT IN 1974, SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY HAPPENS.

PEASANTS, WHO WERE JUST DIGGING, CAME ACROSS THIS INCREDIBLE

LIFE-SIZE STATUE MADE OUT OF CLAY, TERRACOTTA CLAY.

Narrator: THE PEASANTS HAVE UNEARTHED THE FIRST WARRIOR

OF THE MIGHTY TERRACOTTA ARMY.

Horton: THE TERRACOTTA ARMY IS JUST MIND-BOGGLING,

THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS, ALL INTIMATELY CARVED OUT

OF CLAY, EACH ONE IS DIFFERENT.

Narrator: THE 8,000-STRONG ARMY STANDS CLOSE TO

A MONSTROUS 2,200-YEAR-OLD EARTH-COVERED PYRAMID.

THEY GUARD THE UNOPENED AND REPUTEDLY

BOOBY-TRAPPED TOMB OF EMPEROR QIN SHI HUANG.

Hunt: WHEN THE EMPEROR PUT HIS TOMB IN THE LISHAN HILL,

HE DID IT IN SUCH A WAY

TO HAVE THE FOUR GREAT RIVERS OF CHINA

DISPLAYED IN MERCURY, WHICH IS REALLY TOXIC STUFF.

Horton: IT IS ONE OF THE MOST

EXTRAORDINARY ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES MADE

IN THE LAST MILLENNIUM.

**

Narrator: ANALYSTS SUSPECT THAT CHINA'S VAST INTERIOR

CONCEALS MANY PYRAMIDS UNKNOWN TO WESTERN ARCHAEOLOGISTS,

A THEORY SUPPORTED BY AN IMAGE TAKEN

BY U.S. PILOTS FLYING OVER THE COUNTRY

IN 1945.

Kourounis: THEY REPORT SEEING THIS HUGE PYRAMID,

WHITE IN APPEARANCE,

METALLIC IN CONSISTENCY WITH A GEMSTONE CAP ON TOP.

Horton: THIS EXCITED A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST

IN THESE UNDISCOVERED CHINESE PYRAMIDS.

BUT SUBSEQUENTLY, THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WERE

VERY KEEN TO SUPPRESS KNOWLEDGE OF THEM.

Narrator: RECENT RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT,

LIKE THOSE IN EGYPT,

CHINA'S PYRAMIDS ARE ALIGNED WITH THE STARS.

YET THE AUTHORITIES HERE REFUSED TO LET

ARCHAEOLOGISTS STUDY THEM TO FIND OUT WHY.

WHAT'S VERY STRIKING, IF WE COMPARE

THE GREAT WHITE PYRAMID WITH

OUR SATELLITE IMAGERY TO JUST SEE HOW SIMILAR THE TWO ARE.

Hunt: SO WE HAVE TO ASK IF THIS FEATURE

WE'RE LOOKING AT IS ONE OF THESE LOST

PYRAMIDS THAT CHINA IS TRYING TO KEEP SECRET.

Narrator: OTHER ANALYSTS THINK THE STRUCTURE DOES CONCEAL

A SERIES OF UNDERGROUND TUNNELS AND CHAMBERS,

BUT NOT ONES USED TO HOUSE THE REMAINS OF DEAD EMPERORS.

Moran: THE LINES AND SHAPES

REMIND ME OF MILITARY ACTIVITY.

IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THE CROSS AREA,

THERE'S RAISED RECTANGULAR STRUCTURES.

THOSE COULD VERY WELL BE VENTILATION SHAFTS.

THIS COULD BE AN UNDERGROUND MILITARY BASE.

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE SUGGESTS THAT CHINA BEGINS

CONSTRUCTING A SERIES

OF UNDERGROUND BASES IN THE 1950s TO HOUSE

ITS FLEETS OF FIGHTER JETS.

THE CHINESE ARE NO STRANGER TO INCORPORATING

THE USE OF UNDERGROUND FACILITIES

INTO THEIR COMBAT OPERATIONS.

UNDERGROUND BASES ARE HARDER TO HIT,

HARDER TO LOCATE,

HARDER TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator: THIS SATELLITE IMAGE

AND ONES TAKEN OVER THE GOBI DESERT,

FUEL FEARS THE CHINESE ARE CURRENTLY BUILDING A VAST

NUMBER OF SUBTERRANEAN BASES.

BY DRAWING THE FIGHT UNDERGROUND,

BEIJING THINKS ITS TWO-MILLION-STRONG ARMY

CAN NEGATE AMERICAN MILITARY TECHNOLOGICAL SUPERIORITY

IF YOU'RE OUTMATCHED BY YOUR ENEMY ABOVEGROUND,

THEN IT'S A VERY GOOD STRATEGY TO DRAW THEM UNDERGROUND.

AND IN THAT WAY, YOU CAN KIND OF LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD.

Narrator: CHINA IS ALSO KNOWN TO CONCEAL MANY OF ITS NUCLEAR

WEAPONS IN A SERIES OF TUNNELS,

THE SO-CALLED UNDERGROUND GREAT WALL.

THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT THE COUNTRY IS PLANNING

FOR A FUTURE OF SUBTERRANEAN WARFARE

FOR WHICH THE REST OF THE WORLD IS ILL-PREPARED.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A NETWORK OF BASES

AND REALLY MOVE AROUND THE BATTLEFIELD WITHOUT

BEING DETECTED.

Moran: TO THINK THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE AN ENTIRE

PARALLEL MILITARY APPARATUS THAT EXISTS UNDERGROUND IS

REALLY TERRIFYING.

THE U.S. MILITARY IS ACTUALLY ASKING AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES

TO TRAIN

IN THEIR UNDERGROUND TUNNELS TO BE ABLE TO PREPARE

FOR THE UNEXPECTED.

Narrator: BUT MANY WORRY THAT IT'S TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.

Munoz: ONE OF THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGES

OF SUBTERRANEAN WARFARE IS

IF YOU ARE THE ONE WHO'S BUILT

THESE FACILITIES, BUILT THESE TUNNELS,

YOU AUTOMATICALLY HAVE THE ADVANTAGE,

YOU KNOW THE TERRAIN.

Narrator: THE PYRAMID STRUCTURE IN THE IMAGE SITS

INSIDE A HIGHLY SECURE REGION OF CHINA,

SO IT'S HARD TO SAY IF THIS IS A MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT TOMB

OR AN APOCALYPSE PYRAMID PACKED WITH NUKES.

IT COULD TAKE YEARS, MAYBE EVEN DECADES,

TO FIND OUT WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING ON AT THIS MYSTERIOUS

CHINESE STRUCTURE.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, THE CEMETERY OF THE SEAS.

YOU CAN'T SEE IT. IT'S A RING OF DEATH.

Narrator: AND THE MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR DESERT HEISTS.

CRIMINAL GANGS BEGAN DIGGING INDISCRIMINATELY,

JUST LOOKING FOR RICHES.

Narrator: ORBITING THE EARTH

AT 15,000 MILES PER HOUR,

A SATELLITE SCANS A 500,000-SQUARE-MILE

PATCH OF OCEAN TO THE EAST OF FLORIDA.

WE'RE ESSENTIALLY DEALING WITH A MYSTERIOUS PLACE,

OFTEN CALLED THE GRAVEYARD OF SHIPS,

THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.

Narrator: THE ISLAND OF BERMUDA FORMS THE MOST NORTHERLY POINT

OF THE TRIANGLE,

ALSO CALLED THE HOODOO SEA AND LIMBO OF THE LOST.

ALTHOUGH JUST 20 SQUARE MILES IN SIZE,

ITS WATERS CONCEAL OVER 300 SHIPWRECKS.

BERMUDA IS KNOWN AS THE SHIPWRECK CAPITAL OF THE WORLD,

AND THE REASON FOR THIS IS

IT'S SURROUNDED ALMOST ENTIRELY BY CORAL REEF.

AND WHEN YOU'RE SAILING UP TO IT, YOU CAN'T SEE IT.

IT'S A RING OF DEATH.

Narrator: AN IMAGE TAKEN ON APRIL 26, 2019, CAPTURES

A RARE AERIAL GLIMPSE OF ONE OF THE TRIANGLE'S

MANY VICTIMS.

Hunt: SO MANY SHIPS HAVE DISAPPEARED

UNDER STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES,

HERE'S ONE TANTALIZINGLY CLOSE TO THE SURFACE.

Narrator: THIS SHIP DID NOT FOUNDER ON THE REEF.

IN FACT, IT SITS BETWEEN TWO WALLS OF CORAL.

IT'S LIKE THIS SHIP JUST GOT TURNED SIDEWAYS

AND SUNK ALL OF A SUDDEN.

Joyce: THIS ISN'T A TYPICAL SHIPWRECK.

THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT MUST HAVE OCCURRED HERE.

Narrator: KEN JOYCE SCANS THE VESSEL USING

MAXAR'S SecureWatch SOFTWARE.

SOMETHING FUNNY HAPPENS AS I GO

TO MEASURE THE LENGTH OF THE SHIP.

I CAN SEE WHERE THE BOW EXTENDS UNDER THE WATER.

I ONLY SEE THIS DESIGN FOR SHIPS IN SPECIFIC

NAVAL VESSELS, WHICH ARE CALLED RAM SHIPS.

Narrator: THE PRESENCE OF A RAM SHIP

IN THESE WATERS BAFFLES INVESTIGATORS.

USED TO DEVASTATING EFFECT MANY HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO,

THEY BECOME OBSOLETE IN THE 16th CENTURY.

RAM SHIPS ARE EFFECTIVE UNTIL THE ONSET OF GUNPOWDER

AND CANNONADE.

CANNONS CAN WREAK A LOT MORE HAVOC FROM

A DISTANCE THAN A RAM SHIP CAN CLOSE UP.

Narrator: YET RUST VISIBLE ON THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE WRECK

REVEALS IT DATES FROM A MUCH LATER ERA.

MANY SHIPS IN THE LATER PART OF THE 19th CENTURY

INCORPORATED THE USE OF A RAM AS AN EFFECTIVE USE OF

NAVAL WARFARE.

SO THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING.

THIS IS A CIVIL WAR ERA RAM SHIP.

Narrator: THE STRANGE REVIVAL IN THE USE

OF RAM SHIPS AFTER CENTURIES OF

NEGLECT BEGINS DURING THE BATTLE OF HAMPTON ROADS IN

MARCH 1862.

IT PROVES TO BE ONE OF

THE MOST PIVOTAL NAVAL ENGAGEMENTS IN HISTORY.

THIS IS WHERE YOU'RE GONNA FIRST SEE YOUR MODERN WHAT ARE

CALLED IRONCLADS,

AND THEY'RE GONNA CHANGE THE FUTURE OF NAVIES

AROUND THE GLOBE.

Narrator: DURING THE BATTLE,

IN AN ATTEMPT TO BREAK THE UNION BLOCKADE OF

VIRGINIA'S COAST,

THE CONFEDERATES UNLEASH A TERRIFYING NEW WEAPON,

THE CSS VIRGINIA,

A FRIGATE COVERED IN TWO-INCH-THICK IRON PLATES

AND FITTED WITH A 1,500-POUND RAM.

Krueger: IT APPEARS TO BE ALMOST LIKE A FLOATING BARN

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WATER.

IT'S VERY UNUSUAL, BUT DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.

THIS WAS A VERY POWERFUL SHIP.

Narrator: THE CONFEDERATES' METAL RAM SHIP

WREAKS HAVOC ON THE UNION FLEET,

SINKING TWO ENEMY VESSELS IN QUICK SUCCESSION.

THE UNION DOESN'T REALLY HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THIS,

AND A PANIC ACTUALLY BREAKS OUT.

BUT THE UNION HAD BEEN WORKING ON ITS OWN VERSION,

THE USS MONITOR.

[ CANNONS BLASTING ]

Narrator: THE MONITOR GOES HEAD-TO-HEAD

WITH THE CONFEDERATE VIRGINIA.

IT'S A STALEMATE.

[ CANNONS FIRE ]

BOTH SEEM INVINCIBLE.

Hymel: THESE SHIPS ARE FIRING AT EACH OTHER,

AND THE ROUNDS KEEP BOUNCING OFF THE HULLS.

SO BY THE END OF THIS BATTLE BETWEEN

THESE TWO IRONCLAD SHIPS,

EVERY FLEET AROUND THE GLOBE HAS BEEN RENDERED OBSOLETE.

Narrator: FOLLOWING THE BATTLE OF HAMPTON ROADS,

NAVIES AROUND THE GLOBE RACE TO CONVERT THEIR FLEETS

INTO IRONCLAD RAM SHIPS.

YET MARITIME RECORDS REVEAL ONLY ONE SUCH CRAFT

MATCHES THE DETAILS OF THE ONE IN THE IMAGE.

SO IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS SHIP IS THE HMS VIXEN,

AND IT WAS PART OF THE ROYAL NAVY.

IT WAS A REALLY UNUSUAL SHIP, BECAUSE ON THE TOP

OF THE METAL WAS A LAYER OF TEAK,

WHICH PREVENTED THE CORROSION OF

THE METAL DUE TO THE SALT WATER.

Narrator: THE VIXEN IS ONE OF THREE RAM SHIPS THAT BRITAIN'S

ROYAL NAVY COVERS WITH A THICK LAYER OF TEAK.

BUT WHILE IT MAKES HER RUSTPROOF, IT SLOWS HER DOWN,

RENDERING THE VIXEN USELESS IN BATTLE.

THIS SHIP CAN'T CHASE SHIPS TO RAM THEM.

IT'S GONNA BE LEFT BEHIND.

THE HMS VIXEN IS SENT DOWN

TO BERMUDA,

WHERE, IN HUMILIATION, SHE ENDS UP AS A DORMITORY

IN THE DOCKYARDS.

Narrator: YET THERE IS ONE MORE CHAPTER IN THE LIFE

OF THIS STRANGE SHIP.

IN 1890, THE UNITED STATES STARTS

MAKING PLANS TO GO TO WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN,

AND BERMUDA, AS A BRITISH TERRITORY,

WAS ONE OF THEIR FOCUS.

Narrator: FEARING THE AMERICANS WILL ATTACK

THE ROYAL NAVAL DOCKYARDS, THE BRITISH SCUTTLE THE VIXEN

AND USE HER TO BLOCKADE AN APPROACH THROUGH THE REEF.

Hymel: IT'S KIND OF A SHAME THAT THIS PROUD SHIP OF WAR

IS NOW MORE USEFUL

SUNK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WATER THAN OUT FIGHTING

ENEMIES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

Narrator: WHAT'S MORE, THE ANGLO-AMERICAN CONFLICT

DOESN'T MATERIALIZE,

AND SHE BECOMES A BIZARRE MONUMENT

TO A WAR THAT NEVER HAPPENED.

COMING UP, THE MYSTERY OF

THE TERRORISTS AND THE DESERT TREASURE TROVE.

THE BIG QUESTION IS, WHAT HAVE THEY TAKEN FROM IT?

Narrator: AND THE DEATH FARMS OF ASIA.

THE BIGGEST HARVEST WAS HUMAN CORPSES.

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 14, 2017.

A CAMERA IN ORBIT OVER SOUTHERN IRAQ

CAPTURES A FIELD OF BLACK DOTS.

IT APPEARS THERE ARE A LOT OF DEEP SHADOWS OR DEPRESSIONS

IN THE EARTH,

LIKE THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

Kourounis: ZOOMING IN A LITTLE CLOSER,

WE CAN SEE THAT THESE DOTS ARE ACTUALLY HOLES IN THE GROUND.

SOMEONE HAS BEEN DIGGING DOZENS, NO HUNDREDS,

OF HOLES IN THE IRAQI DESERT.

Narrator: TO ARCHAEOLOGISTS,

THE NUMBER, SIZE, AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE HOLES

SUGGEST THAT A MASSIVE CRIME HAS BEEN CAPTURED FROM SPACE.

Paul: THESE DEPRESSIONS ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SEE

IN DESERT AREAS ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST.

THIS IS THE LOOTING OF AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE.

Narrator: BUT THE LOCATION DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

THERE APPEAR TO BE NO ANCIENT STRUCTURES NEARBY.

THIS IS PEOPLE LOOKING FOR TREASURE.

THE REALLY INTRIGUING THING IS, WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?

BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A KNOWN ANCIENT CITY.

Narrator: THIS LAND WAS ONCE INHABITED BY ONE OF

THE MOST REMARKABLE PEOPLES IN ALL HUMAN HISTORY.

THIS PART OF IRAQ HAS OFTEN BEEN

REFERRED TO AS THE BIRTHPLACE OF CIVILIZATION,

AND IT WAS OCCUPIED BY A GROUP KNOWN AS THE SUMERIANS.

Narrator: THE SUMERIANS RULE SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA,

A REGION THAT RUNS ALONGSIDE

THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVERS,

BETWEEN 4500 AND 1750 B.C.

THE SUMERIANS ARE THE ARCHITECTS OF MODERN LIFE

AS WE KNOW IT.

THEY DEVELOP THE FIRST URBAN LIVING IN CITIES,

THE FIRST FORM OF WRITTEN LANGUAGE,

AND THE DIVISION OF TIME INTO HOURS AND MINUTES.

Narrator: TO FIND A SUMERIAN CITY

IS LIKE FINDING GOLD, FOR THE ARTIFACTS

BURIED HERE ARE UNIQUE AND IRREPLACEABLE.

THE BIG QUESTION IS WHAT ANCIENT CITY HAVE THESE LOOTERS FOUND?

AND WHAT HAVE THEY TAKEN FROM IT?

Narrator: A LEAD COMES WHEN OFFICIALS INTERCEPT

HUNDREDS OF RELICS LOOTED FROM THE SITE IN THE IMAGE.

THE U.S. CUSTOMS OFFICIALS BUSTED A HUGE CACHE OF CLAY

TABLETS INSCRIBED WITH CUNEIFORM THAT DERIVED FROM

THIS AREA IN MESOPOTAMIA.

Narrator: DEVELOPED AROUND 3200 B.C., CUNEIFORM IS

ONE OF THE OLDEST FORMS OF WRITING.

ANALYSIS OF THE ANCIENT TEXT REVEALS

SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.

WHEN EXPERTS LOOKED AT THESE CLAY TABLETS,

THEY FOUND A NUMBER OF REFERENCES TO A PLACE

CALLED IRISAGRIG.

Narrator: IRISAGRIG IS A LOST 4,000-YEAR-OLD

SUMERIAN CITY NOW BURIED BY THE SANDS.

IT HAS ELUDED ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOR OVER A CENTURY,

BUT IT SEEMS ILLEGAL

TREASURE HUNTERS HAVE FOUND IT.

IT'S IRONICAL THAT A BUNCH OF LOOTERS HAVE

ACTUALLY UNCOVERED THIS POTENTIALLY REALLY IMPORTANT

LOST SUMERIAN CITY.

Narrator: IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW MANY ANCIENT,

PRICELESS ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM THESE SANDS,

BUT HISTORICAL IMAGES REVEAL THE RANSACKING

HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MANY YEARS.

Joyce: THIS IS QuickBird-2 IMAGE FROM 2003.

MOVING FORWARD IN TIME,

THE DIGGING SITE HAS EXPANDED

TO ROUGHLY A SQUARE MILE,

AND THE PITS THEMSELVES CAN BE 60 FEET ACROSS.

THIS IS LOOTING ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATIONS SUGGEST MANY OF THE ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN

SOLD TO SUPPOSEDLY LEGAL BUYERS IN THE WEST,

BUT MUCH OF THE PROFITS HAVE ENDED UP

IN THE POCKETS OF TERRORISTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

ILLEGAL ANTIQUITIES ARE BOUND MAINLY

FOR PRIVATE COLLECTORS OR MUSEUMS,

AND EVERYBODY TRIES TO PLAY A LITTLE BIT OF

YOU DON'T ASK, YOU DON'T TELL.

[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

Narrator: TERROR GROUPS LIKE ISIS CAN MAKE MANY

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM A SINGLE LOOTING SITE.

FOUR MILLENNIA AFTER ONE OF THE GREATEST

CIVILIZATIONS IN HISTORY ROSE FROM THESE SANDS,

THEIR GIFTS TO MANKIND ARE BEING

USED TO FUND SOME OF THE VILEST

ACTS OF THE 21st CENTURY.

IRAQ IS A CORNUCOPIA OF UNEXPLORED

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES.

THERE ARE 10,000 ALONE THAT WE KNOW ABOUT OUT THERE,

SITTING DUCKS, SADLY,

FOR LOOTERS TO TARGET.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, THE JUNGLE MEGATROPOLIS.

IT IS, IN FACT, THE BIGGEST CITY IN

THE ENTIRE KNOWN PRE-INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Narrator: AND STRANDED ON HELL ISLAND.

IT REALLY IS A DESPERATE BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL.

Narrator: MARCH 2015,

CAMBODIA, SOUTHEAST ASIA.

ARIEL ARCHAEOLOGISTS TAKE TO THE SKIES

OVER SIEM REAP PROVINCE.

USING LIDAR TECHNOLOGY TO PIERCE THE JUNGLE CANOPY,

THEY CAPTURE THESE HIDDEN FEATURES

IN THE LANDSCAPE BELOW.

Janulis: THIS IS A REALLY STRANGE IMAGE.

WE'VE GOT ROWS OF CIRCULAR FEATURES

IN A GRID PATTERN.

IT KINDA LOOKS LIKE BUBBLE WRAP.

Narrator: A FIELD OF MOUNDS COVERS OVER 170 ACRES

OF THE FOREST FLOOR.

Albertson: IT'S BEEN LAID OUT ON PURPOSE IN THIS WAY.

WHAT I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS WAS DONE OR HOW IT WAS DONE.

Narrator: VEGETATION GROWTH SUGGESTS THE MOUNDS

HAVE BEEN CONCEALED FOR DECADES.

THEIR LAYOUT OFFERS A CLUE.

Walters: THEY'RE ALL REGULARLY SPACED

AS IF THEY'RE IN A KIND OF AGRICULTURAL FIELD, I SUPPOSE.

SO MAYBE THESE ARE REMNANTS OF

SOME KIND OF ABANDONED FARMING PRACTICE.

Narrator: FOR GUY WALTERS,

THIS POINTS TO ONE PARTICULAR PERIOD

IN THIS NATION'S HISTORY.

[ BLASTING NOISE ]

Walters: CAMBODIA IS STILL RECOVERING

FROM THAT EXCEPTIONALLY BRUTAL PERIOD

OF LAND REFORM UNDER THE DICTATOR POL POT,

SO THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THESE ARE RELATED TO THAT TIME.

[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

Narrator: THE TYRANT POL POT ASCENDS TO POWER ON

APRIL 17, 1975, FOLLOWING AN EIGHT-YEAR CIVIL WAR.

HIS KHMER ROUGE PARTY IMMEDIATELY INSTIGATES RADICAL

ECONOMIC REFORMS,

BANNING THE USE OF MONEY AND CONVERTING THE ENTIRE COUNTRY

INTO A COMMUNIST PEASANT SOCIETY.

HE WANTED TO TURN THE COUNTRY

INTO THE AGRICULTURAL MECCA OF THE WORLD.

TWO OF THE PRIMARY CROPS

GROWN IN CAMBODIA ARE RICE AND SWEET POTATOES,

OFTEN GROWN IN MOUNDS,

NOT ALL THAT DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.

Narrator: IMMEDIATELY AFTER ASCENDING TO POWER,

POL POT AND THE KHMER ROUGE FORCED 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE TO

LEAVE THE CAPITAL AND PUT THEM TO WORK IN THE FIELDS.

[ SOBBING ]

HE WANTED TO KIND OF AGRARIANIZE

ENTIRE POPULATIONS, SEND THEM BACK INTO THE COUNTRY,

AND BASICALLY BREAK THEIR BACKS BY

TOILING ON THESE HUGE COLLECTIVE FARMS.

Narrator: ENTIRE FAMILIES DIE FROM OVERWORK, STARVATION,

AND DISEASE,

OR AT THE HANDS OF THEIR COMMUNIST OVERSEERS.

[ SOBBING ]

CAMBODIANS WHO WERE CAUGHT SMUGGLING THESE SWEET POTATOES

TO FEED THEIR STARVING FAMILIES ARE BEING DRAGGED OUT

AND EXECUTED.

Narrator: POL POT'S SOCIALIST REFORMS

KILL OVER 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE,

1/4 OF THE CAMBODIAN POPULATION.

IN ONE DETENTION CENTER,

ONLY SEVEN OUT OF 20,000 PRISONERS SURVIVE.

HIS UTOPIAN AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION BECOMES ONE

OF THE MOST BARBAROUS GENOCIDES IN HISTORY.

THE BIGGEST HARVEST WAS HUMAN CORPSES.

THE FIELDS ARE LITTERED WITH THE BONES OF THESE POOR PEOPLE,

ON THEY'RE KNOWN AS CAMBODIA'S INFAMOUS

KILLING FIELDS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE.

Narrator: SAMPLES ARE TAKEN FROM THE SITE IN THE IMAGE,

BUT THERE ARE NO BODIES FOUND.

INSTEAD, ARCHAEOLOGISTS

DISCOVER ARTIFACTS DATING BACK MANY CENTURIES.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE EXPLORED THESE MOUNDS THAT APPEAR

IN THE IMAGE,

AND IT SEEMS QUITE LIKELY THAT THESE ARE SOMEHOW CONNECTED TO

THOSE WHO BUILT ANGKOR WAT.

Narrator: SHARDS OF POTTERY FOUND HERE MATCH

OTHERS DISCOVERED AT THE MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT COMPLEX

OF ANGKOR.

ANGKOR IS AN INCREDIBLE MEGACITY

THAT WAS CREATED AS

THE ROYAL SEAT OF POWER FOR THE KHMER EMPIRE.

IT IS, IN FACT, THE BIGGEST CITY

IN THE ENTIRE KNOWN PRE-INDUSTRIAL WORLD.

Narrator: ITS GREATEST TEMPLE, ANGKOR WAT,

IS CONSTRUCTED FROM FIVE MILLION TONS OF SANDSTONE

AND, TO THIS DAY, IS THE LARGEST

RELIGIOUS BUILDING IN THE WORLD.

IT WAS RULED BY A KING

WHO WAS GIVEN SUPERNATURAL POWERS

BY THE POPULATION,

AND WAS ABLE TO MARSHAL

LOYALTY AND LABOR

TO CONSTRUCT THESE GREAT WORKS.

Narrator: ALMOST ALL OTHER GREAT CITIES

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD, SUCH AS

CONSTANTINOPLE AND CAIRO,

SIT BY THE SEA OR ON NATURAL RIVER SYSTEMS.

YET ANGKOR DOES NOT.

INSTEAD, 21 MILES OF CANALS FEED WATER

FROM THE MEKONG RIVER

INTO A HAND-DUG RESERVOIR THE SIZE OF 28,000 OLYMPIC

SWIMMING POOLS.

Bellinger: THIS SYSTEM WAS INCREDIBLY SOPHISTICATED.

IT MANAGED TO SUPPLY WATER DURING PERIODS OF DROUGHT,

AND IT FUNNELED AWAY EXCESS WATER IN TIMES OF MONSOON.

THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE TO THRIVE THERE FOR SO MANY CENTURIES.

Narrator: THE INTRIGUING THING ABOUT THE DOTS

IN THE IMAGE IS THEIR LOCATION.

THEY SEEM TO BE PART OF THE CITY,

YET LIE 60 MILES AWAY FROM IT.

FOR A VERY LONG TIME, IT'S BEEN BELIEVED THAT

THE MAJORITY OF

THE URBAN POPULATION OF ANGKOR WAS CENTERED AROUND AND ENCLOSED

BY THIS ANGKOR WAT COMPLEX,

AND, IN FACT, THIS JUST BLOWS THAT OUT OF THE WATER,

AND WE REALIZE THAT THE SETTLEMENT

STRETCHED FOR MILES IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

Narrator: HISTORIANS NOW BELIEVE THIS JUNGLE CITY

COVERED ALMOST 400 SQUARE MILES,

AN AREA THE SIZE OF DALLAS.

YET DESPITE CAREFUL STUDY,

THE PURPOSE OF THESE MYSTERIOUS MOUNDS

REMAINS UNKNOWN.

LIDAR IS EXPOSING MORE NEW MYSTERIES

EVEN AT THE HEART OF THIS COMPLEX,

WHICH WE THOUGHT WE UNDERSTOOD SO WELL.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, THE PACIFIC'S MYSTERY

ANCIENT MEGASTRUCTURES

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE TOOLS INVOLVED,

IT'S BREATHTAKING.

Narrator: NOVEMBER 12, 2019.

ABOVE THE NORTH PACIFIC'S

MARIANA ARCHIPELAGO,

EYES IN THE SKY SPOT A CLUSTER OF IRREGULAR SHAPES.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OVAL

AND CIRCULAR STRUCTURES RANDOMLY LAID OUT.

Narrator: THE WEIRD PATTERNS SIT ON

THE 33-SQUARE-MILE ROTA ISLAND,

NORTHEAST OF THE U.S. TERRITORY OF GUAM.

YOU DON'T SEE ANY OTHER SHAPES

OR STRUCTURES THAT APPEAR LIKE THIS ON THE ISLAND.

Hunt: JUDGING BY THE SHADOW, THESE ARE TRENCHES,

MAYBE...

20 FEET LONG.

SO THESE ARE MAJOR ALTERATIONS IN THE LANDSCAPE.

Narrator: THE ISLAND'S ROLE IN WORLD WAR II OFFERS A CLUE.

THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY THAT THESE COULD BE SLIT TRENCHES,

TRENCHES THAT WERE DUG TO PROVIDE COVERAGE

DURING AN AIR RAID.

Narrator: AT THE START OF THE WAR,

THE U.S. LAUNCHES SEVERAL OFFENSIVES TO CAPTURE THIS

AND THE REST OF THE JAPANESE CONTROLLED MARIANA ISLANDS.

Announcer: SERGEANT BERT DONOVAN OF NEW YORK CITY.

HE ATE DIRT MOST OF THE MORNING, PINNED DOWN

BY A STUBBORN JAP MACHINE GUN, TOSSING GRENADES WHEN HE COULD.

Narrator: BY JULY 1944, 2,000 JAPANESE SOLDIERS

ARE STATIONED ON ROTA ISLAND,

BESIEGED BY THE MIGHT OF AMERICA'S PACIFIC FLEET.

Krueger: THE JAPANESE HAD TO FIGURE OUT A WAY

TO SUSTAIN THEMSELVES,

OR THEY WOULD SIMPLY STARVE TO DEATH,

SO IT REALLY IS A DESPERATE BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL.

Narrator: MORE TERROR COMES FROM AMERICAN AIRCREWS RETURNING

FROM BOMBING RAIDS ON THE JAPANESE MAINLAND.

[ BOMBS WHISTLING ]

Morgan: THOSE AIRCRAFT VERY OFTEN CAME BACK

WITH BOMBS THAT WEREN'T RELEASED OVER THE TARGET,

AND THEY HAD TO GET RID OF THEM BEFORE THEY LANDED.

AMERICAN PILOTS WOULD JUST DROP

ALL THEIR ORDNANCE ON -- ON THAT ISLAND.

Narrator: DURING ONE OF THESE BOMBING RAIDS,

THE JAPANESE ENTRENCHED ON ROTA ISLAND ALMOST PREVENT, PERHAPS,

THE MOST PIVOTAL EVENT IN MILITARY HISTORY.

Krueger: THE FAMOUS, OR INFAMOUS, ENOLA GAY

DROPPED THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA,

AND IT WAS LAUNCHED FROM THE ISLAND, JUST NEARBY.

Janulis: APPARENTLY, THEY RADIOED IT IN,

BUT THEIR MESSAGE WAS MISUNDERSTOOD,

AND THE JAPANESE NEVER LAUNCHED THEIR ANTI-BOMBER

FIGHTERS TO ENGAGE THE ENOLA GAY.

Narrator: YET WHEN OTHER ANALYSTS STUDY THE TRENCHES,

THEY FIND CLUES WHICH SUGGEST THEY AREN'T A LEGACY

OF WORLD WAR II.

Horton: IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS AN ANCIENT QUARRY,

POSSIBLY FOR EXTRACTING

STONE FOR SOME FORM OF BUILDING OR MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE.

Narrator: HISTORICAL RECORDS CONFIRM THAT THIS ISLAND

IS HOME TO AN ANCIENT TRIBE

WHO MIGRATE HERE BY CANOE ACROSS 1,700 MILES

OF OCEAN MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS AGO.

Horton: ON THE ROTA ISLAND,

PEOPLE ARE KNOWN AS THE CHAMORRO,

AND NOT ONLY WERE THEY INCREDIBLY SKILLED

AT NAVIGATION BUT ALSO SKILLED AT

WORKING WITH STONE.

Narrator: THE SHAPE OF THE QUARRIES IN

THE IMAGE CORRESPONDS TO MYSTERIOUS STRUCTURES

CALLED LATTE STONES.

THEIR FUNCTION IS UNCLEAR,

BUT IT SEEMS THEY WERE THOUGHT TO HAVE SPECIAL POWERS AND ARE

SOMETIMES FOUND ALONGSIDE HUMAN REMAINS.

WHEN THE BODIES WERE LAID IN THE GROUND,

THEIR FEET WERE FACING TOWARDS THE WATER.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHY THEY DID IT.

MAYBE IT WAS A WAY OF OFFERING

PROTECTION AGAINST THE POWERS OF THE SEA.

Narrator: THE STRANGE MONOLITHS ARE ONE OF MANY

ERECTED BY ANCIENT PEOPLES THROUGHOUT THE PACIFIC ISLANDS.

THESE FEATURES LOOK COMPARABLE TO VOLCANIC STONE EXTRACTION

IN EASTER ISLAND, FOR EXAMPLE.

Krueger: IT'S REALLY AN ENGINEERING MARVEL,

MOVING THESE INCREDIBLY HEAVY STONES INTO PLACE.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURES DUG FROM THE SITE IN THE IMAGE

WEIGH UP TO 34 TONS

AND WERE EXCAVATED USING ONLY STONE TOOLS AND SHELLS.

HOW REMAINS UNCLEAR.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE TOOLS INVOLVED, THE MANPOWER,

TO HEW THEM OUT, TRANSPORT THEM

SOMEHOW ACROSS THE ISLAND --

IT'S BREATHTAKING.

Narrator: IN THE 16th CENTURY, SPANISH EXPLORERS

FIND ROTA ISLAND.

THEY OVERPOWER THAT CHAMORRO TRIBE,

CONVERT THEM TO CHRISTIANITY,

AND THEIR ANCIENT PAGAN CULTURE AND QUARRY ERODE AWAY.

THESE UNFINISHED, UNQUARRIED STONES

REALLY ARE A SNAPSHOT IN TIME

OF WHEN THE CHAMORRO PEOPLE LOST THEIR HERITAGE.

IT WAS CULTURAL EXTERMINATION.