Original subtitles

[MISSILE ROARS]

\h\h\hNarrator: FOR CENTURIES, AN EXTRAORDINARY WAR HAS RAGED

ACROSS THE WORLD’S OCEANS, ABOVE AND BELOW THE WAVES.

\hMan: YOU COULD KILL HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH ONE BROADSIDE.

THESE WERE EXTREMELY POWERFUL \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAR MACHINES.

Narrator: SHIPBUILDERS DESIGNED BIGGER AND FASTER VESSELS

TO OUTWIT AND CRUSH \h\hTHEIR OPPONENTS.

Man: THAT NATION THAT HAS THE MOST POWERFUL BATTLESHIP FLEET

CAN DESTROY THE ENEMY’S \h\h\h\hBATTLESHIP FLEET

AND THEREFORE CONTROL THE SEAS,

AND IF YOU CONTROL THE SEAS, \h\h\hYOU CONTROL THE WORLD.

Narrator: THEY CARRIED \hTERRIFYING WEAPONS.

Man: THIS WAS GONNA BE \h\h\h\hTHE FIRST TIME

THAT SOMEBODY HAD FIRED \h\h\hA TORPEDO IN ANGER

SINCE WORLD WAR II.

THEY NEEDED TO GET IT RIGHT.

Narrator: BUT SHIPS HAVE ALSO LIBERATED

AND RESCUED THOUSANDS.

Man: YOU COULD THINK \h\h\h\hOF GERDA III

\h\h\h\hAS BASICALLY A LIFEBOAT FOR PERSONS HUNTED BY THE NAZIS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: AND INSPIRED MEN AND WOMEN

TO ACTS OF INCREDIBLE BRAVERY.

Man: I WILL TAKE YOU THERE NOW, TO YOUR CANNONS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO YOUR DEATH, WE WILL SINK BEFORE SURRENDER.

Narrator: THESE VESSELS \h\h\h\hAND THEIR CREWS

HAVE SHAPED WORLD HISTORY.

\hMan: AS THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF A MISSILE-CARRYING SUBMARINE,

I WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE

FOR HELPING TO PREVENT \h\h\h\hWORLD WAR III.

[MISSILE ROARS]

Narrator: THIS TIME, WE VENTURE

\h\h\h\hINTO THE HEART OF NAVAL COMBAT ZONES,

NOT TO FIGHT, BUT TO RESCUE.

Man: THESE WERE HEROES \h\h\h\hSAVING LIVES,

TAKING A STAND AGAINST EVIL.

Narrator: THIS IS A STORY \h\h\h\hOF UNIQUE VESSELS

AND THEIR DEDICATED CREWS.

Man: THEY GO DOWN BELOW,

\h\hAND THEY FIND THE CARGO OF 705 CAPTIVE AFRICANS ON BOARD.

Narrator: FOR TWO CENTURIES,

\hTHE HORRORS OF WAR HAVE BEEN REPORTED,

BUT SO, TOO, HAVE THE STORIES \h\h\h\hOF THOSE WHO RESCUED.

\hWoman: WHEN YOU’RE IN A WAR LIKE THAT,

\h\h\h\hEVERYBODY DOES WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.

I WAS FORTUNATE IN BRINGING \hTHE BOYS TO A SAFER PLACE.

♪

[EXPLOSION]

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: FROM THE FIRST GREAT WARSHIPS

TO THE AGE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS...

[MISSILE ROARS]

...OUR COMBAT SHIPS \h\h\hTELL A STORY,

\hNOT JUST OF TECHNOLOGY, BUT OF HUMAN HISTORY, TOO.

AMONG THE GLITTER OF BALTIMORE’S TRENDY INNER HARBOR,

THERE IS A VESSEL.

\h\h\h\h\h\hSHE REPRESENTS THE END OF A MARITIME ERA

BUT ALSO A TIME WHEN WARSHIPS \h\h\h\hBEGAN TO SAVE LIVES--

THE USS CONSTELLATION.

♪

AS THE CONSTELLATION \hUNFURLED HER SAILS

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1854,

THE WORLD WAS ALREADY TURNING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO ENGINE POWER.

SHE WAS THE LAST U.S. NAVY SHIP TO RELY TOTALLY ON WIND.

Brian Auer: IT’S AN ARMS RACE, \h\h\h\h\h\h\hJUST LIKE TODAY,

SO, UM, EVERYBODY’S TRYING TO MAKE SURE

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY HAVE THE NEWEST BEST THINGS,

AND SO THAT’S WHY THE NAVY \h\hSTOPPED WITH ALL-SAIL.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: BUT DESPITE BEING OUTCLASSED

BY ALMOST EVERY WARSHIP \h\h\h\h\h\hOF HER ERA,

CONSTELLATION HAS GONE DOWN \h\h\h\hIN HISTORY AS A SHIP

THAT SAVED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE \h\h\h\hFROM A TERRIBLE FATE.

♪

IN THE EARLY 1800s,

\h\h\hTHE UNITED STATES WAS UNDER PRESSURE TO PUT A STOP

TO THE VAST NUMBERS OF AFRICAN \hSLAVES ENTERING THE COUNTRY.

FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF GREAT BRITAIN,

THE U.S. AGREED TO ABOLISH \h\h\hTHE LUCRATIVE TRADE.

Auer: THE AMERICANS OUTLAW THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE IN 1808,

AND IN 1820,

IT’S DECLARED AN ACT OF PIRACY \h\h\h\h\hPUNISHABLE BY DEATH,

SO BY THE 1820s, IT’S ILLEGAL

\h\h\h\h\h\hFOR AMERICAN SAILORS TO ENGAGE IN THE TRADE AS WELL.

Narrator: WHILE FOUR MILLION \h\hSLAVES REMAINED CAPTIVE

ON UNITED STATES SOIL,

THE U.S. NAVY WAS GIVEN THE JOB

\h\h\h\h\h\hOF ENSURING THAT NUMBER DIDN’T GROW.

\hA SMALL FLEET KNOWN AS THE AFRICA SQUADRON

\hWAS FORMED TO HUNT DOWN SLAVE SHIPS LEAVING AFRICA

AND BOUND FOR CUBA AND SOUTH AMERICA.

Auer: WHEN YOU HAVE A PROFIT \h\hMARGIN OF 1,000 PERCENT,

\hEVEN IF IT’S ILLEGAL, PEOPLE ARE GONNA DO IT.

Narrator: IN SEPTEMBER 1860,

THE CONSTELLATION WAS PATROLLING

CLOSE TO THE CONGO RIVER DELTA.

FOR WEEKS, THERE HAD BEEN \hNO SIGN OF SLAVE SHIPS.

THEN ON THE AFTERNOON \h\h\h\h\hOF THE 25th,

ONE OF CONSTELLATION’S LOOKOUTS SPOTTED A SAIL ON THE HORIZON.

Auer: SHE’S IN A SUSPICIOUS AREA

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHERE WE KNOW THERE’S SOME TROUBLE GOING ON.

\hCONSTELLATION’S A VERY FAST SHIP.

\h\h\h\hWE FIRE A WARNING SHOT THAT SAYS, "STOP YOUR SHIP"...

[CANNON FIRES]

...AND THE SHIP DOESN’T STOP, \h\h\h\h\h\h\hKEEPS ON GOING,

PUTS UP MORE SAIL AND STARTS TO RUN,

SO NOW WE KNOW SOMETHING’S UP.

Narrator: THE CONSTELLATION GAINS ON THE FLEEING VESSEL.

\h\hAS IT DOES, IT BECOMES CLEAR WHAT CARGO THE SHIP IS CARRYING.

Auer: SHE STARTS BY THROWING \h\hOVER JETSAM AND FLOTSAM

INTO THE WATER,

\h\hTRYING TO LIGHTEN THE SHIP TO MAKE IT GO A LITTLE FASTER.

THEN THEY EMPLOY A TACTIC WHERE THEY START TO UNLOAD

\h\h\h\hSOME OF THEIR MORE IMPORTANT CARGO,

THE HUMAN CARGO.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE HOPE IS THAT THE CONSTELLATION,

\hGIVEN THAT ITS MISSION IS TO SAVE THOSE PEOPLE,

WILL STOP TO RESCUE PEOPLE \h\h\h\hOUT OF THE WATER.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: FACED WITH A HORRENDOUS DECISION,

\h\h\hTHE CONSTELLATION PURSUES THE SLAVE SHIP.

\h\hIT FIRES SHOTS THROUGH ITS RIGGING TO FORCE A SURRENDER.

\h\hTHE SHIP IS IDENTIFIED AS AN AMERICAN VESSEL NAMED THE CORA.

\h\hA BOARDING PARTY FROM THE CONSTELLATION IS SENT ACROSS.

Auer: THEY GO DOWN BELOW, \hAND YOU OPEN THE HATCH,

AND YOU’RE IMMEDIATELY HIT

WITH THE STENCH AND THE MISERY \h\h\h\h\h\hOF HUMAN SQUALOR,

AND THEY FIND THE CARGO OF 705 \h\hCAPTIVE AFRICANS ON BOARD.

[RIGGING CREAKING]

Narrator: CREW MEMBERS \hOF THE CONSTELLATION

WERE HORRIFIED BY WHAT THEY SAW.

ONE MAN WROTE:

\h\h\hTHE CAPTAIN AND CREW OF THE CORA WERE ARRESTED,

\h\h\h\h\hTRANSFERRED TO THE CONSTELLATION,

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND TAKEN BACK TO THE UNITED STATES TO BE TRIED,

BUT JUSTICE WAS NOT DONE.

Auer: ALL OF THEM ARE ACQUITTED.

NO CONSEQUENCES ARE EVER, AS FAR AS WE KNOW, GIVEN TO THAT CREW.

THEY ALL GOT OFF.

Narrator: NO LONGER DESTINED \h\h\hFOR A LIFE OF SLAVERY,

\h\h\h705 AFRICANS WERE TAKEN TO THE U.S. PROTECTORATE OF LIBERIA

AND WERE SET FREE.

♪

\hCONSTELLATION’S SLAVE RESCUE EARNED HER A MOMENT OF GLORY,

AND WITHIN A FEW YEARS,

\h\h\h\hTHE BARBARIC TRADE OF THE SLAVE SHIPS ENDED.

BUT THE ROLE OF RESCUE SHIPS \hBECAME INCREASINGLY VITAL.

THE IDEA WAS NOTHING NEW.

HMS VICTORY’S GUN DECKS

\h\hHAD BEEN USED TO CARE FOR THE SICK AND WOUNDED.

BUT AS BATTLES BECAME BLOODIER

\h\h\h\h\hAND WEAPONS EVEN MORE TERRIFYING,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHERE WAS A NEED FOR DEDICATED VESSELS TO RESCUE,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCARE FOR, AND TRANSPORT THE INJURED.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE 20th CENTURY WAS THE AGE OF THE HOSPITAL SHIP.

[ARTILLERY FIRE]

\h\h\hWITH THOUSANDS OF TROOPS FIGHTING ON THE WESTERN FRONT

DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

IT WAS THE BRITISH WHO DEVELOPED A NEW CATEGORY OF COMBAT SHIP.

THE WOUNDED WOULD BE RUSHED AWAY FROM THE TRENCHES

BY LIGHT RAILWAY,

THEN BY AMBULANCE TRAIN,

\h\h\hAND FINALLY, FERRIED ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

ABOARD DEDICATED HOSPITAL SHIPS.

Emily Mayhew: WE’RE CROSSING \h\h\h\hHERE TO SOUTHAMPTON,

\h\h\hAND OF COURSE THIS WAS THE BUSIEST ROUTE FOR HOSPITAL SHIPS

FROM THE WESTERN FRONT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT WASN’T A PARTICULARLY LONG JOURNEY,

\h\hBUT IT COULD BE ROUGH, AND IT COULD BE DANGEROUS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWE KNOW THAT 1.2 MILLION PATIENTS

WERE RECEIVED AT SOUTHAMPTON.

THAT’S 1.2 MILLION PATIENTS

IN WARDS THAT NEEDED \hTO BE KEPT CLEAN,

THAT NEEDED TO BE OFFLOADED

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAS EASILY AND AS PAINLESSLY AS POSSIBLE

\h\h\h\hAND THEN SENT ON TO THE RIGHT HOSPITALS.

Narrator: THE BRITISH PUBLIC,

\h\hWEARY FROM DEFEATS ON THE WESTERN FRONT,

\h\hPREFERRED TO HEAR ABOUT THOSE WHO HAD SAVED SOLDIERS

AND BROUGHT THEM HOME SAFELY.

IN 1917, KING GEORGE V PAID TRIBUTE TO THE MEDICAL STAFF

ON THE FORMER P&O LINER PLASSIG.

Mayhew: LIKE ALL THE MEDICAL \h\h\hINSTITUTIONS IN FRANCE

AND COMING BACK TO BRITAIN,

NONE OF IT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE

WITHOUT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF NURSES

WHO VOLUNTEERED TO GO OUT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND SERVE.

NURSES PREPARED REALLY WELL

AND PARTICULARLY NURSES WHO WERE GONNA BE ON HOSPITAL SHIPS.

THEY TOOK EXTENSIVE LIFESAVING COURSES,

\h\hAND MOST OF THEM LEARNED HOW TO ROW,

\h\h\h\hPARTICULARLY ROW A VERY LARGE, HEAVY BOAT

THAT WOULD BE FULL OF THEIR PATIENTS.

\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: IN THEORY, THE NURSES AND THEIR PATIENTS

\h\h\h\hWERE PROTECTED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW.

THE GENEVA CONVENTION STIPULATED

\h\h\h\hTHAT HOSPITAL SHIPS WOULD BE IMMUNE FROM ATTACK

IF THEY FOLLOWED CERTAIN RULES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAndrew Gordon: ONE WAS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT

BE CARRYING MUNITIONS.

\hTHEY SHOULD NOT BE OBSTRUCTING THE ACTIONS OF AN ENEMY AT ALL,

\hAND THEY SHOULD BE CLEARLY MARKED,

\h\h\h\hAND THE CLEAR MARKING INVOLVED BEING PAINTED WHITE,

HAVING A BROAD GREEN STRIPE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hALONG THE HULL

AND HAVING CLEAR RED CROSSES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hMARKED ON THEM

AND BEING LIT AT NIGHT.

\h\hAND IF HOSPITAL SHIPS CONFORMED TO THOSE RULES,

THEY WERE MEANT TO BE IMMUNE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFROM ATTACK.

Narrator: BUT GERMAN U-BOAT \hCAPTAINS HAD OTHER IDEAS.

Gordon: ABOUT 24 HOSPITAL SHIPS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWERE SUNK IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

QUITE A LOT OF THEM WERE SUNK \h\h\h\h\h\hBY HITTING MINES,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHICH ISN’T PROOF OF DELIBERATE TARGET SELECTION,

BUT ALSO QUITE A LOT OF THEM, \hABOUT HALF, WERE TORPEDOED,

AND ONE CAN ONLY ASSUME IT \h\h\h\hTO BE DELIBERATE.

THE GERMANS GOT IT \hINTO THEIR HEADS

\h\h\h\h\hTHAT THE BRITISH WERE USING HOSPITAL SHIPS

FOR WARLIKE PURPOSES.

\h\h\hTHEY ALLEGED THE BRITISH WERE USING THEM AS TROOPSHIPS,

WHICH THEY WEREN’T,

AND SO THEY CONDUCTED \h\hA U-BOAT CAMPAIGN.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: NURSES ON BOARD THE SHIPS

\h\h\hMAKING THE RUN ACROSS THE CHANNEL,

ADAPTED TO THE U-BOAT THREAT.

\h\h\hMayhew: IT WAS EASIER TO KEEP YOUR LIFE JACKET ON

ALL THE TIME,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSO ON TOP OF THEIR PROPER NURSES UNIFORM,

STARCHED NURSES UNIFORM--

THE LONG SKIRT AND THE BOOTS \h\h\h\h\h\hAND THE APRON--

THEY PUT A LIFE JACKET

AND PROBABLY A COAT BECAUSE IT WAS COLD.

\h\hTHEY DID ALL THEIR NURSING, AND THEY DID IT IN LIFE JACKETS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: ONE NURSE IN PARTICULAR

\h\h\hKNEW ALL ABOUT THE DANGERS AT SEA.

\h\hSHE’D SURVIVED THE MOST NOTORIOUS

OF ALL MARITIME DISASTERS.

NOW HISTORY WAS REPEATING ITSELF

ON THE LARGEST HOSPITAL SHIP \h\h\h\h\hOF THE GREAT WAR.

Actor as Violet Jessop: \h\h\h\hI TURNED AROUND

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND, TO MY HORROR, SAW BRITANNIC’S HUGE PROPELLERS

\hCHURNING AND MINCING EVERYTHING NEAR THEM.

\h\h\hMEN, BOATS, EVERYTHING WERE JUST ONE GHASTLY WHIRL.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: APRIL 15, 1912, IS A DATE

\hTHAT STANDS ALONE IN MARITIME HISTORY.

JUST FIVE DAYS EARLIER,

\h\hTHE MIGHTY RMS TITANIC HAD SET SAIL ON HER MAIDEN VOYAGE,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hA VOYAGE SHE WOULD NEVER COMPLETE.

AT TITANIC’S SHIPYARD \h\h\h\h\hIN BELFAST,

CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW SHIP \h\h\h\hSTOPPED ABRUPTLY.

\h\hTHIS WAS TO BE TITANIC’S SISTER SHIP--THE BRITANNIC.

♪

Philip Cauley: WHAT WE’RE \hACTUALLY LOOKING DOWN AT

\h\h\h\h\hIS THE SLIPWAYS OF TITANIC AND BRITANNIC.

BRITANNIC WAS BUILT OVER \hON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE.

Narrator: BRITANNIC’S OWNERS, \h\h\h\h\hTHE WHITE STAR LINE,

BELIEVED THEIR SHIP TO BE

\h"AS PERFECT A SPECIMEN OF MAN’S CREATIVE POWER

AS IT IS POSSIBLE TO CONCEIVE."

\hCauley: THE HEIGHT OF THIS BUILDING IS THE SAME HEIGHT

\h\h\h\h\h\hAS BRITANNIC FROM KEEL TO BOAT DECK.

\h\h\hHOW DID BRITANNIC GET INTO BELFAST LOUGH?

\h\h\hTHEY USED 23 TONS OF OIL, GREASE AND SOAP,

AND THEY SHOVED THEM IN.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hEMPTY SHELLS WEIGHING OVER 23,000 TONS.

AS THE SHIPYARD WORKERS \h\h\h\hUSED TO CALL IT,

\h"WE BUILD THEM UP AND SHOVE THEM OUT."

♪

Narrator: BUT FIVE MONTHS AFTER BRITANNIC’S LAUNCH,

THE FIRST WORLD WAR BROKE OUT.

THE LUXURY WORLD OF OCEAN LINERS WAS QUICKLY FORGOTTEN.

BRITANNIC WAS ABANDONED

\h\h\h\h\hAND LEFT UNFINISHED AT HARLAND AND WOLFF SHIPYARD.

BUT THEN, IN APRIL 1915,

\h\h\h\h\hTHE ALLIES ATTACKED TURKEY’S GALLIPOLI PENINSULA.

THEY HOPED IT WOULD FORCE THE TURKS OUT OF THE WAR,

\hBUT THEY’D UNDERESTIMATED THE VAST AMOUNT OF MEN AND SUPPLIES

THAT WOULD BE NEEDED.

THE SOLUTION WAS TO CONVERT \h\h\h\hPREWAR OCEAN LINERS.

\h\h\hCUNARD’S MAURETANIA AND THE WHITE STAR LINE’S OLYMPIC

BECAME TROOPSHIPS.

\h\h\h\hBUT TO BRING THE CASUALTIES HOME,

\h\h\h\hTHEY WOULD NEED A MASSIVE HOSPITAL SHIP.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hONE VESSEL SEEMED TO FIT THE BILL--

THE HALF-FINISHED BRITANNIC.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSimon Mills: MUCH OF THE SHIP WAS COMPLETE.

THERE IS DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE \h\hOF A LOT OF NICE CABINS,

\h\hA LOT OF, UM, VERY, VERY PLUSH DINING ROOMS

\h\h\h\hALL COMPLETED AND READY FOR SERVICE.

BECAUSE SOME OF THESE CABINS \h\h\h\hHADN’T BEEN PUT IN,

THERE WERE LARGE OPEN SPACES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON THE SHIP,

WHICH ODDLY ENOUGH,

\h\hMADE HER IDEAL AS A HOSPITAL SHIP

BECAUSE THEY GAVE HER \h\hMUCH LARGER WARDS,

MUCH EASIER TO OVERSEE.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: ON DECEMBER 22, 1915,

\hHIS MAJESTY’S HOSPITAL SHIP BRITANNIC, NOW PAINTED WHITE,

SAILED FROM LIVERPOOL.

IT WAS THE FIRST OF MANY TRIPS

TO RESCUE THE SICK AND WOUNDED \h\hOF THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE NEW SHIP HAD TWICE AS MANY LIFEBOATS

AS THE ILL-FATED TITANIC.

\h\h\h\hMills: INTERNALLY THEY WERE QUITE DIFFERENT.

BRITANNIC HAD A DOUBLE SKIN

ALONGSIDE THE BOILER ROOMS \h\h\hAND THE ENGINE ROOM.

\h\h\h\hTHEY HAD HIGHER AND STRONGER BULKHEADS.

\h\h\h\hTHE WHOLE IDEA WAS THAT HAD BRITANNIC

\h\h\h\hHIT THE ICEBERG WHICH SANK THE TITANIC,

SHE WOULD HAVE SURVIVED \h\h\h\h\hTHE DISASTER.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: ON NOVEMBER 21, 1916,

\h\h\h\h\h\hNINE MONTHS AFTER HER FIRST VOYAGE,

BRITANNIC WAS SAILING EASTWARD \h\h\hOFF THE COAST OF GREECE.

NEARLY 400 MEDICAL STAFF \h\h\h\h\hWERE ON BOARD.

BRITANNIC ENTERED \hTHE KEA CHANNEL,

BUT THREE WEEKS EARLIER,

\h\h\h\hGERMAN U-BOAT U-73 HAD MADE THE SAME JOURNEY.

THE U-BOAT’S COMMANDER, \h\h\h\h\hGUSTAV SIESS,

\h\h\h\hHAD LEFT BEHIND A TRAIL OF DEADLY MINES.

Mills: KAPITANLEUTNANT SIESS

HAD A VERY SORT OF WILY PLOY \hOF LAYING HIS MINES DEEP.

THAT WAY HE GOT A LARGER VESSEL.

\h\h\h\hHE DIDN’T GO FOR SMALL DESTROYERS

OR SMALL LITTLE FISHING BOATS.

HE WANTED TO GET A BIG SHIP.

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN \h\h\hA BATTLESHIP.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN A TROOPER.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN \hA HOSPITAL SHIP.

HE GOT A HOSPITAL SHIP.

\h\hNarrator: NOVEMBER 21st WAS A TYPICAL SUNDAY MORNING

ON BOARD THE BRITANNIC.

Mills: UP IN THE LOUNGE,

THE MEDICAL STAFF ARE SITTING DOWN, HAVING THEIR BREAKFAST.

\h\h\hDOWN BELOW, THE FIREMEN AND THE STOKERS, THE TRIMMERS,

THEY WERE ALL CHANGING \h\h\h\h\hTHEIR POSTS.

EVERYTHING WAS COMPLETELY \h\h\hAND UTTERLY NORMAL.

\h\h\h\hTHEN SUDDENLY, 12 MINUTES PAST 8:00,

\h\h\h\h\hA HUGE BANG ON THE STARBOARD SIDE,

FOLLOWED BY A VIOLENT SHUDDER.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: ON BOARD WAS A 28-YEAR-OLD NURSE

NAMED VIOLET JESSOP.

\hFOR HER, THE SCENARIO WAS PAINFULLY FAMILIAR.

FOUR YEARS EARLIER, SHE HAD BEEN A STEWARDESS ON THE TITANIC

\h\h\h\hWHEN IT STRUCK THE INFAMOUS ICEBERG.

Jessop: AS ONE MAN, THE WHOLE SALOON ROSE FROM THEIR SEATS.

DOCTORS AND NURSES VANISHED \hTO THEIR POSTS IN A TRICE.

THE PANTRY, WHERE I STOOD,

HOLDING A TEAPOT IN ONE HAND

AND A PAT OF BUTTER \h\h\hIN THE OTHER,

\h\h\hWAS CLEARED, TOO, AS MEN DROPPED WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN SECONDS, NOT A SOUL WAS TO BE SEEN.

\hMills: DOWN BELOW IN THE BOILER ROOMS,

\h\h\hPARTICULARLY FIVE AND SIX, WHERE THE WATER WAS RUSHING IN,

THE STOKERS AND THE TRIMMERS

\h\h\h\h\hWERE FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES ALREADY,

TRYING TO GET UP THE STAIRWAYS

BEFORE THEY WERE COMPLETELY \hOVERWHELMED BY THE WATER.

Narrator: THE MINE RIPPED INTO \hTWO WATERTIGHT COMPARTMENTS.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE BRITANNIC SHOULD HAVE CONTAINED IT,

BUT SOME OF THE WATERTIGHT DOORS FAILED.

SEAWATER WAS NOW FLOODING \h\h\h\hTHROUGH THE SHIP.

THE BRITANNIC WAS SINKING \hFASTER THAN THE TITANIC.

NURSES, MEDICS, AND CREW ALIKE SCRAMBLED INTO THE LIFEBOATS.

BUT AS VIOLET JESSOP’S BOAT \h\h\h\h\h\hREACHED THE SEA,

\h\h\h\hHER COMPANIONS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY JUMPED OVERBOARD.

SHE SOON FOUND OUT WHY.

Jessop: I TURNED AROUND TO SEE \hTHE REASON FOR THIS EXODUS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND, TO MY HORROR, SAW BRITANNIC’S HUGE PROPELLERS

\hCHURNING AND MINCING EVERYTHING NEAR THEM.

\h\h\hMEN, BOATS, EVERYTHING WERE JUST ONE GHASTLY WHIRL.

Mills: AS THE LIFEBOAT \h\h\h\hHIT THE WATER,

IT COULDN’T GET AWAY

FROM THE SIDE OF THE SHIP MOVING THROUGH THE WATER.

\h\h\hIT BUMPED ALONG THE SIDE OF THE SHIP,

\h\hPRACTICALLY TWO-THIRDS OF THE LENGTH OF THE SHIP

\h\h\h\hAND WAS DRAGGED INTO THIS HUGE TURNING PROPELLER,

23-FOOT DIAMETER.

Jessop: IN ANOTHER MOMENT,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hI WOULD BE UNDER THOSE GLITTERING,

RELENTLESS BLADES, UNLESS...

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hI LOOKED AT THE EQUALLY INEXORABLE SEA,

AND, FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND, HESITATED,

FOR I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN \h\h\hAFRAID OF WATER.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMills: SHE JUMPED. SHE DIDN’T MANAGE TO GET CLEAR.

\h\h\h\h\hSHE WAS PULLED DOWN BY THE FORCE OF THE PROPELLER.

Jessop: I FELT MYSELF RISING,

AND MY HEAD CAME INTO VIOLENT CONTACT WITH SOMETHING SOLID,

SOMETHING THAT PREVENTED ME \hFROM REACHING THE SURFACE.

THEN AGAIN, THERE WAS ANOTHER \h\h\hTERRIFIC CRASH ABOVE ME,

AND SOMETHING VERY SOLID STRUCK THE BACK OF MY HEAD,

A RESOUNDING BLOW,

\hBUT HAPPILY ON THAT PART WHERE MY PLENTIFUL HAIR WAS THICKEST.

Narrator: VIOLET FOUGHT HER WAY TO THE SURFACE

ONLY TO FACE A HORRIFIC SCENE.

30 PEOPLE HAD BEEN KILLED \h\h\h\hBY THE PROPELLERS.

JUST AFTER 9:00 A.M.,

\h\hTHE BRITANNIC ROLLED ONTO ITS STARBOARD SIDE,

BEFORE PLUNGING BOW-FIRST \h\h\h\h\h\hTO THE SEABED.

THE LARGEST SHIP LOST IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR

HAD SUNK IN JUST 55 MINUTES.

\hVIOLET AND THE OTHER SURVIVORS WERE RESCUED BY THE ROYAL NAVY.

THE WRECK OF BRITANNIC \hLIES 400 FEET DOWN,

\h\h\hAT THE BOTTOM OF THE KEA CHANNEL,

AND WHILE THE TITANIC CRUMBLES \h\h\hON THE ATLANTIC SEABED,

\h\h\h\h\h\hHER SISTER SHIP IS STILL IN GOOD CONDITION.

\hMills: IF YOU COMPARE THE WRECK OF THE TITANIC

WITH THE WRECK OF THE BRITANNIC,

THEY ARE JUST COMPLETELY \hAND UTTERLY DIFFERENT.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE TITANIC IS IN TWO MAIN SECTIONS,

WITH THE WHOLE MIDDLE THIRD \h\h\hOF THE SHIP JUST GONE

IN FRAGMENTS ON THE SEABED.

BRITANNIC IS ALMOST \hCOMPLETELY INTACT.

Narrator: THE MASSIVE PROPELLERS THAT CAUSED THE CARNAGE

ARE STILL IN PLACE.

\h\h\h\hEVEN THE CAPTAIN’S BATH, WITH ITS FOUR TAPS, IS VISIBLE.

\h\h\h\hMills: I’VE BEEN WATCHING THAT WRECK NOW

FOR SOMETHING LIKE 20 YEARS.

I DON’T THINK IT’S CHANGED \h\h\h\hIN ALL THAT TIME.

SHE’S INCREDIBLY STABLE,

AND I THINK WILL BE AROUND \h\hFOR A GOOD WHILE YET.

♪

Narrator: DESPITE THE LOSS \h\hOF MANY HOSPITAL SHIPS

DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

\h\h\h\hTHESE VESSELS BECAME A VITAL PART OF THE EFFORT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBY ITS END, THERE WERE 77 IN SERVICE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT IN 1939, THE WORLD WAS AT WAR AGAIN.

\hMayhew: I THINK IF YOU TOOK A CREW

FROM A FIRST WORLD WAR \h\h\h\hHOSPITAL SHIP

AND PUT THEM ON A SECOND WORLD WAR HOSPITAL SHIP,

\h\h\hTHEY’D REALLY RECOGNIZE EVERYTHING

THAT THEY FOUND THERE.

THEY’D BE JEALOUS OF THE SPEED.

BUT THE SPACES ARE THE SAME.

AND WHAT BOTH OF THEM \h\h\hWOULD RECOGNIZE

IS THIS UNSEEN THREAT \h\h\hFROM SUBMARINES.

LIVING WITH THAT FEAR

IS SOMETHING THAT ONLY HOSPITAL SHIP CREWS REALLY UNDERSTOOD.

HOW YOU DID THAT DAY AFTER DAY \h\h\hAND VOYAGE AFTER VOYAGE

IS SOMETHING THAT WE MUST \h\h\hNEVER UNDERESTIMATE.

IT’S A TRULY REMARKABLE PART \h\h\h\h\hOF THEIR SERVICE.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: IN 1945, LOIS LANGHANS WAS JUST 21

\h\hWHEN SHE SERVED AS A NURSE ON AN AMERICAN HOSPITAL SHIP.

\h\h\hSHE AND HER COLLEAGUES ROUNDED UP INJURED SOLDIERS

FROM THE PORTS OF CHERBOURG \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND LIVERPOOL

AND ATTENDED TO THEM

WHILE CROSSING THE ATLANTIC \h\h\hTO THE UNITED STATES.

Lois Langhans: IT WAS TOWARD \h\h\h\hTHE END OF THE WAR,

SO THEY WERE ALL THROUGH GOING BACK INTO BATTLE,

AND WHEN THEY FINALLY GOT ON BOARD A HOSPITAL SHIP,

IT WAS LIKE A REAL... \h\h\h\h\h\h[EXHALES]

TAKE A BIG BREATH.

I’M OFF THE LAND. \hI’M HEADED HOME.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: 20 YEARS AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

THERE WAS NOW GREATER AWARENESS OF INJURIES,

BOTH SEEN AND UNSEEN.

Langhans: FOR US NURSES,

PART OF IT WAS TRYING \h\h\h\hTO UNDERSTAND

SOME OF THE BOYS DIDN’T WANT \h\hTO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

\h\h\hSOME WANTED TO TALK AND GET IT OFF THEIR MIND,

AND OUR AIM WAS TO DO THE BEST WE COULD TO KEEP THEM MOBILE,

INTERESTED IN GOING HOME,

\h\hAND NOT GOING BACK OVER ALL OF THE BAD EXPERIENCES.

IT REALLY MADE YOU FEEL LIKE

YOU NEEDED TO PAY ATTENTION \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO THESE KIDS,

AND THEY NEEDED HELP.

\h\h\h\hIT WAS A TIME, A PERIOD IN MY LIFE, THAT’S VERY SPECIAL.

WHEN YOU’RE IN A WAR LIKE THAT,

\h\h\h\hEVERYBODY DOES WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.

YOU DON’T SIT HOME AND WONDER. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hYOU DO IT.

I WAS FORTUNATE IN BRINGING \hTHE BOYS TO A SAFER PLACE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: ALONG WITH THE COUNTLESS ACTS

OF BARBARISM AND INHUMANITY \h\h\h\hDURING WORLD WAR II,

\h\h\h\hTHERE WERE FEATS OF BRAVERY AND HEROISM.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hONE IS KNOWN AS THE MIRACLE OF DUNKIRK.

IT INVOLVED THE MASS EVACUATION OF BRITISH AND FRENCH TROOPS

\h\h\h\hWHILE UNDER ATTACK FROM THE GERMANS IN 1940.

BY CONTRAST, A FEW WEEKS LATER,

ANOTHER EVACUATION TOOK PLACE \h\h\h\hOFF THE FRENCH COAST.

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND THOUGH IT’S RARELY DISCUSSED,

IT LED TO THE GREATEST MARITIME LOSS OF LIFE

THE WORLD HAD EVER KNOWN.

♪

AFTER DUNKIRK, 150,000 BRITISH \h\h\h\h\hTROOPS AND CIVILIANS

WERE STILL TRAPPED IN FRANCE.

THEY WERE TOLD TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO A STRING OF PORTS

\h\hFROM CHERBOURG IN THE NORTH, TO ST. JEAN DE LUZ IN THE SOUTH.

MEANWHILE, THE BRITISH ASSEMBLED ANOTHER ARMADA OF RESCUE SHIPS,

CODE-NAMED OPERATION AERIAL.

AMONG THOSE STRANDED WAS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h26-YEAR-OLD ROYAL ENGINEER WALTER HIRST.

HIS UNIT HAD BEEN BUILDING \hAN AIRFIELD NEAR NANTES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMark Hirst: MY GRANDFATHER VOLUNTEERED

\hBECAUSE HE WANTED TO GO BACK TO FRANCE

\h\h\h\hTO FINISH THE JOB THAT HIS FATHER HAD BEGUN

IN WORLD WAR I.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,

HE’S NOW BEING BASICALLY \hCHASED OUT OF FRANCE.

IN JUNE, THEY STARTED TO REALIZE THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON.

\hTHE RAF GROUND CREW SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED.

THEY, THEY’D LEFT BY TRUCKS.

THERE WAS NO COMMUNICATION

BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS \h\h\h\hOF THE BRITISH FORCES,

AND IT WAS A REAL SHOCK.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: WALTER AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER TROOPS

\h\h\hMADE THEIR WAY BY TRUCK TO THE PORT OF SAINT NAZAIRE.

THEY ARRIVED ON JUNE 16, 1940.

\hHirst: WHEN THE COMPANY, MY GRANDFATHER’S COMPANY,

ARRIVED IN SAINT NAZAIRE, \h\h\h\h\hTHEY DISCOVERED

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT THERE WAS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TROOPS

WAITING FOR EMBARKATION,

SO THEY WAITED OVERNIGHT \h\h\h\h\h\hIN GANGWAYS.

THERE WASN’T ANY ACCOMMODATION, THEY JUST SLEPT ROUGH,

\h\h\h\hAND THERE WAS A VERY HEAVY AIR RAID

THAT NIGHT BY THE GERMANS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND THAT WAS THEIR FIRST SENSE OF PANIC,

\h\hFIRST SENSE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING WRONG

WITH THE ENTIRE OPERATION.

Narrator: ABOUT 30 RESCUE SHIPS WAITED OFFSHORE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hONE OF THEM WAS A FORMER LUXURY LINER

WHICH HAD BEEN CONVERTED \h\h\hINTO A TROOPSHIP--

THE HMT LANCASTRIA.

♪

Hirst: THE LANCASTRIA \h\hWAS A CUNARD SHIP,

\h\h\h\h\hAND HER MAIN TRADE WAS WITH AMERICAN TOURISTS.

INITIALLY, THE LANCASTRIA \hWAS NAMED THE TYRRHENIA,

\hBUT IN 1924, THE COMPANY DECIDED TO CHANGE THE NAME

BECAUSE THE AMERICAN PASSENGERS

HAD DIFFICULTY PRONOUNCING \h\h\hTHE NAME TYRRHENIA.

AND IT’S ALWAYS SAID BY MARINERS

THAT CHANGING THE NAME OF A SHIP BRINGS BAD LUCK,

AND SO IT WAS TO PROVE FOR, \h\h\h\hFOR THE LANCASTRIA.

Gordon: LANCASTRIA WAS REALLY \h\h\hORDERED BY THE ADMIRALTY

TO EVACUATE FROM SAINT NAZAIRE

AS MANY BRITISH PEOPLE \h\h\h\hAS SHE COULD,

WITHOUT REGARD TO HER FORMAL PASSENGER-CARRYING CAPACITY.

\hNarrator: THE GERMAN ARMY WAS TOO FAR AWAY TO ATTACK BY LAND.

INSTEAD, THE STRIKE \h\hON SAINT NAZAIRE

CAME FROM THE SKIES.

ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 17th,

\h\h\h\h\h\hHUNDREDS OF SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS BROKE THEIR COVER

AND BOARDED THE SMALL BOATS

\hTHAT FERRIED THEM TO THE RESCUE SHIPS.

\hWALTER HIRST AND HIS UNIT WERE TAKEN TO THE MIGHTY LANCASTRIA,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCOMMANDED BY CAPTAIN RUDOLPH SHARP.

Hirst: AND WHEN SHE ARRIVED, \hTHE FRENCH PILOT CAME OUT

AND ADDRESSED THE CAPTAIN, \h\h\h\h\h\hCAPTAIN SHARP,

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND SAID, "DO YOU REALIZE, SIR,

\h\hYOU’RE PUTTING YOUR NECK IN THE NOOSE BY BEING HERE?"

\h\h\h\h\hBUT THEY HAD NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: WALTER HIRST WAS SHOCKED

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBY THE MOB ALREADY ON BOARD THE LINER.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHirst: MY GRANDFATHER’S BEST FRIEND

\hHAPPENED TO SEE THE CHIEF PURSER, AND HE STOPPED HIM.

HE SAID, "YOU’RE LOOKING \h\h\h\hREALLY WORRIED,"

\h\h\h\hAND HE SAYS, "WELL, YOU WOULD BE REALLY WORRIED

\h\h\hWITH UPWARDS OF 6,000, PROBABLY 7 OR 8,000 ABOARD,

\h\h\hAND WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT FOR THEM

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG.

Narrator: THE EXHAUSTED TROOPS \h\h\hMADE THEMSELVES AT HOME.

THEY ATE BREAKFAST SERVED BY WHITE-JACKETED STEWARDS

IN THE LANCASTRIA’S \h\h\hDINING SALOON.

\h\h\hTHERE WAS A CHANCE TO TAKE A BATH OR A NAP

IN ONE OF THE CABINS.

800 RAF MEN WERE LED DOWN \h\h\h\hINTO A LARGE HOLD,

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHERE MATTRESSES HAD BEEN LAID OUT FOR THEM.

[AIRPLANE APPROACHING]

\h\h\h\hBUT THE QUIET WAS SOON INTERRUPTED.

[ROARING]

\h\h\h\hHirst: THE KLAXONS ON THE LANCASTRIA SOUNDED.

GERMAN AIRCRAFT BEGAN AN ATTACK

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND INITIALLY CONCENTRATED THEIR ATTACK

ON THE SS ORONSAY, \hWHICH WAS LYING

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hROUGHLY A MILE FROM THE LANCASTRIA’S POSITION.

Narrator: THE ORONSAY’S BRIDGE \h\h\h\h\h\hTOOK A DIRECT HIT.

SEVERAL MEN WERE KILLED, BUT SHE REMAINED AFLOAT.

BUT THE GERMAN PLANES \h\hWEREN’T FINISHED.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHirst: THE SIRENS ON THE LANCASTRIA SOUNDED AGAIN,

SIGNALING A SECOND ATTACK, \hAND QUICKLY AFTER THAT,

\h\h\h\h\h\hA GERMAN BOMBER, A JUNKERS 88, APPEARED LOW,

AND HEADING FROM BOW TO STERN \h\h\h\hACROSS THE LANCASTRIA

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND DROPPED FOUR 500-KILOGRAM BOMBS,

WHICH STRUCK THE SHIP \hIN RAPID SUCCESSION.

[EXPLOSIONS]

\h\hNarrator: THE 800 RAF MEN IN THE HOLD WERE KILLED INSTANTLY.

\h\h\hTHE LANCASTRIA STARTED TO SHUDDER,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMAKING A NOISE THAT SOUNDED TO CAPTAIN SHARP

"LIKE A WOUNDED ANIMAL."

Gordon: IT WOULD HAVE BEEN \hAN INDESCRIBABLE HORROR

BEING INSIDE THAT SHIP.

THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRES. \h\h\hTHERE WOULD BE SMOKE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hVERY FEW PEOPLE WOULD HAVE KNOWN THE WAY OUT.

\hIT REALLY DOESN’T BEAR THINKING ABOUT

THE SHEER PANIC AND CHAOS

OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED \h\h\h\h\hINSIDE THAT SHIP.

Hirst: ONE OF THE SURVIVORS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHO I SPOKE TO

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSAID THAT WHEN HE WAS IN THE WATER,

HE COULD SEE MEN DESPERATELY, WHO WERE TRAPPED BELOW DECKS,

DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET OUT THROUGH THE PORTHOLE WINDOWS,

AND HE SAID IT WAS JUST,

YOU COULD SEE TWO OR THREE MEN \h\h\hIN FRONT OF EACH OTHER,

AND THEN BEHIND THEM, FIRE,

AND THAT IMAGE STAYED WITH HIM, AND THEY WEREN’T GETTING OUT.

\h\h\hTHESE MEN WERE TRAPPED. THEY WERE GOING TO THE BOTTOM.

Narrator: AS THE LANCASTRIA \h\h\h\h\hBEGAN TO CAPSIZE,

\h\h\h\hMEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN SCRAMBLED ONTO THE ROLLING HULL.

\h\hSOME BEGAN SINGING "ROLL OUT THE BARREL"

AND "THERE’LL ALWAYS \h\hBE AN ENGLAND."

\h\h\hBUT THEIR SONGS WERE SOON DROWNED OUT

AS THE PLANES RETURNED.

Hirst: NOT CONTENT WITH SINKING

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHAT WAS OBVIOUSLY A VERY LARGE BRITISH TROOPSHIP,

THE LUFTWAFFE CAME BACK

\hAND BEGAN STRAFING THE MEN IN THE WATER

\h\h\h\h\hAND ALSO TRYING TO DROP INCENDIARY FLARES

\h\hTO LIGHT THE OIL WHICH WAS ESCAPING FROM THE LANCASTRIA,

\h\hAND IT WAS A KIND OF MACABRE SPECTACLE,

THESE MEN SINKING,

AND ALL THE TIME THE GERMANS WERE CONTINUING THE ATTACK.

ALL AROUND THERE WAS MEN \hSTRUGGLING, DROWNING.

Narrator: BY THAT POINT,

\h\h\h\h\hWALTER HIRST WAS IN THE WATER, TOO.

HE WAS APPROACHED BY ANOTHER MAN IN A STATE OF TOTAL PANIC.

Hirst: PERHAPS HE THOUGHT \h\h\hMY GRANDDAD WAS DEAD

\h\h\h\hBECAUSE HE WAS TRYING TO STAY AS STILL AS POSSIBLE.

HE WAS COVERED IN OIL,

AND HE WAS TRYING TO WRESTLE \hTHE LIFE JACKET FROM HIM,

\hAND A BATTLE BROKE OUT BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM,

AND EVENTUALLY THE MADMAN-- ’CAUSE THAT’S ALL HE COULD,

HE WAS OUT OF HIS MIND, \h\h\hAS YOU WOULD BE--

\h\h\h\h\hDISAPPEARED BELOW MY GRANDFATHER,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND I THINK THAT AFFECTED HIM DEEPLY.

Narrator: THE LANCASTRIA SANK \h\h\h\h\hIN JUST 20 MINUTES.

\hDUE TO THE CHAOS OF THE EVACUATION,

\h\h\hTHE TRUE DEATH TOLL HAS NEVER BEEN CONFIRMED,

BUT AT LEAST 3,000 LOST THEIR LIVES.

\h\h\hIT MAY HAVE BEEN ALMOST TWICE AS MANY.

BUT ALMOST TWO AND A HALF \h\hTHOUSAND DID SURVIVE.

WALTER HIRST WAS PICKED UP \hBY A FRENCH FISHING BOAT

AND WAS EVENTUALLY RETURNED \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO PLYMOUTH

FOR A TRAUMATIC HOMECOMING.

Hirst: AND AS THEY WALKED \h\h\h\hOFF THE GANGPLANK,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHERE WAS A ROYAL MARINES BAND PLAYING

TO WELCOME THE MEN BACK,

AND THEY WERE PLAYING "ROLL OUT THE BARREL,"

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND FOR MY GRANDDAD, FOR MANY OF THE OTHER SURVIVORS,

THEY COULDN’T STAND,

THEY COULDN’T TOLERATE THAT SONG AFTER IT

BECAUSE THEY ASSOCIATED IT WITH,

\h\h\hWITH THIS HORROR ABOARD THE LANCASTRIA.

♪

Narrator: THE LINER THAT STARTED AS A VESSEL

\h\h\h\h\h\hFOR RICH AMERICAN VACATIONERS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hENDED WITH A HEART-BREAKING RECORD--

THE LARGEST SINGLE LOSS OF LIFE IN BRITISH MARITIME HISTORY.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBACK HOME, PRIME MINISTER WINSTON CHURCHILL

TURNED TO DAMAGE CONTROL.

HE KNEW NEWS OF THE DISASTER

WOULD HAVE A DEVASTATING EFFECT ON THE BRITISH PUBLIC.

\h\h\h\h\h\hWALTER HIRST AND HIS FELLOW SURVIVORS

WERE FORBIDDEN TO SPEAK OF IT.

\h\hGordon: THE COUNTRY WAS ON A KIND OF STRANGE SORT OF HIGH

AFTER DUNKIRK,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAFTER WE’D GOT THE MAIN BRITISH ARMY BACK,

\h\h\h\h\hAND IT WAS FELT THAT THIS TERRIBLE TRAGEDY

WOULD HAVE SUCH AN EFFECT \h\h\h\hON NATIONAL MORALE

\h\h\h\hTHAT IT NEEDED TO BE KEPT SECRET, AND SO IT WAS.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE SINKING OF THE RESCUE SHIP LANCASTRIA

IS STILL RARELY DISCUSSED \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN BRITAIN.

\h\hBUT IN SAINT NAZAIRE, THERE IS A SIMPLE BEACHFRONT MEMORIAL.

Hirst: FOR THE SURVIVORS, ONE OF THE HARDEST ASPECTS

\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE TITANIC,

\h\h\hEVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE LUSITANIA,

YET THE LANCASTRIA CLAIMED MORE LIVES

THAN THOSE TWO DISASTERS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hCOMBINED.

AND THAT’S, THAT’S HURTFUL.

I MEAN, THEY FELT THAT THE SACRIFICE

THAT THEIR COLLEAGUES HAD MADE \h\h\h\hWAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED,

IT WAS FORGOTTEN,

\h\hAND IT WAS ALMOST LIKE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THEM.

\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: 1940 WAS A TUMULTUOUS YEAR IN EUROPE.

IN JUST THREE MONTHS, \h\h\hTHE GERMAN ARMY

\h\h\h\h\hSWEPT THROUGH HOLLAND, BELGIUM, LUXEMBOURG, AND FRANCE.

\h\h\h\h\hON APRIL 9th, HITLER TARGETED DENMARK.

THE COUNTRY SURRENDERED \h\h\hIN JUST SIX HOURS.

\h\h\hAND ALTHOUGH RESISTING THE GERMAN ARMY WAS FUTILE,

\h\h\hDENMARK STOOD FIRM AGAINST ONE OF HITLER’S KEY OPERATIONS.

Howard Veisz: THEY INSISTED,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWE’RE GONNA KEEP YOUR RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION OUT.

\h\h\hWE’RE NOT GONNA HAVE YOUR WAR AGAINST THE JEWS

ENTER DANISH SOIL.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE COUNTRY WAS OPERATING

AS A GERMAN PROTECTORATE,

BUT IT WAS STILL ABLE TO DEFEND AND PROTECT

ITS 8,000 JEWISH CITIZENS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hVeisz: AND SO FOR A PERIOD OF YEARS,

\h\h\h\hTHEY’RE ABLE TO KEEP THEIR JEWISH POPULATION SAFE

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHILE JEWS IN EVERY OTHER OCCUPIED COUNTRY

WERE BEING ROUNDED UP.

Narrator: BUT AT THE END \h\h\hOF SEPTEMBER 1943,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWORD GOT OUT THAT A MASS DEPORTATION OF JEWS

\h\h\h\hWOULD OCCUR IN JUST THREE DAYS.

THE RESPONSE WAS REMARKABLE.

\hTHE DANISH PEOPLE SPRANG INTO ACTION.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hVeisz: WITHIN THAT 72-HOUR PERIOD,

\h\h\hPRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE JEWISH POPULATION OF DENMARK

WAS NOT JUST WARNED, \h\h\hBUT SHELTERED,

GIVEN TEMPORARY HIDING.

Narrator: HITLER WAS FURIOUS.

HE SENT ADOLF EICHMANN,

\hCHIEF ORGANIZER OF THE HOLOCAUST,

\hTO HUNT DOWN DENMARK’S JEWS AND END THE NAZI HUMILIATION.

\h\h\hIN A COUNTRY AS SMALL AND AS ISOLATED AS DENMARK,

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN EASY,

BUT THERE WAS ONE PLACE

\h\hWHERE DENMARK’S JEWS MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND A SAFE HAVEN--

NEUTRAL SWEDEN.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hVeisz: IT WAS THE ONLY UNOCCUPIED LAND

WITHIN ABOUT 400 OR SO MILES,

AND IT WAS SO TANTALIZINGLY \h\hCLOSE, YOU COULD SEE IT.

\hNarrator: BUT THE ONLY WAY TO REACH SWEDEN WAS BY BOAT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hONCE AGAIN, THE DANISH PEOPLE RESPONDED.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hVeisz: WITHIN A MATTER OF A DAY OR TWO,

\h\h\hA RESCUE FLEET BEGAN TO TAKE FORM,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND ULTIMATELY ABOUT 300 BOATS PARTICIPATED.

\hNarrator: THE FIRST ATTEMPTS TO SMUGGLE JEWS OUT OF DENMARK

WERE A DISASTER.

BOATS WERE INTERCEPTED \h\h\hBY THE GESTAPO.

THEIR PASSENGERS AND CREW \h\h\h\h\hWERE IMPRISONED.

BUT ONE YOUNG WOMAN BELIEVED SHE COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1943, HENNY SINDING WAS JUST 19.

THERE ARE NO KNOWN PHOTOS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF HER.

BUT IN JUST A FEW MONTHS,

SHE HELPED DOZENS AND DOZENS \h\h\hOF DANISH JEWS ESCAPE.

BASED IN COPENHAGEN, SHE TURNED HER FATHER’S SMALL WORK BOAT

INTO THE MOST UNLIKELY RESCUE SHIP OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

ITS UNASSUMING NAME \h\h\hWAS GERDA III.

♪

HENNY SINDING’S FATHER \h\h\h\hUSED GERDA III

TO CARRY SUPPLIES \hTO A LIGHTHOUSE,

BUT FOR THREE YEARS, SHE’D ALSO BEEN USED

TO SMUGGLE RESISTANCE FIGHTERS \h\h\h\hIN AND OUT OF DENMARK.

Veisz: HENNY COULD NOT \h\h\hABIDE THE NOTION

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHAT THE NAZIS WOULD INTERFERE WITH PEOPLE

\h\h\hSHE CONSIDERED SIMPLY FELLOW DANES,

\h\h\h\hWHICH IS HOW THE COUNTRY REGARDED THE JEWISH POPULATION.

\h\h\h\h\hAN ATTACK ON THEM WAS AN ATTACK ON THE DANES,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND THEY FELT THEY NEEDED TO DO ANYTHING.

Narrator: HENNY’S SYSTEM \hWAS STRAIGHTFORWARD--

USE GERDA III’s REGULAR RUNS \h\h\hOUT TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

AS COVER FOR TRANSPORTING JEWS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO SWEDEN.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE CHALLENGE WAS GETTING THE PEOPLE ON BOARD.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hVeisz: HENNY WOULD START EACH DAY

BEING GIVEN A LIST OF NAMES \h\h\h\h\hOF PEOPLE TO MEET,

PLACES TO MEET THEM,

\h\h\h\hALL OF WHICH HAD TO BE MEMORIZED.

\h\h\hYOU COULDN’T HAVE ANY OF THIS IN WRITING.

AND THEN AT 1:00 A.M. EACH DAY, BEFORE THE BOAT’S NEXT SAILING,

SHE WOULD GO TO THE SAFE HOUSES,

ESCORT PEOPLE ALONG THE STREET \h\h\h\h\h\hTO THE WAREHOUSE,

\h\h\hWHERE NAZI SENTRIES WOULD MARCH BACK AND FORTH

\hAND WAIT FOR GAPS IN THEIR CROSSINGS,

\hDURING WHICH THEY COULD RUN PEOPLE ONE AT A TIME,

\hACROSS THE QUAY, ONTO GERDA, AND DOWN INTO THE CARGO HOLD.

YOU COULD THINK OF GERDA III

\h\h\h\hAS BASICALLY A LIFEBOAT FOR PERSONS HUNTED BY THE NAZIS.

Narrator: ABOUT 20 PEOPLE WOULD BE SQUEEZED IN WITH THE CARGO.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hVeisz: A SMALL SPACE, AS YOU CAN SEE,

ABOUT 10 BY 12 FEET,

NEVER MORE THAN 4 1/2 FEET HIGH TO THESE, THESE BEAMS.

THE MOST THAT THEY EVER \h\hATTEMPTED TO FIT IN

WAS ABOUT 15 PEOPLE,

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND YOU COULD ENVISION THEM PRETTY MUCH

AS FAR OUT AS THEY COULD GET,

PROBABLY PRESSED PRETTY MUCH \h\hAGAINST THE HULL PLANKS.

Narrator: BUT BEFORE GERDA III \h\h\hCOULD LEAVE COPENHAGEN,

SHE HAD TO BE INSPECTED \h\h\hBY ARMED SOLDIERS.

\hIT WAS A TENSE MOMENT FOR THOSE HIDING BELOW.

Veisz: RIGHT ABOVE THIS FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME,

YOU’D HAVE THOSE NAZI SENTRIES,

\h\hTHEIR BOOTS HOW MANY INCHES ABOVE THE HEADS OF THE REFUGEES?

NOT MANY.

AND THEY’D BE CHATTING \h\h\h\hWITH THE CREW,

TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER, \hEXCHANGING PLEASANTRIES.

♪

\hIT MUST HAVE BEEN A TREMENDOUS RELIEF

WHEN THE ENGINE WAS TURNED ON.

IF YOU’RE SITTING NEXT TO IT \hOR NEAR IT AS WE ARE NOW,

\h\h\h\hYOU’D HEAR KIND OF A POP, POP, POP, POP, POP,

\h\hALMOST MORE LIKE A, A RAPID HEARTBEAT

THAN THE DRONE OF A DIESEL.

\h\hAND YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE HOW EVERY ONE OF THOSE POPS,

YOU KNOW, TO THEM WOULD BE,

\h\hJUST SIGNIFY ANOTHER FOOT OR TWO FEET PERHAPS

FURTHER FROM THE NAZIS,

\hCLOSER TO SALVATION ON THE SWEDISH SHORE.

Narrator: THE AUTUMN SEAS \h\h\h\hWERE OFTEN ROUGH.

CONDITIONS WERE STARK.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hVeisz: IF YOU THINK OF THE PEOPLE

OVER THE COURSE OF THE WAR \h\h\h\h\hWHO WERE SITTING

\hIN, IN THIS SPACE OR ALONG THIS PLANK

OR THE PLANKS OVER THERE

BRACED AGAINST THE MOVEMENT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF THE BOAT,

AND HERE THEY WOULD BE IN THE, THE DARKNESS.

\h\h\h\h\hNO PORTS. NO OVERHEAD LIGHTS.

THIS WAS NEVER ENVISIONED

\h\h\h\h\h\hTO BE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WOULD TRAVEL.

Narrator: DESPITE GERMAN PATROLS AND HOSTILE WEATHER,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT’S BELIEVED THAT IN THE LAST MONTHS OF 1943,

\hHENNY SINDING AND HER CREW CARRIED 300 JEWS TO SAFETY.

\h\hVeisz: AND THEY WERE INCREDIBLY BRAVE PEOPLE,

\h\h\h\hAND THEY HAD THIS, THIS GREAT MORAL COMPASS.

\hAND AS A WHOLE, IT WAS PHENOMENALLY SUCCESSFUL.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hABOUT 94 PERCENT OF DENMARK’S JEWISH POPULATION

WAS BROUGHT TO SAFETY,

BY LATEST BEST COUNT, \h\h\h\h\h7,742 JEWS,

ANOTHER 686 LOVED ONES \hOF OTHER RELIGIONS.

\h\h\hTHERE WAS JUST NO PARALLEL TO THAT

\h\h\h\hANYWHERE ELSE IN THE OCCUPIED WORLD.

Narrator: TODAY, GERDA III RESIDES IN NEW YORK CITY,

OWNED BY THE NEW YORK MUSEUM \h\h\h\hOF JEWISH HERITAGE.

\h\h\h\h\h\hIT’S A TRIBUTE TO THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN

WHO HELPED SO MANY DANISH JEWS \h\h\hESCAPE THE NAZI TERROR.

Veisz: THESE WERE HEROES \h\h\h\h\hSAVING LIVES,

TAKING A STAND AGAINST EVIL.

AND YOU LOOK AROUND HERE, \h\h\h\h\h\hAND, YOU KNOW,

YOU CAN FEEL THE PRESENCE \h\h\h\h\hOF THE REFUGEES

\h\h\h\h\hAND THE PEOPLE WHO WERE BEING RESCUED,

\h\h\h\h\hBUT AS YOU SIT HERE, AND YOU GO IN THE PILOT HOUSE,

\h\h\h\h\h\hAND YOU LOOK AROUND THE ENGINE ROOM,

THERE IS ALSO THE PRESENCE OF THE, THE FOUR-MAN CREW,

OF HENNY SINDING.

\h\h\h\h\hUM, THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD NEVER BE FORGOTTEN,

\h\h\hAND IT’S A, IT’S A GREAT HONOR TO PRESERVE THIS VESSEL,

TO PRESERVE THEIR STORIES.

♪

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: OVER THE PAST 200 YEARS,

\hSHIPS HAVE RESCUED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

NOT ALL MISSIONS WERE SUCCESSFUL,

\h\h\hBUT EACH HAS LEFT A LEGACY THAT INSPIRES FUTURE GENERATIONS

\h\hTO SIMILAR ACTS OF SELFLESS BRAVERY.