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Narrator:
A merciless complex designed
for suffering...
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00:00:06,374 --> 00:00:07,773
There's dormitories.
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00:00:07,775 --> 00:00:09,908
There's what look
to be classrooms.
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00:00:09,910 --> 00:00:11,543
There's workshops.
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00:00:11,545 --> 00:00:13,445
It's a big mystery.
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00:00:13,447 --> 00:00:16,148
Streets of a sunken pirate city
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00:00:16,150 --> 00:00:17,916
drenched in infamy...
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00:00:17,918 --> 00:00:20,319
The harbor walls are
crumbling into the sea
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00:00:20,321 --> 00:00:24,723
and the whole area
has been left to collapse.
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00:00:24,725 --> 00:00:27,526
And a shadowy
subterranean complex
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00:00:27,528 --> 00:00:29,595
critical to defeating Hitler.
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00:00:29,597 --> 00:00:30,829
Looking at these doors,
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00:00:30,831 --> 00:00:33,198
never in your wildest dreams
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00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:35,334
could you imagine
what lies beyond.
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00:00:35,336 --> 00:00:38,470
♪
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00:00:38,472 --> 00:00:40,806
Decaying relics,
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00:00:40,808 --> 00:00:44,043
ruins of lost worlds,
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00:00:44,045 --> 00:00:46,779
forged through years of toil,
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00:00:46,781 --> 00:00:49,515
now haunted by the past,
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00:00:49,517 --> 00:00:52,584
their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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00:00:52,586 --> 00:00:55,587
Captions by vitac...
www.Vitac.Com
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00:00:55,589 --> 00:00:58,557
captions paid for by
discovery communications
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♪
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00:01:07,568 --> 00:01:09,068
♪
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Off the coast of Croatia,
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00:01:11,272 --> 00:01:13,972
in the middle
of the adriatic sea,
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is an island few
holiday makers dare to visit.
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00:01:17,311 --> 00:01:23,615
♪
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00:01:23,617 --> 00:01:26,285
Auerbach:
It's a moonscape, barren.
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00:01:26,287 --> 00:01:30,089
There are mountains of rock
piled up here, there.
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It's a palette
of gray and white.
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00:01:31,792 --> 00:01:34,426
♪
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Nusbacher:
This is an island that is
not the least bit welcoming.
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It is stark.
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It is burned
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and it's dead.
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♪
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Stretching up the hillside
is a series of stepped ruins,
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really just
the outlines of walls.
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00:01:56,350 --> 00:01:58,450
If you look a little
more closely,
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00:01:58,452 --> 00:02:03,021
you start noticing
some sinister elements.
42
00:02:03,023 --> 00:02:06,425
As you see this place
surrounded by fencing,
43
00:02:06,427 --> 00:02:09,628
machine gun posts,
and barbed wire
44
00:02:09,630 --> 00:02:12,097
and the mystery kind of thickens.
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00:02:12,099 --> 00:02:15,567
Narrator:
A place built
for a brutal purpose.
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Nusbacher:
This is an island dedicated
to breaking the human spirit.
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This is a place designed
to dehumanize.
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00:02:24,912 --> 00:02:27,613
♪
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00:02:27,615 --> 00:02:31,583
Narrator:
What was this incongruous
settlement used for?
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00:02:31,585 --> 00:02:34,586
Who lived here, and were
are they being protected
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00:02:34,588 --> 00:02:36,355
or held against their will?
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00:02:36,357 --> 00:02:44,357
♪
53
00:02:44,965 --> 00:02:47,599
This sterile rocky outcrop
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00:02:47,601 --> 00:02:51,136
is goli otok.
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Local historian darko bavoljak
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00:02:53,407 --> 00:02:56,375
has spent years
scouring this desolate site.
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00:02:56,377 --> 00:03:01,013
♪
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00:03:01,015 --> 00:03:02,581
Interpreter: This is an island
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00:03:02,583 --> 00:03:07,019
where paranoia and violence
reached their height.
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00:03:07,021 --> 00:03:10,989
Narrator:
The more you explore this site,
the more baffling it becomes.
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00:03:10,991 --> 00:03:14,526
♪
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00:03:14,528 --> 00:03:18,430
Wawro:
As you get closer, there's,
you know, sleeping quarters.
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00:03:18,432 --> 00:03:21,700
There's an auditorium.
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00:03:21,702 --> 00:03:23,669
It's hard to know
what this place is.
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00:03:23,671 --> 00:03:25,938
Nusbacher:
There is no readily
apparent reason
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00:03:25,940 --> 00:03:31,009
why you would build this
semi-industrial facility
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00:03:31,011 --> 00:03:35,047
on an island
in the middle of the sea.
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00:03:35,049 --> 00:03:37,216
♪
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00:03:37,218 --> 00:03:41,553
Narrator:
Goli otok's isolation
is key to unlocking its past.
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00:03:41,555 --> 00:03:43,055
♪
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00:03:43,057 --> 00:03:47,092
Because it's off the coast,
anything can happen out there.
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The fate of the people there
will never be known.
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00:03:50,998 --> 00:03:53,131
Nusbacher: Look at the bunkers.
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This is a place that
is designed to be patrolled,
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00:03:57,271 --> 00:04:00,472
designed to be defended.
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00:04:00,474 --> 00:04:02,708
But it's not, in any way, clear
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00:04:02,710 --> 00:04:04,776
what was worth guarding
and patrolling here.
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00:04:04,778 --> 00:04:06,545
♪
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00:04:06,547 --> 00:04:10,415
Narrator:
In fact, this site
was a brutal prison.
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00:04:10,417 --> 00:04:13,085
It's known
as Croatia's Alcatraz.
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00:04:13,087 --> 00:04:16,822
♪
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Interpreter:
The first prisoners arrived
on this island
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00:04:20,961 --> 00:04:24,596
on July 9, 1949.
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00:04:24,598 --> 00:04:25,864
After that,
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00:04:25,866 --> 00:04:28,967
around 12,000 convicts passed
through this place
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00:04:28,969 --> 00:04:31,203
and they built everything
that you can see here.
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00:04:34,975 --> 00:04:36,475
♪
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00:04:36,477 --> 00:04:39,244
Narrator:
But why did someone go
to such lengths
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00:04:39,246 --> 00:04:42,014
to build a prison
on this barren rock,
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00:04:42,016 --> 00:04:44,916
far out to sea
and way out of sight?
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00:04:44,918 --> 00:04:47,853
♪
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00:04:47,855 --> 00:04:49,855
After the second world war,
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00:04:49,857 --> 00:04:52,591
this site was part
of communist yugoslavia,
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00:04:52,593 --> 00:04:54,993
which was still aligned
with Moscow,
95
00:04:54,995 --> 00:04:56,895
but in 1949,
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00:04:56,897 --> 00:05:00,699
the infamous yugoslavian
dictator marshal josip tito
97
00:05:00,701 --> 00:05:05,671
broke away from the Soviet union
and its leader Joseph Stalin.
98
00:05:05,673 --> 00:05:10,208
But not all yugoslavians
agreed with tito's vision.
99
00:05:10,210 --> 00:05:13,578
They wanted to stay
with Soviet-style communism,
100
00:05:13,580 --> 00:05:15,614
and the ruthless dictator
101
00:05:15,616 --> 00:05:20,052
had a harsh way
of dealing with dissenters.
102
00:05:20,054 --> 00:05:21,386
Tito wants to be able
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00:05:21,388 --> 00:05:24,823
to take people
he thinks are loyal to Stalin
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00:05:24,825 --> 00:05:26,525
and make them disappear.
105
00:05:26,527 --> 00:05:28,260
♪
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00:05:28,262 --> 00:05:31,229
Narrator:
In his cold-blooded
pursuit of power,
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00:05:31,231 --> 00:05:34,966
tito had turned
on his own people.
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00:05:34,968 --> 00:05:37,703
He rounded up thousands
of political prisoners
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00:05:37,705 --> 00:05:42,441
and sent them here,
to the prison on goli otok.
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00:05:42,443 --> 00:05:45,944
This is tito's gulag.
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00:05:45,946 --> 00:05:49,414
The buildings are
a stark reminder
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00:05:49,416 --> 00:05:51,950
of the immense paranoia
of a regime
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00:05:51,952 --> 00:05:54,186
that didn't trust
its own people.
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00:05:54,188 --> 00:05:58,924
They would spend years living
under the harshest conditions,
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00:05:58,926 --> 00:06:01,560
huddling on this
limestone island,
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00:06:01,562 --> 00:06:06,298
protected by a few blocks,
being worked nearly to death.
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00:06:06,300 --> 00:06:10,369
Narrator:
The inmates' punishing workload
included quarrying,
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00:06:10,371 --> 00:06:12,938
excavating a network of tunnels,
119
00:06:12,940 --> 00:06:14,906
and building
the very fortifications
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00:06:14,908 --> 00:06:16,408
that kept them imprisoned.
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00:06:16,410 --> 00:06:18,410
♪
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00:06:20,013 --> 00:06:22,514
Interpreter:
There are more than
100 bunkers on this island.
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00:06:22,516 --> 00:06:25,183
Many were used
to stop prisoners escaping.
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00:06:27,921 --> 00:06:30,555
Narrator:
Those unfortunate enough
to end up here
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00:06:30,557 --> 00:06:34,559
were subjected to tito's
relentless reeducation machine,
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00:06:34,561 --> 00:06:38,497
a machine that would turn darker
than anyone could imagine.
127
00:06:38,499 --> 00:06:40,265
♪
128
00:06:40,267 --> 00:06:43,201
Here is a place
that was built, built up,
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00:06:43,203 --> 00:06:46,805
made almost brutally magnificent
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00:06:46,807 --> 00:06:51,410
in its ability to cause
people misery and pain,
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00:06:51,412 --> 00:06:55,614
so that they would be compliant.
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00:06:55,616 --> 00:06:57,883
Narrator:
Yugoslavia's secret police
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00:06:57,885 --> 00:07:01,219
kept a close watch
for the slightest indiscretion.
134
00:07:01,221 --> 00:07:04,823
The fear of being snatched
and sent to goli otok
135
00:07:04,825 --> 00:07:08,560
became part of Yugoslav society.
136
00:07:08,562 --> 00:07:11,630
Auerbach:
The psychological trauma
is immense.
137
00:07:11,632 --> 00:07:14,433
Imagine being
literally disappeared,
138
00:07:14,435 --> 00:07:16,201
bearing seized for crimes
139
00:07:16,203 --> 00:07:18,503
you don't even know
you're being accused of,
140
00:07:18,505 --> 00:07:20,872
so quickly and so secretly,
that even your friends
141
00:07:20,874 --> 00:07:23,041
and family
don't know where you've gone.
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00:07:23,043 --> 00:07:24,576
♪
143
00:07:24,578 --> 00:07:27,946
Sometimes people executed
their personal grudges
144
00:07:27,948 --> 00:07:29,281
by informing upon people
145
00:07:29,283 --> 00:07:31,583
that had not really committed
any political crimes!
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00:07:31,585 --> 00:07:33,485
They just want to see them
sent to goli otok.
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00:07:33,487 --> 00:07:37,222
♪
148
00:07:37,224 --> 00:07:40,025
Narrator:
Did any of these enemies
of the state survive
149
00:07:40,027 --> 00:07:41,660
to tell the tale
150
00:07:41,662 --> 00:07:45,363
or did yugoslavia's disappeared
vanish forever?
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00:07:52,773 --> 00:07:56,608
♪
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00:07:56,610 --> 00:07:59,978
Narrator:
Off the coast of Croatia
is goli otok,
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00:07:59,980 --> 00:08:02,914
marshal tito's brutal prison,
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00:08:02,916 --> 00:08:08,587
which started reeducating
political dissenters in 1949.
155
00:08:08,589 --> 00:08:12,857
But something more perverse
than that was at play.
156
00:08:12,859 --> 00:08:14,926
A small number
of senior officials
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00:08:14,928 --> 00:08:17,496
would have overseen this gulag,
158
00:08:17,498 --> 00:08:21,166
but they were not responsible
for keeping order.
159
00:08:21,168 --> 00:08:23,835
The prison discipline
was actually carried out,
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00:08:23,837 --> 00:08:25,971
in large part,
by the inmates themselves.
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00:08:25,973 --> 00:08:28,406
♪
162
00:08:28,408 --> 00:08:30,308
So newcomers arrived.
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00:08:30,310 --> 00:08:35,313
The older inmates were forced
to whip them as they passed by.
164
00:08:35,315 --> 00:08:38,049
Narrator:
Those who survived rose
through the ranks
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00:08:38,051 --> 00:08:40,886
to mete out
their own form of terror,
166
00:08:40,888 --> 00:08:43,221
as barracks supervisors.
167
00:08:43,223 --> 00:08:47,626
Interpreter:
The barrack supervisor was
the master of life and death.
168
00:08:47,628 --> 00:08:50,629
He could order any prisoner
to viciously beat another.
169
00:08:52,566 --> 00:08:57,235
These brutal conditions created
a kind of prison hierarchy
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00:08:57,237 --> 00:09:01,139
where prisoners were encouraged
to humiliate each other,
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00:09:01,141 --> 00:09:05,577
to inform on one another,
to beat one another.
172
00:09:05,579 --> 00:09:07,879
Nusbacher:
Everybody was an informer.
173
00:09:07,881 --> 00:09:10,682
Everybody was an abuser.
174
00:09:10,684 --> 00:09:13,118
Everybody was violent.
175
00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,620
And nobody felt safe.
176
00:09:15,622 --> 00:09:21,192
♪
177
00:09:21,194 --> 00:09:23,194
About 600 died on the island,
178
00:09:23,196 --> 00:09:26,064
which means, you know, thousands
returned to the mainland
179
00:09:26,066 --> 00:09:28,867
after being broken
and reeducated,
180
00:09:28,869 --> 00:09:31,870
but those who came back,
they didn't dare say a word.
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00:09:31,872 --> 00:09:35,073
♪
182
00:09:35,075 --> 00:09:36,841
Auerbach:
What were they afraid of?
183
00:09:36,843 --> 00:09:38,176
What if someone informed
on them again
184
00:09:38,178 --> 00:09:40,111
and they were returned
to goli otok?
185
00:09:40,113 --> 00:09:42,113
♪
186
00:09:42,115 --> 00:09:45,317
Narrator:
This fear rippled
through Yugoslav society
187
00:09:45,319 --> 00:09:47,519
until 1989,
188
00:09:47,521 --> 00:09:49,287
when the collapse
of the Berlin wall
189
00:09:49,289 --> 00:09:52,591
marked the beginning of the end
for communism
190
00:09:52,593 --> 00:09:55,160
and tito's gulag closed down.
191
00:09:55,162 --> 00:10:00,865
♪
192
00:10:00,867 --> 00:10:04,569
Today, the crumbling
buildings of goli otok
193
00:10:04,571 --> 00:10:08,907
are a haunting reminder
of tito's totalitarian regime.
194
00:10:08,909 --> 00:10:11,676
♪
195
00:10:11,678 --> 00:10:15,780
All of us in the west,
we allowed ourselves to think
196
00:10:15,782 --> 00:10:19,651
that, unlike the other
communist dictatorships,
197
00:10:19,653 --> 00:10:23,321
tito's dictatorship
was not founded
198
00:10:23,323 --> 00:10:27,492
on brutality and prison camps.
199
00:10:27,494 --> 00:10:29,027
Of course, we were wrong.
200
00:10:29,029 --> 00:10:36,901
♪
201
00:10:36,903 --> 00:10:39,871
Narrator:
In the swampy wetlands
of Louisiana,
202
00:10:39,873 --> 00:10:42,540
in a region
with a fractured past,
203
00:10:42,542 --> 00:10:46,611
lies a sprawling site
with a shameful story to tell.
204
00:10:49,383 --> 00:10:53,752
♪
205
00:10:53,754 --> 00:10:57,088
Wawro:
It seems entirely
otherworldly
206
00:10:57,090 --> 00:10:59,057
because you've got the bayou.
207
00:10:59,059 --> 00:11:01,226
You've got the strange wildlife,
208
00:11:01,228 --> 00:11:03,328
you've got snakes crawling
through the grass.
209
00:11:03,330 --> 00:11:05,163
You've got crocodiles.
210
00:11:05,165 --> 00:11:06,998
♪
211
00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,467
It's pretty forbidding.
212
00:11:09,469 --> 00:11:10,702
In this landscape,
213
00:11:10,704 --> 00:11:14,305
not only do you have
the remains of buildings,
214
00:11:14,307 --> 00:11:18,043
like brick foundations
barely exposed,
215
00:11:18,045 --> 00:11:20,345
you also have
existing structures,
216
00:11:20,347 --> 00:11:24,282
very, very simple wooden
structures, simple cabins.
217
00:11:24,284 --> 00:11:26,885
Narrator:
These buildings
and the abandoned machinery
218
00:11:26,887 --> 00:11:30,488
that lies submerged in the
steaming swamps around them,
219
00:11:30,490 --> 00:11:33,458
hold the clues
to what this site once was.
220
00:11:36,196 --> 00:11:37,429
In the distance, you can see
221
00:11:37,431 --> 00:11:41,533
some kind of a crane
or industrial facility
222
00:11:41,535 --> 00:11:43,468
and some other heavy equipment
223
00:11:43,470 --> 00:11:46,304
laying around
in state of disrepair.
224
00:11:46,306 --> 00:11:49,541
♪
225
00:11:49,543 --> 00:11:53,211
So, it looks like
we're coming upon
226
00:11:53,213 --> 00:11:56,581
a basic agricultural
establishment,
227
00:11:56,583 --> 00:11:58,116
but for what, exactly?
228
00:11:58,118 --> 00:12:00,085
♪
229
00:12:00,087 --> 00:12:03,254
There is a sense of foreboding
230
00:12:03,256 --> 00:12:06,291
that something
might've happened here,
231
00:12:06,293 --> 00:12:08,259
that you can't quite
figure out what.
232
00:12:08,261 --> 00:12:09,828
♪
233
00:12:09,830 --> 00:12:13,465
Narrator:
Who were the workers forced
to call this place home
234
00:12:13,467 --> 00:12:15,700
and how were
their lives entwined
235
00:12:15,702 --> 00:12:18,203
with the history
of a divided America?
236
00:12:22,209 --> 00:12:27,879
♪
237
00:12:27,881 --> 00:12:30,014
This site is a puzzle.
238
00:12:30,016 --> 00:12:33,051
Is it industrial?
239
00:12:33,053 --> 00:12:37,021
A small train and other
assorted pieces of machinery
240
00:12:37,023 --> 00:12:39,457
rust away
in the Southern humidity,
241
00:12:39,459 --> 00:12:42,994
but the cluster of shacks
and a deserted school
242
00:12:42,996 --> 00:12:44,629
hint at a community.
243
00:12:44,631 --> 00:12:46,431
But where has everyone gone?
244
00:12:46,433 --> 00:12:48,566
♪
245
00:12:48,568 --> 00:12:50,602
Paul Leslie is a local historian
246
00:12:50,604 --> 00:12:53,571
who has spent years studying
the history of the site.
247
00:12:53,573 --> 00:12:56,341
♪
248
00:12:56,343 --> 00:12:59,310
Leslie: I came here around 1977
249
00:12:59,312 --> 00:13:02,347
and so, I pretty much
discovered it then.
250
00:13:02,349 --> 00:13:04,282
And I was just completely stung
251
00:13:04,284 --> 00:13:08,553
by the presence
of so many buildings.
252
00:13:08,555 --> 00:13:12,157
It was like a time capsule.
253
00:13:12,159 --> 00:13:14,159
Narrator:
The story of this site begins
254
00:13:14,161 --> 00:13:17,228
with a product
the whole world craved...
255
00:13:17,230 --> 00:13:18,329
Sugar.
256
00:13:18,331 --> 00:13:20,598
♪
257
00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,202
What we're seeing here
is a sugar plantation,
258
00:13:24,204 --> 00:13:27,205
a kind of agriculture
that was very common
259
00:13:27,207 --> 00:13:30,441
in the U.S. in the
19th century and before.
260
00:13:30,443 --> 00:13:34,179
Sugar was really an integral
part of the Louisiana economy
261
00:13:34,181 --> 00:13:36,948
because it was
the ultimate cash crop.
262
00:13:36,950 --> 00:13:38,683
♪
263
00:13:38,685 --> 00:13:41,719
Narrator:
This isn't just
any sugar plantation.
264
00:13:41,721 --> 00:13:43,721
It's Laurel valley,
265
00:13:43,723 --> 00:13:47,258
once one of the largest
plantations in north America.
266
00:13:47,260 --> 00:13:49,828
♪
267
00:13:49,830 --> 00:13:51,162
In the 1830s,
268
00:13:51,164 --> 00:13:53,698
a family by the name
of Tucker arrived
269
00:13:53,700 --> 00:13:55,166
and took over this land
270
00:13:55,168 --> 00:13:58,369
and began building up
the plantation.
271
00:13:58,371 --> 00:14:01,472
Narrator:
But their ambition
came at a cost.
272
00:14:01,474 --> 00:14:04,642
♪
273
00:14:04,644 --> 00:14:10,448
Mitchell:
The Tucker family arrive
with a couple of dozen slaves.
274
00:14:10,450 --> 00:14:12,083
Within 20 years,
275
00:14:12,085 --> 00:14:15,119
they have almost 170 slaves.
276
00:14:15,121 --> 00:14:19,958
It's a phenomenally large
slave holding family.
277
00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,061
The process of making sugar
was a really brutal one
278
00:14:23,063 --> 00:14:28,266
and it was incredibly difficult
for the laborers involved.
279
00:14:28,268 --> 00:14:31,603
Narrator:
At the heart of the tuckers'
operation was the mill.
280
00:14:31,605 --> 00:14:33,238
♪
281
00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:35,106
Wawro:
This is the old sugar mill.
282
00:14:35,108 --> 00:14:37,175
It's built in the 1840s,
283
00:14:37,177 --> 00:14:41,479
built with bricks that were made
on the plantation by the slaves
284
00:14:41,481 --> 00:14:43,047
and then assembled
painstakingly,
285
00:14:43,049 --> 00:14:47,418
something like
366,000 slave-made bricks.
286
00:14:47,420 --> 00:14:48,987
♪
287
00:14:48,989 --> 00:14:52,557
The mill was operatin'
24 hours a day.
288
00:14:52,559 --> 00:14:56,694
It never shut down,
unless the equipment broke.
289
00:14:56,696 --> 00:14:59,397
Narrator: The work was brutal.
290
00:14:59,399 --> 00:15:02,233
The day here at Laurel valley
was one that started
291
00:15:02,235 --> 00:15:06,738
at around 7:30
and ended close to 8:00.
292
00:15:06,740 --> 00:15:08,339
It wasn't an uncommon thing
293
00:15:08,341 --> 00:15:12,477
to have people plowin'
in the fields at night.
294
00:15:12,479 --> 00:15:15,680
As far as the working
conditions, they were hard.
295
00:15:15,682 --> 00:15:20,752
The average life expectancy was
around 25 years of age.
296
00:15:20,754 --> 00:15:23,721
Meigs:
This is slave labor in some
very difficult conditions
297
00:15:23,723 --> 00:15:24,989
down here in the swamps,
298
00:15:24,991 --> 00:15:28,626
with mosquitoes and malaria
and the blazing sun.
299
00:15:28,628 --> 00:15:30,461
So there was no easy place
to be a slave,
300
00:15:30,463 --> 00:15:32,864
but this was probably one
of the worst places.
301
00:15:32,866 --> 00:15:36,134
♪
302
00:15:36,136 --> 00:15:40,238
Workers started
at very young age,
303
00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,641
about 8, 9, 10.
304
00:15:43,643 --> 00:15:47,845
Narrator:
Life as a slave was so harsh
that, for some,
305
00:15:47,847 --> 00:15:52,216
bringing a child
into this world was too much.
306
00:15:52,218 --> 00:15:55,553
You have infamous stories
of mothers deciding
307
00:15:55,555 --> 00:15:57,822
to commit infanticide,
308
00:15:57,824 --> 00:15:59,824
rather than subject
a child to slavery.
309
00:15:59,826 --> 00:16:02,360
♪
310
00:16:02,362 --> 00:16:05,530
Narrator:
The deserted structures
at Laurel valley hint
311
00:16:05,532 --> 00:16:09,000
at the cruelty
of day-to-day life.
312
00:16:09,002 --> 00:16:10,802
Meigs:
Imagine living in these swamps,
313
00:16:10,804 --> 00:16:12,971
in one of these
primitive houses.
314
00:16:12,973 --> 00:16:17,375
No screens on the windows
to keep out the mosquitoes.
315
00:16:17,377 --> 00:16:21,579
There were probably, you know,
five people to a room,
316
00:16:21,581 --> 00:16:24,582
very, very primitive
and difficult conditions.
317
00:16:24,584 --> 00:16:28,486
♪
318
00:16:28,488 --> 00:16:30,421
Narrator:
But a violent series of events
319
00:16:30,423 --> 00:16:34,492
would soon change the fortunes
of America, the tuckers,
320
00:16:34,494 --> 00:16:37,161
and the people
they had enslaved.
321
00:16:37,163 --> 00:16:38,863
♪
322
00:16:43,669 --> 00:16:47,605
♪
323
00:16:47,607 --> 00:16:50,475
Narrator:
Deep in the swamp lands
of Louisiana,
324
00:16:50,477 --> 00:16:54,512
a deserted 19th-century
sugar plantation stands
325
00:16:54,514 --> 00:16:58,149
as a testimony to human greed.
326
00:16:58,151 --> 00:16:59,517
The southerners,
327
00:16:59,519 --> 00:17:03,454
they saw slavery as the
bedrock of their economy
328
00:17:03,456 --> 00:17:07,058
and, you know, it's sort of
an economic nonsense, in a way,
329
00:17:07,060 --> 00:17:09,227
because it's been proven
over and over
330
00:17:09,229 --> 00:17:13,898
that slavery was an inefficient
way to run anything.
331
00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:19,404
And, yet, slavery had become so
entwined with Southern culture.
332
00:17:19,406 --> 00:17:23,574
Narrator:
Few families felt stronger
about this than the tuckers.
333
00:17:23,576 --> 00:17:24,609
Once the civil war
334
00:17:24,611 --> 00:17:25,676
broke out,
335
00:17:25,678 --> 00:17:29,380
Caleb Tucker left
Laurel valley in 1863
336
00:17:29,382 --> 00:17:33,251
and went to join
the confederate army.
337
00:17:33,253 --> 00:17:35,219
For a man like Caleb Tucker,
338
00:17:35,221 --> 00:17:37,822
who has considerable
slave holdings,
339
00:17:37,824 --> 00:17:41,793
the notion of emancipating
his enslaved labor force
340
00:17:41,795 --> 00:17:45,863
is akin to bankrupting himself.
341
00:17:45,865 --> 00:17:47,799
Narrator:
When the union won the war,
342
00:17:47,801 --> 00:17:49,934
Tucker's choice
to fight against them
343
00:17:49,936 --> 00:17:53,805
had a catastrophic impact
on his plantation.
344
00:17:53,807 --> 00:18:00,178
The local union authorities
exacted real retribution on him.
345
00:18:00,180 --> 00:18:02,346
We know for a fact
that union authorities,
346
00:18:02,348 --> 00:18:03,948
you know,
plundered the plantation.
347
00:18:03,950 --> 00:18:05,883
So as a result, the plantation,
348
00:18:05,885 --> 00:18:08,119
in the latter stages
of the civil war,
349
00:18:08,121 --> 00:18:09,654
really falls upon hard times.
350
00:18:09,656 --> 00:18:14,358
♪
351
00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:15,760
Narrator: At the end of the war,
352
00:18:15,762 --> 00:18:17,862
the tuckers sold
their plantation
353
00:18:17,864 --> 00:18:21,432
and the Laurel valley slaves
were finally free,
354
00:18:21,434 --> 00:18:25,169
but hope of a better life
soon vanished.
355
00:18:25,171 --> 00:18:27,238
Racial bigotry and low wages
356
00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:30,608
meant their working conditions
hardly improved.
357
00:18:30,610 --> 00:18:32,043
In 1887,
358
00:18:32,045 --> 00:18:34,679
the workers organized
a mass strike,
359
00:18:34,681 --> 00:18:38,916
but an all-white militia
was sent in to respond.
360
00:18:38,918 --> 00:18:41,786
Mitchell:
They not only try
to kill strikers,
361
00:18:41,788 --> 00:18:45,223
they also end up massacring
black civilians,
362
00:18:45,225 --> 00:18:47,425
black people who are
in the town.
363
00:18:47,427 --> 00:18:50,294
And so historians don't have
a very strong sense
364
00:18:50,296 --> 00:18:53,164
of exactly how many
blacks were killed,
365
00:18:53,166 --> 00:18:55,266
but it was dozens,
it was scores,
366
00:18:55,268 --> 00:18:57,502
of people being murdered,
being slaughtered.
367
00:18:57,504 --> 00:18:59,871
♪
368
00:18:59,873 --> 00:19:01,939
Narrator:
The strikers had little choice
369
00:19:01,941 --> 00:19:05,176
but to return to work
in the same sugar fields
370
00:19:05,178 --> 00:19:07,945
and the plantation grew again.
371
00:19:07,947 --> 00:19:15,052
A boom between 1890 and 1924
meant more building at the site.
372
00:19:15,054 --> 00:19:16,621
Meigs: They had huge cranes
373
00:19:16,623 --> 00:19:19,090
for loading the cane
and loading the product.
374
00:19:19,092 --> 00:19:21,492
They had miles
of railroad tracks.
375
00:19:21,494 --> 00:19:24,462
They had to move around
a lot of material
376
00:19:24,464 --> 00:19:27,865
and they were willing
to invest a lot
377
00:19:27,867 --> 00:19:29,800
in the infrastructure
to make that happen.
378
00:19:29,802 --> 00:19:32,136
♪
379
00:19:32,138 --> 00:19:35,239
Narrator:
But the great depression
of the 1930s
380
00:19:35,241 --> 00:19:36,741
brought economic disaster
381
00:19:36,743 --> 00:19:40,545
to the sugar industry
and Southern Louisiana.
382
00:19:40,547 --> 00:19:43,281
Eventually,
the workers' cabins emptied
383
00:19:43,283 --> 00:19:45,349
and the sugar mill
closed for good.
384
00:19:45,351 --> 00:19:49,754
♪
385
00:19:49,756 --> 00:19:53,424
Today, Laurel valley
still stands.
386
00:19:53,426 --> 00:19:56,227
The fields are used
to grow sugar cane,
387
00:19:56,229 --> 00:19:59,931
but the basic houses
now lie empty.
388
00:19:59,933 --> 00:20:02,733
Meigs:
This particular site
is a window
389
00:20:02,735 --> 00:20:07,138
into a part of our history,
part of world history,
390
00:20:07,140 --> 00:20:08,673
and, as tragic as it is,
391
00:20:08,675 --> 00:20:11,142
it's also really important
to recognize it.
392
00:20:11,144 --> 00:20:12,577
It's a story that needs
to be told.
393
00:20:12,579 --> 00:20:20,579
♪
394
00:20:20,820 --> 00:20:24,255
Narrator:
Perched on a remote coast
in the Scottish highlands
395
00:20:24,257 --> 00:20:25,790
is a collection of structures
396
00:20:25,792 --> 00:20:28,292
that keep silent vigil
over the sea.
397
00:20:28,294 --> 00:20:33,631
♪
398
00:20:35,068 --> 00:20:38,603
Up on the cliffs, you're swept
away by the natural beauty.
399
00:20:38,605 --> 00:20:40,571
♪
400
00:20:40,573 --> 00:20:41,906
But if you look down
at your feet,
401
00:20:41,908 --> 00:20:45,476
you'll find
concrete foundations.
402
00:20:45,478 --> 00:20:50,781
Man's been here and he's created
things and then taken them away.
403
00:20:50,783 --> 00:20:55,386
Narrator:
But this is not the only enigma
in these faraway foothills.
404
00:20:55,388 --> 00:20:57,788
Concealed in dense grassland
405
00:20:57,790 --> 00:21:02,627
is an inauspicious portal
to a momentous past.
406
00:21:02,629 --> 00:21:04,095
If you don't know
what you're looking for,
407
00:21:04,097 --> 00:21:08,132
you are never going to find it
in this landscape.
408
00:21:08,134 --> 00:21:12,470
You can just about make out
big steel doors
409
00:21:12,472 --> 00:21:17,875
that appear to lead
right into the mountainside.
410
00:21:17,877 --> 00:21:20,578
Never in your wildest dreams
411
00:21:20,580 --> 00:21:23,314
could you imagine
what lies beyond.
412
00:21:24,617 --> 00:21:26,050
Narrator: Whatever it is,
413
00:21:26,052 --> 00:21:29,654
it's too clandestine
to appear on local maps.
414
00:21:29,656 --> 00:21:31,889
It's what you don't see
415
00:21:31,891 --> 00:21:36,427
that's even more impressive
about this complex.
416
00:21:36,429 --> 00:21:41,699
Secrecy was very, very key
to the entire operation.
417
00:21:41,701 --> 00:21:45,136
Narrator:
But what is there
is monumental.
418
00:21:45,138 --> 00:21:47,038
It's when you make a noise
419
00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:51,008
that you realize
the scale of this place.
420
00:21:53,279 --> 00:21:57,848
Narrator:
Why go out of your way
to hide this enormous facility
421
00:21:57,850 --> 00:22:01,085
and what is its connection
to the clifftop ruins?
422
00:22:01,087 --> 00:22:05,222
♪
423
00:22:05,224 --> 00:22:07,992
The link between the gateway
in the woods
424
00:22:07,994 --> 00:22:11,962
and the clifftop structures
starts two miles away,
425
00:22:11,964 --> 00:22:17,101
with huge metal drums
in the town of invergordon.
426
00:22:17,103 --> 00:22:20,805
You're looking at a kind
of industrial complex
427
00:22:20,807 --> 00:22:25,676
and it's a very,
very important site.
428
00:22:25,678 --> 00:22:30,915
You suddenly realize there are
these massive, round structures
429
00:22:30,917 --> 00:22:33,451
heading off
as far as the eye can see.
430
00:22:33,453 --> 00:22:34,919
♪
431
00:22:34,921 --> 00:22:38,723
Rows and rows of these
rusting circular domes
432
00:22:38,725 --> 00:22:42,159
stretch out into the distance.
433
00:22:42,161 --> 00:22:45,229
Narrator:
Military archaeologist
Alan kilpatrick
434
00:22:45,231 --> 00:22:48,799
has studied this area
for decades.
435
00:22:48,801 --> 00:22:51,469
Kilpatrick:
The site is very impressive.
436
00:22:51,471 --> 00:22:54,138
Its engineering and its quality
of its engineering
437
00:22:54,140 --> 00:22:56,941
is absolutely first-rate.
438
00:22:56,943 --> 00:23:00,144
Narrator:
These enormous metal
structures date back
439
00:23:00,146 --> 00:23:02,780
to the early 20th century.
440
00:23:02,782 --> 00:23:05,649
Built, initially, in 1913,
441
00:23:05,651 --> 00:23:07,084
the fact that they're
still here today,
442
00:23:07,086 --> 00:23:10,554
having had no maintenance
for over 25 years
443
00:23:10,556 --> 00:23:12,490
or thereabouts,
444
00:23:12,492 --> 00:23:14,425
they're still stunning,
in amazing condition.
445
00:23:14,427 --> 00:23:18,162
♪
446
00:23:18,164 --> 00:23:21,866
Inside these circular domes,
it's almost pitch black
447
00:23:21,868 --> 00:23:26,270
and covered in this
almost powdery white substance.
448
00:23:26,272 --> 00:23:28,205
It's quite spooky.
449
00:23:28,207 --> 00:23:31,041
Narrator:
The white powder
is organic material
450
00:23:31,043 --> 00:23:36,080
that betrays the fact that these
tanks have lain empty for years,
451
00:23:36,082 --> 00:23:38,082
but these were once filled
452
00:23:38,084 --> 00:23:41,285
with the 20th century's
black gold...
453
00:23:41,287 --> 00:23:42,386
Oil.
454
00:23:42,388 --> 00:23:43,721
♪
455
00:23:43,723 --> 00:23:46,490
The largest of these
enormous steel tanks
456
00:23:46,492 --> 00:23:52,163
is almost 120 feet high
and 45 feet across.
457
00:23:52,165 --> 00:23:53,597
The whole tank farm
458
00:23:53,599 --> 00:23:58,469
could hold hundreds of thousands
of tons of oil.
459
00:23:58,471 --> 00:24:01,672
Kilpatrick:
You had 44 oil tanks
constructed.
460
00:24:01,674 --> 00:24:03,541
Each one of these tanks
contained
461
00:24:03,543 --> 00:24:05,643
5,000 tons of fuel oil.
462
00:24:05,645 --> 00:24:09,980
♪
463
00:24:09,982 --> 00:24:12,516
Narrator:
So, what happened
to all this oil
464
00:24:12,518 --> 00:24:15,286
and what connects it
to the coastal ruins
465
00:24:15,288 --> 00:24:17,822
and the dark secret
in the mountainside?
466
00:24:17,824 --> 00:24:19,356
♪
467
00:24:24,430 --> 00:24:28,065
♪
468
00:24:28,067 --> 00:24:30,000
In the east of Scotland
469
00:24:30,002 --> 00:24:33,070
lies a 100-year-old tank farm
that was once
470
00:24:33,072 --> 00:24:37,308
the biggest fuel depot
in the country.
471
00:24:37,310 --> 00:24:38,709
In the first world war,
472
00:24:38,711 --> 00:24:41,378
it was a key
royal Navy facility.
473
00:24:41,380 --> 00:24:44,915
♪
474
00:24:44,917 --> 00:24:48,219
When you consider the importance
475
00:24:48,221 --> 00:24:51,856
of fuel to the Navy,
476
00:24:51,858 --> 00:24:57,828
it's as important
as ammunition or guns.
477
00:24:57,830 --> 00:24:59,597
No fuel, no fleet.
478
00:24:59,599 --> 00:25:01,198
♪
479
00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,401
Narrator:
Invergordon sits
on the cromarty firth,
480
00:25:04,403 --> 00:25:08,439
a deep inland waterway
that leads out to the north sea.
481
00:25:08,441 --> 00:25:10,508
♪
482
00:25:10,510 --> 00:25:13,878
Barratt:
Invergordon was really,
really important strategically.
483
00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,947
That ships could slip in
under the cover of darkness,
484
00:25:16,949 --> 00:25:19,016
fuel up, and then disappear off.
485
00:25:19,018 --> 00:25:21,285
♪
486
00:25:21,287 --> 00:25:22,887
Narrator: Thanks to invergordon,
487
00:25:22,889 --> 00:25:25,890
the royal Navy maintained
unmatched power
488
00:25:25,892 --> 00:25:30,227
and ensured victory over Germany
in the first world war.
489
00:25:30,229 --> 00:25:33,430
But the clifftop structures
east of invergordon suggest
490
00:25:33,432 --> 00:25:35,165
that the safety
of the fuel depot
491
00:25:35,167 --> 00:25:37,735
would soon be under threat.
492
00:25:37,737 --> 00:25:39,236
These are the remains
493
00:25:39,238 --> 00:25:41,405
of the north sutor
coast battery.
494
00:25:41,407 --> 00:25:43,307
Constructed in 1913,
495
00:25:43,309 --> 00:25:46,110
it had been upgraded to guard
against the new threat
496
00:25:46,112 --> 00:25:47,778
to the Navy's precious oil
497
00:25:47,780 --> 00:25:49,747
by the start
of the second world war.
498
00:25:49,749 --> 00:25:52,416
♪
499
00:25:52,418 --> 00:25:54,118
All this effort was to try
and protect it
500
00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:56,654
from aerial attack
because aerial attack was
501
00:25:56,656 --> 00:25:59,323
the major threat
to the royal Navy.
502
00:25:59,325 --> 00:26:03,561
Narrator:
And, when Germany
occupied Norway in 1941,
503
00:26:03,563 --> 00:26:05,229
they gained a coastline
504
00:26:05,231 --> 00:26:07,498
within striking distance
of Scotland.
505
00:26:07,500 --> 00:26:09,033
♪
506
00:26:09,035 --> 00:26:11,268
In February 1941,
507
00:26:11,270 --> 00:26:15,272
a junkers 88 came tearing in
over invergordon.
508
00:26:15,274 --> 00:26:17,441
It carried out a solo attack,
509
00:26:17,443 --> 00:26:20,311
dropping two 500-pound bombs.
510
00:26:20,313 --> 00:26:22,947
♪
511
00:26:22,949 --> 00:26:25,449
It collapsed tank 13,
512
00:26:25,451 --> 00:26:27,785
spilling oil down the
adjacent railway line
513
00:26:27,787 --> 00:26:29,887
and down into the firth itself.
514
00:26:29,889 --> 00:26:31,655
♪
515
00:26:31,657 --> 00:26:34,858
Tank 13 was never rebuilt,
so, now,
516
00:26:34,860 --> 00:26:38,629
it is a gap in the tank farm.
517
00:26:38,631 --> 00:26:41,165
Narrator:
The British had foreseen
this danger
518
00:26:41,167 --> 00:26:44,501
and, for the last four years,
had been building a solution
519
00:26:44,503 --> 00:26:47,738
for storing even more fuel
nearby.
520
00:26:47,740 --> 00:26:49,940
But there's no sign of the site.
521
00:26:49,942 --> 00:26:53,210
If you didn't know where
to locate this entrance,
522
00:26:53,212 --> 00:26:55,279
you wouldn't know
this place even existed.
523
00:26:55,281 --> 00:26:57,247
♪
524
00:26:57,249 --> 00:26:59,516
There is a door
in the mountainside
525
00:26:59,518 --> 00:27:02,286
made out of incredibly
thick steel
526
00:27:02,288 --> 00:27:06,991
and very firmly bolted
to the concrete.
527
00:27:06,993 --> 00:27:10,661
Behind this unassuming portal
into this hillside
528
00:27:10,663 --> 00:27:13,297
lies one of the finest examples
of civil engineering.
529
00:27:13,299 --> 00:27:16,934
♪
530
00:27:16,936 --> 00:27:19,403
This is one of two tunnels
531
00:27:19,405 --> 00:27:22,339
that lead into this
remote highland hillside
532
00:27:22,341 --> 00:27:25,376
500 feet above invergordon.
533
00:27:25,378 --> 00:27:28,012
Narrator:
It's only by venturing deeper
534
00:27:28,014 --> 00:27:30,848
that the true nature
of the complex is revealed.
535
00:27:30,850 --> 00:27:32,750
♪
536
00:27:32,752 --> 00:27:38,088
The access tunnel here is
over 220 meters long.
537
00:27:38,090 --> 00:27:40,858
♪
538
00:27:40,860 --> 00:27:42,660
Narrator: A few meters later,
539
00:27:42,662 --> 00:27:46,263
and the tunnel seems
to end entirely.
540
00:27:46,265 --> 00:27:48,499
Once you get to the end
of that corridor,
541
00:27:48,501 --> 00:27:51,301
you realize there is
another way forward,
542
00:27:51,303 --> 00:27:56,040
but it's through a much,
much smaller pipeline.
543
00:27:56,042 --> 00:27:59,276
The staff would have to lie flat
on this wheeled board,
544
00:27:59,278 --> 00:28:03,347
that they'd then be pushed
through the pipes.
545
00:28:03,349 --> 00:28:07,951
Narrator:
They would emerge
into a monstrous void.
546
00:28:07,953 --> 00:28:12,022
The space which is ahead of me
547
00:28:12,024 --> 00:28:14,992
is vast.
548
00:28:14,994 --> 00:28:17,661
It is the size...
549
00:28:17,663 --> 00:28:22,132
In fact, actually bigger,
than a medieval cathedral.
550
00:28:22,134 --> 00:28:23,901
The sheer size of this,
551
00:28:23,903 --> 00:28:31,903
780 feet long by 30 feet wide
by 52 feet high.
552
00:28:33,646 --> 00:28:36,914
It really is an impressive
piece of engineering.
553
00:28:36,916 --> 00:28:40,718
♪
554
00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,487
Narrator:
This is just one of six tanks
555
00:28:43,489 --> 00:28:47,558
that make up the inchindown
underground fuel depot.
556
00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:50,627
The first was completed in 1941
557
00:28:50,629 --> 00:28:55,099
and each one could hold
5.6 million gallons of fuel.
558
00:28:55,101 --> 00:28:56,633
♪
559
00:28:56,635 --> 00:28:59,169
At more than 400 feet
below ground,
560
00:28:59,171 --> 00:29:02,973
no German bomb could reach
the Navy's vital reserve.
561
00:29:02,975 --> 00:29:04,708
♪
562
00:29:04,710 --> 00:29:08,612
A system of pumps and piping
carried it down to invergordon.
563
00:29:08,614 --> 00:29:10,714
♪
564
00:29:10,716 --> 00:29:14,184
The fuel flowed down
four miles of pipes,
565
00:29:14,186 --> 00:29:18,088
from the tanks
down to the naval base.
566
00:29:18,090 --> 00:29:22,392
Kilpatrick:
600 men were involved.
567
00:29:22,394 --> 00:29:24,361
Massive amount of tunneling.
568
00:29:24,363 --> 00:29:28,532
A quarter of a million
cubic meters of sandstone
569
00:29:28,534 --> 00:29:30,634
removed from this facility.
570
00:29:30,636 --> 00:29:35,672
♪
571
00:29:35,674 --> 00:29:38,075
Narrator:
This impressive feat
of engineering
572
00:29:38,077 --> 00:29:40,310
would soon play a critical role
573
00:29:40,312 --> 00:29:43,814
in the largest seaborne
invasion in history.
574
00:29:43,816 --> 00:29:46,183
♪
575
00:29:51,056 --> 00:29:54,691
♪
576
00:29:54,693 --> 00:29:57,594
Narrator:
Towards the end
of the second world war,
577
00:29:57,596 --> 00:30:01,899
unbeknown to the Germans,
a vast system of oil tanks
578
00:30:01,901 --> 00:30:05,903
lay in wait
below a Scottish hillside.
579
00:30:05,905 --> 00:30:09,973
Corum:
In world war two,
this one facility
580
00:30:09,975 --> 00:30:15,412
can support the fleet
for considerable time.
581
00:30:15,414 --> 00:30:20,684
And, without bases like this,
you have no royal Navy.
582
00:30:20,686 --> 00:30:22,419
In 1944,
583
00:30:22,421 --> 00:30:24,454
many of the vessels
heading south
584
00:30:24,456 --> 00:30:28,325
towards the beaches of normandy
for the d-day landings
585
00:30:28,327 --> 00:30:30,961
refueled here at invergordon.
586
00:30:30,963 --> 00:30:35,766
It was a crucial part
of the naval infrastructure.
587
00:30:35,768 --> 00:30:39,736
Narrator:
It was critical to allied
victory in the second world war.
588
00:30:39,738 --> 00:30:42,906
♪
589
00:30:42,908 --> 00:30:44,308
After the war,
590
00:30:44,310 --> 00:30:47,845
the world-class engineering
of the inchindown oil tanks
591
00:30:47,847 --> 00:30:52,349
meant they continued to play
an important strategic role.
592
00:30:52,351 --> 00:30:57,554
This facility was,
all through the cold war,
593
00:30:57,556 --> 00:31:02,125
a very, very important,
and very secure, site
594
00:31:02,127 --> 00:31:05,829
for your fuel storage,
for logistics, for the Navy.
595
00:31:05,831 --> 00:31:09,566
There were plans to upgrade
the site for use by NATO,
596
00:31:09,568 --> 00:31:12,269
but, these plans
were later abandoned
597
00:31:12,271 --> 00:31:17,174
and, in 2002, the site
was officially closed.
598
00:31:17,176 --> 00:31:20,744
That is an incredible journey
and an amazing life span
599
00:31:20,746 --> 00:31:23,847
for something that was
first constructed in 1941.
600
00:31:23,849 --> 00:31:28,285
♪
601
00:31:28,287 --> 00:31:32,956
Narrator:
The outstanding engineering
of the vast inchindown oil tanks
602
00:31:32,958 --> 00:31:35,626
continues to break records
to this day,
603
00:31:35,628 --> 00:31:37,327
including what's thought to be
604
00:31:37,329 --> 00:31:41,031
the longest-lasting
reverberation.
605
00:31:41,033 --> 00:31:46,236
It measured about 117 seconds
of reverberance
606
00:31:46,238 --> 00:31:49,139
before the sound
finally tailed to nothing.
607
00:31:54,813 --> 00:31:58,148
♪
608
00:31:58,150 --> 00:31:59,917
Narrator:
In the south of Jamaica,
609
00:31:59,919 --> 00:32:02,452
at the mouth
of the Kingston harbor,
610
00:32:02,454 --> 00:32:06,390
a windswept Caribbean village
hides a hell-raising past.
611
00:32:06,392 --> 00:32:10,861
♪
612
00:32:10,863 --> 00:32:14,665
Selwood:
It's a thin peninsula,
stretching out into the sea.
613
00:32:14,667 --> 00:32:17,668
You can see, from the way
the wind whips the trees,
614
00:32:17,670 --> 00:32:19,503
that this is an exposed area.
615
00:32:19,505 --> 00:32:21,538
♪
616
00:32:21,540 --> 00:32:25,175
Gough:
A long building stretches
along the coastline.
617
00:32:25,177 --> 00:32:27,644
The plaster's peeling
off the walls
618
00:32:27,646 --> 00:32:29,746
and it's been battered
by the elements.
619
00:32:29,748 --> 00:32:31,581
♪
620
00:32:31,583 --> 00:32:36,320
Narrator:
Scattered clues point
to a military purpose.
621
00:32:36,322 --> 00:32:38,322
Jerram:
You've got imposing walls
622
00:32:38,324 --> 00:32:41,158
and there's a tower
with some arches.
623
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:42,559
There's a huge courtyard
624
00:32:42,561 --> 00:32:45,896
with strange wooden shapes
in the floor.
625
00:32:45,898 --> 00:32:48,365
Turn a corner
and there's a line of cannons
626
00:32:48,367 --> 00:32:50,968
in various states of disrepair,
627
00:32:50,970 --> 00:32:54,771
some rusting, some looking
as though they're ready to fire.
628
00:32:54,773 --> 00:32:57,107
♪
629
00:32:57,109 --> 00:32:59,409
Narrator:
Further exploration reveals
630
00:32:59,411 --> 00:33:02,679
something went seriously
awry here.
631
00:33:02,681 --> 00:33:04,147
You can see
that the whole building
632
00:33:04,149 --> 00:33:09,319
has been upended on one side,
but remains perfectly intact.
633
00:33:09,321 --> 00:33:13,790
What force could've moved
the entire structure?
634
00:33:13,792 --> 00:33:16,226
The way the harbor walls
are crumbling into the sea
635
00:33:16,228 --> 00:33:17,794
and the whole place
being so quiet,
636
00:33:17,796 --> 00:33:21,064
there's a real sense
that something happened here
637
00:33:21,066 --> 00:33:22,666
that we're not
getting the full picture,
638
00:33:22,668 --> 00:33:25,936
that there's something
under the water.
639
00:33:25,938 --> 00:33:29,206
Narrator:
How did the sunken relics
of manmade structures
640
00:33:29,208 --> 00:33:31,875
end up beneath the waves?
641
00:33:31,877 --> 00:33:34,711
What was this
mysterious settlement?
642
00:33:34,713 --> 00:33:40,484
♪
643
00:33:40,486 --> 00:33:45,322
An incongruous red brick fort
overshadows the sleepy harbor,
644
00:33:45,324 --> 00:33:49,493
suggesting the focus here
has not always been on fishing.
645
00:33:49,495 --> 00:33:53,063
This is a military space,
but what period it is from
646
00:33:53,065 --> 00:33:57,901
and what they're protecting
is not immediately apparent.
647
00:33:57,903 --> 00:34:00,037
Narrator:
What was so worth defending
648
00:34:00,039 --> 00:34:02,839
on this far-flung
Jamaican coast?
649
00:34:02,841 --> 00:34:04,307
♪
650
00:34:04,309 --> 00:34:06,543
This point is right
in the middle
651
00:34:06,545 --> 00:34:08,545
of the Caribbean's
busiest trading routes
652
00:34:08,547 --> 00:34:11,515
of the 17th century.
653
00:34:11,517 --> 00:34:12,616
This meant money,
654
00:34:12,618 --> 00:34:14,651
and money always
needs defending.
655
00:34:16,422 --> 00:34:18,955
Narrator: This is port royal.
656
00:34:18,957 --> 00:34:20,624
400 years ago,
657
00:34:20,626 --> 00:34:25,395
this forgotten backwater
was the Jewel of the Caribbean.
658
00:34:25,397 --> 00:34:27,931
Local archaeologist dorick gray
659
00:34:27,933 --> 00:34:30,934
knows how the English pried it
out of Spanish hands.
660
00:34:30,936 --> 00:34:34,304
♪
661
00:34:59,198 --> 00:35:01,932
The fort rapidly expanded.
662
00:35:01,934 --> 00:35:05,202
And so did the town,
and port royal soon became one
663
00:35:05,204 --> 00:35:09,439
of the most important cities
in the world.
664
00:35:09,441 --> 00:35:13,276
When it was built,
this town was bigger than Boston
665
00:35:13,278 --> 00:35:16,079
and had more money
than all of London.
666
00:35:16,081 --> 00:35:18,248
♪
667
00:35:18,250 --> 00:35:21,118
Narrator:
But a financial prize
so far from home
668
00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:24,654
wasn't easy
for the English to protect.
669
00:35:24,656 --> 00:35:27,624
Selwood:
They then did something
incredibly risky and unusual.
670
00:35:27,626 --> 00:35:30,760
They sent an open invitation
to the most lawless
671
00:35:30,762 --> 00:35:33,230
and ruthless criminals
on the planet
672
00:35:33,232 --> 00:35:34,831
to come and make it
their home...
673
00:35:34,833 --> 00:35:36,199
Pirates.
674
00:35:36,201 --> 00:35:38,768
♪
675
00:35:38,770 --> 00:35:41,404
Narrator:
The second half
of the 17th century
676
00:35:41,406 --> 00:35:44,207
was the golden age of piracy,
677
00:35:44,209 --> 00:35:48,111
with as many
as 5,000 pirates at large.
678
00:35:48,113 --> 00:35:51,214
Port royal soon became
their capital.
679
00:35:51,216 --> 00:35:54,284
Could the abandoned structures
that litter port royal
680
00:35:54,286 --> 00:35:56,419
have been home
to these buccaneers?
681
00:36:05,964 --> 00:36:07,831
Selwood:
It seems like a crazy idea,
682
00:36:07,833 --> 00:36:10,667
but it was a "better
the devil you know" move.
683
00:36:10,669 --> 00:36:13,370
By getting these libertarians
on their side,
684
00:36:13,372 --> 00:36:16,439
the British were asking them
to attack the Spanish ships,
685
00:36:16,441 --> 00:36:18,909
thereby protecting
their own trade
686
00:36:18,911 --> 00:36:20,710
and diminishing their enemies.
687
00:36:22,214 --> 00:36:25,248
Narrator:
Port royal thrived
under pirate rule
688
00:36:25,250 --> 00:36:29,886
and grew into an outlaw town
of 8,000 inhabitants.
689
00:36:29,888 --> 00:36:31,721
♪
690
00:36:31,723 --> 00:36:34,057
The Caribbean was like
the wild west
691
00:36:34,059 --> 00:36:36,026
of the 17th century
692
00:36:36,028 --> 00:36:38,695
and port royal
was like dodge city.
693
00:36:38,697 --> 00:36:40,397
♪
694
00:36:40,399 --> 00:36:42,999
Selwood:
It was said that one in four
buildings in port royal
695
00:36:43,001 --> 00:36:44,868
was a bar or a brothel.
696
00:36:44,870 --> 00:36:47,938
This city was known around the
world as the wicked city.
697
00:36:47,940 --> 00:36:52,042
♪
698
00:36:52,044 --> 00:36:56,079
Narrator:
Clues to the city's fate lie
beneath the waves.
699
00:36:56,081 --> 00:36:59,015
There was something far more
menacing on the horizon,
700
00:36:59,017 --> 00:37:01,718
that neither the British,
nor their pirate army,
701
00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:03,286
could defend against.
702
00:37:08,327 --> 00:37:13,263
♪
703
00:37:13,265 --> 00:37:17,033
Narrator:
Ruins scattered around the
Jamaican harbor of port royal
704
00:37:17,035 --> 00:37:21,438
indicate that a legendary
pirate city once stood here.
705
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:23,673
The remains of abandoned streets
706
00:37:23,675 --> 00:37:27,244
have been found in the murky
waters around the site
707
00:37:27,246 --> 00:37:29,879
and holes in a century-old wall
708
00:37:29,881 --> 00:37:32,549
show where most
of the city disappeared.
709
00:37:32,551 --> 00:37:34,551
♪
710
00:37:49,868 --> 00:37:52,202
♪
711
00:37:52,204 --> 00:37:55,538
Why did port royal vanish
beneath the waves?
712
00:37:55,540 --> 00:37:57,540
♪
713
00:37:57,542 --> 00:38:00,243
A curious building
tilting precariously
714
00:38:00,245 --> 00:38:03,046
into Jamaica's soft, Sandy rock
715
00:38:03,048 --> 00:38:05,982
points at port royal's
violent geology.
716
00:38:05,984 --> 00:38:07,817
♪
717
00:38:18,864 --> 00:38:22,132
♪
718
00:38:22,134 --> 00:38:27,337
Narrator:
The Caribbean archipelago
is a geologically active area.
719
00:38:27,339 --> 00:38:30,206
Jerram:
Jamaica sits exactly where
the Caribbean plate
720
00:38:30,208 --> 00:38:32,409
and the gonave microplate meet.
721
00:38:32,411 --> 00:38:34,010
They meet side-by-side
722
00:38:34,012 --> 00:38:35,712
in what's called
a transform fault
723
00:38:35,714 --> 00:38:37,180
and this fault rubs
724
00:38:37,182 --> 00:38:39,215
against each other
as things move
725
00:38:39,217 --> 00:38:41,985
and that can cause violent
juddering and earthquakes,
726
00:38:41,987 --> 00:38:44,854
but also, some of those
earthquakes can be quite shallow
727
00:38:44,856 --> 00:38:47,590
and cause violent changes
on the earth's surface.
728
00:38:47,592 --> 00:38:48,958
♪
729
00:38:58,837 --> 00:39:00,403
♪
730
00:39:00,405 --> 00:39:02,639
These heavy buildings
suddenly found themselves
731
00:39:02,641 --> 00:39:05,475
not on solid
sort of Sandy substrate,
732
00:39:05,477 --> 00:39:08,011
but on a liquid Sandy substrate.
733
00:39:08,013 --> 00:39:10,580
What was solid land
all of a sudden becomes liquid
734
00:39:10,582 --> 00:39:12,148
and things sink into it.
735
00:39:12,150 --> 00:39:14,050
And, as the earthquake stopped,
736
00:39:14,052 --> 00:39:17,354
then the sand then essentially
resolidified itself,
737
00:39:17,356 --> 00:39:19,622
trapping the buildings
within it, and even people.
738
00:39:21,159 --> 00:39:24,961
Narrator:
2,000 people died
almost instantly.
739
00:39:24,963 --> 00:39:29,666
Another 3,000 would die
later, from disease.
740
00:39:29,668 --> 00:39:31,668
But that was just the beginning.
741
00:39:31,670 --> 00:39:34,304
♪
742
00:39:34,306 --> 00:39:37,907
The earthquake, being coastal,
also created a Tsunami
743
00:39:37,909 --> 00:39:40,477
and it's reported
that the sea moved
744
00:39:40,479 --> 00:39:42,212
about a mile away from the land
745
00:39:42,214 --> 00:39:44,814
before then coming crashing in
with violent waves
746
00:39:44,816 --> 00:39:47,951
that attacked the city
from the seaward side.
747
00:39:47,953 --> 00:39:50,754
♪
748
00:39:50,756 --> 00:39:52,922
Gough:
The city can no longer function.
749
00:39:52,924 --> 00:39:54,524
It was over.
750
00:39:54,526 --> 00:39:59,129
Many believed this
was retribution,
751
00:39:59,131 --> 00:40:01,498
all of the debauchery and sin
752
00:40:01,500 --> 00:40:05,735
wiped off the earth
by god's wrath.
753
00:40:05,737 --> 00:40:10,273
Narrator:
More than 1,000 acres
of port royal was destroyed.
754
00:40:10,275 --> 00:40:14,344
The pirate capital never
returned to its riotous heyday,
755
00:40:14,346 --> 00:40:18,648
but its strategic location
saw it reborn a century later.
756
00:40:18,650 --> 00:40:21,518
Gough:
One of britain's most
celebrated naval officers
757
00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:23,653
was called into service here.
758
00:40:23,655 --> 00:40:27,490
In 1779, Horatio Nelson
was put in charge
759
00:40:27,492 --> 00:40:32,629
of 500 men at fort Charles.
760
00:40:32,631 --> 00:40:34,798
Narrator:
Admiral Nelson
did all he could
761
00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:38,535
to prevent port royal
disappearing back into the sea.
762
00:40:38,537 --> 00:40:42,105
This naval hospital
was ingeniously designed,
763
00:40:42,107 --> 00:40:45,074
with large parts of the
building premade in britain
764
00:40:45,076 --> 00:40:46,943
and then shipped out to Jamaica.
765
00:40:46,945 --> 00:40:50,380
♪
766
00:41:11,169 --> 00:41:15,405
It also survived
another earthquake, in 1907.
767
00:41:19,077 --> 00:41:20,376
This earthquake was really
768
00:41:20,378 --> 00:41:22,345
the sort of final nail
in the coffin
769
00:41:22,347 --> 00:41:24,814
and, after this,
most people fled the town.
770
00:41:24,816 --> 00:41:30,720
♪
771
00:41:30,722 --> 00:41:33,156
Mother nature
has finally claimed
772
00:41:33,158 --> 00:41:35,325
the once-infamous pirate city,
773
00:41:35,327 --> 00:41:37,560
consigning its nefarious secrets
774
00:41:37,562 --> 00:41:40,263
to the depths
of Davy Jones' locker.
775
00:41:40,265 --> 00:41:42,365
♪
776
00:41:42,367 --> 00:41:46,236
Marine excavation
takes time and Patience
777
00:41:46,238 --> 00:41:49,138
and, although there's been
a few digs over the years,
778
00:41:49,140 --> 00:41:53,810
there's huge swathes of the city
that have yet to be explored,
779
00:41:53,812 --> 00:41:57,847
so who knows what treasures
still lie hidden beneath?
780
00:41:57,849 --> 00:41:59,449
♪
781
00:42:00,552 --> 00:42:04,220
♪
58623
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