Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:07,956
NARRATOR: Pirates,
gangsters, villains and
the worst of humanity.
2
00:00:09,059 --> 00:00:11,427
Swallowed up by the sea.
3
00:00:11,529 --> 00:00:12,761
But why?
4
00:00:12,830 --> 00:00:15,431
Were they ripe for
the wrath of God?
5
00:00:15,499 --> 00:00:19,034
Or are there deadly
natural forces at work?
6
00:00:19,070 --> 00:00:23,839
What if, you could drain
the ocean to reveal the
secrets of the seafloor.
7
00:00:24,809 --> 00:00:28,410
Now, powerful new
technology can do just that.
8
00:00:29,380 --> 00:00:33,115
Digital photos and sonar
scans give us remarkable new
9
00:00:33,216 --> 00:00:37,019
insights into a
world beneath the sea.
10
00:00:37,021 --> 00:00:42,324
What apocalyptic disaster
wiped out the Pirate
city of Port Royal?
11
00:00:42,359 --> 00:00:45,127
JON: It's a city
that was literally
swallowed by the sea.
12
00:00:45,228 --> 00:00:49,364
And what are the
dangerous forces that
made Alcatraz, the Rock,
13
00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,134
the most infamous
prison on earth.
14
00:00:52,235 --> 00:00:54,869
JOHN: The conditions
surrounding this island
is what really made it an
15
00:00:54,905 --> 00:00:56,471
escape-proof prison.
16
00:00:56,474 --> 00:01:01,176
Drained dry, we reveal
the extreme geological
forces that led
17
00:01:01,278 --> 00:01:04,880
to the demise of
so much wickedness.
18
00:01:10,554 --> 00:01:15,090
NARRATOR: Deep beneath the
waves, is a reminder of the
earth's violent beginning.
19
00:01:15,860 --> 00:01:20,562
Through the use of cutting
edge technology we can reveal
the secrets of the sea floor
20
00:01:20,631 --> 00:01:22,797
in astonishing detail.
21
00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,301
And expose the shaky ground
on which we all live.
22
00:01:28,372 --> 00:01:32,241
In the 17th Century,
Port Royal, on the
south coast of Jamaica,
23
00:01:32,243 --> 00:01:36,712
was an English
stronghold at the heart
of the Spanish empire.
24
00:01:36,914 --> 00:01:41,917
Dominating what would become
Kingston Harbor from the
end of a long spit of land.
25
00:01:42,953 --> 00:01:44,853
JON: If you've seen the
Pirates of the Caribbean movie,
26
00:01:44,855 --> 00:01:47,990
the first town
you go to, where we meet
Jack Sparrow is Port Royal.
27
00:01:48,091 --> 00:01:50,859
NARRATOR: Grown fat
on the profits of piracy and
28
00:01:50,928 --> 00:01:55,063
slavery, Port Royal
was a city of almost 8,000;
29
00:01:55,165 --> 00:01:58,267
the ultimate boom
town of a new world.
30
00:01:58,269 --> 00:02:03,004
But it was also known as
the wickedest city on earth.
31
00:02:03,006 --> 00:02:06,241
It certainly had more bars and
brothels than any other city
32
00:02:06,277 --> 00:02:08,810
in the whole of
the English colonies.
33
00:02:08,946 --> 00:02:14,983
-Well the port, indeed,
is very loose in itself; it is
now more ruled than our Sodom.
34
00:02:15,019 --> 00:02:18,620
Filled with all
manner of debauchery.
35
00:02:25,663 --> 00:02:31,766
NARRATOR: On June 7th, 1692,
disaster struck Port Royal.
36
00:02:33,370 --> 00:02:39,574
A massive earthquake wiped
two thirds of the city off the
map; sending it to the bottom
37
00:02:39,577 --> 00:02:42,477
of the sea.
38
00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:54,222
Today, archaeologist,
Jon Henderson, an expert in
sunken cities, will use new
39
00:02:54,225 --> 00:02:58,193
technology to discover just
how the disaster unfolded.
40
00:03:00,497 --> 00:03:05,300
Port Royal sank so fast that
it took its secrets with it.
41
00:03:06,503 --> 00:03:09,538
-This is a true sunken
city; but not only that,
it's a catastrophic site.
42
00:03:10,374 --> 00:03:13,942
It went down so quickly that
it sealed a moment in time.
43
00:03:13,978 --> 00:03:16,545
It's sometimes called the,
the Pompeii of the new world.
44
00:03:17,114 --> 00:03:20,916
It's now underwater for
us to discover and that's
really rare in archaeology.
45
00:03:23,821 --> 00:03:29,590
NARRATOR: Jon's mission is
to rediscover the sunken city
and recreate a precise digital
46
00:03:29,627 --> 00:03:32,127
model of its ruins.
47
00:03:32,463 --> 00:03:37,232
Data that explains how
the city tore apart, in
two minutes of terror.
48
00:03:41,839 --> 00:03:47,309
It's a huge challenge,
but if it works, we can
virtually drain the ocean...
49
00:03:48,979 --> 00:03:55,584
Strip away millions of gallons
of water and bring the sunken
city of Port Royal back into
50
00:03:55,586 --> 00:03:58,921
the light of day.
51
00:04:00,724 --> 00:04:07,396
Draining the sea beyond
Port Royal may explain why it
became a pirate powerhouse.
52
00:04:09,033 --> 00:04:12,200
It's all down to its location.
53
00:04:12,269 --> 00:04:16,204
Right at the entrance
of Kingston Harbor.
54
00:04:16,306 --> 00:04:22,044
Pulling the plug on these
Caribbean waters, reveals one
of the largest natural harbors.
55
00:04:24,647 --> 00:04:29,551
At ten miles long and
two miles wide, it's large
enough to shelter hundreds
56
00:04:29,686 --> 00:04:33,554
of ships from the hurricane
whipped tropical seas.
57
00:04:33,557 --> 00:04:38,360
Better still was the long
finger of land on which
Port Royal was built.
58
00:04:39,196 --> 00:04:44,199
JON: One of the things we'll
see is the spit coming out
into this very deep harbor.
59
00:04:44,268 --> 00:04:48,970
NARRATOR: Its steep
sides made it the perfect
location to dock ships.
60
00:04:49,106 --> 00:04:52,841
JON: You had deep water on
either side, large ships could
come up and get very close to
61
00:04:52,843 --> 00:04:55,943
the shore very quickly.
62
00:04:56,046 --> 00:05:00,515
NARRATOR: This might seem
like an ideal spot to build a
port; but made of constantly
63
00:05:00,517 --> 00:05:05,387
shifting sand, the spit would
be Port Royal's undoing.
64
00:05:09,860 --> 00:05:14,495
JON: The main problem is,
there is no solid geology down
there for a very long way; so,
65
00:05:14,498 --> 00:05:18,033
in an earthquake, when
that starts to shake,
you're in trouble.
66
00:05:20,304 --> 00:05:22,937
-I very much doubt
that anybody in Port Royal
67
00:05:22,940 --> 00:05:25,107
realized they were
sitting on a time bomb.
68
00:05:28,078 --> 00:05:29,577
NARRATOR:
Jon Henderson is here with,
69
00:05:29,646 --> 00:05:33,382
photographer Simon Brown to
photograph the sunken city.
70
00:05:39,523 --> 00:05:44,392
With bad underwater
visibility Simon must get as
close as possible to the ruins
71
00:05:44,494 --> 00:05:47,062
and take thousands of images.
72
00:05:49,733 --> 00:05:54,936
After three days the many
photos have been compiled into
a 3D representation of what
73
00:05:54,972 --> 00:05:57,772
lies on the seabed.
74
00:05:58,242 --> 00:06:00,308
-Okay Simon, show
me what we've got then.
75
00:06:00,410 --> 00:06:04,846
-It's not been easy,
but we've captured quite
a lot of building five.
76
00:06:05,348 --> 00:06:08,450
NARRATOR: Building
five may once have been
a grand family home.
77
00:06:09,787 --> 00:06:13,388
All that remains of
it now is one room.
78
00:06:13,690 --> 00:06:17,192
Showing up in
unprecedented detail.
79
00:06:18,195 --> 00:06:21,262
-I mean, this looks fantastic,
given the conditions
you were working in.
80
00:06:21,398 --> 00:06:24,732
I mean, we can see we've got
the wall, you can actually
see the courtyard next to it.
81
00:06:24,768 --> 00:06:26,200
You can see the fire-pit.
82
00:06:26,236 --> 00:06:27,935
You can see the low walls.
83
00:06:27,938 --> 00:06:31,606
This is great; we can
actually see the individual
bricks themselves.
84
00:06:31,675 --> 00:06:34,676
For me, what's exciting is,
you can show that to someone
and they can instantly see
85
00:06:34,745 --> 00:06:36,544
what's actually down there.
86
00:06:36,646 --> 00:06:39,814
I didn't think you would
get results as good as this.
87
00:06:40,150 --> 00:06:44,219
NARRATOR: Jon's
mission is delivering
spectacular results.
88
00:06:44,721 --> 00:06:47,889
JON: We're beginning
to reconstruct, for the first
time in 300 years really,
89
00:06:47,991 --> 00:06:51,126
what exactly's there.
90
00:06:51,228 --> 00:06:55,963
NARRATOR: Now we can examine
the most famous pirate
city from every angle.
91
00:06:55,966 --> 00:07:01,236
And shine light on the
extraordinary disaster, that
sent thousands of people and
92
00:07:01,337 --> 00:07:04,272
hundreds of houses
to the depths.
93
00:07:08,411 --> 00:07:14,249
But clues to its wickedness
still lie hidden in darkness.
94
00:07:20,557 --> 00:07:25,193
Since the 1950s, three
archaeology expeditions have
sifted Port Royal's
95
00:07:25,262 --> 00:07:30,031
underwater ruins, to uncover
its pirate past; and in the
96
00:07:30,067 --> 00:07:35,469
1980s, a team discovered part of
the fabric of the city itself.
97
00:07:35,805 --> 00:07:40,475
-During that ten years,
we excavated five buildings
pretty much completely.
98
00:07:41,311 --> 00:07:44,746
It was the most
exciting excavation
I've ever conducted.
99
00:07:47,551 --> 00:07:51,553
NARRATOR: Today,
we use science to map these
discoveries right across the
100
00:07:51,555 --> 00:07:54,489
sunken city.
101
00:07:56,026 --> 00:07:59,327
Thousands of relics
from a lost world.
102
00:07:59,396 --> 00:08:03,098
All clues to Port Royal's
cataclysmic final day.
103
00:08:05,335 --> 00:08:08,904
JON: Because this is a
catastrophic site, it's sealed
a whole range of goods that
104
00:08:09,039 --> 00:08:11,739
were being used at a
particular moment in time.
105
00:08:12,409 --> 00:08:17,178
NARRATOR: Each one is an
insight into the 17th Century
world of Caribbean pirates.
106
00:08:18,382 --> 00:08:21,950
JON: So we can
get actual snapshots and
glimpses into daily life.
107
00:08:22,286 --> 00:08:26,587
NARRATOR: From pewter
tableware, to Chinese
porcelain and signs of
108
00:08:26,623 --> 00:08:29,591
personal wealth.
109
00:08:29,927 --> 00:08:33,595
RONALD: The archaeological
record of Port Royal shows
how quite rich it was.
110
00:08:33,696 --> 00:08:39,000
Because, usually, towns in
the new world are impoverished
copies of those in Europe;
111
00:08:39,603 --> 00:08:44,305
whereas Port Royal
actually stacks up against
the capitals of Europe.
112
00:08:45,075 --> 00:08:49,678
NARRATOR: But how did
Port Royal grow so rich?
113
00:08:50,146 --> 00:08:54,549
The city was built from
the wealth of stolen
Spanish treasure.
114
00:08:59,056 --> 00:09:02,457
In the 1650s, England
and Spain were at war.
115
00:09:10,567 --> 00:09:13,768
Jamaica, an English
territory in the Caribbean,
116
00:09:13,837 --> 00:09:17,505
lay surrounded on all
sides by the Spanish Main.
117
00:09:17,607 --> 00:09:22,077
From Florida, through
Mexico and South America.
118
00:09:22,178 --> 00:09:27,148
To gain the upper hand
over the Spanish, the English
enlisted the help of pirates.
119
00:09:30,887 --> 00:09:35,323
JON: In 1657, the Lieutenant
Governor of Port Royal
actually invited the pirates
120
00:09:35,325 --> 00:09:39,360
to come here and to act
as a kind of unofficial
defense force.
121
00:09:39,429 --> 00:09:41,263
(screams)
122
00:09:41,331 --> 00:09:45,599
RONALD: To the English
government, pirates who
attacked Spanish goods and
123
00:09:45,636 --> 00:09:49,170
bring them to English
ports, could be an asset.
124
00:09:50,007 --> 00:09:54,276
NARRATOR: Pirates
were licensed to raid the
Spanish; at sea or on land.
125
00:09:54,344 --> 00:09:58,613
They became known as
buccaneers or privateers.
126
00:09:59,283 --> 00:10:03,284
RONALD: What happens
in Port Royal really is
state sanctioned piracy.
127
00:10:03,853 --> 00:10:06,888
NARRATOR: And in Port Royal,
at the heart of the Caribbean,
128
00:10:06,989 --> 00:10:09,890
the buccaneers
were perfectly placed.
129
00:10:09,893 --> 00:10:14,428
In striking distance of the
main shipping routes between
the new world and Europe.
130
00:10:15,899 --> 00:10:18,500
RONALD: If the Spanish
are gonna try and get anything
home, they have to get it past
131
00:10:18,502 --> 00:10:22,570
Port Royal; so it's rather
like a fox sitting in the
middle of a chicken coup full
132
00:10:22,706 --> 00:10:24,706
of chickens.
133
00:10:24,807 --> 00:10:29,644
NARRATOR: Port Royal
became the buccaneering
capital of the world.
134
00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:34,883
By agreement, the
English crown took a
quarter of the plunder.
135
00:10:35,686 --> 00:10:38,953
The rest was shared
amongst the pirates.
136
00:10:39,489 --> 00:10:44,726
RONALD: Among the very first
buccaneering expeditions,
1659, the fleet brought back
137
00:10:44,761 --> 00:10:49,464
the modern equivalent
of $75 million.
138
00:10:49,766 --> 00:10:55,804
The Spanish wealth
that hits Port Royal in
periodic waves is colossal.
139
00:10:55,872 --> 00:10:59,874
NARRATOR: Massive injections
of cash transformed
this fortified outpost
140
00:10:59,943 --> 00:11:03,111
into a boomtown.
141
00:11:07,650 --> 00:11:13,221
The drained city exposes as
many as 2,000 brick and timber
houses, crammed into
142
00:11:13,290 --> 00:11:15,957
Port Royal streets.
143
00:11:16,392 --> 00:11:20,695
Home to a growing
population of almost 8,000.
144
00:11:24,234 --> 00:11:29,437
The crowded narrow streets
would become a death trap
when the earthquake struck.
145
00:11:31,073 --> 00:11:35,243
JON: We're on a very enclosed,
very overcrowded peninsula;
we've got people living here
146
00:11:35,345 --> 00:11:39,113
side by side, in two to
four story dwellings.
147
00:11:39,215 --> 00:11:41,082
When the earthquake struck,
there was nowhere to run.
148
00:11:44,988 --> 00:11:48,856
NARRATOR: From the
thousands of clues uncovered
from Port Royal's seabed,
149
00:11:48,958 --> 00:11:53,495
there is one chilling
piece of evidence of
when the earthquake struck.
150
00:11:56,433 --> 00:12:02,337
A 17th Century pocket
watch; its hands long
since rusted in the sea.
151
00:12:04,474 --> 00:12:08,810
But closer analysis
of the find reveals
something intriguing.
152
00:12:09,512 --> 00:12:13,748
JON: When it was x-rayed, it
was seen that the hands had
actually stopped at 11:43.
153
00:12:16,820 --> 00:12:20,755
Now we know from historical
records that the earthquake
apparently hit just before
154
00:12:20,824 --> 00:12:24,626
noon and this has been
taken by some to say that the
hands of that watched stopped
155
00:12:24,761 --> 00:12:27,962
exactly when the
earthquake struck.
156
00:12:28,465 --> 00:12:33,100
NARRATOR: But what
powerful natural forces set
the earthquake in motion?
157
00:12:33,370 --> 00:12:37,905
To find the answer,
we're draining the ocean
not just from Port Royal,
158
00:12:38,007 --> 00:12:42,910
but from the whole
of Jamaica, to uncover the
source of the earthquake.
159
00:12:43,313 --> 00:12:47,515
Hidden in darkness, thousands
of feet beneath the water.
160
00:12:48,919 --> 00:12:53,321
-As you drain the ocean
from around Jamaica, what you
can see is these giant furrows
161
00:12:53,323 --> 00:12:58,726
in the seabed; they're fractal
lights running east/west
and they're faults, they're
162
00:12:58,728 --> 00:13:01,395
earthquake fault lines.
163
00:13:01,598 --> 00:13:06,500
NARRATOR: The faults form part
of the boundary between two
pieces of the earth's crust;
164
00:13:06,603 --> 00:13:10,305
the North American
Plate and the Caribbean
Plate to the south.
165
00:13:11,074 --> 00:13:14,409
Both constantly on the move.
166
00:13:15,245 --> 00:13:19,947
-It's a place where the
gradual motions of the plate
either side get snagged,
167
00:13:20,049 --> 00:13:21,616
stress builds up.
168
00:13:21,717 --> 00:13:24,619
Essentially it's
an earthquake zone.
169
00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:28,089
NARRATOR: And Port Royal sits
right in the middle of it.
170
00:13:28,291 --> 00:13:33,294
-And in the case of 1692,
that stress that had built
up very, very gradually over
171
00:13:33,296 --> 00:13:37,231
time, gets unleashed into
this, this huge earthquake.
172
00:13:38,968 --> 00:13:44,472
NARRATOR: As the stress in
the earth's crust is released,
it propels a powerful seismic
173
00:13:44,574 --> 00:13:47,876
wave into the surroundings.
174
00:13:55,986 --> 00:13:58,920
June 7th, 1692.
175
00:13:59,021 --> 00:14:01,856
-Doomsday at
Port Royal, begins
like any other day.
176
00:14:01,958 --> 00:14:06,261
There are daily prayers
in the churches, business
begins at sunrise.
177
00:14:06,362 --> 00:14:08,596
JON: People were just
going about their business.
178
00:14:08,598 --> 00:14:13,133
NARRATOR: Travelling up to
five miles per second, the
seismic pulse was heading
179
00:14:13,169 --> 00:14:14,802
straight for Port Royal.
180
00:14:14,904 --> 00:14:17,538
JON: There's records
of one guy about to go
and have a sherry with the
181
00:14:17,540 --> 00:14:20,074
Lieutenant Governor
that morning.
182
00:14:20,176 --> 00:14:23,244
There was no indication
of what was about to come.
183
00:14:23,747 --> 00:14:27,348
NARRATOR: Port Royal's
alleyways and buildings
were full of people.
184
00:14:27,417 --> 00:14:31,185
Its wharfs and docks
crowded with merchant ships.
185
00:14:31,855 --> 00:14:35,890
IAIN: I think the first
indication would have got is a
bang, a noise in the north, in
186
00:14:35,959 --> 00:14:39,127
the mountains and a
kind of low rumbling.
187
00:14:41,064 --> 00:14:45,566
JON: Well the records we
have suggest there was three
pulses from the earthquake.
188
00:14:45,735 --> 00:14:49,303
IAIN: It was what's to come
that was the real killer.
189
00:14:50,373 --> 00:14:55,176
-For the shake was
so violent, that it threw
people down on their knees.
190
00:14:55,278 --> 00:14:58,112
NARRATOR: Chasms opened
up in the ground.
191
00:14:58,148 --> 00:15:02,250
-We felt the ground shake
and saw the bricks begin
to rise in the floor.
192
00:15:05,021 --> 00:15:09,624
-The ground heaved; it swelled
like a rolling, swelling sea.
193
00:15:11,961 --> 00:15:15,196
NARRATOR: People ran
from their lives from
the falling masonry.
194
00:15:15,298 --> 00:15:18,700
(screams).
195
00:15:18,868 --> 00:15:22,403
But the city
offered no refuge.
196
00:15:22,606 --> 00:15:25,706
IAIN: Port Royal was almost
the worst case scenario;
really tall buildings, made of
197
00:15:25,775 --> 00:15:27,542
brick, with narrow streets.
198
00:15:27,544 --> 00:15:29,877
So, if you're in
those streets, it's
almost impossible.
199
00:15:29,946 --> 00:15:33,815
Your choice whether to stay
in a building or to get in
the street, is, it's a lottery.
200
00:15:35,551 --> 00:15:38,753
NARRATOR: The earthquake
was just the beginning.
201
00:15:38,854 --> 00:15:43,591
It alone doesn't
explain how Port Royal
plunged into the sea.
202
00:15:43,693 --> 00:15:48,129
It would sink for an
entirely different reason.
203
00:15:48,998 --> 00:15:52,166
Scientists call
it liquefaction.
204
00:15:52,168 --> 00:15:56,670
For the
people of Port Royal,
it was hell on earth.
205
00:15:56,740 --> 00:16:01,709
The sandy ground where they'd
built their houses turned
into a deadly quagmire.
206
00:16:02,412 --> 00:16:05,646
IAIN: So what happens with
liquefaction is you've got
sand with lots of water in it
207
00:16:05,648 --> 00:16:09,183
and as you shake it, it turns
into a slurry; it liquefies.
208
00:16:11,187 --> 00:16:15,990
NARRATOR: Rarely captured on
camera, this footage reveals
the horrors of liquefaction at
209
00:16:16,092 --> 00:16:20,895
work; in Niigata, Japan;
on June 16th 1964.
210
00:16:23,466 --> 00:16:27,802
The energy from a massive
earthquake separated the
grains of sediment below the
211
00:16:27,804 --> 00:16:33,407
city, allowing water
to rush to the surface;
earth turned to quicksand,
212
00:16:33,410 --> 00:16:36,711
sucking the city down.
213
00:16:40,483 --> 00:16:46,086
The unlucky people
of Port Royal wouldn't
have known how solid land
214
00:16:46,122 --> 00:16:49,757
can become liquid death.
215
00:16:50,894 --> 00:16:55,830
Minutes into the earthquake,
the second catastrophe
unfolded, as the ground
216
00:16:55,865 --> 00:17:00,268
sheered open; water and
sand erupted from it.
217
00:17:01,705 --> 00:17:05,573
The longer the ground
shook, the more liquid
the sand became.
218
00:17:06,276 --> 00:17:12,580
Grand houses, churches,
taverns and even Port Royal's
forts sank like stones.
219
00:17:13,650 --> 00:17:18,586
-Those houses, which back just
now, appeared the fairest and
loftiest in these parts, were
220
00:17:18,655 --> 00:17:23,124
in a moment sunk down
into the earth and nothing
was to be seen of them.
221
00:17:23,126 --> 00:17:27,395
NARRATOR: Some people
were trapped, half in
the sand and half out.
222
00:17:27,497 --> 00:17:31,932
-The earth received up to
their necks and then closed
upon them, squeezing them to
223
00:17:32,034 --> 00:17:35,136
death with their
heads above ground.
224
00:17:35,338 --> 00:17:39,473
Many of which the dogs eat.
225
00:17:39,675 --> 00:17:41,508
NARRATOR: Many perished
in this quicksand;
226
00:17:41,510 --> 00:17:45,179
but there is one
incredible story of survival.
227
00:17:47,249 --> 00:17:53,154
A French Merchant,
Lewis Galdy, found himself
sucked into the ground.
228
00:17:53,255 --> 00:17:56,424
JON: Everyone thought
he was dead and then, in the
succeeding shock, he was spat
229
00:17:56,526 --> 00:18:00,661
out into the sea and he
survived by swimming to the
nearest boat; after which he
230
00:18:00,730 --> 00:18:03,931
became a really religious man.
231
00:18:04,768 --> 00:18:08,569
NARRATOR: In all, two
thirds of Port Royal sank.
232
00:18:08,671 --> 00:18:12,406
Taking with it 2,000 souls
and hundreds of buildings.
233
00:18:16,345 --> 00:18:21,916
It's reported that the
city took only minutes to
disappear into the sea.
234
00:18:22,252 --> 00:18:26,020
But the chaos the earthquake
had unleashed wasn't over.
235
00:18:28,975 --> 00:18:33,044
lost city, we can reveal
extraordinary evidence that
236
00:18:33,113 --> 00:18:38,048
the earthquake delivered one
last shock to Port Royal.
237
00:18:38,284 --> 00:18:43,521
Embedded in the seafloor
are the skeletal
remains of a large ship.
238
00:18:44,023 --> 00:18:48,626
She lies right
amongst the ruins of a
house on Lime Street.
239
00:18:48,695 --> 00:18:51,863
-Well the clear question
is, why is there a ship
sitting on the floor of a
240
00:18:51,998 --> 00:18:54,332
building in Port Royal?
241
00:18:54,334 --> 00:18:58,936
NARRATOR: The strange
discovery was excavated in
the 1980s by Donny Hamilton.
242
00:18:59,038 --> 00:19:04,875
Now Jon wants to find out
exactly what it tells us about
Port Royal's day of doom.
243
00:19:05,745 --> 00:19:09,680
DONNY: What we see here is
a planned view of building
five and building four.
244
00:19:09,749 --> 00:19:13,818
We came across a timber,
which turned out to
be the keel of a ship.
245
00:19:15,755 --> 00:19:20,023
NARRATOR: But how could a
ship, presumably in harbor,
crash into a house in the
246
00:19:20,059 --> 00:19:23,161
middle of town?
247
00:19:26,332 --> 00:19:31,401
Would the identity
of the stricken ship
solve the mystery?
248
00:19:31,704 --> 00:19:37,108
When Donny's team searched
the records, they revealed a
possible contender; an English
249
00:19:37,243 --> 00:19:40,778
warship measuring
74 feet long.
250
00:19:41,781 --> 00:19:45,916
Similar to this ship,
she was called HMS Swan.
251
00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,721
-We knew from the
records that the Swan was in
the harbor at the time of the
252
00:19:50,823 --> 00:19:55,693
earthquake and it fits the
basic dimensions of the ship
that we found in building four.
253
00:19:57,830 --> 00:20:04,268
NARRATOR: It turned out that,
on the June 7th 1692, HMS
Swan was being serviced at
254
00:20:04,337 --> 00:20:07,138
Port Royals wharfs.
255
00:20:07,140 --> 00:20:11,675
All clues point
to one conclusion.
256
00:20:12,511 --> 00:20:15,346
JON: You have a ship that
would have been sitting in the
harbor, a good 200 feet from
257
00:20:15,447 --> 00:20:20,618
this building, has now
been deposited, launched
actually on top of it.
258
00:20:20,753 --> 00:20:24,322
I mean, it's quite clearly
evidence of a tsunami.
259
00:20:25,158 --> 00:20:28,826
NARRATOR: The tsunami
was the third cataclysm
to hit Port Royal.
260
00:20:28,894 --> 00:20:33,497
One eyewitness account tells
of the sea retreating from
Kingston Harbor, before the
261
00:20:33,566 --> 00:20:36,300
wave hit.
262
00:20:41,473 --> 00:20:47,812
It was a wave similar to the
tsunamis that devastated Japan
in 2011 and Thailand in 2004.
263
00:20:50,650 --> 00:20:52,883
(screams).
264
00:20:55,121 --> 00:20:59,256
The tsunami would explain
what happened to HMS Swan.
265
00:21:00,193 --> 00:21:06,731
Empty of ballast, HMS Swan was
like a cork on the mighty wave
that crashed over Port Royal.
266
00:21:08,601 --> 00:21:12,536
She was hurled across
the drowned city;
267
00:21:12,572 --> 00:21:16,007
washed down Queen Street
268
00:21:16,175 --> 00:21:20,010
finally crashing
into a house on Lime Street.
269
00:21:20,979 --> 00:21:24,849
Piercing its walls with
considerable force.
270
00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,789
The archaeologists have
mapped the fate of Port Royal.
271
00:21:34,293 --> 00:21:40,965
Port Royal was laid
to waste by an earthquake,
quicksand and tsunami waves.
272
00:21:43,469 --> 00:21:47,571
The disaster left the city
cut off from the mainland.
273
00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:52,843
All that remained was
a devastated island and
thousands of dead bodies.
274
00:21:55,515 --> 00:21:59,984
-A multitude of whose corpses
floated a great many days
after; from one side of the
275
00:21:59,986 --> 00:22:01,652
harbor to the other.
276
00:22:01,654 --> 00:22:06,323
Caused such an intolerable
stench that the dead would
like to destroy the living.
277
00:22:08,828 --> 00:22:11,429
NARRATOR: When news of the
disaster arrived in Europe,
278
00:22:11,497 --> 00:22:16,934
it seemed that God had
finally delivered his judgement
on the wicked pirate city.
279
00:22:18,004 --> 00:22:21,672
-When the news reaches
the home country, there's
quite a widespread feeling
280
00:22:21,774 --> 00:22:26,277
that the wickedest city in
the English speaking world had
just got its just desserts.
281
00:22:26,979 --> 00:22:31,348
-So it was seen as divine
retribution; it was seen as
just punishment for the loot
282
00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:34,284
and terrible behavior that
took place in Port Royal.
283
00:22:34,454 --> 00:22:39,356
-By this terrible judgement,
God will make them reform
their lives; for there was not
284
00:22:39,458 --> 00:22:43,194
a more un-Godly people
on the face of the earth.
285
00:22:46,999 --> 00:22:51,235
NARRATOR: Port Royal never
recovered its former glory.
286
00:22:53,306 --> 00:22:57,908
The trading jewel of the
Caribbean was wiped off
the face of the earth.
287
00:22:58,777 --> 00:23:01,978
JON: It's interesting
to think, if the earthquake
hadn't actually struck here,
288
00:23:01,981 --> 00:23:04,782
that this place could have
developed somewhere like
Manhattan, or somewhere like
289
00:23:04,917 --> 00:23:06,717
Hong Kong.
290
00:23:06,719 --> 00:23:11,255
NARRATOR: But in the end,
it was Port Royal's lethal
location, on an active fault
291
00:23:11,257 --> 00:23:15,726
zone and deadly quicksand,
that sealed its fate.
292
00:23:18,831 --> 00:23:22,532
Half a world away, California,
lies on one of the most
293
00:23:22,568 --> 00:23:25,135
infamous fault
zones in the world.
294
00:23:25,137 --> 00:23:30,207
And right off shore, is an
island that might just be the
safest place, when the next
295
00:23:30,276 --> 00:23:33,710
big one hits!
296
00:23:34,180 --> 00:23:36,947
Alcatraz, The Rock.
297
00:23:37,383 --> 00:23:40,217
Uncle Sam's Devil's island.
298
00:23:41,587 --> 00:23:45,689
America's worst,
Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly
299
00:23:45,791 --> 00:23:50,027
and Whitey Bulger, all called
the "rock" home.
300
00:23:50,062 --> 00:23:55,166
The island lies
within sight of shore, but
escape is almost impossible.
301
00:23:56,502 --> 00:24:00,704
Prisoners who tried, were
met with some of the Bay's
most powerful forces.
302
00:24:04,110 --> 00:24:09,246
The island of Alcatraz
sits alone in the middle
of San Francisco Bay...
303
00:24:10,349 --> 00:24:14,785
Within this dramatic
landscape, Alcatraz and the
remnants of the renowned US
304
00:24:14,787 --> 00:24:18,823
Federal prison are
just over a mile from
the heart of the city.
305
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:26,130
For 29 years,
it held some of the most
dangerous and notorious
306
00:24:26,132 --> 00:24:28,999
criminals in history.
307
00:24:29,301 --> 00:24:33,103
Officially,
no one successfully
escaped 'the rock'.
308
00:24:34,106 --> 00:24:38,175
But why exactly was no inmate
able to break out of Alcatraz?
309
00:24:40,213 --> 00:24:44,215
Today, the Island
is a museum run by the
National Park Service.
310
00:24:44,617 --> 00:24:47,684
Over a million people
visit every year.
311
00:24:48,521 --> 00:24:53,023
One man has watched it rise
to become one of America's
most visited attractions.
312
00:24:54,693 --> 00:24:59,230
Ranger John Cantwell,
he's worked on the
Island for over 25 years.
313
00:25:01,466 --> 00:25:05,035
JOHN: Where I'm standing is
on Broadway, this is the main
corridor in the cell house.
314
00:25:05,137 --> 00:25:10,106
Alcatraz being a super max
penitentiary meant that you
had high security, one officer
315
00:25:10,142 --> 00:25:12,243
for every three convicts.
316
00:25:12,311 --> 00:25:14,044
They were constantly
being watched.
317
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,348
12 times a day they would
have counted every convict in
this penitentiary building.
318
00:25:20,085 --> 00:25:23,454
NARRATOR: But it's true
strength as a prison can't
be explained just by the
319
00:25:23,589 --> 00:25:26,523
thickness of its walls.
320
00:25:26,625 --> 00:25:29,059
Or the vigilance
of its guards.
321
00:25:29,161 --> 00:25:33,130
The waters around the
rock were also a deadly
barrier to escape.
322
00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:39,536
Now science can explain
just how and why the
Bay was so dangerous.
323
00:25:43,776 --> 00:25:48,044
NARRATOR: Draining the
San Francisco Bay reveals
Alcatraz as a pinnacle
324
00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:51,248
of bedrock emerging
from the seafloor.
325
00:25:52,652 --> 00:25:54,918
It's surrounded
by mountain peaks.
326
00:25:55,020 --> 00:25:59,156
All of them are
ancient survivors from
an age of earthquakes.
327
00:26:00,259 --> 00:26:04,395
Tom Parsons is a
geophysicist with the United
States Geological Survey.
328
00:26:05,564 --> 00:26:08,465
He's studied this
area for decades.
329
00:26:09,035 --> 00:26:12,469
TOM: So we're standing at the
Golden Gate and we're standing
on mountains that were formed
330
00:26:12,604 --> 00:26:14,938
a hundred million years ago.
331
00:26:14,940 --> 00:26:18,475
Now we're sandwiched right
between the San Andreas and
the parallel Hayward Fault
332
00:26:18,577 --> 00:26:22,145
both of which are helping to
accommodate plate motion here
between the Pacific and
333
00:26:22,214 --> 00:26:23,847
North American plates.
334
00:26:23,849 --> 00:26:28,085
NARRATOR: San Francisco
sits right on the edge of
the North American Plate.
335
00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:33,958
As the Pacific Plate grinds
north past it, stress builds
up along the major fault lines
336
00:26:34,660 --> 00:26:39,496
in the area, the
Hayward Fault and most
notably the San Andreas.
337
00:26:40,665 --> 00:26:43,833
TOM: This region is very
volatile it, it produces
large earthquakes.
338
00:26:43,836 --> 00:26:48,605
We've seen them in 1906,
1868, both were devastating
earthquakes in San Francisco.
339
00:26:50,242 --> 00:26:55,245
NARRATOR: The nightmarish
effects of the 1906
earthquake, 7.9 on the Richter
340
00:26:55,314 --> 00:27:01,085
scale, are a reminder of how
the area's violent geology
threatens the existence of a
341
00:27:01,153 --> 00:27:04,554
great city.
342
00:27:04,657 --> 00:27:09,059
Over 100 million years
ago, the landscape here
was entirely different.
343
00:27:10,996 --> 00:27:15,699
There was a third plate
between the two larger
ones called the Farallon.
344
00:27:18,671 --> 00:27:21,805
TOM: The Farallon Plate used
to sit between the Pacific
and North American Plates.
345
00:27:21,907 --> 00:27:26,110
It was shoved underneath
the North American plate
over all that time.
346
00:27:26,211 --> 00:27:29,413
NARRATOR: The movement of
the Farallon Plate was the
catalyst that created
347
00:27:29,514 --> 00:27:34,952
San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz
as it ground under
the North American Plate.
348
00:27:36,455 --> 00:27:40,290
This process is
called subduction.
349
00:27:40,392 --> 00:27:44,695
As the Farallon Plate
disappeared, fragments of
the Earth's crust were forced
350
00:27:44,697 --> 00:27:48,298
upwards, creating a
valley and mountains.
351
00:27:48,868 --> 00:27:52,636
TOM: Alcatraz was part of
the coast range belt that was
uplifted by the subduction of
352
00:27:52,705 --> 00:27:54,705
the Farallon Plate.
353
00:27:54,807 --> 00:27:58,575
NARRATOR: The Bay area
was then a long, forested
valley with a number of
354
00:27:58,577 --> 00:28:03,647
Rocky Mountains one of these
mountains, was Alcatraz.
355
00:28:07,953 --> 00:28:14,258
10,000 years ago as the last
ice-age came to an end the
area was deluged by billions
356
00:28:14,260 --> 00:28:17,394
of gallons of melt water.
357
00:28:17,529 --> 00:28:21,899
This created what we
call San Francisco Bay.
358
00:28:23,869 --> 00:28:28,238
Alcatraz became an island.
359
00:28:28,507 --> 00:28:34,478
This 1853 photograph shows the
tip of the drowned mountain
as a featureless rock in the
360
00:28:34,613 --> 00:28:37,347
middle of the Bay.
361
00:28:37,449 --> 00:28:40,684
Alcatraz may look
tranquil and isolated.
362
00:28:40,686 --> 00:28:44,822
But it's surrounded by
powerful natural forces.
363
00:28:46,825 --> 00:28:53,363
What earned the island its
deadly reputation, and what
may have happened during
364
00:28:53,466 --> 00:28:56,667
attempted escapes?
365
00:28:59,705 --> 00:29:04,975
Over three decades there
were 14 daring escape
attempts from the island.
366
00:29:05,244 --> 00:29:08,979
The story of one of
these is legendary.
367
00:29:09,448 --> 00:29:14,217
-Probably the
most famous escape attempt
would be the 1962 breakout.
368
00:29:14,253 --> 00:29:19,723
NARRATOR: Frank Lee Morris,
and brothers Charles and John
Anglin devised an audacious
369
00:29:19,792 --> 00:29:22,526
bid for freedom.
370
00:29:22,627 --> 00:29:25,262
-The escape attempt
was incredibly ingenious.
371
00:29:25,363 --> 00:29:30,600
It involved stealing an
immense amount of material,
dozens of rubber raincoats,
372
00:29:30,702 --> 00:29:35,272
glue, electric motors
to turn into drills.
373
00:29:35,340 --> 00:29:39,409
The guys even made
a periscope, they
made a flashlight.
374
00:29:39,745 --> 00:29:44,815
NARRATOR: Now they had
to use these homemade tools
to breach the prison walls.
375
00:29:52,824 --> 00:29:56,560
JOHN: We're in one of the
Anglin Brothers cells and they
were ingenious to actually
376
00:29:56,662 --> 00:29:59,096
create a portal at the
back of their cell.
377
00:29:59,198 --> 00:30:04,701
And they fashioned a drill
made out of a vacuum cleaner
engine, put a diamond bit on
378
00:30:04,803 --> 00:30:09,306
the end of this thing and
then poked holes through the
concrete to loosen up the
379
00:30:09,375 --> 00:30:12,643
concrete around the air vent.
380
00:30:13,212 --> 00:30:18,648
Dummy heads were made out of
concrete material, human hair
glued onto the heads and the
381
00:30:18,750 --> 00:30:22,519
faces painted on these heads
and at night with the lights
down it looked like they were
382
00:30:22,588 --> 00:30:25,088
sleeping in their cells.
383
00:30:28,460 --> 00:30:32,129
So in the cell house, the
lights go out at 9:30.
384
00:30:32,131 --> 00:30:34,865
That's basically when
they make their break.
385
00:30:34,867 --> 00:30:39,269
Once the lights are out the
heads are in place they go up
to the rooftop and they've got
386
00:30:39,371 --> 00:30:43,140
from 9:30 to 6:30 the
next morning to make
it to the mainland.
387
00:30:46,879 --> 00:30:51,448
50 rubber raincoats glued
together, Alcatraz escapees
388
00:30:51,550 --> 00:30:56,753
Frank Lee Morris
and the Anglin brothers made a
makeshift raft and life vests.
389
00:30:58,257 --> 00:31:00,257
It was their
lifeline to freedom.
390
00:31:00,325 --> 00:31:04,728
They carried everything
to the roof and dragged it
down to the water's edge.
391
00:31:05,464 --> 00:31:07,864
JOHN: So this is the
actual spot where they
entered the water.
392
00:31:07,900 --> 00:31:10,901
Frank Lee Morris
and the Anglin Brothers
came down this hillside.
393
00:31:11,036 --> 00:31:12,469
They dragged their raft.
394
00:31:12,571 --> 00:31:17,107
Inflated it at the seawall
here, jumped in and
took off into the night.
395
00:31:19,011 --> 00:31:23,814
They searched the waters
looking for these three men,
and the raft or the men were
396
00:31:23,816 --> 00:31:25,815
never found.
397
00:31:25,917 --> 00:31:30,420
NARRATOR: The official FBI
documents state the three
men and their raft were most
398
00:31:30,422 --> 00:31:33,523
likely swept out to sea.
399
00:31:33,625 --> 00:31:35,958
Their bodies were
never recovered.
400
00:31:35,995 --> 00:31:39,096
But is this what
really happened?
401
00:31:39,098 --> 00:31:41,765
Were they lost at sea?
402
00:31:41,767 --> 00:31:44,301
Or could they have made
it to the mainland?
403
00:31:44,403 --> 00:31:49,239
To understand the fate of the
three escapees on their raft,
scientists are studying the
404
00:31:49,341 --> 00:31:52,075
geology of the bay itself.
405
00:31:52,177 --> 00:31:55,512
Can the sea bed
offer an answer?
406
00:31:55,580 --> 00:32:00,884
First, Patrick Barnard from
the United States Geological
Survey explores the underwater
407
00:32:00,986 --> 00:32:04,755
landscape at the mouth
of San Francisco Bay.
408
00:32:04,990 --> 00:32:09,660
He's hoping analysis of
the seabed will explain the
powerful currents that surge
409
00:32:09,728 --> 00:32:13,730
around Alcatraz, making
escape attempts so dangerous.
410
00:32:14,500 --> 00:32:17,067
-Today we're going
to be mapping from the Golden
Gate Bridge west towards the
411
00:32:17,136 --> 00:32:19,970
outer coast.
412
00:32:20,172 --> 00:32:25,676
NARRATOR: The investigation
begins under the most iconic
location in San Francisco Bay.
413
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:32,783
Draining the water
from under the Golden Gate
Bridge reveals a huge gorge.
414
00:32:34,386 --> 00:32:36,953
It's far deeper than
the rest of the Bay.
415
00:32:37,022 --> 00:32:40,490
Large enough to hide a
30 story building.
416
00:32:40,993 --> 00:32:46,430
But what happens to the seabed
when the multi-beam vessel
heads west to the open ocean?
417
00:32:47,833 --> 00:32:52,769
As the boat moves farther
from the bridge, the water
grows much shallower.
418
00:32:53,372 --> 00:32:58,508
The sonar readings suggest
a dramatic transformation
in the seascape below.
419
00:32:58,877 --> 00:33:01,378
PATRICK: The bottom
is changing, we're seeing
a lot more sediment
420
00:33:01,447 --> 00:33:04,514
on the seafloor now.
421
00:33:04,883 --> 00:33:08,785
NARRATOR: Draining the water
reveals an incredible sight.
422
00:33:09,621 --> 00:33:13,856
PATRICK: We're starting to
see some very large sand waves
here that are emerging from
423
00:33:13,859 --> 00:33:16,660
the depths of the
Golden Gate strait.
424
00:33:16,762 --> 00:33:20,130
NARRATOR: These formations
on the seabed are huge.
425
00:33:21,133 --> 00:33:25,335
PATRICK: So the
largest sand waves are about
200 meters long, 6 meters high,
426
00:33:25,437 --> 00:33:29,206
the biggest ones 10 meters
high or about 3 stories.
427
00:33:29,307 --> 00:33:34,344
NARRATOR: And they're
sitting just yards away
from the harbor entrance.
428
00:33:34,713 --> 00:33:37,214
PATRICK: They look like
probably what the Sahara would
look like if you were walking
429
00:33:37,349 --> 00:33:39,315
through it.
430
00:33:39,484 --> 00:33:43,352
NARRATOR: These giant sand
waves are caused by the huge
tidal rush through
431
00:33:43,389 --> 00:33:45,555
the Golden Gate Strait.
432
00:33:45,657 --> 00:33:50,426
The fast-moving water
picks up sand and then
dumps it as it slows down.
433
00:33:51,162 --> 00:33:54,231
PATRICK: You have all this
sand and gravel being carried
along and forced through this
434
00:33:54,233 --> 00:33:58,501
narrow opening and then as
the opening widens further and
further all this material gets
435
00:33:58,603 --> 00:34:01,271
deposited in these bed forms.
436
00:34:05,310 --> 00:34:09,246
NARRATOR: The drained
landscape shows how the
geology of the seabed shapes
437
00:34:09,347 --> 00:34:12,849
the powerful tidal currents
in San Francisco Bay.
438
00:34:13,419 --> 00:34:17,187
First the deep gorge
that funnels the water
into a jet stream.
439
00:34:18,524 --> 00:34:24,995
Moving west, beyond the Bridge
we follow the seabed as it
rises from over 300 feet deep
440
00:34:25,130 --> 00:34:29,132
to just 130 feet.
441
00:34:29,434 --> 00:34:34,737
The 'drain' shows how the
racing current dumps thousands
of tons of sand, creating
442
00:34:34,839 --> 00:34:38,475
these giant sand waves
up to 30 feet high.
443
00:34:40,378 --> 00:34:44,714
But what does this underwater
landscape have to do
with escaping from Alcatraz?
444
00:34:50,222 --> 00:34:55,358
These racing tides are what
the inmates had to contend
with when fleeing the rock.
445
00:34:56,361 --> 00:34:59,496
Is it possible that Frank
Morris and the Anglin brothers
446
00:34:59,498 --> 00:35:02,732
got caught in
these wicked currents?
447
00:35:02,734 --> 00:35:08,371
The records from the 1962
FBI investigation show the
tide charts on June 11th.
448
00:35:09,374 --> 00:35:15,445
From 9 PM to 3 AM there was
a strong outgoing tide.
449
00:35:15,547 --> 00:35:18,915
Which peaked at
exactly 11:46 PM.
450
00:35:18,917 --> 00:35:23,452
So, when did the three
escapees hit the water
in their home-made raft?
451
00:35:24,656 --> 00:35:28,391
MARTINI: From the moment
lights out happened, which
I think was 9:30, as soon as
452
00:35:28,493 --> 00:35:32,128
they could've they would have
gotten out of their cells,
give it an hour, hour and a
453
00:35:32,197 --> 00:35:38,468
half to have gotten everything
that they needed to through
that vent on the roof, across
454
00:35:38,470 --> 00:35:41,671
the cell house, down the
other side, hit the water.
455
00:35:41,673 --> 00:35:46,309
I think that they
started paddling as soon
as they got to the water.
456
00:35:46,345 --> 00:35:48,545
Let's say 11:00.
457
00:35:48,580 --> 00:35:53,149
NARRATOR: The three convicts
would have been in the water
at peak tidal flow during an
458
00:35:53,218 --> 00:35:56,352
ebbing, outgoing tide.
459
00:35:56,622 --> 00:36:01,358
What were their chances if
their flimsy raft made of
raincoats broke up, leaving
460
00:36:01,459 --> 00:36:05,228
them to swim in the
powerful currents?
461
00:36:05,597 --> 00:36:08,498
PATRICK: If you tried to
escape off the north end of
the island especially during
462
00:36:08,534 --> 00:36:12,368
ebbing tide like they did in
1962 where the currents are
extremely strong and moving
463
00:36:12,437 --> 00:36:14,237
straight out to sea.
464
00:36:14,305 --> 00:36:17,106
It would have been very
difficult to swim out of that
current within an hour and a
465
00:36:17,208 --> 00:36:19,643
half you could have
been at the open coast.
466
00:36:19,744 --> 00:36:23,380
NARRATOR: So Morris and
the Anglin brothers had to
struggle with the fastest and
467
00:36:23,515 --> 00:36:26,616
deadliest current
flow in the bay.
468
00:36:27,118 --> 00:36:31,121
What happened to them
is one of the great
Alcatraz mysteries.
469
00:36:33,275 --> 00:36:39,512
h
been wildly different rumors
470
00:36:39,581 --> 00:36:40,980
about the men's fate.
471
00:36:40,982 --> 00:36:43,783
Some claim to have seen the
three men on the mainland.
472
00:36:43,885 --> 00:36:48,054
But this conflicts
with the official FBI
report into the escape.
473
00:36:48,090 --> 00:36:51,924
Which states that their
objective was Angel Island!
474
00:36:52,026 --> 00:36:54,961
A 2 mile paddle
north of Alcatraz.
475
00:36:55,196 --> 00:37:00,400
-They did what nobody
else ever did, they got off
the island with a head start
476
00:37:00,402 --> 00:37:03,670
and, and were
never seen again.
477
00:37:03,672 --> 00:37:07,407
-The official Bureau of
Prisons report on these three
men in the raft is that the
478
00:37:07,409 --> 00:37:12,545
raft took on water, the men
were in the San Francisco Bay,
they became hypothermic and
479
00:37:12,547 --> 00:37:15,614
the currents took them out
to the Pacific.
480
00:37:15,651 --> 00:37:17,684
NARRATOR: But
this was never proved.
481
00:37:17,686 --> 00:37:22,822
And when the story
broke around the world, there
was excitement and intrigue.
482
00:37:23,659 --> 00:37:26,693
MAN (over TV): It appears
to be the first successful
escape in the history of the
483
00:37:26,762 --> 00:37:29,095
maximum-security prison.
484
00:37:29,097 --> 00:37:32,632
NARRATOR: For weeks,
the FBI searched the bay,
485
00:37:32,734 --> 00:37:37,737
their goal was to
find them, dead or alive.
486
00:37:37,906 --> 00:37:39,372
MAN (over TV): The escape
triggered the greatest man
487
00:37:39,441 --> 00:37:41,975
hunt in
San Francisco's history.
488
00:37:42,043 --> 00:37:46,078
NARRATOR: Though they
never discovered any trace of
the bodies, the FBI did find
489
00:37:46,114 --> 00:37:48,915
evidence of the escape.
490
00:37:49,016 --> 00:37:53,353
MARTINI: They recovered two
of the inflatable life vests.
491
00:37:53,454 --> 00:37:57,990
They recovered two of the
plywood paddles found floating
in different
492
00:37:58,092 --> 00:37:59,792
places in the bay.
493
00:37:59,795 --> 00:38:05,064
Another one of the life vests
was recovered outside the
Golden Gate at a beach north
494
00:38:05,067 --> 00:38:06,265
of the Golden Gate.
495
00:38:06,335 --> 00:38:09,536
There was no lack of
evidence that they escaped.
496
00:38:10,472 --> 00:38:14,407
NARRATOR: Draining San
Francisco Bay reveals how
powerful currents on the
497
00:38:14,409 --> 00:38:19,746
surface that swept men to
their deaths are shaped
by the contours below.
498
00:38:21,216 --> 00:38:27,020
But for the three inmates, if
they did reach the open ocean
there was one more deadly
499
00:38:27,022 --> 00:38:33,292
challenge because of its high
population of great white
sharks this area is known as
500
00:38:33,328 --> 00:38:35,228
the Red Triangle.
501
00:38:35,329 --> 00:38:38,698
PATRICK: In June of '62, it
would have also been during
up-welling season
502
00:38:38,767 --> 00:38:39,899
like it is now.
503
00:38:40,001 --> 00:38:41,600
So, you have lots of
nutrients in the water column.
504
00:38:41,603 --> 00:38:44,370
Lots of fish and lots
of bigger predators, so it's
likely there could have been
505
00:38:44,373 --> 00:38:47,273
more great whites in the
area than there are during
the rest of the year.
506
00:38:47,576 --> 00:38:53,312
NARRATOR: So if they made it
this far out, dead or alive,
they may have become prey for
507
00:38:53,382 --> 00:38:56,483
the great whites.
508
00:39:01,390 --> 00:39:04,557
The bodies of the three
inmates were never found.
509
00:39:04,559 --> 00:39:10,296
The infamous prison
closed its doors in 1963
with a perfect record.
510
00:39:13,935 --> 00:39:19,205
Officially there were
no successful escapes from
Alcatraz, though many tried.
511
00:39:24,179 --> 00:39:26,879
JOHN: The conditions
surrounding this island
is what really made it an
512
00:39:26,948 --> 00:39:28,815
escape-proof prison.
513
00:39:28,884 --> 00:39:32,218
MARTINI: The bay was
the most formidable
of the prison's walls.
514
00:39:32,220 --> 00:39:36,422
You could say that the
bay has really created
Alcatraz' reputation.
515
00:39:36,425 --> 00:39:40,827
NARRATOR: The 'perfect
prison' was the result
of extraordinary geology.
516
00:39:41,830 --> 00:39:45,231
Deep gorges,
giant underwater sand dunes,
517
00:39:45,233 --> 00:39:48,868
hard bedrock pillars
at the Golden Gate Strait,
518
00:39:48,970 --> 00:39:53,873
powerful currents and
even great predators that roam
the waters outside the Bay.
519
00:39:54,776 --> 00:39:59,045
All natural phenomena that
made the rock 'inescapable'.
520
00:39:59,814 --> 00:40:05,318
But there is another mighty
natural force at work in San
Francisco Bay that dwarfs even
521
00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:08,388
the power of the
ocean currents.
522
00:40:08,390 --> 00:40:12,525
A drained Pacific Ocean
reveals the first clue.
523
00:40:12,627 --> 00:40:17,130
Deep under the waters off
the coast of San Francisco
lies the infamous
524
00:40:17,265 --> 00:40:19,866
San Andreas Fault.
525
00:40:19,868 --> 00:40:24,570
The shifting tectonic
plates have caused major
earthquakes in the past.
526
00:40:24,639 --> 00:40:27,106
The most deadly in 1906.
527
00:40:27,142 --> 00:40:30,877
Over 3000 people
lost their lives.
528
00:40:30,979 --> 00:40:34,480
But could an even deadlier
earthquake hit the area?
529
00:40:34,549 --> 00:40:37,016
The so called 'big one'.
530
00:40:37,052 --> 00:40:41,220
-So in our forecast
we actually consider an
earthquake that could start at
531
00:40:41,222 --> 00:40:45,758
the southernmost part of the
San Andreas Fault, run all the
way along through the bay area
532
00:40:45,860 --> 00:40:49,095
up north, involves the entire
San Andreas Fault zone.
533
00:40:49,197 --> 00:40:53,967
That earthquake would
be on the scale of 8.2
to 8.4 in magnitude.
534
00:40:56,137 --> 00:40:59,839
NARRATOR: The devastation
would be far greater
than the destruction caused
535
00:40:59,908 --> 00:41:02,441
by the 1989 quake.
536
00:41:02,477 --> 00:41:07,046
TOM: If we were to see
an earthquake of that scale
in San Francisco that would
537
00:41:07,115 --> 00:41:12,118
cause, unfortunately a lot
of casualties, many buildings
would collapse, freeways and
538
00:41:12,153 --> 00:41:15,521
infrastructure type
things would be in danger.
539
00:41:15,557 --> 00:41:19,158
If it did happen I think
we would see significant
destruction in the city and
540
00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:22,528
throughout the bay area
and throughout California.
541
00:41:22,998 --> 00:41:25,798
NARRATOR: The
massive earthquake could
cause parts of the city to
542
00:41:25,900 --> 00:41:28,468
topple into the sea.
543
00:41:28,470 --> 00:41:32,338
Much of the downtown
core destroyed.
544
00:41:35,009 --> 00:41:40,213
The Golden Gate Bridge pushed
to its engineering limits.
545
00:41:40,215 --> 00:41:45,251
But when the fire and
smoke clears, 'one' place
will still be standing.
546
00:41:48,589 --> 00:41:52,091
TOM: During a big earthquake
Alcatraz would be a safe haven
because it is built out of
547
00:41:52,093 --> 00:41:53,559
very strong rock.
548
00:41:53,562 --> 00:41:56,829
It's not going to collapse
under strong shaking
like soft soil would.
549
00:41:56,831 --> 00:41:59,599
It's been there for 100
million years, it's hung in
there, so it's going to do
550
00:41:59,668 --> 00:42:02,701
well under an earthquake.
551
00:42:02,904 --> 00:42:07,106
MARTINI: If the geologists
are correct and when the San
Andreas lets go Alcatraz is
552
00:42:07,208 --> 00:42:11,477
the safest place to be,
that is the ultimate irony.
553
00:42:11,479 --> 00:42:15,014
The island
that so many men wanted to
get away from is the place
554
00:42:15,016 --> 00:42:16,950
that's gonna offer the refuge.
555
00:42:17,018 --> 00:42:21,387
NARRATOR: By draining Alcatraz
and exposing the secrets
hidden on the seabed, a
556
00:42:21,389 --> 00:42:24,657
different picture of
the island emerges.
557
00:42:24,759 --> 00:42:30,262
The explanations behind its
most legendary mysteries
involve more than just the
558
00:42:30,332 --> 00:42:32,098
prison itself.
559
00:42:32,133 --> 00:42:37,836
The geography of San
Francisco Bay, the waters, the
rocks, the wind and the fog, a
560
00:42:37,872 --> 00:42:43,208
tightly woven net making
Alcatraz an inescapable place.
561
00:42:43,244 --> 00:42:46,879
Unless the 'big one' hits.
562
00:42:48,416 --> 00:42:54,187
Draining the waters around
Port Royal and Alcatraz
island reveal deep powerful
563
00:42:54,255 --> 00:42:55,454
geological forces at work.
564
00:42:55,490 --> 00:42:56,489
Captioned by
Cotter Captioning Services.
55496
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.