Original subtitles

[MISSILE ROARS]

Narrator: FOR CENTURIES, AN EXTRAORDINARY WAR HAS RAGED

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

Man: YOU COULD KILL HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH ONE BROADSIDE.

THESE WERE EXTREMELY POWERFUL WAR MACHINES.

Narrator: SHIPBUILDERS DESIGNED BIGGER AND FASTER VESSELS

TO OUTWIT AND CRUSH THEIR OPPONENTS.

Man: THAT NATION THAT HAS THE MOST POWERFUL BATTLESHIP FLEET

CAN DESTROY THE ENEMY'S BATTLESHIP FLEET

AND THEREFORE CONTROL THE SEAS,

AND IF YOU CONTROL THE SEAS, YOU CONTROL THE WORLD.

Narrator: THEY CARRIED TERRIFYING WEAPONS.

Man: THIS WAS GONNA BE THE FIRST TIME

THAT SOMEBODY HAD FIRED A TORPEDO IN ANGER

SINCE WORLD WAR II.

THEY NEEDED TO GET IT RIGHT.

Narrator: BUT SHIPS HAVE ALSO LIBERATED

AND RESCUED THOUSANDS.

Man: YOU COULD THINK OF GERDA III

AS BASICALLY A LIFEBOAT FOR PERSONS HUNTED BY THE NAZIS.

Narrator: AND INSPIRED MEN AND WOMEN

TO ACTS OF INCREDIBLE BRAVERY.

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

TO YOUR DEATH, WE WILL SINK BEFORE SURRENDER.

Narrator: THESE VESSELS AND THEIR CREWS

HAVE SHAPED WORLD HISTORY.

Man: AS THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF A MISSILE‐CARRYING SUBMARINE,

I WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE

FOR HELPING TO PREVENT WORLD WAR III.

Narrator: THIS TIME, FIGHTING ACROSS OCEANS,

AS THE WORLD GOES TO WAR.

Man: THERE WAS A LOUD HISS

AS THE GUN TURRETS HIT COLD NORTH SEA,

BECAUSE THE GUN TURRETS WERE HOT.

VERY FEW PEOPLE ESCAPED.

Narrator: NOT ONE, BUT TWO WORLD WARS

SEE TECHNOLOGY RACE AHEAD

AND FORMER GREAT WARSHIPS LEFT BEHIND.

Man: IT WAS A BIG VICTORY FOR GERMANY,

SINKING A BATTLESHIP, AND TO DO IT UNDETECTED

WAS SOMETHING OF PURE MAGIC FOR THE GERMANS.

Narrator: BUT THIS IS ALSO A TALE OF HEROIC ACTS

AND DARING MISSIONS THAT FEW THOUGHT WOULD SUCCEED.

Man: AND THEY WERE MET WITH A SCENE

THAT WAS LIKENED TO DANTE'S INFERNO.

EVERYTHING WAS ON FIRE, EVEN THE SEA ITSELF.

♪

♪

Narrator: AS BRITAIN'S ROYAL NAVY

ENTERED THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

IT BOASTED OF A CENTURY WITHOUT DEFEAT.

BRITAIN'S POSITION AS THE WORLD'S PREEMINENT NAVAL POWER

WAS SECURE.

BUT ON MAY 31, 1916, IN THE NORTH SEA NEAR DENMARK,

A PIVOTAL NAVAL CONFRONTATION TOOK PLACE‐‐

THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND.

Andrew Lambert: 250 WARSHIPS, BRITISH AND GERMAN,

DECIDING WHO RULES THE OCEAN

AND WHO'S GOING TO WIN THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

Narrator: THE GERMAN WARSHIPS

KEPT THE ROYAL NAVY UNDER HEAVY FIRE.

THE HMS INDEFATIGABLE SUFFERED A DIRECT HIT.

THE SUBSEQUENT EXPLOSION SENT WRECKAGE 200 FEET INTO THE AIR.

Nick Jellicoe: HER CREW PROBABLY HAD BEEN COMPLETELY WIPED OUT;

BECAUSE WHEN THERE'S A MASSIVE MAGAZINE EXPLOSION,

NO ARMORED DOORS AND BULKHEADS WILL HOLD THAT BACK.

Narrator: THEN, JUST MINUTES LATER,

HMS QUEEN MARY‐‐

THE LAST BATTLE CRUISER BUILT BEFORE THE WAR‐‐

SUFFERED A SIMILAR FATE.

Andrew Gordon: THERE WAS JUST A HUGE, COUPLE OF HUNDRED FEET,

OF DENSE BLACK SMOKE, ALL KINDS OF BITS AND PIECES,

BODIES, PAPERWORK.

THERE WAS A LOUD HISS

AS THE GUN TURRETS HIT COLD NORTH SEA

BECAUSE THE GUN TURRETS WERE HOT.

VERY FEW PEOPLE ESCAPED.

Narrator: FROM HIS OWN SHIP,

ADMIRAL SIR DAVID BEATTY COULD ONLY WATCH.

"THERE SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING WRONG

WITH OUR BLOODY SHIPS TODAY," HE MUTTERED.

IF THE GERMANS WIN THIS BATTLE, THE WAR COULD BE LOST.

SUCH A SCENARIO HAD BEEN UNTHINKABLE

ONLY A FEW YEARS EARLIER.

Eric Grove: BEFORE THE FIRST WORLD WAR

THERE WAS A NAVAL BUILDING RACE

BETWEEN THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND THE GERMAN EMPIRE.

AND THE BRITISH HAD WON IT.

THEY PRODUCED MORE BATTLESHIPS AND BATTLE CRUISERS,

THE SHIPS THAT MATTERED, THAN THE GERMANS DID.

Narrator: IN 1906,

THE ROYAL NAVY'S REVOLUTIONARY HMS DREADNOUGHT

KICK‐STARTED THE COMPETITION.

Nick Hewitt: SHE HAS ALL BIG GUNS,

SO STANDARDIZED ARMAMENT,

SHE'S DRIVEN BY TURBINE ENGINES,

WHICH GIVES HER A PHENOMENAL SPEED,

AND SHE IS A GAME‐CHANGER;

SHE RAISES THE BAR ON BATTLESHIP DESIGN;

AND ALL THE SHIPS THAT FOLLOW HER

BECOME KNOWN AS DREADNOUGHTS.

Narrator: BY 1914 AND THE OUTBREAK OF WAR,

BRITAIN HAD 29 DREADNOUGHTS TO GERMANY'S 17.

AND WITH CONTROL OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL,

AND A MAJOR NAVAL BASE AT SCAPA FLOW

IN THE ORKNEY ISLANDS,

THE ROYAL NAVY COULD CONTAIN THE GERMAN NAVY

AND PREVENT IT FROM REACHING THE ATLANTIC.

SINCE THE START OF THE WAR,

THE BRITISH GRAND FLEET IN SCAPA FLOW

HAD HELPED CONTAIN THE GERMANS.

IT WAS COMMANDED BY ADMIRAL SIR JOHN JELLICOE.

Jellicoe: JOHN JELLICOE WAS A CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL,

A VERY KIND MAN.

LOVED BY HIS MEN,

BUT A VERY QUIET, SORT OF CEREBRAL COMMANDER.

Narrator: JELLICOE'S MASSIVE DREADNOUGHT FLEET

HAD PRESERVED BRITAIN'S MARITIME SUPREMACY

THROUGH THE START OF THE WAR.

TO THE SOUTH, AT ROSYTH,

WAS A SMALLER BUT FASTER FLEET LED BY BATTLE CRUISERS,

UNDER THE COMMAND OF ADMIRAL BEATTY.

Jellicoe: BEATTY WAS IMMENSELY CHARISMATIC, VERY GOOD‐LOOKING,

COURAGEOUS, A GREAT TACTICAL COMMANDER.

NELSON WAS HIS ABSOLUTE HERO.

Narrator: BY JANUARY 1916,

THESE TWO VERY DIFFERENT MEN HAD A NEW FOE.

ACROSS THE NORTH SEA, ADMIRAL REINHARD SCHEER

WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF THE GERMAN HIGH SEAS FLEET.

SCHEER WAS DYNAMIC

AND HAD A PLAN TO TACKLE THE ALL‐POWERFUL ROYAL NAVY.

LIKE THE BRITISH AT ROSYTH,

THE GERMANS HAD A SMALL BUT FAST BATTLE CRUISER SQUADRON.

SCHEER'S PLAN WAS TO USE THIS SQUADRON

TO LURE SMALL SECTIONS OF THE ROYAL NAVY INTO COMBAT.

HIS BATTLE CRUISERS, THOUGH, WOULD QUIETLY BE FOLLOWED

BY THE FULL MIGHT OF THE HIGH SEAS FLEET.

Grove: THEY WOULD TRY TO TRAP PART OF THE BRITISH FLEET,

PERHAPS THE BATTLE CRUISERS

OPERATING AHEAD OF THE MAIN FLEET, SINK THAT.

DRAW IT ONTO THE GUNS OF THE MAIN GERMAN FLEET,

SINK THAT.

AND THIS WOULD EVEN THINGS UP IN STRENGTH.

Narrator: ON MAY 31, 1916, THE GERMANS MADE THEIR MOVE.

THE BATTLE CRUISER FLEET UNDER REAR ADMIRAL FRANZ VON HIPPER

SAILED NORTH, WITH SCHEER'S MAIN FLEET 60 MILES BEHIND.

IN BRITAIN, THE ADMIRALTY INTERCEPTED

SOME GERMAN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS.

BUT THEY ONLY FOUND OUT ABOUT HIPPER'S DEPARTURE FROM PORT.

THEIR RESPONSE WAS RAPID.

JELLICOE SET SAIL FROM SCAPA FLOW;

BEATTY FROM ROSYTH.

ON THE AFTERNOON OF MAY 31st,

IT WAS THE TWO

BATTLE CRUISER FLEETS

THAT SPOTTED EACH OTHER FIRST.

Gordon: WHEN THE GERMAN

BATTLE CRUISERS REALIZED

THE BRITISH BATTLE CRUISERS WERE PRESENT TO THE WEST OF THEM‐‐

BIT OF A SHOCK‐‐

THEY TURNED ROUND, AND THEY HEADED BACK SOUTHWARDS.

REAR ADMIRAL HIPPER WAS SEEKING THE PROTECTION

OF VICE ADMIRAL SCHEER,

AND THE BRITISH NATURALLY TURNED SOUTH TO FOLLOW THEM.

Narrator: BEATTY WAS ACTING

IN CHARACTERISTICALLY DECISIVE FASHION,

UNAWARE HE WAS BEING LURED INTO A TRAP.

FROM THE BEGINNING, THE GERMAN GUNS PROVED MORE ACCURATE,

AND WITHIN 40 MINUTES, BEATTY HAD LOST TWO SHIPS...

AND 2,000 MEN.

♪

BUT THE ACCURACY OF THE GERMAN GUNNERS

IS NOT THE SOLE REASON THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

WAS SUCH A DISASTER FOR THE ROYAL NAVY.

THIS IS M33, A GUNBOAT FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

ITS SHELL ROOM IS TYPICAL OF THE ERA‐‐

A STORE FOR EXPLOSIVE SHELLS

AND THE CORDITE CHARGES THAT PROPEL THEM.

Hewitt: THESE THINGS ARE VOLATILE.

THEY'RE EXTREMELY EXPLOSIVE,

AND THEY ARE STORED, IN A DREADNOUGHT,

RIGHT DOWN IN THE BOWELS OF THE SHIP,

PROTECTED BY THE THICKEST ARMOR, SO IT SHOULD BE SAFE.

WHAT YOU FIND AT THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

IS THAT, IN ORDER TO SPEED UP THEIR RATE OF FIRE

AND COMPENSATE FOR THEIR POOR GUNNERY,

THE BRITISH BATTLE CRUISER FLEET HAVE STARTED COMPROMISING

WITH WHAT TODAY WE'D CALL HEALTH AND SAFETY.

THEY'VE STARTED TO TAKE THESE CORDITE CHARGES

OUT OF THE FIRE‐PROOF CARDBOARD CYLINDERS.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF THIS STUFF LYING AROUND.

AND THERE IS A HIT ON A TURRET, THERE IS AN EXPLOSION,

AND THE FLASH FROM THE FIRE

RACES DOWN INSIDE TO THE CORDITE MAGAZINE

AND IGNITES THIS CORDITE IN A CATASTROPHIC EXPLOSION,

AND THE SHIP IS DESTROYED IN SECONDS.

Narrator: WORSE WAS TO COME, HOWEVER.

AS ADMIRAL BEATTY CHASED HIPPER SOUTH,

HIS LOOKOUTS HAD A SHOCK.

Gordon: THE LEADING GERMAN FLEET,

SCHEER'S FLEET, WAS SEEN COMING OVER THE HORIZON

UNDER A HUGE PALL OF BLACK COAL SMOKE.

Narrator: BEATTY HAD NO IDEA

THE MAIN GERMAN FLEET WAS AT SEA.

IT WAS NOW HIS TURN

TO DO A FULL 180

AND HEAD BACK TO THE SUPPORT

OF ADMIRAL JELLICOE.

ONLY ONE VESSEL SURVIVES TODAY FROM THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND,

A LIGHT CRUISER FROM JELLICOE'S GRAND FLEET.

HER NAME IS HMS CAROLINE.

♪

THANKS TO HER SPEED,

CAROLINE CARRIED OUT A SPECIFIC ROLE

DURING OPERATIONS SUCH AS JUTLAND.

Victoria Miller: THIS IS CAROLINE'S

NUMBER ONE ENGINE ROOM.

AND SHE HAD TWO OF THESE

ON BOARD THE SHIP.

CAROLINE IS STILL FITTED

WITH HER 1914 STATE‐OF‐THE‐ART PARSONS TURBINES.

THESE TURBINES ENABLED CAROLINE

TO ACHIEVE A SPEED OF UP TO 30 KNOTS,

WHICH WAS ESSENTIAL FOR COMPLETING ONE OF HER KEY ROLES,

NAMELY TO CRUISE AHEAD OF THE MAIN BATTLE FLEET

DURING CASES LIKE THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

AND TO PROTECT THE FLEET FROM TORPEDO ATTACK.

Narrator: BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR SPEED,

IT WAS THE CRUISERS THAT SAW THE BULK OF THE ACTION AT JUTLAND.

AS THE MAIN FLEETS EXCHANGED FIRE,

THE BRITISH LOST THE CRUISERS HMS INVINCIBLE...

AND HMS DEFENSE.

AS EVENING APPROACHED, JELLICOE AND HIS MAIN BATTLESHIPS

WERE FINALLY IN A POSITION TO ENGAGE.

HAVING ASSESSED THE SCENE, THE ADMIRAL GAVE

THE MOST IMPORTANT ORDER OF HIS NAVAL CAREER.

HE INSTRUCTED HIS DREADNOUGHTS

TO FORM A LONG CONTINUOUS BATTLE LINE

ACROSS THE PATH OF THE GERMAN SHIPS.

Jellicoe: THE EXPRESSION "CROSSING THE T"

IS WHEN ONE LINE OF SHIPS,

IN THE SUPERIOR POSITION,

IS ABLE TO BRING ALL ITS GUNS

ON ALL OF ITS SIDES TO BEAR,

WHILE AN ENEMY LINE, WHICH

IS COMING UP TO CROSS THAT T,

CAN ONLY ACTUALLY BRING THE GUNS

THAT ARE AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE AND FACING FORWARD.

Hewitt: THAT IS THE DECISIVE MOMENT.

ADMIRAL SCHEER COMES UP

AND SEES THE ENTIRE BRITISH FLEET ARRAYED ON THE HORIZON,

AND AT THAT POINT SCHEER KNOWS THAT THAT,

THAT WEIGHT OF SHELL CALCULATION IS THERE;

HE CAN'T WIN THIS BATTLE.

Narrator: FACED WITH A SIX‐MILE LINE OF BRITISH BATTLESHIPS,

SHEER ORDERED HIS SHIPS TO TURN 180 DEGREES AND HEAD FOR HOME.

Hewitt: HE BASICALLY HANDBRAKE‐TURNS A BATTLE FLEET,

AND THE ENTIRE GERMAN FLEET DISAPPEARS INTO THE MIST.

Narrator: BUT EVER SINCE 1916, DEBATE HAS RAGED

AS TO WHO ACTUALLY WON THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND.

THE GERMAN FLEET HAD FLED BACK TO THE CONTINENT,

HAVING LOST 11 SHIPS AND 2,500 MEN.

BUT THE ROYAL NAVY HAD LOST 14 SHIPS AND 6,000 MEN.

Grove: IT WAS A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE BRITISH.

UH, IN FACT, UH, WHEN THE SHIPS CAME HOME,

SOME OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY BOOED BY DOCKYARD WORKERS

BECAUSE THEY HAD...

THE GRAND FLEET HAD NOT PRODUCED THE VICTORY

THAT EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO.

THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

ACTUALLY GAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE TO THE GERMANS.

Narrator: IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED,

THE ROYAL NAVY PUT ON A BRAVE FRONT.

KING GEORGE V HONORED BRITAIN'S HEROES.

BUT THE GERMANS ALSO CELEBRATED A VICTORY.

DESPITE THE INCONCLUSIVE RESULT, JELLICOE'S BATTLESHIPS

HAD DONE ENOUGH TO RETAIN THEIR STATUS

AS THE ULTIMATE NAVAL FIGHTING MACHINE.

THREE YEARS LATER, THAT STATUS

WOULD BE DEMONSTRATED ONE LAST TIME

IN THE FINAL DRAMATIC ACT OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

ON NOVEMBER 21, 1918, THE EAST COAST OF SCOTLAND

WAS THE SETTING FOR THE BIGGEST COLLECTION OF NAVAL POWER

THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN.

THE GERMAN AND ALLIED FLEETS FACED EACH OTHER.

BUT THIS WASN'T A BATTLE.

IT WAS A SURRENDER.

THIS STRANGE ENCOUNTER OCCURRED

TEN DAYS AFTER THE ARMISTICE CEASEFIRE WAS SIGNED.

250 ALLIED SHIPS WERE TASKED WITH ESCORTING

THE GERMAN HIGH SEAS FLEET INTO BRITISH WATERS.

IT HAD BEEN AGREED THAT WHILE PEACE TALKS CONTINUED IN PARIS,

THE GERMAN FLEET WOULD BE INTERNED

AT THE NATURAL HARBOR OF SCAPA FLOW IN THE ORKNEYS.

BUT THE ALLIES WERE TAKING NO CHANCES

AND ARRIVED WITH THEIR GUNS LOADED.

Kinlay Francis: THE SHIPS THEMSELVES,

THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THEY COULD BE TAKEN TO NEUTRAL ZONES

LIKE NORWAY OR SWEDEN

TO DECIDE WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE DIVISION

OR DIVIDING UP OF THE GERMAN HIGH SEAS FLEET

FOR DIFFERENT COUNTRIES,

BUT USING SCAPA FLOW WOULD BE AN AREA

THAT COULD BE WELL‐PROTECTED

AGAINST THE POSSIBILITY OF ESCAPE IN A SHELTERED HARBOR

AND ALSO USED BY THE BRITISH GRAND FLEET BASE.

Narrator: THE 74 GERMAN SHIPS

ANCHORED IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE FLOW,

UNDER THE COMMAND OF REAR ADMIRAL LUDWIG VON REUTER.

HE WROTE IN HIS REPORT, "WEHRLOS, EHRLOS."

"DISARMED, DISHONORED."

NORWAY AND SWEDEN REFUSED TO PROVIDE A NEUTRAL PORT,

SO 4,500 GERMAN SAILORS SPENT THE WINTER

ON BOARD THEIR SHIPS IN SCAPA FLOW.

FOOD SUPPLIES DID ARRIVE FROM GERMANY,

SUPPLEMENTED BY FISH CAUGHT IN THE FLOW.

BUT COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD WAS INFREQUENT.

Emily Turton: THE COMMANDING OFFICER,

ADMIRAL VON REUTER,

IS NOT REALLY BEING KEPT ABREAST WITH THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS,

BUT THE GERMAN FLEET IS WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT

BEING USED AS A BARGAINING TOOL IN THOSE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.

SO ADMIRAL VON REUTER DOESN'T KNOW REALLY WHAT'S GOING ON,

BUT HE FULLY EXPECTS THAT THE GERMAN FLEET WILL BE SEIZED

AND DIVVIED UP AMONG THE ALLIED FORCES

AS THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES IS SIGNED.

Narrator: THE BRITISH SAW REUTER AS A REASONABLE MAN.

IN REALITY, HE HAD NO INTENTION

OF LETTING HIS FLEET BE HANDED OVER TO THE ALLIES.

Turton: HE HAS NO FIREPOWER. HE CAN'T FIGHT.

THE SHIPS ARE NOT THE FIGHTING MACHINES

THEY HAD BEEN SEVEN MONTHS EARLIER,

HAVING BEEN LEFT TO ROT OVER A WINTER IN ORKNEY,

SO THE LAST REMAINING ACT OF WAR OPEN TO HIM,

HIS ONLY OPTION TO STOP THAT HAPPENING, IS TO SINK THEM.

Narrator: FOR FOUR MONTHS, ADMIRAL REUTER

QUIETLY FORMULATED PLANS TO SCUTTLE HIS OWN FLEET.

BUT GERMAN WARSHIPS WERE DESIGNED

WITH WATERTIGHT COMPARTMENTS.

THE SEYDLITZ HAD FOUGHT AT JUTLAND

AND BEEN HIT 20 TIMES BY SHELLS.

YET IT REMAINED AFLOAT.

SO GERMAN CREWS IN SCAPA FLOW

BEGAN DRILLING HOLES THROUGH BULKHEADS.

THEY WELDED WATERTIGHT DOORS AJAR

AND STARTED LEAVING PORTHOLES DELIBERATELY OPEN.

BY THE END OF MAY, IT WAS CLEAR

THAT THE TERMS OF THE VERSAILLES TREATY

WOULD MEAN EITHER THE SEIZURE OR DESTRUCTION OF THE GERMAN FLEET.

SO REUTER MADE HIS MOVE.

Turton: HE GIVES THE ORDER ON THE 21st OF JUNE

BY SENDING A SIGNAL,

A PREARRANGED SIGNAL IN FLAGS UP HIS MAST.

NOW THAT CAN BE SEEN BY THE NEXT SHIP,

WHICH CAN BE SEEN BY THE NEXT SHIP,

AND THEY COPY THAT, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH,

AND THAT'S HOW THEY GET THE MESSAGE AROUND,

WHICH IS TO OPEN EVERYTHING UP,

START THEM SINKING AND ABANDON SHIP.

Francis: TO SCUTTLE A VESSEL,

THE WAY THE GERMANS WOULD HAVE DONE IT,

IS THEY WOULD HAVE OPENED THE SEACOCKS AND VALVES

AND SMASHED THE INTERNAL WATER PIPES

TO START FLOODING THE INTERNAL COMPARTMENTS.

Narrator: ONE BY ONE, THE PRIDE OF THE GERMAN NAVY

BEGAN TO SINK.

SOME CAPSIZED.

SOME SETTLED ON THE SEABED.

SOME PLUNGED HEADLONG IN A ROAR OF STEAM.

FROM THE SHORELINE AND NEARBY BRITISH SHIPS,

LOCALS AND NAVAL STAFF WATCHED

AS THE GERMAN SAILORS LOWERED THEIR LIFEBOATS.

Francis: THE BRITISH MARINES ACTUALLY TRIED TO STOP THEM

BY FIRING UPON THESE SAILORS,

AND UNFORTUNATELY NINE OF THE GERMAN SAILORS

WERE SHOT DEAD BY BRITISH MARINES.

Narrator: THE BODIES WERE BURIED NEARBY ON THE ISLAND OF HOY,

THE LAST CASUALTIES OF THE GREAT WAR.

AND OF THE 74 SHIPS INTERNED, 50 WERE SUCCESSFULLY SCUTTLED.

THE SEABED OF SCAPA FLOW

BECAME HOME TO 400,000 TONS OF GERMAN WARSHIP STEEL.

EMILY TURTON REGULARLY DIVES ON THE WRECKS.

Turton: THEY DON'T FEEL SPOOKY AND CREEPY AND SINISTER

OR JUST INCREDIBLY SAD,

LIKE, LIKE IT DOES WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU DIVE ON A WAR GRAVE.

UM, BUT I THINK THE SHEER SIZE OF THEM CAN BE INTIMIDATING,

BUT THEY'RE NOT SPOOKY.

I THINK WE ARE VERY LUCKY WITH THE GERMAN SHIPS

IN THAT, ESPECIALLY THE DREADNOUGHTS,

THEY'RE SO HEAVILY BUILT,

SOME OF THE STEEL ON THERE IS 14 INCHES THICK.

Narrator: THE GERMAN DETERMINATION

TO SCUTTLE THEIR OWN BATTLESHIPS

SHOWED THAT THESE MIGHTY VESSELS

WERE STILL THE FLAGSHIPS OF THE FLEET.

BUT 20 YEARS LATER, AT THE START OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

THE GERMAN NAVY PLANNED

A VENGEFUL ATTACK ON THE ORKNEYS‐‐

ONE THAT WOULD PROVE HOW TIMES WERE CHANGING.

THE ATTACK WOULD DEMONSTRATE THE DEADLY EFFECTIVENESS

OF A SINGLE GERMAN SUBMARINE‐‐

A NOTORIOUS U‐BOAT.

IT WOULD STRIKE AT THE HEART OF THE BRITISH HOME FLEET

IN THEIR SAFE HAVEN OF SCAPA FLOW.

THE MAN GIVEN THIS ALMOST SUICIDAL TASK

WAS 31‐YEAR‐OLD GUNTHER PRIEN, THE COMMANDER OF U‐47.

HE HAD SUNK THREE BRITISH MERCHANT SHIPS

IN THE FIRST MONTH OF THE WAR.

NOW, HE WOULD PLAN HIS ATTACK

BY STUDYING THE WEAKNESSES OF SCAPA FLOW.

Turton: SO WHERE THE BARRIERS NOW BLOCK THE EASTERN APPROACHES

TO SCAPA FLOW,

DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

AND THE START OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

THOSE ARE NARROW CHANNELS

WHERE THE TIDE SCREAMS IN AND OUT OF SCAPA FLOW.

NOW, THE BRITISH NAVY THOUGHT THEY WERE WELL‐PROTECTED

BECAUSE THEY'VE SUNK SHIPS ALL HIGGLEDY PIGGLEDY

ACROSS THOSE WATERWAYS.

Narrator: ON THE EVENING OF OCTOBER 13,

U‐47 SLOWLY APPROACHED KIRK SOUND ON THE SURFACE

AND PASSED BETWEEN TWO BLOCK SHIPS‐‐

A GAP THAT WAS JUST 50 FEET WIDE.

"WE ARE IN SCAPA FLOW!"

PRIEN WROTE EXCITEDLY IN THE SUB'S LOG.

Francis: AFTER BREACHING KIRK SOUND

U‐BOAT 47 MADE HER WAY INTO THE GRAND ANCHORAGE

OF SCAPA FLOW IN SEARCH FOR TARGETS.

THEY SPOTTED THE REVENGE‐CLASS BATTLESHIP SILHOUETTE

OF HMS ROYAL OAK LYING AT ANCHOR IN SCAPA BAY.

Turton: THE ROYAL OAK IS A FIRST WORLD WAR DREADNOUGHT.

♪

AND SHE WAS IN SCAPA FLOW, STILL PART OF THE BRITISH FLEET,

AND SHE'S ANCHORED RIGHT OVER TO THE EAST OF SCAPA FLOW,

AND I BELIEVE IT WAS SO HER GUNS COULD OFFER SOME PROTECTION

TO A RADAR STATION THAT WAS OVER ON THE CLIFFS

OVER ON THE EAST SIDE OF SCAPA FLOW.

Narrator: ASLEEP ON THE ROYAL OAK

WERE HER EXPERIENCED CREW,

BUT ALSO A COMPLEMENT OF 120 TRAINEE SAILORS, ALL TEENAGERS.

FROM A DISTANCE OF TWO MILES,

PRIEN FIRED THREE TORPEDOES AT THE UNSUSPECTING BATTLESHIP.

♪

TWO OF THEM MISSED.

ONE EXPLODED,

BUT ONLY IN THE VICINITY OF ROYAL OAK'S ANCHOR CHAINS.

Francis: ACCORDING TO HMS ROYAL OAK, SOME OF THE SURVIVORS,

THEY THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE INFLAMMABLE STORES

IGNITING OR EXPLODING,

AND THIS THING HAD APPARENTLY HAPPENED BEFORE,

SO THEY WENT BACK TO SLEEP IN THEIR BUNKS.

Narrator: PRIEN EDGED HIS U‐BOAT CLOSER...

AND FIRED AGAIN.

Francis: BY THIS TIME IT WAS TOO LATE.

A FINAL THREE SALVO OF TORPEDOES WAS FIRED AT HMS ROYAL OAK.

THREE MINUTES LATER ALL HIT IN QUICK SUCCESSION AMIDSHIPS.

[EXPLOSIONS]

HMS ROYAL OAK WAS DOOMED.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTE CHAOS AND CONFUSION,

OVER 1,230 MEN ON BOARD...

MEN SCREAMING, SMOKE FILLING THE INNER CHAMBERS,

CORDITE MAGAZINES IGNITED AND ASPHYXIATING THE MEN,

FLASH FIRES, HORRENDOUS, AND ALL THIS GOING ON

WHILE THE SHIP WAS SLOWLY SINKING TO THE STARBOARD SIDE.

Narrator: "HE'S FINISHED," PRIEN SAID,

AS HE WATCHED FROM HIS U‐BOAT'S CONNING TOWER.

ACROSS THE BAY, THE ROYAL OAK SANK BENEATH THE WAVES.

834 MEN AND BOYS LOST THEIR LIVES.

♪

KINLAY IS HEADING FOR THE SITE OF THE WRECK.

THE BOAT'S ECHO SOUNDER SHOWS THE HULL OF THE BATTLESHIP...

JUST 26 FEET BELOW.

Francis: SO, ROYAL OAK IS RIGHT UNDER US.

IT'S STILL LEAKING FUEL OIL TO THIS DAY,

AND THE OIL ITSELF THAT DISPERSES ON THE SURFACE

IS KNOWN LOCALLY AS "THE TEARS OF THE OAK."

♪

THE BUOY REPRESENTS THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF HMS ROYAL OAK,

AND IT REPRESENTS THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES HERE

ON THAT FATEFUL EARLY MORNING.

AND EVERY YEAR WE COMMEMORATE THAT.

Narrator: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED,

GUNTHER PRIEN AND U‐47 MADE THEIR ESCAPE.

Turton: I THINK THE MOST AMAZING THING

IS AFTER THAT SHIP HAS GONE DOWN,

HE STILL THEN MANAGES TO GET OUT OF SCAPA FLOW AND AWAY,

AND HE'S HAILED A WAR HERO IN GERMANY.

Francis: SINKING A BATTLESHIP

AT THE FIRST PART OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

WAS A HUGE SUCCESS,

AND TO DO IT UNDETECTED

WAS SOMETHING OF PURE MAGIC FOR THE GERMANS.

Narrator: U‐47'S AUDACIOUS ATTACK

HAD PROVEN THAT A SINGLE U‐BOAT COULD SINK A MIGHTY BATTLESHIP.

AND IN THE YEARS TO COME, IT PAVED THE WAY FOR U‐BOATS

TO TAKE CENTER STAGE IN THE LONGEST BATTLE OF THE WAR.

IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR, CONTROLLING THE SEAS

WOULD ONCE AGAIN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN VICTORY AND DEFEAT.

A KEY BATTLEGROUND WAS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

Duncan Redford: THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

STARTS ON THE 3rd OF SEPTEMBER 1939,

AND IT FINISHES ON V‐E DAY, MAY 1945.

IT NEVER STOPS.

Richard Holdsworth: THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

WAS ONE OF THE KEY SORT OF THINGS

THAT CHURCHILL IN LATER LIFE SAID KEPT HIM UP AT NIGHT,

THE WORRY THAT FAILURE WOULD RESULT

IN THE LOSS OF THOSE VITAL SUPPLIES,

THE INABILITY TO FEED THE POPULATION

AND THE INABILITY TO PROSECUTE WAR IN EUROPE.

Redford: THE GERMANS, UNDERSTANDABLY, HAVE WORKED OUT

THAT, FOR AN ISLAND NATION LIKE BRITAIN,

EVERYTHING IT NEEDS HAS TO COME IN SHIPS.

IF YOU STOP THE SHIPS ARRIVING,

BRITAIN HAS NO FOOD, SO IT STARVES.

IT HAS NO RAW MATERIALS, SO IT CAN'T MAKE ANYTHING.

ITS ECONOMY COLLAPSES, AND IT WILL SURRENDER.

YOU DON'T NEED TO INVADE.

Narrator: THE GERMANS' MAIN WEAPON IN THE ATLANTIC

WAS THE FORMIDABLE U‐BOAT.

Redford: TACTICALLY THE GERMANS WOULD TEND TO PUT

A WHOLE NUMBER OF U‐BOATS OUT INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC,

AND THEY'D SPREAD THEM AT VARIOUS POINTS.

SOME CLOSE IN TO AMERICA, SOME CLOSE IN TO BRITAIN,

BUT OTHERS OUT IN THE MIDDLE,

AND THEY'D STRETCH A LINE OF U‐BOATS ACROSS THE AREA

THAT THEY WOULD EXPECT CONVOYS TO TRAVEL THROUGH.

WHEN A U‐BOAT SPOTTED A CONVOY,

IT WOULD SIGNAL THE GERMAN HIGH COMMAND,

AND THEY WOULD START TO ASSEMBLE WHAT THEY CALLED A WOLF PACK,

BRINGING LARGE NUMBERS OF SUBMARINES TOGETHER

AHEAD OF THE PREDICTED CONVOY COURSE.

Narrator: BY NOW, IT WAS CLEAR THAT MASSIVE BATTLESHIPS

WERE VULNERABLE TO U‐BOAT ATTACKS...

AND THAT CONVOYS NEEDED PROTECTION

FROM SMALLER, FASTER SHIPS LOADED WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.

IT WAS THE COMING OF AGE... OF THE DESTROYER.

TODAY THERE IS JUST ONE SURVIVING BRITISH DESTROYER

FROM THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC...

HMS CAVALIER.

♪

♪

[BELL DINGS]

♪

IN 1944, CAVALIER'S FIRST OPERATIONS

WERE TO PROTECT LARGER WARSHIPS AND MERCHANT SHIPS

IN THE ATLANTIC.

Hewitt: A DESTROYER WAS QUITE A SPECIALIZED FLEET UNIT.

THEY'RE DESIGNED FOR SPEED AND HITTING POWER.

THEY HAVE NO ARMOR AND NO PROTECTION;

THEIR SPEED IS THEIR PROTECTION.

Holdsworth: THEY WERE ABLE TO MOVE

FROM ONE SIDE OF THE CONVOY TO THE OTHER WITH GREAT SPEED

AND INCREASINGLY WERE USED AS HUNTER‐KILLER GROUPS

AIMED SPECIFICALLY AT TRYING TO DESTROY GERMAN U‐BOATS.

Narrator: THEIR PRIMARY WEAPON WAS THE DEPTH CHARGE,

A HIGH EXPLOSIVE DROPPED FROM THE SHIP

AND SET TO DETONATE AT A SPECIFIC DEPTH.

BUT IT HAD ITS LIMITATIONS.

Holdsworth: YOU HAD TO RUN OVER THE TARGET

TO BE ABLE TO LAUNCH WEAPONS AGAINST IT,

AND SUBMARINE CAPTAINS WERE PRETTY CANNY

ABOUT TRYING TO MAKE SURE THEY WEREN'T RUN OVER.

Narrator: WEAPONS DESIGNERS SOON REALIZED

THAT DESTROYERS NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO TARGET GERMAN U‐BOATS

WITHOUT PASSING RIGHT OVER THEM.

Holdsworth: IT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEDGEHOG,

WHICH IS BASICALLY A MORTAR,

AND IT'S FIRING A VERY LARGE HEAVY PROJECTILE

ACROSS THE TOP OF THE SHIP AND DOWN SORT OF TRAJECTORY

THAT THEN ENTERS THE WATER IN FRONT OF THE BOWS.

Narrator: IN CHURCHILL'S WORDS,

THE WAR AT SEA BECAME A MATTER OF "SEAMANSHIP AND SCIENCE."

NEW SHORTWAVE RADAR SETS WERE INTRODUCED

THAT COULD DETECT U‐BOATS AS SOON AS THEY BROKE THE SURFACE.

AND THE FORMATION OF ATLANTIC CONVOYS WAS STUDIED IN DETAIL.

CHURCHILL WAS ADVISED THAT LOSSES IN THE ATLANTIC

COULD BE REDUCED BY MULTIPLYING THE SIZE OF EACH CONVOY,

BY INCREASING ITS SPEED,

AND BOOSTING THE NUMBER OF CLOSE ESCORT SHIPS.

IT'S BELIEVED THIS LED TO A 60% REDUCTION IN VESSELS LOST.

ANOTHER BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE ROYAL NAVY CAME

VIA THE CODE‐BREAKERS AT BLETCHLEY PARK...

WHO FED THE ADMIRALTY VITAL INFORMATION

ON U‐BOAT MOVEMENTS.

Holdsworth: THE WAY THE GERMANS CONTROLLED THEIR SHIPS

THROUGH THE WOLF PACK SYSTEM

WAS ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATING BACK TO THE SUBMARINE COMMAND.

IF YOU KNOW WHERE THAT PARTICULAR PLACE IS

AND WHERE THEY'RE GATHERING THROUGH SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE,

THEN YOU CAN TARGET THEM.

Narrator: THE HUMAN COST ON BOTH SIDES

OF THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC WAS HIGH.

OVER 700 U‐BOATS DESTROYED.

NEARLY 3,000 ALLIED SHIPS LOST.

BUT THOSE FIGURES WOULD HAVE BEEN HIGHER

IF BRITAIN HADN'T FOCUSED

ON DESTROYING THE ENEMY'S BIGGEST BATTLESHIP.

TWO YEARS INTO THE WAR, THEY DEVISED A PLAN

THAT WOULD REMOVE THE THREAT OF THE MIGHTY TIRPITZ.

BUT THE PLAN WAS SO OUTLANDISH, FEW THOUGHT IT COULD SUCCEED.

♪

WINSTON CHURCHILL WAS WELL AWARE OF THE THREAT

POSED BY THE TIRPITZ.

"THE WHOLE STRATEGY OF THE WAR

TURNS AT THIS PERIOD ON THIS SHIP," HE SAID.

TIRPITZ HAD THE POTENTIAL TO WREAK HAVOC

ON MERCHANT SHIPPING IN THE ATLANTIC.

BUT TO DO THAT, IT WOULD NEED TO TRANSFER FROM ITS BASE IN NORWAY

TO A SERVICE PORT WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO THE OCEAN CONVOYS.

THE ONLY DRY DOCK BIG ENOUGH WAS AT SAINT NAZAIRE IN FRANCE.

THE NORMANDIE DOCK WAS 400 YARDS LONG.

Peter Lush: THE NORMANDIE DOCK WAS NOT ONLY HUGE,

BUT IT HAD THE FACILITIES.

IT'S QUITE A SPECIFIC TASK TO REPAIR A BATTLESHIP

OF THAT SIZE,

AND HERE, THEY HAD ALL THOSE FACILITIES.

THEY HAD THE ENGINEERING AND THE DRY DOCK FACILITIES,

WITH WHICH THEY COULD CARRY THAT OUT.

Narrator: IF THE BRITISH COULD DESTROY THE NORMANDIE DOCK,

THEN THE MIGHTY TIRPITZ WOULD BE RENDERED USELESS

IN THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC.

BUT IN 1942,

SAINT NAZAIRE WAS A WELL‐DEFENDED GERMAN NAVAL BASE

WITH A STRING OF BOMB‐PROOF U‐BOAT PENS.

ATTACKING THE NORMANDY DRY DOCK WOULD BE FAR FROM EASY.

BOMBING WOULD BE TOO INACCURATE.

THE ESTUARY WAS WELL‐GUARDED BY ANTI‐SUBMARINE NETS.

AND A LAND ATTACK THROUGH GERMAN‐OCCUPIED FRANCE

WAS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE.

THE TASK OF PULLING OFF THE SCHEME

FELL TO THE SPECIALIST TEAM

AT COMBINED OPERATIONS HEADQUARTERS.

THEIR PLAN ENVISIONED A FLOTILLA‐LOAD OF COMMANDOS

DISPATCHED TO DESTROY THE WATERTIGHT GATE OF THE DOCK,

KNOWN AS THE CAISSON.

THE COMMANDOS WOULD THEN SWARM ASHORE

TO SABOTAGE THE DOCK'S CONTROLS.

AT THE HEART OF THE FLOTILLA

WOULD BE AN OLD AMERICAN WARSHIP FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

RENAMED HMS CAMPBELTOWN.

Lush: THE CAMPBELTOWN WAS ONE OF THE 50 LEASE‐LEND DESTROYERS

THAT WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE ROYAL NAVY BY THE AMERICANS.

IT WAS ALTERED IN A VERY SHORT TIME

AT DEVONPORT DOCKYARD

TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A GERMAN MÖWE‐CLASS DESTROYER.

Narrator: TWO OF ITS FOUR FUNNELS WERE REMOVED,

AND THE REMAINING TWO WERE CUT AT AN ANGLE,

IN THE HOPE THAT THE GERMAN LOOKOUTS

WOULD THINK ONE OF THEIR OWN SHIPS WAS APPROACHING.

MUCH OF THE SUPERSTRUCTURE WAS THEN REMOVED‐‐

TO ENABLE CAMPBELTOWN TO PASS OVER THE SHALLOW MUD FLATS

OF THE LOIRE ESTUARY.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY,

CAMPBELTOWN WAS TURNED INTO A FLOATING BOMB,

A BOMB THAT WOULD RAM THE NORMANDY DOCK.

Lush: THE CHARGE IN CAMPBELTOWN WAS PLACED

JUST BEHIND THE MOUNTING FOR THE FORWARD GUN,

WHICH WOULD BE THE FIRST POINT OF RESISTANCE

WHEN IT RAMMED THE CAISSON.

IT CONSISTED OF 24 MARK VII DEPTH CHARGES,

LINKED TOGETHER WITH SPECIAL FUSES,

WHICH OPERATED WITH COPPER WIRE AND ACID,

AND THEY WERE QUITE EXPERIMENTAL.

Narrator: THE CAMPBELTOWN SAILED FROM FALMOUTH ON MARCH 26, 1942,

ALONG WITH 18 SMALL VESSELS AND TORPEDO BOATS.

ON BOARD WERE 260 COMMANDOS.

THIS WAS THE MOST DARING OF RAIDS,

AND MANY OF THE MEN WERE SURE THEY WOULDN'T BE RETURNING HOME.

AND YET, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER SAM BEATTIE

HELD A SHERRY PARTY FOR HIS OFFICERS.

COULD THEIR OLD WARSHIP DUPE THE GERMANS

AND STRIKE A MAJOR BLOW IN THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC?

THEY WOULD KNOW IN JUST A FEW HOURS.

IN MARCH 1942, AN OLD FIRST WORLD WAR DESTROYER

SAILED FROM FALMOUTH

TO THE GERMAN‐HELD FRENCH PORT OF SAINT NAZAIRE.

ITS MISSION‐‐TO DESTROY THE ONLY ATLANTIC DOCK

BIG ENOUGH TO SERVICE

THE FEARSOME GERMAN BATTLESHIP TIRPITZ.

HMS CAMPBELTOWN AND ITS FLOTILLA ENTERED THE LOIRE ESTUARY

AROUND MIDNIGHT ON THE 28th OF MARCH.

UNDER THE COMMAND OF ROBERT RYDER,

THE FLOATING BOMB APPROACHED SAINT NAZAIRE IN DARKNESS.

Lush: THEY HAD TO EMPLOY CERTAIN TRICKS

TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WEREN'T RECOGNIZED.

THE MOST OBVIOUS ONE, OF COURSE,

WAS THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE CAMPBELTOWN.

BUT RYDER HAD OTHER TRICKS UP HIS SLEEVE.

THEY HAD LIBERATED A GERMAN NAVAL CODE BOOK,

AND SO THEY KNEW WHAT ALL THE CODES

FOR THE SAINT NAZAIRE AREA WERE.

AND ON THE MOTOR GUNBOAT WAS A SIGNALMAN

WHO COULD SIGNAL IN GERMAN

AND ANSWER THE CHALLENGES FROM ON SHORE.

Narrator: THE TRICK WORKED,

UNTIL THE FLOTILLA WAS JUST A MILE FROM THE DOCK.

FROM THEN ON, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER SAM BEATTIE

HAD TO STEER CAMPBELTOWN UNDER A BARRAGE OF GERMAN GUNFIRE.

Lush: WHAT WE'RE SEEING BEHIND ME IS THE OLD MOLE,

ON WHICH YOU CAN SEE THE LIGHTHOUSE,

WHICH GAVE BEATTIE HIS AIMING POINT.

HE WAS TO PASS TO ABOUT 100 YARDS OFF THAT.

PART OF THE DIFFICULTY HERE IS THAT ON THE OLD MOLE

WAS A SEARCHLIGHT POSITION AND ALSO A VERY DANGEROUS GUN.

Narrator: BUT AS THE CLOCK PASSED 1:34 A. M.,

THE SHIP ROUNDED THE OLD MOLE...

INCREASED HER SPEED TO 20 KNOTS...

AND CRASHED INTO THE NORMANDY DOCK GATE.

Lush: THE CAMPBELTOWN HAS IMPALED HERSELF

UPON THE CAISSON HERE

TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT HER BOW PROJECTED THREE FEET

IN FRONT OF THE INNER FACE.

Robert Montgomery: THE ASSAULT PARTIES IMMEDIATELY BEGAN

CLAMBERING OFF THE FRONT END.

IT WAS QUITE A GAME CLIMBING DOWN THE LADDER,

AS THERE WAS A FIRE BLAZING IN THE FO'C'SLE.

CORPORAL CALLOWAY'S TROUSERS CAUGHT FIRE

AS HE WAS CLIMBING DOWN,

AND HE HAD TO TAKE THEM OFF.

HE CARRIED OUT THE WHOLE OPERATION IN HIS UNDERPANTS!

Lush: THERE WAS ONE PARTY FOR THE SOUTHERN WINDING HOUSE HERE,

ONE FOR THE PUMP HOUSE,

AND ONE FOR THE NORTHERN WINDING HOUSE

AT THE FAR END OF THE DOCKYARD.

Narrator: WITH THE ONBOARD BOMB SET TO EXPLODE AT DAWN,

THE CAMPBELTOWN ELEMENT OF THE MISSION

WAS SHAPING UP TO BE A HUGE SUCCESS.

BUT FOR THE REST OF THE FLOTILLA,

IT WAS A DIFFERENT STORY.

UNDER INTENSE ENEMY FIRE,

VERY FEW OF THE SMALLER VESSELS EVER MADE IT TO LAND.

AND WHEN THE CAMPBELTOWN COMMANDOS

LANDED AT THE OLD MOLE AS PLANNED,

THEY DISCOVERED THERE WOULD BE NO BOATS TO TAKE THEM HOME.

Lush: IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY REALIZED, WHEN THEY GOT THERE,

WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE LAUNCHES.

AND THEY WERE MET WITH A SCENE

THAT WAS LIKENED TO DANTE'S INFERNO.

EVERYTHING WAS ON FIRE, EVEN THE SEA ITSELF.

Narrator: AS DAWN BROKE,

MOST OF THE COMMANDOS ON SHORE HAD BEEN CAPTURED.

AND THERE WAS ANOTHER PROBLEM‐‐

THE BOMB ON BOARD CAMPBELTOWN HAD FAILED TO DETONATE.

TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, GERMAN TROOPS AND SIGHTSEERS

WERE NOW CLIMBING ALL OVER THE BEACHED ENEMY VESSEL.

Lush: THE FOLLOWING MORNING, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER BEATTIE,

WHO HAD BEEN RESCUED FROM THE RIVER,

WAS BEING INTERROGATED BY GERMAN OFFICERS,

AND THEY WERE SAYING TO HIM...

"YOU BRITISH MUST BE STUPID

IF YOU THINK YOU CAN DESTROY OUR DOCK

WITH THAT FLIMSY DESTROYER."

Montgomery: JUST AT THAT MOMENT, SHE WENT UP.

BEATTIE SMILED AT THE OFFICER AND SAID,

"WE'RE NOT QUITE AS FOOLISH AS YOU THINK!"

Narrator: THE RAID ON SAINT NAZAIRE

WAS A SUCCESS AFTER ALL.

BUT IT HAD COME AT A COST.

OF THE 611 MEN INVOLVED, ONLY 228 RETURNED TO BRITAIN.

Lush: WHEN ONE CONSIDERS THE DISTANCE

THAT THE FORCE HAD TO TRAVEL TO GET HERE,

WHAT THEY FACED WHEN THEY GOT HERE,

AND TO PUT THE CAMPBELTOWN WITHIN AN INCH OF ITS TARGET,

WITHIN FOUR MINUTES OF ITS PROJECTED TIME,

WITHOUT DOUBT JUSTIFIES THE LABEL

OF THE GREATEST RAID OF ALL.

Narrator: THE TIRPITZ NEVER DID REACH THE ATLANTIC.

THE ONCE ALL‐POWERFUL BATTLESHIP WAS NOW OUT OF COMMISSION,

THANKS TO THE DARING RAID ON SAINT‐NAZAIRE.

♪

A FEW WEEKS LATER, THOUGH...

A CLASH TOOK PLACE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

WHICH THREATENED TO MAKE THE BATTLESHIP COMPLETELY OBSOLETE.

ON JUNE 5, 1942, THE U. S. NAVY

WON A STUNNING VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC

AT THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY.

IT WAS A BATTLE FOUGHT AND WON BY AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

THE U. S. LOST ONE CARRIER‐‐ THE USS YORKTOWN.

BUT AMERICAN AIRCRAFT DESTROYED FOUR JAPANESE CARRIERS.

IT WAS A SEA‐CHANGE MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF COMBAT SHIPS.

Craig Symonds: THE ASSUMPTION WHEN THEY WERE LAID DOWN

WAS THAT BATTLESHIPS WOULD BE THE KEY TO THE FLEET,

AND AIRCRAFT CARRIERS WOULD SERVE TO PROTECT THEM

AND GUIDE THEM AND MARK THE FALL OF A SHOT

AND REPORT, YOU KNOW, "THAT WAS LONG"

OR "THAT WAS SHORT."

INSTEAD, THE ROLES WERE COMPLETELY REVERSED;

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS WERE THE PRINCIPAL STRIKING FORCE

OF NAVIES BY 1943.

Narrator: YET BATTLESHIPS WERE STILL BEING BUILT‐‐

LIKE THIS ONE THAT WAS LAUNCHED A FEW WEEKS BEFORE MIDWAY‐‐

THE USS MASSACHUSETTS.

♪

Brad King: SO THIS IS A FLOATING CITY,

A FLOATING TOWN, WHICH HAS ITS HIGH STREET,

IT HAS ITS PRISON AND A FIRE SERVICE.

IT HAS THE GUNNERY OFFICE, IT HAS THE BAKERY,

IT HAS A POST OFFICE.

IT'S AMERICA AFLOAT, BECAUSE IT'S A CREW OF 2,000 VOLUNTEERS,

ALL COMING TOGETHER FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE,

ALL LEVELS OF SOCIETY,

FROM THE KENTUCKY FARM BOY WHO'D NEVER SEEN THE OCEAN

TO THE HARVARD YACHTSMAN.

Narrator: IMPRESSIVE THOUGH SHE WAS,

THE MASSACHUSETTS' ROLE WAS UNCLEAR.

BUT HER FIRST TASTE OF WAR WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT

AND HELP CREATE A NEW ROLE FOR THE BATTLESHIP.

IN OCTOBER 1942, SHE SAILED

TO SUPPORT AN AMPHIBIOUS INVASION OF NORTH AFRICA.

THREE TASK FORCES INVADED FRENCH MOROCCO AND ALGERIA

ON NOVEMBER 8th.

OPERATION TORCH'S OBJECTIVE WAS TO REMOVE

THE GERMAN AND ITALIAN FORCES FROM THE REGION.

THE MASSACHUSETTS SUPPORTED THE LANDINGS AT CASABLANCA,

BOMBARDING SHORE DEFENSES.

BUT IN THE PORT, ANOTHER BATTLESHIP WAS WAITING FOR HER.

THE JEAN BART WAS AN UNFINISHED STATIONARY FRENCH VESSEL

WITH A CREW ALLIED TO THE GERMAN FORCES.

King: SHE WAS A VERY CREDIBLE THREAT,

SHE WAS BEING BUILT, BUT SHE STILL HAD GUNS ON BOARD,

AND SO THIS MATCH BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS

STARTED WITH THE JEAN BART.

THE SHIP WAS ABOUT 13 MILES OFF THE COAST.

THE RANGE OF OUR GUNS IS 22 MILES, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

THE SHELL IS ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF A TOYOTA COROLLA.

Narrator: FIVE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS'

MASSIVE 16‐INCH SHELLS HIT THE JEAN BART,

THE FIRST CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.

King: AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THE JEAN BART,

THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AFTER THE BATTLE ENDED.

YOU CAN SEE WHERE ONE OF THE SHELLS PENETRATED THE HULL

AND EXPLODED IN THE MAGAZINE.

WHEN THE SHELL EXPLODED,

THE DECK ACTUALLY FOLDED OVER THE AFT TURRET.

Narrator: MEANWHILE, THE MASSACHUSETTS BECAME KNOWN

AS A LUCKY SHIP, AND WITH GOOD REASON.

A SHELL FROM THE JEAN BART SCORED A DIRECT HIT.

King: ABOVE US YOU CAN SEE THE HOLE THAT THE SHELL MADE,

THE PATCH THAT WAS PUT ON IT, IT WAS CUT OUT...

AND THE SHELL CAME IN THROUGH HERE

AND EXPLODED IN THIS COMPARTMENT,

NOW, THERE WAS NOBODY IN THIS COMPARTMENT

BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS AT ACTION STATIONS,

BUT IF WE LOOK AT THE DECK

WE CAN SEE DENTS INTO THE 5.3‐INCH STEEL DECK.

IN THE BULKHEADS OR WALLS,

WE CAN SEE PATCHES THAT WERE DONE AT THE TIME

OF HOLES WHERE THE SPLINTERS OF THE SHELL PUNCHED THROUGH

TO THE OTHER COMPARTMENTS.

VERY LUCKILY NOBODY WAS IN THIS COMPARTMENT WHEN IT WENT OFF.

Narrator: THE SUCCESS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS

AS AN OFFSHORE GUN BATTERY

BECAME THE BLUEPRINT FOR OTHER BATTLESHIPS.

AMPHIBIOUS INVASIONS IN THE PACIFIC AND ON D‐DAY

WOULD SEE BATTLESHIPS TAKING A NEW ROLE.

Hewitt: THEY'RE BEING USED FOR SHORE BOMBARDMENT,

THEY'RE BEING USED AS FLOATING ARTILLERY BY 1944, '45.

King: THE BATTLESHIPS ENGAGED MORE

IN SHIP‐TO‐SHORE OPERATIONS,

SORT OF SOFTENING UP THE ISLANDS,

SO THAT THE HEADS OF THE ENEMY WOULD BE KEPT DOWN

SO THE MARINES COULD GO IN

AND LAND ON THE BEACHES, RELATIVELY UNOPPOSED.

Narrator: OVER TWO WORLD WARS AND 30 YEARS,

THE BATTLESHIP HAS GONE FROM BEING THE KEY NAVAL VESSEL

TO LITTLE MORE THAN A SUPPORT ROLE.

SIZE, STRENGTH, AND FIREPOWER

HAVE BEEN USURPED BY SPEED, TECHNOLOGY,

AND THE ABILITY TO WAGE WAR ABOVE AND BELOW THE SURFACE.

IN WORLD WAR II A NEW COMBAT SHIP WAS INTRODUCED,

ONE THAT WOULD REDEFINE MODERN WARFARE‐‐

THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER.