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.

[MISSILE ROARS]

Narrator: THIS TIME, THE UNDERWATER ARMS RACE‐‐

HOW SUBMARINES WENT FROM BEING A ONE‐MAN‐OPERATED FLOATING BARREL

TO SOPHISTICATED HUNTER‐KILLERS

THAT COULD CHANGE THE COURSE OF A WAR.

♪

♪

OVER THE YEARS, WARSHIPS HAVE BECOME LARGER AND MORE DEADLY.

BUT THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN SITTING DUCKS.

YOU DIDN'T NEED AN IMPRESSIVE NAVY TO SINK A SHIP.

WHAT YOU NEEDED WAS A VESSEL THAT COULD STRIKE UNDERWATER.

Man: THE GREAT THING ABOUT A SUBMARINE

IS THAT IT'S INVISIBLE.

YOU COULD ATTACK SHIPS SECRETLY, COVERTLY.

THE SUBMARINE IS THE ULTIMATE STEALTH PLATFORM.

IT CAN USE UNDERWATER EXPLOSIVES.

DON'T MAKE HOLES IN THE TOP OF A SHIP;

MAKE HOLES IN THE BOTTOM OF A SHIP,

'CAUSE THEN THE SHIP WILL SINK.

Narrator: THE SUBMARINE HAS PROVEN ITSELF TO BE CAPABLE

OF REMARKABLE FEATS OF ENDURANCE AND SPEED.

Man: THE SHIP WAS ACTUALLY SO FAST AT THE TIME

THAT THIS PORTION AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER PORTIONS

WERE ACTUALLY RIPPED OFF THE DECK.

WE'D NEVER BEFORE HAD A SUBMARINE CAPABLE

OF THIS KIND OF FORCE AND POWER.

Narrator: AND ALSO TO BE A TERRIFYING KILLING MACHINE.

DECEMBER 7, 1941.

PEARL HARBOR.

ALMOST 20 UNITED STATES NAVY VESSELS

WERE LOST THAT HISTORIC SUNDAY MORNING.

ONE THAT MANAGED TO ESCAPE

WAS A LIGHT CRUISER NAMED THE USS PHOENIX.

AMAZINGLY, SHE WAS UNHARMED.

41 YEARS LATER, HER LUCK WOULD RUN OUT.

SOLD TO THE ARGENTINE NAVY AND RENAMED,

SHE WOULD BE STALKED BY A BRITISH ROYAL NAVY SUBMARINE

AND SUNK.

HER LOSS WOULD MAKE HEADLINES AROUND THE WORLD.

ON APRIL 2, 1982,

ARGENTINA'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT INVADED THE FALKLAND ISLANDS,

300 MILES OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA

AND UNDER BRITISH CONTROL SINCE 1833.

Stuart Prebble: IT'S PROBABLY HARD TO REALIZE

FOR PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T AROUND AT THE TIME

THE SIZE OF THE SHOCK WHEN PEOPLE WOKE UP

AND LEARNED THAT THE ARGENTINIANS

HAD INVADED THE FALKLANDS.

AND THEN THE NEWS STARTED SHOWING COVERAGE

OF ARGENTINIAN SOLDIERS STANDING OVER BRITISH SOLDIERS

LYING FLAT ON THE GROUND.

IT WAS TAKEN VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY.

Narrator: IN RESPONSE, BRITAIN SENT A TASK FORCE

COMPRISED OF 100 VESSELS.

A 200‐MILE EXCLUSION ZONE WAS SET UP AROUND THE FALKLANDS.

THE GOVERNMENT DECLARED, "ANY ARGENTINE WARSHIP

FOUND WITHIN THIS ZONE

WILL BE TREATED AS HOSTILE

AND LIABLE TO BE ATTACKED

BY BRITISH FORCES."

THE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE HMS CONQUEROR

WAS PART OF THE TASK FORCE.

IT WAS ORDERED TO SAIL TO AN AREA CLOSE TO THE FALKLANDS,

WHERE THE WARSHIP GENERAL BELGRANO

WAS BELIEVED TO BE SAILING.

AS THE FORMER USS PHOENIX,

BELGRANO HAD SURVIVED PEARL HARBOR.

BUT THIS WAS A NEW TYPE OF WAR.

Eric Grove: THE GENERAL BELGRANO WAS A...A RATHER OLD

BUT STILL MODERATELY CAPABLE ARGENTINIAN CRUISER

ESCORTED BY TWO MISSILE‐EQUIPPED DESTROYERS.

IT WAS PART OF A PLANNED ATTACK ON THE BRITISH TASK GROUPS.

Narrator: HMS CONQUEROR, NICKNAMED "CONKS,"

WAS A CHURCHILL‐CLASS NUCLEAR SUBMARINE.

♪

ON APRIL 30th, HER SONAR

DETECTED A GROUP OF SHIPS 100 MILES AWAY.

THE CONQUEROR TOOK OFF IN PURSUIT.

THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE SHIPS WERE LOCATED

JUST OUTSIDE THE EXCLUSION ZONE.

THE CONQUEROR'S NAVIGATOR, NARENDRA SETHIA, KEPT A DIARY.

Narendra Sethia: THERE IS ONE CRUISER, THE BELGRANO,

TWO DESTROYERS AND AN OILER.

WE CAUGHT THEM IN THE MIDDLE OF A REPLENISHMENT AT SEA,

WHICH WOULD HAVE MADE A SUPERB TARGET,

BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY WERE SOUTH OF THE EXCLUSION ZONE.

Prebble: THE SAFEST PLACE FOR THE SUBMARINE TO BE

IN ORDER TO FOLLOW THE BELGRANO AND REMAIN UNDETECTED

IS DIRECTLY BENEATH HER.

SO FOR MANY OF THE 13 HOURS OR SO BEFORE THE ATTACK,

CONQUEROR IS ACTUALLY 150 FEET BELOW THE BELGRANO,

WHICH IS A KIND OF SINISTER THOUGHT.

Narrator: AT 5 A. M. ON MAY 2nd,

THE BELGRANO AND HER SMALL FLOTILLA

RECEIVED A MESSAGE TO RETURN TO THEIR BASE AT USHUAIA.

THERE'S BEEN MUCH DEBATE

WHETHER THE BRITISH INTERCEPTED THIS SIGNAL.

WHAT ISN'T DISPUTED

IS THAT THE BRITISH TASK FORCE COMMANDER, SANDY WOODWARD,

WAS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT A POSSIBLE ARGENTINE ATTACK.

Grove: AS FAR AS ADMIRAL WOODWARD WAS CONCERNED,

HE WAS STILL IN GREAT DANGER,

AND THAT DANGER WOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED

IF THE BELGRANO GROUP WAS WIPED OFF THE SLATE.

Narrator: PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER'S WAR CABINET

MET TO CONSIDER THE REQUEST TO SINK THE BELGRANO.

PERMISSION WAS GIVEN.

Prebble: THE SIGNAL THEN WENT TO THE CONQUEROR,

"SINK THE BELGRANO."

THE CAPTAIN VERY CALMLY ANNOUNCED TO THE CREW

WE'RE GOING TO GO TO ACTION STATIONS AFTER LUNCH.

THEY HAD ROAST PORK AND APPLE PIE AND CRUMBLE

FOR THEIR LUNCH...

[KLAXON HORN]

AND THEN THEY MOVED IN ON THE BELGRANO.

[KLAXON HORN BLARING]

Sethia: THIS AFTERNOON I KNEW WHAT FEAR WAS.

AT 1400 WE RECEIVED A SIGN

AUTHORIZING US TO SINK THE BELGRANO,

EVEN THOUGH IT WAS OUTSIDE THE EXCLUSION ZONE.

Prebble: THEIR IDEA IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO FIRE

THREE TORPEDOES IN A SLIGHT FAN

SO THAT THEY'VE GOT THE MAXIMUM CHANCE

OF HITTING THE BELGRANO AS IT GOES PAST.

CAPTAIN WREFORD‐BROWN SAYS FIRE.

HE WAS A QUIETLY SPOKEN MAN,

AND NOBODY HAD EVER HEARD HIM SPEAK THIS LOUDLY BEFORE.

Sethia: THE ATMOSPHERE WAS ELECTRIC

AS THE SECONDS TICKED AWAY.

43 SECONDS AFTER DISCHARGE, WE HEARD THE FIRST EXPLOSION,

FOLLOWED BY TWO MORE‐‐

THREE HITS FROM THREE WEAPONS.

THE CONTROL ROOM WAS IN AN UPROAR,

30 PEOPLE SHOUTING AND CHEERING.

Narrator: THE FIRST TORPEDO MISSED THE BELGRANO

AND HIT ONE OF THE DESTROYERS, BUT FAILED TO EXPLODE.

THE SECOND TORPEDO HIT THE BELGRANO'S BOW

JUST BELOW THE DINING HALL.

THE THIRD HIT HER STERN.

Sethia: WE WILL NEVER FORGET HEARING THE SOUND

OF THE BELGRANO BREAKING UP.

[BELL RINGING, ALARM BUZZING]

THE SOUND WAS LIKE THE TINKLING OF GLASS

FROM A HUGE CHANDELIER THAT HAS CRASHED TO THE GROUND.

Narrator: 290 SAILORS WERE KILLED INSTANTLY.

ANOTHER 33 PERISHED IN THE WATER OR IN THE LIFE RAFTS.

Sethia: WE CAN'T GO BACK AND APOLOGIZE NOW.

IT'S TOO LATE.

I WONDER HOW MANY DIED.

I WONDER, EVEN MORE, WHAT THE REACTION WILL BE?

Prebble: I THINK THE GENERAL REACTION IN BRITAIN AT THE TIME

WAS JUBILATION,

BUT IF YOU READ THE MEMOIRS OF A LOT OF NAVAL OFFICERS

WHO WERE ON THE SCENE AT THE TIME,

QUITE A LOT OF THEM ARE CONCERNED

THAT PLAINLY THERE WILL BE RETALIATION

AND AN ALL‐OUT WAR IS FROM THAT POINT REALLY UNAVOIDABLE.

AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT DID HAPPEN.

Narrator: THE BRITISH RETOOK THE FALKLANDS,

BUT AT GREAT COST TO BOTH SIDES.

AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL VOYAGE,

HMS CONQUEROR, FLYING THE JOLLY ROGER‐‐

THE SIGNAL OF A SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ENEMY‐‐

RETURNED HOME TO FASLANE SUBMARINE BASE.

ALTHOUGH THE CONQUEROR DISPLAYED MANY OF THE HALLMARKS

OF THE MODERN SUBMARINE,

SHE WAS, IN FACT, THE CULMINATION

OF 200 YEARS OF HARD WORK

BY INGENIOUS DESIGNERS AND ENGINEERS.

THOSE PIONEERING SUBMARINE CREWS WERE WELL AWARE

THEY WERE ALWAYS JUST A FEW SECONDS FROM SUDDEN DEATH.

WARSHIPS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VULNERABLE

TO ATTACK FROM BELOW.

THE QUESTION WAS, JUST HOW COULD YOU MAKE AN EFFECTIVE SUBMARINE?

THE HUNT BEGAN IN EARNEST IN THE 18th CENTURY,

AS THE NEW WORLD FOUGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM THE OLD.

THIS IS A REPLICA OF THE TURTLE,

THOUGHT BY SOME TO BE THE WORLD'S FIRST SUBMARINE

TO ATTACK A WARSHIP.

IT WAS BUILT IN 1775

BY A YOUNG AMERICAN ENGINEER NAMED DAVID BUSHNELL.

♪

THE UNITED STATES WAS AT WAR WITH BRITAIN,

AND BUSHNELL WAS CONVINCED HIS REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN

COULD BE USED EFFECTIVELY AGAINST THE ROYAL NAVY.

THE SUBMARINE WAS MADE OF OAK, REINFORCED WITH IRON BANDS.

ITS ONE‐MAN CREW PEDALED TO MOVE FORWARDS

AND TURNED A HANDLE TO OPERATE THE TOP PROPELLER.

AT THE BOTTOM WERE TWO BALLAST TANKS

THAT FILLED WITH WATER TO MAKE THE TURTLE SUBMERGE

AND A PUMP TO EMPTY THEM AND RISE TO THE SURFACE‐‐

A FEATURE OF ALL FUTURE SUBMARINE DESIGNS.

Grove: IN MODERN PARLANCE I THINK IT WOULD BE CALLED

A ONE‐MAN MIDGET SUBMARINE,

DESIGNED TO LAY CHARGES UNDER ENEMY SHIPS.

Narrator: THE TURTLE WAS EQUIPPED

WITH A DETACHABLE DRILL BIT.

ONCE IT HAD PENETRATED THE ENEMY'S HULL,

THE TURTLE WOULD MOVE AWAY,

LEAVING BEHIND AN EXPLOSIVE CHARGE

WITH A BUILT‐IN CLOCKWORK DETONATOR.

THE LEGEND IS THAT IN 1776,

A SOLDIER NAMED EZRA LEE

VOLUNTEERED TO DISRUPT THE ROYAL NAVY'S BLOCKADE

OF NEW YORK HARBOR.

THE PLAN WAS TO CROSS

THE EAST RIVER IN THE TURTLE

AND PLACE AN EXPLOSIVE

UNDER HMS EAGLE'S HULL.

BUT THE SCREW DEVICE COULDN'T PENETRATE

THE HULL'S COPPER SHEETING.

IT'S A STORY FEW EXPERTS BELIEVE.

Bob Mealings: THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN

A BIG, HEAVY CYLINDRICAL WOODEN BARREL

WITH NO HYDRODYNAMIC PROPERTIES

THAT YOU WOULD TYPICALLY ASSOCIATE WITH A SUBMARINE.

SO I THINK THE PHYSICAL EFFORT

OF ACTUALLY MOVING NO MORE THAN A FEW HUNDRED YARDS

WOULD HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY QUITE ENORMOUS.

WHILST ATTEMPTS MAY HAVE BEEN MADE TO ATTACK WARSHIPS,

I RATHER SUSPECT THE ATTACK ON THE EAGLE

MIGHT HAVE BEEN WISHFUL THINKING RATHER THAN THE ACTUAL.

Narrator: THE TURTLE HAD SHOWN THAT A PRIMITIVE SUBMARINE

HAD THE POTENTIAL TO DAMAGE AN ENEMY SHIP.

IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER CONFLICT ON AMERICAN SOIL

TO ENCOURAGE A FURTHER SIGNIFICANT LEAP

IN SUBMARINE DESIGN.

THE CIVIL WAR INVOLVED BLOODY BATTLES

AND GREAT TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE.

THERE WERE DEVELOPMENTS IN WEAPONRY AND TRANSPORTATION

AND ALSO INNOVATION AT SEA.

WITHIN DAYS OF THE OUTBREAK OF WAR,

THE UNION FORCES OF THE NORTH

ESTABLISHED A BLOCKADE OF CONFEDERATE PORTS,

KNOWN AS THE ANACONDA PLAN.

IT AIMED TO CRIPPLE TRADE IN COTTON AND MUNITIONS.

IN RESPONSE, THE SOUTH DEVISED AN INGENIOUS STRATEGY.

Grove: THEY WERE LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO EXPLOIT TECHNOLOGY

TO ACTUALLY MOUNT ATTACKS ON THE SUPERIOR FLEET

THAT WAS INFLICTING A LOT OF ECONOMIC DAMAGE ON THEM.

Narrator: A GROUP OF SOUTHERN BUSINESSMEN AND ENGINEERS,

LED BY 40‐YEAR‐OLD H. L. HUNLEY,

EXPERIMENTED WITH SUBMARINES IN ALABAMA.

THEIR GREATEST SUCCESS WAS A 30‐FOOT VESSEL

NAMED THE FISH BOAT.

ATTEMPTS TO USE ELECTRIC BATTERIES

AND STEAM POWER HAD FAILED.

THEY NOW RELIED ON SOMETHING MORE OLD‐FASHIONED.

Grove: IT WAS THE MOST DEVELOPED

OF WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL THE MAN‐POWERED SUBMARINES‐‐

THE SUBMARINES THAT RELIED ON HUMAN POWER.

Narrator: THE FISH BOAT WAS OPERATED

BY EIGHT MEN TURNING A PROPELLER SHAFT.

IT HAD TWO BALLAST TANKS‐‐ ONE AT EITHER END.

AND ALONG THE KEEL, A WEIGHT THAT COULD BE DETACHED

FOR EMERGENCY BUOYANCY.

NEWS OF THE SUBMARINE MADE ITS WAY

TO CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA,

THE CONFEDERATE ARMY'S BIGGEST PORT.

THE SOUTH WANTED TO ATTACH AN EXPLOSIVE TO THE FISH BOAT

AND BLOW UP THE UNION'S SHIPS.

John Quarstein: DURING 1863,

PIERRE GUSTAVE TOUTANT BEAUREGARD

WAS IN COMMAND OF THE DEFENSES OF CHARLESTON,

AND HE WANTED TO DO EVERYTHING HE COULD

TO TRY AND BREAK THROUGH THE BLOCKADING FLEET.

Narrator: DURING TRIALS, THE SUBMARINE'S CREW CLAIMED

THEY SURFACED SO CLOSE TO THE BLOCKADING SHIPS

THEY COULD HEAR THE SAILORS SINGING.

HOWEVER, THE FISH BOAT SANK TWICE

AND A TOTAL OF 13 CREW MEMBERS DROWNED,

INCLUDING THE DESIGNER, H. L. HUNLEY.

THE SUB WAS NAMED AFTER HIM.

UNDETERRED, A NEW VOLUNTEER CREW WAS FOUND AND A PLAN DEVISED

TO SINK THE USS HOUSATONIC, ANCHORED OFF CHARLESTON.

IT WAS A KEY VESSEL

IN THE NORTH'S BLOCKADE OF THE HARBOR.

Grove: THE HOUSATONIC WAS

QUITE A SIGNIFICANT AMERICAN SURFACE SHIP.

AND AFTER INITIAL FAILURES

THEY MANAGED TO GET THE HUNLEY INTO POSITION.

IT SORT OF PADDLED ITS WAY FORWARD

WITH THE MEN INSIDE WORKING VERY HARD.

THESE EARLY BOATS WERE ARMED WITH SPAR TORPEDOES,

AND THERE'S A SPAR POINTING FROM THE FRONT

WITH AN EXPLOSIVE ON THE END.

THE TROUBLE WITH THAT WAS IT WAS VIRTUALLY AN EARLY VERSION

OF SUICIDE BOMBING.

Quarstein: WE CALL 'EM TORPEDOES,

BUT REALLY THEY'RE MINES AT THE LONG OF A LONG POLE.

THEY HAVE A BARBED END, SO WHEN THE SHIP RAMS THE HULL,

THE BARB WILL KEEP IT IN THERE

AS THE HUNLEY THEN HAS TO BACK OUT.

Narrator: DURING THE RAID, THE HOUSATONIC'S LOOKOUTS

SPOTTED THE HUNLEY AND DESPERATELY TRIED TO ESCAPE.

BUT IT WAS TOO LATE.

Grove: THE SPAR TORPEDO CONTACTED THE HOUSATONIC.

IT WENT OFF.

IT CAUSED A HUGE EXPLOSION.

Narrator: SHE DISAPPEARED BELOW THE WAVES

IN ONLY THREE MINUTES‐‐

THE FIRST SHIP TO BE SUNK BY A SUBMARINE.

FIVE OF HER CREW DROWNED.

THE HOUSATONIC SANK, BUT SO DID THE HUNLEY.

Grove: AT ONE LEVEL THIS WAS

THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL SUBMARINE ATTACK.

BUT AT ANOTHER LEVEL IT DEMONSTRATED

THAT REALLY YOU HAD TO DEVELOP

A BETTER WEAPON FOR THE SUBMARINE

AND ALSO TO PRODUCE A PROPER POWER SYSTEM AS WELL.

Narrator: A MORE EFFECTIVE METHOD OF PROPULSION

WAS NOT LONG IN COMING.

IT WAS DEVELOPED BY AN UNLIKELY VICTORIAN INVENTOR,

WHO MANAGED TO HARNESS THE LATEST STEAM TECHNOLOGY,

BUT WOULD ULTIMATELY BE DEFEATED BY THE SEA.

IN NOVEMBER 1995, OFF THE COAST OF RHYL IN NORTH WALES,

A DIVER SPOTTED SOMETHING UNUSUAL LYING ON THE SEABED.

IT SOON BECAME CLEAR THAT THIS WAS A WRECK‐‐

THE WRECK OF A VESSEL WITH WORLDWIDE SIGNIFICANCE.

INVISIBLE FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS,

IT WAS THE WORLD'S FIRST FULLY POWERED SUBMARINE.

IT WAS DESIGNED NOT BY A SHIPBUILDER OR AN ENGINEER

BUT BY A YOUNG CURATE NAMED REVEREND GEORGE GARRETT.

Chris Holden: HE WAS A VERY ECCENTRIC,

VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE, VERY INTERESTING TYPE OF GUY.

I MEAN, A CLERGYMAN WHO BUILDS SUBMARINES?

THIS WAS A...A VENTURE INTO A NEW TYPE OF WARFARE,

SOMETHING HE HOPED TO SELL TO THE ROYAL NAVY.

Narrator: GARRETT SKETCHED HIS DESIGN FOR THE SUBMARINE

ON THE BACK OF AN ENVELOPE.

IT WAS TO BE POWERED BY A FIRELESS STEAM GENERATOR,

SIMILAR TO THOSE JUST INTRODUCED ON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND.

HYDROPLANES ON EACH SIDE WOULD TAKE THE SUBMARINE UNDERWATER.

AND WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STOPPED, IT WOULD RISE TO THE SURFACE.

THE SUBMARINE HAD A SERIOUS PURPOSE.

IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE ABLE TO CARRY TORPEDOES.

THIS REPLICA STANDS IN BIRKENHEAD DOCKS,

JUST A FEW FEET FROM WHERE THE SUBMARINE WAS LAUNCHED

ON NOVEMBER 26, 1879.

GARRETT CHRISTENED HER "RESURGAM."

Holden: RESURGAM IS A LATIN PHRASE FOR "I SHALL ARISE,"

AND WHAT A FANTASTIC NAME FOR A SUBMARINE, "I SHALL ARISE."

♪

Narrator: EARLY TRIALS IN THE RIVER MERSEY WERE SUCCESSFUL,

ALTHOUGH CONDITIONS FOR THE THREE‐MAN CREW

WERE NEARLY UNBEARABLE.

George Price: THE HEAT FROM THE BOILER WAS INTENSE,

VARYING FROM 110 TO 115 DEGREES,

AND WE EXPERIENCED GREAT DISCOMFORT

FROM THE AIR PRESSURE ON THE EARDRUMS.

WE HAD TO STAND ALL THE TIME,

OWING TO THE VERY LIMITED ACCOMMODATION,

AND WHEN WE RETURNED TO THE SURFACE,

WE WERE ALL EXHAUSTED.

Narrator: THE INTERIOR OF THE RESURGAM WAS GLOOMY.

THE ONLY LIGHT WAS PROVIDED BY CANDLES.

Mealings: THE PIONEER SUBMARINE CREWS WERE BRAVE,

AND THEY WERE PREPARED TO TAKE ON AN ADVENTURE

BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN

LIKE NOTHING ELSE THEY'D EVER EXPERIENCED.

Narrator: THE ROYAL NAVY ASKED GEORGE GARRETT TO DEMONSTRATE

WHAT HIS SUBMARINE COULD DO

IN PORTSMOUTH, HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY.

IN JANUARY 1880, GARRETT SAILED WITH HIS TWO‐MAN CREW

FROM BIRKENHEAD DOCKS, UP THE RIVER MERSEY,

AND OUT TO SEA.

HE EXPECTED THE VOYAGE TO TAKE A MONTH.

Price: THE NAVIGATOR HAD LOST HIS BEARINGS,

AND WE CAME UP ALONGSIDE A FULL‐RIGGED SHIP,

HOMEWARD BOUND FOR LIVERPOOL.

WHEN MR. GARRETT THREW OPEN THE TOP

AND SHOUTED "SHIP AHOY!" AND INQUIRED WHERE WE WERE,

THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP WAS TERRIBLY SURPRISED

AND INQUIRED WHO WE WERE.

WE INFORMED HIM THAT WE WERE

A SUBMARINE TORPEDO BOAT FROM LIVERPOOL,

AND WE'RE GOING TO PORTSMOUTH.

THE CAPTAIN THEN ASKED HOW MANY WERE IN OUR CREW,

AND WHEN MR. GARRETT TOLD HIM THREE, THE CAPTAIN ANSWERED:

"WELL, YOU ARE THE THREE BIGGEST FOOLS I HAVE EVER MET."

Holden: IT'S JANUARY, THE WEATHER IS BAD,

HE EVENTUALLY REALIZED HE COULDN'T PROGRESS ANY FURTHER

AND WENT INTO THE ESTUARY AT RHYL ON THE NORTH WALES COAST.

Narrator: A YACHT TOOK THE RESURGAM UNDER TOW,

BUT THE ROPE SNAPPED.

HEAVY SEAS SWAMPED THE SUB, WHOSE CONNING TOWER HATCH

COULDN'T BE CLOSED FROM THE OUTSIDE,

AND SHE SANK IN 60 FEET OF WATER.

THE TRAGEDY, CHRIS HOLDEN BELIEVES,

IS THAT EVEN IF GARRETT AND THE RESURGAM

HAD MADE IT TO PORTSMOUTH,

THE ADMIRALTY WASN'T GENUINELY INTERESTED IN HIS INVENTION.

Holden: THE NAVY THOUGHT THEY WERE UNDERHAND

AND WE SHOULDN'T BE USING SUBMERSIBLE SHIPS

TO INFLICT DAMAGE.

IT WAS BIG WARSHIPS, BIG GUNS, THAT WAS THE WAY FORWARD.

THIS WAS SOMETHING SNEAKY, DEFINITELY UNDERHAND.

Narrator: JUST A DECADE AFTER GARRETT'S DEATH,

SUBMARINES WOULD BECOME A DECIDING FACTOR IN A WORLD WAR

AND POSSESS TECHNOLOGY AND DEADLY WEAPONRY

THAT HE COULD ONLY HAVE DREAMED OF.

THE 19th CENTURY HAD BEEN A TIME

OF EXPANDED SUBMARINE DEVELOPMENT,

WITH MIXED RESULTS.

BUT BY THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 20th CENTURY,

RELIABLE GAS ENGINES

REVOLUTIONIZED THEIR PERFORMANCE.

SUBMARINES WERE NOW SOMETHING TO BE FEARED.

ON MARCH 28, 1915, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

A BRITISH FERRY NAMED THE BRUSSELS

LEFT HARWICH FOR THE NEUTRAL DUTCH PORT OF ROTTERDAM.

ITS SKIPPER WAS 45‐YEAR‐OLD CAPTAIN CHARLES FRYATT.

HE KNEW THESE WATERS WELL.

IT WAS HIS 143rd CROSSING OF THE WAR.

A FEW HOURS INTO THE VOYAGE,

FRYATT SPOTTED A GERMAN SUBMARINE, U‐33,

OFF THE STARBOARD BOW.

U‐BOAT CAPTAIN KONRAD GANSSER

SIGNALED TO THE BRUSSELS TO STOP.

GANSSER HAD BEEN IN COMMAND OF U‐33 FOR FIVE MONTHS

AND WAS HUNGRY FOR HIS FIRST KILL.

♪

Grove: IN 1915 THE GERMANS BEGAN UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE.

THEY UNLEASHED THEIR SUBMARINES

TO ATTACK ENEMY AND INDEED NEUTRAL MERCHANT SHIPS

IN CERTAIN ZONES ON SIGHT.

THEY WERE ALLOWED TO TORPEDO THEM ON SIGHT.

THIS WAS AN ATTEMPT TO BLOCKADE BRITAIN

THE ONLY WAY THE GERMANS COULD.

THEY COULDN'T DEFEAT THE ROYAL NAVY ON THE SURFACE,

SO THEY WOULD USE THEIR U‐BOATS AS COMMERCE RAIDERS.

Narrator: AS FAR AS MERCHANT CAPTAINS

LIKE FRYATT WERE CONCERNED,

THEIR HOME WATERS WERE NOW A WAR ZONE.

THEY COULD BE ATTACKED WITHOUT WARNING.

U‐BOATS WERE EARNING A NASTY REPUTATION.

Grove: THERE WERE CASES

OF PEOPLE BEING PICKED UP OUT OF THE WATER,

PUT ON THE CASING OF SUBMARINE,

AND THEN THE SUBMARINE WOULD DIVE.

CERTAIN GERMAN CAPTAINS WERE NOT REALLY GENTLEMEN,

EVEN IF THEY WEREN'T ACTUALLY PIRATES.

Narrator: FRYATT HAD ONLY SECONDS

TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO ABOUT U‐33.

WHAT HE FEARED MOST WAS NOT HER TORPEDOES,

BUT HER DECK GUN.

HE KNEW THESE GUNS HAD SUNK SCORES OF MERCHANT SHIPS.

IT WAS TIME TO FIGHT BACK.

Mark Baker: U‐33 HAD A 105‐MILLIMETER GUN ON BOARD,

WHICH CARRIED 300 ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION.

THAT'S COMPARED TO THE SIX TORPEDOES IT CARRIED.

SUBMARINES DIDN'T HAVE A HUGE ARSENAL OF TORPEDOES.

Narrator: CAPTAIN FRYATT DECIDED TO ELIMINATE THE THREAT

OF THE DECK GUN.

[BOOM]

HE WOULD RAM U‐33.

Terry Farrell: HE ORDERED HIS ENGINE ROOM

TO PUT THE ENGINES AT FULL STEAM AHEAD,

AND HE STEERED THE SHIP FOR THE CONNING TOWER OF THE SUBMARINE.

THE GERMAN COMMANDER OF THE U‐BOAT

SAW THAT HE WASN'T GOING TO SURRENDER,

AND HE HAD TO MAKE A DECISION AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE,

AND SO HE TOOK A DECISION TO DIVE.

Baker: FRYATT CONTINUED TO STEER DIRECTLY FOR THE SPOT

WHERE HE SAW THE U‐BOAT GO DOWN.

Farrell: SOME REPORTS SAY THAT THE PERISCOPE OF THE SUBMARINE

WAS ONLY TWO FOOT AWAY FROM THE SIDE OF THE SS BRUSSELS.

STOKERS DOWN IN THE ENGINE ROOM, SOME OF THEM MADE STATEMENTS

THEY FELT A BUMP AND A SCRAPE,

ALMOST AS IF HE HAD HIT SOMETHING.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH DAMAGED, U‐33 SURVIVED THE ENCOUNTER

AND WENT ON TO SINK 40 MERCHANT SHIPS THAT YEAR ALONE.

THE U‐BOATS' EFFECTIVENESS SURPRISED EVEN THE GERMANS.

Grove: YOU COULD SEND THEM OUT INTO THE WESTERN APPROACHES.

YOU COULD DEPLOY THEM IN THE NORTH SEA OFF BRITISH PORTS,

AND THEY PROVED TO BE, UNEXPECTEDLY,

A VITALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR GERMANY NAVY,

PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, IN THE END.

Narrator: DESPITE THE U‐BOAT THREAT,

CAPTAIN FRYATT CONTINUED HIS REGULAR VOYAGES

ACROSS THE CHANNEL.

BUT U‐33'S ENCOUNTER WITH THE BRUSSELS

WASN'T FORGOTTEN BY THE GERMANS,

AS FRYATT WOULD DISCOVER THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

ON THE 22nd OF JUNE 1916,

THE BRUSSELS WAS AGAIN SAILING FROM ROTTERDAM TO TILBURY.

Baker: AMONG THE PASSENGERS WERE 100 OR SO BELGIAN REFUGEES,

HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO THE GERMANS,

HE HAD 50 ESCAPED RUSSIAN PRISONERS OF WAR.

Farrell: SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING HOLLAND

HE WAS SURROUNDED BY GERMAN TORPEDO BOATS.

THIS TIME HE COULDN'T SEE ANY COURSE OF ESCAPE,

AND HE WAS FORCED TO TAKE CONTROL OF HIS SHIP

ON THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE COMMANDER OF THE TORPEDO BOATS,

AND HE WAS ESCORTED TO BELGIUM.

Narrator: THE GERMANS SCUTTLED THE BRUSSELS

AND DECIDED TO TRY CAPTAIN FRYATT.

THE CHARGE‐‐ATTEMPTING TO RAM SUBMARINE U‐33.

THE TRIAL BEGAN AT 2 P. M. ON JULY 27, 1916.

THE VERDICT‐‐ EXECUTION BY FIRING SQUAD.

FRYATT WAS DEAD BY SUNSET.

BRITAIN WAS OUTRAGED.

PRIME MINISTER HERBERT ASQUITH

DECLARED IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

THAT FRYATT HAD BEEN MURDERED BY THE GERMANS.

ON THE WESTERN FRONT,

GUNNERS WROTE DEFIANT MESSAGES ON THEIR SHELLS

BEFORE FIRING THEM TOWARDS ENEMY LINES.

U‐33 SUCCEEDED IN SINKING A TOTAL OF 84 SHIPS

IN HER CAREER.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WIDER U‐BOAT CAMPAIGN

IN THE WATERS AROUND THE BRITISH ISLES?

WAS IT SUCCESSFUL?

Grove: IT WAS HOPED THAT THE RUTHLESSNESS OF THIS ATTACK

WOULD SCARE OFF NEUTRAL SHIPPING

AND WOULD SO REDUCE BRITISH SHIPPING

THAT THE BRITISH EMPIRE

WOULD CEASE TO BE AN OPERATIONAL THING.

BUT THERE WERE TOO MANY SHIPS,

AND SHIPPING MANAGEMENT WAS SO EFFECTIVE...

IT DID NOT GIVE A DECISIVE RESULT.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH THE GERMAN U‐BOAT CAMPAIGN

DIDN'T BRING BRITAIN TO ITS KNEES,

IT EXPOSED THE VULNERABILITY OF SURFACE VESSELS

TO UNDERWATER ATTACK.

THE CAMPAIGN ALSO FORCED THE UNITED STATES

TO TOTALLY RETHINK ITS SUBMARINE STRATEGY.

AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM IN CONNECTICUT

IS A VESSEL CALLED KINGSTON II.

SHE'S SMALL BUT POWERFUL, AND WITH A SURPRISING HISTORY.

♪

THE KINGSTON IS A TUGBOAT CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1930s

BY THE LEAST EXPERIENCED SHIPYARD WORKERS.

HER JOB WAS TO GUIDE SUBMARINES IN AND OUT OF PORT.

Quentin Snediker: KINGSTON II WAS BUILT BY APPRENTICES,

IF YOU WILL, LEARNING TECHNIQUES OF ARC WELDING,

ELECTRIC ARC WELDING.

THIS WAS A MEANS OF LEARNING THOSE TECHNIQUES

FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD THEN MOVE ON TO BUILD SUBMARINES.

IT'S ACTUALLY BUILT OUT OF SCRAP STEEL

FROM OTHER SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION AROUND THE YARD.

Narrator: FOR FOUR DECADES, THE KINGSTON ESCORTED

MORE THAN 70 NEW SUBS MADE BY THE ELECTRIC BOAT COMPANY

OUT TO SEA.

THE LITTLE TUGBOAT WITNESSED

A GREAT DEAL OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE DURING THOSE YEARS.

THE NAVAL BATTLES OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

HAD A LASTING IMPACT ON THE DESIGN OF SUBMARINES.

Greg Williams: DURING WORLD WAR I

THE WORLD KIND OF WAS SHOCKED

AT THE WAY GERMANY HAD USED THEIR U‐BOATS,

SO WHEN GERMANY STARTED

JUST SINKING SHIPS OUT OF THE BLUE,

FOLLOWING THE WAR THERE WAS A LARGE LEGAL DISCUSSION

BETWEEN THE MAIN POWERS OF THE WORLD

ABOUT WHAT SUBMARINES SHOULD EXPLICITLY BE USED FOR.

Narrator: AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

THE U. S. NAVY DECIDED THAT ITS SUBMARINES SHOULD BE DESIGNED

TO SURVIVE LONG MISSIONS AND BE ABLE TO OPERATE ON THEIR OWN

WITHOUT HELP FROM THE REST OF THE FLEET.

ONE SUBMARINE THAT THE KINGSTON ASSISTED

ON HER MAIDEN VOYAGE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR

WAS THE USS BACUNA.

KNOWN AS A FLEET BOAT,

THE DIESEL‐POWERED VESSEL

WAS BUILT FOR ENDURANCE.

♪

Williams: SHE WAS ONE OF THE MORE ADVANCED SUBS OF HER TIME.

THE FLEET BOAT ITSELF WAS DESIGNED TO OPERATE

AS PART OF THE ADVANCE FORCE

FOR THE...FOR THE U. S. FLEET MOVING ACROSS THE PACIFIC,

AND SO THEY CAN GO FROM PEARL HARBOR

TO JAPAN AND BACK EASY.

♪

THIS IS THE CONTROL ROOM OF BACUNA.

THIS IS THE HEART OF THE BOAT.

THIS IS OUR COMPRESSED‐AIR MANIFOLD.

THESE DIFFERENT VALVES EACH CORRESPOND

TO A DIFFERENT BALLAST TANK.

THE VALVE FORCES AIR INTO THE TANK,

AND THE WATER COMES OUT, WE COME BACK UP TO THE SURFACE.

THESE CONTROL THE ANGLE OF THE DIVE,

AND SO YOU KEEP CONTROL OF THAT WITH THIS RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS CALLED THE BUBBLE.

SO SUBMARINERS ARE SOMETIMES CALLED BUBBLEHEADS.

THIS IS WHY.

THE USUAL ANGLE OF DEPTH IS ABOUT SEVEN TO TEN DEGREES.

ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT,

AND STUFF STARTS FALLING OFF THE WALLS.

Narrator: THESE SUBMARINES WERE BUILT

TO WITHSTAND TREMENDOUS PRESSURE.

BECUNA'S STEEL HULL IS ALMOST AN INCH THICK.

Williams: IT'S STRENGTH ENOUGH TO DIVE DOWN

TO A TEST DEPTH OF 300 FEET.

THERE ARE RECORDS OF BOATS DIVING DOWN TO ABOUT 800 FEET.

ONE OF THEM CAME BACK UP,

AND IT WAS A FULL 23 INCHES SHORTER.

THEY WERE CRASH DIVING,

THEY WERE TRYING TO ESCAPE A JAPANESE DESTROYER.

THEY LOST CONTROL, WENT DOWN 800 FEET.

WHEN THEY CAME BACK UP, THEIR...

THEIR BOAT WAS 23 INCHES SHORTER,

AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME SHE SAW SERVICE.

WHEN BECUNA DIVES OR SURFACES,

WHEN YOU DIVE, YOU HEAR THIS ALARM TWICE. DIVE, DIVE.

WHEN YOU SURFACE, YOU'LL HEAR IT THREE TIMES,

BUT THIS IS WHAT IT'LL SOUND LIKE.

[KLAXON HORN BLARING]

YOU ALSO HAVE GENERAL QUARTERS, WHICH IS BATTLE STATIONS.

[BEEPING]

AND THEN OUR COLLISION ALARM.

[WHISTLING SIREN]

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR II,

SUBMARINES MADE UP ONLY 2% OF THE U. S. NAVY,

YET THEY SANK 55% OF JAPAN'S MERCHANT FLEET

AND 30% OF HER NAVY.

JAPANESE SUBMARINES WERE INEFFECTIVE HUNTERS.

Grove: THE JAPANESE DID NOT REGARD

THE ATTACK ON MERCHANT SHIPS

AS AN HONORABLE WAY OF WAGING WAR.

SO THEY TENDED TO USE THEIR SUBMARINES

IN SUPPORT OF THEIR FLEET

AND NOT AS A WEAPON AGAINST THE MASSIVE SHIPPING

CROSSING THE PACIFIC,

WHICH MIGHT HAVE CREATED A SORT OF BATTLE OF THE PACIFIC,

YOU KNOW, RATHER LIKE A BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC.

Narrator: BUT THE JAPANESE DID DEVELOP

A REMARKABLE SECRET WEAPON‐‐

THE LARGEST SUBMARINE OF ITS DAY‐‐

DESIGNED TO ATTACK THE UNITED STATES MAINLAND.

IT HERALDED A NEW ERA OF SUBMARINE WARFARE.

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, THE JAPANESE IMPERIAL NAVY

SUFFERED GREATLY AT THE HANDS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

BUT TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR,

A NEW SUBMARINE TOOK TO THE OCEAN‐‐

THE JAPANESE I‐400 CLASS.

WITH THESE VESSELS,

THEY HOPED TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE CONFLICT.

EACH SUB CARRIED THREE SEAPLANES IN A MASSIVE HANGAR.

THE PLANES HAD THE ABILITY TO BOMB U. S. WEST COAST CITIES.

Grove: THEY WERE BUILT AS SUBMERSIBLE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

THE ORIGINAL PLAN SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN TO ATTACK TARGETS

ON THE WEST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES,

POSSIBLY USING BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS,

BUT THERE WAS SOME DEBATE

IN THE JAPANESE HIGH COMMAND ABOUT THIS,

AND THEY WERE CONSIDERED TO BE DISHONORABLE.

Narrator: FORTUNATELY FOR THE ALLIES,

THE JAPANESE SURRENDERED BEFORE THE I‐400s COULD BE DEPLOYED.

THE U. S. NAVY SEIZED THE GIGANTIC SUBS

AND HAD STARTED INSPECTING THEM

WHEN THE RUSSIANS ANNOUNCED THEY, TOO,

WERE SENDING TEAMS OF TECHNICIANS

TO ANALYZE THE I‐400s.

Grove: THE AMERICANS TOOK THEM OVER

AND AS QUICKLY AS THEY COULD SANK THEM,

BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT THE RUSSIANS

GETTING THEIR HANDS ON THEM.

THEY DIDN'T WANT THE RUSSIANS TO HAVE A THREAT

AGAINST THE UNITED STATES USING SIMILAR IDEAS.

Narrator: FOR 200 YEARS,

CONFLICT HAD PROMPTED ADVANCES IN SUBMARINE TECHNOLOGY.

THE THREAT OF A COLD WAR BETWEEN THE WEST AND THE SOVIET UNION

WAS NO DIFFERENT‐‐

A NEW TYPE OF SUBMARINE WAS NEEDED FOR A NUCLEAR AGE.

ON JANUARY 21, 1954, NEW YORK'S GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL

WAS PARTICULARLY BUSY FOR A THURSDAY.

EXTRA TRAINS HAD BEEN ENGAGED TO TAKE PASSENGERS TO THE BANKS

OF THE THAMES RIVER IN CONNECTICUT

FOR THE LAUNCH OF A VERY SPECIAL SUBMARINE.

♪

THE SUBMARINE HAD THE HULL DESIGNATION "571,"

BUT WAS KNOWN AS "NAUTILUS," IN TRIBUTE TO THE VESSEL

IN JULES VERNE'S NOVEL

"TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA."

Reginald Preston: THE LAUNCH OF NAUTILUS

WAS A NATIONAL EVENT TRULY.

THERE WERE ON THE ORDER OF ABOUT 15,000 PEOPLE

WHO DESCENDED ON THE AREA TO VIEW THE LAUNCH.

THE LOCAL AIRPORT WAS SHUT DOWN TO ACCOMMODATE

ALL THE SPECIAL CHARTER FLIGHTS THAT WOULD COME IN.

SCHOOL KIDS LINED THE BANKS,

FIRST LADY MAMIE EISENHOWER WAS THE SHIP'S SPONSOR,

AND AFTER ALL THE SPEECHES WERE DONE

SHE WAS THE ONE WHO SWUNG THE BOTTLE

AS THE SHIP WAS LAUNCHED

AND SLID DOWN THE WAVES INTO THE THAMES RIVER.

Narrator: FOR ALMOST 200 YEARS,

SUBMARINE DESIGNERS HAD BEEN TRYING TO FIND A VESSEL

THAT COULD STAY UNDERWATER FOR THE LONGEST POSSIBLE TIME.

DIESEL SUBMARINES HAD PROVED THEMSELVES TO BE RELIABLE,

BUT THEY HAD THEIR LIMITATIONS.

THEY COULD SUBMERGE TO PERISCOPE DEPTH ONLY.

BATTERIES WITH A LIMITED LIFE WERE USED WHEN GOING DEEPER.

ULTIMATELY THEY SPENT JUST 10% OF THEIR TIME UNDERWATER.

Preston: WITH NUCLEAR PROPULSION,

YOU WERE NO LONGER TETHERED TO THE SURFACE,

TO THE ATMOSPHERE,

TO RELY ON THAT OXYGEN TO RUN YOUR DIESEL ENGINE,

AND SHE COULD RUN INDEFINITELY AT DEPTH AND SPEED,

ESSENTIALLY LIMITED BY THE AMOUNT OF FOOD

THAT THEY TOOK ON BOARD TO FEED THE CREW.

NOW THAT WE WERE NO LONGER ON THE SURFACE,

THE PREPONDERANCE OF THE TIME,

WE WERE EFFECTIVELY UNABLE TO BE FOUND,

UNABLE TO BE LOCATED,

WHICH MADE US A VERY VENERABLE WEAPON

AGAINST ALL OTHER SURFACE CONVOYS

THAT WE MIGHT COME UP AGAINST.

Narrator: A NUCLEAR SUBMARINE WORKS IN FACT

ON A VICTORIAN PRINCIPLE‐‐

USING STEAM TO DRIVE A TURBINE.

WATER IS PUMPED AT PRESSURE THROUGH THE NUCLEAR REACTOR

AND IS HEATED AS THE REACTOR CORE

SPLITS URANIUM ATOMS.

A HEAT EXCHANGER USES THE HOT REACTOR WATER

TO CREATE THE STEAM.

PRESSURE FROM THE STEAM THEN DRIVES A TURBINE

ATTACHED TO THE PROPELLER SHAFT

AND A SECOND TURBINE TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY.

THE MAN BEHIND THE U. S. NAVY'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

WAS ADMIRAL HYMAN RICKOVER,

A MAVERICK WITH AN ENGINEERING BACKGROUND.

RICKOVER FOUNDED A NUCLEAR POWER SCHOOL

TO TRAIN HIS SUBMARINERS FOR HIS REVOLUTIONARY FLEET.

Gary Bell: HE INTERVIEWED PERHAPS THE TOP 10 OR 15%

OF THE SUBMARINE SCHOOL GRADUATES AT THAT TIME,

PERSONALLY INTERVIEWED THEM, AND SELECTED THEM TO GO,

AND FROM THEN ON, THE TRAINING WAS VERY RIGOROUS.

Grove: RICKOVER WAS A VERY FORMIDABLE

BUREAUCRATIC POLITICIAN.

VERY STRONG‐MINDED.

BUT HE KNEW HOW TO HANDLE CONGRESS,

AND HE GOT CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT

FOR THE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE PROGRAM

AND THE NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAM IN GENERAL.

HE TRULY IS THE FATHER OF THE NUCLEAR NAVY.

Bell: HE RODE EVERY SUBMARINE

THAT WENT TO SEA FOR THE FIRST TIME,

ON THEIR MAIDEN VOYAGE,

AND HE DICTATED WHAT THE MAXIMUM SPEED WOULD BE.

AT SOME TIMES DURING YOUR CAREER,

AT LEAST AS A COMMANDING OFFICER

WHENEVER YOU WERE IN THE SHIPYARD,

YOU HAD TO WRITE HIM A PERSONAL LETTER EVERY WEEK

AND DESCRIBE THOSE THINGS THAT, THAT YOU MESSED UP ON,

AND IF YOU DIDN'T SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, I MESSED UP HERE,

HE WOULD GET ON THE PHONE AND SAY,

"HEY, BELL, IF YOU DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG,

YOU'RE NOT LOOKING, GET DOWN THERE AND GET TO WORK."

Narrator: IN 1949, A PROTOTYPE PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR

INSIDE A SUBMARINE HULL

WAS CONSTRUCTED IN A REMOTE PART OF IDAHO.

WILLIAM ENGDALL, A MEMBER OF NAUTILUS' VERY FIRST CREW,

WAS SENT THERE FOR TRAINING.

William Engdall: THEY ACTUALLY HAD THE WHOLE,

PART OF THE SUBMARINE THERE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT.

WE STAYED THERE FOR SIX WEEKS,

AND WE STOOD WATCHES ON THE HULL AND SO FORTH.

I THINK WHAT IT WAS, THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE

THAT WE KNEW IT WASN'T GOING TO BE A THREAT

OR THERE WOULD BE NO DANGER OF THE NUCLEAR POWER.

Narrator: AT 11 A. M. ON JANUARY 15, 1955,

THE EVER‐RELIABLE TUG KINGSTON II

ASSISTED THE NAUTILUS

AS SHE HEADED TO SEA FOR THE FIRST TIME.

NUCLEAR VESSELS NEED HELP GETTING OUT OF PORT,

JUST LIKE DIESEL VESSELS.

NAUTILUS SOON PROVED TO BE EXTREMELY QUICK‐‐

ABOVE AND BELOW THE WATER.

Preston: WE HAVE A PIECE OF THE ORIGINAL TEAK DECKING

OFF THE SHIP.

THE SHIP WAS ACTUALLY SO FAST AT THE TIME

THAT THIS PORTION, AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER PORTIONS,

WERE ACTUALLY RIPPED OFF THE DECK

DUE TO THE SHIP'S INCREDIBLE SPEED CAPABILITY.

WE'D NEVER BEFORE HAD A SUBMARINE

CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF FORCE AND POWER.

Narrator: NAUTILUS WAS LOVED BY HER CREWS.

SHE HAD ALMOST EVERY CREATURE COMFORT‐‐

A COKE MACHINE, A JUKEBOX‐‐

AND PURER AIR THAN ON THE SURFACE.

Engdall: I CAN STILL HAVE FLASHBACKS OF DIFFERENT THINGS

THAT HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY AT SEA.

I CAN STILL THINK OF DIFFERENT INTERACTIONS

AND DIFFERENT THINGS WE DID.

YOU'RE IN THE TORPEDO ROOM RIGHT NOW.

MY BUNK WAS RIGHT HERE, AND I USED TO HAVE A GUY

WHO USED TO SLEEP NEXT TO ME, AND HE SNORED TERRIBLY.

HE'D KEEP ME AWAKE, YOU KNOW, SO WHAT I'D DO IS I'D SHAKE HIM

AND SAY "FRENCH, FRENCH, TIME TO GO ON WATCH."

WHAT HE'D DO IS HE'D GET UP AND GO CLEAN UP AND ALL THAT

AND PUT HIS CLOTHES ON,

AND THEN I'D TRY TO GET TO SLEEP

BEFORE HE REALIZED HE WASN'T GOING ON WATCH.

[CHUCKLES]

Narrator: AND IT SET A REMARKABLE NUMBER

OF ENDURANCE RECORDS,

AND IN JULY 1958 EMBARKED ON A MISSION

TO TRAVEL UNDER THE ICE AND REACH THE NORTH POLE.

Preston: THIS WAS PRESIDENT EISENHOWER'S RESPONSE

TO THE SOVIET LAUNCHING OF THE SPUTNIK SATELLITE.

WE WERE UNABLE TO GET OUR SPACE PROGRAM

SUCCESSFULLY INTO SPACE,

AND WE WERE BEHIND IN THE TECHNOLOGY RACE.

WE WERE ALSO BEHIND POLITICALLY,

BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE FALLING BEHIND THE SOVIETS.

NEEDING A SOLUTION, A MILITARY SOLUTION TO A POLITICAL PROBLEM,

EISENHOWER TAPPED THE NAVY AND THE SUBMARINE FORCE

TO SEND NAUTILUS TO THE NORTH POLE

TO PROVE THAT WE HAD THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE ABILITY

TO GET UNDER THE ICE PACK AND OPERATE IN AN AREA

WHERE SUBMARINES HAD NEVER OPERATED BEFORE THEN.

Narrator: IT WAS A HIGHLY DANGEROUS MISSION.

COMPASSES DIDN'T WORK SO CLOSE TO THE POLE.

AND THERE WERE NO CHARTS SHOWING THE DEPTH OF THE ICE.

HER CAPTAIN, WILLIAM ANDERSON, WAS PREPARED TO FIRE TORPEDOES

TO BLAST A HOLE IN THE ICE IF NECESSARY.

BUT ON AUGUST 3, 1958,

NAUTILUS SUCCESSFULLY PASSED UNDER THE NORTH POLE.

ONE OF HER CREW DRESSED AS SANTA CLAUS TO CELEBRATE.

Narrator: NAUTILUS WENT ON TO PATROL THE WORLD'S OCEANS

FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS‐‐

A POWERFUL SYMBOL OF NAVAL SUPREMACY.

Preston: WHILE HISTORIANS WILL TELL YOU THAT THE SHIFT

FROM, SAY, SAILS AND SHIPS OF THE LINE

TO COAL‐FIRED AND STEAM‐POWERED SHIPS

WAS IMPORTANT IN NAVAL WARFARE,

NAUTILUS WAS NOT ONLY IMPORTANT IN NAVAL WARFARE,

SHE WAS ALSO IMPORTANT IN WORLD HISTORY.

Grove: THE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE ALLOWED THE SUBMARINE

TO FULFILL ALL ITS POTENTIAL.

THEY ARE AMAZING PIECES OF TECHNOLOGY.

Narrator: THE SUBMARINE BEGAN AS A RISKY EXPERIMENT

WITH LITTLE HOPE OF SUCCESS.

BUT IT BECAME A VESSEL

THAT COULD SINGLE‐HANDEDLY CHANGE THE FORTUNE OF WAR.