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,

A BITTER 40‐YEAR STRUGGLE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST‐‐

THE COLD WAR.

Woman: WE WERE REALLY ON THE PRECIPICE OF WORLD WAR III,

NUCLEAR WAR.

Narrator: IT WAS AN ERA OF ESPIONAGE AND TREACHERY.

Man: THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING CAUGHT IN THE ACT

ARE TOO HORRIBLE TO CONTEMPLATE.

Narrator: BUT AMID SUPERPOWER POLITICS,

THERE WERE SURPRISING ACTS OF HUMANITY.

Man: ABOUT $10 MILLION WORTH OF AMERICAN AIR CAPACITY

PUSHED OFF THE DECK TO SAVE THIS ONE MAN.

♪

[EXPLOSION]

♪

Narrator: AS CROWDS CELEBRATED THE END OF THE WAR IN EUROPE

IN MAY 1945,

ASTUTE POLITICIANS KNEW

THAT A NEW CONFLICT WAS ON THE HORIZON.

NAZI GERMANY HAD BEEN DEFEATED,

BUT THE ALLIES WOULD NOW TURN ON EACH OTHER.

AS WINSTON CHURCHILL WROTE:

SOVIET LEADER JOSEPH STALIN'S SOLE AIM

WAS TO SECURE TERRITORY FOR HIS COMMUNIST SUPER STATE.

Taylor Downing: STALIN WANTED TO ENSURE

THAT THERE WAS A BUFFER ZONE,

THAT THE SOVIETS COULD CONTROL COMPLETELY

AND PREVENT ANY FURTHER ATTACK FROM THE WEST.

AND SO STALIN BEGAN A PROCESS OF TAKING CONTROL

OF WHAT BECAME KNOWN

AS THE SOVIET SATELLITES IN THE WEST.

AND THAT FORCED A DIVISION IN EUROPE,

WHAT CHURCHILL FAMOUSLY CALLED THE IRON CURTAIN

THAT HAD DESCENDED ACROSS EUROPE BY 1947.

Narrator: IN RESPONSE TO THE SOVIET THREAT,

AMERICA AND EUROPE FORMED THE NATO ALLIANCE.

AN ERA OF NUCLEAR WEAPONRY BUILD‐UP AND GLOBAL TENSION

FOLLOWED.

WE'VE COME TO KNOW IT AS THE COLD WAR.

Downing: THE WHOLE WORLD WAS DIVIDED

AND FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN EITHER GOING BEHIND

THE SOVIET‐LED CAMP, BEHIND MOSCOW,

OR BEHIND THE WESTERN‐LED CAMP, BEHIND THE UNITED STATES.

AND WHAT MADE IT SO TERRIFYING

WAS THAT BOTH SIDES, IN THE NUCLEAR ERA,

HAD ENOUGH WEAPONS TO DESTROY THE PLANET MANY TIMES OVER.

Narrator: FOR FOUR DECADES,

VAST SUMS WERE SPENT ON NAVAL HARDWARE‐‐

SUPER CARRIERS THAT DWARFED THEIR WORLD WAR II PREDECESSORS,

DESTROYERS THAT COULD LAUNCH GUIDED MISSILES,

AND FEARSOME NUCLEAR‐POWERED SUBMARINES

ARMED WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

[MISSILE ROARS]

THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE COLD WAR,

THE SOVIET NAVY COMMANDED OVER A THOUSAND SHIPS AND SUBMARINES.

RESOURCES IN THE WEST WERE JUST AS IMPRESSIVE.

♪

ALL THROUGH THE CONFLICT,

THE NAVAL CAPABILITIES OF THE RIVAL FORCES

WERE A CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET.

BUT NOW,

A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AFTER THE SOVIET UNION'S COLLAPSE,

A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY LIES IN SOUTH EAST ENGLAND,

ON THE RIVER MEDWAY.

TWO COLD WAR ENEMIES, NOW JUST A MILE APART.

PRESERVED IN A DRY DOCK

IS THE ROYAL NAVY SUBMARINE

HMS OCELOT.

♪

JUST UPSTREAM IS ANOTHER SUB,

PRIVATELY OWNED AND AWAITING RESTORATION.

IT'S A RELIC OF THE SOVIET FLEET.

THE FOXTROT‐CLASS B‐49.

♪

THE MEDWAY'S TWO SUBS HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.

BOTH LAUNCHED IN THE '60s.

BOTH ARE DIESEL‐ELECTRIC HUNTER‐KILLERS,

DESIGNED TO SEEK OUT AND DESTROY ENEMY VESSELS.

BUT NOW THEY CAN REVEAL THEIR SECRETS.

WHICH IS THE BETTER FIGHTING MACHINE?

John Sutton: DURING THE 1960s

WE ARE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR, REALLY,

AND RUSSIA WERE GOING ALL OUT

TO PRODUCE AS MANY OF THESE AS POSSIBLE.

THEY ENDED UP PRODUCING 66 FOXTROT SUBMARINES.

THEY BECAME THE WORKHORSE, REALLY, OF THE SOVIET NAVY‐‐

THEY'RE NOT THE FLASHIEST MODEL THEY HAD,

BUT IT WAS JUST THE WORKHORSE THAT WOULD PATROL THE OCEANS.

♪

Chris Reynolds: HMS OCELOT WOULD CARRY THE MARK 8 TORPEDO.

HERE'S A MARK 8 TORPEDO HERE.

ONE OF THE FIRST TORPEDOES

DEVELOPED FOR THE ROYAL NAVY SUBMARINE SERVICE.

44, 45 KNOTS FIRE‐AND‐FORGET WEAPON.

NO HOMING OR ANYTHING,

SO IT WAS VERY MUCH

TOWARDS THE COMMAND TEAM IN THE CONTROL ROOM

TO MAKE SURE IT WENT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

Narrator: THE SOVIET B‐49 SUB

ALSO POSSESSED FORMIDABLE FIREPOWER.

Sutton: THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN 22 TORPEDOES ALTOGETHER.

THERE WOULD BE FOUR IN THE TUBES IN THE BACK,

AND THE REMAINDER WOULD HAVE BEEN UP HERE

IN THE FORWARD TORPEDO ROOM.

THEY DID HAVE THE CAPABILITY,

UP UNTIL 1991 THEY USED TO CARRY A NUCLEAR‐TIPPED TORPEDO,

AND THAT WAS 10 MEGATONS.

HIROSHIMA WAS 13 MEGATONS,

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THE DAMAGE

THAT ONE OF THOSE TORPEDOES WOULD HAVE CAUSED.

Narrator: FOXTROT‐CLASS SUBMARINES LIKE THIS

WERE POWERED BY ELECTRIC BATTERIES WHEN SUBMERGED

AND BY DIESEL ENGINES WHEN ON THE SURFACE.

IT WAS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PROPULSION SYSTEM,

ENABLING THE B‐49 TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE GLOBE.

THIS IS THE CENTRAL CONTROL ROOM,

B‐49's NERVE CENTER.

Sutton: AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S A LOT OF EXPOSED METAL.

NOT A LOT OF SOUND‐PROOFING.

FOXTROT SUBMARINES WERE RENOWNED FOR BEING VERY NOISY.

THEY HAVE THREE PROPELLERS,

SO THEY LEAVE A BIG ACOUSTIC SOUND AFTER THEM,

A TRAIL.

SUBMARINERS I'VE MET HAVE ALL CLAIMED TO HAVE TRACKED ONE

AT SOME POINT IN THE OCEANS,

EITHER AMERICAN SAILORS OR BRITISH.

THEY SAY THAT THEY'RE RENOWNED FOR BEING VERY NOISY.

Narrator: WHEN IT CAME TO STALKING ENEMY VESSELS

ACROSS THE WORLD'S OCEANS,

IT'S CLEAR THE BRITISH HELD AN ADVANTAGE.

Reynolds: WHAT THESE SUBMARINES WERE GOOD AT,

THEY WERE VERY, VERY, VERY QUIET.

SO IF YOU WENT INTO YOUR QUIET STATE OR WHATEVER,

IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR ANOTHER SUBMARINE

OR SURFACE SHIP TO DETECT THEM,

AND YOU COULD USE THE SEA AND THE LAYERS IN THE SEA

TO HIDE FROM THEM.

♪

Narrator: EVEN TO THE UNTRAINED EYE,

IT'S EASY TO SEE THAT HMS OCELOT IS THE MORE LUXURIOUS

AND THE BETTER‐EQUIPPED OF THE TWO SUBMARINES.

Sutton: THEY ALL WORK ON THE SAME PRINCIPLE.

THIS IS A LADA,

AND THE BRITISH SUBMARINES, I'D SAY, WERE JAGUARS.

Reynolds: HERE IS THE WARDROOM.

THAT WAS MY BUNK.

THAT WAS MINE.

THIS IS WHERE YOU GOT SOME OF THE BEST FOOD I'VE EVER HAD,

CAME OUT OF HERE.

THE CHEFS WHO USED TO COOK IN HERE WERE AMAZING.

SATURDAY NIGHT WAS ALWAYS STEAK AND CHIPS.

HA HA HA!

Narrator: WESTERN SUBS IN THE 1960s

MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER EQUIPPED,

BUT THE SOVIET NAVY WASN'T INTERESTED IN CREATURE COMFORTS.

Sutton: THE ONE THING THAT THE RUSSIANS DO,

THEY BUILD WAR MACHINES THAT ARE FUNCTIONAL,

WHETHER IT'S A TANK, A PLANE, A SUBMARINE, OR A BOAT.

THEY'RE NOT BUILDING THEM FOR COMFORT;

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BUILDING THEM TO GO TO WAR.

♪

Narrator: SUBMARINERS WERE WELL AWARE

OF THE DANGERS OF BEING HUNDREDS OF FEET BELOW THE SURFACE

IN A VESSEL LOADED WITH EXPLOSIVES.

COMMUNICATION IN AN EMERGENCY WAS CRITICAL.

Sutton: THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SYSTEM

FOR COMMUNICATING.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS, AND THERE'S NO LIGHTS,

THERE'S NO ELECTRIC, NO COMMUNICATION,

THEY COULD COMMUNICATE BY TAPPING OUT A TYPE OF MORSE CODE

TO ALERT PEOPLE IN THE OTHER COMPARTMENT

WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

IT COULD EITHER BE THAT WE'RE ON FIRE,

WE'RE FLOODING, EXPLOSION.

THAT WOULD BE THEIR WAY OF COMMUNICATING IN DIRE STRAITS.

♪

Narrator: SOVIET SUBMARINES IN THE COLD WAR

HAD A POOR SAFETY RECORD.

BUT B‐49 CREWS WERE CONSIDERED LUCKY.

ON OTHER SUBS, THE STAKES WERE EVEN HIGHER.

♪

IN THE 1960s,

THE SOVIETS FOUND THEMSELVES RACING

TO KEEP UP WITH THE AMERICANS' NEW BREED OF SUBMARINE.

JANUARY 21, 1954.

THE USS NAUTILUS IS LAUNCHED.

IT'S A KEY MOMENT IN THE COLD WAR.

NAUTILUS IS THE WORLD'S FIRST NUCLEAR‐POWERED SUBMARINE.

PATROLLING THE WORLD'S OCEANS AT 23 KNOTS,

SHE IS FAST.

AND UNLIKE DIESEL SUBMARINES,

NAUTILUS CAN STAY SUBMERGED FOR WEEKS AT A TIME.

FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS,

THE UNITED STATES DOMINATES THE SEAS.

FINALLY THE SOVIETS RESPOND.

THEIR NUCLEAR SUB IS CALLED K‐19.

BUT IT EARNS THE NICKNAME "THE WIDOWMAKER."

Downing: K‐19 WAS REGARDED AS AN UNLUCKY VESSEL.

SEVERAL PEOPLE HAD DIED IN ITS CONSTRUCTION.

WE NOW KNOW THE CONSTRUCTION HAD BEEN TOO HASTY,

TOO MANY THINGS HAD BEEN RUSHED

IN THE ATTEMPT TO CATCH UP WITH THE AMERICANS

AND THE TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY WERE USING

TO GET THIS SUBMARINE OUT TO SEA

AND TO DEPLOY IT ON ACTION STATIONS.

Narrator: IN JULY 1961,

K‐19 WAS OFF THE COAST OF GREENLAND

ON AN EXERCISE DESIGNED TO SHOW THAT SOVIET NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY

NOW MATCHED THE AMERICANS.

IT WAS A FALSE CLAIM WITH DIRE CONSEQUENCES.

A PIPE RUPTURED IN K‐19's NUCLEAR REACTOR.

[KLAXON HORN BLARING]

Downing: EVERYBODY'S NIGHTMARE AT SEA

IN A NUCLEAR‐POWERED SUBMARINE.

THE REACTOR OVERHEATS, AND THE COOLING SYSTEM FAILS.

THERE IS NO BACK‐UP.

THERE IS NO OTHER WAY OF COOLING THE SYSTEM.

THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE GOES RIGHT TO THE TOP END OF THE SCALE.

BUT IT'S STILL HEATING MORE AND MORE.

Narrator: K‐19's CAPTAIN, NIKOLAI ZATEYEV,

WAS FACED WITH THE TERRIFYING PROSPECT OF A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION.

BUT HE AND HIS CREW KEPT THEIR HEADS.

A GROUP OF COURAGEOUS ENGINEERS

ENTERED THE COMPARTMENT JUST ABOVE THE REACTOR

TO TRY AND REPAIR THE DAMAGE.

Downing: THEY'RE ONLY WEARING RAINCOATS AND GAS MASKS.

THEY HAVE NO OTHER DEFENSE AGAINST THE RADIATION.

AND THEY CONSTRUCT THIS ALTERNATIVE COOLING SYSTEM.

Narrator: AMAZINGLY, THEIR HASTILY MADE DEVICE WORKS.

Downing: AND THE TEMPERATURE SLOWLY COMES DOWN.

Narrator: WITH THE THREAT OF A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION NOW OVER,

K‐19 LIMPED HOME.

CAPTAIN NIKOLAI ZATEYEV WAS PROCLAIMED A HERO,

BUT AT A COST.

SEVEN OF THE ENGINEERING TEAM DIED OF RADIATION EXPOSURE

WITHIN TWO MONTHS.

15 MORE CREW MEMBERS DIED WITHIN TWO YEARS.

THE DEAD WERE BURIED AT SEA IN LEAD COFFINS,

AND THE SURVIVORS WERE TOLD NEVER TO DISCUSS THE DISASTER.

BUT ONE MAN ON BOARD, OFFICER VASILI ARKHIPOV,

WOULD CARRY THE PAINFUL MEMORIES OF K‐19 WITH HIM

AND BECOME AN UNSUNG HERO OF THE COLD WAR.

AN ARGUMENT BETWEEN ARKHIPOV AND HIS OWN SUBMARINE COMMANDER

WOULD HELP PREVENT ARMAGEDDON,

AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS.

Woman: THE UNITED STATES MILITARY

AND PRESIDENT KENNEDY

HAD MADE IT VERY CLEAR IN HIS ADDRESS

THAT THEY WERE READY FOR A FULL‐ON,

FULL‐SCALE NUCLEAR WAR.

Narrator: THE AUTUMN OF 1962

IS OFTEN CALLED THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR.

ON OCTOBER 14th,

AN AMERICAN U2 SPY PLANE

MADE A SIX‐MINUTE FLIGHT OVER THE ISLAND OF CUBA.

A THOUSAND PHOTOS REVEALED THE CONSTRUCTION

OF MISSILE LAUNCH SITES.

♪

CUBAN LEADER FIDEL CASTRO

HAD ALLOWED THE SOVIETS, UNDER NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV,

TO TRANSPORT NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO THE ISLAND.

Downing: THIS WAS A MAJOR SHIFT IN THE POWER BALANCE,

THE FACT THAT THE SOVIETS COULD PUT THEIR MISSILES

WITHIN 90, 100 MILES OF THE UNITED STATES.

THIS REALLY SOBERED THE AMERICANS.

THEY HAD TO STOP THIS,

THEY HAD TO MAKE A STAND TO GET THESE MISSILES OUT OF CUBA.

Narrator: TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY

LEARNED THAT HALF A DOZEN SOVIET CARGO SHIPS

WERE HEADING FOR CUBA WITH MORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

Craig Symonds: AND ONCE THAT INFORMATION

REACHED JOHN KENNEDY,

HE HAD TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.

SO HE CALLED HIS ADVISORS TOGETHER.

THERE WERE THOSE WHO SAID,

"WE MUST LAUNCH AN IMMEDIATE AIR ATTACK

BEFORE THEY BECOME OPERATIONAL,

BLOW UP THOSE SITES,

SO THAT WE ARE NOT PUTTING AMERICAN CITIZENS IN DANGER."

Narrator: BUT KENNEDY KNEW SUCH AN AGGRESSIVE RESPONSE

COULD LEAD TO ALL‐OUT NUCLEAR WAR.

INSTEAD, HE ORDERED A NAVAL BLOCKADE OF CUBA.

WEAPONS AND THEIR EQUIPMENT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED THROUGH.

Symonds: BUT SINCE A BLOCKADE IS AN ACT OF WAR,

HE DECIDED TO CALL IT A QUARANTINE.

President Kennedy: TO HALT THIS OFFENSIVE BUILD‐UP,

A STRICT QUARANTINE ON ALL OFFENSIVE MILITARY EQUIPMENT

UNDER SHIPMENT TO CUBA IS BEING INITIATED.

Narrator: AS THE BLOCKADE GOT UNDERWAY,

THE ARMED FORCES WERE TOLD TO PREPARE FOR ALL EVENTUALITIES.

AMERICA HELD ITS BREATH.

Downing: IN THE SOVIET UNION,

PEOPLE DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON,

BUT IN THE WEST,

EVENTS WERE FOLLOWED HOUR BY HOUR, DAY BY DAY,

AS BOTH SIDES SEEMED TO STAND AT THE BRINK

AND STARE AT EACH OTHER.

A LOT OF PEOPLE FELT,

IS IT SAFE TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL THE NEXT DAY?

WAS EVERYBODY GOING TO BE BLOWN UP

IN A GIANT MUSHROOM CLOUD?

♪

Narrator: THE CUBAN BLOCKADE WAS A UNIQUE U. S. NAVY OPERATION.

ONE OF THE SHIPS INVOLVED

WAS A DESTROYER NAMED AFTER THE PRESIDENT'S OLDER BROTHER,

THE USS JOSEPH P. KENNEDY.

♪

THE JOEY P., AS SHE WAS KNOWN,

WAS EXPERIENCED IN ANTI‐SUBMARINE WARFARE

AND A VETERAN OF THE KOREAN WAR.

THREE DAYS INTO THE BLOCKADE,

SEVERAL SHIPS HAD BEEN ALLOWED THROUGH,

INCLUDING AN OIL TANKER AND A PASSENGER VESSEL.

BUT JFK KNEW IT WAS TIME TO SHOW THE SOVIETS HE MEANT BUSINESS.

HE DECIDED A FREIGHTER NAMED MARUCLA

SHOULD BE STOPPED AS IT APPROACHED HAVANA.

THE JOEY P. WAS GIVEN THE JOB.

AT DAWN ON OCTOBER 26th,

A BOARDING PARTY FROM THE JOSEPH P. KENNEDY

SEARCHED THE FREIGHTER.

THE JOEY P's CREW WAS EXPERIENCED,

BUT THIS WAS A SITUATION UNLIKE ANY THEY'D ENCOUNTERED.

AND EVERY FEW MINUTES,

THE NAVAL HIGH COMMAND RADIOED IN, DEMANDING UPDATES.

Woman: THE UNITED STATES MILITARY

AND PRESIDENT KENNEDY HAD MADE IT VERY CLEAR IN HIS ADDRESS

THAT THEY WERE READY FOR A FULL‐ON NUCLEAR WAR.

AND I THINK A LOT OF U. S. CITIZENS DIDN'T KNOW

WHETHER THEY WERE GOING TO WAKE UP THE NEXT MORNING

BREATHING FRESH AIR OR BREATHING FALLOUT.

SO IT WAS A VERY SCARY, DRAMATIC,

AND VERY FRANTIC TIME FOR MOST AMERICANS,

ESPECIALLY THOSE FIGHTING IN THE NAVY.

Narrator: BUT AFTER A THOROUGH TWO‐HOUR SEARCH OF THE MARUCLA,

NO WEAPONS WERE FOUND.

Woman: THE SHIP HAD TRUCKS,

MECHANICAL PARTS TO TAKE CARE OF THE TRUCKS,

AND OTHER SUPPLIES SUCH AS WOOD,

SO THEY SENT THE SHIP ON HER WAY.

Narrator: NEARBY, THE AMERICAN BLOCKADERS

WERE CONFRONTING A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE.

A U. S. NAVY TASK FORCE

LED BY THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS RANDOLPH

HAD DETECTED AN UNIDENTIFIED SUBMARINE

CLOSE TO THE CUBAN‐BOUND SHIPS.

TO FORCE IT TO THE SURFACE,

THEY DROPPED LOW‐GRADE EXPLOSIVES.

[MUFFLED EXPLOSIONS]

KNOWING HOW TENSE THE SITUATION WAS,

THEY RADIOED MOSCOW TO MAKE IT CLEAR

THE CHARGES WERE RELATIVELY HARMLESS.

FAR BELOW THE SURFACE,

THE CREW OF THE SOVIET FOXTROT‐CLASS SUBMARINE B‐59

NEVER GOT THOSE MESSAGES.

WITH NO WORD FROM MOSCOW,

THEY PRESUMED THEY WERE UNDER ATTACK.

Downing: AND IT'S SATURDAY THE 27th OF OCTOBER, 1962,

THE DAY WE NOW CALL BLACK SATURDAY‐‐

PROBABLY THE MOST DANGEROUS DAY

OR THE MOST DANGEROUS MOMENT OF THE COLD WAR.

THE B‐59 DOESN'T EVEN KNOW

THAT THESE ARE PRACTICE DEPTH CHARGES.

THEY COULD BE THE REAL THING.

♪

Narrator: B‐59's MISSION

WAS TO PROTECT THE SOVIET SHIPS HEADING TO CUBA.

ITS WEAPONRY INCLUDED A NUCLEAR TORPEDO.

THE STAKES COULDN'T HAVE BEEN HIGHER.

Downing: THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF WAR HAD BEEN DECLARED.

THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF AMERICAN MISSILES

HAD ALREADY BEEN LAUNCHED AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION.

THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF THE MISSILES THAT WERE ALREADY IN CUBA

HAD BEEN LAUNCHED ON AMERICA.

Narrator: WITH ITS ELECTRIC BATTERY LOW

AND SHORT ON AIR,

B‐59 WOULD HAVE TO SURFACE SOON.

THE CAPTAIN WAS INSISTENT.

"WE'RE GOING TO BLAST THEM NOW!" HE SHOUTED.

HE'D ALREADY CHOSEN HIS TARGET FOR THE NUCLEAR TORPEDO‐‐

THE USS RANDOLPH.

BUT B‐59 REQUIRED THE APPROVAL OF THREE SENIOR OFFICERS

TO LAUNCH A NUCLEAR ATTACK.

ONE OFFICER RESISTED.

VASILI ARKHIPOV HAD ONLY JUST RECOVERED

FROM THE RADIATION ACCIDENT ON SUBMARINE K‐19

15 MONTHS EARLIER.

Downing: WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WENT THROUGH HIS MIND,

BUT HE DETERMINEDLY OPPOSED THE FIRING OF NUCLEAR TORPEDOES.

ARKHIPOV MAY BE REMEMBERING THE DISASTER,

THE NUCLEAR PROBLEM ON HIS PREVIOUS SUBMARINE.

Narrator: PRESUMING WAR WAS UNDERWAY,

THE CAPTAIN PRESSED FOR A DECISION TO FIRE.

BUT ARKHIPOV HELD HIS GROUND.

HE REFUSED TO AGREE TO A MISSILE LAUNCH.

THE CAPTAIN HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO BACK DOWN.

♪

Downing: HAD THEY FIRED AND HIT AND DESTROYED AN AMERICAN SHIP,

IT WOULD ALMOST, WITHOUT ANY QUESTION,

HAVE BEGUN A NUCLEAR CONFLAGRATION.

[MISSILES ROAR]

FOR THAT REASON ALONE, WE HAVE TO THANK ARKHIPOV

FOR, IN A SENSE, SAVING THE WORLD.

Narrator: IN THE END,

KENNEDY'S NAVAL BLOCKADE WORKED.

NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV AND THE SOVIETS RETREATED.

Symonds: THE RUSSIAN SHIPS

CLEARLY BRINGING MILITARY EQUIPMENT,

MISSILES MOST LIKELY,

STOPPED AT THE QUARANTINE LINE WHEN CHALLENGED

AND TURNED AROUND.

SO THAT PART OF IT WAS SUCCESSFUL

BUT OF COURSE IT COULD NOT REMOVE THE MISSILES

THAT WERE ALREADY THERE,

AND THAT WAS THE PROBLEM.

A NAVY CAN DO WHAT A NAVY CAN DO.

IT CAN PREVENT MORE MATERIEL FROM COMING IN.

IT CAN'T REMOVE THE MATERIEL THAT'S ALREADY THERE

WITHOUT AN AIRSTRIKE.

AND THAT REMAINED ON THE TABLE

UNTIL FINALLY, IT WAS SUGGESTED BY THE RUSSIANS

THAT IN EXCHANGE FOR A PROMISE THAT WE WOULD NOT INVADE CUBA

THAT THEY WOULD REMOVE THEIR MISSILES FROM CUBA.

Narrator: BEHIND THE SCENES,

KENNEDY ALSO AGREED TO THE WITHDRAWAL OF U. S. MISSILES

CLOSE TO THE SOVIET BORDER IN TURKEY.

THE CRISIS WAS OVER.

THE COLD WAR WOULD PLAY OUT FOR ALMOST THREE MORE DECADES.

BUT THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION

NEVER DID ENGAGE IN DIRECT HOSTILITIES.

INSTEAD, THERE WERE PROXY WARS

IN FAR‐FLUNG COUNTRIES LIKE VIETNAM...

[GUNFIRE]

A REMOTE WAR THAT DEPENDED ON U. S. NAVAL MIGHT.

ON DECEMBER 7, 1941,

IMPERIAL JAPANESE FORCES

ATTACKED THE UNITED STATES NAVAL BASE AT PEARL HARBOR.

NEARLY 2,500 AMERICANS WERE KILLED

AND 19 SHIPS SUNK OR SERIOUSLY DAMAGED.

AS THE UNITED STATES ENTERED THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

A NEW TYPE OF COMBAT SHIP EMERGED.

Jessica Williams: THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

REALLY WOKE PEOPLE UP TO HOW SIGNIFICANT

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS COULD BE IN WAR.

IT SHOWED REALLY THE POWER

OF A FLEET BEING ABLE TO BRING AIRCRAFT

THOUSANDS OF MILES ACROSS THE OCEAN,

AND THEN ATTACK SUCH A SIGNIFICANT TARGET.

Narrator: SINCE PEARL HARBOR,

THE UNITED STATES HAS EMBRACED THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER

LIKE NO OTHER NATION,

BUILDING MORE THAN ALL OTHER NATIONS COMBINED.

A COLD WAR CONFLICT IN THE 1960s

DEMONSTRATED THE STRATEGIC VALUE OF AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

THEY FACILITATED A WAR 8,000 MILES FROM HOME.

FEARING THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM,

THE UNITED STATES ENTERED INTO A LONG AND BITTER WAR

IN A COUNTRY FEW AMERICANS HAD EVER HEARD OF‐‐

VIETNAM.

Downing: IT'S OFTEN THOUGHT THAT THE COLD WAR

WAS REALLY NOT MUCH MORE THAN A CONFRONTATION

BETWEEN THE SOVIET UNION AND THE UNITED STATES.

BUT IT WASN'T.

IT WAS A GLOBAL CONFLICT

THAT ABSORBED PRETTY WELL ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD

WHO HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE COMMUNIST SIDE

OR THE WESTERN DEMOCRATIC SIDE.

AND A MAJOR PLAYER IN THIS BECOMES CHINA.

[EXPLOSION]

Narrator: NORTH VIETNAM, BACKED BY THE CHINESE,

WANTED TO UNITE THE COUNTRY INTO ONE COMMUNIST STATE.

BUT THE PRO‐WESTERN SOUTH RESISTED,

AND THE UNITED STATES CAME TO ITS AID.

THE ICONIC FOOTAGE OF THE WAR

IS OF U. S. TROOPS FIGHTING IN THE JUNGLE.

THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE U. S. NAVY IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED.

Kendrick Oliver: THE NAVAL PRESENCE IN VIETNAM

IS ACTUALLY VERY SIGNIFICANT.

A LOT OF THE SUPPLIES

THE AMERICAN FORCES ARE USING IN VIETNAM

COME THROUGH NAVAL SUPPLY LINES.

A LOT OF THE BOMBING OF NORTH VIETNAM

COMES FROM U. S. NAVAL AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

Narrator: AS AMERICA BECAME MORE AND MORE EMBROILED IN VIETNAM,

THE NAVY TURNED TO A VETERAN OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

THE USS INTREPID.

♪

Williams: AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER IS A FLOATING MILITARY AIRFIELD,

SO THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FEATURE OF THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER

IS ITS LONG, FLAT FLIGHT DECK.

UNDERNEATH THE FLIGHT DECK OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER

IS THE HANGAR DECK.

THAT'S WHERE AIRCRAFT WERE STORED AND MAINTAINED.

THE TALL STRUCTURE THAT STICKS UP FROM THE FLIGHT DECK

IS CALLED THE ISLAND,

SO THAT'S WHERE THE CREW STEERS THE SHIP

AND NAVIGATES ITS WAY THROUGH THE OCEAN.

THERE'S ALSO SOMETHING CALLED PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROL,

WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY LIKE THE TOWER FOR THE AIRPORT

THAT IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER.

Narrator: THE INTREPID OF THE VIETNAM WAR

WAS HOME TO A NEW GENERATION OF PLANES

AND A NEW GENERATION OF RECRUITS.

MOST HADN'T EVEN BEEN BORN

WHEN SHE LAST SAW ACTION IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

GERALD FEOLA JOINED INTREPID IN 1967.

HE FLEW AS A CREW MEMBER

ON ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS CARRIER AIRCRAFT

OF THE VIETNAM WAR,

THE SKYRAIDER.

Gerald Feola: WONDERFUL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.

IT WAS SLOW AND TOUGH,

CARRIED LOTS OF BOMBS, LOTS OF ARMAMENT.

THE VERSION I WAS IN WAS, THERE WAS FOUR SEATS, IT WAS‐‐

SO YOU'D HAVE THE PILOT ON THE LEFT SIDE,

ON THE RIGHT SIDE WAS THE NAVIGATOR,

AND THEN TWO CREW MEMBERS IN THE BACK END,

AND I WAS ONE OF THOSE, MOSTLY ON THE STARBOARD SIDE,

WHICH WOULD BE THE BACK HERE.

Narrator: SKYRAIDERS ESCORTED BOMBERS

TO THEIR NORTH VIETNAMESE TARGETS.

GERALD'S JOB AS PART OF THE FOUR‐MAN CREW

WAS TO JAM ENEMY RADAR TO PREVENT DETECTION.

EACH DAY WOULD BEGIN WITH A BRIEFING IN THE READY ROOM.

Feola: YOU KNOW, WE WERE KIDS,

BUT WHEN WE WENT INTO THAT ROOM,

EVERYTHING GOT VERY, VERY SERIOUS.

WE KNEW SOME OF OUR BROTHERS

WERE GETTING THEIR BUTTS KICKED ON THE GROUND,

AND WE WANTED TO GET THOSE FIGHTERS IN THERE SAFELY

TO DO THE DAMAGE THAT THEY HAD TO DO.

Narrator: LIKE ALL CARRIERS,

THE INTREPID WAS ABLE TO LAUNCH AIRCRAFT

FROM A VERY SHORT RUNWAY.

Feola: IT'S THE BEST AMUSEMENT RIDE IN THE WORLD.

IT'S LIKE A SLINGSHOT, JUST LAUNCHING YOU.

YOU WENT FROM ZERO...ZERO...

TO 130 MILES AN HOUR IN A SECOND AND A HALF.

IT'S LITERALLY AN EXPLOSION.

[ENGINES ROARING]

AS SOON AS THE CATAPULT RELEASED YOU AND WERE FLYING,

IT WAS LIKE, OOH, THIS IS AWESOME!

IT'S A KICK IN THE PANTS, AND IT'S REALLY EXCITING.

Williams: PILOTS FLYING OFF INTREPID DURING THE VIETNAM WAR

FACED VERY, VERY INTENSE DANGER.

NORTH VIETNAM WAS VERY WELL‐DEFENDED

BY ANTI‐AIRCRAFT FIRE,

SO THEY WERE REALLY FLYING INTO A VERY RISKY SITUATION.

AND A NUMBER OF INTREPID PILOTS

WERE LOST DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.

Narrator: ON ONE MISSION,

AS GERALD'S PLANE APPROACHED THE COAST,

HE AND THE CREW SAW A SURFACE‐TO‐AIR MISSILE

COMING STRAIGHT FOR THEM.

Feola: MY MIND WAS, YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY FROM THAT THING.

IT WAS SO FAST AND VIOLENT.

Narrator: THE SKILL OF HIS PILOT SAVED GERALD'S LIFE.

BUT THE NEAR MISS MADE A LASTING IMPRESSION.

Feola: IT'S AN EYE‐OPENER.

THAT DAY I REALIZED THIS IS NO MORE FUN.

REALLY, THEY'RE TRYING TO KILL US.

Narrator: THE MISSIONS OVER VIETNAM WERE HAZARDOUS.

BUT SO WAS THE RETURN TRIP.

LANDING AN 8‐TON AIRCRAFT ON A 700‐FOOT FLIGHT DECK

TOOK CONSIDERABLE SKILL.

Feola: WE TURNED TO GET INITIAL LINE‐UP TO LAND.

THE SHIP IS JUST PUMPING OUT WHATEVER HORSEPOWER IT HAD

TO GET THIS SHIP GOING AS FAST AS IT COULD

TO MAKE THE RELATIVE SPEED OF LANDING

SAFER FOR THE PILOTS.

THREE MILES OUT IT LOOKS VERY SMALL.

TWO MILES OUT, AND IT'S STILL LOOKING VERY SMALL.

I'M STARTING TO GRAB THE ARMREST ON THIS THING,

LIKE THIS THING IS NOT REAL BIG.

Williams: AIRCRAFT LAND ON A CARRIER

BY MEANS OF ARRESTER CABLES

THAT ARE STRETCHED ACROSS THE AFT END OR THE BACK END

OF THE FLIGHT DECK.

CARRIER‐BASED AIRPLANES

HAVE SOMETHING CALLED A TAILHOOK ON THE BACK,

SO AS THE PILOT COMES DOWN TO LAND,

THE TAILHOOK COMES DOWN

AND CATCHES ONE OF THOSE ARRESTING CABLES,

WHICH SLOWS THE SPEED OF THE AIRPLANE DOWN

SO IT CAN LAND.

Feola: YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN LANDING FROM THAT DIRECTION,

GOING THIS DIRECTION.

THAT WHITE STRIPE WE SEE UNDER THIS AIRCRAFT

WOULD BE THE CENTER LINE OF THE LANDING AREA.

PILOTS WOULD FOCUS ON THAT TO KEEP THE PLANE CENTERED.

AND THE PLANES WOULD COME IN.

IF THEY MISSED THE ARRESTING GEAR‐‐

WHICH WOULD CATCH THEM WITH THE HOOK‐‐

IF THEY MISSED THAT,

THEY WOULD FLY OFF THE END AND THEN TAKE OFF.

THE AMAZING PART IS THAT

THIS IS NOT GOING STRAIGHT WHEN THE PILOTS ARE LANDING.

NOT ONLY IS THIS MOVING THAT WAY,

BUT IT'S DOING THIS, TOO, GUYS, SO IT'S A LITTLE SCARY AT TIMES.

Narrator: TODAY THE INTREPID

IS MOORED ALONGSIDE THE SKYSCRAPERS OF MANHATTAN

AS A MEMORIAL TO THOSE WHO SERVED ON HER.

Feola: HOW PROUD AM I?

I MEAN, YOU SEE ME NOW?

LOOK AT THIS.

WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT

THAT I WOULD SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF STEEL

AND MANHATTAN SKYLINE ALL AROUND US?

EVERY TIME I COME ON BOARD,

I CAN ALMOST FEEL THE HISTORY THAT THIS HAS.

I'M PRIVILEGED TO SERVE ON SOMETHING

THAT HAD THAT KIND OF HISTORY.

I LOVE THIS VESSEL,

AND I LOVE WHAT IT STANDS FOR.

Narrator: BY APRIL 1975,

THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM WAS VERY DIFFERENT.

IT HAD BEEN EIGHT YEARS

SINCE GERALD FEOLA'S FIRST MISSION THERE.

AMERICAN TROOPS HAD NOW WITHDRAWN,

AND THE NORTH VIETNAMESE

WERE POISED TO TAKE THE SOUTH'S CAPITAL, SAIGON.

U.S. CARRIERS WERE NOW INVOLVED IN OPERATION FREQUENT WIND,

A LAST‐MINUTE EVACUATION

OF AMERICAN CIVILIANS AND SOUTH VIETNAMESE.

Oliver: THERE'S A LOT OF SOUTH VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT OFFICERS,

SOLDIERS, MILITARY OFFICIALS, INTELLIGENCE AGENTS,

WHO WOULD NOT EXPECT TO BE TREATED VERY WELL

BY THE NORTH VIETNAMESE.

Narrator: U. S. HELICOPTERS MADE HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS

FROM THE FIVE CARRIERS STATIONED OFF THE COAST.

ONE WAS A CARRIER LAUNCHED AT THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

THE USS MIDWAY.

ON APRIL 29th,

MIDWAY'S CREW SPOTTED A SMALL CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT APPROACHING.

THEY WATCHED AS THE PLANE CIRCLED

AND NOTICED A SMALL PACKAGE

BEING THROWN ONTO THE CARRIER'S FLIGHT DECK.

IT WAS A PISTOL WRAPPED IN A NOTE.

IT READ...

MAJOR BUANG‐LY

WAS A SOUTH VIETNAMESE AIR FORCE OFFICER.

HE WAS FLEEING WITH HIS FAMILY.

Oliver: YOU CAN IMAGINE HIS DESPERATION TO ESCAPE.

HE HEADS OUT TO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA,

AND HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

Narrator: THE ONLY WAY MAJOR BUANG CAN LAND

IS IF THE U. S. NAVY HELICOPTERS ON THE OVERCROWDED DECK

ARE MOVED OUT OF THE WAY.

THE MIDWAY'S CAPTAIN DIDN'T HESITATE.

HE ORDERED SEVERAL OF HIS HELICOPTERS

TO BE PUSHED OFF THE FLIGHT DECK

AND INTO THE SEA.

Oliver: ABOUT $10 MILLION WORTH OF AMERICAN AIR CAPACITY

PUSHED OFF THE DECK TO SAVE THIS ONE MAN AND HIS FAMILY.

Narrator: BUT WITH THE FLIGHT DECK NOW CLEARED,

MAJOR BUANG STILL HAD A PROBLEM.

HIS LIGHT AIRCRAFT WAS NOT DESIGNED TO LAND ON A CARRIER.

IT HAD NO TAILHOOK TO CATCH THE ARRESTING WIRE.

PLUS, THERE WAS A STRONG CROSSWIND.

THE AMERICAN ONLOOKERS HELD THEIR BREATH...

♪

AND WATCHED THE MAJOR MAKE A PERILOUS LANDING.

THE MEN OF THE MIDWAY WERE SO IMPRESSED

BY MAJOR BUANG'S BRAVERY,

THEY STARTED A FUND TO HELP HIM AND HIS FAMILY

START A NEW LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES.

AFTER THE WAR IN VIETNAM ENDED,

THE SOVIETS AND THE WEST

CONTINUED THEIR COLD WAR ACTIVITIES

WELL INTO THE 1980s.

CONFLICT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES

AND THE SOVIET UNION

WAS AVOIDED IN PART

BY THE TERRIFYING NAVAL THREAT BOTH SIDES POSED TO EACH OTHER.

IT WAS AN ERA OF MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION.

Stuart Prebble: THE GREATEST THREAT AT THE TIME

IS OBVIOUSLY THE LAUNCH OF A BALLISTIC MISSILE

ONTO YOUR TERRITORY FROM A SUBMARINE.

SO SUBMARINES THAT ARE CAPABLE OF LAUNCHING NUCLEAR WEAPONS

ARE REALLY THE KEY FRONTLINE OF THE COLD WAR.

Narrator: THE AIM FOR BOTH SIDES

WAS TO KNOW WHAT THE ENEMY WAS UP TO.

[BEEPING]

THE ABILITY TO FIND AND TRACK A MISSILE‐LOADED VESSEL

WAS VITAL.

FOR DECADES, THE CLASSIC UNDERWATER DETECTION SYSTEM

WAS CALLED SOUND NAVIGATION AND RANGING,

OR "SONAR" FOR SHORT.

Prebble: ANYBODY'S WHO'S WATCHED THOSE FILMS

IS WELL USED TO HEARING THE PING

WHICH IS THE SOUND OF YOU EMITTING A BLEEP,

AND IT BOUNCES OFF THE THING THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR

AND BOUNCES BACK AGAIN.

Narrator: IN THE 1960s,

THE BRITISH AND AMERICAN NAVIES

STARTED USING A SOPHISTICATED LISTENING DEVICE

KNOWN AS A TOWED ARRAY SONAR.

SUBMARINES OR SHIPS WOULD PULL A TWO‐MILE LONG CABLE

FIXED WITH A SERIES OF LISTENING DEVICES

CALLED HYDROPHONES.

THE TOWED ARRAY PRODUCED A FAR MORE PRECISE PINPOINT

OF THE ENEMY'S LOCATION.

Prebble: THE RUSSIANS HAD VERY ADVANCED SUBMARINES.

SO DID WE.

BUT OUR ABILITY TO DETECT THEIR SUBMARINES

WAS WAY BETTER.

Narrator: BUT IN THE LATE 1970s,

THE TABLES WERE TURNED.

NATO SUBMARINE COMMANDERS

SUDDENLY STARTED RECEIVING WARNING SIGNALS

FROM SOVIET SUBS CLOSE BY.

IT WAS CLEAR THEY WERE NOW BEING TRACKED.

Prebble: SO THE QUESTION AROSE,

HOW DID THE RUSSIANS SUDDENLY GET THIS ABILITY TO DETECT US

IN THE WAY THAT WE WERE DETECTING THEM?

Narrator: BRITISH INTELLIGENCE DISCOVERED TO THEIR HORROR

THAT THE SOVIETS WERE USING

A TOWED ARRAY SYSTEM OF THEIR OWN.

Prebble: HAVE THE RUSSIANS DEVELOPED THIS THEMSELVES,

OR DO THEY HAVE A SPY IN BRITISH INTELLIGENCE

THAT'S GIVEN THEM THIS TECHNOLOGY?

Narrator: TO ANSWER THAT,

THE AMERICANS PROPOSED AN OUTRAGEOUS PLAN

TO STEAL A SOVIET TOWED ARRAY SONAR.

IT LED TO ONE OF THE GREAT COLD WAR TALES

OF INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE.

IN EARLY JULY 1982,

THE ROYAL NAVY NUCLEAR SUBMARINE HMS CONQUEROR

WAS RETURNING TO ITS BASE IN FASLANE, SCOTLAND.

IT WAS FLYING THE JOLLY ROGER‐‐

THE SIGNAL OF A SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ENEMY.

TWO MONTHS EARLIER, AT THE START OF THE FALKLANDS WAR,

THE CONQUEROR HAD SUNK THE ARGENTINE WARSHIP

THE GENERAL BELGRANO

AND MADE HEADLINES AROUND THE WORLD.

BUT WHEN THE CREW RETURNED HOME,

THEY WERE PROMPTLY SENT ON A VERY DIFFERENT MISSION‐‐

ONE THAT REMAINS A CLASSIFIED SECRET TO THIS DAY.

THE WEST PLANNED TO STEAL A TOWED ARRAY SYSTEM

FROM RIGHT UNDER THE SOVIETS' NOSES.

THEY WOULD DO THIS BY ATTACHING 20‐FOOT‐LONG PINCERS

TO THE FRONT OF A SUBMARINE.

THE SUBMARINE WOULD THEN APPROACH

A SOVIET VESSEL UNDETECTED,

CUT THE TOWED ARRAY CABLE,

AND BRING IT HOME FOR ANALYSIS.

Prebble: IF YOU JUST IMAGINE, THERE'S THIS SHIP ON THE SURFACE

TOWING A TWO‐MILE‐LONG CABLE BEHIND.

THE ENTIRE PURPOSE OF THIS SHIP IS TO LISTEN.

SO YOU'VE GOT TO COME IN UNDERNEATH IT

COMPLETELY UNDETECTED,

GO, PULL UP UNDERNEATH IT.

AND SO PEOPLE, WHEN THEY FIRST HEARD THIS IDEA,

WERE ABSOLUTELY AGHAST.

HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY HAPPEN?

Narrator: THE PLAN, DRAWN UP BY BRITAIN AND AMERICA,

WAS CODENAMED OPERATION BARMAID.

IT WAS FRAUGHT WITH DANGER,

AND DETECTION WOULD INEVITABLY LEAD

TO A DRAMATIC ESCALATION OF THE COLD WAR.

IN THE SUMMER OF 1982, OPERATION BARMAID WAS LAUNCHED.

AS THE CONQUEROR RETURNED FROM THE FALKLANDS,

WESTERN INTELLIGENCE REPORTED TWO POLISH SPY SHIPS

DISGUISED AS TRAWLERS

IN THE BARENTS SEA.

THEY WERE USING A TOWED ARRAY SONAR.

IT WAS THE IDEAL OPPORTUNITY.

HMS CONQUEROR WAS ALREADY FITTED WITH THE BRACKETS

NEEDED TO MOUNT THE PINCER EQUIPMENT.

SHE WAS THE OBVIOUS CANDIDATE FOR THE MISSION.

ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 12th, SHE SET SAIL

AND SOON VERIFIED THE INTELLIGENCE REPORTS.

THE TWO SPY SHIPS WERE CLOSE TO THE BORDER

BETWEEN NORWAY AND THE USSR.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

HAS NEVER BEEN PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.

Prebble: I BELIEVE THAT THE REASON IT'S CLASSIFIED

IS THAT IT, IN FACT IT TOOK PLACE

INSIDE WHAT WERE THEN USSR TERRITORIAL WATERS,

WHICH IS TECHNICALLY AN ACT OF WAR.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST HEAVILY PATROLLED WATERS

ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

BECAUSE THIS IS NEAR MURMANSK

AND WHERE THE SOVIET FLEET IS BASED,

AND SO THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING CAUGHT IN THE ACT

ARE TOO HORRIBLE TO CONTEMPLATE.

Narrator: WITH ALL UNNECESSARY MACHINERY SWITCHED OFF,

CONQUEROR SILENTLY AND SLOWLY APPROACHED

ONE OF THE SPY VESSELS,

WHICH WAS TRAVELING AT JUST SIX KNOTS.

THE CREW, LED BY CAPTAIN CHRIS WREFORD‐BROWN,

RELIED ON THE TECHNIQUE THEY'D USED

CRUISING UNDETECTED BENEATH THE ARGENTINE FLEET.

CONQUEROR'S LARGE PINCERS WERE OPERATED INSIDE THE SUB

BY TWO MEN USING CAMERAS MOUNTED ON THE HULL.

WITH THE SUB FINALLY IN POSITION,

THEY GRABBED THE TOWED ARRAY SONAR.

SPY SHIP AND SUB WERE NOW LINKED TOGETHER.

CONQUEROR HAD TO MATCH HER SPEED TO REMAIN UNDETECTED.

Prebble: IF YOU CAN IMAGINE,

THEY'RE LOOKING AT TINY MONITORS

THAT ARE SEEING A CLAW TRY TO GET ROUND A CABLE,

IN THE SORT OF THE DARK WATERS,

THE PROPELLERS ARE TURNING.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLY SORT OF DIFFICULT THING.

Narrator: AND THERE WAS ANOTHER CHALLENGE.

THE PINCERS HAD TO CUT THE CABLE BIT BY BIT,

AS IF IT HAD BEEN SNAGGED ON A ROCK.

A CLEAN CUT WOULD HAVE TOLD THE SOVIETS

EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

FINALLY, THE TOWED ARRAY WAS SEVERED

AND IN THE CONQUEROR'S POSSESSION.

BUT THEN IT STARTED TO DRAG THE SUB DOWNWARDS.

Prebble: SUDDENLY IT TAKES ON BOARD THIS ADDITIONAL WEIGHT,

AND SO THE SUBMARINE SANK,

AND THEY CAN'T SORT OF START THEIR ENGINES

BECAUSE IF THEY DO, THEY'LL BE HEARD.

Narrator: FINALLY, CONQUEROR GAINED CONTROL,

SLIPPED AWAY TO DEEPER WATERS,

AND ULTIMATELY BROUGHT THE SOVIET TOWED ARRAY HOME.

Prebble: WHAT THE PEOPLE ON THE SUBMARINE SAY

IS THAT THE BOND BETWEEN THE CREW,

AS A RESULT OF THE FALKLANDS WAR

AND THE FACT THAT THEY JUST ACTED AS A UNIT,

ALMOST WITHOUT ANYBODY HAVING TO GIVE ORDERS

BECAUSE THEY ALL KNEW EACH OTHER SO WELL,

WAS ONE OF THE FACTORS

THAT ENABLED TO PULL OFF THIS OPERATION

THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SAID WAS COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE.

Narrator: PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER

WAS DELIGHTED THAT A BRITISH SUBMARINE

HAD COMPLETED THE MISSION.

Prebble: AND IF THE NAME OF HMS CONQUEROR

CAME UP IN THE PENTAGON FOR DECADES AFTER,

PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT'S THE SUBMARINE

THAT CARRIED OUT THIS ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY OPERATION.

Narrator: SO WHAT WAS LEARNED FROM THE CAPTURED TOWED ARRAY?

INSPECTION REVEALED

THAT IT WAS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE BRITISH AND U. S. VERSION.

Prebble: IN 1985,

AN AMERICAN SPY CALLED JOHN WALKER WAS ARRESTED,

AND HE HAD BEEN GIVING THIS KIND OF INFORMATION TO THE RUSSIANS

SINCE 1967.

Narrator: IT SEEMS LIKELY

THAT THE SONAR CAPTURED BY CONQUEROR

HAD BEEN BUILT USING PLANS STOLEN BY WALKER,

HIMSELF A FORMER SUBMARINER.

EIGHT YEARS LATER, AS THE 1990s ARRIVED,

THE SOVIET UNION WAS COLLAPSING.

THE HIGH STAKES COLD WAR GAME FINALLY ENDED.

THE WORLD STEPPED BACK

FROM THE THREAT OF MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION,

AND SCORES OF WARSHIPS AND SUBMARINES WERE SCRAPPED.

A FEW HAVE BEEN KEPT AS A TRIBUTE

TO THOSE WHO SERVED DURING THOSE TENSE YEARS

AND AS A REMINDER OF AN ERA

WHEN THE WORLD CAME CLOSE TO ARMAGEDDON.

[MISSILE ROARS]