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 DARK SIDE OF NAVAL WARFARE.

A WORLD OF DECEPTION AND DOUBLE‐DEALING...

AND VESSELS IN DISGUISE.

Man: HE'D GET HIS CREW TO COME OUT ON DECK,

SURE THAT THE SHIP THEY WERE ABOUT TO INSPECT

WAS NOT CARRYING ANY GUNS AND THEN, WHOOPS...

SIDES WOULD DROP DOWN, LIFEBOATS WOULD TURN INTO GUNS,

ROYAL NAVY CREWS WOULD APPEAR FROM NOWHERE.

Narrator: THE SPY BOAT THAT SPURRED JAPAN INTO THE WAR.

Man: THIS MUST COUNT AS THE MOST VALUABLE

AND UNEXPECTED INTELLIGENCE WINDFALL

POSSIBLY OF THE 20th CENTURY.

Narrator: AND THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH

OF BRITAIN'S MOST FAMOUS SOLDIER.

Man: THE COFFIN WAS PUT IN A CHAPEL OVERNIGHT.

WHEN IT WAS OPENED, IT WAS FOUND THERE WAS NO BODY INSIDE AT ALL.

♪

[EXPLOSION]

♪

Narrator: WARSHIPS MAY LOOK INVINCIBLE,

BUT THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN VULNERABLE IN ONE AREA‐‐

ATTACK FROM BELOW.

FOR CENTURIES, THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS TO PERFECT A VESSEL

THAT COULD STRIKE WHILE UNDERWATER.

THE SUBMARINE.

AFTER MUCH TRIAL AND ERROR,

ONE MAN CREATED THE BLUEPRINT FOR ALL THE SUBS THAT FOLLOWED.

BUT HIS DETERMINATION FOR SUCCESS DREW HIM

INTO THE 19th CENTURY WORLD

OF VIOLENT REVOLUTION AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE.

[EXPLOSION]

BY THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY,

BRITAIN HAD THE BIGGEST AND MOST POWERFUL NAVY IN THE WORLD.

BUT THEY HAD NO SUBMARINES.

ONE BRITISH ADMIRAL DESCRIBED THEM AS "UNDERHAND"

AND A "DAMNED UN‐ENGLISH WEAPON!"

BUT AS OTHER WORLD POWERS STARTED TO BUILD SUBS,

THE ADMIRALTY DESPERATELY TRIED TO CATCH UP.

THEY SEARCHED FOR THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED DESIGN

AND DECIDED THE VESSELS BUILT

BY AN IRISHMAN NAMED JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND

WERE BY FAR THE BEST.

Bob Mealings: JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND WAS A SORT

OF NATURAL BORN ENGINEER, SELF‐TAUGHT.

HE EMIGRATED TO AMERICA IN 1873.

IT IS SAID THAT HE EMIGRATED WITH JUST ONE SUITCASE,

AND EVEN THE SUITCASE HAD PLANS

FOR EARLY SUBMARINE DESIGNS IN IT.

Narrator: IN 1900,

THE ROYAL NAVY PURCHASED HOLLAND'S DESIGNS

AND BUILT THEIR OWN VERSION.

THIS IS THE FIRST SUBMARINE COMMISSIONED BY THE ROYAL NAVY,

HMS HOLLAND 1.

♪

Mealings: THE HOLLAND BOATS WERE THE FIRST REAL SUBMARINES

PRIMARILY BECAUSE

WHAT JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND'S REAL GENIUS WAS

WAS TO COMBINE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES,

ALL OF WHICH WERE AVAILABLE IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,

INTO A SINGLE UNIT.

SO THE HOLLAND‐CLASS BOATS HAVE PETROL ENGINES

TO DRIVE THEM ON THE SURFACE,

WHICH GIVES THEM THE REAL ABILITY

TO TRAVEL A FAIR DISTANCE.

BUT THAT PETROL ENGINE CAN BE SHUT DOWN,

AND THEN ONCE THEY DIVED

THE SUBMARINE CAN THEN OPERATE OFF AN ELECTRIC MOTOR.

NOW, WHEN THE SUBMARINE SURFACES AGAIN,

THE PETROL ENGINE IS RESTARTED

AND THE ELECTRIC MOTOR IS TURNED INTO A DYNAMO‐‐

IT RECHARGES THE BATTERIES.

IN THE HOLLAND 1 CLASS

YOU SEE BASICALLY ALL THE FUNDAMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

THAT WAS TO SHAPE SUBMARINE DESIGN FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

Narrator: BUT THE HOLLAND BOATS HAD A SECRET.

THEY WERE FUNDED BY AN ORGANIZATION

THAT HATED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT...

AN ORGANIZATION PREPARED TO USE VIOLENCE TO ACHIEVE ITS AIMS.

THE FENIAN BROTHERHOOD WAS AN IRISH ORGANIZATION

FIGHTING AGAINST BRITISH RULE.

THEY HAD PLENTY OF SUPPORTERS IN THE UNITED STATES.

ONE WAS JOHN PHILIP HOLLAND'S BROTHER, MICHAEL.

IN 1880, MICHAEL HOLLAND MADE AN AUDACIOUS PROPOSAL‐‐

THAT THE FENIANS FINANCE BUILDING A SUB

TO TERRORIZE THE BRITISH.

Mealings: THERE ISN'T ACTUALLY ANY GREAT DEAL OF EVIDENCE

THAT JOHN PHILIP HIMSELF WAS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED,

BUT AS A TRUE AND OBSESSIVE ENGINEER,

HE WAS QUITE HAPPY TO RECEIVE FINANCE FROM WHEREVER HE COULD,

AND THE DESIGN OF HIS SUBMARINES AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION

WAS EXPENSIVE,

AND THE FENIANS WERE PREPARED TO PUT UP THE MONEY

TO DEVELOP A WEAPON WHICH THEY THOUGHT

THAT THEY COULD ACTUALLY DEPLOY AGAINST THE ROYAL NAVY.

Narrator: THE RESULT WAS THE FENIAN RAM.

LAUNCHED IN 1881, THE SUBMARINE WAS EQUIPPED

WITH A REVOLUTIONARY "DYNAMITE GUN"

THAT COULD FIRE STEEL PROJECTILES.

EARLY TRIALS WERE SUCCESSFUL,

AND THE FENIANS WERE CONFIDENT THAT THEIR EXPERIMENTAL SUB

COULD SOON BE USED AGAINST THE DESPISED ROYAL NAVY.

BUT HOLLAND BECAME UNHAPPY WITH HIS FINANCIERS.

Mealings: HE FELL OUT WITH THE FENIANS

BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE SUBMARINES

AND OPERATE THEMSELVES,

AND AS A RESULT THEY ENDED UP SINKING

AT LEAST ONE OF THE SUBMARINE DESIGNS,

WHICH THEY STOLE FROM JOHN PHILIP'S YARD

WITHOUT TELLING HIM.

Narrator: HOLLAND SPLIT WITH THE BROTHERHOOD.

HE STARTED HIS OWN COMPANY, PERFECTED HIS DESIGNS,

AND IN 1900 SOLD A SUBMARINE TO THE U. S. NAVY,

WHO CHRISTENED IT THE USS HOLLAND.

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC,

THE ROYAL NAVY SOON FOLLOWED WITH HMS HOLLAND.

Mealings: THE HOLLAND DESIGN

WAS A BRILLIANT DESIGN FOR ITS TIME.

HAD IT NOT BEEN SO GOOD

THE ROYAL NAVY MIGHT HAVE DISCARDED THE WHOLE NOTION

OF DEVELOPING SUBMARINES.

THE HOLLAND DESIGN REALLY SETS THE BLUEPRINT

FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

[GUNFIRE]

Narrator: 13 YEARS AFTER THE LAUNCH OF THE HOLLAND 1,

BRITAIN WAS AT WAR WITH GERMANY.

THE COUNTRY WAS IN DESPERATE NEED OF MEN WILLING TO FIGHT.

[EXPLOSION]

THIS RECRUITING POSTER BECAME ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGES

OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

URGING MEN TO ENLIST IS THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR,

LORD HORATIO HERBERT KITCHENER.

BY THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY,

KITCHENER WAS KNOWN AS THE MAN WHO'D CONQUERED THE SUDAN.

THE POSTER BECAME A POWERFUL RECRUITING TOOL.

BUT TWO YEARS LATER, THE GREAT WAR HERO WAS DEAD‐‐

DROWNED OFF THE COAST OF SCOTLAND.

HIS DEATH REMAINS ONE OF THE GREAT MYSTERIES OF THE WAR.

IN THE SPRING OF 1916,

THE SITUATION ON THE EASTERN FRONT

WAS DETERIORATING.

THE RUSSIANS WERE SHORT OF MUNITIONS

AND MORALE IN THE ARMY WAS LOW.

WITH A GERMAN VICTORY IMMINENT, THE BRITISH DECIDED

A CONFIDENTIAL DIPLOMATIC MISSION OFFERING HELP

WAS URGENTLY NEEDED.

IT WAS TO BE LED BY A MAN

GREATLY RESPECTED BY THE RUSSIANS‐‐

THE 65‐YEAR‐OLD WAR HERO LORD KITCHENER.

ON JUNE 4, 1916, KITCHENER TRAVELED FROM LONDON

TO THE NAVAL BASE AT SCAPA FLOW IN THE ORKNEYS.

THERE HE BOARDED THE CRUISER THAT WOULD TAKE HIM TO RUSSIA‐‐

HMS HAMPSHIRE.

♪

Andrew Hollinrake: SHE WAS VERY HEAVILY ARMORED FOR HER TIME;

SIX‐INCH ARMOR, AND CRUISERS WERE DESIGNED TO BE LONG RANGE.

BASICALLY TO OPERATE FOR THE FLEET ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,

ALL AROUND THE EMPIRE.

DESIGNED TO BE FAST

AND TAKE ON REALLY ANYTHING SMALLER THAN A BATTLESHIP.

Narrator: GERMAN U‐BOATS PATROLLED THE NORTH SEA.

SO WHEN HMS HAMPSHIRE SET SAIL ON JUNE 5th,

SHE WAS ESCORTED BY TWO DESTROYERS.

THEY WERE ORDERED TO SAIL AT A SPEEDY 18 KNOTS.

SHIPS TRAVELING AT THAT SPEED WERE A HARD TARGET FOR U‐BOATS.

BUT THEN, A VIOLENT STORM

SUDDENLY BLEW IN FROM THE NORTHEAST.

Emily Turton: SO THE DECISION WAS MADE,

INSTEAD OF GOING THE NORMAL ROUTE,

WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT TO THE EAST

OF THE NORTHERN ISLES OF ORKNEY,

THE DECISION WAS TAKEN THAT HAMPSHIRE

WAS GOING TO GO OUT TO THE WEST

AND THEREFORE WOULD BE PROTECTED FROM THE NORTHEASTERLY GALES

BY THE BIG CLIFFS THAT RUN UP THE WEST SIDE

OF ORKNEY'S MAINLAND.

Hollinrake: NOW, THEY REGULARLY SWEPT THE EAST COAST OF ORKNEY

FOR MINES, BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A REGULAR ROUTE.

NOW, THIS HADN'T BEEN DONE ON THE WEST SIDE.

Turton: DURING THE VOYAGE, THE WIND SHIFTS DRAMATICALLY

AND INCREASES TO GALE FORCE NINE,

BUT FROM THE NORTHWEST.

BECAUSE OF THIS, THE ESCORT SHIPS WITH HAMPSHIRE

HAD TO TURN BACK, AND HAMPSHIRE CONTINUED ALONE.

Narrator: AT 7:40 IN THE EVENING,

ABOUT A MILE FROM LAND, HMS HAMPSHIRE SUDDENLY EXPLODED.

[EXPLOSION]

THE CENTER OF THE VESSEL WAS RIPPED APART.

SHE BEGAN TO SINK...FAST.

Turton: SO I THINK FOR THE MEN THAT WENT INTO THE WATER,

THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE CLIFFS.

THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE

WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THEIR SALVATION,

AND I THINK TO PERISH THAT CLOSE TO SHORE

WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST TERRIFYING.

♪

Hollinrake: IT'S THOUGHT THAT PROBABLY ABOUT 500 OF THE CREW

DIED WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR‐‐

SOME FROM THE EXPLOSION, SOME FROM EXPOSURE,

SOME OF THEM DRAGGED DOWN AS THE SHIP SANK.

Narrator: ONLY 12 MEN SURVIVED. 737 DIED.

THE BODIES RECOVERED FROM THE SEA WERE BURIED ON ORKNEY.

BUT WHAT OF LORD KITCHENER,

THE MAN SYNONYMOUS WITH THE WAR EFFORT?

THERE WERE REPORTS THAT HE WAS ON DECK

AS THEY STRUGGLED TO GET THE LIFEBOATS LAUNCHED.

Hollinrake: ONE OF THE SURVIVORS REPORTED

THAT HE HEARD THE GUNNERY OFFICER SAYING,

"MAKE WAY FOR LORD KITCHENER,"

BUT, UH, NONE OF THE SURVIVORS SAY THEY SAW KITCHENER

GETTING INTO ONE OF THE BOATS.

Narrator: THE NEWS OF KITCHENER'S DEATH

MADE HEADLINES AROUND THE WORLD.

THE BRITISH PUBLIC FOUND IT HARD TO BELIEVE

THAT THE MAN WHO EMBODIED THE BRITISH WAR EFFORT WAS GONE.

WITH THE DEATH OF SUCH A PUBLIC FIGUREHEAD,

CONSPIRACY THEORIES IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO SPRING UP.

ONE RUMOR CLAIMED KITCHENER WAS ALIVE AND LIVING IN RUSSIA.

ANOTHER SUGGESTED THAT A GERMAN SPY ON THE HAMPSHIRE

DIRECTED A U‐BOAT TO TORPEDO THE SHIP.

[EXPLOSION]

ONE MAN DETERMINED TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF KITCHENER'S DEATH

WAS A JOURNALIST NAMED FRANK POWER.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD REMAINED QUIET ABOUT THE DROWNING.

SO POWER CAME UP WITH SOME THEORIES OF HIS OWN.

Hollinrake: NOW HE WAS STIRRING THE STORY UP IN 1925, 1926,

MOSTLY TO SELL HIS OWN PUBLICATIONS,

AND THE NAVY REACTED AT THE TIME BY SAYING

THAT THEY SAW NO NEED FOR A PUBLIC ENQUIRY,

THAT'S NOT HOW THEY DID THINGS,

AND THAT THERE WAS NO NEED FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: ONE CLAIM BY POWER

WAS THAT KITCHENER DID FLEE THE SINKING SHIP,

BUT WAS SHOT BY A BRITISH AGENT AS HE MADE IT TO SHORE.

Hollinrake: THE DAY AFTER THE SINKING,

SOLDIERS WERE POSTED TO PREVENT THE PUBLIC FROM GETTING CLOSE;

NOT BECAUSE OF ANY GREAT SECRECY,

BUT THEY DID WANT TO KEEP THEM AWAY

BECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF BODIES WASHING ASHORE,

AND, UH, NOT INTACT BODIES AT THAT.

Narrator: FRANK POWER PERSISTED WITH MORE OUTLANDISH THEORIES

AND CONTINUED HIS SEARCH.

HE EVEN CLAIMED TO HAVE FOUND KITCHENER'S BODY,

WHICH HAD BEEN WASHED ASHORE IN NORWAY.

Hollinrake: AND THEN HE BROUGHT IT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO LONDON,

AND THE INTENTION WAS THAT IT WOULD BE, UH,

HE WOULD BE BURIED AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY,

SO THE COFFIN WAS PUT IN A CHAPEL OVERNIGHT,

BUT THE CORONER IN WESTMINSTER

DECIDED THAT THE COFFIN SHOULD BE CHECKED,

AND, UH, WHEN IT WAS OPENED,

IT WAS FOUND THERE WAS NO BODY INSIDE AT ALL.

Narrator: IN 2014 ALL THE GOVERNMENT PAPERS

ON THE LOSS OF HMS HAMPSHIRE WERE FINALLY RELEASED.

DESPITE RUMORS OF SABOTAGE, IT'S NOW CERTAIN

THAT SHE WAS SUNK BY A MINE LAID BY A GERMAN U‐BOAT.

ONE OF HAMPSHIRE'S PROPELLERS WAS BROUGHT ASHORE

AND STANDS AS AN UNOFFICIAL MEMORIAL ON ORKNEY.

THE SINKING WAS A STARK REMINDER

OF THE DEADLY THREAT POSED BY GERMAN U‐BOATS.

TO DEFEAT THEM, THE ROYAL NAVY TURNED TO A FORM OF DECEPTION

THAT WAS QUITE OUT OF THE ORDINARY...

MODERN ART!

A LONG‐RETIRED WARSHIP IS MOORED

ON ENGLAND'S RIVER MEDWAY IN KENT.

HER UNIQUE PAINT JOB AND HER HULL SHAPE TELL A STORY

OF WARTIME LIES AND DECEIT ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

THIS IS HMS PRESIDENT.

♪

IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

THE GREATEST MENACE TO ALLIED SHIPPING

WAS THE FORMIDABLE AND ELUSIVE GERMAN U‐BOAT.

[EXPLOSION]

MERCHANT VESSELS WERE AN EASY TARGET.

THE BRITISH NEEDED A PLAN.

Christopher Cooper: THE SHIPS THEMSELVES WERE OFTEN DONE OUT

IN VERY PROUD BRITISH COLORS,

BUT THAT GAVE ANYONE WHO WANTED TO ATTACK THEM

A VERY CLEAR IDEA OF EXACTLY WHAT SHIP IT WAS.

ONCE IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THAT WAS HELPING U‐BOATS,

THEY HAD TO THINK ABOUT OTHER CHANGES.

Narrator: DESPERATE MEASURES WERE NEEDED, AND IN 1917,

INSPIRATION CAME NOT FROM THE WORLD OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE,

BUT FROM AN UNLIKELY SOURCE.

Cooper: AN IDEA CAME UP WHICH HAD BEEN USED BY ARTISTS,

YOUNG CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS‐‐ PICASSO, FOR INSTANCE‐‐

WHO WERE BREAKING UP THE LINES

OF PAINTINGS AND PORTRAITS AND STILL LIVES

IN ORDER TO SHOW PEOPLE A DIFFERENT VIEW

OF WHAT THAT OBJECT LOOKED LIKE.

AND THE CONCEPT CAME ABOUT,

WELL, IF YOU COULD DO THAT

WITH PAINTINGS, WITH BOWLS OF FRUIT,

YOU COULD DO THAT WITH A SHIP

SO THAT IT WOULD CONFUSE THE U‐BOAT CAPTAIN

AS TO WHICH DIRECTION THE SHIP WAS GOING,

AND WHAT SPEED WAS IT GOING,

AND WAS THERE ONE SHIP OR TWO SHIPS OR THREE SHIPS,

BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE U‐BOAT CAPTAIN

IN ORDER TO DECIDE WHERE TO FIRE HIS TORPEDO.

Narrator: THE MAN BEHIND THIS EXTRAORDINARY IDEA

WAS AN ARTIST NAMED NORMAN WILKINSON.

HE WORKED OUT THAT YOU COULD NEVER

COMPLETELY CAMOUFLAGE A SHIP,

BECAUSE THE FUNNELS WOULD ALWAYS GIVE IT AWAY.

BUT YOU COULD CONFUSE THE ENEMY

BY TURNING YOUR SHIP INTO A FLOATING PICASSO!

THE TECHNIQUE BECAME KNOWN AS DAZZLE PAINTING.

Cooper: NORMAN WILKINSON THREW A GREAT DEAL OF ENTHUSIASM

INTO THE IDEA OF DAZZLE PAINTING THE SHIPS.

IN FACT, HE SET UP A STUDIO IN THE ROYAL ACADEMY IN PICCADILLY

WHERE HE HAD 50 OR 60 PEOPLE

WORKING ON LITTLE MODELS OF SHIPS

AND PAINTING THEM IN A WAY

THAT THE MODELS COULD THEN BE SENT TO THE DOCKYARD

WHERE, HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT THEY THOUGHT,

BUT THE SHIP PAINTERS WOULD BE THERE

WITH ALL THESE BRIGHT, BRILLIANT COLORS,

PAINTING THE SHIPS TO THESE EXTRAORDINARY SHAPES.

Narrator: THE TECHNIQUE WAS UNPROVEN

AND HUGELY TIME‐CONSUMING.

BUT IT WAS TAKEN UP ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

MERCHANT SHIPS, WARSHIPS AND TROOP SHIPS

WERE ALL PAINSTAKINGLY REPAINTED IN MINUTE DETAIL.

Cooper: WHEN WE DECORATED THIS SHIP WITH THE DAZZLE DESIGN

TO HELP THE COMMEMORATION OF WORLD WAR I,

IT TOOK US SIX OR SEVEN DAYS TO GET THE SHIP COVERED

IN THE DAZZLE PAINT THAT WE HAVE NOW,

AND THEY WERE SIX OR SEVEN INTENSIVE WORKING DAYS.

TO DO 2,000 SHIPS, AS THEY DID IN WORLD WAR I,

WITH A BROOM AND A BUCKET, IT WAS AN AWESOME TASK.

I SUSPECT THE ROYAL NAVY WERE RATHER SHOCKED

AND PERHAPS APPALLED BY THE FACT THAT THEIR SHIP

WAS SUDDENLY TURNING, WENT OFF TO THE DOCKYARD

AND CAME BACK LOOKING LIKE A CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND.

BUT IF IT MEANT THE SHIP WAS GONNA BE SAFER TO OPERATE,

THEN I THINK THE CREWS WERE MUCH HAPPIER.

Narrator: HMS PRESIDENT WASN'T JUST DISGUISED.

SHE ALSO HAD A SECRET WEAPON.

SHE AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER WARSHIPS WERE DESIGNED

TO LURE U‐BOATS INTO A TRAP

BY EXPLOITING THE SUBMARINE'S WEAKNESS.

Cooper: TORPEDOES WERE EXPENSIVE

AND A SUBMARINE COULD ONLY CARRY A LIMITED NUMBER.

SO THE U‐BOAT CAPTAIN WOULD PREFER

TO APPROACH THE CARGO SHIP ON THE SURFACE,

TO CHECK AND SEE WHAT GOODS THE SHIP WAS CARRYING.

Narrator: A SUBMARINE IS MOST VULNERABLE ON THE SURFACE.

[GUN FIRES]

SO THE BRITISH ADMIRALTY CREATED A WHOLE NEW CLASS OF VESSEL

WITH THE CODENAME QUEENSTOWN,

AFTER THE IRISH PORT WHERE THEY WERE BASED.

BUT THEY WERE KNOWN SIMPLY AS Q‐SHIPS.

Cooper: IT WAS CREATED SO THAT THE U‐BOAT THOUGHT

IT WAS AN UNARMED CARGO SHIP,

AND THEREFORE THE U‐BOAT

WOULD APPROACH THE CARGO SHIP ON THE SURFACE.

IT DID HAVE THE ABILITY TO TURN VERY QUICKLY

AND RAM THE U‐BOAT.

Narrator: Q‐SHIPS WERE DESIGNED

TO INFLICT MAXIMUM DAMAGE IN A COLLISION

WHILE STAYING SEAWORTHY THEMSELVES.

HMS PRESIDENT WAS ONE OF THE 360 Q‐SHIPS BUILT BY THE NAVY.

Cooper: ONE OF THE KEY THINGS YOU'LL NOTICE ABOUT THE SHIP

IS HOW CLOSE THE RIBS OF THE SHIP WERE CONSTRUCTED,

THEREFORE MAKING THE SHIP

AN EXTREMELY STRONG VESSEL ALTOGETHER.

AND IF YOU GO TO THE BOW OF THE SHIP,

IT'S RATHER BEAUTIFUL,

BUT YOU'LL SEE THESE RIBS COME CLOSER AND CLOSER TOGETHER

SO THAT THE ACTUAL POINT OF THE SHIP

ALMOST LOOKS LIKE AN AXE,

AND THE REASON FOR THAT WAS

THAT WAS THE STRENGTH OF THE BOW OF THE SHIP,

REINFORCED AS IT WAS,

COULD TAKE ON ANY U‐BOAT AND DISABLE IT JUST BY RAMMING IT.

Narrator: HMS PRESIDENT WAS BUILT AS A RAM,

BUT SHE ALSO PACKED A LETHAL PUNCH.

SHE HAD TWO 4‐INCH GUNS AND TWO 12‐POUNDERS

TO ATTACK SUBMARINES ON THE SURFACE.

SOME OF THE GUNS WERE INGENIOUSLY CONCEALED.

Cooper: SO THE U‐BOAT CAPTAIN

WOULD BE LOOKING THROUGH HIS PERISCOPE.

HE'D GET HIS CREW TO COME OUT ON DECK,

HAVING BEEN SURE THAT THE SHIP THEY WERE ABOUT TO INSPECT

WAS NOT CARRYING ANY GUNS, AND THEN, WHOOPS...

SIDES WOULD DROP DOWN, LIFEBOATS WOULD TURN INTO GUNS,

ROYAL NAVY CREWS WOULD APPEAR FROM NOWHERE,

AND BEFORE THE U‐BOAT CAPTAIN

COULD GET HIS CREW BACK INTO THE CONNING TOWER,

BACK INTO THE SUBMARINE, BACK DIVE, DIVE, DIVE,

THE Q‐SHIP WOULD HAVE HIT HER AND RAMMED HER

AND DISABLED THE U‐BOAT.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH THE CONCEPT OF Q‐SHIPS WAS DECEPTION,

THE ADMIRALTY INSISTED ON SHIPS' CAPTAINS

STICKING TO THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT.

Cooper: THE MEETING OF A U‐BOAT AND A Q‐SHIP

WAS A LITTLE BIT OF THEATER.

SO BEFORE ANYBODY COULD PULL THE TRIGGER ON ANY GUN

OR TURN THE SHIP TO, IN ACTUAL FACT, RAM THE U‐BOAT,

THE FLAGS HAD TO BE CHANGED

AND THEN MEN IN ROYAL NAVY GEAR COULD APPEAR ON THE DECKS.

SO AN EXCITING PIECE OF THEATER WHICH WOULD TAKE PLACE,

BEING FATAL FOR EITHER THE U‐BOAT OR THE Q‐SHIP.

Narrator: ONE OF THE TWO VESSELS

WAS CERTAIN NOT TO SURVIVE THE ENCOUNTER.

THE Q‐SHIP CONFRONTATIONS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

SHOWED JUST HOW EFFECTIVE DISGUISING A SHIP COULD BE.

20 YEARS LATER, A GERMAN VESSEL WOULD ACHIEVE

AN EVEN GREATER LEVEL OF DECEPTION

AND MAKE AN AMAZING DISCOVERY.

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

THE GERMANS ENGAGED IN THE ART OF DECEPTION

WITH AN AUDACIOUS SCHEME OF THEIR OWN.

THIS IS THE STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CON GAMES

OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

GERMANY KNEW THAT TO WIN THE WAR

THEY HAD TO HIT THE BRITISH MERCHANT FLEET.

BUT THEIR NAVY LACKED RESOURCES.

THREE POCKET BATTLESHIPS WEREN'T ENOUGH.

THEY CAME UP WITH AN INGENIOUS IDEA

OF CONVERTING EXISTING SHIPS

INTO SOMETHING MUCH MORE MENACING.

Andrew Gordon: IF YOU ADD A NUMBER

OF MERCHANT SHIP CONVERSIONS,

WHICH WENT OUT INTO THE SEA LANES IN DISGUISE,

MORE OR LESS EQUIPPED AS Q‐SHIPS,

WITH GUNS AND THINGS

BEHIND BEHIND FALSE BULKHEADS AND SO ON,

THEN THEY, TOO, COULD ACT AS MERCHANT RAIDERS

AND DISRUPT THE PASSAGE OF MERCHANT SHIPS AROUND THE WORLD.

Narrator: ONE OF THE SHIPS THEY CONVERTED

WAS A CARGO SHIP CALLED THE GOLDENFELS.

A FEAT OF NAVAL ENGINEERING AND DISGUISE,

SHE USED HER BEST ATTRIBUTES TO HER ADVANTAGE.

SHE WAS RENAMED ATLANTIS.

♪

Gordon: SHE WAS QUITE A BIG MERCHANT SHIP FOR HER DAY.

AND SHE HAD A RANGE OF ABOUT 60,000 MILES,

WHICH WAS JUST ASTONISHING,

AND NOT REALLY UNTIL NUCLEAR PROPULSION

COULD WARSHIPS MATCH THAT.

Narrator: THE IDEA WAS A SIMPLE ONE.

ATLANTIS WOULD USE HER ENORMOUS RANGE

TO HUNT MERCHANT SHIPS AND CAPTURE OR SINK THEM.

SHE WOULD HAVE THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE,

BECAUSE HER FIREPOWER WOULD BE CLEVERLY CONCEALED.

Gordon: HER WEAPONS WOULD BE HIDDEN BEHIND HINGED BULKHEADS,

WHICH COULD DROP DOWN,

REVEALING GUNS ALREADY LOADED AND WAITING TO OPEN FIRE.

Narrator: IF STOPPED BY A BRITISH WARSHIP,

SHE WOULD BE HARD TO IDENTITY AS AN ENEMY VESSEL.

Gordon: ATLANTIS HAD TO BECOME EXPERT AT DISGUISES,

SO SHE'D HAVE WAYS OF ALTERING HER PROFILE,

AND SHE COULD CLAIM TO BELONG TO VARIOUS DIFFERENT NATIONS,

AND SHE WAS REALLY BUYING TIME,

AND MAYBE IF DARKNESS ARRIVED FAIRLY SOON,

SHE COULD SLIP AWAY BEFORE THE BRITISH CRUISER

GOT THE ANSWER BACK FROM THE ADMIRALTY

AS TO WHETHER THAT WAS A GENUINE IDENTITY OR NOT.

ATLANTIS WOULD BE ABLE TO ALTER THE SHAPE OF HER FUNNEL.

SHE WOULD HAVE FALSE MASTS

OR MAYBE CHANGE THE HEIGHT OF HER MASTS.

SHE COULD CHANGE HER PAINT SCHEME

AND SHE COULD PUT UP CANVAS SCREENS

TO LOOK LIKE BULKHEADS OR STRUCTURES ON BOARD.

Narrator: IN MARCH 1940,

UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN BERNHARD ROGGE,

SHE SAILED FROM GERMANY

WHILE UNDERGOING A NUMBER OF DISGUISES ALONG THE WAY.

INITIALLY, SHE WAS DISGUISED

AS A NEUTRAL SOVIET VESSEL.

AS SHE HEADED FOR THE SHIPPING LANES OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC,

THE KIM TRANSFORMED INTO A JAPANESE VESSEL

CALLED THE KASII MARU.

HER FIRST VICTIM WAS A BRITISH CARGO SHIP CALLED SCIENTIST,

SUNK OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA.

ATLANTIS THEN SAILED EAST,

PRETENDING TO BE A DUTCH SHIP CALLED THE ABBEKERK.

BY NOVEMBER 1940, ATLANTIS HAD SUNK 11 VESSELS.

WHEN POSSIBLE, CAPTAIN ROGGE RESCUED THEIR CREWS

AND TRANSFERRED THEM TO OTHER SHIPS.

HE LOOKED AFTER HIS OWN MEN AS WELL,

SHARING CAPTURED GOODS SUCH AS BEER AND SWEETS.

[CREW LAUGHING]

THE ATLANTIS WAS FEARED.

BRITISH MERCHANT VESSELS BEGAN LENGTHENING THEIR VOYAGES

JUST TO AVOID HER.

THE ROYAL NAVY SENT FOUR WARSHIPS

TO TRACK DOWN THE AUDACIOUS RAIDER.

THEN, ON NOVEMBER 11th,

THE ATLANTIS CAME ACROSS A BRITISH CARGO PASSENGER LINER

CALLED THE AUTOMEDON.

THE CONFRONTATION WOULD REVEAL A SECRET,

HIGHLY ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THE GERMANS AND THEIR ALLIES.

Gordon: AND WHEN SHE'S REALLY QUITE CLOSE,

UP GOES THE GERMAN FLAG, DOWN GO ALL THE FAKE BULKHEADS,

AND SHE STARTS REVEALING HER GUNS

AND STARTS FIRING A COUPLE OF WARNING SHOTS.

AND DOES AN AWFUL LOT OF DAMAGE TO HER SUPERSTRUCTURE

AND UPPER WORKS, KILLING SEVERAL MEN.

Narrator: A BOARDING PARTY CROSSED TO THE AUTOMEDON.

THE EXPECTATION WAS THAT THEY'D DISCOVER WEAPONS, AMMUNITION,

OR EVEN RICHES.

BUT WHAT THEY FOUND WAS FOOD SUPPLIES AND BAGS OF MAIL!

Gordon: IN THE SHIP'S CHART HOUSE

THEY FOUND A GREEN BAG FULL OF SOME DOCUMENTS,

AND THEY JUST GRABBED THEM ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE,

BUT NO INDICATION THAT THIS WAS ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY

EXCEPT ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL INTERCEPTION

AND DESTRUCTION OF AN ALLIED MERCHANT SHIP.

Narrator: CAPTAIN ROGGE COULD READ ENGLISH

AND RECOGNIZED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PAPERS.

Gordon: ON BOARD AUTOMEDON WERE SOME WAR CABINET MINUTES

WHICH CONTAINED A COMPLETELY BLUNT APPRAISAL

OF HOW VULNERABLE BRITAIN HAD BECOME IN THE FAR EAST.

THE PAPERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN OVERBOARD, THEY WEREN'T.

Narrator: THE OFFICER ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THE DOCUMENTS

HAD BEEN KILLED.

BRITAIN'S FAR EAST ASSESSMENT

WAS PARTICULARLY VALUABLE TO JAPAN,

ANXIOUS TO EXPAND ITS EMPIRE

AND TAKE ON BRITISH AND AMERICAN TERRITORIES.

Gordon: THIS MUST COUNT AS THE MOST VALUABLE

AND UNEXPECTED INTELLIGENCE WINDFALL,

POSSIBLY OF THE 20th CENTURY.

THIS IS WORLD STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE,

AND, IN DUE COURSE, THOSE PAPERS ENDED UP

IN POSSESSION OF THE JAPANESE NAVY IN TOKYO.

Narrator: THE JAPANESE REALIZED

THAT IF THEY ATTACKED AN AMERICAN BASE,

BRITAIN COULDN'T HELP.

[EXPLOSION]

THEY TARGETED PEARL HARBOR.

ATLANTIS CONTINUED HER REMARKABLE SECRET MISSION

FOR 12 MORE MONTHS.

THEN, ON NOVEMBER 22nd, SHE RENDEZVOUSED WITH A U‐BOAT

NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC.

SHE WAS SPOTTED BY THE BRITISH HEAVY CRUISER HMS DEVONSHIRE.

THE WARSHIP SIGNALED TO THE MERCHANT VESSEL

TO IDENTIFY HERSELF.

Gordon: DEVONSHIRE ISN'T FOOLED BY THE REPLY ATLANTIS GIVES,

AND SHE HAS THE SENSE TO KEEP AWAY,

OUT OF THE RANGE OF ANY POSSIBLE GUNS

THAT THIS STRANGE SHIP MIGHT HAVE.

AND, IN THE END, SHE ENGAGED ATLANTIS WITH HER 8‐INCH GUNS,

AND THAT IS THE END OF ATLANTIS.

Narrator: CAPTAIN ROGGE WAS THE LAST TO ABANDON SHIP.

HE AND MOST OF THE CREW WERE RESCUED BY A GERMAN U‐BOAT.

DURING HER 602‐DAY VOYAGE,

ATLANTIS ACHIEVED SOME REMARKABLE RESULTS.

SHE SANK 22 SHIPS AND MANAGED TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE WAR.

IN 1986, A DANISH WRECK HUNTER MADE AN AMAZING DISCOVERY

IN THE WATERS BETWEEN DENMARK AND SWEDEN.

IT WAS A GERMAN U‐BOAT, RUMORED TO BE FULL OF NAZI GOLD!

IT WASN'T UNTIL AUGUST 1993

THAT THE SHIP WAS FINALLY BROUGHT TO THE SURFACE.

IT'S NAME: U‐534.

♪

Chris Ince: SHE'S A TYPE IXC/40 U‐BOAT,

SO SHE WAS AN OCEAN‐GOING TYPE.

SHE COULD TRAVEL IN EXCESS OF 13,000 NAUTICAL MILES,

STAY AWAY AT SEA FOR THREE MONTHS.

Narrator: THE SALVAGED SUB WAS ONE OF OVER A THOUSAND

BUILT BY THE GERMAN NAVY.

U‐534 WAS WELL‐ARMED FOR CONFLICT IN THE ATLANTIC.

Ince: SHE WAS EQUIPPED FOR BEING ON THE OFFENSIVE

BY HAVING SIX TORPEDO TUBES;

SHE HAD FOUR TORPEDO TUBES FORWARD AND TWO AFT,

AND SHE COULD FIRE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TORPEDO

AS WELL AS LAYING MINES.

♪

Narrator: SUBMARINES COULD EASILY BE DETECTED

BY SURFACE VESSELS USING SONAR.

BUT U‐534 HAD AN INGENIOUS COUNTER STRATEGY.

Ince: U‐BOATS WERE SOMETIMES EQUIPPED WITH A DEVICE

CALLED THE PILLENWERFER, OR PILL THROWER,

WHICH IS WHERE THE RECTANGULAR OPENING IS THERE.

THAT WOULD HAVE ORIGINALLY HAD A PLATE OVER IT

WITH JUST A SMALL APERTURE.

FROM INSIDE THE U‐BOAT

THEY COULD FIRE OUT A CANISTER OF A CHEMICAL

WHICH WOULD REACT WITH SEAWATER, AND THAT WOULD FIZZ VERY LOUDLY,

WHICH WOULD REALLY DISRUPT THE SONAR ON ANY ALLIED SHIPS.

Narrator: DESPITE BRISTLING WITH FIREPOWER,

U‐534 WAS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTACK SUBMARINE.

IT HAD A LITTLE‐KNOWN BUT CRUCIAL ROLE

IN THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC.

Ince: SHE WAS USED FOR TRAINING AND FOR WEAPONS TESTING,

AND AN IMPORTANT ROLE THAT SHE WAS USED FOR

AND ONE OF HER BIGGEST PATROLS

WAS ACTUALLY WEATHER FORECASTING,

WEATHER REPORTING OUT IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC.

IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE WAR EFFORT

TO KNOW WHAT WEATHER WAS COMING ACROSS TO EUROPE.

Narrator: BY 1945, THE ALLIES HAD THE UPPER HAND.

THEY HAD WARSHIPS EQUIPPED

WITH SOPHISTICATED DEPTH CHARGES AND SHORT‐WAVE RADAR SETS.

THE U‐BOAT CREWS WERE ON THE RUN.

Ince: CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WERE FAIRLY POOR, ACTUALLY.

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE WAR

WHEN THEY WERE BEING VERY SUCCESSFUL, REASONABLY GOOD,

BUT AS WE GOT BETTER AND BETTER AT SINKING THEM,

THEIR CHANCES STARTED TO REALLY DIMINISH.

SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 40,000 MEN

WERE TRAINED TO WORK ON U‐BOATS DURING WORLD WAR II,

AND ABOUT 30,000 OF THEM WERE KILLED.

IT'S A 75% MORTALITY RATE; IT WAS REALLY HARSH.

Narrator: U‐534 SHOULD HAVE HAD

A GOOD CHANCE TO SURVIVE THE WAR.

[EXPLOSION]

BY MAY 1945, GERMANY WAS CLOSE TO SURRENDER.

HITLER WAS DEAD, BERLIN HAD FALLEN,

AND ON MAY 5th, THE GERMAN NAVY ORDERED ALL SUBMARINES,

INCLUDING U‐534, TO SURRENDER.

♪

BUT HER CREW HAD OTHER IDEAS.

U‐534 WAS SPOTTED BY RAF LIBERATOR BOMBERS

OFF THE COAST OF DENMARK.

Ince: SHE MADE NO ATTEMPT TO SURRENDER,

AND IN FACT SHE OPENED FIRE ON THEM,

SUCCEEDING IN SHOOTING ONE OF THEM DOWN.

ONE OF THE LIBERATOR BOMBERS

SUCCEEDED IN DROPPING A DEPTH CHARGE,

WHICH LANDED UPON THE DECK BEHIND US.

IT ROLLED OFF, DETONATED,

CAUSING THE DAMAGE THAT WE CAN SEE HERE.

SO CLEARLY WE CAN SEE THE DAMAGE TO THE OUTER HULL,

IT'S JUST A THIN PLATING THERE, BUT INSIDE IS THE PRESSURE HULL.

THAT PRESSURE HULL WAS COMPLETELY RUPTURED,

THERE IS A LARGE SPLIT IN IT, AND IT LET IN SEAWATER.

IT WAS UNRECOVERABLE,

SO THE ORDER WAS GIVEN TO ABANDON SHIP.

Narrator: 47 MEN ESCAPED IN RAFTS,

BUT FIVE WENT DOWN WITH THE BOAT,

TRAPPED IN THE TORPEDO ROOM.

AFTER THE SUB HIT THE SEABED 200 FEET DOWN, THEY BAILED OUT.

Ince: ONCE THE FORWARD TORPEDO ROOM HAD FLOODED,

THEY WERE ABLE TO OPEN THE TORPEDO LOADING HATCH

AND SURFACE.

SADLY ONE OF THOSE GUYS PASSED AWAY,

HAVING HELD HIS BREATH AS HE SURFACED,

AND THAT CAUSED TERRIBLE LUNG DAMAGE.

WE THINK THE OTHER TWO DIED FROM EXPOSURE.

Narrator: TWO MEN MANAGED TO ESCAPE AND SURVIVE.

IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT ONLY THREE MEN FROM U‐534 DIED.

BUT WHY DID THE CAPTAIN PUT THEIR LIVES AT RISK?

WHY DID U‐534 REFUSE TO SURRENDER?

FOR YEARS AFTER THE WAR,

THERE WAS INTENSE SPECULATION THAT SHE WAS CARRYING NAZI GOLD.

THIS LED TO THE SALVAGE OPERATION IN 1993.

BROUGHT UP WITH THE SUB WERE CREW RECORDS AND DOCUMENTS‐‐

EVEN A LEGENDARY ENIGMA CIPHER MACHINE.

BUT THERE WAS NO NAZI GOLD.

THERE WAS, HOWEVER, AN AMAZING FIND‐‐

A SECRET REVOLUTIONARY TORPEDO CALLED THE T‐11.

Ince: THIS WAS CUTTING‐EDGE TECHNOLOGY

AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II.

IT WAS AN ACOUSTIC TORPEDO,

SO IT WOULD LISTEN OUT FOR ITS TARGET.

HERE AT THE NOSE IS WHERE

ALL THE LISTENING EQUIPMENT AND TECH WAS,

LEADING ONTO THE WARHEAD.

THIS WARHEAD, 440 POUNDS OF HEXANITE HIGH EXPLOSIVE.

Narrator: ACOUSTIC TORPEDOES STRUCK

BY HOMING IN ON THE SHOCKWAVES

CREATED BY A SHIP'S ROTATING PROPELLER.

HOWEVER, THE ALLIES HAD DESIGNED A DECOY KNOWN AS A FOXER‐‐

A DEVICE TOWED BEHIND A SHIP

SIMULATING THE NOISE OF A PROPELLER.

Ince: THIS VERSION, THE T‐11, WAS ACTUALLY INTELLIGENT

AND IT COULD TELL THE DIFFERENCE.

RATHER THAN JUST LISTEN OUT FOR THE LOUDEST SOUND,

IT WOULD PICK OUT THE ACTUAL SHIP'S PROPELLER

RATHER THAN THE FOXER DEVICE.

Narrator: THIS HIGH‐TECH TORPEDO COULD BE THE REASON

WHY U‐534'S SKIPPER REFUSED TO GIVE UP HIS SUB.

ONE THEORY IS THAT HE WAS TRYING TO GET IT TO JAPAN‐‐

GERMANY'S ALLY STILL FIGHTING IN THE PACIFIC.

Ince: SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SMUGGLING

THIS LATEST WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY OFF TO THEIR ALLIES IN JAPAN.

SHE HAD THE RANGE TO GET THERE.

SHE WAS FULLY FUELED UP, FULL OF FOOD,

AND QUITE EASILY COULD HAVE DONE THAT JOURNEY.

Narrator: BUT IF U‐534 HAD MADE IT TO JAPAN,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO LATE TO ALTER THE COURSE OF THE WAR.

BUT IT WASN'T JUST THE GERMANS.

THE U. S. HAD SURPRISES OF THEIR OWN.

THEY WERE GETTING READY FOR A MASSIVE INVASION,

AND A SECRET EXPERIMENTAL VESSEL WAS A KEY PART OF THE PLAN.

AMONG THE ICONIC WORLD WAR II PATROL BOATS

IN THE BATTLESHIP COVE MUSEUM IN MASSACHUSETTS

IS AN ODD‐LOOKING WOODEN CRAFT.

WHEN THE MUSEUM ACQUIRED IT IN THE 1970s,

THEY BELIEVED IT WAS A JAPANESE KAMIKAZE BOAT,

BUILT FOR SUICIDE MISSIONS AGAINST ALLIED WARSHIPS.

THEN, IN 2011, CLASSIFIED CIA DOCUMENTS WERE RELEASED,

REVEALING IT TO BE NOTHING OF THE KIND.

THE BOAT WAS NOT JAPANESE, BUT IN FACT, AMERICAN.

IT WAS A SEMI‐SUBMERSIBLE,

DEVELOPED AND BUILT BY THE FORERUNNER OF THE CIA‐‐

THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES‐‐THE OSS.

Donald Shannon: IT WAS DESIGNED TO RUN SHALLOW IN THE WATER

JUST ENOUGH FOR THE GLASS CUPOLA AND THE STACKS

TO BE ABOVE THE WATER.

ONLY TWO OF THESE VESSELS WERE BUILT.

Narrator: THE MEN WHO DEVELOPED THIS SECRET CRAFT

NICKNAMED IT GIZMO.

♪

GIZMO WAS BUILT FOR THE PACIFIC WAR VERSION OF D‐DAY‐‐

AN AMPHIBIOUS INVASION OF JAPAN CALLED OPERATION OLYMPIC.

X‐DAY, AS IT WAS KNOWN, WOULD BE NOVEMBER 1, 1945.

SUPPORTED BY BOMBERS,

OVER 42 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS AND 400 DESTROYERS

WOULD BE INVOLVED.

INTELLIGENCE ON MILITARY BASES NEAR THE INVASION SITES

WAS ESSENTIAL.

KOREAN SPIES WERE KEY TO OPERATION OLYMPIC'S SUCCESS.

KOREA HAD BEEN UNDER JAPANESE CONTROL SINCE 1905,

AND THERE WERE PLENTY OF RECRUITS AVAILABLE.

Shannon: THE IDEA WAS THESE TWO VESSELS

WERE GONNA BE OPERATED BY ONE OSS AGENT PILOTING IT

AND TWO KOREAN OPERATIVES INSIDE THE VESSEL.

THEY WOULD BE TRANSPORTED IN ON A SUBMARINE.

THEY WOULD SNEAK IN AT NIGHT USING A COMPASS WITH NO LIGHT,

NAVIGATE INTO THE BEACH OF JAPAN,

DROP OFF TWO KOREAN OPERATIVES, RETURN TO THE SUBMARINE,

PICK UP TWO MORE KOREAN OPERATIVES

AND MAKE THE TRIP ONE MORE TIME.

A SEVEN‐HOUR TRIP WITH THREE MEN IN THIS VERY SMALL VESSEL.

THE STEERING MECHANISM

IS ACTUALLY VERY MUCH LIKE A SIMILAR, LIKE GO‐KART‐‐

JUST A SMALL HANDLE YOU PUSH BACK AND FORTH FOR THE RUDDER.

Narrator: THE GIZMOS WERE TESTED AT NIGHT, WITHOUT PERMISSION,

OUTSIDE THE LOS ANGELES NAVAL BASE.

IF DISCOVERED, THEY WOULD BE TREATED AS ENEMY VESSELS.

Shannon: THE IDEA WAS TO SNEAK INTO THE NAVAL BASE UNDETECTED‐‐

EVEN THE NAVAL BASE WAS NOT AWARE

THAT THEY WERE SNEAKING IN‐‐

TO MAKE THE CHALLENGE MORE REALISTIC.

Narrator: THE GIZMOS SUCCEEDED EVERY TIME,

THANKS TO THEIR INGENIOUS DESIGN.

Shannon: THE LOW PROFILE

JUST RUNNING JUST ABOVE THE WATER

WAS ONE WAY TO AVOID THE RADAR.

THE STACKS ABOVE THE WATERLINE

WERE ACTUALLY WRAPPED WITH STEEL WOOL

TO ALSO DEFLECT THE RADAR SIGNALS.

Narrator: BUT X‐DAY AND OPERATION OLYMPIC

NEVER MATERIALIZED.

THE GIZMO TEAMS NEVER MADE IT BEYOND AMERICAN WATERS.

UNKNOWN TO ANY OF THEM,

A PARALLEL STRATEGY TO END THE WAR WAS BEING DEVELOPED.

[EXPLOSION]

ON AUGUST 6th AN ATOMIC BOMB WAS DROPPED

ON THE JAPANESE CITY OF HIROSHIMA.

JAPAN SURRENDERED NINE DAYS LATER.

THE SECRET GIZMO PROJECT WAS CANCELLED.

BUT 60 YEARS OF INTRIGUE, SPYING AND DECEPTION WASN'T OVER.

IT HAD BECOME PART AND PARCEL OF MODERN WARFARE.

THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

MEANT THAT ALL THAT CREATIVITY AND INGENUITY

WOULD NOW BE DIRECTED AT A NEW ENEMY...

THE SOVIET UNION.

THE SECRETS AND LIES CONTINUED.