NARRATOR: THESE ARE THE WRECKS OF WORLD WAR II.
SOME OF ITS GREATEST MYSTERIES LIE BENEATH THE SEA.
IMAGINE IF WE COULD EMPTY OCEANS,
LETTING WATER DRAIN AWAY,
TO REVEAL SECRETS FROM THE DEEP.
NOW, USING THE LATEST UNDERSEA SCANNING TECHNOLOGY,
WE CAN DRAIN THE OCEANS.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE CAN CATCH SIGHT OF ANSWERS
TO LONGSTANDING QUESTIONS.
PEARL HARBOR, WHO FIRED THE FIRST SHOT?
WHO SANK THE GERMAN SUPER SHIP, BISMARCK?
D-DAY, WHY IS THERE A TANK BATTALION UNDERWATER,
OFF THE COAST OF FRANCE?
DISCOVER A WORLD OF DROWNED MYSTERIES AS
NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN,
"DRAIN THE OCEAN, WWII."
[HULL EXPANDING]
NEW UNDERWATER SCIENTIFIC SURVEYS PIERCE THE DEEP OCEANS.
POWERFUL COMPUTERS TURN ACCURATE DATA INTO 3D IMAGES.
NOW WE CAN EXAMINE SUNKEN WRECKS IN DETAIL
FROM ANY ANGLE.
DRAINING THE OCEANS THROWS NEW LIGHT ON WORLD WAR II.
THE PACIFIC OCEAN, SCENE OF A DEVASTATING
SURPRISE ATTACK ON A HAWAIIAN ISLAND AND
ITS KEY AMERICAN NAVAL BASE, PEARL HARBOR.
JAMES DELGADO: PEARL HARBOR WAS GROUND ZERO.
THE JAPANESE ATTACK CHANGED EVERYTHING.
NARRATOR: IMAGINE IF WE COULD PULL A PLUG TO LET THE WATERS
OF PEARL HARBOR DRAIN AWAY.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE CAN CONSTRUCT A PRECISE PICTURE
OF THE MIGHTY BATTLESHIP USS ARIZONA.
THE MOST INFAMOUS SINKING ON THAT DAY.
MOST SHIPS SUNK IN THE ATTACK WERE BROUGHT
TO THE SURFACE AGAIN.
WHY NOT THE ARIZONA?
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 7, 1941.
SHIPS OF THE U.S. PACIFIC FLEET ARE IN HARBOR.
AMERICA IS NOT AT WAR.
UNEXPECTEDLY, JAPANESE BOMBERS ATTACK.
THERE IS NO WARNING.
[EXPLOSIONS]
HERB WEATHERWAX: THAT SUNDAY MORNING I HEARD
A VERY LOUD EXPLOSION.
I TURNED THE RADIO ON TO SEE WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF IT.
THEY SAID THE JAPANESE HAVE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR.
NARRATOR: IN UNDER TWO HOURS,
JAPANESE BOMBING CLAIMS 2,400 LIVES AND
DESTROYS OR DAMAGES OVER 300 PLANES AND 20 SHIPS.
THE BATTLESHIP ARIZONA EXPLODES WITH A DEAFENING BANG.
SCOTT PAWLOWSKI: PEOPLE SAID IF YOU HEARD THAT EXPLOSION
YOU'D NEVER FORGET IT.
[LOUD EXPLOSION]
NARRATOR: NEARLY HALF THE CASUALTIES THAT DAY WERE
ON THE ARIZONA.
HERB WEATHERWAX: WATER WAS ON FIRE,
THE WHOLE AREA WAS JUST BLACK WITH SMOKE.
1,177 KILLED.
THESE ARE ALL YOUNG PEOPLE,
THEY WENT TO BED AND NEVER GOT UP.
NARRATOR: MOST OF THE FLEET WERE SALVAGED AND
REPAIRED TO FIGHT IN THE WAR.
THE ARIZONA REMAINS WHERE SHE SANK,
A MEMORIAL FOR VISITORS STANDING OVER HER.
SHE LIES IN SHALLOW WATER,
A WAR GRAVE.
HANS VAN TILBURG: THE WAY THE SHIP IS SETTLING INTO THE MUD,
THERE ARE BUBBLES COMING UP,
THE SHIP IS CREAKING AND GROANING,
IT'S A LITTLE BIT SPOOKY AT TIMES.
NARRATOR: AFTER THE ATTACK,
THE U.S. NAVY ATTEMPTED TO RECOVER ALL THE OTHER SHIPS.
BUT NOT THE ARIZONA.
IF WE COULD DRAIN THE SEA FROM PEARL HARBOR,
WOULD WE DISCOVER WHY THEY DIDN'T REFLOAT
THIS GREAT BATTLESHIP?
NOW, USING THE MOST RECENT SURVEY DATA,
WE CAN DRAIN PEARL HARBOR.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE WILL SEE THE DROWNED VESSEL
AS SHE IS TODAY, BUT THIS TIME HIGH AND DRY.
THE FACT BASED, HIGH RESOLUTION VISUALIZATION TAKES
US TO THE CRUMBLED BOW,
AND LEADS US TO THE ANSWER.
AN ARMOR PIERCING BOMB HIT ARIZONA'S
FORWARD AMMUNITION STORE.
IT SET OFF MORE THAN A MILLION POUNDS OF GUNPOWDER.
THE DAMAGE IS EXTRAORDINARY.
THE FORCE SLICED HER HULL IN TWO.
SCOTT PAWLOWSKI: DOWN BY THE FO'C'SLE,
WHERE THE BLAST LITERALLY BLEW THE BOW OFF,
THERE'S A CRACK ABOUT AS WIDE AS MY FIST THAT STARTS ON THE
EDGE OF THE VESSEL AND GOES CLEAR DOWN TO THE KEEL.
HANS VAN TILBURG: THE CRACK RUNS THROUGH THE
ENTIRE SHIP AND DOWN THE SIDES OF THE HULL.
THAT'S MAJOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE VESSEL,
WHICH IS WHY THEY GAVE UP THE THOUGHT OF
BRINGING THAT SHIP UP.
NARRATOR: NOW PEARL HARBOR IS DRAINED OF WATER,
IT'S CLEAR FOR ALL TO SEE.
USS ARIZONA REMAINS ON THE BOTTOM BECAUSE THE BREAK IN
HER HULL WAS TOO BIG FOR HER TO BE REPAIRED OR FLOATED.
AS THE OCEAN RUSHES AWAY OUTSIDE THE HARBOR,
THE SIGHT OF ANOTHER, BIGGER MYSTERY IS ABOUT TO
BE UNCOVERED, ONE THAT WAS POISED TO REWRITE HISTORY.
DID THE JAPANESE REALLY FIRE THE FIRST SHOT
ON DECEMBER 7, 1941?
[GUN BLAST]
OVER AN HOUR BEFORE JAPAN'S SURPRISE ATTACK,
AN AMERICAN DESTROYER CLAIMS IT FIRED ON A JAPANESE SUBMARINE,
AND SANK IT.
IF TRUE, THEN THE UNITED STATES, NOT JAPAN,
FIRED FIRST IN A PACIFIC WAR.
THE SUBMARINE VANISHES, NO GENERAL ALARM IS RAISED,
THE AUTHORITIES THINK THE CREW OF THE
USS WARD MUST BE MISTAKEN.
THE MEN CANNOT PROVE THEY HIT ANYTHING.
HANS VAN TILBURG: IN THOSE DAYS,
RIGHT BEFORE THIS IMPENDING CONFLICT,
THERE HAD LIKELY BEEN A NUMBER OF FALSE SIGHTINGS.
THE REPORT THAT THE WARD MADE WENT AS ANOTHER POTENTIAL
SIGHTING THAT THEY COULDN'T FOLLOW UP ON.
NARRATOR: DID THE WARD SINK AN ENEMY SUBMARINE OVER AN HOUR
BEFORE THE SHOCK ATTACK?
THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE IS TO FIND THAT SUB.
NARRATOR: IN THE '90S, SUBMERSIBLE PILOT TERRY KERBY
SET OUT TO FIND THE SUBMARINE.
TERRY KERBY: THERE IT IS.
NARRATOR: FOR HIS TEAM FROM THE HAWAII UNDERSEA RESEARCH LAB,
THE MISSION TURNED INTO A MARATHON.
LUCKILY, THEIR HIGH TECH CRAFT CAN DIVE DEEP.
TERRY KERBY: PISCES 5 IS CAPABLE OF DIVING TO
2,000 METERS AND A NORMAL DIVE USUALLY LASTS ABOUT 8 HOURS.
YOU USUALLY LAUNCH AT 8 IN THE MORNING AND
IT'S BACK ON DECK BY 5PM.
NARRATOR: THE HUNT FOR A JAPANESE SUB SUPPOSEDLY SUNK
OVER AN HOUR BEFORE THE AIR ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR
PROVED HARDER THAN EXPECTED.
CHRISTOPHER KELLEY: WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THERE WAS A
GREAT DEAL OF OBJECTS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE SUBMARINE.
WE ACTUALLY WOUND UP WITH SOMETHING LIKE 37 DIFFERENT
POSSIBLE TARGETS THAT COULD BE THE WARD SUB.
NARRATOR: TERRY HAD NO ACCURATE POSITION DATA FROM
1941, BUT WAR RECORDS CONFIRM TWO-MAN JAPANESE
MINI SUBS WERE SECRETLY TRYING TO SNEAK
INTO PEARL HARBOR.
JAMES DELGADO: THE IDEA WAS TO LAUNCH THEM AS IF
THEY WERE TINY, LITTLE HORNETS BUZZING OUT OF A NEST.
CARRYING TWO TORPEDOES, THEY COULD DART IN AND OUT OF
A MAIN BATTLE LINE, FIRE THEIR TORPEDOES, COME BACK,
RECHARGE THEIR BATTERIES, BE RELOADED
AND GO AND FIGHT AGAIN.
NARRATOR: MONTHS TURNED INTO YEARS.
DID USS WARD TRULY HIT A JAPANESE SUBMARINE?
EVENTUALLY, EVIDENCE LOOMS INTO SIGHT.
[INAUDIBLE RADIO CHATTER].
TERRY KERBY: THAT WAS AN EXCITING DAY,
AFTER TEN YEARS FINALLY COMING ACROSS AND
IN PERFECT CONDITION,
IT JUST CONNECTS YOU WITH THAT HISTORY.
CHRISTOPHER KELLEY: WHEN WE FOUND IT,
IT WAS JUST ELATION AND THE NEXT PART WAS THERE'S
TWO PEOPLE INSIDE OF IT.
THEN IT BECAME A LITTLE BIT MORE EMOTIONAL,
JUST THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED
AND WHAT THEIR FINAL MOMENTS WERE LIKE.
NARRATOR: IS THIS THE SUB THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR?
SILT ON THE SEA FLOOR IS EASILY DISTURBED.
ONLY GLIMPSES OF THE SUB ARE SEEN.
IF WE COULD DRAIN THE SEA OUTSIDE PEARL HARBOR,
COULD WE SEE THE SUBMARINE IN PRECISE DETAIL AND CAST
LIGHT ON EVIDENCE CONFIRMING THE WARD'S CLAIM?
NOW, COMBINING THE VERY LATEST VISUAL VIDEO AND SONAR DATA,
WE CAN PULL THE PLUG ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
¶ ¶
WE CAN VIEW TERRY'S FIND FROM ANY ANGLE.
WE CAN EXAMINE IT IN UNEXPECTED DETAIL.
AFTER DECADES ON THE BOTTOM,
THE JAPANESE MIDGET SUB IS AMAZINGLY INTACT.
AND ON ITS RIGHT SIDE, THERE'S A FOUR INCH HOLE,
EXACTLY WHERE THE AMERICAN DESTROYER WARD
REPORTED HITTING HER.
THIS REMARKABLE DISCOVERY SETTLES THE ARGUMENT.
CHRISTOPHER KELLEY: WE COULD CONFIRM TO THE WARD SURVIVORS
THAT THEY DID INDEED SINK THAT SUBMARINE,
WHICH WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
THAT SUBMARINE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY GOTTEN INTO
THE HARBOR IF THEY HADN'T SUNK IT.
JAMES DELGADO: THAT WAS THE FIRST SHOT FIRED IN ANGER BY
THE UNITED STATES IN THE PACIFIC WAR AND IT SANK THAT
MIDGET SUB IN MORE THAN 1,000 FEET OF WATER.
NARRATOR: THE U.S. NAVY DID ENGAGE A HOSTILE SUB OFF
PEARL HARBOR OVER AN HOUR BEFORE THE FIRST BOMBS FELL,
YET NO ALARM WAS RAISED ON THE ISLAND.
AFTER THE WAR, THE U.S. CONGRESS FOUND THE ATTACK ON
THE SUB SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS THE
IMMEDIATE BASIS FOR AN ALL-OUT ALERT.
JAMES DELGADO: TO WHAT EXTENT WOULD THE UNITED STATES ARMED
FORCES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESPOND IS HARD TO SAY.
PEOPLE WOULD HOPE THEY WOULD.
NARRATOR: JAPAN'S SHOCK ASSAULT ON PEARL HARBOR
CHANGES THE DIRECTION OF WORLD WAR II.
ITS ALLY, GERMANY, DECLARES WAR ON THE USA.
MORE SHIPS ARE SUNK.
IF WE WERE ABLE TO PEEL BACK THE LAYERS OF WATER
AND DRAIN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,
WE WOULD DISCOVER THE GERMAN BATTLESHIP, BISMARCK,
BUILT TO BE UNSINKABLE.
ERIC GROVE: BISMARCK WAS DESIGNED TO TAKE HITS AND
SINKING HER WAS ANOTHER MATTER ALTOGETHER.
NARRATOR: DRAINING BISMARCK FOR THE FIRST TIME SHEDS LIGHT
ON THE QUESTION, "WHAT SANK GERMANY'S LARGEST BATTLESHIP?"
AT LAUNCH, BISMARCK IS GERMANY'S BIGGEST EVER WARSHIP.
HER CREW NUMBERS OVER 2,000 MEN.
EIGHT MASSIVE, 15 INCH GUNS CAN FIRE SHELLS WEIGHING
ALMOST A TON, 24 MILES.
HER FIRST MISSION,
DESTROY BRITISH CONVOYS IN THE ATLANTIC.
MAY 24, 1941,
HMS HOOD, PRIDE OF BRITAIN'S ROYAL NAVY,
LAUNCHES AN ATTACK ON THE BISMARCK.
WESTERN APPROACHES COMMAND, BRITAIN'S SECRET NAVAL CENTER,
PLOTS THE BATTLE.
ERIC GROVE: THIS TOOK PLACE IN THE DENMARK STRAIT HERE,
AS THE GERMAN SHIPS WERE COMING OUT OF THIS PASSAGE
BETWEEN GREENLAND AND ICELAND.
BISMARCK FIRES VERY ACCURATELY,
THE HOOD IS HIT IN ONE OF HER ACHILLES HEEL AREAS,
A MAGAZINE BLOWS UP, IN FACT,
SHE BLOWS UP VIRTUALLY FROM END TO END.
NARRATOR: HOOD'S CREW OF 1,418 MEN ARE ALL KILLED,
SAVE THREE.
THE LOSS OF THE ROYAL NAVY'S ICONIC WARSHIP REACHES
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, CHURCHILL.
HIS ORDER GOES OUT, SINK THE BISMARCK.
WILLIAM JURENS: THE ROYAL NAVY WOULD NOT LET HER GET AWAY.
NARRATOR: OVER 50 BRITISH WARSHIPS RACE AFTER HER.
BISMARCK FINISHES ALMOST 16,000 FEET DOWN.
SHE WAS HIT MANY, MANY TIMES.
ERIC GROVE: IF YOU LOOK AT THE WRECK TODAY,
THE NUMBER OF HOLES IN THAT WRECK IS QUITE REMARKABLE.
NARRATOR: IF WE COULD DRAIN THE OCEAN,
WOULD WE SEE WHAT FINALLY SANK THE SHIP
THAT WAS MEANT TO BE UNSINKABLE?
NARRATOR: TODAY, STATE OF THE ART UNDERWATER SURVEYS
ALLOW US TO PULL THE PLUG ON THE OCEAN AND
DRAIN THE ATLANTIC ITSELF.
TRILLIONS OF GALLONS OF SEAWATER DISAPPEAR,
TO REVEAL LONG-HIDDEN SECRETS.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE EXPOSE BISMARCK LYING
THREE MILES DOWN.
SEEING HER IN THIS UNIQUE LIGHT UNCOVERS
AN ASTONISHING QUESTION.
DID THE BRITISH SEND HER TO THE SEA FLOOR?
OR DID THE GERMANS SINK THEIR OWN SHIP?
MAY 26, 1941, THE BRITISH HAVE BEEN
DESPERATELY SEARCHING FOR BISMARCK.
FINALLY, PLANES FROM AIRCRAFT CARRIER HMS ARK ROYAL
GET HER IN THEIR SIGHTS.
THEY ATTACK WITH TORPEDOES.
ONE MAKES A LUCKY STRIKE.
ERIC GROVE: IT HIT ON THE STERN,
THE VERY WEAK POINT OF EVEN THE MOST POWERFULLY
APT BATTLESHIP.
NARRATOR: NOW BISMARCK'S WRECK IS PLAIN TO SEE,
WE CAN EXAMINE IN FORENSIC DETAIL THE
TORPEDOES' CRIPPLING BLOW.
ONE OF BISMARCK'S TWO RUDDERS IS BUCKLED,
DAMAGING THE STEERING GEAR.
THE OTHER RUDDER IS BLOWN OFF ALTOGETHER.
UNABLE TO STEER, THERE IS NO ESCAPE AS THE BRITISH FLEET
CLOSE IN FOR THE KILL.
WILLIAM JURENS: THE CAPTAIN KNEW WITHIN FIVE MINUTES,
IF HE DIDN'T HAVE RUDDERS HE WAS IN BIG TROUBLE.
ERIC GROVE: SHE WAS VERY MUCH A SITTING DUCK.
THE BRITISH ARE ABLE TO OPEN FIRE ON HER AND
THEY JUST KEEP HITTING HER.
NARRATOR: IN THE CLEAR LIGHT OF DAY,
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 70 YEARS,
BISMARCK'S DAMAGE CAN BE SEEN BY ALL.
RELENTLESS BRITISH SHELLING DESTROYS HER GUNS AND CREW.
MORE TORPEDOES HIT, TEARING INTO SECTIONS OF THE HULL.
PARTS OF THE SHIP BEGIN TO FILL WITH WATER.
WILLIAM JURENS: THE ONES THAT REALLY HURT WERE THE LARGER
ONES FROM THE SURFACE SHIPS.
THEY MADE FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL HOLES
AND PROBABLY SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IN.
[GUN BLAST]
NARRATOR: AFTER CONSTANT ATTACK FROM DUSK 'TIL DAWN,
THE UNSINKABLE BISMARCK GOES DOWN.
HER SINKING STARTS A CONTROVERSY.
ERIC GROVE: THE CLASSIC QUESTION ABOUT THE SINKING OF
THE BISMARCK IS DID BRITISH SINK HER OR
DID HER OWN CREW SINK HER?
WAS SHE SCUTTLED OR WAS SHE SUNK?
NARRATOR: IF BISMARCK WAS SUNK SOLELY BY BRITISH SHELLS,
WATER WOULD ONLY FLOOD THE AREAS THEY HIT.
AS BISMARCK WENT DOWN, UNDAMAGED SECTIONS FULL OF
AIR WOULD COLLAPSE UNDER PRESSURE.
HER HULL WOULD SOON CRUSH.
BUT THE TRUE-TO-LIFE DATA-BASED VISUALIZATION
SHOWS BISMARCK ISN'T CRUSHED.
THERE WERE NO LARGE POCKETS OF AIR.
CAREFUL EXAMINATION REVEALS TORPEDO DAMAGE
WEAKENED SOME HULL PLATES.
WATER INSIDE THE SHIP BURST MORE PLATES OUTWARDS
WHEN SHE HIT THE SEA FLOOR,
EVIDENCE BISMARCK WAS COMPLETELY FLOODED.
HER CREW HAD DELIBERATELY LET IN WATER.
THEY HELPED SINK THEIR OWN SHIP.
WILLIAM JURENS: THE CREW REALLY HAD NO CHOICE WHATSOEVER,
THEY WERE GOING TO BE FACED WITH AN ACTION WHERE
THEY WERE GOING TO BE SUNK BY THE ROYAL NAVY.
ERIC GROVE: THEY KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO DIE.
THE ONLY THING THEY COULD DO HONORABLY,
OTHER THAN SURRENDER WHICH WASN'T HONORABLE,
WAS TO SINK THEMSELVES, SO THEY COMPLETED THE PROCESS.
BOTH SIDES CAN TAKE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PRIDE,
I THINK, IN THIS.
SHE WAS SCUTTLED AND SHE WAS SUNK, TOGETHER.
NARRATOR: THE GERMANS TURN TO MORE SECRET OPERATIONS.
WORLD WAR II'S BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC GROWS FIERCER.
ALONG AMERICA'S EAST COAST, HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN WRECKS
SUNK BY GERMANY SCATTER THE SEA BED.
JOE HOYT: THIS IS AN AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD.
IT'S RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD AND IT'S REALLY NOT WELL-KNOWN.
NARRATOR: HOW DID THE ENEMY MOUNT SECRET ATTACKS
3,000 MILES FROM GERMAN BASES?
TO ANSWER THIS, WE DRAIN THE SEAS OFF NORTH CAROLINA.
CAPE HATTERAS, ON THE USA'S EASTERN SEABOARD.
COASTAL MERCHANTMEN TRAVEL ALONG SHIPPING LANES
CLOSE TO SHORE.
IN EARLY 1942, THIS AREA ATTRACTED NAZI U-BOATS IN
SEARCH OF EASY TARGETS.
JAMES DELGADO: IT WAS A SPOT WHERE, BECAUSE OF SHOALS,
SHIPS WOULD HAVE TO SLOW DOWN AND AS LARGE AMOUNTS OF
TRAFFIC MOVED DURING WORLD WAR II,
IT WAS A POINT WELL KNOWN TO THE GERMANS,
WHERE THEY COULD CONGREGATE, WAIT AND JUST START SHOOTING.
NARRATOR: TODAY, MARITIME ARCHEOLOGIST JOE HOYT SEARCHES
FOR THE MANY SHIPS THE U-BOATS SANK.
HIS SIDE-SCAN SONAR MAPS THE SEABED.
MAN: OVERHEAD ONE TIME.
JOE HOYT: BASICALLY, WHAT THIS IS, IS THERE'S
TWO CHANNELS ON EITHER SIDE.
THESE ARE TRANSDUCERS THAT ARE SENDING OUT AN ACTIVE
SONAR SOUND WAVE AND CREATING AN IMAGE OF THE BOTTOM.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE GONNA GO OFF THE BACK DECK,
WE'RE GONNA DEPLOY IT IN THE WATER, PAY IT OUT,
LET IT SETTLE OUT BEHIND THE BOAT SO IT CAN
ACTUALLY START RUNNING THE SURVEY.
ALL RIGHT, PAY OUT, PAY OUT.
NARRATOR: THE SURVEY IS SEARCHING FOR EVIDENCE
OVER 70 YEARS OLD.
THE SONAR PENETRATES RIGHT TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE SHIPPING LANES.
JOE HOYT: NOW WE'RE SET UP, IT'S COLLECTING DATA,
SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE SEEING THIS IS AN ACTUAL IMAGE OF THE
SEABED AND AS YOU CAN, THERE'S NOT MUCH HERE.
IT CAN BE TEDIOUS, BUT IT ALL PAYS OFF WHEN YOU COME ACROSS
SOMETHING THAT YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
MAN: RUDDER MID-SHIP.
NARRATOR: JOE'S DETAILED SURVEY WILL ALLOW US TO PEEL
BACK THE WATER, REVEALING HOW U-BOATS SANK SO MANY
SHIPS WITHOUT BEING CAUGHT.
NARRATOR: IMAGINE PULLING A PLUG ON THE OCEAN.
THE WAVES OF THE U.S. EAST COAST DRAIN AWAY.
BANISHING WATERS EXPOSE A SHIP SUNK BY A GERMAN U-BOAT.
AFTER MORE THAN 70 YEARS ON THE SEABED,
SHE IS BROUGHT INTO THE LIGHT OF DAY.
THIS IS THE DIXIE ARROW, AN UNARMED MERCHANT VESSEL.
HER CARGO, 86,000 BARRELS OF OIL.
A CREW OF 33.
THIS UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS HER AFTER BEING TORPEDOED.
11 MEN DIED.
DIXIE ARROW WAS ONE OF MANY.
IN SIX MONTHS, GERMAN U-BOATS SANK NEARLY 400
SHIPS OFF THE EAST COAST OF THE U.S.
25 OFF CAPE HATTERAS ALONE.
THEY TOOK ROUGHLY 5,000 LIVES.
JOE HOYT: THE FIRST SHIPS STARTED SINKING IN
JANUARY OF 1942, THERE WAS A LARGE,
FOUR MONTH WINDOW PERIOD WHERE IT WAS JUST ANNIHILATION.
NARRATOR: ACCURATE SONAR DATA ALLOWS DRAINING
TO CONTINUE ALONG THE COAST.
IT EXPOSES A GERMAN SUBMARINE, U-701.
WE CAN SEE HER AS SHE IS ON THE SEABED FOR THE FIRST TIME.
THIS SUB ALONE SANK OR DAMAGED NINE SHIPS IN UNDER TWO WEEKS.
HOW DID U-BOATS MANAGE TO ATTACK SO MANY VESSELS
WITHOUT BEING CAUGHT?
JAMES DELGADO: MOST AMERICANS WEREN'T EVEN AWARE OF THE
FACT THAT THE ENEMY WAS LITERALLY JUST OFF THE BEACH.
NARRATOR: TO PREVENT PANIC, AUTHORITIES BANNED NEWS OF
ATTACKS ON AMERICA'S DOORSTEP.
THEY DIDN'T ORDER BLACKOUTS.
AT NIGHT, LIGHTHOUSES AND TOWN LIGHTS GAVE U-BOATS
A CLEAR VIEW OF SHIPS.
JAMES DELGADO: THE GERMANS REMARKED THEY COULD SEE SHIPS
SILHOUETTING IN THE OFFSHORE LIGHTS,
MAKING IT VERY EASY TO JUST SIMPLY START MOWING THEM DOWN.
NARRATOR: FOR SIX MONTHS,
THE U-BOATS CONTINUED THEIR ATTACKS.
JOE HOYT: YOU'VE GOT OIL WASHING UP ON THE BEACH,
IN SOME INSTANCES THERE'S ACTUAL BODIES.
THEY REALLY HAD AN ENORMOUS IMPACT,
NOT ONLY ON THE MATERIALS THAT WERE BEING MOVED,
BUT IN THE PSYCHE OF THE AMERICANS ON THE HOME FRONT.
NARRATOR: ONLY BY LUCK WERE U-BOATS EVER FOUND AND
SUNK IN THE SHALLOW COASTAL WATERS BY DAY.
THE DISAPPEARING WATERS REVEAL THE U-BOAT'S SECRET.
THEY USED THE GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA ITSELF.
OFF CAPE HATTERAS, THE SEA BOTTOM DROPS AWAY SHARPLY,
CLOSE TO THE COAST.
GERMANS COULD QUICKLY RUN TO HIDE IN DEEPER OCEAN.
JOE HOYT: THE U-BOATS WOULD HUNT ALL NIGHT AND AS SUNRISE
CAME THEY WOULD MOVE OUT TO DEEPER WATER,
WHERE THEY COULD REMAIN SAFE FROM COUNTERATTACK
DURING THE DAY.
NARRATOR: EVENTUALLY, THE U.S. NAVY MOBILIZED
COASTAL AIR PATROLS,
ENDING THE THREAT TO MERCHANT SHIPPING.
ON JULY 7, 1942, U-701 WAS ATTACKED BY A PLANE.
OF ITS 43 MAN CREW, ONLY 7 SURVIVED.
WORLD WAR II ESCALATES AS THE U.S. JOINS THE FIGHT
TO LIBERATE MAINLAND EUROPE,
THE LARGEST AMPHIBIOUS INVASION IN HISTORY.
JAMES DELGADO: THE FIERCE FIGHTING LEFT AN INCREDIBLE
RECORD ON THE BOTTOM.
IT IS A VAST BATTLEFIELD LYING JUST OFF THOSE BEACHES.
NARRATOR: THREE MILES OFF THE COAST OF NORTHERN FRANCE,
OUR DATA-BASED VISUALIZATION OF THE
SEA FLOOR UNCOVERS TANKS READY FOR BATTLE.
WHY ARE TANKS OUT AT SEA?
BY JUNE 1944, SOUTHWICK HOUSE IN ENGLAND
IS THE SCENE OF INTENSE PLANNING.
THE ROYAL NAVY'S LEAD HISTORIAN STUDIES THE MOST
AMBITIOUS INVASION OF WORLD WAR II,
KNOWN AS D-DAY,
MASTERMINDED WITHIN THESE WALLS.
STEPHEN PRINCE: THAT IS THE ACTUAL MAP THAT WAS LOOKED AT
BY EISENHOWER AND ALL THE ALLIED COMMANDERS
IN THIS VERY ROOM, THE OPERATIONS ROOM FOR D-DAY.
THERE ARE FIVE CHANNELS AND THAT IS THE CHANNELS
THAT ARE SAFE FOR THE INVASION FORCES TO GO THROUGH.
NARRATOR: 5,000 ALLIED SHIPS CARRY MEN AND
MACHINES TOWARDS NORMANDY.
IT'S THE BIGGEST ARMADA IN HISTORY.
TO DEFEAT THE GERMANS IN EUROPE,
THE INVASION MUST HAVE ACCESS TO FRANCE.
SEAS ARE ROUGH.
BEACHES ARE HEAVILY DEFENDED.
[EXPLOSIONS AND AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE]
SINCE WORLD WAR II, THE SEA OF THE D-DAY LANDING
BEACHES HAS ATTRACTED MARINE ARCHAEOLOGISTS.
CHRIS HOWLETT IS THE FORMER HEAD OF
THE UK'S SEABED DATA CENTER,
SPECIALISTS IN UNDERWATER MAPPING.
HE TOOK PART IN A SURVEY OF 50 MILES OF NORMANDY COASTLINE.
THE RESULTS WERE MORE THAN HE EXPECTED.
CHRIS HOWLETT: WITHIN THAT AREA,
WE FOUND ABOUT 600 TARGETS, IF YOU LIKE.
600 OBJECTS ON THE SEAFLOOR.
600 TARGETS IS PROBABLY TEN TIMES WHAT YOU WOULD KIND
OF EXPECT ON A NORMAL COAST.
NARRATOR: MOST SURPRISINGLY,
THEY DISCOVERED A TANK BATTALION.
WHY ARE THERE TANKS ON THE SEABED OFF THE COAST OF FRANCE?
NARRATOR: TODAY'S LATEST SCIENTIFIC SURVEYS UNCOVER
SECRETS BENEATH THE SEA IN A TOTALLY NEW WAY.
PROCESSING DATA FROM TWO AND A HALF MILES
OFF D-DAY INVASION ZONE, OMAHA BEACH,
THE WATER IS PEELED BACK,
TO REVEAL A MOST UNEXPECTED WRECK,
AN AMERICAN TANK.
A SHERMAN FROM THE U.S. 741ST TANK BATTALION.
ITS 75 MILLIMETER FACES FORWARD, READY TO FIRE.
THIS TANK NEVER JOINED THE BATTLE FOR THE BEACH.
AND IT'S NOT ALONE.
OTHER TANKS LIE IN A CLUSTER NEARBY.
CHRIS HOWLETT: THE CLUSTER'S PROBABLY ABOUT
A KILOMETER ACROSS.
TO FIND 20 OR 30 TANKS IN SUCH A CONFINED AREA
IS ACTUALLY QUITE AN AMAZING EVENT.
NARRATOR: MOST OF THE TANKS ARE UPRIGHT.
NONE SEEM TO HAVE BEEN HIT BY SHELLS.
TANKS WERE SENT TO HELP INFANTRY TAKE THE BEACH.
WHY ARE THESE OUT AT SEA?
CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE IMAGES SHOWS THESE ARE
NO ORDINARY SHERMAN TANKS.
THEY HAVE A SURPRISING MODIFICATION.
BETWEEN THE TRACKS ARE TWO PROPELLERS.
THESE TANKS CAN SWIM.
STEPHEN PRINCE: YOU'VE GOT THESE TWO STRANGE PROPELLERS
DRIVING OFF A COG SYSTEM AT THE BACK AND THEY ALSO HAVE A
LARGE CANVAS SCREEN THAT IS PUT AROUND THE TANK
AND THAT TRAPS ENOUGH AIR TO JUST ABOUT GIVE
THE TANK POSITIVE BUOYANCY.
NARRATOR: MECHANICAL ARMS SUPPORT A WATERPROOF SCREEN,
OR SKIRT, AROUND THE TANK.
NOW, THIS 33 TON TANK CAN FLOAT.
FOOTAGE OF SECRET TRIALS PROVES THE AMPHIBIOUS SHERMANS
CAN CROSS SMOOTH WATER.
THEY WILL TRAVEL OVER THE ENGLISH CHANNEL ON SPECIAL
SHIPS LIKE THIS ONE, A TANK LANDING CRAFT.
UNUSUALLY, THE TANKS WERE TO DEPLOY TWO MILES OUT AT SEA.
STEPHEN PRINCE: THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP WOULD ATTEMPT TO
TURN HIS STERN INTO THE WEATHER,
SO THAT HE WAS TRYING TO CREATE A SMALL PATCH OF AS
CALM AS POSSIBLE WATER IN FRONT OF THE RAMP.
THE RAMP WOULD HAVE TO BE LOWERED AND THEN THE FIRST
TANK WOULD HAVE TO DRIVE OFF INTO THE WATER.
ROBERT NEYLAND: JUST THE CRAZIEST IDEA THAT YOU COULD
ALL OF A SUDDEN PUT A BIG SKIRT AROUND A TANK AND
PROPELLERS ON IT AND IT COULD MAKE ITS WAY LIKE
A BOAT TO SHORE.
NARRATOR: SO WHAT GOES WRONG?
NOW THE SEA HAS BEEN DIGITALLY REMOVED,
WE FIND THE AMPHIBIOUS TANKS IN A LINE,
STRETCHING FROM THEIR LAUNCH POSITION TOWARDS OMAHA BEACH.
IT WAS NOT GUNFIRE THAT SANK THESE TANKS.
IT WAS HIGH WAVES.
STEPHEN PRINCE: EFFECTIVELY, THEY'VE GOT ROUGHLY AROUND
TWO FEET'S WORTH OF CLEARANCE.
THE WAVES ON D-DAY, ANYTHING UP TO SOMETIMES
THREE OR FOUR FEET.
NARRATOR: WATER FLOODS THE TANKS.
27 OUT OF 29 SINK.
STEPHEN PRINCE: THAT'S WHERE YOU END UP WITH THE PATTERN OF
WRECKS THAT WE SEE ON THE SEABED,
WHERE THE TANKS HAVE BEEN LOST,
EITHER AT LAUNCH OR AS THEY FOUNDERED ON THEIR WAY IN.
NARRATOR: THE LOSS OF THE TANKS CONTRIBUTES TO THE OVER
3,700 CASUALTIES ON OMAHA BEACH THAT DAY.
D-DAY ITSELF IS A TRIUMPH,
THE ALLIED FORCES SEIZE THE BEACHES,
NOW THEY NEED TO ADVANCE INLAND.
REINFORCEMENTS ARE FERRIED FROM BRITAIN TO EUROPE.
DRAINING THE SEA FURTHER ALONG THE COAST REVEALS
THE TRAGIC STORY OF ONE OF THE TROOP SHIPS.
JAMES DELGADO: IN A BIG SHIP FULL OF GUYS,
WHEN SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS IT'S EPIC.
NARRATOR: 400 AMERICAN SOLDIERS DROWN
AS THIS SHIP SINKS.
WITH THE WATER GONE, A QUESTION ARISES.
WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE SAVED THEM?
NARRATOR: WINTER, 1944.
SIX MONTHS AFTER D-DAY.
THE BELGIAN TROOPSHIP,
LEOPOLDVILLE, LEAVES SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.
SHE'S CARRYING OVER 2200 YOUNG AMERICAN SOLDIERS TO FRANCE.
STEPHEN PRINCE: THESE ARE TROOPS OF A DIVISION THAT
HASN'T FOUGHT BEFORE, THE MAJORITY OF THEM WOULD BE
IN THEIR EARLY 20S, SO THE ABSOLUTE VAST MAJORITY
OF THEM WILL HAVE HAD NO EXPERIENCE OF COMBAT.
NARRATOR: THE LEOPOLDVILLE NEVER MADE IT.
AROUND A THIRD OF THOSE ONBOARD DIED.
TODAY, HER WRECK LIES JUST NORTH OF CHERBOURG,
LEOPOLDVILLE'S DESTINATION.
400 U.S. SOLDIERS DROWNED ONLY FIVE MILES FROM SHORE.
WHY WEREN'T MORE SAVED?
EARLY EVENING, DECEMBER 24TH, THE BELGIAN CAPTAIN AND CREW
HAVE LEOPOLDVILLE WITHIN SIGHT OF LAND.
[EXPLOSION]
A GERMAN U-BOAT TORPEDOES THE SHIP,
KILLING AT LEAST 300 MEN.
THE REMAINING 1,800 U.S. SOLDIERS SCRAMBLE ON DECK
TO AWAIT ORDERS.
A BRITISH ESCORT SHIP RESCUES ABOUT HALF THE SURVIVORS,
THE REST WAIT FOR HELP FROM THE HARBOR NEARBY.
WILLIAM BOGGS: WE EXPECTED SOMEBODY TO COME OUT AND
TAKE THE THING INTO TOW.
WE JUST STOOD THERE IN OUR RANKS,
WAITING FOR SOMEBODY TO TELL US TO DO SOMETHING.
NARRATOR: A SECOND EXPLOSION ROCKS THE SHIP.
IT BEGINS TO SINK.
THE CAPTAIN ORDERS "ABANDON SHIP."
HIS BELGIAN CREW BOARD THE LIFEBOATS.
THE U.S. SOLDIERS DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT TO DO.
STEPHEN PRINCE: THERE DEFINITELY IS A LEVEL OF
CONFUSION AMONGST THE CREW AND THE U.S. TROOPS ABOUT
THE DECISION TO ABANDON SHIP.
JOHN VITALI: WE HAD NO INSTRUCTIONS ABOARD SHIP.
NOTHING THAT WOULD AID IN SURVIVAL.
NARRATOR: AS THE LEOPOLDVILLE SINKS,
THE YOUNG AMERICAN SOLDIERS HAVE NO CHOICE
BUT TO LEAP INTO THE FREEZING WATER.
400 MEN DROWN BEFORE RESCUE ARRIVES.
SURVIVORS CLAIM MANY DIED NEEDLESSLY.
WILL DRAINING THE SEA FROM THE LEOPOLDVILLE
SHED LIGHT ON THEIR STORY?
AS THE WATERS DISAPPEAR, A DARK SECRET IS REVEALED.
THE CREW TOOK THE LIFEBOATS,
BUT NOW EXPOSED FOR ALL TO SEE,
UNUSED LIFE RAFTS CALLED CARLEY FLOATS.
EACH SIMPLE FLOAT COULD TAKE A DOZEN MEN
AS SOON AS THEY'RE RELEASED.
FEW WERE RELEASED.
THE SOLDIERS DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO USE THEM.
STILL ATTACHED TO THE SHIP, THEY COULDN'T SAVE ANYONE.
WILLIAM BOGGS: 300 TO 350 WERE KILLED BY THE TORPEDO.
THE REST DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE.
JAMES DELGADO: SOMETIMES WHAT YOU SEE ON THE BOTTOM
IS HEART BREAKING.
NARRATOR: THEIR SACRIFICE IS NOT IN VAIN.
OTHERS FINISH THEIR MISSION.
IN MAY 1945, WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE ENDS.
FREEDOM RETURNS.
TODAY, THOUSANDS OF WRECKS REMAIN BENEATH THE WAVES.
SILENT WITNESS TO THE STRUGGLE AND SLAUGHTER OF THE PAST,
MEMORIALS TO A GENERATION THAT GAVE US THEIR LIVES.