1 00:00:03,348 --> 00:00:05,068 NARRATOR: Deep beneath the surface 2 00:00:05,108 --> 00:00:08,278 lie secrets from America's darkest days. 3 00:00:08,318 --> 00:00:10,458 MAN: Think we're starting to come over something right now. 4 00:00:10,493 --> 00:00:11,943 NARRATOR: Hidden evidence 5 00:00:11,977 --> 00:00:14,977 of the bloodiest war in US history, 6 00:00:15,015 --> 00:00:18,355 when this nation almost tears itself apart. 7 00:00:18,397 --> 00:00:20,017 MAN: Mag's going crazy. 8 00:00:20,054 --> 00:00:21,444 MAN: You've got something big here. 9 00:00:21,469 --> 00:00:22,949 MAN: It's big. 10 00:00:22,988 --> 00:00:24,848 NARRATOR: Stories are now emerging 11 00:00:24,886 --> 00:00:28,056 that tell of a revolution in warfare. 12 00:00:28,097 --> 00:00:32,927 MAN: Earlier conflicts employed both ships and troops on land. 13 00:00:32,963 --> 00:00:36,243 The Civil War took it to a whole new level. 14 00:00:36,277 --> 00:00:39,937 NARRATOR: This is war waged not just by armies 15 00:00:39,970 --> 00:00:42,420 but entire societies. 16 00:00:42,456 --> 00:00:47,456 A remorseless conflict over land, food and money 17 00:00:47,495 --> 00:00:52,805 raging in every corner of the world. 18 00:00:52,845 --> 00:00:55,845 MAN: The American Civil War was an all-encompassing experience. 19 00:00:55,883 --> 00:00:59,583 It was a war that involved the entire economy of both sides. 20 00:00:59,611 --> 00:01:02,921 It spread itself through the entire social fabric. 21 00:01:02,959 --> 00:01:04,649 MAN: This was total war. 22 00:01:04,685 --> 00:01:09,025 In total war, you sink everything the enemy sends in. 23 00:01:09,069 --> 00:01:12,309 ♪ 24 00:01:12,348 --> 00:01:19,008 ♪ 25 00:01:19,044 --> 00:01:21,324 NARRATOR: April 1861. 26 00:01:21,357 --> 00:01:23,697 11 Southern states break away 27 00:01:23,738 --> 00:01:26,018 and form the Confederate States of America. 28 00:01:26,051 --> 00:01:27,361 [gunshot] 29 00:01:27,397 --> 00:01:28,807 In the years that follow, 30 00:01:28,847 --> 00:01:31,227 cannons roar and muskets crackle 31 00:01:31,263 --> 00:01:35,443 across Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. 32 00:01:35,474 --> 00:01:38,274 But what does a wreck in a Florida river 33 00:01:38,305 --> 00:01:44,275 reveal about the forgotten battle lines of the Civil War? 34 00:01:44,311 --> 00:01:46,381 The state of Florida is a bastion 35 00:01:46,416 --> 00:01:48,516 of the rebel Confederacy. 36 00:01:48,556 --> 00:01:52,246 Although it's a full 700 miles from the front line, 37 00:01:52,284 --> 00:01:55,914 it's a vital bread basket supplying the South's army 38 00:01:55,943 --> 00:01:59,883 with everything from pork and beef to corn and potatoes. 39 00:02:05,435 --> 00:02:08,085 12 miles south of Jacksonville... 40 00:02:08,128 --> 00:02:09,988 JAMES DELGADO: That's Mandarin Point right there, right? 41 00:02:10,026 --> 00:02:11,716 KEITH HOLLAND: Right in front of us. 42 00:02:11,752 --> 00:02:14,762 NARRATOR: Maritime archaeologist James Delgado 43 00:02:14,789 --> 00:02:18,379 and explorer Keith Holland are on the St. John's River. 44 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,700 The team's magnetometer is picking up a powerful signal 45 00:02:24,730 --> 00:02:26,010 from the riverbed. 46 00:02:26,042 --> 00:02:27,942 KEITH: The mag's going crazy. 47 00:02:27,975 --> 00:02:30,005 NARRATOR: The unmistakable signature of a shipwreck. 48 00:02:34,809 --> 00:02:36,499 JAMES: There's something there. 49 00:02:36,535 --> 00:02:38,675 NARRATOR: Sonar equipment generates an image 50 00:02:38,710 --> 00:02:40,780 of what's down there. 51 00:02:40,815 --> 00:02:41,845 MAN: Alright, it looks like we're starting 52 00:02:41,885 --> 00:02:44,435 to come over something right now. 53 00:02:44,474 --> 00:02:47,934 NARRATOR: A chunk of metal rests on the bottom. 54 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:53,310 A tantalizing hint of a wreck buried in sediment. 55 00:02:53,345 --> 00:02:57,515 But the black water creates an impenetrable cloak. 56 00:02:57,556 --> 00:03:01,906 KEITH: The visibility in the very bottom is zero. 57 00:03:01,940 --> 00:03:08,220 You are swimming in a thick, viscous suspension of mud. 58 00:03:08,257 --> 00:03:10,047 JAMES: Literally, when you dive there are times you can't see 59 00:03:10,086 --> 00:03:13,676 your hands in front of your face. 60 00:03:13,710 --> 00:03:17,710 NARRATOR: The team deploys a sub-bottom profiler. 61 00:03:17,749 --> 00:03:21,169 Its low-frequency sound waves penetrate the sediment 62 00:03:21,201 --> 00:03:22,961 and return data on the structure 63 00:03:22,995 --> 00:03:27,235 hidden beneath the mud. 64 00:03:27,276 --> 00:03:31,516 Combining this data with reports from exploratory dives, 65 00:03:31,556 --> 00:03:35,176 we can reveal what no camera could ever see. 66 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,500 As the water begins to drain away, 67 00:03:41,531 --> 00:03:45,851 the object picked up by the sonar is revealed: 68 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,680 a rusted, 40-foot length of iron. 69 00:03:49,712 --> 00:03:54,102 It's the axle of a paddle wheel. 70 00:03:54,130 --> 00:03:56,650 Stripping back the black Florida mud 71 00:03:56,684 --> 00:03:58,864 exposes wooden planks. 72 00:04:03,588 --> 00:04:05,558 The remains of a long deck. 73 00:04:05,590 --> 00:04:11,700 ♪ 74 00:04:11,734 --> 00:04:15,054 And more rusted metal. 75 00:04:15,082 --> 00:04:18,572 The broken leftovers of two smoke stacks and a boiler. 76 00:04:21,985 --> 00:04:25,435 This is a side-wheel paddle steamer. 77 00:04:27,508 --> 00:04:31,198 50 years after their invention in 1807, 78 00:04:31,236 --> 00:04:33,336 paddle steamers had come to dominate the rivers 79 00:04:33,376 --> 00:04:35,306 of the American South 80 00:04:35,344 --> 00:04:39,694 as transporters carrying trade goods, mail and people. 81 00:04:43,248 --> 00:04:46,728 So what can this one tell us about the Civil War? 82 00:04:50,393 --> 00:04:53,223 Keith hunts for answers deep within the wreck. 83 00:04:57,227 --> 00:05:00,017 Diving the dark waters of the St. John's, 84 00:05:00,058 --> 00:05:03,058 archaeologists must rely on touch. 85 00:05:05,788 --> 00:05:07,928 But deep inside the ship, 86 00:05:07,962 --> 00:05:12,102 Keith's team makes a massive discovery. 87 00:05:12,139 --> 00:05:16,559 Hundreds of wooden boxes, mostly intact. 88 00:05:16,592 --> 00:05:21,222 Each one inscribed with faded letters. 89 00:05:21,251 --> 00:05:23,361 KEITH: Every single box we opened up 90 00:05:23,392 --> 00:05:27,022 had somebody's name on it, and their regiment. 91 00:05:27,050 --> 00:05:32,880 This was a United States Northern military transport. 92 00:05:36,059 --> 00:05:38,889 NARRATOR: The wreck is a fascinating time capsule, 93 00:05:38,924 --> 00:05:42,034 containing more than 6,000 items: 94 00:05:42,065 --> 00:05:44,785 belt buckles with the insignia "US" 95 00:05:44,827 --> 00:05:49,487 confirm that the boxes belong to the northern Union Army, 96 00:05:49,521 --> 00:05:54,351 but there are no firearms and not one case of ammunition. 97 00:05:54,388 --> 00:05:55,798 KEITH: We expected we would find 98 00:05:55,838 --> 00:06:00,738 primarily military weapons, military gear. 99 00:06:00,774 --> 00:06:05,684 In fact, what we found was mostly personal items. 100 00:06:05,710 --> 00:06:07,330 NARRATOR: Toothbrushes. 101 00:06:07,367 --> 00:06:10,087 Smoking pipes. 102 00:06:10,128 --> 00:06:14,548 Molded clay checkerboard pieces and chessmen. 103 00:06:14,581 --> 00:06:19,311 Ordinary everyday objects. 104 00:06:19,344 --> 00:06:22,354 Keith's discovery is one of the largest recoveries 105 00:06:22,382 --> 00:06:26,142 of Civil War artifacts ever. 106 00:06:26,178 --> 00:06:28,628 But what was this paddle steamer doing 107 00:06:28,664 --> 00:06:31,434 carrying toothbrushes and chess pieces 108 00:06:31,460 --> 00:06:34,220 deep into the Confederate South? 109 00:06:34,255 --> 00:06:39,845 ♪ 110 00:06:39,882 --> 00:06:42,442 Searching through military reports, 111 00:06:42,471 --> 00:06:45,271 Keith discovers that a Union paddle steamer was lost 112 00:06:45,301 --> 00:06:51,381 in the river in 1864; three years into the war. 113 00:06:51,411 --> 00:06:53,211 The Maple Leaf. 114 00:06:55,380 --> 00:07:00,210 It's a civilian vessel being used by the Union Army. 115 00:07:00,247 --> 00:07:02,587 Not carrying troops, 116 00:07:02,629 --> 00:07:07,219 but transporting the belongings of three regiments. 117 00:07:07,254 --> 00:07:09,124 An occupying force. 118 00:07:15,020 --> 00:07:20,030 The Maple Leaf is an important cog in the Union war machine. 119 00:07:20,060 --> 00:07:25,200 The support boat for an infantry invasion. 120 00:07:25,237 --> 00:07:28,717 The Union wants to take control of northern Florida, 121 00:07:28,758 --> 00:07:32,378 and cut off crucial supplies flowing to Confederate soldiers 122 00:07:32,417 --> 00:07:35,697 on the front lines. 123 00:07:35,731 --> 00:07:37,531 So how did the transport ship 124 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,810 end up at the bottom of the St. John's River? 125 00:07:43,739 --> 00:07:47,469 Jim and Keith look for clues in the silt. 126 00:07:47,501 --> 00:07:49,501 MAN: Couple of meters of good data down there. 127 00:07:49,538 --> 00:07:51,988 NARRATOR: By combining the sub-surface information 128 00:07:52,023 --> 00:07:54,783 with archaeological and historical research, 129 00:07:54,819 --> 00:07:59,169 we can return to the drained wreck 130 00:07:59,202 --> 00:08:02,482 and reconstruct the exact shape of the hull 131 00:08:02,516 --> 00:08:04,166 buried below the river bottom 132 00:08:04,207 --> 00:08:08,627 for the first time since it sank. 133 00:08:08,660 --> 00:08:13,670 The 180-foot-long wooden vessel remains largely intact, 134 00:08:13,700 --> 00:08:15,290 but on the starboard side 135 00:08:15,322 --> 00:08:17,952 the structure appears to be punctured. 136 00:08:23,572 --> 00:08:25,782 The damage at the Maple Leaf's bow 137 00:08:25,815 --> 00:08:28,915 almost certainly caused it to sink. 138 00:08:28,956 --> 00:08:30,506 KEITH: Okay. 139 00:08:30,544 --> 00:08:32,344 NARRATOR: Hunting for an explanation, 140 00:08:32,373 --> 00:08:35,453 Keith digs further into the historical records. 141 00:08:38,069 --> 00:08:40,729 He uncovers eyewitness testimony 142 00:08:40,761 --> 00:08:46,011 given by the ship's pilot, local navigator Romeo Murray. 143 00:08:48,769 --> 00:08:51,629 KEITH: "For 16 years I've been acting as a pilot 144 00:08:51,669 --> 00:08:55,189 on the St. John's River, and between that..." 145 00:08:55,224 --> 00:08:59,684 NARRATOR: He describes a clear, moonlit night 146 00:08:59,711 --> 00:09:03,891 and reveals some key evidence. 147 00:09:03,922 --> 00:09:06,272 KEITH: He's holding the wheel, 148 00:09:06,304 --> 00:09:11,414 and all of a sudden Romeo describes the whole pilot house 149 00:09:11,447 --> 00:09:16,207 being raised up and then falling forward, 150 00:09:16,245 --> 00:09:21,655 and standing up he smells powder, black powder. 151 00:09:21,699 --> 00:09:23,909 NARRATOR: There are no other ships on the river, 152 00:09:23,942 --> 00:09:26,502 and no cannon fire from the shore, 153 00:09:26,531 --> 00:09:32,021 so who or what delivered the fatal blow? 154 00:09:32,054 --> 00:09:34,404 Keith finds the reports written by Confederates 155 00:09:34,435 --> 00:09:37,435 defending the river. 156 00:09:37,473 --> 00:09:41,343 They reveal that the Southern forces employ a new tactic. 157 00:09:43,548 --> 00:09:45,898 They plant homemade river mines 158 00:09:45,930 --> 00:09:49,380 moored just below the surface of the water; 159 00:09:49,416 --> 00:09:53,936 the Civil War equivalent of IEDs. 160 00:09:53,972 --> 00:09:59,632 They call them torpedoes, and they are highly controversial. 161 00:09:59,668 --> 00:10:01,218 CRAIG SYMONDS: One of the things about the American Civil War 162 00:10:01,255 --> 00:10:02,875 is that it pushes the boundary 163 00:10:02,912 --> 00:10:05,472 of what's considered acceptable in warfare. 164 00:10:05,501 --> 00:10:08,501 There was a sense on both sides when the war began 165 00:10:08,538 --> 00:10:11,228 that putting a torpedo in the path of a ship 166 00:10:11,265 --> 00:10:14,435 was somehow a violation of the rules of war. 167 00:10:14,475 --> 00:10:15,955 It was inhumane behavior. 168 00:10:20,205 --> 00:10:24,035 NARRATOR: For the Confederacy, there's no choice. 169 00:10:24,071 --> 00:10:27,591 It's a rural economy, lacking military resources, 170 00:10:27,627 --> 00:10:29,797 desperately trying to land punches 171 00:10:29,836 --> 00:10:32,176 on an industrial heavyweight. 172 00:10:32,217 --> 00:10:35,077 JAMES: The South was always at a disadvantage in the Civil War. 173 00:10:35,117 --> 00:10:39,637 In a sense, it was a David versus Goliath fight. 174 00:10:39,673 --> 00:10:41,613 CRAIG: The Confederacy needed to be more inventive, 175 00:10:41,641 --> 00:10:45,711 more creative in the kind of naval weapons it employed. 176 00:10:45,748 --> 00:10:47,918 JAMES: The torpedo was an effective and innovative weapon 177 00:10:47,957 --> 00:10:50,547 that has never been used in naval combat 178 00:10:50,580 --> 00:10:53,410 until the Civil War. 179 00:10:53,445 --> 00:10:57,035 NARRATOR: This is a new, merciless type of conflict 180 00:10:57,070 --> 00:11:01,560 where the old rules of engagement are blurred. 181 00:11:01,591 --> 00:11:07,431 Even a transport ship becomes a critical strategic target. 182 00:11:07,459 --> 00:11:09,739 It's now possible to piece together 183 00:11:09,772 --> 00:11:11,912 the final moments of the Maple Leaf. 184 00:11:15,157 --> 00:11:17,297 The Union's campaign in Florida 185 00:11:17,331 --> 00:11:19,471 threatens to cut the Confederacy supplies 186 00:11:19,506 --> 00:11:21,466 to the front line, 187 00:11:21,508 --> 00:11:24,478 so the South responds in the only way it can: 188 00:11:24,511 --> 00:11:26,341 with guerrilla tactics. 189 00:11:28,653 --> 00:11:32,623 4:00 AM, April 1, 1864. 190 00:11:32,657 --> 00:11:34,687 The Maple Leaf's hull touches the trigger 191 00:11:34,728 --> 00:11:36,588 of a Confederate torpedo. 192 00:11:40,009 --> 00:11:42,049 There's a huge explosion. 193 00:11:44,945 --> 00:11:48,915 The pilot house topples as the mast falls forward. 194 00:11:51,711 --> 00:11:54,371 The ship sinks in minutes. 195 00:11:58,441 --> 00:12:02,621 As tactics evolve, the war becomes a remorseless struggle 196 00:12:02,652 --> 00:12:04,972 to destroy the enemy's logistics, 197 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:07,620 resources and supplies. 198 00:12:09,659 --> 00:12:11,449 What does a bizarre set of wrecks 199 00:12:11,489 --> 00:12:13,319 off the South Carolina coast 200 00:12:13,353 --> 00:12:15,943 reveal about the Union's determination 201 00:12:15,976 --> 00:12:18,736 to drive the South to ruin? 202 00:12:25,192 --> 00:12:27,162 NARRATOR: Union commanders are battling for the survival 203 00:12:27,194 --> 00:12:29,614 of the United States of America. 204 00:12:32,303 --> 00:12:35,133 But they're not just fighting an army, 205 00:12:35,168 --> 00:12:40,378 they're fighting an idea: Southern independence. 206 00:12:40,414 --> 00:12:44,594 To kill it, they need to target its economy. 207 00:12:44,625 --> 00:12:49,345 In 1861, that means cotton. 208 00:12:49,389 --> 00:12:52,219 CRAIG: The Confederacy thought of their cotton as white gold, 209 00:12:52,254 --> 00:12:57,124 almost the bullion that would underwrite their economy. 210 00:12:57,155 --> 00:12:59,295 NARRATOR: The Confederate war effort depends on 211 00:12:59,330 --> 00:13:04,340 exporting cotton to Europe in exchange for vital supplies. 212 00:13:04,369 --> 00:13:06,479 JAMES: The more cotton that can go out 213 00:13:06,509 --> 00:13:09,509 and feed a hungry British textile market, 214 00:13:09,547 --> 00:13:14,167 means more credit and the ability to buy things abroad. 215 00:13:14,207 --> 00:13:15,827 CRAIG: Abraham Lincoln was convinced 216 00:13:15,864 --> 00:13:17,974 if you could limit the availability 217 00:13:18,004 --> 00:13:20,044 of critical elements in the South, 218 00:13:20,075 --> 00:13:23,385 it cannot continue to fight such an all-embracing conflict. 219 00:13:25,839 --> 00:13:28,699 NARRATOR: It seems impossible. 220 00:13:28,738 --> 00:13:34,918 The Confederate coastline stretches 3,500 miles. 221 00:13:34,952 --> 00:13:40,992 It includes 189 harbors, inlets and river mouths. 222 00:13:41,027 --> 00:13:44,787 How do you lay siege to half a continent? 223 00:13:44,824 --> 00:13:49,144 ♪ 224 00:13:49,173 --> 00:13:54,873 ♪ 225 00:13:54,903 --> 00:13:59,013 JIM SPIREK: Let's do four to five knots, should be good. 226 00:13:59,045 --> 00:14:01,695 NARRATOR: Marine archaeologist Jim Spirek 227 00:14:01,737 --> 00:14:05,707 has come to the epicenter of the South's cotton trade: 228 00:14:05,741 --> 00:14:07,811 Charleston, South Carolina. 229 00:14:11,298 --> 00:14:14,268 JIM: One, two, three. 230 00:14:14,301 --> 00:14:16,611 NARRATOR: Jim believes this harbor could hold clues 231 00:14:16,648 --> 00:14:19,238 to the Union's strategy. 232 00:14:19,272 --> 00:14:21,382 JIM: Fish looks good. Let's go. 233 00:14:23,932 --> 00:14:26,312 NARRATOR: As he crisscrosses the coastline, 234 00:14:26,348 --> 00:14:30,898 his equipment picks up some surprising signals. 235 00:14:30,939 --> 00:14:32,909 JIM: Alright, there's some magnetic readings. 236 00:14:32,941 --> 00:14:35,431 A large amount of iron down there. 237 00:14:35,460 --> 00:14:37,190 Can you see anything on the sonar, Ryan? 238 00:14:37,221 --> 00:14:38,501 RYAN: I mean, there's some relief. 239 00:14:38,532 --> 00:14:40,882 There's no real structure to it. 240 00:14:43,468 --> 00:14:45,708 NARRATOR: On the southern approach to the harbor, 241 00:14:45,746 --> 00:14:49,816 Jim's sonar uncovers an unusual formation. 242 00:14:49,854 --> 00:14:53,004 JIM: There is definitely a scatter of material. 243 00:14:53,030 --> 00:14:56,650 NARRATOR: The scans appear to show irregular mounds. 244 00:14:56,688 --> 00:14:59,618 Not just one, but more than a dozen, 245 00:14:59,657 --> 00:15:04,247 almost all long and narrow and shaped like boats. 246 00:15:04,282 --> 00:15:11,262 ♪ 247 00:15:11,289 --> 00:15:18,259 ♪ 248 00:15:18,296 --> 00:15:22,606 Churned up sediment clouds the water. 249 00:15:22,645 --> 00:15:27,125 Visibility is just a few feet. 250 00:15:27,167 --> 00:15:31,587 But he can identify an unusual pile of rocks. 251 00:15:31,620 --> 00:15:33,790 How did these get here? 252 00:15:38,661 --> 00:15:41,041 To find out, we can shed light 253 00:15:41,078 --> 00:15:43,698 on the murky South Carolina seabed. 254 00:15:43,735 --> 00:15:46,215 ♪ 255 00:15:46,255 --> 00:15:51,985 ♪ 256 00:15:52,020 --> 00:15:54,990 As water pours away, it reveals 257 00:15:55,023 --> 00:15:57,753 that there are multiple piles of rock 258 00:15:57,784 --> 00:16:00,034 resting on the muddy bottom. 259 00:16:00,062 --> 00:16:06,142 ♪ 260 00:16:06,172 --> 00:16:11,522 And pieces of metal, now clearly visible, 261 00:16:11,556 --> 00:16:13,896 jutting up from the rocks. 262 00:16:13,938 --> 00:16:16,218 ♪ 263 00:16:16,251 --> 00:16:21,501 ♪ 264 00:16:21,532 --> 00:16:28,262 Rocks are often used as ballast to control a ship's buoyancy. 265 00:16:28,297 --> 00:16:33,817 But there are far more here than any ship would need. 266 00:16:33,854 --> 00:16:36,864 What is this ghostly fleet of stone ships? 267 00:16:41,138 --> 00:16:46,038 Jim believes clues might lie in the rocks themselves. 268 00:16:46,074 --> 00:16:48,944 He retrieves a sample from one of the wrecks. 269 00:16:51,148 --> 00:16:54,078 [ship horn blows] 270 00:16:54,116 --> 00:17:00,256 ♪ 271 00:17:00,295 --> 00:17:03,705 Analyzing the stone, he discovers the rock piles 272 00:17:03,746 --> 00:17:08,646 are composed almost entirely of granite. 273 00:17:08,682 --> 00:17:11,032 JIM: There are no natural occurring granite outcrops 274 00:17:11,064 --> 00:17:12,894 along the South Carolina coast, 275 00:17:12,928 --> 00:17:15,588 so these would've had to been brought in. 276 00:17:15,620 --> 00:17:19,690 NARRATOR: But 750 miles away, there is a rich source 277 00:17:19,728 --> 00:17:25,698 of this type of rock in Union-controlled New England. 278 00:17:25,734 --> 00:17:30,504 These must be the wrecks of Union ships. 279 00:17:30,532 --> 00:17:33,882 So why was the Union Navy carrying granite 280 00:17:33,914 --> 00:17:36,234 into the heart of the Confederacy? 281 00:17:39,575 --> 00:17:42,535 Returning to the drained outer harbor, 282 00:17:42,578 --> 00:17:47,378 a closer look at the protruding metal reveals 283 00:17:47,411 --> 00:17:52,591 that they are short lengths of lead pipe 284 00:17:52,623 --> 00:17:56,083 that aren't normally part of a ship's structure. 285 00:17:56,109 --> 00:17:58,659 ♪ 286 00:17:58,698 --> 00:18:04,118 ♪ 287 00:18:04,152 --> 00:18:08,812 Jim digs into military intelligence reports. 288 00:18:08,846 --> 00:18:12,536 He finds that in 1861 the Union Navy 289 00:18:12,574 --> 00:18:17,344 buys a fleet of New England whaling vessels. 290 00:18:17,372 --> 00:18:20,062 The fill them with locally quarried granite, 291 00:18:20,099 --> 00:18:22,719 and set a course south. 292 00:18:22,756 --> 00:18:25,616 And there's one further clue: 293 00:18:25,656 --> 00:18:30,696 each is fitted with a pipe and valve. 294 00:18:30,730 --> 00:18:35,290 They must be designed to let in water on purpose. 295 00:18:35,321 --> 00:18:38,911 The whaling vessels are not the victims of a sea battle; 296 00:18:38,945 --> 00:18:40,665 they're scuttled, 297 00:18:40,705 --> 00:18:42,945 sunk by their own crews. 298 00:18:49,024 --> 00:18:50,924 Jim wants to know why the Union 299 00:18:50,957 --> 00:18:53,647 would sail all the way down to Charleston, 300 00:18:53,684 --> 00:18:56,104 only to sink its own ships. 301 00:18:58,620 --> 00:19:01,240 He compares the location of the rock piles 302 00:19:01,278 --> 00:19:05,008 to historical maps of the harbor's geography, 303 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:08,630 where he deciphers the still-visible signs 304 00:19:08,664 --> 00:19:12,914 of a remarkable Union strategy. 305 00:19:12,944 --> 00:19:16,884 In 1861, a natural sandbar blocks ships 306 00:19:16,914 --> 00:19:20,574 from entering Charleston Harbor. 307 00:19:20,607 --> 00:19:24,087 Five separate channels offer a safe passage through the bar. 308 00:19:26,406 --> 00:19:30,236 The Union Navy scuttles its armada of granite-filled wrecks 309 00:19:30,272 --> 00:19:33,242 in the two largest channels, 310 00:19:33,275 --> 00:19:38,035 and then guards the other channels with warships. 311 00:19:38,073 --> 00:19:40,013 JIM: The purpose of the stone fleet off Charleston Harbor 312 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,840 was to, in effect, completely isolate Charleston 313 00:19:42,871 --> 00:19:45,911 from the world. 314 00:19:45,943 --> 00:19:49,363 NARRATOR: By the end of January 1862, 315 00:19:49,395 --> 00:19:53,605 more than two dozen wrecked hulks rise up from the seabed, 316 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:55,640 blocking the main channels 317 00:19:55,677 --> 00:20:00,157 in and out of the South's largest cotton trading port. 318 00:20:00,199 --> 00:20:05,579 A bold attempt to starve the Southern economy. 319 00:20:05,618 --> 00:20:09,448 But historical sources suggest that the Union blockade 320 00:20:09,484 --> 00:20:11,934 is far from watertight. 321 00:20:11,969 --> 00:20:14,659 CRAIG: The Confederate blockade runners got in and out 322 00:20:14,696 --> 00:20:17,626 with some regularity, and every time that happened, 323 00:20:17,664 --> 00:20:20,084 Northern newspapers would shout 324 00:20:20,115 --> 00:20:24,775 that the blockade was not working, that it was a failure. 325 00:20:24,809 --> 00:20:26,569 NARRATOR: The Union has spent 326 00:20:26,604 --> 00:20:29,954 hundreds of thousands of dollars scuttling ships 327 00:20:29,987 --> 00:20:33,267 to block the entrance to Charleston. 328 00:20:33,301 --> 00:20:36,861 Why isn't the stone fleet doing its job? 329 00:20:43,483 --> 00:20:47,213 NARRATOR: Marine archaeologist Jim Spirek and his team 330 00:20:47,246 --> 00:20:49,246 are exploring the drowned remnants 331 00:20:49,282 --> 00:20:53,912 of the Union's blockade of the South. 332 00:20:53,942 --> 00:20:58,912 Records suggest that the strategy wasn't working. 333 00:20:58,947 --> 00:21:02,987 Ships ran the blockade more than 3,500 times 334 00:21:03,020 --> 00:21:05,710 in the first year of the war. 335 00:21:05,747 --> 00:21:08,367 But how? 336 00:21:08,405 --> 00:21:10,125 By clearing the rock 337 00:21:10,165 --> 00:21:12,995 from the scuttled New England whaling ships, 338 00:21:13,030 --> 00:21:15,100 we can see what lies beneath. 339 00:21:18,484 --> 00:21:22,044 The last signs of the original vessels. 340 00:21:22,073 --> 00:21:24,283 The remains of their wooden hulls. 341 00:21:27,009 --> 00:21:32,009 But also copper fasteners used by shipbuilders 342 00:21:32,049 --> 00:21:34,569 to hold the planks in place, 343 00:21:34,603 --> 00:21:37,743 but something's not right. 344 00:21:37,779 --> 00:21:40,159 If the wooden hull had rotted away, 345 00:21:40,195 --> 00:21:43,535 the copper spikes should be standing straight, 346 00:21:43,578 --> 00:21:46,238 but these are bent out of shape. 347 00:21:50,999 --> 00:21:54,379 Jim's research turns up an account of the stone fleet 348 00:21:54,416 --> 00:21:56,446 observed from the shore. 349 00:21:58,731 --> 00:22:01,911 It describes the wrecked hulks poking up out of the water, 350 00:22:01,941 --> 00:22:05,391 blocking the channel. 351 00:22:05,427 --> 00:22:09,807 But there's a twist to this story. 352 00:22:09,845 --> 00:22:15,055 Within weeks, the scuttled ships are falling apart. 353 00:22:15,092 --> 00:22:17,722 JIM: The stone fleet really wasn't doing its job 354 00:22:17,750 --> 00:22:20,820 because large sections of the shipwreck were breaking away, 355 00:22:20,856 --> 00:22:22,996 and some of them coming into the harbor itself. 356 00:22:26,034 --> 00:22:28,004 NARRATOR: The Union Navy is floundering 357 00:22:28,036 --> 00:22:29,446 in its attempt to close off 358 00:22:29,486 --> 00:22:32,626 the Confederacy's chief source of income, 359 00:22:32,661 --> 00:22:36,321 because it fails to factor in the rough winter seas. 360 00:22:36,355 --> 00:22:40,495 [waves roaring] 361 00:22:40,531 --> 00:22:45,361 Atlantic waves quickly rip the hulks apart, 362 00:22:45,398 --> 00:22:50,058 twisting the copper pins as the wood is pulled away, 363 00:22:50,092 --> 00:22:55,682 leaving behind only their heavy stone cargo. 364 00:22:55,719 --> 00:22:59,589 The stone fleet is failing. 365 00:22:59,619 --> 00:23:04,279 So the Union ploughs more money into more warships, 366 00:23:04,313 --> 00:23:09,463 until as many as 500 ships with a total crew of 100,000 men 367 00:23:09,491 --> 00:23:12,941 patrol the Southern ports. 368 00:23:12,977 --> 00:23:14,627 CRAIG: More ships, more men were involved 369 00:23:14,669 --> 00:23:16,329 in trying to blockade the Southern coast 370 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:17,980 than had been involved 371 00:23:18,017 --> 00:23:23,017 in all of America's previous naval wars combined. 372 00:23:23,056 --> 00:23:25,776 NARRATOR: Soon every important Southern harbor 373 00:23:25,818 --> 00:23:29,818 has 20 or more ships circling offshore. 374 00:23:29,856 --> 00:23:32,026 Only Wilmington, North Carolina, 375 00:23:32,065 --> 00:23:35,855 remains open to Confederate trade. 376 00:23:35,897 --> 00:23:38,727 CRAIG: The total amount of trade in and out of the Confederacy 377 00:23:38,762 --> 00:23:41,322 dropped by 90%. 378 00:23:41,350 --> 00:23:44,530 The South was constantly gasping for economic breath. 379 00:23:47,736 --> 00:23:51,946 NARRATOR: The Union is starving the South of income, 380 00:23:51,982 --> 00:23:55,162 while on land its army inflicts famous defeats 381 00:23:55,192 --> 00:23:57,952 at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, 382 00:23:57,988 --> 00:24:01,368 but somehow the Confederacy clings on. 383 00:24:01,405 --> 00:24:03,885 ♪ 384 00:24:03,925 --> 00:24:10,305 ♪ 385 00:24:10,345 --> 00:24:12,655 What does the wreck of a Confederate ship 386 00:24:12,692 --> 00:24:14,972 in the middle of the Atlantic 387 00:24:15,005 --> 00:24:18,525 reveal about how the South fights for its life? 388 00:24:22,461 --> 00:24:26,021 On August 25, 1864, 389 00:24:26,050 --> 00:24:30,160 the Mary Celestia successfully clears the blockade, 390 00:24:30,192 --> 00:24:35,232 carrying 550 bales of cotton from Wilmington. 391 00:24:35,266 --> 00:24:39,476 Four days later, she offloads her cargo in Bermuda, 392 00:24:39,512 --> 00:24:42,552 a convenient drop-off point for European merchants. 393 00:24:45,276 --> 00:24:50,176 But just seven days later, on a flat, calm day, 394 00:24:50,212 --> 00:24:54,842 she sinks in mere minutes in what should be safe waters. 395 00:24:59,428 --> 00:25:03,918 Anthropologist Philippe Rouja is one of a team of experts 396 00:25:03,950 --> 00:25:07,200 working to unravel what happened to the Mary Celestia. 397 00:25:07,229 --> 00:25:13,719 ♪ 398 00:25:13,753 --> 00:25:15,343 PHILIPPE ROUJA: This wreck in particular, 399 00:25:15,375 --> 00:25:18,065 especially on a day like this where it's starting to kick up, 400 00:25:18,102 --> 00:25:20,042 something might get moved or something might get exposed 401 00:25:20,070 --> 00:25:22,900 that we hadn't anticipated, but every dive is different. 402 00:25:22,935 --> 00:25:27,275 ♪ 403 00:25:27,318 --> 00:25:33,878 ♪ 404 00:25:33,911 --> 00:25:35,401 NARRATOR: In the century and a half 405 00:25:35,430 --> 00:25:37,740 since the Mary Celestia's sinking, 406 00:25:37,777 --> 00:25:41,987 the ocean has buffeted her remains. 407 00:25:42,023 --> 00:25:45,653 She's been buried, stripped bare, and buried again 408 00:25:45,682 --> 00:25:47,932 as hurricanes lash the seabed. 409 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:53,720 Philippe explores her rusting carcass 410 00:25:53,759 --> 00:25:59,069 after every major storm, looking for new clues. 411 00:25:59,109 --> 00:26:02,909 But a single dive gives only a snapshot view of the wreck. 412 00:26:05,322 --> 00:26:08,912 Now we can integrate data from archaeological surveys 413 00:26:08,946 --> 00:26:13,226 in all conditions, and drain the shores of Bermuda. 414 00:26:13,261 --> 00:26:20,271 ♪ 415 00:26:20,475 --> 00:26:22,435 As the water recedes, 416 00:26:22,477 --> 00:26:25,337 the blades of a paddle wheel emerge. 417 00:26:25,376 --> 00:26:28,616 Remarkably, it still stands upright, 418 00:26:28,656 --> 00:26:33,276 even after more than 150 years on the ocean floor. 419 00:26:33,315 --> 00:26:35,555 Her bow lies on its port side, 420 00:26:35,594 --> 00:26:38,774 sheared off from the rest of the structure. 421 00:26:38,804 --> 00:26:41,364 The steamer's engine room remains vertical. 422 00:26:46,121 --> 00:26:51,331 And now, fully visible, the ship's riveted all-iron hull. 423 00:26:54,958 --> 00:26:57,128 Enough of the ship's architecture survives 424 00:26:57,167 --> 00:26:58,507 to reconstruct her. 425 00:27:01,274 --> 00:27:05,734 And she's an extraordinary piece of engineering. 426 00:27:05,762 --> 00:27:08,322 Unusually narrow for her length, 427 00:27:08,350 --> 00:27:10,490 her hull is streamlined. 428 00:27:12,700 --> 00:27:16,700 Her powerful engines are oversized, 429 00:27:16,738 --> 00:27:19,428 and the paddle wheel blades could be tilted 430 00:27:19,465 --> 00:27:22,255 to hit the water at the perfect angle. 431 00:27:22,295 --> 00:27:25,985 JAMES: Mary Celestia was built to be fast, with a sleek hull, 432 00:27:26,023 --> 00:27:27,823 and also with a low profile 433 00:27:27,853 --> 00:27:30,033 to help blend in with the environment; 434 00:27:30,062 --> 00:27:32,312 an ideal blockade runner. 435 00:27:34,583 --> 00:27:37,933 NARRATOR: Confederate blockade runners are specially designed 436 00:27:37,966 --> 00:27:41,586 to carry goods swiftly through lines of warships, 437 00:27:41,625 --> 00:27:44,655 and outrun the Union guns. 438 00:27:44,697 --> 00:27:46,147 They drop off their cargo 439 00:27:46,181 --> 00:27:50,011 at points in and around the North Atlantic, 440 00:27:50,047 --> 00:27:51,387 close enough to the South 441 00:27:51,428 --> 00:27:55,158 for a steamer to reach on minimal fuel, 442 00:27:55,190 --> 00:27:58,440 but far enough away to escape the Union warships 443 00:27:58,469 --> 00:27:59,849 guarding the coast. 444 00:28:03,129 --> 00:28:06,059 Three years into the war, the blockade runners 445 00:28:06,098 --> 00:28:09,098 are keeping the Southern economy afloat. 446 00:28:09,135 --> 00:28:12,305 By September 6, 1864, 447 00:28:12,345 --> 00:28:15,485 the Mary Celestia has already beaten the blockade 448 00:28:15,521 --> 00:28:19,011 eight times in four months. 449 00:28:19,042 --> 00:28:22,742 Now she's safe from Union warships in Bermuda, 450 00:28:22,770 --> 00:28:26,330 and unloads her precious cotton. 451 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:30,159 So with the Union Navy 650 miles away, 452 00:28:30,191 --> 00:28:32,121 why does she sink? 453 00:28:32,158 --> 00:28:38,098 ♪ 454 00:28:38,130 --> 00:28:40,480 Searching through local newspapers, 455 00:28:40,511 --> 00:28:42,821 Philippe discovers a customs report. 456 00:28:42,859 --> 00:28:44,829 PHILIPPE: There it is. 457 00:28:44,861 --> 00:28:47,551 NARRATOR: It lists the cargo carried by the Mary Celestia 458 00:28:47,587 --> 00:28:50,067 on her final planned voyage, 459 00:28:50,107 --> 00:28:54,177 another run through the blockade back into Wilmington. 460 00:28:54,215 --> 00:28:55,795 PHILIPPE: So we see here that the records are indicating 461 00:28:55,837 --> 00:29:01,837 that she was carrying bacon and 534 boxes of merchandise. 462 00:29:01,878 --> 00:29:04,808 NARRATOR: Some details of the report don't add up. 463 00:29:04,846 --> 00:29:06,746 PHILIPPE: The first thing they say 464 00:29:06,779 --> 00:29:09,849 is that she's going to Nassau, and she just absolutely is not. 465 00:29:09,886 --> 00:29:11,916 She's actually running the blockade, 466 00:29:11,957 --> 00:29:14,237 you know, we know that this log is not accurate. 467 00:29:14,269 --> 00:29:16,509 And so what was actually on the Mary Celestia? 468 00:29:16,547 --> 00:29:20,137 Well, that is a mystery. 469 00:29:20,172 --> 00:29:22,452 NARRATOR: The wreckage of the Mary Celestia 470 00:29:22,484 --> 00:29:25,044 still holds secrets. 471 00:29:31,148 --> 00:29:33,388 NARRATOR: Clues to the Mary Celestia's sinking 472 00:29:33,426 --> 00:29:35,386 may lie in what the blockade runner 473 00:29:35,428 --> 00:29:37,778 was bringing back to the Confederacy. 474 00:29:39,881 --> 00:29:43,021 To uncover the ship's secret cargo, 475 00:29:43,057 --> 00:29:45,777 we can return to the drained ocean floor. 476 00:29:48,994 --> 00:29:54,834 At the bow, the ship's forepeak now lies exposed. 477 00:29:54,862 --> 00:29:57,802 This tight space was used in ships like this 478 00:29:57,830 --> 00:29:59,560 for secure storage. 479 00:30:02,214 --> 00:30:06,564 Based on archaeologists' data, it can now be reconstructed. 480 00:30:10,463 --> 00:30:14,613 When the ship is built, this locker is used by the bosun, 481 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:16,990 the ship's head of maintenance. 482 00:30:17,022 --> 00:30:20,752 Now its wooden compartments are rotted away, 483 00:30:20,784 --> 00:30:24,134 leaving the contents uncovered. 484 00:30:24,167 --> 00:30:28,267 Among the finds are tins of paint and lengths of rope, 485 00:30:28,309 --> 00:30:30,139 a pair of shoes 486 00:30:30,173 --> 00:30:33,943 and a foot-shaped wooden mold used by shoemakers. 487 00:30:38,112 --> 00:30:43,012 They could simply be the bosun's personal supplies, 488 00:30:43,048 --> 00:30:45,878 but they could also hint at a larger cargo. 489 00:30:48,191 --> 00:30:50,161 The discovery of a letter 490 00:30:50,193 --> 00:30:53,923 written by the ship's chief engineer, Charles Middleton, 491 00:30:53,955 --> 00:30:57,225 contains clues to some of the merchandise 492 00:30:57,269 --> 00:31:02,309 declared by the captain as the Mary Celestia left Bermuda. 493 00:31:02,343 --> 00:31:04,483 PHILIPPE: Charles Middleton describes in one of his letters 494 00:31:04,517 --> 00:31:06,207 very specifically the things that he lost 495 00:31:06,243 --> 00:31:07,833 on the Mary Celestia. 496 00:31:07,866 --> 00:31:10,626 This includes ladies' dresses, barrels of sugar, 497 00:31:10,661 --> 00:31:14,911 tea, and 59 pairs of shoes. 498 00:31:14,942 --> 00:31:16,462 JAMES: Amazingly enough, 499 00:31:16,495 --> 00:31:21,425 shoes were in short supply in the Confederacy. 500 00:31:21,465 --> 00:31:23,395 Most of the leather manufacturing, 501 00:31:23,433 --> 00:31:26,263 most of the shoemaking was up in the Northern states. 502 00:31:26,298 --> 00:31:29,888 Shoes become invaluable. 503 00:31:29,922 --> 00:31:31,722 NARRATOR: Not only does the blockade 504 00:31:31,751 --> 00:31:35,311 prevent the Confederacy from getting cotton out, 505 00:31:35,341 --> 00:31:38,411 it stops it bringing in daily essentials, 506 00:31:38,448 --> 00:31:40,518 hurting Southern morale. 507 00:31:40,553 --> 00:31:42,523 CRAIG: The goal was to asphyxiate 508 00:31:42,555 --> 00:31:45,555 not only its military, but its civilian society, 509 00:31:45,593 --> 00:31:47,223 and demonstrate to Southerners 510 00:31:47,250 --> 00:31:48,870 that they'd made a terrible mistake 511 00:31:48,907 --> 00:31:50,767 to secede from the Union. 512 00:31:52,876 --> 00:31:55,186 NARRATOR: The cargo in the forepeak reveals 513 00:31:55,223 --> 00:31:59,683 the Mary Celestia's mission, and the pressure on the South. 514 00:31:59,710 --> 00:32:02,200 But it doesn't explain what happened to her. 515 00:32:08,064 --> 00:32:10,794 Perhaps the discovery of items not listed 516 00:32:10,825 --> 00:32:15,305 on the customs report can help reveal the truth. 517 00:32:15,347 --> 00:32:17,067 PHILIPPE: There are lots of local stories 518 00:32:17,107 --> 00:32:21,317 about early divers finding things on the Mary Celestia. 519 00:32:21,353 --> 00:32:23,943 They found cases of guns, cases of rifles. 520 00:32:26,703 --> 00:32:30,053 NARRATOR: If she was carrying a cargo of weapons and ammunition 521 00:32:30,086 --> 00:32:33,636 bound for the Confederate Army, the Mary Celestia would be 522 00:32:33,675 --> 00:32:36,675 a prime target for Union warships. 523 00:32:38,818 --> 00:32:41,338 But Bermuda is a safe haven, 524 00:32:41,373 --> 00:32:44,483 650 miles from the Union Navy 525 00:32:44,514 --> 00:32:46,794 patrolling the Confederate coast. 526 00:32:46,826 --> 00:32:53,826 ♪ 527 00:32:53,868 --> 00:32:56,178 Returning to the drained seafloor, 528 00:32:56,215 --> 00:32:59,555 a closer look at the wreck's surviving structure 529 00:32:59,598 --> 00:33:02,698 reveals more detail. 530 00:33:02,739 --> 00:33:06,119 Her twisted bow is separated from her engine space 531 00:33:06,156 --> 00:33:09,056 and the rest of the hull. 532 00:33:09,090 --> 00:33:11,510 Whatever caused this destruction 533 00:33:11,541 --> 00:33:14,791 did so with huge force, 534 00:33:14,820 --> 00:33:17,750 but there's no sign of damage to the boilers. 535 00:33:17,788 --> 00:33:20,548 There was no explosion. 536 00:33:20,584 --> 00:33:22,074 And there were no sea mines 537 00:33:22,103 --> 00:33:26,523 this far from the American coast. 538 00:33:26,556 --> 00:33:30,906 The wreck lies surrounded by a different threat: coral. 539 00:33:35,496 --> 00:33:41,256 Beneath the ocean's surface, a giant reef encircles Bermuda. 540 00:33:41,295 --> 00:33:45,635 A lethal barrier reaching up from the seabed. 541 00:33:45,678 --> 00:33:47,128 PHILIPPE: It's as hard as marble, 542 00:33:47,163 --> 00:33:51,583 and a ship hitting that literally gets torn to pieces. 543 00:33:51,615 --> 00:33:55,715 NARRATOR: The Mary Celestia must have struck the reef, 544 00:33:55,757 --> 00:34:00,067 but reports suggest conditions were flat and calm. 545 00:34:00,107 --> 00:34:02,447 ♪ 546 00:34:02,488 --> 00:34:07,178 ♪ 547 00:34:07,217 --> 00:34:10,147 PHILIPPE: "Loss of the steamer, Mary Celestia. 548 00:34:10,186 --> 00:34:12,076 It is our painful duty to record the loss 549 00:34:12,119 --> 00:34:14,019 of that beautiful little steamer..." 550 00:34:14,052 --> 00:34:16,262 NARRATOR: Philippe learns that on the day she sinks, 551 00:34:16,295 --> 00:34:18,325 the Mary Celestia is piloted 552 00:34:18,366 --> 00:34:22,126 by an experienced Bermudian navigator, John Virgin. 553 00:34:26,133 --> 00:34:28,693 His job is to carefully guide the ship 554 00:34:28,721 --> 00:34:32,731 clear of Bermuda's dangerous reef, 555 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:34,730 but the account of the sinking 556 00:34:34,762 --> 00:34:37,972 suggests the vessel is moving with reckless speed. 557 00:34:40,492 --> 00:34:43,182 PHILIPPE: The ship was traveling at 12 to 13 knots. 558 00:34:43,219 --> 00:34:45,769 That's fast. I mean, that's really fast. 559 00:34:48,293 --> 00:34:51,613 NARRATOR: A local pilot plows into a well-known reef 560 00:34:51,641 --> 00:34:54,021 at 13 knots. 561 00:34:54,057 --> 00:34:56,957 It could have simply been misfortune, 562 00:34:56,991 --> 00:35:02,131 but for some experts the clues point elsewhere. 563 00:35:02,169 --> 00:35:03,579 JAMES: In my opinion, there's no way 564 00:35:03,618 --> 00:35:06,208 the wreck of Mary Celestia is an accident. 565 00:35:06,242 --> 00:35:10,592 John Virgin picked the right spot to wreck her. 566 00:35:10,625 --> 00:35:13,385 It's the perfect spot to destroy the ship 567 00:35:13,421 --> 00:35:15,841 while making sure that the crew has a chance to live. 568 00:35:19,358 --> 00:35:22,428 NARRATOR: Some believe that John Virgin is a secret enemy 569 00:35:22,465 --> 00:35:24,945 of the Confederacy, 570 00:35:24,984 --> 00:35:29,234 or a saboteur in the pay of Union spies. 571 00:35:29,265 --> 00:35:33,125 If that's true, then he does a very effective job, 572 00:35:33,165 --> 00:35:36,125 wrecking one of the best blockade runners of them all. 573 00:35:39,206 --> 00:35:42,136 By shutting down its every effort to trade, 574 00:35:42,174 --> 00:35:46,114 the Union is slowly squeezing the Confederacy. 575 00:35:46,144 --> 00:35:51,844 The idea of an independent South is beginning to die. 576 00:35:51,873 --> 00:35:55,223 But 3,500 miles from the American coast, 577 00:35:55,256 --> 00:35:56,946 a mysterious wreck reveals 578 00:35:56,982 --> 00:36:00,332 a final desperate Confederate plan 579 00:36:00,365 --> 00:36:03,125 to take the Civil War global. 580 00:36:06,474 --> 00:36:09,824 June 19, 1864. 581 00:36:09,857 --> 00:36:12,617 A crowd gathers on the cliffs of northern France 582 00:36:12,653 --> 00:36:15,763 to watch a fiery spectacle. 583 00:36:15,794 --> 00:36:19,454 The last stand of a legendary Confederate warship, 584 00:36:19,487 --> 00:36:21,457 the CSS Alabama. 585 00:36:26,253 --> 00:36:29,263 The Alabama has been the scourge of the seas, 586 00:36:29,290 --> 00:36:33,850 sinking dozens of Union ships wherever she can find them. 587 00:36:33,881 --> 00:36:36,061 JAMES: There are ships that don't leave harbor 588 00:36:36,090 --> 00:36:38,230 because they're not sure 589 00:36:38,265 --> 00:36:41,885 that they can get away from the Alabama. 590 00:36:41,923 --> 00:36:47,033 NARRATOR: The Union Navy needs to end her reign of terror. 591 00:36:47,066 --> 00:36:49,996 CRAIG: A total of 18 warships were finally sent out 592 00:36:50,035 --> 00:36:53,445 to try to find the Alabama. 593 00:36:53,487 --> 00:36:56,007 NARRATOR: Finally, in French waters, 594 00:36:56,041 --> 00:37:00,871 the Union Navy catches up with its nemesis, 595 00:37:00,908 --> 00:37:04,668 and sinks her with an hour of continuous fire. 596 00:37:09,848 --> 00:37:12,638 [man yells] 597 00:37:12,678 --> 00:37:14,958 NARRATOR: For years, historians have wondered 598 00:37:14,991 --> 00:37:18,681 just what made the Alabama so deadly. 599 00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:22,169 When archaeologists finally locate the wreck, 600 00:37:22,205 --> 00:37:26,275 six miles out from Cherbourg on the coast of Normandy, 601 00:37:26,313 --> 00:37:31,393 they discover she lies at the very edge of diving technology, 602 00:37:31,421 --> 00:37:33,871 200 feet below the surface 603 00:37:33,906 --> 00:37:37,046 in the frigid waters of the English Channel. 604 00:37:37,082 --> 00:37:40,052 JAMES: It's deep but it's also dark. 605 00:37:40,085 --> 00:37:45,325 It's cold, the water's fast, and your time is limited. 606 00:37:45,366 --> 00:37:46,986 NARRATOR: In these depths, 607 00:37:47,023 --> 00:37:50,583 divers have less than 15 minutes on the seafloor 608 00:37:50,613 --> 00:37:54,343 before they run out of air. 609 00:37:54,375 --> 00:37:57,445 Now, combining the latest sonar data 610 00:37:57,482 --> 00:37:59,902 with the archaeologists' observations, 611 00:37:59,932 --> 00:38:04,832 we can pull the plug on the English Channel 612 00:38:04,868 --> 00:38:08,528 to reveal the secrets of a Confederate ocean raider. 613 00:38:11,496 --> 00:38:15,526 At the stern, a cone-shaped ruin. 614 00:38:15,569 --> 00:38:19,849 The remains of a propeller fin. 615 00:38:19,883 --> 00:38:22,783 Sitting beneath an H-shaped frame, 616 00:38:22,817 --> 00:38:26,057 clearly designed to pull the propeller out of the water. 617 00:38:29,652 --> 00:38:33,592 The evidence reveals Alabama is powered by steam, 618 00:38:33,621 --> 00:38:37,041 but able to lift her prop and travel by sail. 619 00:38:39,282 --> 00:38:41,842 And there's something else unusual: 620 00:38:41,871 --> 00:38:44,871 the remains of a strange smokestack. 621 00:38:47,842 --> 00:38:51,262 It's divided into several sections. 622 00:38:51,294 --> 00:38:56,964 This means it was telescopic; it could be lowered. 623 00:38:56,989 --> 00:39:00,789 At this time, warships are increasingly clad in iron. 624 00:39:00,821 --> 00:39:05,341 ♪ 625 00:39:05,377 --> 00:39:07,617 But with her propeller retracted, 626 00:39:07,655 --> 00:39:09,685 and her smokestack lowered, 627 00:39:09,726 --> 00:39:13,246 the Alabama looks more like an ordinary merchant sail ship. 628 00:39:16,940 --> 00:39:22,050 ♪ 629 00:39:22,083 --> 00:39:26,093 British maritime historian Sam Willis is an expert 630 00:39:26,122 --> 00:39:27,402 in naval tactics. 631 00:39:27,434 --> 00:39:29,194 He has a theory 632 00:39:29,228 --> 00:39:32,338 about the Alabama's special design features. 633 00:39:34,406 --> 00:39:35,676 SAM WILLIS: The Alabama would approach 634 00:39:35,718 --> 00:39:37,378 looking as friendly as possible, 635 00:39:37,409 --> 00:39:38,959 but as she got close, 636 00:39:38,997 --> 00:39:41,857 she might haul up the colors of the Confederacy, 637 00:39:41,896 --> 00:39:45,866 and she would transform from a seemingly harmless merchant ship 638 00:39:45,900 --> 00:39:50,040 into an extremely powerful ship of war. 639 00:39:50,077 --> 00:39:52,527 NARRATOR: Her disguise means she can sneak up 640 00:39:52,562 --> 00:39:56,362 on unsuspecting Union ships. 641 00:39:56,394 --> 00:39:59,124 How did the Confederates manage to build 642 00:39:59,155 --> 00:40:02,775 such a terrifying wolf in sheep's clothing? 643 00:40:09,061 --> 00:40:11,621 NARRATOR: The Confederate warship CSS Alabama 644 00:40:11,650 --> 00:40:13,830 is a hunter. 645 00:40:13,859 --> 00:40:17,759 But she's not targeting the Union Navy. 646 00:40:17,794 --> 00:40:20,044 She's built like a merchant ship, 647 00:40:20,072 --> 00:40:23,012 making her a perfect commerce raider. 648 00:40:23,041 --> 00:40:25,491 SAM: The Alabama is specifically designed 649 00:40:25,526 --> 00:40:29,666 to overpower other merchant ships. 650 00:40:29,703 --> 00:40:31,463 CRAIG: This is the traditional strategy 651 00:40:31,498 --> 00:40:32,738 of the weaker naval power; 652 00:40:32,775 --> 00:40:37,325 to attack your enemy's merchant fleet. 653 00:40:37,365 --> 00:40:40,535 NARRATOR: The Union is slowly crippling the Southern economy, 654 00:40:40,576 --> 00:40:43,096 strangling its cotton exports 655 00:40:43,130 --> 00:40:46,370 and choking it of essential supplies. 656 00:40:46,409 --> 00:40:50,549 So the Confederacy fights fire with fire, 657 00:40:50,586 --> 00:40:52,996 and targets the Northern economy, 658 00:40:53,036 --> 00:40:56,486 sending the Alabama on a global expedition 659 00:40:56,523 --> 00:41:00,083 to seek out Union merchant ships wherever they operate. 660 00:41:02,356 --> 00:41:04,246 But how can the blockaded South 661 00:41:04,289 --> 00:41:06,709 produce such a devastating warship? 662 00:41:10,122 --> 00:41:15,022 Returning to the drained wreck site reveals further evidence. 663 00:41:15,058 --> 00:41:17,158 The ship's cannon lie on the deck, 664 00:41:17,198 --> 00:41:21,338 just as they were when the Alabama went down. 665 00:41:21,375 --> 00:41:24,585 Each is encased in more than a century of concretion, 666 00:41:24,620 --> 00:41:28,070 rock-hard mineral deposits clinging to the iron. 667 00:41:28,106 --> 00:41:34,036 ♪ 668 00:41:34,077 --> 00:41:37,007 Archaeologists lift the cannon from the wreck. 669 00:41:37,046 --> 00:41:43,186 ♪ 670 00:41:43,224 --> 00:41:46,614 French conservator Paul Mardikian is the first 671 00:41:46,642 --> 00:41:48,822 to lay hands on the weapons. 672 00:41:51,267 --> 00:41:55,927 His first job is to remove the mineral deposits. 673 00:41:55,961 --> 00:41:57,791 PAUL MARDIKIAN: Generally on shipwrecks, 674 00:41:57,825 --> 00:42:01,065 you cannot easily predict what you're going to find. 675 00:42:01,104 --> 00:42:06,014 So it's always, there's always a surprise factor. 676 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:08,870 NARRATOR: Beneath the carbonate layer encrusting the iron, 677 00:42:08,905 --> 00:42:10,865 he discovers a clue: 678 00:42:10,907 --> 00:42:13,947 a maker's mark. 679 00:42:13,979 --> 00:42:18,119 PAUL: The 32-pounders were clearly stamped, 680 00:42:18,156 --> 00:42:23,396 "Fawcett and Preston, Liverpool, 1862." 681 00:42:23,437 --> 00:42:26,197 NARRATOR: She may have flown the Confederate flag, 682 00:42:26,233 --> 00:42:28,933 but the stamp reveals the Alabama's cannon 683 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,580 are not from the South. 684 00:42:31,618 --> 00:42:34,898 They're forged across the Atlantic in Britain. 685 00:42:37,140 --> 00:42:39,140 Under international law, 686 00:42:39,177 --> 00:42:43,527 Britain cannot supply arms to either side in a civil war. 687 00:42:43,561 --> 00:42:47,011 So why is the Alabama armed with British guns? 688 00:42:50,568 --> 00:42:54,088 The cannon's manufacturer no longer exists, 689 00:42:54,123 --> 00:42:58,133 but its archives and sales records have been preserved. 690 00:42:58,161 --> 00:42:59,961 Today they're held 691 00:42:59,991 --> 00:43:04,861 in Liverpool's Merseyside Maritime Museum. 692 00:43:04,892 --> 00:43:08,282 Sam Willis discovers a set of plans. 693 00:43:08,309 --> 00:43:13,249 Cannon matching the guns found on the Alabama's wreck. 694 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:16,660 There's no mention of the Confederacy on the plans, 695 00:43:16,697 --> 00:43:22,317 only a mysterious set of initials: IDB. 696 00:43:22,358 --> 00:43:26,428 SAM: The original drawing of this was sent to IDB. 697 00:43:26,465 --> 00:43:28,735 Now I think that stands for 698 00:43:28,778 --> 00:43:30,918 someone called James Dunwoody Bullock. 699 00:43:30,953 --> 00:43:33,683 He's a really important person in this naval war. 700 00:43:36,648 --> 00:43:38,168 NARRATOR: Bullock's name is well-known 701 00:43:38,201 --> 00:43:41,861 to British maritime historians. 702 00:43:41,895 --> 00:43:45,415 He's a Confederate secret agent operating in Britain. 703 00:43:48,936 --> 00:43:51,696 SAM: Britain was officially neutral in the war, 704 00:43:51,732 --> 00:43:54,742 but there was a particularly strong link between Liverpool 705 00:43:54,770 --> 00:43:57,500 and Liverpool merchants and the Confederacy, 706 00:43:57,531 --> 00:44:00,431 and that was because of cotton. 707 00:44:00,465 --> 00:44:04,395 NARRATOR: In 1860, 80% of Britain's cotton imports 708 00:44:04,434 --> 00:44:09,964 comes from the American South, through Liverpool's docks. 709 00:44:09,992 --> 00:44:12,822 But this city is more than a trade hub, 710 00:44:12,857 --> 00:44:17,337 it is Britain's industrial powerhouse. 711 00:44:17,378 --> 00:44:19,478 The evidence is clear. 712 00:44:19,518 --> 00:44:23,658 The Confederate agent wasn't just sourcing guns here, 713 00:44:23,695 --> 00:44:25,035 but ships. 714 00:44:30,322 --> 00:44:31,982 Sam uncovers Bullock's name 715 00:44:32,014 --> 00:44:35,714 on a contract with a local shipbuilder, Lairds. 716 00:44:38,986 --> 00:44:43,606 The firm's Victorian shipyard still exists. 717 00:44:43,646 --> 00:44:45,196 SAM: What's interesting about this document 718 00:44:45,234 --> 00:44:49,004 is that if you look at the dimensions, the construction, 719 00:44:49,031 --> 00:44:52,411 the details match almost exactly everything we know 720 00:44:52,448 --> 00:44:57,868 about the Alabama; about her hull, her rig, her outfitting. 721 00:44:57,902 --> 00:44:59,732 That means I'm confident to be able to say 722 00:44:59,766 --> 00:45:03,176 that this is a contract for the building of the Alabama, 723 00:45:03,217 --> 00:45:06,807 and that means that the Alabama was built in that dry dock. 724 00:45:10,777 --> 00:45:12,607 We know that the Confederates paid 725 00:45:12,640 --> 00:45:16,990 for the Alabama to be built, but nowhere in this entire document 726 00:45:17,024 --> 00:45:19,654 does it mention the Confederacy of the Southern states. 727 00:45:19,682 --> 00:45:22,722 They exist behind the words like a ghost. 728 00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:28,519 NARRATOR: Desperate to strike blow to the Union juggernaut, 729 00:45:28,553 --> 00:45:32,493 the Confederacy builds a secret warship in Britain 730 00:45:32,522 --> 00:45:34,842 and releases her into the Atlantic 731 00:45:34,870 --> 00:45:36,800 to decimate the Union fleet. 732 00:45:40,047 --> 00:45:42,387 In her first month at sea, 733 00:45:42,429 --> 00:45:46,779 the South's stealth raider burns 10 American whalers. 734 00:45:46,813 --> 00:45:51,473 She avoids capture while taking on coal in French Martinique, 735 00:45:51,507 --> 00:45:55,057 and then wreaks havoc off the coast of Brazil. 736 00:45:55,097 --> 00:45:57,617 Her odyssey of destruction takes her all the way 737 00:45:57,651 --> 00:46:00,101 to the South China Sea. 738 00:46:00,136 --> 00:46:05,516 ♪ 739 00:46:05,555 --> 00:46:08,555 The raider makes the Civil War global. 740 00:46:08,593 --> 00:46:13,123 ♪ 741 00:46:13,149 --> 00:46:17,219 By the time the Alabama is caught in 1864, 742 00:46:17,257 --> 00:46:20,607 she has sunk more than 60 Union merchant ships. 743 00:46:24,022 --> 00:46:27,722 But despite all of its secret tactics and innovations, 744 00:46:27,750 --> 00:46:31,170 the writing is on the wall for the Confederates. 745 00:46:31,202 --> 00:46:34,722 When Ulysses S. Grant accepts the surrender of Robert E. Lee 746 00:46:34,757 --> 00:46:41,007 in 1865, the American Civil War is over. 747 00:46:41,039 --> 00:46:43,519 The war that launches modern America 748 00:46:43,559 --> 00:46:46,939 has given birth to a new mode of warfare, 749 00:46:46,976 --> 00:46:50,806 a war on the water as well as on the battlefield. 750 00:46:50,842 --> 00:46:55,402 A war between societies fought over money and resources. 751 00:46:55,433 --> 00:46:56,613 Total war! 752 00:46:56,641 --> 00:46:57,781 Captioned by Side Door Media Services