1 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:11,760 NARRATOR: The Black Sea. 2 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:17,720 Home to lost tales of ancient mariners that only now 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:21,040 are coming into full view. 4 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:24,720 DAN (off-screen): It's like finding a dinosaur with feathers. 5 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:26,560 That's how rare it was. 6 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,240 NARRATOR: What can a surprising shipwreck reveal 7 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:35,040 about the men who ruled these waters for 1,000 years? 8 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:36,960 MIKE: These ships were feeding and maintaining 9 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:37,960 a whole empire. 10 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,200 DAN: And it help turn the empire into one of the 11 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:42,920 greatest ever known. 12 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:47,960 NARRATOR: How does a glint of precious metal reveal a battle 13 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,760 to decide the fate of two empires? 14 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,440 DILARA: This event changed naval warfare all 15 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:56,560 around the world. 16 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,040 NARRATOR: And what does a lost U-boat say about Hitler's 17 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:07,360 plans to build his own empire here? 18 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,440 Three mysteries. 19 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,120 Three expeditions. 20 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,680 One sea of secrets. 21 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:26,360 (theme music plays) 22 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,520 DAN (off-screen): The Black Sea is filled with mystery. 23 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:44,240 There's always been warfare, strife and battles taking 24 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:46,600 place on or near the Black Sea, 25 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,320 contesting for that territory. 26 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,120 DAN (off-screen): There are so many connections to be made, 27 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,440 but there's so little evidence to go from. 28 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,880 NARRATOR: Between Europe and Asia six countries crowd 29 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,000 around the shores of the Black Sea with just one small 30 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,560 outlet connecting it to the world's oceans. 31 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,360 The vessels that plied these waters over 1,000 years ago 32 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:23,440 have long been a mystery. 33 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,120 Historians have only a handful of descriptions 34 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:28,640 in ancient text. 35 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:34,000 Finding an actual shipwreck could change everything. 36 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,040 DAN (off-screen): In 2007 I received an invitation to come and take 37 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,360 part in an expedition to the Black Sea. 38 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,880 And this was very exciting. 39 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:50,840 MIKE (off-screen): It's really been kind of unexplored. 40 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:54,040 And so only a handful of expeditions have really done 41 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:57,320 surveys looking for shipwrecks in these waters. 42 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:00,720 The Black Sea's right in my first year expeditions and so 43 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,160 it's where I started to learn the process of how we locate 44 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,160 ancient shipwrecks. 45 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,720 NARRATOR: Archaeologists have long suspected the Black Sea 46 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,680 could be hiding a treasure trove of wrecks because of the 47 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:17,040 unusual properties of its water. 48 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:19,280 DAN (off-screen): Well the Black Sea chemistry is unique because 49 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,760 from about 600 feet all the way down to the very bottom of 50 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,240 the Black Sea there is literally no oxygen in the water, 51 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,120 in the so called Anoxic layer. 52 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,760 DAN (off-screen): Everywhere else shipwrecks are not preserved, 53 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,040 mostly because of a very nasty little sea worm. 54 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:37,880 They eat everything. 55 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:40,560 Meaning ships, rope, all of the stuff that you would find 56 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:42,440 on an, on an ancient wooden ship, 57 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:46,320 usually gone everywhere else except the Black Sea. 58 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,280 NARRATOR: No-one had ever searched for shipwrecks in the 59 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:58,080 deepest layers of the Black Sea until 2000. 60 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,600 DAN: The explorer Robert Ballard set out to explore the 61 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,400 bottom of the Black Sea, like it had never been done before. 62 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,800 MIKE (off-screen): Dr. Ballard is the world renowned ocean explorer 63 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,800 who found Titanic in 1985. 64 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,960 On his very first expedition to the Black Sea no-one was 65 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:20,280 ready for what he would find. 66 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,000 Ballard's expedition found shipwrecks 67 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:26,320 near a town called Sinop. 68 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,160 DAN (off-screen): They found three Sinop shipwrecks right off the bat, 69 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:32,920 A, B and C. 70 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,440 They were in an area of the Black Sea that only partially 71 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:38,400 preserved shipwrecks. 72 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,000 And it was only, like all archaeological excavations are, 73 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,840 on the last day at the last minute that they decided 74 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,560 to look in deeper Anoxic waters and that's when they 75 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:49,840 found Sinop D. 76 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:57,560 ♪ ♪ 77 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,840 The team on the ship must have been quite confused. 78 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,280 DAN (off-screen): They were looking at multiple vertical timbers sticking out 79 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,040 of the mud, one of them quite large. 80 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:20,120 And all of a sudden the realization must have dawned 81 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:22,760 on them this is an ancient shipwreck. 82 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,560 DAN (off-screen): They saw structural features that had never before been 83 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:31,960 seen intact on an ancient vessel. 84 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,720 Only in illustrations. 85 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,080 Prior to this shipwreck no other ships had been found in 86 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,640 the Anoxic layer perfectly preserved. 87 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:44,280 This meant that archaeologists, 88 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,640 for the first time, could look at a shipwreck in its full 89 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:51,760 dimensionality and now there's nothing we have to guess at. 90 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,120 DAN (off-screen): Sinop D was an unprecedented find. 91 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:58,000 It's like finding a dinosaur with feathers, 92 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,120 that's how rare it was. 93 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:04,160 But in 2000 all the team could do was look at what they were 94 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:06,200 seeing on the seabed. 95 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:08,600 They didn't know the date of the ship. 96 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,760 It could have been an ancient Greek ship. 97 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:12,000 It could have been Roman. 98 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:13,800 It could have built 200 years ago. 99 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:15,320 They just didn't know. 100 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,320 DAN (off-screen): There was an obsession to go back. 101 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:22,840 MIKE: How old was the ship? Where was it sailing to? 102 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:24,000 Where was it coming from? 103 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,040 MIKE (off-screen): A lot of these things were still a mystery. 104 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:37,560 NARRATOR: When Dan and Mike join the 2007 expedition 105 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:41,800 they hope that new technology will bring new answers. 106 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,760 MIKE (off-screen): The 2007 expedition was specifically designed for us 107 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:51,480 to spend a week really investigating this 108 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:53,560 wreck in depth. 109 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,520 In these waters that we're exploring it's way too deep 110 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,920 for scuba divers, so we need to use remotely operated vehicles 111 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,200 to get down to those depths and get good, 112 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:06,880 high quality video of these sites. 113 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:10,920 DAN: We had a workhorse, state of the art, 114 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,520 remotely operated vehicle named Hercules that could help 115 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,800 us explore the wreck in multiple ways and take high 116 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,240 definition video of the entire operation. 117 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,960 So I remember this view approaching Sinop D for the 118 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:34,560 first time in 2007 and just being blown away. 119 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:37,920 MIKE: And here you have it, 120 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,280 the well preserved wooden shipwreck, the mast still standing. 121 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:42,960 DAN (off-screen): Yeah. But the only one we have. 122 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:44,720 They're very rare. 123 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:46,400 MIKE (off-screen): And you've got a piece of rope still wrapped around 124 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,760 the top which is unheard of. 125 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,840 DAN (off-screen): I saw the mast for the first time and it was a magic 126 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:01,040 moment for me. 127 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:02,880 It was emotional. 128 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:10,760 NARRATOR: Hercules allows the team to measure every inch 129 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,480 of what's left on the sea floor. 130 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,120 Before they can figure out the ship's purpose they'll need to 131 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:22,120 analyze the wreck's size, shape and design. 132 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,200 DAN (off-screen): What we find is a 45 feet long ship. 133 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,520 A single mast that probably carried a square sail. 134 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,680 There's no evidence of decking in the middle of the wreck, 135 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:46,840 so we can assume it's a cargo hold. 136 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:53,120 And lucky for us there's cargo still on board. 137 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:05,000 Typically when we stumble upon an ancient shipwreck the first 138 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:06,880 clue we look for is the cargo. 139 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,720 DAN (off-screen): Usually these clay jars called amphoras. 140 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,160 Amphoras carried everything. 141 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,720 They carried olive oil, they carried fish sauce, 142 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:17,480 they carried wine. 143 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:20,160 MIKE (off-screen): These diagnostic amphoras that can help us put 144 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,920 a date on the wreck and tell how old it is. 145 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:28,480 Recovering an artifact from a shipwreck is not a 146 00:09:28,560 --> 00:09:29,760 simple process. 147 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,560 MIKE (off-screen): They use a little sucker that the ROV put on the amphora to 148 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:37,400 pick it up without damaging it. 149 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:40,440 So they would move it over to a net. 150 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:46,040 Once we have artifacts in these nets we get it on board 151 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,000 as carefully as possible. 152 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:52,040 Watching the ROV pilots handle these, these artifacts and put them 153 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:54,720 carefully into these baskets and then send them up to the 154 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:56,680 surface is really nerve racking because we 155 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:57,920 don't want them damaged. 156 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:06,040 NARRATOR: The hope is that a close study of the clay jars 157 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:09,320 will establish the age of the shipwreck. 158 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:17,160 ♪ ♪ 159 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,960 PAOLO (off-screen): An amphora holds a lot of information about the 160 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:25,440 ancient world. 161 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,680 Amphoras can be dated quite precisely because they're 162 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:31,680 everywhere and they are very well studied. 163 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,960 PAOLO (off-screen): So the amphoras can be dated through their 164 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:36,760 physical characteristics. 165 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,160 Normally the, the handles and the neck, 166 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:41,640 but also what we call the foot, 167 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:43,840 which is the bottom part. 168 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:47,560 People can compare the new find with the, with the already 169 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:50,000 studied one and establish a quite precise date. 170 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,040 PAOLO (off-screen): So for Sinop they are fairly small. 171 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:57,280 They are mostly carrot shape and some of them have grooves 172 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:00,400 that go around the entire body of the amphora. 173 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:02,720 And so those are quite distinctive characteristics 174 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:06,200 that a give a clear idea of the date when Sinop D was 175 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:08,520 sailing on the Black Sea. 176 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,880 MIKE (off-screen): The amphora that we documented were dated to the 177 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:21,920 5th and 6th centuries AD. 178 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:26,080 We had never before had a shipwreck that is 1500 years 179 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:28,680 old in its entirety, preserved on the seabed. 180 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:34,760 NARRATOR: The dates mean Sinop D is sailing at the tail end 181 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:36,960 of the Roman Empire. 182 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,000 What can it reveal about a new power that's rising 183 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:41,960 to take its place? 184 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:45,480 ♪ ♪ 185 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,200 DAN: Now that we knew what the date of the ship was it was 186 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:02,640 exciting because Sinop D dates to this pivotal moment in 187 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:03,920 world history. 188 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:12,560 NARRATOR: By the 5th Century the once mighty Roman Empire is crumbling, 189 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,160 except in the east which breaks away to 190 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,920 create the Byzantine Empire. 191 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:23,760 It's capital no longer Rome but the great city 192 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:29,080 of Constantinople, modern day Istanbul. 193 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,040 PAOLO (off-screen): The choice of Constantinople as the capital 194 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,880 is mostly because of its strategic position. 195 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:40,280 It was located in-between the two continents, 196 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:41,880 Asia and Europe. 197 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,040 It was by the sea so it could, it could easily 198 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,000 transport goods and, and troops. 199 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,120 PAOLO (off-screen): And so Constantinople at the time of the Byzantine Empire 200 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:56,160 became the largest city in the world and the most wealthy. 201 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,720 NARRATOR: Constantinople's wealth depends on Black Sea 202 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:04,080 ports like Sinop. 203 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,440 And Sinop D may have played a pivotal role 204 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:09,680 in Byzantine history. 205 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:13,400 DAN: Now we had some fundamental questions that we 206 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:15,000 needed answers for. 207 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:19,600 Among them how does this ship connect to the history of the 208 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:21,320 Byzantine Empire itself? 209 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:24,520 DAN (off-screen): How did it contribute to the growth of the empire? 210 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,120 NARRATOR: One way to answer those questions is to 211 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,080 investigate the ship itself. 212 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:35,040 DAN (off-screen): The wreck was so enticing, 213 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,400 but the ship is so deeply buried in sediment it was 214 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:39,840 giving up its mysteries with such great difficulty. 215 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:42,360 DAN (off-screen): We knew that we would have to start excavating 216 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:44,280 the shipwreck. 217 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:49,080 With Hercules now we had the capability of removing silt 218 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,160 in large volumes. 219 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:55,000 And exposing more of its timbers. 220 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:56,760 Oh yes! 221 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:58,800 All the mud. 222 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:00,280 Look at this Black Sea mud. 223 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:02,040 MIKE: Yeah. 224 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:04,400 It's really sticky and, and almost like Jell-O the way it moves. 225 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,280 DAN (off-screen): I remember just thinking, "What a strange seabed." 226 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,280 Never seen anything like that before. 227 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:14,560 Removing the silt was a painstaking process. 228 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:16,840 The upper layers very easy to remove, 229 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:21,440 but as we dug deeper into the mud the more thick the mud 230 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:26,360 became and at that point our work slowed way down. 231 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:29,560 We managed to explore a little bit of some of the planking 232 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,480 but we were not able to dig as deep as we 233 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:34,960 wanted to unfortunately. 234 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:39,440 We did not find anything that would give away how the ship 235 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:40,800 was constructed. 236 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:43,760 It was a disappointment. 237 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:50,000 NARRATOR: The Black Sea's stubborn mud dashes the 238 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:51,640 expedition's hopes. 239 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:55,440 The secrets of Sinop D remain unknown. 240 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,880 Then comes news of a stunning archaeological find. 241 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:11,760 One that reignites the stalled investigation into Sinop D. 242 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:14,920 MIKE: Since the discovery of Sinop D in 2000, 243 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:16,760 what have we learned about ship building? 244 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,480 DAN: We've been really fortunate to find this 245 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,920 graveyard of shipwrecks in modern day Istanbul, 246 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:24,960 ancient Constantinople. 247 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:29,000 DAN (off-screen): The old harbor that served the city was buried in silt over 248 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:32,440 the centuries and as they were clearing it out to build a 249 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:36,400 subway they found 37 ancient shipwrecks. 250 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:41,480 Lucky for us the discoveries in this harbor called Yenikapi 251 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,480 all date to the Byzantine period. 252 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:49,240 And what you see at Yenikapi is an evolution of Black Sea 253 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:51,480 shipbuilding techniques. 254 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,080 Sinop D is right there in the 5th and 6th Century which is 255 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:57,560 about the midpoint between those 37 wrecks 256 00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:59,520 that were found. 257 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,560 DAN (off-screen): Yenikapi provides all the evidence for the lower part of 258 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,480 the ships because their upper works were not preserved. 259 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:09,440 Sinop D provides almost a perfectly preserved example of 260 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:11,440 the top to the middle. 261 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:13,000 MIKE: Yeah. 262 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,200 DAN: So now we can bring those two together and get a full 263 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:17,440 comprehensive picture for the first time. 264 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,240 DAN (off-screen): There was this earlier tradition in which shipwrights 265 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:26,400 lock planks together edge to edge and then they peg them 266 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:29,680 together so that they can't slide and they can't come apart. 267 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:32,880 And then inserted the skeleton to help stiffen the hull. 268 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:36,480 And then there's this later tradition, 269 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:38,000 it switched completely. 270 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:39,920 DAN (off-screen): It's where you build the frames or the ribs 271 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,520 of the ship first. 272 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:46,320 And then you plank it all around it to create the shell. 273 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:48,880 Edge joinery is still being used, 274 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:53,240 but it's not on the elaborate scale that we had 275 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:54,960 in the earlier tradition. 276 00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:00,840 DAN (off-screen): So the result is cheaper, faster ship construction. 277 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:03,720 Fewer people needed in the shipyard. 278 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,240 Fewer trained people. 279 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:06,520 Fewer skilled people. 280 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:07,800 MIKE: And probably less wood too. 281 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:09,720 DAN: Less wood. Cheaper. Faster. 282 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:10,800 MIKE: Yeah. 283 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,520 DAN (off-screen): Because of the dates suggested by those amphoras we 284 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:22,560 now know that Sinop D fits within this transition 285 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,520 between those two ship construction techniques. 286 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:31,240 So now we could piece together all this evidence to finally 287 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:36,240 see what's under the mud and tell the full story 288 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:38,800 of Sinop D's life. 289 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,200 ♪ ♪ 290 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,480 DAN (off-screen): Sinop D is a cargo vessel. 291 00:17:57,640 --> 00:17:59,520 A merchant ship. 292 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:02,760 Filled with amphoras. 293 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:06,960 It was likely trading between the very prosperous port city 294 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:10,560 of Sinop and the capital city itself, Constantinople. 295 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:12,560 It might have even been heading to the same harbor 296 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:14,840 where that earlier graveyard of shipwrecks 297 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:16,240 was found at Yenikapi. 298 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:24,200 NARRATOR: The ability to construct ships faster and 299 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:28,440 cheaper is a game changer for the Byzantine Empire. 300 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,400 And the secret can be seen in the Sinop D wreck. 301 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:39,680 DAN (off-screen): With this cheaper way of building ships a middle class 302 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,960 emerges who's able to buy the ship, captain the ship, 303 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:47,280 act as the merchant and actually create their own wealth. 304 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:52,560 So in this sense the Sinop D shipwreck is a wealth creator. 305 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,600 It's a type of economic engine for the middle class. 306 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:00,800 MIKE (off-screen): I don't think it's a coincidence that a new type of 307 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,240 shipbuilding starts to arise at the same time that the 308 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,480 Byzantine Empire begins to flourish. 309 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:07,480 These trading ships, like Sinop D, 310 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:09,840 were feeding and maintaining a whole empire. 311 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,840 And this is the beginning of a long period of lucrative trading. 312 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:18,320 DAN (off-screen): This was one of many ships that helped generate 313 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:20,240 the extreme wealth of the empire. 314 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:22,120 And it helped turn the empire into one of the 315 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,280 greatest ever known. 316 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:37,560 ♪ ♪ 317 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:50,800 NARRATOR: Sinop continues to be a key port along the Black Sea 318 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:53,960 long after the fall of the Byzantines. 319 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:57,760 And its waters conceal other secrets. 320 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:05,200 ♪ ♪ 321 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:13,000 RASIM (off-screen): I have lived in Sinop all my life. 322 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:15,760 And being underwater is my passion. 323 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:23,560 The Black Sea is as its name suggests a black, dark sea. 324 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:30,520 RASIM (off-screen): In other seas you see a dark shade of blue 325 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,880 but this blackness of the Black Sea is one worth seeing. 326 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,240 The darkness really fascinates me. 327 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,000 NARRATOR: Yasar Tarakci has been finding relics in Sinop harbor 328 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:53,120 ever since he started diving as a boy. 329 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:57,120 He's found ancient Roman and Byzantine artifacts 330 00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,320 and even old canons. 331 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:04,600 But one discovery proves to be the find of a lifetime. 332 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:10,480 RASIM: In the early 1980s, 333 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,960 because I was a professional diver, 334 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:15,560 I was called by a local fisherman to rescue 335 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,160 some snagged nets. 336 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:23,160 RASIM (off-screen): During the dive I couldn't see anything because of the mud. 337 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:27,120 But using our hands we realized the nets were 338 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,760 covering an old ship. 339 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:39,760 NARRATOR: The curious wreck consumes Yasar for 40 years. 340 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:44,440 What is this ship and how did it end up on the sea floor? 341 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:50,920 RASIM (off-screen): I dived the wreck several times and could see it 342 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:52,640 was made of wood. 343 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:56,960 I knew I wasn't looking at a modern ship. 344 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:01,000 It was well preserved and in shallow water. 345 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:05,320 That meant it couldn't be ancient. 346 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,840 That left open the possibility that this wreck could be 347 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,560 something from the time of the Ottoman Empire. 348 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:20,200 NARRATOR: During the 1300s the Ottomans wrest control 349 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:25,200 of the Black Sea from the Byzantines and here they build an empire 350 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:29,920 that lasts for six centuries, creating one of the largest 351 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,520 and most feared navies in the world. 352 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:40,080 However, there's almost no archaeological evidence of it. 353 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,360 DILARA (off-screen): There should be many shipwrecks in Yenikapi 354 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,560 but we don't have an Ottoman's war ship. 355 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,920 We know so many things about the ship building activities 356 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:09,280 and traditions and complex in Ottoman Empire, 357 00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:15,280 but we don't have an evidence to show people that, 358 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:18,360 yes, we got the correct information or no, 359 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:20,920 the information was not correct. 360 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,840 That's why shipwrecks are so important for every 361 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:26,240 Ottoman naval historian. 362 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:31,120 NARRATOR: One reason the empire's warships are missing today 363 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,320 has to do with an Ottoman tradition of dismantling and 364 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,040 recycling old vessels. 365 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:41,360 Yasar's find is a big surprise. 366 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:46,440 He believes it's Ottoman, but is it? 367 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:01,960 NARRATOR: Dilara comes to Sinop to meet Yasar. 368 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:05,240 (speaking native language) 369 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:06,920 NARRATOR: And to investigate the shipwreck he's spent 370 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,000 decades deciphering. 371 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:16,520 ♪ ♪ 372 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:27,560 DILARA: You dived here and found a shipwreck? 373 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,560 RASIM: Yes, we are more of less situated above it. 374 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,120 DILARA: Can I see the footage you took during your dives? 375 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:46,640 ♪ ♪ 376 00:24:56,360 --> 00:25:00,200 RASIM (off-screen): Here you can see the frames of the ship. 377 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,320 They are made from oak. 378 00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:09,080 The beam is still stable in its original position. 379 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:22,920 And you can see copper on the hull. 380 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,800 Because the hull is surrounded by copper and rot proof oak 381 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:32,200 it remained intact over time. 382 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:45,320 DILARA (off-screen): He said that the ship is covered by copper, 383 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,240 which is really, really important for me. 384 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:49,520 Why? 385 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,760 Because this confirms the wreck is from the time 386 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:54,880 of the Ottoman Empire. 387 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,480 NARRATOR: Ottoman warships relied on copper sheathing, 388 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,640 an innovation to protect wooden hulls, 389 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,440 until the middle of the 19th century. 390 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:12,720 DILARA (off-screen): And now we have a pivotal evidence. 391 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,000 It really gives a lot of richness 392 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:18,440 to Ottoman naval history. 393 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:27,680 NARRATOR: It's now clear that this is a 394 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:29,880 rare Ottoman warship. 395 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,640 So now Yasar wants to work out its name. 396 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:37,360 Given its location he thinks it may be a leftover from one 397 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,080 of the most famous battles ever to take place 398 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:42,200 in the Black Sea. 399 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:47,760 RASIM: I learned about the Battle of Sinop from the 400 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:51,440 oldest diver in Sinop when I was about 15 or 16. 401 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,480 RASIM (off-screen): He told me about a shocking attack on Ottoman ships 402 00:26:57,560 --> 00:26:59,600 anchored in the harbor here. 403 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:02,840 It killed nearly 3,000 people. 404 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,240 NARRATOR: The Ottoman's face a rival power, 405 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,600 the Russian Empire. 406 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,920 And on November 30th, 1853, 407 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,320 in a bid for Black Sea supremacy the Russian navy 408 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:26,040 smashes an Ottoman fleet here in Sinop. 409 00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:38,360 The date tallies with the age of Yasar's find. 410 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:44,080 RASIM (off-screen): To figure out the identity of the wreck I turned 411 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,920 to historical sources created at the time of the battle. 412 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:53,040 These sources included pictures and a very important 413 00:27:53,120 --> 00:27:55,200 chart made by the Russians. 414 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:00,240 This Russian chart details the location of each 415 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:02,240 ship they destroyed. 416 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:12,320 ♪ ♪ 417 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,240 RASIM: The Ottoman ships were there. 418 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:19,040 DILARA: Forming a half moon? 419 00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:22,560 RASIM: Yes, a battle formation of a half moon. 420 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,440 NARRATOR: Russian sources suggest the attack on Sinop harbor 421 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,040 destroys 15 Ottoman vessels. 422 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:38,960 DILARA: So the Ottoman fleet were left defenseless. 423 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,000 RASIM: Outsiders referred to this area 424 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:44,000 as hell at the time. 425 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:57,800 RASIM (off-screen): On the Russian battle chart I found one record that 426 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,560 explained the location of the wreck I found. 427 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:04,480 This is evidence it was a victim of the battle. 428 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:16,320 What's unexpected is that the wreck is outside the harbor 429 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,200 and not in line with most of the other ships that 430 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:21,720 went down that day. 431 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:28,160 NARRATOR: Yasar examines a memoir written by a survivor 432 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:30,200 of the attack. 433 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:32,200 It helps explain the information 434 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,680 on the Russian battle chart. 435 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:39,920 Russian guns had crippled a vessel named the Nesim-i-Zafer 436 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,520 leaving it afloat but helpless. 437 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,120 RASIM: The Russians hauled out the ship 438 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,040 as a trophy of their victory. 439 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:52,960 But about 6 to 7 miles from Sinop, 440 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:55,800 with the decks collapsing and hull full of holes 441 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:58,000 the ship was taking on too much water. 442 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:01,760 At that point they gave up their trophy ship, the Nesim-i-Zafer, 443 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:03,160 allowing it to finally sink. 444 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:08,120 Instead they took 100 members of her crew prisoner 445 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,240 and they just left the ship behind. 446 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:18,360 NARRATOR: The story of Yasar's find now comes into focus. 447 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:22,080 Because the Nesim-i-Zafer sank outside the harbor 448 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:24,720 the Ottomans never tried to salvage it, 449 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:27,600 and the wreck remains untouched for more 450 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,440 than 130 years. 451 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:38,120 RASIM: We found the Nesim-i-Zafer thanks to 452 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:41,040 fishermen's nets that landed on it. 453 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:43,600 RASIM (off-screen): We couldn't have found it otherwise since it was 454 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,520 120 feet underwater. 455 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:54,760 NARRATOR: The Black Sea keeps a tight grip on its secrets. 456 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:59,120 But 300 miles west of Sinop a 14-year-long quest 457 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:05,000 casts light on a secret Nazi plan for world domination. 458 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:16,840 SELCUK (off-screen): People come to me to ask for my help to find 459 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,520 shipwrecks or identify them. 460 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:31,800 I love the challenge of finding a wreck that's been lost to time, 461 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:35,560 revealing something new about our history. 462 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:47,080 One of my most challenging missions was back in 2006. 463 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:49,640 (speaking native language) 464 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,440 SELCUK (off-screen): I was asked to help find a World War II German submarine, 465 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:55,680 the U-23. 466 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:57,560 (speaking native language) 467 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,160 Incredibly the person who contacted me was the Commander himself, 468 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:04,520 Rudolph Arendt, who was 83 years old. 469 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:08,000 (speaking native language) 470 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:10,920 SELCUK: I found this very interesting. 471 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,320 One of the most fascinating stories of the 472 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,920 submarine warfare. 473 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:22,960 I was lucky that I had the firsthand account of the whole 474 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:26,880 story of U-23 from the horse's mouth. 475 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:32,480 SELCUK (off-screen): I was determined to find his U-boat and discover exactly 476 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:34,480 what happened to it. 477 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:37,480 ♪ ♪ 478 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:47,920 NARRATOR: Rudolph Arendt takes Selcuk to the U-23's last 479 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:50,240 known location. 480 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:57,480 He remembers that the sub sank off the Black Sea coast of 481 00:32:57,560 --> 00:33:01,360 Agva, 60 miles east of Istanbul. 482 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:11,520 Rudolph came to the Black Sea as part of Hitler's desperate 483 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,440 war with the Soviet Union. 484 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:26,160 RUDOLPH: In the winter of 1941, the German Army suffered enormous losses in Russia. 485 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:32,280 Then the attack had to be stopped and was to be continued in 1942... 486 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:35,480 and that's why Hitler's orders were 487 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:38,200 that submarines had to be sent to the Black Sea 488 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,720 to keep the Russian fleet in their ports 489 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:45,120 and thank God that worked. 490 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:50,080 But of course the whole thing was far too late in the course of the war. 491 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:01,480 NARRATOR: By 1944 Germany is losing to the allies. 492 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,280 To stop U-boats from falling into enemy hands 493 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:08,520 Hitler's admirals issue a dramatic order, 494 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:12,760 telling Commanders like Rudolph to sink their own vessels. 495 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,200 At the time he is only 21. 496 00:34:16,720 --> 00:34:21,240 RUDOLPH: That was an awful moment for a commander having to sink his boat. 497 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:24,800 Whether you wanted to or not, 498 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:30,200 you had developed a very close relationship with your boat. 499 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:33,520 The submarine was actually life insurance for us. 500 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:37,280 As long as the boat worked... we lived. 501 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:45,880 (speaking native language) 502 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,280 NARRATOR: Rudolph's memories provide Selcuk with 503 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:50,280 crucial evidence. 504 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:54,680 SELCUK (off-screen): When Rudolph Arendt got the order to scuttle his 505 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:59,960 boat he found a suitable bay and left 25 506 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:01,720 of his people there. 507 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:07,160 He had told me that after dropping his crew he took out 508 00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:12,360 the submarine north, placed explosives then got 509 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:16,080 onto a small inflatable raft 510 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:20,440 and rowed back to his people. 511 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:25,760 NARRATOR: The problem is Rudolph doesn't remember 512 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:29,000 exactly where he scuttled his U-boat. 513 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:32,440 But he does have one invaluable memento. 514 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:36,760 SELCUK (off-screen): I was lucky that Rudolph Arendt had made a very 515 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:41,400 nice sketch of the bay seen from his submarine when he was 516 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:43,120 dropping his crew. 517 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:54,000 RUDOLPH: I made this sketch to illustrate the spot where the crew went ashore. 518 00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:58,200 I came up with the idea 519 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:02,880 just to draw a sketch of what I saw on that dark night 520 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:08,760 and that can possibly be used as a clue today. 521 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:15,520 SELCUK (off-screen): We went from bay to bay and eventually found one 522 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:17,200 matching the sketch. 523 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:21,640 If this was the landing point then we now needed to head 524 00:36:21,720 --> 00:36:25,720 north in the same direction Rudolph sailed the U-23 525 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:27,400 before scuttling it. 526 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:32,240 NARRATOR: Selcuk looks for the submarine with a side-scan 527 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:36,680 sonar capable of mapping large areas of the seabed. 528 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:41,600 SELCUK: We, we, we searched all this area north of this bay. 529 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:44,880 SELCUK (off-screen): But we couldn't find anything. 530 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,160 We couldn't find a wreck. 531 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:54,440 NARRATOR: The 2006 survey ends with the final resting place 532 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:58,400 of Rudolph's U-boat still a mystery. 533 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:03,240 SELCUK: But I assured him that I would be carrying on with 534 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:06,880 the search after he went back home. 535 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:12,000 SELCUK (off-screen): After 2006 I was there several times, 536 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:14,920 but I never found anything. 537 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:23,520 Years later I applied to the navy to look for it with their 538 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:30,080 much more sophisticated sonars and in 2019 they called me to 539 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,240 say that they had found something with their 540 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:36,480 multi-beam sonar in that area where I have been 541 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:39,520 looking for the U-23. 542 00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:42,400 ♪ ♪ 543 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:51,240 NARRATOR: The anomaly found by the Turkish navy's survey is a 544 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:56,880 huge break in the now nearly 14-year-long hunt for U-23. 545 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:58,760 (speaking native language) 546 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:03,520 NARRATOR: And ROV descends into the Black Sea for a closer look. 547 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:06,440 (speaking native language) 548 00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:11,960 NARRATOR: Could this finally be Rudolph's missing U-boat? 549 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:20,240 ♪ ♪ 550 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:29,120 SELCUK (off-screen): The wreck has a list of 90 degrees, 551 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:32,560 so it's practically lying on her starboard side. 552 00:38:37,720 --> 00:38:41,600 ♪ ♪ 553 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:52,120 The two periscopes. 554 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:01,880 And then three torpedo tubes at the bow. 555 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:05,560 This is a very distinctive shape. 556 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:09,440 Definitely a submarine and no other submarine in history was 557 00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:12,040 ever lost in that area. 558 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:16,960 There's no doubt, through the dimensions this is the U-23. 559 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:22,480 NARRATOR: Selcuk concludes the wreck is a class of U-boat 560 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:25,440 called a Type 2B. 561 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:29,160 A smaller model than typical Nazi U-boats, 562 00:39:29,240 --> 00:39:31,720 they offered a solution to a major obstacle 563 00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:33,840 of the Black Sea attack plan. 564 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:38,360 MAN (over TV): Throughout World War II, Turkey, 565 00:39:38,440 --> 00:39:42,080 protecting her neutrality, cut off all passage of warships 566 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:44,800 to and from the Black Sea. 567 00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:49,840 NARRATOR: Because they can't sail in Hitler orders that six 568 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:53,400 of the smaller type U-boats be dismantled and transported 569 00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:58,680 overland from Germany 2,000 miles via road and river 570 00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:00,880 to the Black Sea. 571 00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:03,640 None of the six U-boats, however, 572 00:40:03,720 --> 00:40:06,160 will ever make it back home. 573 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,080 (explosion) 574 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:18,720 Questions now turn to what state the U-23 is in 75 years 575 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:20,960 after it went down. 576 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:26,200 SELCUK: Good day, Mr. Arendt. 577 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:29,000 RUDOLPH: After 14 years we meet again. 578 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:31,480 NARRATOR: Selcuk shares the news with Rudolph, 579 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:32,880 who's now 96 years old. 580 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:35,160 RUDOLPH: Now you have found the boat. 581 00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:37,960 SELCUK: Yes, and the day after tomorrow 582 00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:40,240 I am personally diving to the boat 583 00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:46,680 to closely examine the places 584 00:40:46,760 --> 00:40:50,120 where you positioned the explosives. 585 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:54,120 RUDOLPH: The explosives we put 586 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,720 at the front by the torpedo tubes 587 00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,280 and another in the periscope shaft 588 00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:03,000 and the third at the back on the ammunition box. 589 00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:07,760 The explosives took seven minutes to detonate. 590 00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:13,360 Therefore we only had seven minutes to leave the boat 591 00:41:13,440 --> 00:41:16,560 and paddle away from the submarine. 592 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:21,320 So we were quite close when it exploded. 593 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,760 There was a huge explosion at the stern of the boat. 594 00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:30,960 NARRATOR: Despite setting three charges 595 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:34,320 Rudolph only recalls seeing one explosion. 596 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,680 RUDOLPH: It would make me happy if I could get some pictures of the boat. 597 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:50,960 SELCUK: I will certainly do that. 598 00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:54,960 RUDOLPH: Lovely, Mr. Kolay, all the best, 599 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,320 I wish you success on the dive. 600 00:41:57,400 --> 00:41:58,480 SELCUK: Thank you very much. 601 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:11,280 NARRATOR: Selcuk plans to dive the length of the wreck, 602 00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:15,040 looking for clues to confirm which of the three explosive 603 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:18,200 charges sank the submarine. 604 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:31,440 SELCUK (off-screen): We will swim all along the submarine and then I would 605 00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:34,880 like to find where Rudolph Arendt told me he 606 00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:37,280 had put the explosives. 607 00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:48,240 NARRATOR: There's no outward sign of damage on the front of the sub, 608 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:51,520 or near the periscope. 609 00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:57,240 As Selcuk moves toward the stern. 610 00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:02,280 SELCUK (off-screen): There's an opening of about two feet by two feet 611 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:05,560 with the skin sheets bent out. 612 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:13,000 This confirms to me that this is the only explosion out of 613 00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:17,280 the three that succeeded in sinking the U-23. 614 00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:29,320 Having researched this ship for more than 14 years 615 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:34,040 it meant a lot to me when I saw the wreck 616 00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:37,480 and that it was the U-23. 617 00:43:37,560 --> 00:43:40,760 It was an emotional moment for me. 618 00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:46,480 Of course this all will mean a lot more to Rudolph 619 00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:49,720 than it means to all of us. 620 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:56,960 NARRATOR: The Black Sea has only just begun to give up 621 00:43:57,040 --> 00:43:59,080 its secrets. 622 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:03,840 Many more lie hidden in its inky waters waiting 623 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:05,680 to be discovered. 624 00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:08,520 Captioned by Cotter Media Group.