1 00:00:04,901 --> 00:00:06,868 NARRATOR: The war that defines a nation... 2 00:00:06,903 --> 00:00:10,010 Hinges on a campaign waged at sea... 3 00:00:10,458 --> 00:00:11,632 CAPTAIN: Fire! 4 00:00:11,666 --> 00:00:16,292 NARRATOR: That transforms naval warfare forever. 5 00:00:17,396 --> 00:00:20,261 JAMES: The American Civil War was not only the bloodiest conflict, 6 00:00:20,296 --> 00:00:23,920 it was in many ways the first modern conflict. 7 00:00:24,645 --> 00:00:25,749 NARRATOR: Secret weapons... 8 00:00:25,784 --> 00:00:29,339 Shocking surprises and stories of raw courage, 9 00:00:29,374 --> 00:00:32,239 all lost beneath the waves. 10 00:00:32,722 --> 00:00:34,310 CREW: I think we might have a shipwreck... 11 00:00:34,344 --> 00:00:36,277 JAMES: We're on it. 12 00:00:40,454 --> 00:00:44,147 NARRATOR: Imagine if we could empty the oceans... 13 00:00:45,252 --> 00:00:47,944 letting the water drain away 14 00:00:47,978 --> 00:00:51,258 to reveal the secrets of the sea floor. 15 00:00:52,052 --> 00:00:54,675 Now we can. 16 00:00:54,709 --> 00:00:56,884 Using accurate data... 17 00:00:56,918 --> 00:01:02,476 And astonishing technology to bring light once again 18 00:01:02,510 --> 00:01:05,306 to a lost world. 19 00:01:06,894 --> 00:01:11,036 How does this metal monster create a naval revolution? 20 00:01:11,761 --> 00:01:13,418 ANNA: It had to have been terrifying. 21 00:01:13,452 --> 00:01:16,145 Imagine the horror. 22 00:01:16,938 --> 00:01:18,595 NARRATOR: What does a mangled wreck reveal 23 00:01:18,630 --> 00:01:21,322 about a top-secret arms race? 24 00:01:21,357 --> 00:01:25,085 MICHAEL: There are secrets still left to be discovered. 25 00:01:25,119 --> 00:01:27,225 This was a legend. 26 00:01:28,260 --> 00:01:31,401 NARRATOR: And what terrifying new weapon destroys one of the 27 00:01:31,436 --> 00:01:34,232 most powerful warships ever built. 28 00:01:34,266 --> 00:01:35,612 [explosion]. 29 00:01:35,647 --> 00:01:40,928 [theme music plays]. 30 00:01:51,456 --> 00:01:56,185 NARRATOR: For four bloody years a nation tears itself 31 00:01:56,219 --> 00:01:59,912 apart in search of its destiny. 32 00:02:01,673 --> 00:02:04,917 ANNA: It was truly Americans against Americans. 33 00:02:05,884 --> 00:02:11,510 NARRATOR: Between 1861 and 1865, the Union and the Confederacy 34 00:02:11,545 --> 00:02:17,033 are locked in combat across a 2,700 mile border. 35 00:02:18,241 --> 00:02:22,314 But historians now understand that battles on land... 36 00:02:22,349 --> 00:02:25,524 Tell only part of the story. 37 00:02:26,111 --> 00:02:28,424 CRAIG: The war at sea dramatically affected the 38 00:02:28,458 --> 00:02:30,909 trajectory of the war. 39 00:02:33,498 --> 00:02:36,639 NARRATOR: The naval conflict takes place on rivers, lakes 40 00:02:36,673 --> 00:02:39,366 and all along the American coast. 41 00:02:39,987 --> 00:02:44,164 Incredibly, over 2000 civil war wrecks survive. 42 00:02:45,337 --> 00:02:48,098 And one of the most significant lies here 43 00:02:48,133 --> 00:02:50,446 in the waters of Virginia. 44 00:02:53,242 --> 00:02:57,315 As the Atlantic Ocean drains away, 45 00:02:57,349 --> 00:03:01,319 a broken battleship begins to emerge. 46 00:03:02,596 --> 00:03:07,221 The result of a battle that sends shockwaves around the world. 47 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,233 Maritime archaeologist James Delgado and historian 48 00:03:19,268 --> 00:03:23,306 Anna Gibson Holloway are in Hampton Roads... 49 00:03:23,341 --> 00:03:25,412 searching for a body. 50 00:03:25,446 --> 00:03:28,380 JAMES: The fact that we are right at the spot. 51 00:03:28,415 --> 00:03:30,451 ANNA: It's an amazing scene. 52 00:03:30,486 --> 00:03:33,523 JAMES: Yes, this is a battlefield. 53 00:03:35,249 --> 00:03:39,253 NARRATOR: They're in a stretch of water, that in March 1862 54 00:03:39,288 --> 00:03:42,256 is the most dangerous in America. 55 00:03:46,433 --> 00:03:49,712 To the west lies the Confederate capital, Richmond. 56 00:03:50,506 --> 00:03:53,647 To the north, the Union Capital, Washington DC. 57 00:03:55,545 --> 00:03:59,239 JAMES: It's a critical point and so it is no surprise that 58 00:03:59,273 --> 00:04:01,655 this is going to be the setting for the first great 59 00:04:01,689 --> 00:04:05,245 naval encounter of the American Civil War. 60 00:04:06,970 --> 00:04:10,250 NARRATOR: The Confederates hold most of Virginia. 61 00:04:11,147 --> 00:04:14,046 But on the north side of Hampton Roads a lone Union 62 00:04:14,081 --> 00:04:17,257 fortress is home to a squadron of warships. 63 00:04:19,466 --> 00:04:23,332 One of them is the USS Cumberland. 64 00:04:23,366 --> 00:04:26,921 Sleek, fast and armed to the teeth. 65 00:04:28,026 --> 00:04:30,373 When launched, 20 years earlier, she was the most 66 00:04:30,408 --> 00:04:33,480 powerful ship in the US Navy. 67 00:04:35,620 --> 00:04:39,313 But on the evening of March 8th astonishing reports 68 00:04:39,348 --> 00:04:42,040 reach the Union base. 69 00:04:43,904 --> 00:04:48,357 Eyewitnesses describe a strange vessel bearing down on the Cumberland. 70 00:04:50,255 --> 00:04:52,084 In minutes... 71 00:04:52,119 --> 00:04:53,845 [cannon fire]. 72 00:04:53,879 --> 00:04:56,365 She disappears. 73 00:04:58,884 --> 00:05:02,232 So, what sank her, and how? 74 00:05:07,410 --> 00:05:09,378 ANNA: They're going to be going right um, down the 75 00:05:09,412 --> 00:05:12,208 Elizabeth River into the heart of Hampton Roads. 76 00:05:12,242 --> 00:05:15,694 JAMES: So, they're coming in right here and this where they hit. 77 00:05:15,729 --> 00:05:18,179 ANNA: It was such a scramble... 78 00:05:18,801 --> 00:05:20,389 NARRATOR: James and Anna's research is part of a 79 00:05:20,423 --> 00:05:24,082 comprehensive survey of the underwater landscape here. 80 00:05:28,258 --> 00:05:30,433 But it's not easy. 81 00:05:31,158 --> 00:05:33,436 JAMES: This is very dark water, you've got a river 82 00:05:33,471 --> 00:05:35,852 coming down to meet the sea, its silty. 83 00:05:35,887 --> 00:05:39,097 You really can't see your hand in front of your face. 84 00:05:43,101 --> 00:05:45,483 NARRATOR: The team's multi beam sonar fires sound waves 85 00:05:45,517 --> 00:05:48,037 to the sea floor... 86 00:05:49,141 --> 00:05:54,423 Mapping the shape and size of anything on the sea bed in perfect 3-D detail. 87 00:05:58,910 --> 00:06:02,362 Data from the scans begins to appear... 88 00:06:06,296 --> 00:06:09,265 A ghostly outline. 89 00:06:13,373 --> 00:06:15,098 ANNA: Just amazing... 90 00:06:15,754 --> 00:06:17,238 So, what are we seeing here? 91 00:06:17,273 --> 00:06:20,345 JAMES: Well we're right over the wreck now. 92 00:06:20,380 --> 00:06:25,212 What we see are the timbers and the more or less intact 93 00:06:25,246 --> 00:06:26,247 hull of the Cumberland. 94 00:06:26,282 --> 00:06:28,042 ANNA: So, we're looking at a war grave here. 95 00:06:28,077 --> 00:06:29,458 JAMES: Oh, very much so. 96 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:34,014 NARRATOR: To discover what happened here, we can combine 97 00:06:34,048 --> 00:06:38,536 data from the scans with powerful graphical software 98 00:06:40,296 --> 00:06:44,162 and uncover one of the first naval casualties of the Civil War. 99 00:06:48,373 --> 00:06:51,341 An incredible scene emerges. 100 00:06:51,376 --> 00:06:53,343 corroded ironwork... 101 00:06:53,378 --> 00:06:56,933 Then the twisted remains of a large wooden hull. 102 00:07:00,212 --> 00:07:04,493 ANNA: You can still see the outline, the form of Cumberland. 103 00:07:07,357 --> 00:07:10,360 JAMES: Articulated wooden timbers, the sides of the ship. 104 00:07:10,395 --> 00:07:13,260 You have this sense of this ship sitting down there, 105 00:07:13,294 --> 00:07:16,159 shrouded in mud. 106 00:07:23,443 --> 00:07:25,652 NARRATOR: It's a haunting scene. 107 00:07:25,686 --> 00:07:29,138 But does it contain clues? 108 00:07:30,450 --> 00:07:33,591 There's cannon shot half buried in the mud, 109 00:07:33,625 --> 00:07:36,456 normal for a battle of this era 110 00:07:36,870 --> 00:07:40,218 But this isn't normal at all. 111 00:07:41,495 --> 00:07:45,499 Debris spread over 350 feet. 112 00:07:50,021 --> 00:07:53,058 Something much more destructive than cannonballs 113 00:07:53,093 --> 00:07:55,613 hits the Cumberland. 114 00:07:56,579 --> 00:08:00,203 Using contemporary accounts and evidence from the drained wreck, 115 00:08:00,238 --> 00:08:04,173 we can bring an extraordinary moment back to life. 116 00:08:09,316 --> 00:08:12,043 As the Cumberland lies at anchor she is suddenly 117 00:08:12,077 --> 00:08:16,150 challenged by a ship unlike any other. 118 00:08:18,567 --> 00:08:23,088 A ship with no sails, but driven by steam... 119 00:08:24,227 --> 00:08:27,507 A ship covered not in wood, but metal. 120 00:08:27,541 --> 00:08:32,719 The first ever American Ironclad: the CSS Virginia. 121 00:08:35,860 --> 00:08:39,277 The Confederate ship bristles with weaponry. 122 00:08:40,174 --> 00:08:44,144 Six heavy cannon and four large rifled guns. 123 00:08:49,598 --> 00:08:53,325 It's no surprise that witnesses imagined it; 124 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,501 a horrid creature of a nightmare. 125 00:08:57,364 --> 00:08:59,228 [gunshots]. 126 00:08:59,262 --> 00:09:01,851 CRAIG: They manned the guns and began firing. 127 00:09:01,886 --> 00:09:04,923 Shots would bounce off her side. 128 00:09:05,959 --> 00:09:08,340 ANNA: Imagine the horror. 129 00:09:08,375 --> 00:09:11,585 The Virginia comes extremely close to Cumberland, so close 130 00:09:11,620 --> 00:09:14,864 in fact that the men on board the Cumberland recall that 131 00:09:14,899 --> 00:09:19,904 they could hear the taunts and the laughter inside the Virginia. 132 00:09:20,905 --> 00:09:22,907 [laughter]. 133 00:09:22,941 --> 00:09:25,323 NARRATOR: Near immune to the Cumberland's broadside, 134 00:09:25,357 --> 00:09:28,947 Virginia drives straight at her wooden enemy. 135 00:09:29,569 --> 00:09:32,192 Deploying a tactic more familiar to the Roman empire 136 00:09:32,226 --> 00:09:35,505 than the 19th century. 137 00:09:36,023 --> 00:09:39,164 A huge metal ram. 138 00:09:40,234 --> 00:09:43,168 Her sheer power and momentum do the rest... 139 00:09:46,344 --> 00:09:52,143 The impact is devastating and sends 121 men to their deaths. 140 00:09:56,872 --> 00:10:00,082 Virginia immediately turns her guns onto another Union 141 00:10:00,116 --> 00:10:04,120 warship and smashes it to pieces too. 142 00:10:06,260 --> 00:10:09,332 CRAIG: It was the most decisive defeat of the Union Navy 143 00:10:09,367 --> 00:10:13,267 until Pearl Harbor so this was an absolute shock. 144 00:10:18,169 --> 00:10:21,379 JAMES: What happens here at that moment is that that type 145 00:10:21,413 --> 00:10:23,899 of ship is rendered obsolete. 146 00:10:23,933 --> 00:10:28,110 The age of the wooden wall is over, all hail the age of iron. 147 00:10:31,941 --> 00:10:34,219 NARRATOR: But the Confederates aren't the only ones working 148 00:10:34,254 --> 00:10:36,705 on a secret weapon. 149 00:10:36,739 --> 00:10:39,846 The Union Navy has one too. 150 00:10:45,023 --> 00:10:48,682 This, the USS Monitor. 151 00:10:50,546 --> 00:10:54,136 A different kind of Ironclad. 152 00:10:58,071 --> 00:11:01,902 The day after the death of Cumberland, the two metal warships 153 00:11:01,937 --> 00:11:06,700 will meet in one of the Civil War's defining moments. 154 00:11:08,633 --> 00:11:12,188 As the waters off North Carolina begin to drain away, 155 00:11:12,223 --> 00:11:14,812 the wreck of one of these iron monsters 156 00:11:14,846 --> 00:11:17,953 begins to emerge from the depths. 157 00:11:25,685 --> 00:11:27,997 NARRATOR: Cape Hatteras. 158 00:11:28,618 --> 00:11:32,381 Here off North Carolina lies a legend of the Civil War, 159 00:11:32,415 --> 00:11:35,280 the USS Monitor. 160 00:11:36,454 --> 00:11:39,353 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 161 00:11:39,388 --> 00:11:42,702 or NOAA, leads an effort here to discover the secrets 162 00:11:42,736 --> 00:11:45,739 of this revolutionary warship. 163 00:11:50,364 --> 00:11:54,921 The story of the Monitor has long been clouded by wartime propaganda. 164 00:11:58,476 --> 00:12:02,066 The team hopes the wreck can provide the truth. 165 00:12:06,864 --> 00:12:09,659 Underwater filming only shows a fraction of what's spread 166 00:12:09,694 --> 00:12:12,490 across the sea floor. 167 00:12:15,355 --> 00:12:19,877 But using decades of carefully gathered data, we can now 168 00:12:19,911 --> 00:12:23,501 drain the Atlantic Ocean away to uncover the last 169 00:12:23,535 --> 00:12:27,885 resting place of America's second Ironclad. 170 00:12:30,508 --> 00:12:32,372 Emerging into view, 171 00:12:32,406 --> 00:12:35,893 all that remains of a ground-breaking warship. 172 00:12:45,834 --> 00:12:48,215 Like a drowned alien being, 173 00:12:48,250 --> 00:12:52,495 The Monitor lies upside down, her hull in pieces, 174 00:12:52,944 --> 00:12:56,396 clearly made of metal, just like the CSS Virginia 175 00:12:56,430 --> 00:12:58,916 with a thick belt of armor. 176 00:12:58,950 --> 00:13:02,264 JAMES: The distinctive form of the iron armor belt is still there, 177 00:13:02,298 --> 00:13:05,370 the tip of the bow is sharply defined. 178 00:13:06,751 --> 00:13:10,410 Right there is the grave of the iconic warship of the 179 00:13:10,444 --> 00:13:13,137 American Civil War. 180 00:13:19,488 --> 00:13:21,628 NARRATOR: The Monitor's greatest challenge comes in 181 00:13:21,662 --> 00:13:27,082 Hampton Roads, when she confronts the CSS Virginia, 182 00:13:28,704 --> 00:13:32,846 just a day after the Confederate ship destroys the Cumberland. 183 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:38,852 To find out how Monitor fought that day, 184 00:13:38,887 --> 00:13:43,443 maritime archaeologists carefully bring key parts of her to the surface. 185 00:13:45,445 --> 00:13:48,724 Their most important target? 186 00:13:49,863 --> 00:13:53,487 The first gun turret ever used in combat. 187 00:13:58,251 --> 00:14:01,392 JAMES: The recovery of the turret was an incredible 188 00:14:01,426 --> 00:14:06,017 undertaking and in that, what was discovered was a time capsule. 189 00:14:09,538 --> 00:14:14,301 NARRATOR: It is analyzed at the Baton Conservation Laboratory, in Virginia. 190 00:14:14,336 --> 00:14:15,682 WILL: That way. 191 00:14:15,716 --> 00:14:18,098 If you consider the story of Monitor like a puzzle. 192 00:14:18,133 --> 00:14:21,584 It's easy to get the outside edges of the puzzle because 193 00:14:21,619 --> 00:14:25,278 you can use historical record, but understanding the exact story, 194 00:14:25,312 --> 00:14:28,971 that's where the archaeology and conservation comes in. 195 00:14:30,904 --> 00:14:34,218 NARRATOR: They discover that the turret is 21 feet across, 196 00:14:34,252 --> 00:14:38,739 9 feet high and wrapped in 8 inches of armor. 197 00:14:40,155 --> 00:14:43,261 Thicker than on any other ship afloat, including its rival, 198 00:14:43,296 --> 00:14:46,540 the CSS Virginia. 199 00:14:47,645 --> 00:14:50,165 Researchers scan the turret using lasers 200 00:14:50,199 --> 00:14:53,616 looking for battle damage... 201 00:14:55,618 --> 00:15:01,038 And find evidence of Confederate fire, 202 00:15:01,072 --> 00:15:05,905 but also proof that Monitor's armor keeps it out. 203 00:15:09,425 --> 00:15:13,119 Inside the turret; two gun mounts. 204 00:15:15,776 --> 00:15:18,814 Armed with these new findings from the laboratory we can 205 00:15:18,848 --> 00:15:22,714 return to the drained landscape below the Atlantic. 206 00:15:24,647 --> 00:15:28,272 And use computer graphics to lift the wreck of the Monitor 207 00:15:28,306 --> 00:15:31,344 from the sea bed... 208 00:15:31,378 --> 00:15:36,176 turn her right side up and replace her turret. 209 00:15:38,247 --> 00:15:42,286 Now this ingenious technology can be seen operating as its 210 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,082 designers intended. 211 00:15:46,221 --> 00:15:48,188 The turret sits on a brass ring 212 00:15:48,223 --> 00:15:51,467 allowing it to rotate 360 degrees. 213 00:15:52,606 --> 00:15:55,264 At a time when guns are typically fixed... 214 00:15:55,299 --> 00:15:59,682 this instant maneuverability gives the Union sailors a huge advantage. 215 00:16:01,995 --> 00:16:04,722 As does the second gun. 216 00:16:05,447 --> 00:16:07,138 When one fires... 217 00:16:07,173 --> 00:16:11,108 The other moves back inside the turret to be reloaded. 218 00:16:12,695 --> 00:16:15,146 WILL: So, they would just switch between the guns. 219 00:16:16,354 --> 00:16:18,391 NARRATOR: So how does the Monitor compare with the 220 00:16:18,425 --> 00:16:21,359 all-conquering Virginia? 221 00:16:25,122 --> 00:16:29,333 At first sight, the favorite seems to be the Confederate ship. 222 00:16:30,851 --> 00:16:34,338 She's over 100 feet longer than the Monitor with 10 huge 223 00:16:34,372 --> 00:16:37,720 guns compared to the Monitor's two... 224 00:16:38,135 --> 00:16:41,379 and four-inch thick steel armor, although her fearsome 225 00:16:41,414 --> 00:16:45,107 ram was lost when she sank the Cumberland. 226 00:16:47,075 --> 00:16:50,181 In contrast, the Monitor appears puny. 227 00:16:50,216 --> 00:16:54,289 But she's faster and has even thicker armour on her turret. 228 00:16:57,188 --> 00:17:00,191 And, although she only carries two guns, 229 00:17:00,226 --> 00:17:03,194 they are superbly maneuverable. 230 00:17:06,232 --> 00:17:09,373 March 9th, 1862. 231 00:17:09,890 --> 00:17:14,067 A day after sinking the Cumberland, 232 00:17:16,414 --> 00:17:20,142 the Virginia still threatens the Union fleet. 233 00:17:21,488 --> 00:17:25,147 So, the Monitor is unleashed to challenge her. 234 00:17:29,427 --> 00:17:32,948 In command is Lieutenant John Worden. 235 00:17:34,260 --> 00:17:37,194 ANNA: There was fear. 236 00:17:37,228 --> 00:17:42,199 The men on the Monitor recall an overwhelming feeling of silence. 237 00:17:45,271 --> 00:17:47,135 WILL: It's like the astronauts going into space, it's the 238 00:17:47,169 --> 00:17:49,792 first time they did it, so sure there's fear but at the 239 00:17:49,827 --> 00:17:52,657 same time, you're on the cutting edge. 240 00:17:52,692 --> 00:17:54,487 CAPTAIN: Fire. 241 00:17:57,317 --> 00:18:01,252 NARRATOR: John Worden's turret guns follow his enemy's every move... 242 00:18:01,287 --> 00:18:05,222 [gunshots]. 243 00:18:05,256 --> 00:18:08,087 Firing shot after shot. 244 00:18:10,330 --> 00:18:13,644 But Virginia's armor does its job. 245 00:18:15,370 --> 00:18:19,201 Monitor's shots bounce into the water. 246 00:18:20,409 --> 00:18:23,585 For four hours, the Ironclads duke it out... 247 00:18:23,619 --> 00:18:27,244 Each failing to land a decisive blow. 248 00:18:27,278 --> 00:18:30,212 Until a lucky shot from Virginia manages to injure 249 00:18:30,247 --> 00:18:32,387 the Monitor's commander. 250 00:18:32,421 --> 00:18:35,735 ANNA: The pilot house is struck by one of the Virginia's guns. 251 00:18:37,185 --> 00:18:38,703 SAILOR: Sir! 252 00:18:38,738 --> 00:18:41,948 ANNA: Immediately John Worden is temporarily blinded. 253 00:18:43,156 --> 00:18:45,779 There is sudden chaos on board Monitor because he falls back 254 00:18:45,814 --> 00:18:48,437 and says I am blind I'm blind. 255 00:18:50,991 --> 00:18:54,236 NARRATOR: Monitor withdraws for a damage report. 256 00:18:54,581 --> 00:18:58,585 When she returns, she finds the battlefield empty. 257 00:18:59,862 --> 00:19:03,107 Virginia, also damaged, has returned to her base. 258 00:19:04,419 --> 00:19:09,872 ANNA: Neither could figure out how to kill the other vessel. 259 00:19:11,011 --> 00:19:13,738 It was likely a draw. 260 00:19:14,912 --> 00:19:17,190 NARRATOR: But by stopping Virginia's killing spree, 261 00:19:17,225 --> 00:19:20,193 Monitor becomes the most celebrated warship in the 262 00:19:20,228 --> 00:19:22,609 Northern states. 263 00:19:24,059 --> 00:19:27,856 JAMES: It is the ship that has saved the Union. 264 00:19:28,443 --> 00:19:30,341 It becomes an icon. 265 00:19:30,376 --> 00:19:33,206 It is a symbol of national pride. 266 00:19:35,726 --> 00:19:38,384 NARRATOR: The battle of the two metal monsters fascinates 267 00:19:38,418 --> 00:19:42,146 the world but they never fight again. 268 00:19:43,251 --> 00:19:47,220 Two months later, Union troops close in on Virginia's home-port. 269 00:19:48,394 --> 00:19:51,224 To keep her out of enemy hands, her own crew 270 00:19:51,259 --> 00:19:53,675 sends her to the bottom. 271 00:19:57,817 --> 00:20:01,200 The fate of the Monitor is more tragic. 272 00:20:02,201 --> 00:20:04,582 Nine months after fighting Virginia, 273 00:20:04,617 --> 00:20:07,033 she's off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 274 00:20:07,067 --> 00:20:10,174 under tow by another Union ship. 275 00:20:11,693 --> 00:20:14,247 It's a notoriously rough patch of sea known as 276 00:20:14,282 --> 00:20:17,733 'the graveyard of the Atlantic' 277 00:20:19,287 --> 00:20:22,151 Out of nowhere, a storm hits. 278 00:20:22,876 --> 00:20:25,431 ANNA: Monitor sailed right into this maelstrom. 279 00:20:27,122 --> 00:20:30,263 NARRATOR: The waves badly damage her structure. 280 00:20:30,298 --> 00:20:33,093 Water rushes into the hull. 281 00:20:34,302 --> 00:20:37,891 The sheer weight of Monitor's armor does the rest. 282 00:20:41,309 --> 00:20:43,414 WILL: It is kind of ironic that there's a potential that 283 00:20:43,449 --> 00:20:47,004 what was meant to keep the Monitor crew safe could have 284 00:20:47,038 --> 00:20:49,972 been its ultimate undoing. 285 00:20:52,492 --> 00:20:56,565 ANNA: The distress signal was a red signal lantern, and it 286 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,189 would appear and disappear and then appear again and 287 00:21:00,224 --> 00:21:04,573 disappear and this, this went on for a while until finally 288 00:21:04,608 --> 00:21:08,715 it appeared and was seen no more. 289 00:21:12,098 --> 00:21:15,101 NARRATOR: Despite frantic rescue attempts, the Monitor 290 00:21:15,135 --> 00:21:18,242 takes 16 men down with her. 291 00:21:20,486 --> 00:21:24,800 Nearly a century and a half later, Navy divers recover the 292 00:21:24,835 --> 00:21:29,149 remains of two sailors from inside the turret. 293 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:36,812 They are buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. 294 00:21:38,297 --> 00:21:42,301 JAMES: For a brief moment, the entire country stood united, 295 00:21:42,335 --> 00:21:46,684 long after the passions of that war, to honor these two men, 296 00:21:46,719 --> 00:21:50,550 who had come back to us from the depths and from 297 00:21:50,585 --> 00:21:53,173 the turret of the Monitor. 298 00:21:55,244 --> 00:21:58,247 NARRATOR: The epic battle of the Ironclads points the way 299 00:21:58,282 --> 00:22:00,698 to the future. 300 00:22:00,733 --> 00:22:05,358 The Union Navy builds 64 new Monitor-class ships 301 00:22:05,393 --> 00:22:10,536 during the next two years and on the Confederate side, 302 00:22:10,570 --> 00:22:13,228 the idea of metal warships 303 00:22:13,262 --> 00:22:17,128 is taken a decisive and deadly step further. 304 00:22:18,406 --> 00:22:22,030 As the waters of Charleston harbor begin to empty, the 305 00:22:22,064 --> 00:22:26,172 shattered remains of another lost Union warship come into view. 306 00:22:27,484 --> 00:22:31,695 The result of a terrifying new Confederate weapon. 307 00:22:38,909 --> 00:22:42,878 NARRATOR: Maritime archaeologist Michael Scafuri is investigating 308 00:22:42,913 --> 00:22:46,054 one of the Civil War's greatest mysteries 309 00:22:46,088 --> 00:22:49,264 outside Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. 310 00:22:50,438 --> 00:22:52,198 MICHAEL: People were fascinated by the story and 311 00:22:52,232 --> 00:22:54,925 wanted to find out more. 312 00:22:55,857 --> 00:22:57,410 To really understand what happened we needed to 313 00:22:57,445 --> 00:23:00,655 investigate from an archaeological point of view. 314 00:23:01,932 --> 00:23:05,384 There are secrets still left to be discovered. 315 00:23:06,695 --> 00:23:11,562 NARRATOR: In February 1864, Charleston is a Confederate stronghold. 316 00:23:13,564 --> 00:23:15,428 CRAIG: South Carolina was perceived as the heart and 317 00:23:15,463 --> 00:23:18,155 soul of the rebellion and Charleston itself was the 318 00:23:18,189 --> 00:23:20,606 black heart of that rebellion. 319 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,574 NARRATOR: It's being blockaded by a squadron of 20 Union 320 00:23:23,609 --> 00:23:26,646 warships, including six Ironclads... 321 00:23:27,923 --> 00:23:31,340 Part of a plan to squeeze the south economically. 322 00:23:34,067 --> 00:23:38,244 One of them is the USS Housatonic. 323 00:23:39,590 --> 00:23:42,559 Made of wood but powered by steam, she is one of the 324 00:23:42,593 --> 00:23:46,252 Union's most heavily armed ships. 325 00:23:48,910 --> 00:23:54,087 On February 17th, at 8:40 pm, the Bay is calm. 326 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,058 Suddenly there is a huge explosion... 327 00:23:59,092 --> 00:24:01,094 [explosion]. 328 00:24:03,338 --> 00:24:06,306 The Housatonic is gone. 329 00:24:06,341 --> 00:24:10,172 The only clue: eyewitness reports of a dark shape 330 00:24:10,207 --> 00:24:12,934 moving in the water. 331 00:24:17,041 --> 00:24:20,769 Michael Scafuri knows where the Housatonic lies, 332 00:24:20,804 --> 00:24:24,980 now he wants to understand what happened to it. 333 00:24:26,223 --> 00:24:30,365 But in these turbulent seas, visibility is nearly zero and 334 00:24:30,399 --> 00:24:34,127 underwater photography very difficult. 335 00:24:35,612 --> 00:24:39,063 So powerful sonar probes the seabed. 336 00:24:41,100 --> 00:24:44,103 Using this and other data, it's possible to see what no 337 00:24:44,137 --> 00:24:47,624 diver ever could and drain away the Atlantic 338 00:24:47,658 --> 00:24:51,213 to uncover an iconic wreck. 339 00:24:54,907 --> 00:24:59,187 First, two iron water tanks emerge... 340 00:25:00,395 --> 00:25:04,226 next broken timbers, half-hidden in the sediment 341 00:25:04,882 --> 00:25:10,888 but then, blowing away the silt uncovers the seabed of 1864. 342 00:25:15,859 --> 00:25:18,378 And here she is... 343 00:25:18,413 --> 00:25:22,210 the remains of the USS Housatonic. 344 00:25:24,039 --> 00:25:28,596 Whatever fate she suffered has been erased by the ravages of time. 345 00:25:29,873 --> 00:25:33,842 Even fully revealed there are almost no clues. 346 00:25:35,499 --> 00:25:39,676 But what if we could return to the moment just before she sinks? 347 00:25:42,092 --> 00:25:48,201 By combining historical salvage records, and survey data we can. 348 00:25:51,515 --> 00:25:56,071 Rebuilding the Housatonic exactly as she was. 349 00:25:57,486 --> 00:26:02,112 A towering fighting warship in perfect condition... 350 00:26:04,908 --> 00:26:08,601 Except for this! 351 00:26:11,190 --> 00:26:16,505 A hole in the hull deep below the water line. 352 00:26:20,061 --> 00:26:24,410 This is still the age of the cannon ball and they usually 353 00:26:24,444 --> 00:26:28,863 shatter masts and punch holes above the waterline. 354 00:26:29,795 --> 00:26:33,212 So, what caused this fatal wound? 355 00:26:34,627 --> 00:26:37,181 For over a century, archaeologists scour 356 00:26:37,216 --> 00:26:40,599 the area around the wreck site. 357 00:26:44,188 --> 00:26:49,090 And eventually, about 1,000 feet from the wreck... 358 00:26:50,229 --> 00:26:53,094 they find this. 359 00:26:59,514 --> 00:27:04,484 The team recovers the remains and when they get them ashore they realize. 360 00:27:09,904 --> 00:27:12,147 They've found the Confederate's first 361 00:27:12,182 --> 00:27:14,218 operational submarine... 362 00:27:14,253 --> 00:27:17,636 the HL Hunley. 363 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:23,089 And it is what took the Housatonic down. 364 00:27:29,199 --> 00:27:32,581 In the Warren Lasch Conservatio Center in Charleston, 365 00:27:32,616 --> 00:27:36,206 Michael Scafuri and his team pour over every inch. 366 00:27:37,345 --> 00:27:39,347 MICHAEL: The techniques you use to investigate a site, 367 00:27:39,381 --> 00:27:42,591 are very much like a crime scene investigation. 368 00:27:42,626 --> 00:27:47,286 You record everything and then you try and use that evidence 369 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:50,082 to figure out what happened here. 370 00:27:58,504 --> 00:28:02,266 It was a product of the American Civil War and spurred 371 00:28:02,301 --> 00:28:05,684 on by the needs of that war to develop new technologies. 372 00:28:08,238 --> 00:28:12,207 NARRATOR: First question, how did it move? 373 00:28:13,415 --> 00:28:17,385 The archaeologists find no sign of an engine. 374 00:28:18,386 --> 00:28:22,252 But they do find this... 375 00:28:23,598 --> 00:28:26,428 JOHANNA: This is a wrought iron crank and that's how they 376 00:28:26,463 --> 00:28:28,223 moved the submarine. 377 00:28:28,258 --> 00:28:30,053 they hand-crank it. 378 00:28:30,087 --> 00:28:33,608 the hand crank moved a flywheel, the flywheel moved a 379 00:28:33,642 --> 00:28:37,785 series of mechanisms, and then that moves the propeller. 380 00:28:40,166 --> 00:28:44,481 NARRATOR: Next, how did the crew breathe underwater? 381 00:28:46,034 --> 00:28:49,279 There's no evidence of any way to refresh the air... 382 00:28:49,313 --> 00:28:53,939 Which means that eight men crammed into this metal tube 383 00:28:53,973 --> 00:28:58,219 must rely solely on the air already inside. 384 00:29:00,428 --> 00:29:05,088 The team calculates that there's enough oxygen for just two hours. 385 00:29:05,605 --> 00:29:09,195 Severely limiting their range of operations. 386 00:29:10,438 --> 00:29:13,855 Finally, the most important question of all? 387 00:29:13,890 --> 00:29:18,273 Just how did this hand-cranked short-range submarine manage 388 00:29:18,308 --> 00:29:22,174 to ambush and destroy such a powerful enemy? 389 00:29:29,871 --> 00:29:32,391 NARRATOR: The Confederacy's ground-breaking submarine, 390 00:29:32,425 --> 00:29:35,083 the HL Hunley. 391 00:29:36,602 --> 00:29:39,432 Inside, there's no sign of a weapons system. 392 00:29:41,296 --> 00:29:44,196 But outside, it's a different story. 393 00:29:46,785 --> 00:29:49,201 JOHANNA: We have clues all over the submarine that tell 394 00:29:49,235 --> 00:29:51,617 us what happened. 395 00:29:52,825 --> 00:29:55,172 This is the spar, it was attached to the bow of the 396 00:29:55,207 --> 00:29:58,106 submarine, the lower part of the submarine. 397 00:29:59,107 --> 00:30:02,179 NARRATOR: The 16-feet long spar presents a puzzle. 398 00:30:05,079 --> 00:30:08,461 Michael Scafuri thinks it isn't a weapon itself... 399 00:30:08,496 --> 00:30:13,535 but the delivery mechanism for a weapon and that weapon 400 00:30:13,570 --> 00:30:16,884 is an underwater bomb. 401 00:30:19,265 --> 00:30:24,477 In the Civil War, they call such weapons by a very modern name, torpedo. 402 00:30:25,858 --> 00:30:28,136 JAMES: In the 21st century we think of a torpedo as 403 00:30:28,171 --> 00:30:30,863 something that fires out of the submarine, when originally 404 00:30:30,898 --> 00:30:34,418 invented in the early 19th century the torpedo was an 405 00:30:34,453 --> 00:30:37,076 underwater explosive charge. 406 00:30:38,319 --> 00:30:40,666 NARRATOR: If this is how the Hunley attacked, then she 407 00:30:40,700 --> 00:30:44,256 would need to get within touching distance of her prey. 408 00:30:44,635 --> 00:30:46,914 But how exactly? 409 00:30:49,675 --> 00:30:52,851 For years, historians believe the rebel submariners 410 00:30:52,885 --> 00:30:56,268 physically attach the bomb, with a barbed spike then 411 00:30:56,302 --> 00:30:59,098 detonate it from a safe distance. 412 00:31:00,065 --> 00:31:03,275 But other evidence found near the wreck site suggests that 413 00:31:03,309 --> 00:31:06,381 this isn't what happened. 414 00:31:07,727 --> 00:31:10,627 A copper sleeve, which looks like it was created to hold 415 00:31:10,661 --> 00:31:14,079 the explosive in place. 416 00:31:15,425 --> 00:31:18,186 MICHAEL: The copper sleeve was peeled back from the force of 417 00:31:18,221 --> 00:31:21,983 the explosion, clearly showing us that the torpedo was in 418 00:31:22,018 --> 00:31:25,780 fact on the end of the spar when it went off. 419 00:31:32,269 --> 00:31:34,133 NARRATOR: Based on the evidence from the drained 420 00:31:34,168 --> 00:31:37,550 wreck and work in the laboratory it's now possible 421 00:31:37,585 --> 00:31:41,037 to piece together what likely happened. 422 00:31:46,490 --> 00:31:49,183 The Confederates are desperate to smash the Union's naval 423 00:31:49,217 --> 00:31:51,910 blockade of Charleston. 424 00:31:52,841 --> 00:31:54,671 CRAIG: The Confederacy, because they knew they were 425 00:31:54,705 --> 00:31:57,363 inferior in the conventional weapons of war, had to turn to 426 00:31:57,398 --> 00:32:00,125 new, creative devices. 427 00:32:01,505 --> 00:32:07,649 JAMES: You try to out-smart the enemy, you try to out-innovate the enemy. 428 00:32:15,692 --> 00:32:18,660 NARRATOR: The Housatonic lies at anchor. 429 00:32:22,078 --> 00:32:26,047 Suddenly, the crew spot a ghostly shape. 430 00:32:28,705 --> 00:32:31,225 MICHAEL: They weren't entirely sure what it was at first. 431 00:32:31,259 --> 00:32:34,953 It looked like a log on the water, maybe a porpoise. 432 00:32:36,057 --> 00:32:38,577 NARRATOR: In fact the hand-cranked submarine 433 00:32:38,611 --> 00:32:41,407 is headed straight for the Union warship. 434 00:32:42,098 --> 00:32:44,134 MICHAEL: Something like this had never been seen by the 435 00:32:44,169 --> 00:32:47,379 crew before they would have been terrified. 436 00:32:48,104 --> 00:32:50,382 NARRATOR: Historians don't know if the Hunley's crew tries 437 00:32:50,416 --> 00:32:53,419 to attach their bomb and escape... 438 00:32:53,454 --> 00:32:58,183 But they do know that with the Hunley just 16 feet from its prey. 439 00:32:59,149 --> 00:33:01,876 [explosion]. 440 00:33:03,119 --> 00:33:07,226 The torpedo does its fatal work and the Housatonic 441 00:33:07,261 --> 00:33:10,609 sinks in minutes. 442 00:33:11,610 --> 00:33:15,545 A new age of naval warfare has begun. 443 00:33:15,579 --> 00:33:18,375 JAMES: Hunley proves to be the first submarine ever to 444 00:33:18,410 --> 00:33:22,103 sink an enemy warship in combat. 445 00:33:23,415 --> 00:33:26,452 NARRATOR: But there's a final mystery here. 446 00:33:26,487 --> 00:33:29,421 The Hunley never returns to its base. 447 00:33:29,455 --> 00:33:33,218 No-one has ever been sure why. 448 00:33:35,220 --> 00:33:38,119 MICHAEL: With the discovery of the H L Hunley a great mystery 449 00:33:38,154 --> 00:33:39,776 had been solved. 450 00:33:39,810 --> 00:33:43,124 However, the real work begins with discovery, we could then 451 00:33:43,159 --> 00:33:47,439 begin to investigate from an archaeological point of view. 452 00:33:48,647 --> 00:33:51,408 NARRATOR: The most obvious explanation... 453 00:33:52,892 --> 00:33:56,620 The Hunley is destroyed by her own bomb. 454 00:33:58,277 --> 00:34:00,210 [explosion]. 455 00:34:01,936 --> 00:34:05,077 Ken Nahshon is a US Navy engineer; 456 00:34:05,112 --> 00:34:08,563 his job is to test underwater explosives. 457 00:34:09,081 --> 00:34:11,221 KEN: It's been a historical mystery for well over 458 00:34:11,256 --> 00:34:14,224 100 years and really people have always wondered 459 00:34:14,259 --> 00:34:16,088 what happened to it. 460 00:34:16,123 --> 00:34:19,160 NARRATOR: How big is the blast and what damage could it have 461 00:34:19,195 --> 00:34:21,680 done to the Hunley? 462 00:34:21,714 --> 00:34:26,374 KEN: We constructed a full-scale replica of Hunley's torpedo, 463 00:34:26,409 --> 00:34:30,137 filled the torpedo with black powder that matches 464 00:34:30,171 --> 00:34:34,451 the black powder used at the time and then set off the explosion. 465 00:34:36,177 --> 00:34:40,112 [explosion]. 466 00:34:43,184 --> 00:34:46,981 NARRATOR: Packed with 135 pounds of gunpowder... 467 00:34:47,015 --> 00:34:52,331 the torpedo is seriously powerful, but the results are unexpected. 468 00:34:55,472 --> 00:34:57,819 KEN: Once the explosion goes off, it generates a 469 00:34:57,854 --> 00:35:01,099 high-pressure wave emanating from the explosion, 470 00:35:01,133 --> 00:35:02,859 as well as a bubble. 471 00:35:02,893 --> 00:35:05,275 That bubble expands and contracts what would happen 472 00:35:05,310 --> 00:35:08,106 is a high velocity jet would occur, where basically the 473 00:35:08,140 --> 00:35:11,799 bottom of the bubble comes in on itself and forms this high 474 00:35:11,833 --> 00:35:14,215 velocity water column that would have punched a hole 475 00:35:14,250 --> 00:35:17,287 right through Housatonic, while leaving Hunley 476 00:35:17,322 --> 00:35:19,910 completely unaffected. 477 00:35:19,945 --> 00:35:22,292 KEN: The most surprising conclusion we had was the 478 00:35:22,327 --> 00:35:25,364 submarine heaved quite substantially... 479 00:35:26,296 --> 00:35:30,369 However, it was not substantial enough to cause injury. 480 00:35:30,404 --> 00:35:32,785 NARRATOR: And there is other evidence that 481 00:35:32,820 --> 00:35:35,995 Hunley survives the explosion.. 482 00:35:37,238 --> 00:35:40,655 The bodies of all eight crewmen found by archaeologists 483 00:35:40,690 --> 00:35:46,144 inside the wreck in an excellen state of preservation. 484 00:35:47,352 --> 00:35:50,148 Before they are removed for burial, they are scanned, 485 00:35:50,182 --> 00:35:53,185 photographed and analyzed. 486 00:35:55,049 --> 00:35:58,570 MICHAEL: We have their remains and we didn't find any injury to the crew. 487 00:35:59,018 --> 00:36:02,850 NARRATOR: So, if the explosion didn't kill them, what did? 488 00:36:04,610 --> 00:36:08,442 Could the pressure wave have cracked the hull causing flooding? 489 00:36:09,236 --> 00:36:11,272 The evidence suggests not. 490 00:36:11,307 --> 00:36:13,171 MICHAEL: There was no sign of panic on board. 491 00:36:13,205 --> 00:36:14,206 No-one is out of position, 492 00:36:14,241 --> 00:36:16,346 nobody tried to climb over their neighbor 493 00:36:16,381 --> 00:36:19,211 and you would expect that in a drowning scenario. 494 00:36:20,074 --> 00:36:22,041 NARRATOR: Michael Scafuri believes that there could 495 00:36:22,076 --> 00:36:25,010 be another explanation. 496 00:36:25,838 --> 00:36:27,219 MICHAEL: There's a strong case to be made for them simply 497 00:36:27,254 --> 00:36:29,911 staying on the bottom too long, miscalculated how much 498 00:36:29,946 --> 00:36:33,225 air they had and uh simply went to sleep, 499 00:36:33,260 --> 00:36:36,124 not to wake up again. 500 00:36:37,229 --> 00:36:40,094 NARRATOR: Today, the investigation continues. 501 00:36:41,578 --> 00:36:44,340 JOHANNA: How they were able to hand crank a submarine 502 00:36:44,374 --> 00:36:48,275 four miles attack a big ship. 503 00:36:48,309 --> 00:36:50,553 The fact that they thought they could do it and they 504 00:36:50,587 --> 00:36:53,970 did it, that's, that's a most remarkable thing. 505 00:36:57,042 --> 00:36:59,769 NARRATOR: In Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery, 506 00:36:59,803 --> 00:37:03,359 a poignant memorial to a pioneering crew. 507 00:37:05,361 --> 00:37:07,294 MICHAEL: The fate of the Hunley crew was a mystery 508 00:37:07,328 --> 00:37:10,849 for 136 years, so it was appropriate for them to 509 00:37:10,883 --> 00:37:13,196 eventually be given a proper burial after 510 00:37:13,231 --> 00:37:17,649 136 years of being lost at sea. 511 00:37:18,995 --> 00:37:21,342 This is an archaeologic project but this is also the 512 00:37:21,377 --> 00:37:24,380 story of a number of people... 513 00:37:24,794 --> 00:37:27,141 8 crew in Hunley and five on Housatonic who lost their 514 00:37:27,175 --> 00:37:31,041 lives and it's important that we get their stories straight. 515 00:37:35,287 --> 00:37:38,946 NARRATOR: The world's first successful fighting submarine... 516 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:41,189 [explosion]. 517 00:37:41,224 --> 00:37:45,090 Is at the forefront of a Civil War arms race. 518 00:37:47,817 --> 00:37:52,097 Draining the oceans around Mobile, Alabama, 519 00:37:53,340 --> 00:37:56,308 reveals astonishing evidence 520 00:37:57,205 --> 00:38:00,208 that the race isn't over yet. 521 00:38:11,289 --> 00:38:14,326 NARRATOR: By 1864, two years after the game-changing 522 00:38:14,361 --> 00:38:17,225 development of the Monitor... 523 00:38:18,192 --> 00:38:21,195 This is the face of naval warfare. 524 00:38:21,229 --> 00:38:24,440 The USS Tecumseh. 525 00:38:24,819 --> 00:38:28,202 A bigger, better Ironclad. 526 00:38:29,168 --> 00:38:31,999 Designed to be impregnable to enemy fire, 527 00:38:32,033 --> 00:38:35,002 it's 50 feet longer than the Monitor, 528 00:38:35,036 --> 00:38:39,593 has thicker armor and two massive 15-inch guns. 529 00:38:43,251 --> 00:38:48,015 Tecumseh is one of 4 Ironclads in a fleet of 18 Union warships 530 00:38:50,638 --> 00:38:54,228 Their target is Mobile Bay, Alabama. 531 00:38:54,262 --> 00:38:57,576 One of the last Confederate ports in the south. 532 00:39:00,199 --> 00:39:04,031 If the Union can capture it, the war could be over soon. 533 00:39:07,172 --> 00:39:10,209 As the fleet enters the bay, there's an explosion... 534 00:39:10,865 --> 00:39:12,729 [explosion]. 535 00:39:12,764 --> 00:39:16,354 And the mighty Tecumseh is hit. 536 00:39:17,147 --> 00:39:21,013 Almost all her crew are lost. 537 00:39:22,808 --> 00:39:27,088 The only Union Ironclad ever sunk in battle. 538 00:39:33,474 --> 00:39:37,409 Maritime archaeologist James Delgado is in Mobile Bay, 539 00:39:37,444 --> 00:39:42,034 studying the wreck of Tecumseh and trying to work out what sank her. 540 00:39:43,415 --> 00:39:45,624 JAMES: There are still amazing secrets beneath the waters of 541 00:39:45,659 --> 00:39:48,144 Mobile Bay that most people don't see... 542 00:39:49,248 --> 00:39:51,872 sunken vessels lost in the battle. 543 00:39:53,218 --> 00:39:56,739 NARRATOR: The team prepares to use side scan sonar and a 544 00:39:56,773 --> 00:40:00,674 magnetometer to probe the seafloor. 545 00:40:01,847 --> 00:40:03,884 ANNA: Ready? 546 00:40:07,266 --> 00:40:10,304 JAMES: Okay, so we're in, what altitude are we flying the head at? 547 00:40:10,338 --> 00:40:12,168 CREW: We're about 15 feet off the bottom. 548 00:40:12,202 --> 00:40:14,826 JAMES: Okay and speed's running at about? 549 00:40:14,860 --> 00:40:17,104 CREW: At about 4 knots. JAMES: Yeah, good. 550 00:40:17,138 --> 00:40:19,140 CREW: Returns looking smooth. 551 00:40:19,175 --> 00:40:21,833 JAMES: Whoa, whoa, whoa okay, what are we coming up on here? 552 00:40:21,867 --> 00:40:24,352 CREW: Does that look like something? 553 00:40:24,387 --> 00:40:27,942 There we go, I think we might have a shipwreck. 554 00:40:28,495 --> 00:40:30,324 JAMES: We're on it. 555 00:40:30,358 --> 00:40:34,155 NARRATOR: The scanner detects a large iron object. 556 00:40:34,190 --> 00:40:36,157 It's in the right place. 557 00:40:36,192 --> 00:40:39,091 James is convinced it's Tecumseh! 558 00:40:42,232 --> 00:40:45,373 JAMES: But there's a lot of mud here, looks like given 559 00:40:45,408 --> 00:40:49,067 stuff coming on it, I think this thing's buried. 560 00:40:50,137 --> 00:40:52,519 NARRATOR: The mud and silt of 130 years 561 00:40:52,553 --> 00:40:54,797 obscures much of the wreck. 562 00:40:54,831 --> 00:40:59,146 Only emptying Mobile Bay of water can reveal 563 00:40:59,180 --> 00:41:01,631 what's really down there. 564 00:41:01,666 --> 00:41:05,324 And using the expedition data we can do just that to try and 565 00:41:05,359 --> 00:41:10,606 solve one of the final mysteries of the American Civil War. 566 00:41:13,332 --> 00:41:16,128 As the water drains away... 567 00:41:16,163 --> 00:41:19,235 a tantalizing sight emerges... 568 00:41:19,269 --> 00:41:22,825 a section of an iron hull buried in the seabed... 569 00:41:23,653 --> 00:41:25,413 And based on the survey data, 570 00:41:25,448 --> 00:41:28,175 we can drain away the mud as well. 571 00:41:32,869 --> 00:41:34,146 Underneath... 572 00:41:34,181 --> 00:41:36,183 An incredible sight. 573 00:41:36,217 --> 00:41:41,050 A massive iron monster, 223 feet long 574 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:44,363 lying upside down. 575 00:41:44,398 --> 00:41:48,195 Its spine slowly corroding away 576 00:41:49,265 --> 00:41:52,199 Once one of the world's most powerful vessels, 577 00:41:52,233 --> 00:41:54,891 the pride of the Union fleet... 578 00:41:54,926 --> 00:41:58,412 now seen in the clear light of day for the first time 579 00:41:58,446 --> 00:42:02,071 in over 150 years. 580 00:42:04,211 --> 00:42:08,042 A closer look reveals a clue. 581 00:42:09,596 --> 00:42:13,220 Under the waterline, a large dent in the hull, 582 00:42:13,254 --> 00:42:16,603 8 feet long and 5 feet wide 583 00:42:19,329 --> 00:42:22,056 and more evidence... 584 00:42:23,471 --> 00:42:27,855 Metal seams split apart, broken with explosive force. 585 00:42:30,789 --> 00:42:35,173 So, could it be the victim of another Confederate submarine? 586 00:42:39,349 --> 00:42:43,112 Union spies reported rebel subs under construction, 587 00:42:43,146 --> 00:42:47,185 but there are no records of them being active here. 588 00:42:48,462 --> 00:42:51,983 What else might have caused it? 589 00:42:52,535 --> 00:42:54,641 Lying all across the bay... 590 00:42:54,675 --> 00:42:58,127 piles of junk, hundreds of yards long. 591 00:42:58,161 --> 00:43:04,029 Shipwrecks, bricks, and wood pilings. 592 00:43:06,031 --> 00:43:09,138 JAMES: If you were to drain Mobile Bay you would see still 593 00:43:09,172 --> 00:43:12,624 to this day, a number of obstructions, that were placed 594 00:43:12,659 --> 00:43:16,594 there by the Confederates to keep the Union Navy out. 595 00:43:18,009 --> 00:43:20,528 NARRATOR: None of these could cause the severe damage 596 00:43:20,563 --> 00:43:23,359 discovered on the Tecumseh. 597 00:43:23,393 --> 00:43:27,121 But that's not all that the Confederates place here. 598 00:43:28,675 --> 00:43:31,229 They also deploy these... 599 00:43:31,263 --> 00:43:34,853 a terrifying new weapon; known today as a sea-mine, 600 00:43:35,751 --> 00:43:39,064 but back then, also called a torpedo. 601 00:43:40,721 --> 00:43:44,622 A torpedo unlike the one carried by the Hunley submarine. 602 00:43:44,656 --> 00:43:49,212 Instead held just under the surface by a weight and chain: 603 00:43:49,247 --> 00:43:51,180 primed to detonate on contact. 604 00:43:51,214 --> 00:43:54,217 [click and explosion]. 605 00:43:54,701 --> 00:43:57,220 This underwater killer is one of the Confederate's 606 00:43:57,255 --> 00:43:59,878 most successful maritime weapons, 607 00:43:59,913 --> 00:44:04,055 sinking or damaging 43 Union ships. 608 00:44:05,159 --> 00:44:09,336 And in Mobile Bay, there are up to 180 torpedoes... 609 00:44:09,647 --> 00:44:13,547 laid row after row, in a dense, checkerboard pattern. 610 00:44:16,584 --> 00:44:21,106 JAMES: By August of 1864 the Confederates had built, 611 00:44:21,141 --> 00:44:25,317 not only an obstacle course but a gauntlet, through which the 612 00:44:25,352 --> 00:44:29,356 Union Navy was going to have to fight its way through. 613 00:44:30,288 --> 00:44:32,704 NARRATOR: With information from the drained landscape, 614 00:44:32,739 --> 00:44:35,051 and the latest historical research, 615 00:44:35,086 --> 00:44:38,020 it's clear what happens here. 616 00:44:44,129 --> 00:44:47,132 Commanding the Union fleet is Admiral David Farragut 617 00:44:47,167 --> 00:44:50,066 on the steam and sail-powered USS Hartford. 618 00:44:51,447 --> 00:44:54,726 Farragut knows he faces underwater torpedoes, 619 00:44:54,761 --> 00:44:57,764 but he doesn't know where they are. 620 00:44:58,868 --> 00:45:01,768 He sends in the Ironclads first... 621 00:45:01,802 --> 00:45:05,288 Carefully, in single file. 622 00:45:05,323 --> 00:45:09,292 Leading the line, the Tecumseh. 623 00:45:12,606 --> 00:45:16,783 She fires the first shot at the rebel-held fort. 624 00:45:17,784 --> 00:45:21,028 Then, as the fleet enters the Bay... 625 00:45:21,822 --> 00:45:24,238 [explosion]. 626 00:45:24,273 --> 00:45:26,827 CRAIG: Gigantic explosion, the bow wheeled up, 627 00:45:26,862 --> 00:45:28,587 then down into the bay, 628 00:45:28,622 --> 00:45:32,246 the ship plunged downward, it's stern rising in the air, 629 00:45:32,281 --> 00:45:34,628 the bronze propeller still spinning. 630 00:45:35,836 --> 00:45:38,183 ANNA: Within the space of about 30 seconds, 631 00:45:38,218 --> 00:45:41,600 the Tecumseh went bow down and sank. 632 00:45:47,123 --> 00:45:51,300 JAMES: It's a shocking moment, but for Farragut history is 633 00:45:51,334 --> 00:45:54,096 made when he reportedly says, 634 00:45:54,130 --> 00:45:57,444 "Damn the torpedoes full speed ahead", 635 00:45:57,893 --> 00:46:01,379 the order was given to keep going. 636 00:46:01,655 --> 00:46:06,971 ANNA: They report hearing the fuses of torpedoes clicking as 637 00:46:07,005 --> 00:46:10,422 they're moving through but none of them go off. 638 00:46:11,182 --> 00:46:16,774 NARRATOR: The Union fleet breaks through and despite losing the Tecumseh, 639 00:46:16,808 --> 00:46:20,363 Farragut's boldness is rewarded 640 00:46:21,779 --> 00:46:24,782 Mobile Bay falls. 641 00:46:26,576 --> 00:46:30,373 For the rebels, it's the beginning of the end. 642 00:46:32,065 --> 00:46:35,137 CRAIG: The size of the Confederacy was quite literally shrinking. 643 00:46:36,863 --> 00:46:41,557 NARRATOR: Nine months later, peace returns to America. 644 00:46:45,181 --> 00:46:48,426 Draining the secrets of the American Civil War reveals the 645 00:46:48,460 --> 00:46:52,188 courage of those on both sides, who risked everything 646 00:46:52,223 --> 00:46:54,397 for their cause. 647 00:46:55,191 --> 00:46:58,401 And a technological revolution that transforms 648 00:46:58,436 --> 00:47:00,990 the Navies of the world. 649 00:47:05,132 --> 00:47:06,616 Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.