1 00:00:04,142 --> 00:00:08,663 NARRATOR: Today our oceans are ruled by a race of giants. 2 00:00:12,322 --> 00:00:14,048 Megaships. 3 00:00:14,083 --> 00:00:16,568 Up to a third of a mile long. 4 00:00:17,017 --> 00:00:19,916 SCOTT: It's just absolutely gigantic. 5 00:00:21,090 --> 00:00:23,609 NARRATOR: But when leviathans die. 6 00:00:23,644 --> 00:00:27,579 CHRISTOPH: What destroyed this huge giant? 7 00:00:30,961 --> 00:00:35,035 NARRATOR: They take their secrets to the deep. 8 00:00:36,208 --> 00:00:39,522 Lost inside the most awe-inspiring shipwrecks 9 00:00:39,556 --> 00:00:42,697 on the planet. 10 00:00:46,115 --> 00:00:48,876 Imagine if we could empty the oceans, 11 00:00:48,910 --> 00:00:51,430 letting the water drain away 12 00:00:51,465 --> 00:00:54,709 to reveal the secrets of the sea floor. 13 00:00:55,952 --> 00:00:58,575 Now we can. 14 00:00:59,956 --> 00:01:04,167 Using accurate data and astonishing technology 15 00:01:05,824 --> 00:01:09,655 to bring light once again to a lost world. 16 00:01:14,419 --> 00:01:18,285 Why did Britannic, sister ship to the Titanic, 17 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:21,357 plunge to the bottom of the seas? 18 00:01:23,152 --> 00:01:28,088 How did one simple mistake send a super-tanker to her death? 19 00:01:29,227 --> 00:01:32,126 CHRISTOPH: It was the worst oil spill in history. 20 00:01:32,161 --> 00:01:34,680 NARRATOR: And can a ghostly voice help solve 21 00:01:34,715 --> 00:01:37,235 a deadly megaship mystery? 22 00:01:41,170 --> 00:01:47,176 [theme music plays]. 23 00:01:53,216 --> 00:01:55,149 NARRATOR: Few of us see it. 24 00:01:55,184 --> 00:01:58,152 But we all depend upon it. 25 00:01:59,188 --> 00:02:03,261 A vast global network of Megaships. 26 00:02:05,435 --> 00:02:08,852 LARRIE: Ocean shipping is the lifeblood of the world economy today. 27 00:02:10,889 --> 00:02:14,720 Over 90% of world trade is carried on the water. 28 00:02:16,205 --> 00:02:18,172 NARRATOR: Over the last 40 years, 29 00:02:18,207 --> 00:02:23,971 carrying capacity has tripled, to almost 2 billion tons. 30 00:02:26,180 --> 00:02:29,114 Ship builders are locked into a race. 31 00:02:29,149 --> 00:02:33,118 Bigger ships mean cheaper transport costs, 32 00:02:33,153 --> 00:02:36,363 and lower prices for consumers. 33 00:02:37,847 --> 00:02:39,504 JAMES: In ship building there's always been this 34 00:02:39,538 --> 00:02:41,299 desire to build bigger, 35 00:02:41,333 --> 00:02:43,853 and the ships of today are giants of the sea. 36 00:02:45,820 --> 00:02:49,790 NARRATOR: A century ago, ocean giants don't carry cargo. 37 00:02:49,824 --> 00:02:52,965 They carry passengers. 38 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,728 In the golden age of the ocean liner. 39 00:02:59,869 --> 00:03:03,942 And the biggest of them all is the Titanic. 40 00:03:05,115 --> 00:03:08,188 When she tragically sinks in 1912, 41 00:03:08,222 --> 00:03:11,398 improvements are made to her sister ship, 42 00:03:11,432 --> 00:03:13,538 the Britannic, 43 00:03:16,023 --> 00:03:19,199 launched just two years later. 44 00:03:21,166 --> 00:03:25,377 She's the same length as Titanic, but 18 inches wider. 45 00:03:28,035 --> 00:03:32,833 However, before Britannic can carry a single paying passenger, 46 00:03:32,867 --> 00:03:35,732 World War I begins. 47 00:03:39,598 --> 00:03:43,395 And she is turned into a vast, floating hospital. 48 00:03:45,811 --> 00:03:48,366 882 feet long. 49 00:03:49,021 --> 00:03:52,266 Weighing 53,000 tons, 50 00:03:52,301 --> 00:03:56,028 and with enough beds for 3,300 patients. 51 00:03:59,273 --> 00:04:02,103 After five successful voyages, 52 00:04:02,138 --> 00:04:03,415 she sets out for the 53 00:04:03,450 --> 00:04:06,418 battlefields of the eastern Mediterranean. 54 00:04:11,665 --> 00:04:14,564 Steaming towards the British naval base at Mudros, 55 00:04:14,599 --> 00:04:17,912 traveling in the Kea channel. 56 00:04:24,609 --> 00:04:28,958 It's a clear day, with no enemy in sight. 57 00:04:31,271 --> 00:04:34,895 But shortly after 8am... 58 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,834 she sinks in just under an hour. 59 00:04:43,869 --> 00:04:47,942 30 people die, but over 1,000 are rescued. 60 00:04:49,150 --> 00:04:51,981 The contradictory stories of the survivors begin 61 00:04:52,015 --> 00:04:55,053 a century of controversy. 62 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:57,814 JAMES: When Britannic was lost the key questions were, 63 00:04:57,849 --> 00:04:59,920 had it been torpedoed? 64 00:04:59,954 --> 00:05:02,232 Or had it been sunk by mines? 65 00:05:04,027 --> 00:05:07,583 NARRATOR: A mine is a tragic accident of war. 66 00:05:07,617 --> 00:05:12,312 A torpedo, aimed at a clearly marked hospital ship, 67 00:05:12,346 --> 00:05:14,969 is a war crime. 68 00:05:22,287 --> 00:05:23,875 SIMON: There was always a mystery about what really 69 00:05:23,909 --> 00:05:26,153 happened to the Britannic. 70 00:05:26,187 --> 00:05:29,121 NARRATOR: Historian, Simon Mills believes hard evidence 71 00:05:29,156 --> 00:05:31,710 may lie in the waters, off Kea Island, 72 00:05:31,745 --> 00:05:35,265 in Greece 400 feet down. 73 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,099 SIMON: It really was a case of finding out 74 00:05:41,133 --> 00:05:43,170 what the weapon was. 75 00:05:43,204 --> 00:05:45,345 Trying to find physical evidence on the seabed 76 00:05:45,379 --> 00:05:47,657 of what actually sank the Britannic. 77 00:05:49,521 --> 00:05:52,144 SCOTT: It's a deep dive, it's a tough dive, 78 00:05:52,179 --> 00:05:55,458 but really excited about getting in the water. 79 00:06:12,889 --> 00:06:17,031 NARRATOR: Below the surface: a lost world, 80 00:06:17,066 --> 00:06:20,241 and a wreck of startling proportions. 81 00:06:21,726 --> 00:06:23,417 SCOTT: And as you look up you have this, 82 00:06:23,452 --> 00:06:27,076 this beautiful deep blue that silhouettes the whole wreck. 83 00:06:28,180 --> 00:06:30,735 It takes your breath away it really does. 84 00:06:35,705 --> 00:06:38,432 NARRATOR: Divers only ever see a small fraction 85 00:06:38,467 --> 00:06:40,986 of this lost giant. 86 00:06:42,505 --> 00:06:44,645 SIMON: It's absolutely massive. 87 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,855 She's the largest liner on the seabed and as a result um, 88 00:06:47,890 --> 00:06:50,410 when you're diving on her you just cannot see everything. 89 00:06:52,032 --> 00:06:55,863 NARRATOR: But now, we can drain away the Mediterranean 90 00:06:55,898 --> 00:06:59,108 and see Britannic in full. 91 00:07:04,803 --> 00:07:08,635 First, the bridge. 92 00:07:10,533 --> 00:07:14,503 Then, the bow, lying on its side. 93 00:07:20,060 --> 00:07:25,306 And almost 1,000 feet away: three massive propellers, 94 00:07:25,341 --> 00:07:30,311 each as big as a house, and all still in position. 95 00:07:33,901 --> 00:07:38,527 The largest ship of her age, bigger than any cathedral. 96 00:07:41,461 --> 00:07:43,808 SCOTT: It's just on a different scale. 97 00:07:43,842 --> 00:07:46,949 It, it's just absolutely gigantic. 98 00:07:48,744 --> 00:07:52,851 NARRATOR: Gigantic and perfectly preserved. 99 00:07:57,235 --> 00:07:58,926 SIMON: You can compare it to the Titanic, 100 00:07:58,961 --> 00:08:01,446 which is broken in half, twisted, mangled and, uh, 101 00:08:01,481 --> 00:08:03,137 in a terrible condition really. 102 00:08:03,172 --> 00:08:05,174 Whereas Britannic you'll actually find that everything 103 00:08:05,208 --> 00:08:08,142 is practically as it was on the day she sank. 104 00:08:12,388 --> 00:08:15,391 OWEN: Outstanding, absolutely outstanding! 105 00:08:19,084 --> 00:08:21,535 NARRATOR: So what really sank her? 106 00:08:25,677 --> 00:08:30,406 Looking for leads, Simon turns to newspaper reports. 107 00:08:33,098 --> 00:08:34,790 SIMON: She was very, very big headlines 108 00:08:34,824 --> 00:08:36,412 for several weeks after. 109 00:08:36,446 --> 00:08:38,725 The Germans allegedly had torpedoed an innocent 110 00:08:38,759 --> 00:08:41,348 British hospital ship. 111 00:08:41,382 --> 00:08:43,730 NARRATOR: Two eyewitness accounts speak of a deliberate 112 00:08:43,764 --> 00:08:47,561 attack, with torpedo tracks spotted in the water moments 113 00:08:47,596 --> 00:08:50,219 before the explosion. 114 00:08:52,117 --> 00:08:55,707 In 1916, attacking a hospital ship runs against 115 00:08:55,742 --> 00:08:59,090 all accepted rules of war. 116 00:09:00,194 --> 00:09:04,474 So is this really the site of a war crime? 117 00:09:07,961 --> 00:09:10,135 The drained wreck site reveals evidence 118 00:09:10,170 --> 00:09:13,414 no diver could ever see. 119 00:09:15,934 --> 00:09:18,350 Face down on the ocean floor, 120 00:09:18,385 --> 00:09:20,905 a deformed section of the ship's hull, 121 00:09:20,939 --> 00:09:24,598 probably 40 feet long and eight feet wide, 122 00:09:24,633 --> 00:09:28,360 where steel plates are bent inwards. 123 00:09:30,639 --> 00:09:33,503 Clear evidence of a devastating explosion 124 00:09:33,538 --> 00:09:36,921 on the outside of the ship. 125 00:09:37,887 --> 00:09:42,374 What weapon could create this type of blast damage? 126 00:09:45,930 --> 00:09:50,417 Simon is determined to hunt down physical evidence. 127 00:09:55,111 --> 00:09:58,943 Using a submersible, he scours the seafloor: 128 00:09:58,977 --> 00:10:02,325 focusing on a spot half a mile from the wreck site, 129 00:10:03,257 --> 00:10:07,330 the area where the explosion was reported. 130 00:10:12,301 --> 00:10:16,443 For hours, he sees nothing except sand and rocks. 131 00:10:20,274 --> 00:10:23,864 No sign of torpedo parts or fragments. 132 00:10:26,626 --> 00:10:31,423 But the drained landscape does reveal something. 133 00:10:33,978 --> 00:10:38,189 It's heavily encrusted but identifiable as a small piece 134 00:10:38,223 --> 00:10:41,295 of metal three feet across. 135 00:10:43,297 --> 00:10:46,749 SIMON: It looks like a cracked eggshell. 136 00:10:50,753 --> 00:10:52,962 NARRATOR: The object is exactly the shape and size 137 00:10:52,997 --> 00:10:56,138 of the casing of an E-type sea-mine: 138 00:10:56,172 --> 00:10:58,968 A standard German device from World War I, 139 00:11:01,143 --> 00:11:03,421 and it's lying close to the spot where 140 00:11:03,455 --> 00:11:07,045 the explosion was reported over 100 years ago. 141 00:11:09,910 --> 00:11:11,187 SIMON: When you see finally see it there in front of your 142 00:11:11,222 --> 00:11:13,707 own eyes you think yea, fabulous, we've done it. 143 00:11:13,742 --> 00:11:16,641 Now we finally have the physical evidence. 144 00:11:18,470 --> 00:11:22,509 NARRATOR: The mine fragments end a century of controversy. 145 00:11:22,543 --> 00:11:26,444 It's irrefutable evidence that eye-witnesses were confused 146 00:11:26,478 --> 00:11:29,861 and that Britannic was not deliberately targeted by a 147 00:11:29,896 --> 00:11:32,830 German submarine. 148 00:11:34,072 --> 00:11:37,558 In fact, some reports of a torpedo turn out to be nothing 149 00:11:37,593 --> 00:11:40,630 more than wartime propaganda. 150 00:11:42,598 --> 00:11:44,393 SIMON: No U-boats were reported to be active in this 151 00:11:44,427 --> 00:11:47,568 area on the day that the Britannic was sank. 152 00:11:47,603 --> 00:11:50,882 To be absolutely categoric, she was sunk by a mine. 153 00:11:54,334 --> 00:11:56,060 NARRATOR: With the key evidence from the drained 154 00:11:56,094 --> 00:12:00,305 wreck it is now possible to reconstruct Britannic's 155 00:12:00,340 --> 00:12:03,481 final, fatal moments. 156 00:12:07,036 --> 00:12:09,452 She steams through the Kea Channel. 157 00:12:11,420 --> 00:12:15,527 On her way to pick up thousands of injured soldiers. 158 00:12:18,634 --> 00:12:21,879 She strikes the mine 159 00:12:23,812 --> 00:12:27,747 probably laid three weeks earlier by a German U-boat. 160 00:12:28,161 --> 00:12:29,852 SIMON: There's a huge massive bang, 161 00:12:29,887 --> 00:12:33,753 the ship shook literally for about 30 seconds. 162 00:12:35,202 --> 00:12:38,309 NARRATOR: The explosion smashes in the starboard side, 163 00:12:39,793 --> 00:12:43,555 water floods into a boiler room. 164 00:12:45,799 --> 00:12:48,871 JAMES: With so much of the hull opened to the ocean, 165 00:12:48,906 --> 00:12:52,012 Britannic was doomed. 166 00:12:52,047 --> 00:12:54,774 NARRATOR: The damage is far more extensive than that which 167 00:12:54,808 --> 00:12:59,502 sank the Titanic and Britannic is quickly overwhelmed. 168 00:13:03,334 --> 00:13:05,923 Another boiler room floods. 169 00:13:05,957 --> 00:13:10,686 And another, until the massive ship reaches its buoyancy limit, 170 00:13:11,860 --> 00:13:14,552 sealing its fate. 171 00:13:18,038 --> 00:13:22,802 It takes just 55 minutes from explosion to sinking. 172 00:13:25,287 --> 00:13:29,429 The rapid loss of Britannic, and the Titanic before her, 173 00:13:29,463 --> 00:13:33,019 alarms the world's ship designers. 174 00:13:35,262 --> 00:13:39,611 For the first time international shipping standards come into force. 175 00:13:40,302 --> 00:13:42,994 LARRIE: It did spur the international community into action. 176 00:13:45,514 --> 00:13:48,689 NARRATOR: The new laws are intended to make all ships 177 00:13:48,724 --> 00:13:51,244 harder to sink. 178 00:13:52,176 --> 00:13:55,110 And that's never been more important. 179 00:13:56,766 --> 00:13:59,010 In the decades after Britannic, 180 00:13:59,045 --> 00:14:02,496 the era of transatlantic air travel dawns, 181 00:14:03,670 --> 00:14:06,949 and the number of ocean liners declines. 182 00:14:08,537 --> 00:14:12,127 But the number of giant ships doesn't fall. 183 00:14:18,098 --> 00:14:20,480 There are new cargoes. 184 00:14:20,514 --> 00:14:25,416 One above all: Oil. 185 00:14:27,659 --> 00:14:32,872 The world's appetite for Arabia's black gold is insatiable. 186 00:14:34,908 --> 00:14:37,221 Moving it from the Gulf to Europe, 187 00:14:37,255 --> 00:14:41,052 America and Asia is a lucrative business and 188 00:14:41,087 --> 00:14:46,402 requires a new kind of ship: the supertanker. 189 00:14:49,819 --> 00:14:52,512 Up to a quarter of a mile in length, 190 00:14:52,546 --> 00:14:54,376 these leviathans can carry 191 00:14:54,410 --> 00:14:57,862 nearly half a million tons of crude. 192 00:14:59,036 --> 00:15:01,348 It's vital they're built to be safer than 193 00:15:01,383 --> 00:15:03,868 any previous cargo ship. 194 00:15:05,387 --> 00:15:08,114 But are they? 195 00:15:08,838 --> 00:15:11,289 CHRISTOPH: It was the worst oil spill in history. 196 00:15:19,608 --> 00:15:23,750 NARRATOR: The 1,100 feet long oil supertanker, Amoco Cadiz, 197 00:15:23,784 --> 00:15:27,719 is in the English Channel, 198 00:15:27,754 --> 00:15:31,861 loaded with 1.6 million barrels of crude oil. 199 00:15:33,656 --> 00:15:36,245 The colossal ship is traveling from the Persian Gulf 200 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:42,182 to Rotterdam when off the coast of Brittany, France, 201 00:15:42,217 --> 00:15:46,359 she hits heavy seas, and sinks. 202 00:15:51,088 --> 00:15:53,021 Spilling her entire load 203 00:15:53,055 --> 00:15:56,093 across the coast of north western France. 204 00:15:57,577 --> 00:16:00,131 JAMES: Amico Cadiz is the world's first great 205 00:16:00,166 --> 00:16:03,755 super tanker shipwreck disaster. 206 00:16:05,550 --> 00:16:10,314 What makes it important is it's not loss of human life 207 00:16:10,348 --> 00:16:13,973 it's the amount of oil on a coastline. 208 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,910 The images of oil-covered birds flashed around the planet. 209 00:16:22,119 --> 00:16:24,224 NARRATOR: The clean-up alone costs the oil company 210 00:16:24,259 --> 00:16:27,262 $200 million. 211 00:16:28,332 --> 00:16:31,024 But how did an almost new supertanker 212 00:16:31,059 --> 00:16:33,751 simply break apart? 213 00:16:36,788 --> 00:16:41,172 Two miles off the coast of Brittany an expedition is underway. 214 00:16:41,862 --> 00:16:45,280 Led by diver Christoph Gerigk. 215 00:16:47,834 --> 00:16:50,871 CHRISTOPH: We are here to investigate the wreck. 216 00:16:50,906 --> 00:16:54,013 We are trying to work out what happened. 217 00:16:58,362 --> 00:17:01,710 NARRATOR: While Christoph searches underwater, 218 00:17:01,744 --> 00:17:06,301 a survey team scans the seabed with side-scan sonar, 219 00:17:06,991 --> 00:17:10,029 for the very first time. 220 00:17:11,547 --> 00:17:14,067 KYLE: The Amoco Cadiz is a really big ship, 221 00:17:14,102 --> 00:17:16,069 it's never been scanned before, 222 00:17:16,104 --> 00:17:19,590 so we're gonna be the first people to actually see it. 223 00:17:24,595 --> 00:17:27,529 We can just keep going straight. 224 00:17:29,565 --> 00:17:35,675 NARRATOR: After an hour they get a hit, and it's a big one. 225 00:17:37,125 --> 00:17:38,574 KYLE: Right here, that's the wreck right there, 226 00:17:38,609 --> 00:17:40,542 that's the stern. 227 00:17:40,576 --> 00:17:43,131 CREW MAN: It's huge! That is really huge. 228 00:17:43,165 --> 00:17:44,442 It's massive. 229 00:17:44,477 --> 00:17:45,719 KYLE: It is a big ship. 230 00:17:45,754 --> 00:17:48,826 CREW MAN: It's amazing, that's amazing. 231 00:17:49,309 --> 00:17:52,036 NARRATOR: The sonar data offers a tantalizing top-down 232 00:17:52,071 --> 00:17:55,660 image of a large section of the hull. 233 00:17:57,283 --> 00:18:01,252 Using the scan as a guide 234 00:18:01,908 --> 00:18:06,568 Christoph's team focuses on an area 115 feet down. 235 00:18:12,332 --> 00:18:14,679 CHRISTOPH: It's an exciting experience to dive the Amoco 236 00:18:14,714 --> 00:18:17,993 because it's just so huge. 237 00:18:19,650 --> 00:18:23,240 It is a big wreck, it's maybe the biggest wreck in the world. 238 00:18:33,077 --> 00:18:36,425 You feel really small compared to it. 239 00:18:39,704 --> 00:18:43,122 Inside the tanker is like in a big cave. 240 00:18:45,020 --> 00:18:48,023 You never know where it ends. 241 00:18:54,754 --> 00:18:58,654 NARRATOR: Underwater footage offers glimpses of this giant. 242 00:19:00,656 --> 00:19:03,797 Now we can do better. 243 00:19:11,322 --> 00:19:16,293 And slowly a lost behemoth, emerges into daylight. 244 00:19:22,816 --> 00:19:25,440 First, the stern. 245 00:19:26,958 --> 00:19:31,204 220 feet long by 160 feet wide. 246 00:19:33,102 --> 00:19:36,796 Then, one of the five massive oil tanks. 247 00:19:41,283 --> 00:19:45,701 Finally, the bow, disappearing into the sand. 248 00:19:49,015 --> 00:19:53,709 CHRISTOPH: It's a landscape of destruction and violence. 249 00:19:55,228 --> 00:19:59,198 The wreck is completely ripped apart, like this. 250 00:20:00,199 --> 00:20:04,375 NARRATOR: So how was such a huge ship torn to shreds? 251 00:20:07,413 --> 00:20:10,416 The drained wreck provides a key piece of evidence. 252 00:20:10,450 --> 00:20:13,453 In one of her compartments: 253 00:20:13,488 --> 00:20:16,698 what appears to be a hairline crack 254 00:20:18,217 --> 00:20:20,909 and there's more. 255 00:20:20,943 --> 00:20:25,431 All across the hull, larger sections, cracked open. 256 00:20:28,365 --> 00:20:31,160 A closer look reveals why, 257 00:20:31,195 --> 00:20:34,543 a metal skin only an inch and a half thick, 258 00:20:34,578 --> 00:20:39,721 a skin that once encased over 200,000 tons of oil. 259 00:20:42,102 --> 00:20:44,415 CHRISTOPH: To me it's very surprising that such a big 260 00:20:44,450 --> 00:20:47,246 ship has such a thin hull. 261 00:20:48,385 --> 00:20:50,732 NARRATOR: The Amoco Cadiz may be nearly as big as the 262 00:20:50,766 --> 00:20:56,151 Empire State Building, but her hull is paper thin. 263 00:20:57,877 --> 00:21:03,020 CHRISTOPH: It's a crack which destroyed this huge giant. 264 00:21:06,023 --> 00:21:08,267 NARRATOR: Now, based in part on the evidence from the 265 00:21:08,301 --> 00:21:11,994 drained wreck, we can reconstruct exactly how 266 00:21:12,029 --> 00:21:15,619 the Amoco Cadiz met her end. 267 00:21:23,903 --> 00:21:27,941 The enormous tanker hits a force 10 gale, 268 00:21:29,115 --> 00:21:31,945 with winds of 60 miles per hour 269 00:21:31,980 --> 00:21:35,432 and waves up to 40 feet high. 270 00:21:38,814 --> 00:21:41,092 A powerful wave slams into the rudder, 271 00:21:45,269 --> 00:21:48,445 smashing apart the steering gear, 272 00:21:48,479 --> 00:21:52,241 making the 1,100 foot long ship impossible to control. 273 00:21:55,175 --> 00:21:57,281 Over the next 12 hours, 274 00:21:57,316 --> 00:22:01,078 the Amoco Cadiz is pushed ever closer to Brittany: 275 00:22:01,112 --> 00:22:04,564 notorious for its jagged rocky coastline. 276 00:22:06,980 --> 00:22:11,088 Finally, at 9:04 in the evening 277 00:22:11,122 --> 00:22:14,436 the inevitable happens. 278 00:22:16,438 --> 00:22:20,994 One tear, and another, 279 00:22:22,410 --> 00:22:26,517 is all it takes to rupture the weak single-hulled ship 280 00:22:28,243 --> 00:22:31,142 like an eggshell hitting a wall. 281 00:22:37,735 --> 00:22:40,669 There are no human casualties. 282 00:22:40,704 --> 00:22:44,604 All 44 men aboard are rescued by helicopter. 283 00:22:46,399 --> 00:22:50,541 But a region of France famous for its wildlife and natural beauty 284 00:22:50,576 --> 00:22:55,891 is drenched in 220,000 tons of oil. 285 00:22:57,065 --> 00:22:59,412 CHRISTOPH: It was the worst oil spill ever. 286 00:22:59,447 --> 00:23:02,864 It was the worst oil spill in history. 287 00:23:04,313 --> 00:23:08,559 NARRATOR: The Amoco Cadiz changes the way the world sees giant ships. 288 00:23:11,390 --> 00:23:13,771 CHRISTOPH: In the aftermath of the disaster and other 289 00:23:13,806 --> 00:23:17,672 disasters of the same kind there was a new law which 290 00:23:17,706 --> 00:23:20,951 created the obligation for a double-hull construction. 291 00:23:23,885 --> 00:23:26,991 NARRATOR: In theory, a double-skinned hull should be 292 00:23:27,026 --> 00:23:30,857 able to withstand the worst the sea can throw at it. 293 00:23:31,962 --> 00:23:35,103 But as the global economy continues to expand, 294 00:23:35,137 --> 00:23:39,072 demand for ever-bigger vessels grows unabated, 295 00:23:39,107 --> 00:23:43,905 putting new strains on the work horses of international trade: 296 00:23:43,939 --> 00:23:46,770 the bulk carrier. 297 00:23:49,669 --> 00:23:53,121 These giants carry almost half of the world's cargo, 298 00:23:53,155 --> 00:23:54,916 shunting raw materials 299 00:23:54,950 --> 00:23:57,988 from one side of the planet to the other. 300 00:24:00,577 --> 00:24:03,890 The MV Derbyshire is one of this new generation of tough 301 00:24:03,925 --> 00:24:10,000 super ships, almost 1,000 feet long with a state-of-the-art 302 00:24:10,034 --> 00:24:14,211 double-hull and nine massive holds, 303 00:24:15,315 --> 00:24:20,148 she can pack in over 160,000 tons of cargo. 304 00:24:21,805 --> 00:24:26,637 Derbyshire is a true colossus, with a range of 10,000 miles. 305 00:24:28,777 --> 00:24:33,161 In July 1980, she leaves Canada laden with iron ore, 306 00:24:33,195 --> 00:24:35,922 heading for Japan. 307 00:24:36,475 --> 00:24:38,442 Then on September the 9th, 308 00:24:38,477 --> 00:24:43,723 she suddenly disappears without a trace. 309 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:48,107 Without even a mayday call. 310 00:24:48,141 --> 00:24:51,938 And no sign of the 42 men and two women on board. 311 00:24:52,732 --> 00:24:55,528 Their families demand answers. 312 00:24:55,563 --> 00:24:58,013 DAVID: It was the ultimate shipping mystery, 313 00:24:58,048 --> 00:25:04,364 one minute it's there and the next minute it's gone. 314 00:25:13,512 --> 00:25:16,100 NARRATOR: Shipwreck hunter David Mearns is looking for 315 00:25:16,135 --> 00:25:17,723 a lost giant. 316 00:25:17,757 --> 00:25:19,966 The MV Derbyshire. 317 00:25:21,968 --> 00:25:25,109 DAVID: It was a ship lost without a trace. 318 00:25:25,144 --> 00:25:27,595 [radio chatter]. 319 00:25:28,181 --> 00:25:31,806 DAVID: Something catastrophic happened to this ship, 320 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:35,292 and we had to bring back the evidence. 321 00:25:36,776 --> 00:25:39,020 NARRATOR: It won't be easy. 322 00:25:39,054 --> 00:25:42,092 With no mayday message Mearns has no reliable fix 323 00:25:42,126 --> 00:25:44,577 on Derbyshire's final position. 324 00:25:46,234 --> 00:25:50,618 And the China sea is almost two and a half miles deep here. 325 00:25:52,309 --> 00:25:54,449 DAVID: Everybody talks about the needle in a haystack. 326 00:25:54,483 --> 00:25:57,383 Well first off you need to know where the haystack is. 327 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:01,801 NARRATOR: The only hint, reports of oil slicks in the 328 00:26:01,836 --> 00:26:04,563 days after the ship went missing. 329 00:26:06,254 --> 00:26:10,258 DAVID: That's a clue to where the ship was lost. 330 00:26:11,052 --> 00:26:14,814 Heading, Two Zero, beautiful, right down the line. 331 00:26:16,298 --> 00:26:18,853 NARRATOR: Using sonar and gut instinct, 332 00:26:18,887 --> 00:26:21,510 Mearns scans the area for days. 333 00:26:24,168 --> 00:26:26,895 Without success. 334 00:26:28,863 --> 00:26:32,073 Finally, on day three... 335 00:26:32,107 --> 00:26:35,076 DAVID: Okay, we've got a large target. 336 00:26:36,318 --> 00:26:39,287 NARRATOR: They spot something. 337 00:26:40,875 --> 00:26:43,912 DAVID: We see this great big structure in front of us, 338 00:26:43,947 --> 00:26:48,296 and we're moving in to it, very very slowly. 339 00:26:50,263 --> 00:26:54,820 And we're counting down to this object, 50 meters, 340 00:26:56,235 --> 00:26:59,894 40 meters, 30 and 20 341 00:26:59,928 --> 00:27:02,034 and then finally at about 10 meters 342 00:27:02,068 --> 00:27:08,419 out of the gloom comes this great big piece of steel 343 00:27:09,973 --> 00:27:13,355 which was the side of the Derbyshire. 344 00:27:18,706 --> 00:27:22,606 And that was it, we had found it. 345 00:27:25,057 --> 00:27:28,336 This is the grave site for 44 people. 346 00:27:29,371 --> 00:27:31,270 NARRATOR: The underwater cameras pick out 347 00:27:31,304 --> 00:27:34,066 pieces of twisted metal. 348 00:27:35,584 --> 00:27:39,105 Now, as the deep ocean drains away we can reveal 349 00:27:39,140 --> 00:27:42,488 the full scale of this lost giant, 350 00:27:44,628 --> 00:27:48,149 for the first time in nearly 40 years. 351 00:27:51,877 --> 00:27:57,020 A huge bow 160 feet by 140 feet 352 00:27:57,883 --> 00:28:00,817 upright on the seafloor, 353 00:28:00,851 --> 00:28:04,683 broken off like a discarded toy. 354 00:28:06,581 --> 00:28:10,619 Nearby, the cover of one of the ship's holds. 355 00:28:11,966 --> 00:28:18,386 Then, behind the bow, something totally unexpected. 356 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:23,805 The rest of the ship, obliterated. 357 00:28:25,531 --> 00:28:28,672 Reduced to tiny pieces and 358 00:28:28,707 --> 00:28:32,469 spread out over half a square mile. 359 00:28:34,954 --> 00:28:38,509 DAVID: It's total utter destruction. 360 00:28:38,544 --> 00:28:40,753 We're not talking just hundreds of pieces; 361 00:28:40,788 --> 00:28:43,342 we're talking thousands of pieces. 362 00:28:45,447 --> 00:28:47,760 We were just shocked. 363 00:28:47,795 --> 00:28:50,004 NARRATOR: How could a modern ship, 364 00:28:50,038 --> 00:28:54,111 engineered for safety and with a new double skinned hull, 365 00:28:54,146 --> 00:28:56,804 end its life like this? 366 00:28:56,838 --> 00:28:59,185 DAVID: The real question was, you know not that it was 367 00:28:59,220 --> 00:29:02,085 broken, but what caused the ship to sink? 368 00:29:03,742 --> 00:29:06,089 NARRATOR: Three years later, another expedition to the 369 00:29:06,123 --> 00:29:09,057 wreck site looks for answers. 370 00:29:09,092 --> 00:29:12,474 Lead engineer is Andy Bowen. 371 00:29:14,891 --> 00:29:18,273 ANDY: For us the first instinct when we saw the 372 00:29:18,308 --> 00:29:22,243 debris on the sea floor was just awe, really. 373 00:29:23,037 --> 00:29:26,626 The immensity of the destruction was really a 374 00:29:26,661 --> 00:29:30,285 mind-blowing thing to, to witness first hand. 375 00:29:31,390 --> 00:29:35,670 How a ship could be so completely destroyed. 376 00:29:37,465 --> 00:29:41,124 NARRATOR: New data provides a telling clue. 377 00:29:45,818 --> 00:29:49,132 All around the bow, there are air vents. 378 00:29:50,133 --> 00:29:53,170 Closer inspection shows they're open. 379 00:29:54,033 --> 00:29:56,933 Their covers ripped away. 380 00:29:57,968 --> 00:30:01,351 Water could have entered here, 381 00:30:01,385 --> 00:30:04,388 flooding this section of the ship. 382 00:30:05,286 --> 00:30:07,391 And if the bow was flooded, 383 00:30:07,426 --> 00:30:11,050 the whole vessel would become increasingly vulnerable, 384 00:30:11,085 --> 00:30:15,503 dragging her down lower and lower into the sea. 385 00:30:19,162 --> 00:30:24,270 This may explain why she sank, but not why she's 386 00:30:24,305 --> 00:30:27,584 in fragments on the sea floor. 387 00:30:33,245 --> 00:30:36,386 And when Andy looks closely at pieces of the fragmented 388 00:30:36,420 --> 00:30:39,838 vessel, he makes a remarkable discovery. 389 00:30:41,391 --> 00:30:46,672 All along the edges, tiny, brittle fracture patterns. 390 00:30:46,706 --> 00:30:51,539 Evidence that an explosive force has blasted the hull apart. 391 00:30:53,265 --> 00:30:56,026 Could there be some kind of design flaw with the 392 00:30:56,061 --> 00:30:59,374 Derbyshire's strengthened hull? 393 00:31:03,551 --> 00:31:06,726 The answer lies in the strange effects of the sea on a 394 00:31:06,761 --> 00:31:09,833 sinking double-hulled ship. 395 00:31:09,868 --> 00:31:15,045 When a ship sinks, at around 200 feet down the pressure is 396 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:18,462 seven times greater than it is at the surface. 397 00:31:20,257 --> 00:31:24,261 Most ships implode as they pass this critical point. 398 00:31:24,296 --> 00:31:27,886 But a double hulled ship behaves differently. 399 00:31:28,507 --> 00:31:31,544 As it crushes down, air trapped inside the empty 400 00:31:31,579 --> 00:31:35,548 spaces and voids is violently compressed. 401 00:31:35,583 --> 00:31:38,862 Pressure builds until it's strong enough to blow the 402 00:31:38,897 --> 00:31:44,212 hull apart with a force equivalent to 16 tons of TNT. 403 00:31:44,903 --> 00:31:47,250 [explosion]. 404 00:31:47,284 --> 00:31:51,047 It's a phenomenon known as implosion-explosion and 405 00:31:51,081 --> 00:31:54,636 takes only a matter of seconds. 406 00:31:55,879 --> 00:31:58,709 DAVID: It's like taking a balloon and popping it. 407 00:31:59,572 --> 00:32:02,748 NARRATOR: Only this effect can explain the Derbyshire's 408 00:32:02,782 --> 00:32:06,165 scatter pattern on the seabed. 409 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:10,411 Yet it doesn't explain why she sinks so quickly. 410 00:32:12,413 --> 00:32:15,174 However, using all the evidence, 411 00:32:15,209 --> 00:32:19,489 it's now possible to recreate the Derbyshire's exact fate, 412 00:32:19,523 --> 00:32:21,905 in frightening detail. 413 00:32:30,465 --> 00:32:34,745 NARRATOR: The 960 foot long cargo ship, MV Derbyshire, 414 00:32:34,780 --> 00:32:38,611 is fully laden, and headed for trouble. 415 00:32:40,544 --> 00:32:44,410 There's a typhoon in the area, which suddenly changes 416 00:32:44,445 --> 00:32:48,242 direction to put the Derbyshire in its path. 417 00:32:51,210 --> 00:32:55,076 Waves repeatedly crash onto the deck. 418 00:33:00,461 --> 00:33:04,258 Knocking the ventilator covers off the front of the ship. 419 00:33:05,121 --> 00:33:09,470 Sea water slowly fills a storage area inside the bow, 420 00:33:09,504 --> 00:33:12,783 gradually tilting the whole vessel nose down 421 00:33:12,818 --> 00:33:15,407 into the stormy seas. 422 00:33:16,373 --> 00:33:18,927 DAVID: At this point in time the bow is full, 423 00:33:18,962 --> 00:33:23,242 and waves are rolling up the deck of the ship. 424 00:33:25,796 --> 00:33:28,420 NARRATOR: Through the night, the ship is dragged lower and 425 00:33:28,454 --> 00:33:32,527 lower into the water, but in the chaos of the storm 426 00:33:32,562 --> 00:33:35,392 the crew doesn't notice. 427 00:33:35,427 --> 00:33:38,361 DAVID: Then total disaster struck. 428 00:33:40,466 --> 00:33:42,641 NARRATOR: A massive rogue wave, 429 00:33:42,675 --> 00:33:45,989 possibly as high as 90 feet smashes in the hatch cover of 430 00:33:46,024 --> 00:33:48,647 hold number one, 431 00:33:49,199 --> 00:33:53,203 filling the hold with thousands of tons of water. 432 00:33:54,618 --> 00:33:56,379 With this extra weight, 433 00:33:56,413 --> 00:33:59,623 the Derbyshire is now sinking fast. 434 00:34:00,417 --> 00:34:03,662 As she goes down, the hatch covers of her other holds are 435 00:34:03,696 --> 00:34:06,630 exposed to the raw power of the sea. 436 00:34:06,665 --> 00:34:08,908 [explosion]. 437 00:34:09,461 --> 00:34:12,464 LARRIE: It was a lot like an underwater bomb going off. 438 00:34:14,742 --> 00:34:18,263 NARRATOR: Hold number one completely floods, 439 00:34:18,297 --> 00:34:21,887 the others follow swiftly in a deadly domino effect. 440 00:34:23,992 --> 00:34:27,410 DAVID: The vessel is being filled with water and being 441 00:34:27,444 --> 00:34:30,792 pulled down by the bow. 442 00:34:32,139 --> 00:34:36,004 NARRATOR: In just two minutes she is gone. 443 00:34:37,937 --> 00:34:39,939 LARRIE: The crew had no time to react, 444 00:34:39,974 --> 00:34:42,528 no time to send out a mayday. 445 00:34:43,702 --> 00:34:46,429 NARRATOR: There are no survivors, 446 00:34:46,463 --> 00:34:50,053 and no sign that any lifeboat is ever launched. 447 00:34:55,093 --> 00:34:58,406 This disaster helps spur even tougher action to regulate 448 00:34:58,441 --> 00:35:01,340 cargo ship construction. 449 00:35:03,170 --> 00:35:06,069 Stronger air vents on bulk carriers, 450 00:35:06,104 --> 00:35:10,211 along with alarms to warn if they're open. 451 00:35:12,144 --> 00:35:15,734 DAVID: Ultimately that has really helped in terms of 452 00:35:15,768 --> 00:35:18,840 preventing further accidents. 453 00:35:21,291 --> 00:35:23,604 LARRIE: Since those rules came into effect, 454 00:35:23,638 --> 00:35:25,985 the rate of loss of bulk carriers has been cut 455 00:35:26,020 --> 00:35:28,333 effectively in half. 456 00:35:28,367 --> 00:35:31,612 NARRATOR: And safety has never been more vital. 457 00:35:36,341 --> 00:35:39,378 The decades after the Derbyshire tragedy, 458 00:35:39,413 --> 00:35:42,864 witness the most important revolution in shipping for 459 00:35:42,899 --> 00:35:46,558 centuries: Containerization. 460 00:35:48,422 --> 00:35:51,045 JAMES: Container ships changed the world. 461 00:35:51,079 --> 00:35:55,739 NARRATOR: These ships are a crucial cog in globalization: 462 00:35:55,774 --> 00:35:59,433 a massive increase in international trade links. 463 00:36:00,744 --> 00:36:03,954 Today, the biggest container ships can carry 464 00:36:03,989 --> 00:36:07,820 over 20,000 standardized containers. 465 00:36:09,408 --> 00:36:13,792 These vast floating warehouses can be controlled by fewer 466 00:36:13,826 --> 00:36:17,554 than 30 people and use high technology to plot 467 00:36:17,589 --> 00:36:20,833 the safest and most fuel-efficient routes. 468 00:36:22,904 --> 00:36:27,012 But they're not infallible. 469 00:36:33,260 --> 00:36:35,262 One of the latest container ships, 470 00:36:35,296 --> 00:36:38,989 the El Faro is carrying almost 400 containers 471 00:36:39,024 --> 00:36:41,751 along with 300 cars and trailers 472 00:36:43,649 --> 00:36:47,101 from Jacksonville, Florida, to Puerto Rico. 473 00:36:51,864 --> 00:36:56,352 In suddenly menacing seas, she runs into trouble. 474 00:36:59,389 --> 00:37:02,910 Her Captain, Michael Davidson, uses a satellite phone to make 475 00:37:02,944 --> 00:37:04,912 a desperate call for help. 476 00:37:13,990 --> 00:37:16,579 NARRATOR: But before he even gets a chance to explain 477 00:37:16,613 --> 00:37:19,754 what's happening, his 800 foot long megaship 478 00:37:19,789 --> 00:37:22,516 vanishes off the map. 479 00:37:23,896 --> 00:37:27,693 Along with all 33 people on board. 480 00:37:28,315 --> 00:37:31,249 JAMES: El Faro is the greatest marine tragedy to hit the 481 00:37:31,283 --> 00:37:33,354 United States in decades. 482 00:37:35,045 --> 00:37:37,600 NARRATOR: The disaster shows that even the most advanced, 483 00:37:37,634 --> 00:37:41,017 modern ships can sometimes fail. 484 00:37:44,710 --> 00:37:48,956 NTSB investigator, Eric Stolzenberg is on mission 485 00:37:48,990 --> 00:37:51,510 to find out why. 486 00:37:51,545 --> 00:37:54,306 ERIC: What happened to the El Faro was a mystery. 487 00:37:54,341 --> 00:37:59,415 We didn't have any witnesses; we didn't have the evidence 488 00:37:59,449 --> 00:38:01,727 because it was lost on the seafloor. 489 00:38:08,389 --> 00:38:13,291 NARRATOR: Eric locates the wreck using its last known GPS position: 490 00:38:14,464 --> 00:38:19,227 it's in very deep water: 3 miles down. 491 00:38:21,402 --> 00:38:24,612 Sonar images suggest that the debris is spread across an 492 00:38:24,647 --> 00:38:28,513 area of 19 million square feet. 493 00:38:32,551 --> 00:38:35,865 Andy Bowen, once again the lead engineer, 494 00:38:35,899 --> 00:38:40,628 is eager to retrieve the ship's 'VDR' or Voyage Data Recorder. 495 00:38:41,767 --> 00:38:44,770 ANDY: A voyage data recorder is essentially a black box, 496 00:38:44,805 --> 00:38:48,705 similar to what would be in an aircraft and so it records a 497 00:38:48,740 --> 00:38:52,640 variety of data streams, so conversations, 498 00:38:52,675 --> 00:38:55,609 telephone calls, radio calls. 499 00:38:56,610 --> 00:38:59,233 NARRATOR: Any data recorded there could be key to 500 00:38:59,267 --> 00:39:03,306 understanding what went wrong with the El Faro. 501 00:39:09,243 --> 00:39:12,902 First the team needs to confirm the wreck's identity. 502 00:39:14,421 --> 00:39:17,355 They use a camera-mounted unmanned vehicle. 503 00:39:19,667 --> 00:39:24,948 As it descends it begins to pick up ghostly images. 504 00:39:29,539 --> 00:39:32,818 Twisted metal and then, 505 00:39:34,130 --> 00:39:37,029 unmistakable evidence. 506 00:39:47,833 --> 00:39:52,286 Yet only as the waters recede can the full scale of this 507 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:56,221 gigantic cargo ship become clear. 508 00:40:01,399 --> 00:40:05,541 A true leviathan of the deep, 800 feet long, 509 00:40:05,575 --> 00:40:09,476 standing upright as if still in harbor. 510 00:40:12,858 --> 00:40:17,242 Surrounded by dozens of containers. 511 00:40:18,657 --> 00:40:21,695 A scene of utter devastation. 512 00:40:21,729 --> 00:40:24,352 ANDY: It was a stunning sight. 513 00:40:24,387 --> 00:40:29,565 Almost a blast zone of disturbed sea floor. 514 00:40:31,532 --> 00:40:34,052 NARRATOR: Working with the US navy, they immediately 515 00:40:34,086 --> 00:40:37,607 start searching for the VDR 'black box', 516 00:40:37,642 --> 00:40:41,473 ordinarily attached to the ship's communications mast. 517 00:40:42,923 --> 00:40:46,029 But the mast has been ripped away. 518 00:40:46,064 --> 00:40:50,206 And in a debris field as vast as this, 519 00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:53,036 finding it won't be easy. 520 00:40:54,072 --> 00:40:56,592 ERIC: The VDR is only about the size of a basketball, 521 00:40:56,626 --> 00:40:59,905 7 inches by 8 inches, it's a small cylinder. 522 00:40:59,940 --> 00:41:02,218 NARRATOR: Can the team track it down, 523 00:41:02,252 --> 00:41:06,291 and use its data to understand what happened here? 524 00:41:15,887 --> 00:41:18,476 NARRATOR: A team of investigators is painstakingly 525 00:41:18,510 --> 00:41:21,927 scanning the huge wreck site of the El Faro. 526 00:41:23,377 --> 00:41:27,346 They're looking for its VDR, the Voyage Data Recorder, 527 00:41:27,381 --> 00:41:30,729 a tiny, basketball-sized object that could explain 528 00:41:30,764 --> 00:41:33,145 why it sank. 529 00:41:33,180 --> 00:41:36,114 ERIC: Kinda like a needle in a haystack on the bottom. 530 00:41:41,395 --> 00:41:45,433 NARRATOR: After five days, with search-time running out 531 00:41:45,468 --> 00:41:49,748 they spot something glinting in the ROV's lights. 532 00:41:49,783 --> 00:41:52,544 ERIC: It was just enough to catch somebody's eyes and so 533 00:41:52,579 --> 00:41:54,753 we drove in that direction. 534 00:41:56,168 --> 00:41:59,413 NARRATOR: It's a third of a mile from where it should be. 535 00:41:59,447 --> 00:42:03,797 The water's murky, and the ROV moves slowly. 536 00:42:04,832 --> 00:42:09,975 But as soon as the object comes into view, it's clear, 537 00:42:10,010 --> 00:42:13,185 this is the VDR. 538 00:42:15,222 --> 00:42:18,328 The light is from its reflective tape shining back 539 00:42:18,363 --> 00:42:20,952 at the cameras. 540 00:42:20,986 --> 00:42:23,506 ANDY: There was a tremendous relief for everybody because 541 00:42:23,541 --> 00:42:26,336 that was a major, major objective. 542 00:42:27,924 --> 00:42:30,064 NARRATOR: After a year on the seabed, 543 00:42:30,099 --> 00:42:33,827 does it still contain its vital data? 544 00:42:35,553 --> 00:42:39,557 The investigators start by replaying the voice recordings. 545 00:42:52,984 --> 00:42:56,263 ERIC: Yeah, it was difficult to listen to the VDR. 546 00:43:06,135 --> 00:43:09,621 ERIC: We know how it ends, but they don't. 547 00:43:21,806 --> 00:43:25,154 NARRATOR: The VDR offers first hand evidence but 548 00:43:25,188 --> 00:43:26,845 that's not all. 549 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:30,090 It also contains information on the ship's final position 550 00:43:30,124 --> 00:43:32,679 and movements. 551 00:43:34,681 --> 00:43:37,649 Showing that shortly before she sinks, 552 00:43:37,684 --> 00:43:41,342 the El Faro is flooding in hold number 3. 553 00:43:45,830 --> 00:43:48,349 NARRATOR: Going back to the drained wreck reveals 554 00:43:48,384 --> 00:43:51,629 something hidden in plain sight. 555 00:43:54,977 --> 00:43:57,186 All along one of the upper decks: 556 00:43:57,220 --> 00:44:00,258 large open loading areas. 557 00:44:02,501 --> 00:44:05,504 It's common practice to leave them open like this because 558 00:44:05,539 --> 00:44:08,507 the crew expect that any water that enters here 559 00:44:08,542 --> 00:44:12,063 will quickly drain away. 560 00:44:12,097 --> 00:44:15,445 But then the VDR reveals a critical clue. 561 00:44:24,903 --> 00:44:29,425 NARRATOR: A scuttle is a hatch often located between decks. 562 00:44:29,459 --> 00:44:33,463 Looking at a plan of El Faro shows that if she listed 563 00:44:33,498 --> 00:44:38,399 severely in the hurricane, thousands of tons of water can 564 00:44:38,434 --> 00:44:42,541 flow in through this point, flooding her lower decks. 565 00:44:49,721 --> 00:44:54,139 Cars in the hold break free, and strike water inlet pipes, 566 00:44:54,174 --> 00:44:56,521 increasing the flooding. 567 00:44:59,041 --> 00:45:01,595 Data from the VDR clinches it: 568 00:45:01,629 --> 00:45:04,840 the El Faro is listing as much as 18 degrees 569 00:45:04,874 --> 00:45:09,085 amid hurricane force winds and mountainous waves. 570 00:45:17,784 --> 00:45:22,374 These openings are the chink in this giant's armor. 571 00:45:23,755 --> 00:45:28,311 Immediately the ship is flooded, she becomes unstable, 572 00:45:28,346 --> 00:45:32,902 and just 20 minutes later, loses all power. 573 00:45:33,696 --> 00:45:36,181 ERIC: The Captain does ring an "abandon ship". 574 00:45:36,216 --> 00:45:38,597 NARRATOR: But it's too late. 575 00:45:41,186 --> 00:45:45,501 The El Faro, and all her crew, are gone. 576 00:45:49,608 --> 00:45:54,165 ANDY: Till the very end it was incredible bravery. 577 00:45:55,925 --> 00:45:59,411 NARRATOR: The tragedy shows that even the most modern ships 578 00:45:59,446 --> 00:46:03,657 aren't immune to the effects of nature at its wildest. 579 00:46:06,556 --> 00:46:10,319 In the meantime, the world's sea-lanes get ever more 580 00:46:10,353 --> 00:46:14,633 crowded, and the ships plying them ever bigger. 581 00:46:15,738 --> 00:46:19,466 LARRIE: At every stage where we've built larger and larger ships, 582 00:46:19,500 --> 00:46:21,606 we ask ourselves the question: 583 00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:23,953 How much bigger can we get? 584 00:46:23,988 --> 00:46:26,749 And the truth is nobody really knows how big we can go. 585 00:46:28,509 --> 00:46:31,892 NARRATOR: Cargo ships are today reaching epic proportions, 586 00:46:31,927 --> 00:46:36,863 the biggest in the world is the OOCL Hong Kong 587 00:46:36,897 --> 00:46:40,176 at over 1300 feet long. 588 00:46:41,246 --> 00:46:44,008 Even giant passenger ships have re-emerged. 589 00:46:44,042 --> 00:46:46,769 Cruise liners like the Symphony of the Seas 590 00:46:46,804 --> 00:46:50,221 now carry over 6,000 people. 591 00:46:50,255 --> 00:46:53,431 The technology keeping these maritime giants safe 592 00:46:53,465 --> 00:46:55,709 continues to improve. 593 00:46:55,743 --> 00:46:58,712 But however well they are built and commanded, 594 00:46:58,746 --> 00:47:02,785 the ocean giants of the future will always have to face, 595 00:47:02,820 --> 00:47:05,788 the uncontrollable power of the ocean. 596 00:47:05,823 --> 00:47:07,031 Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.