1 00:00:06,489 --> 00:00:10,251 NARRATOR: Pearl Harbor is just the beginning. 2 00:00:13,565 --> 00:00:17,707 In the terrifying weeks after Japan's surprise attack, 3 00:00:17,741 --> 00:00:20,951 more shocking blows fall upon the Allies, 4 00:00:22,091 --> 00:00:26,405 as a wave of terror spreads across the Pacific, 5 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:30,375 leaving behind a tragic trail of wreckage 6 00:00:30,409 --> 00:00:32,756 on the ocean floor. 7 00:00:37,071 --> 00:00:39,970 Imagine if we could empty the oceans, 8 00:00:40,005 --> 00:00:42,180 letting the water drain away to reveal 9 00:00:42,214 --> 00:00:45,045 the secrets on the sea floor. 10 00:00:46,460 --> 00:00:49,083 Now, we can. 11 00:00:50,188 --> 00:00:54,295 Using accurate data and astonishing technology 12 00:00:54,330 --> 00:00:58,851 to bring light once again to a lost world. 13 00:01:01,371 --> 00:01:06,031 This time...what can a shattered wreck in the South China Sea reveal 14 00:01:06,066 --> 00:01:09,931 about the technical brilliance of the Japanese navy? 15 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:12,865 ANTHONY: The result was complete collapse of half 16 00:01:12,900 --> 00:01:16,041 of the ship's systems from a single blow. 17 00:01:17,905 --> 00:01:22,082 NARRATOR: What secret weapon sends this mighty battleship down? 18 00:01:22,910 --> 00:01:26,603 OSAMU: If you can't see it coming, how do you avoid it? 19 00:01:26,638 --> 00:01:28,743 Well, the answer is you don't. 20 00:01:28,778 --> 00:01:34,301 NARRATOR: And why does this sleepy Australian port become a second Pearl Harbor? 21 00:01:36,682 --> 00:01:43,103 [theme music plays]. 22 00:01:48,349 --> 00:01:50,869 December 1941. 23 00:01:51,835 --> 00:01:55,322 The empire of Japan is on the march. 24 00:01:57,324 --> 00:02:00,154 It already holds parts of China. 25 00:02:00,189 --> 00:02:06,160 Now it targets the regions beyond, sparking conflict with America and her allies. 26 00:02:09,232 --> 00:02:11,717 Including Great Britain. 27 00:02:13,892 --> 00:02:15,825 From the fortress of Singapore, 28 00:02:15,859 --> 00:02:19,069 the Royal Navy dominates the South China Seas. 29 00:02:23,108 --> 00:02:28,355 Can the ruins of a mighty battleship reveal just how badly the British misjudged 30 00:02:28,389 --> 00:02:31,323 the power of their new enemy? 31 00:02:33,636 --> 00:02:36,535 After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, 32 00:02:36,570 --> 00:02:39,055 Winston Churchill worries that Japan might invade 33 00:02:39,089 --> 00:02:41,678 the Dutch East Indies and British Malaya, 34 00:02:44,060 --> 00:02:45,924 areas rich in the resources 35 00:02:45,958 --> 00:02:49,169 that Japan badly needs, especially oil. 36 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:55,175 Seeing the imminent threat, the Royal Navy mobilizes a battle group of six powerful 37 00:02:55,209 --> 00:02:58,557 war ships, and call it Force Z. 38 00:02:58,937 --> 00:03:03,735 Its mission is to head north east from Singapore, on the lookout for Japanese invaders. 39 00:03:07,152 --> 00:03:12,399 Leading the convoy is a brand new battleship, HMS Prince of Wales. 40 00:03:14,815 --> 00:03:19,440 Churchill believes that her mere presence will be enough to deter the enemy. 41 00:03:22,029 --> 00:03:25,653 ERIC: Prince of Wales was a state of the art battleship, very heavily protected. 42 00:03:26,413 --> 00:03:31,003 The ship with its armor was pretty immune to attack. 43 00:03:32,591 --> 00:03:34,352 ROD: The battleship was the supreme embodiment of 44 00:03:34,386 --> 00:03:36,526 a nation's sea power and majesty. 45 00:03:36,561 --> 00:03:40,461 If you saw Prince of Wales coming over the horizon, you knew you were in big trouble. 46 00:03:41,082 --> 00:03:46,640 NARRATOR: Armed with ten 14 inch main guns, plus 16 secondary guns and 47 00:03:46,674 --> 00:03:52,059 anti-aircraft capability, the Prince of Wales is lethal to targets at sea, 48 00:03:52,093 --> 00:03:54,648 on land and in the air. 49 00:03:55,269 --> 00:03:57,444 She's also well protected. 50 00:03:57,478 --> 00:04:03,622 Armor shields the deck, and an additional 15 inch thick belt surrounds her massive hull. 51 00:04:08,972 --> 00:04:13,149 Force Z is 50 miles east of British Malaya, 52 00:04:13,183 --> 00:04:17,257 when it encounters Japanese naval units for the first time. 53 00:04:21,019 --> 00:04:23,780 But by early afternoon the following day, 54 00:04:23,815 --> 00:04:27,750 the Prince of Wales is at the bottom of the South China Sea, 55 00:04:28,578 --> 00:04:32,237 and Britannia's rule over these waters is over. 56 00:04:41,142 --> 00:04:45,561 Decades later, diver Rod MacDonald is part of a military expedition 57 00:04:45,595 --> 00:04:47,804 to research what happened here. 58 00:04:48,805 --> 00:04:51,670 ROD: My role in this expedition is basically to try and work out 59 00:04:51,705 --> 00:04:53,879 exactly why the wreck sank. 60 00:04:53,914 --> 00:04:56,882 When this vessel was built, it was a state of the art battleship. 61 00:04:58,367 --> 00:05:00,955 NARRATOR: The location of the wreck is well known. 62 00:05:02,474 --> 00:05:06,133 But her condition has not been revealed in such detail before. 63 00:05:20,250 --> 00:05:24,669 Over 200 feet down, the mighty Prince of Wales, 64 00:05:25,808 --> 00:05:28,500 silent on the sea floor. 65 00:05:32,849 --> 00:05:36,094 There are areas of serious damage. 66 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:47,243 Over weeks, the divers scour the wreck, gathering data. 67 00:06:00,083 --> 00:06:02,465 And as the waters roll back, 68 00:06:02,500 --> 00:06:07,677 light shines for the first time in almost 80 years 69 00:06:08,713 --> 00:06:11,923 on HMS Prince of Wales. 70 00:06:14,097 --> 00:06:16,824 It's mostly intact, 71 00:06:18,239 --> 00:06:22,312 but its starboard side is punctured by three massive holes. 72 00:06:28,664 --> 00:06:33,220 From their position below the water line, they look like torpedo strikes. 73 00:06:44,611 --> 00:06:49,236 Elsewhere on the wreck, further details of her final battle. 74 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:57,106 The smaller 5.25 gun turrets on the starboard side are all aimed downwards. 75 00:07:00,558 --> 00:07:05,597 As the British sailors fight to defend their ship, what are they shooting at? 76 00:07:08,428 --> 00:07:13,536 The answer may lie with another ship, the USS North Carolina. 77 00:07:14,123 --> 00:07:18,127 A battleship built to similar specifications. 78 00:07:20,819 --> 00:07:24,547 It survived its own deadly encounters with the Japanese. 79 00:07:24,582 --> 00:07:28,965 Naval historian Anthony Tully believes this battleship holds clues 80 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,244 about the downfall of its British cousin. 81 00:07:33,763 --> 00:07:36,317 ANTHONY: Behind us here, the North Carolina's secondary battery, 82 00:07:36,352 --> 00:07:39,010 a five inch 38 caliber guns. 83 00:07:39,044 --> 00:07:42,703 The Prince of Wales had eight five inch mounts of similar size. 84 00:07:42,738 --> 00:07:45,741 These guns were trained low on the horizontal. 85 00:07:45,775 --> 00:07:48,260 They're not elevated like this, but rather like this. 86 00:07:49,399 --> 00:07:54,439 NARRATOR: Guns trained low couldn't hit distant ships. 87 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:58,995 And they aren't for taking on submarines. 88 00:08:01,550 --> 00:08:06,140 Tully believes it can only mean one thing, air attack. 89 00:08:07,625 --> 00:08:09,799 ANTHONY: So they're trying to track the planes 'cause the Japanese aircraft were 90 00:08:09,834 --> 00:08:13,389 attacking at wave top level and they had to lower them to this level to even have a 91 00:08:13,423 --> 00:08:15,322 chance of hitting them. 92 00:08:15,356 --> 00:08:19,326 NARRATOR: 5.2 inch guns are formidable against attacking aircraft, 93 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,675 but the armor belted hull is the Prince of Wales ultimate defense, 94 00:08:23,710 --> 00:08:27,507 impervious to most gun fire and torpedoes. 95 00:08:27,541 --> 00:08:30,406 ERIC: If any ship would be able to shrug off an air attack, 96 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:31,959 it was Prince of Wales. 97 00:08:31,994 --> 00:08:35,549 ROD: No battleship had been sunk in action in the open sea. 98 00:08:35,584 --> 00:08:37,378 The big guns of battleship were the only things 99 00:08:37,413 --> 00:08:40,243 that could take out another battleship. 100 00:08:45,214 --> 00:08:47,078 NARRATOR: Despite all this protection, 101 00:08:47,112 --> 00:08:50,702 somehow the Japanese managed to break through. 102 00:08:53,187 --> 00:08:56,881 The drained wreck exposes more clues. 103 00:08:56,915 --> 00:09:01,610 The holes reveal whatever hit this hull created massive damage, 104 00:09:02,921 --> 00:09:06,856 much bigger than damage caused by a typical torpedo of the day. 105 00:09:11,412 --> 00:09:16,659 It points to one thing, a new Japanese wonder weapon. 106 00:09:16,694 --> 00:09:19,800 The type 91 torpedo. 107 00:09:22,872 --> 00:09:25,530 OSAMU: The standard torpedo can break the surface and 108 00:09:25,565 --> 00:09:29,120 run in an erratic directionthat you don't intend it to go. 109 00:09:30,535 --> 00:09:33,745 But the Japanese had pretty much worked the bugs out of their torpedoes. 110 00:09:33,780 --> 00:09:37,956 NARRATOR: The Japanese military used the 91, with devastating effect, 111 00:09:37,991 --> 00:09:41,373 for the first time just days earlier at Pearl Harbor. 112 00:09:41,408 --> 00:09:44,307 OSAMU: It came as a nasty surprise to the Allies. 113 00:09:46,586 --> 00:09:53,213 The war head was quite powerful compared to other contemporary torpedoes. 114 00:09:53,869 --> 00:09:59,046 It could be released at a higher altitude, at a longer distance from the target, 115 00:09:59,081 --> 00:10:01,117 at higher speed. 116 00:10:01,152 --> 00:10:07,399 These innovations made it a revolutionary version of an aerial torpedo. 117 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:13,198 NARRATOR: The type 91 torpedo is indeed revolutionary. 118 00:10:16,719 --> 00:10:22,414 At its nose is a warhead carrying a payloads of 450 pounds of explosive. 119 00:10:25,107 --> 00:10:29,180 Wooden stabilizers on its tail fins guide it into the water. 120 00:10:29,214 --> 00:10:32,321 On entering, the fins snap off. 121 00:10:33,287 --> 00:10:37,429 Then an internal depth meter keeps the missile from rolling off target, 122 00:10:37,464 --> 00:10:41,295 and at a steady 20 feet below the surface. 123 00:10:42,538 --> 00:10:47,785 But if the torpedo was at this depth, it should have hit the ship right in the armor belt. 124 00:10:52,030 --> 00:10:54,757 ROD: If any of these torpedoes had hit the armor belt, 125 00:10:54,792 --> 00:10:57,898 Prince of Wales would have survived unscathed. 126 00:10:57,933 --> 00:11:02,213 NARRATOR: But the damage on the wreck is way below the armor... 127 00:11:02,247 --> 00:11:05,354 On the ship's soft underbelly. 128 00:11:05,388 --> 00:11:10,186 How did the Japanese 91s strike so low? 129 00:11:15,191 --> 00:11:18,160 NARRATOR: The battleship HMS Prince of Wales is sunk 130 00:11:18,194 --> 00:11:20,990 while patrolling the South China Sea. 131 00:11:23,752 --> 00:11:28,549 Japanese aerial torpedoes, designed to strike at precisely 20 feet below 132 00:11:28,584 --> 00:11:31,932 the water line, have pierced the battleship. 133 00:11:32,830 --> 00:11:36,523 But her hull is supposed to be impenetrable. 134 00:11:41,045 --> 00:11:46,602 Looking at what remains of the battered wreck, the hull damage shows torpedoes strike 135 00:11:46,636 --> 00:11:50,157 three times on the starboard side, 136 00:11:51,780 --> 00:11:56,267 outside the protective armor belt and below the 137 00:11:56,301 --> 00:11:59,442 normal operating depth of the type 91. 138 00:12:01,099 --> 00:12:05,103 And there's another hole on the port side, close to the stern. 139 00:12:05,932 --> 00:12:10,143 Can this torpedo strike explain the ship's fate? 140 00:12:14,078 --> 00:12:19,083 The damage at the stern attracts the attention of naval historian Anthony Tully. 141 00:12:20,256 --> 00:12:25,192 He's on board the USS North Carolina, a ship with similar 142 00:12:25,227 --> 00:12:27,954 design features to the Prince of Wales. 143 00:12:29,265 --> 00:12:30,991 ANTHONY: This is the propeller shaft we're seeing. 144 00:12:31,026 --> 00:12:33,407 If you were standing right here, it would be spinning like crazy. 145 00:12:33,442 --> 00:12:39,103 Because of the torpedo hit, you had a bent shaft rotating out of, out of alignment. 146 00:12:41,726 --> 00:12:45,454 NARRATOR: The bent shaft causes a dangerous chain reaction. 147 00:12:46,869 --> 00:12:50,528 A ship's hull is divided into partitions known as bulkheads. 148 00:12:50,562 --> 00:12:55,533 These add strength and can be sealed off to contain water if flooding occurs. 149 00:12:56,223 --> 00:12:59,986 They are what allow a warship to take a hit but stay afloat. 150 00:13:01,884 --> 00:13:06,095 Running through these bulkheads are the ship's four propeller shafts. 151 00:13:06,924 --> 00:13:09,961 A damaged but still rotating shaft would rupture the 152 00:13:09,996 --> 00:13:13,275 bulkhead seals all along its length. 153 00:13:14,034 --> 00:13:18,901 This would allow water to flood the engine room, deep in the center of the ship. 154 00:13:20,144 --> 00:13:23,630 ANTHONY: This entire space, this entire vast claustrophobic space, 155 00:13:23,664 --> 00:13:26,598 would be filled with water. 156 00:13:27,392 --> 00:13:31,155 ROD: It doesn't take much water inside a ship to alter the trim of the ship. 157 00:13:31,707 --> 00:13:36,263 NARRATOR: If flooding makes the ship list to one side, it would raise the armor belt out 158 00:13:36,298 --> 00:13:41,544 of the water, exposing the ship's vulnerable hull to further torpedo strikes. 159 00:13:42,442 --> 00:13:45,479 ROD: If the ship had been on an even keel, that torpedo would have hit the armored 160 00:13:45,514 --> 00:13:48,517 belt, which would have dealt with it quite easily. 161 00:13:50,277 --> 00:13:54,592 NARRATOR: Using all the evidence, we can now recreate what likely happened. 162 00:13:58,596 --> 00:14:01,150 It's late morning. 163 00:14:01,185 --> 00:14:06,880 Force Z are spotted by enemy aircraft and turned back, heading to Singapore. 164 00:14:09,676 --> 00:14:12,921 But the hunter becomes the hunted. 165 00:14:13,611 --> 00:14:17,857 Japanese bombers arriving from nearby bases spot the British fleet. 166 00:14:20,238 --> 00:14:24,518 The Prince of Wales lowers her anti-aircraft guns and opens fire on the enemy. 167 00:14:29,903 --> 00:14:36,151 A bomber now at wave top level on her attack run launches her deadly type 91 torpedo. 168 00:14:40,293 --> 00:14:43,020 It strikes the Prince of Wales. 169 00:14:44,469 --> 00:14:47,024 Right by the port propeller. 170 00:14:49,302 --> 00:14:54,065 ERIC: It is impossible to protect the propellers and steering gear of a battleship. 171 00:14:55,411 --> 00:14:57,827 NARRATOR: The flooding ship starts to list. 172 00:14:57,862 --> 00:15:01,383 The armored section rises up, bringing the unprotected hull 173 00:15:01,417 --> 00:15:04,144 into the firing line of the torpedo. 174 00:15:04,973 --> 00:15:07,009 OSAMU: It's a sitting duck. 175 00:15:07,665 --> 00:15:10,633 NARRATOR: Three more torpedoes strike the Prince of Wales, 176 00:15:10,668 --> 00:15:14,016 on the starboard side, beneath the armor plating. 177 00:15:15,466 --> 00:15:20,712 A state of the art battleship is now brought down by a handful of torpedoes. 178 00:15:21,541 --> 00:15:24,854 ERIC: In about 100 minutes, less than two hours, one of the most modern battleships in 179 00:15:24,889 --> 00:15:28,237 the world had been sunk by torpedo bombers. 180 00:15:30,895 --> 00:15:35,555 NARRATOR: Force Z loses the Prince of Wales and one other warship in the battle group, 181 00:15:35,589 --> 00:15:38,627 HMS Repulse. 182 00:15:39,697 --> 00:15:46,048 840 British sailors are dead and naval warfare has been changed forever. 183 00:15:47,118 --> 00:15:50,880 ERIC: No battleship had been sunk by air attack at sea. 184 00:15:50,915 --> 00:15:53,676 This is a major landmark in naval history. 185 00:15:54,505 --> 00:15:58,819 NARRATOR: This catastrophic defeat marks the beginning of the end for the British Empire 186 00:15:58,854 --> 00:16:03,686 in the east, and the Japanese have only just begun. 187 00:16:05,378 --> 00:16:10,348 What can we learn of the scale of Japan's ambition from a vessel lost over 188 00:16:10,383 --> 00:16:13,834 3,000 miles from Japan itself? 189 00:16:17,631 --> 00:16:22,153 Expedition diver Mac McCarthy has been investigating wrecks 190 00:16:22,188 --> 00:16:25,087 in the Pacific Ocean for decades. 191 00:16:28,746 --> 00:16:33,061 War records reveal a Japanese submarine, I-124, 192 00:16:33,095 --> 00:16:37,134 was sunk off the coast of Australia in January, 1942. 193 00:16:37,582 --> 00:16:39,757 And he wants to find it. 194 00:16:43,416 --> 00:16:47,006 His mission takes him to waters north of Australia. 195 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:52,873 To an area declared a war grave and off limits to diving since 1976. 196 00:16:53,943 --> 00:16:57,637 MICHAEL: I had a personal desire to see it because it had so much mystery around it. 197 00:16:58,879 --> 00:17:03,436 NARRATOR: In 1988, Mac and his team gained permission to explore the wreckage. 198 00:17:04,230 --> 00:17:09,097 MICHAEL: The problem was that the position fixing in those early days wasn't very good, 199 00:17:09,131 --> 00:17:12,548 so it was very difficult to locate the wreck. 200 00:17:15,310 --> 00:17:18,830 NARRATOR: The crew deploys a side scan sonar. 201 00:17:23,145 --> 00:17:26,528 MICHAEL: You clearly start to see this pointy shape, which is about, 202 00:17:26,562 --> 00:17:29,393 of course it's a glorious moment. 203 00:17:29,427 --> 00:17:32,051 Oh heckety deck, look at this. 204 00:17:33,362 --> 00:17:37,780 NARRATOR: Mac's team have pinpointed what looks like their sunken sub. 205 00:17:39,610 --> 00:17:43,096 Next, they lower an ROV. 206 00:17:47,307 --> 00:17:50,759 MICHAEL: There we all were around the screen. 207 00:17:51,794 --> 00:17:54,107 And then down it goes. 208 00:17:54,142 --> 00:17:57,869 We're watching the compass and we're watching what's in front 209 00:18:01,045 --> 00:18:04,600 and then there comes the submarine. 210 00:18:06,326 --> 00:18:09,433 NARRATOR: The submarine has suffered damage. 211 00:18:09,467 --> 00:18:12,815 But is this the sub he's looking for? 212 00:18:14,369 --> 00:18:19,028 To find out, we're now able to drain the waters of the Timor Sea. 213 00:18:30,005 --> 00:18:33,284 The submarine appears. 214 00:18:34,423 --> 00:18:38,013 A five and a half inch deck gun is clearly visible. 215 00:18:38,703 --> 00:18:43,052 The conning tower shows signs of damage from enemy attack. 216 00:18:44,330 --> 00:18:47,678 It must have been hit hard and repeatedly. 217 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:50,612 And there's more. 218 00:18:53,304 --> 00:18:56,204 Markings visible on the tower. 219 00:18:56,894 --> 00:19:01,174 Japanese submarine, I-124. 220 00:19:05,799 --> 00:19:10,045 Submarines are the ultimate maritime stealth weapon. 221 00:19:10,079 --> 00:19:16,258 Nearly undetectable when submerged, but something must have found this one. 222 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,781 Australian naval historian Tom Lewis is trying to work out 223 00:19:21,815 --> 00:19:25,129 what the submarine was doing here. 224 00:19:26,544 --> 00:19:30,169 He's found blueprints that match the sunken sub's features. 225 00:19:30,997 --> 00:19:33,620 TOM: If you look at this, you've got torpedo tubes, ballast tanks, 226 00:19:33,655 --> 00:19:37,314 you've got diesel engines, you've got electric batteries, you've got periscopes. 227 00:19:37,348 --> 00:19:40,972 You sort of say okay, German U-boat from World War I. 228 00:19:41,697 --> 00:19:46,668 So, Japan took the plans of one of the German U-boats and they copied it. 229 00:19:48,704 --> 00:19:52,536 NARRATOR: But this isn't a straight copy of a German sub. 230 00:19:52,570 --> 00:19:58,576 The Japanese take the design and develop it further to give the submarine a new role. 231 00:19:59,750 --> 00:20:02,373 TOM: This is a mine laying submarine. 232 00:20:02,408 --> 00:20:07,309 It's designed in a different way from other submarines of World War I and II. 233 00:20:07,620 --> 00:20:10,174 The mines are bigger than the average sort of mine. 234 00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:13,246 You make a big mine and you dispense it and it's got more fire power, 235 00:20:13,281 --> 00:20:14,454 it's got more punch. 236 00:20:16,698 --> 00:20:21,841 NARRATOR: The I-124 is one of four underwater mine layers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. 237 00:20:22,566 --> 00:20:26,915 280 feet long, it carries a crew of over 75 men. 238 00:20:27,536 --> 00:20:33,508 Its armed with torpedoes, and a deck gun, and it carries 42 powerful sea mines. 239 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,619 MICHAEL: This book here is the wreck inspection journal, which we have to keep. 240 00:20:42,620 --> 00:20:46,003 NARRATOR: So what was this minelayer doing here? 241 00:20:46,037 --> 00:20:51,733 Mac McCarthy finds a map detailing the war movements of all four Japanese mine layers. 242 00:20:53,390 --> 00:20:57,117 MICHAEL: These are the Japanese records and they show the movements of these 243 00:20:57,152 --> 00:21:01,743 Japanese submarines in the north Australian coast, and their proximity to the coast. 244 00:21:03,365 --> 00:21:07,196 NARRATOR: The Japanese subs are targeting this critical supply route between northern 245 00:21:07,231 --> 00:21:10,545 Australia and the Dutch East Indies. 246 00:21:12,374 --> 00:21:15,619 A mine layer should be undetectable. 247 00:21:15,653 --> 00:21:20,037 So how did it somehow make itself a target? 248 00:21:28,079 --> 00:21:31,635 NARRATOR: Off the coast of northern Australia, diver Mac McCarthy has found 249 00:21:31,669 --> 00:21:34,672 a Japanese World War II submarine. 250 00:21:40,575 --> 00:21:44,544 A closer look at the drained wreck reveals something unusual. 251 00:21:48,617 --> 00:21:51,724 Hatches in the hull have been blown open. 252 00:21:54,934 --> 00:21:58,938 Elsewhere on the sea bed, something curious. 253 00:22:00,111 --> 00:22:04,046 Objects that looks like oil barrels. 254 00:22:04,081 --> 00:22:07,256 These are submarine killers. 255 00:22:07,291 --> 00:22:09,535 Depth charges. 256 00:22:11,571 --> 00:22:15,195 Depth charges are deployed when a submarine is spotted. 257 00:22:19,717 --> 00:22:25,067 As a charge sinks to a pre-selected depth, it detonates. 258 00:22:26,275 --> 00:22:29,382 The shockwave can send a sub down. 259 00:22:30,038 --> 00:22:33,455 This sub must have been spotted then hit hard. 260 00:22:35,354 --> 00:22:39,185 But how did the enemy know where I-124 was? 261 00:22:43,431 --> 00:22:47,400 January 19th, 1942, the submarine sends 262 00:22:47,435 --> 00:22:51,508 a routine message that is picked up by Allied intelligence. 263 00:22:53,544 --> 00:22:56,789 The following day, a torpedo attack on a US ship 264 00:22:56,823 --> 00:23:00,827 alerts them to Japanese submarine activity. 265 00:23:02,933 --> 00:23:08,317 The Australian sub-killer, Deloraine, armed to the teeth with depth charges, 266 00:23:08,352 --> 00:23:11,251 heads off to search for it. 267 00:23:11,907 --> 00:23:16,740 While Japanese and German subs are similar, their tactics are very different. 268 00:23:17,775 --> 00:23:20,295 The Germans target merchant shipping, 269 00:23:20,329 --> 00:23:24,333 while Japanese subs shadow and attack Allied task-forces. 270 00:23:25,921 --> 00:23:30,098 TOM: The Japanese strategy in World War II, how they use their submarines, is floored. 271 00:23:30,581 --> 00:23:31,824 They attack warships. 272 00:23:31,858 --> 00:23:34,482 It's a sort of odd concept. 273 00:23:35,448 --> 00:23:40,039 NARRATOR: When the Deloraine spots a torpedo fired at it, it's the clue the crew needs. 274 00:23:42,835 --> 00:23:47,287 For once, the Japanese navy is too ambitious for its own good. 275 00:23:48,530 --> 00:23:53,121 It allows the Deloraine to pinpoint the sub, then attack. 276 00:23:56,987 --> 00:24:01,198 Now using evidence from historical records and our drained shipwreck, 277 00:24:01,232 --> 00:24:05,167 we can illustrate I-124's final hours. 278 00:24:09,620 --> 00:24:13,555 The I-124 is laying mines in the Allied shipping lane. 279 00:24:15,246 --> 00:24:19,561 Allied intelligence alerts HMAS Deloraine to the presence of a sub. 280 00:24:21,287 --> 00:24:24,048 She fails to find it. 281 00:24:24,083 --> 00:24:28,950 The I-124 spots the Australian warship first and attacks. 282 00:24:31,815 --> 00:24:37,579 A torpedo narrowly misses and the Deloraine is alerted to the sub's position. 283 00:24:39,098 --> 00:24:41,445 TOM: Unfortunately, they took on a modern warship, 284 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,483 specifically designed to kill submarines. 285 00:24:45,345 --> 00:24:48,797 NARRATOR: The minesweeper immediately charges the sub. 286 00:24:48,832 --> 00:24:50,661 MICHAEL: Where do you go? 287 00:24:50,696 --> 00:24:54,665 Once they've got a lock on you and they can see where it's come from, 288 00:24:54,700 --> 00:24:56,287 they know where you are. 289 00:24:56,322 --> 00:24:58,773 It's a suicidal position. 290 00:24:58,807 --> 00:25:04,019 NARRATOR: I-124 is pummeled by round after round of depth charges. 291 00:25:05,089 --> 00:25:09,680 Seconds later the hatches blow and she plunges to the depths. 292 00:25:10,612 --> 00:25:16,031 The first Japanese submarine to be sunk by the Australian Navy in World War II. 293 00:25:17,861 --> 00:25:21,036 There are no survivors. 294 00:25:22,866 --> 00:25:27,560 Despite their advanced technology, the Japanese strategy of using subs for 295 00:25:27,595 --> 00:25:31,184 pre-emptive attacks costs them dearly here. 296 00:25:31,978 --> 00:25:37,536 But the wreck of I-124 is evidence that the Japanese do quickly bring the war to 297 00:25:37,570 --> 00:25:39,676 northern Australia. 298 00:25:39,710 --> 00:25:43,196 They will be back, and in shocking force. 299 00:25:48,788 --> 00:25:54,414 Maritime archaeologists David Steinberg and Silvano Young are leading an expedition dive 300 00:25:54,449 --> 00:25:57,625 in Darwin Harbor, northern Australia. 301 00:25:58,729 --> 00:26:03,631 They've come to investigate the largest ever attack on Australian soil. 302 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:12,916 The only warning is the drone of an air armada. 303 00:26:14,055 --> 00:26:18,646 Nearly 200 Japanese planes descend on Darwin, strafing the harbor. 304 00:26:21,925 --> 00:26:25,445 Next, they target the town itself. 305 00:26:26,481 --> 00:26:28,690 Nine naval vessels are sunk. 306 00:26:29,933 --> 00:26:33,419 And hundreds are dead and wounded. 307 00:26:34,385 --> 00:26:38,286 DAVID: It's a massive attack and was devastating and overwhelming and 308 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,185 lived in people's memories. 309 00:26:42,601 --> 00:26:45,224 Those that experienced it will never forget it. 310 00:26:45,258 --> 00:26:49,159 I think Darwin is Australia's Pearl Harbor. 311 00:26:53,646 --> 00:26:57,477 NARRATOR: David and Silvano are searching for evidence to understand just why 312 00:26:57,512 --> 00:27:00,998 the raid was so successful and so deadly. 313 00:27:01,033 --> 00:27:03,173 DAVID: There it is. 314 00:27:06,590 --> 00:27:11,112 One of the main things we're gonna be looking for is any damage that's been done from 315 00:27:11,146 --> 00:27:14,011 the attack on the 9th February, 1942. 316 00:27:25,298 --> 00:27:27,059 DAVID [over radio]: Heading down. 317 00:27:27,093 --> 00:27:28,543 Roger, left surface, 0918. 318 00:27:36,516 --> 00:27:38,380 On a wreck. 319 00:27:38,415 --> 00:27:41,694 SILVANO: Yeah, Roger, just have a swim round and just work out where you are. 320 00:27:42,419 --> 00:27:45,215 DAVID [over radio]: This looks like a structure here. 321 00:27:47,700 --> 00:27:51,393 NARRATOR: But the dive can only reveal so much. 322 00:27:51,911 --> 00:27:54,776 Using data from David and Silvano's survey, 323 00:27:54,811 --> 00:27:58,090 we can lay the floor of Darwin Harbor bare. 324 00:28:08,514 --> 00:28:12,173 To reveal not a ship... 325 00:28:13,174 --> 00:28:16,177 But a plane. 326 00:28:18,110 --> 00:28:23,563 Camouflaged paintwork suggests it's military, not civilian. 327 00:28:26,256 --> 00:28:29,880 Features on the plane help David identify it. 328 00:28:30,916 --> 00:28:33,504 It's a Catalina. 329 00:28:34,678 --> 00:28:38,855 The Catalina is an Allied flying boat. 330 00:28:39,890 --> 00:28:44,101 It was used for vital intelligence gathering and surveillance. 331 00:28:45,447 --> 00:28:49,175 SILVANO: The Catalinas were essential for the Allied war effort because the only way 332 00:28:49,210 --> 00:28:53,145 you were, you were gonna find the enemy at sea was with your own eyes. 333 00:28:53,697 --> 00:28:56,735 DAVID [over radio]: Here you've got some tall sheeting and I'm just, oh look at this. 334 00:28:56,769 --> 00:28:58,529 Does that look burnt to you? 335 00:28:58,564 --> 00:29:01,222 SILVANO: Certainly does. It's definitely burnt. 336 00:29:02,154 --> 00:29:04,673 NARRATOR: There's clear evidence of fire. 337 00:29:04,708 --> 00:29:08,816 SILVANO: That's most definitely burn damage from the fire that caused 338 00:29:08,850 --> 00:29:10,818 the loss of the aircraft. 339 00:29:12,371 --> 00:29:15,305 NARRATOR: So what caused this fire? 340 00:29:15,339 --> 00:29:18,584 And ultimately sent this Catalina down. 341 00:29:18,998 --> 00:29:20,068 DAVID [over radio]: Can you see this clearly? 342 00:29:20,103 --> 00:29:22,346 We've got more examples of damage. 343 00:29:22,968 --> 00:29:25,936 SILVANO: So you got machine gun damage. 344 00:29:27,627 --> 00:29:31,079 NARRATOR: Returning to the drained wreckage, there's more evidence. 345 00:29:33,012 --> 00:29:36,844 More signs of gunfire. 346 00:29:38,017 --> 00:29:41,296 Under the pilot's window, something else. 347 00:29:43,126 --> 00:29:46,163 Larger holes. 348 00:29:50,823 --> 00:29:52,963 Tell-tale signs. 349 00:29:54,447 --> 00:29:58,003 SILVANO: Yeah, that looks like 20 millimeter canon damage there. 350 00:29:59,832 --> 00:30:03,249 NARRATOR: Which points to one particular fighter plane. 351 00:30:04,941 --> 00:30:09,808 A brilliantly designed killer that is a vital cog in Japan's military machine, 352 00:30:10,809 --> 00:30:12,983 the Zero. 353 00:30:17,367 --> 00:30:18,851 SILVANO: Yeah, it's very exciting, yeah. 354 00:30:18,886 --> 00:30:22,165 It was really a process of elimination. 355 00:30:22,199 --> 00:30:25,720 There was Zeroes that came down, strafing on them. 356 00:30:28,033 --> 00:30:32,106 NARRATOR: The Mitsubishi A6M, or Zero, is a fighter plane 357 00:30:32,140 --> 00:30:35,488 capable of launching from aircraft carriers. 358 00:30:37,594 --> 00:30:41,943 It carries a pair of 7.7 millimeter machine guns. 359 00:30:41,978 --> 00:30:45,084 and a twenty millimeter cannon in each wing. 360 00:30:47,328 --> 00:30:51,711 It has an unparalleled range of over 1,500 miles. 361 00:30:54,991 --> 00:30:57,994 OSAMU: The Zero is an iconic Japanese fighter. 362 00:31:00,928 --> 00:31:04,034 It is to the Japanese what the Spitfire is to the British. 363 00:31:04,828 --> 00:31:09,246 NARRATOR: Japan attacks Darwin with her best, and fresh evidence beneath the waters 364 00:31:09,281 --> 00:31:15,701 of the harbor reveals a secret tactic that almost guarantees success. 365 00:31:22,052 --> 00:31:26,608 NARRATOR: David Steinberg and Silvano Young have found one plane in Darwin harbor. 366 00:31:30,750 --> 00:31:33,961 Now they extend their search. 367 00:31:43,004 --> 00:31:46,628 And discover two more downed Catalinas. 368 00:31:48,561 --> 00:31:53,601 Mapping the position of all three planes reveals they lie in a line. 369 00:31:56,535 --> 00:31:59,331 They couldn't have all crashed this way, 370 00:31:59,365 --> 00:32:01,643 the wrecked flying boats must have been moored at 371 00:32:01,678 --> 00:32:04,301 the time of the attack. 372 00:32:07,166 --> 00:32:09,962 Evidence on the drained Catalina sheds light on 373 00:32:09,997 --> 00:32:13,552 Japanese tactics that February morning. 374 00:32:16,693 --> 00:32:21,146 The position of the damage, all on one side, is revealing. 375 00:32:23,217 --> 00:32:27,083 The bullet-holes all lie on its south side, 376 00:32:27,117 --> 00:32:30,983 suggesting the direction of the attack comes 377 00:32:31,018 --> 00:32:35,505 not from the sea, but from inland. 378 00:32:38,197 --> 00:32:43,444 An approach from the south, over the Australian mainland, would surprise the Allies. 379 00:32:45,032 --> 00:32:49,139 And Tom Lewis thinks the Japanese tactic of attacking in the morning 380 00:32:49,174 --> 00:32:52,039 gave them another advantage. 381 00:32:53,109 --> 00:32:55,318 TOM: There's a number of reasons for attacking from the south. 382 00:32:55,352 --> 00:32:57,423 The first is you're attacking out of the sun. 383 00:32:57,458 --> 00:32:58,631 You've still got the sun behind you, 384 00:32:58,666 --> 00:33:01,013 which is good because it blinds your defenders. 385 00:33:01,048 --> 00:33:04,154 So it gives you that element of surprise. 386 00:33:07,330 --> 00:33:12,645 NARRATOR: At the time of the attack, Darwin is a small town of 2,000 civilians. 387 00:33:16,132 --> 00:33:20,205 But Darwin's size belies its importance. 388 00:33:21,482 --> 00:33:25,555 Its location isn't just the perfect place for launching surveillance aircraft, 389 00:33:25,589 --> 00:33:29,076 like the Catalinas, as David and Silvano discover 390 00:33:29,110 --> 00:33:32,458 as they continue to scour the sea bed. 391 00:33:33,977 --> 00:33:36,704 They find another wreck. 392 00:33:36,738 --> 00:33:39,603 A large ship. 393 00:33:40,570 --> 00:33:44,125 Much of it is gone, salvaged in the decades since it sank. 394 00:33:45,299 --> 00:33:48,785 But enough remains to reveal what it was. 395 00:33:48,819 --> 00:33:51,201 A cargo ship. 396 00:33:51,822 --> 00:33:58,484 DAVID: We can see there is trucks and motorbikes andammunition and also on this 397 00:33:58,519 --> 00:34:02,868 side is gas masks and mortars, military equipment. 398 00:34:03,972 --> 00:34:06,527 NARRATOR: And the importance of Darwin becomes clear. 399 00:34:06,561 --> 00:34:10,048 It's a crucial link in the Allies supply chain. 400 00:34:10,772 --> 00:34:15,950 A base for vessels and the hub for shipping ammunition and other vital supplies. 401 00:34:17,917 --> 00:34:23,337 Now, it's possible to understand exactly what happened in Darwin harbor. 402 00:34:30,792 --> 00:34:36,004 188 planes are launched from four Japanese aircraft carriers, 403 00:34:36,039 --> 00:34:39,180 nearly 200 miles to the north. 404 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,943 But rather than heading directly to Darwin, the planes fly east, 405 00:34:43,978 --> 00:34:47,119 circling around the town. 406 00:34:47,154 --> 00:34:50,398 They want to attack Darwin harbor from the south. 407 00:34:54,989 --> 00:34:57,819 TOM: You would have seen the aircraft coming towards you this way, 408 00:34:57,854 --> 00:35:00,891 crossing the beach down there. 409 00:35:02,410 --> 00:35:05,793 NARRATOR: The Australians are unprepared. 410 00:35:05,827 --> 00:35:09,107 The town is poorly defended for an attack from the air. 411 00:35:11,488 --> 00:35:17,494 The Catalinas are sitting ducks as the Zeroes circle round to attack, 412 00:35:17,529 --> 00:35:20,911 protected by the full glare of the sun. 413 00:35:21,188 --> 00:35:25,468 The pilots swoop down, unleashing the full force of their weapons. 414 00:35:26,331 --> 00:35:29,127 Machine gunning the moored planes. 415 00:35:32,268 --> 00:35:35,581 A second wave of planes arrives. 416 00:35:35,616 --> 00:35:38,308 High altitude bombers. 417 00:35:45,522 --> 00:35:49,112 TOM: The place was in absolute pandemonium. 418 00:35:49,940 --> 00:35:53,461 NARRATOR: The fighters and bombers destroy 30 military aircraft 419 00:35:53,496 --> 00:35:56,740 and nine ships anchored in the harbor. 420 00:35:57,327 --> 00:36:01,400 TOM: Behind is left chaos, ships on fire, ships sinking, 421 00:36:01,435 --> 00:36:04,403 people underwater who are dead. 422 00:36:04,438 --> 00:36:09,581 OSAMU: Darwin remained ineffective as a harbor that could support the war. 423 00:36:10,961 --> 00:36:15,207 NARRATOR: The Japanese have used advanced technology and smart tactics against 424 00:36:15,242 --> 00:36:19,142 an unsuspecting and unprepared enemy. 425 00:36:21,006 --> 00:36:25,321 The Allied supply chain into the Pacific is crippled. 426 00:36:29,221 --> 00:36:32,638 And still, the shockwave spreads. 427 00:36:32,673 --> 00:36:37,229 In Washington DC and London, Allied leaders are astonished 428 00:36:37,264 --> 00:36:40,715 at the scale and speed of Japan's victories. 429 00:36:42,269 --> 00:36:46,065 Just days before the Darwin bombing, the Japanese also capture 430 00:36:46,100 --> 00:36:49,724 the famous British stronghold of Singapore. 431 00:36:50,277 --> 00:36:55,799 Now Japan has its eye on Java, in the Dutch East Indies, today known as Indonesia. 432 00:36:57,042 --> 00:37:01,874 The Imperial Navy mobilizes a landing fleet to seize its precious oil fields. 433 00:37:03,807 --> 00:37:06,741 The Allies scramble to stop them. 434 00:37:06,776 --> 00:37:11,539 Pulling together a force that includes one of Australia's most famous warships, 435 00:37:11,574 --> 00:37:13,852 HMAS Perth. 436 00:37:15,612 --> 00:37:21,411 At 550 feet long, the light cruiser HMAS Perth is almost twice the length 437 00:37:21,446 --> 00:37:23,758 of the Statue of Liberty. 438 00:37:24,276 --> 00:37:28,211 Achieving 32 knots, she is built for speed. 439 00:37:29,385 --> 00:37:33,596 Armed with almost 40 guns, the Perth is a fearsome opponent. 440 00:37:34,700 --> 00:37:39,740 But the Allied fleet she' s sailing in is unprepared for what's to come. 441 00:37:40,361 --> 00:37:43,744 ERIC: There was an ad hoc forceof cruisers and destroyers 442 00:37:43,778 --> 00:37:45,366 from four different countries, 443 00:37:45,401 --> 00:37:48,783 Australia, Britain, the United States and the Netherlands. 444 00:37:48,818 --> 00:37:52,822 So you have this almost Rag, Tag and Bobtail force of ships 445 00:37:52,856 --> 00:37:56,619 against the very highly trainedand motivated Japanese Navy. 446 00:38:01,209 --> 00:38:04,489 NARRATOR: The two fleets meet in the Battle of the Java Sea, 447 00:38:04,523 --> 00:38:08,009 and the Allies don't stand a chance. 448 00:38:09,390 --> 00:38:11,668 They lose five vessels. 449 00:38:11,703 --> 00:38:15,051 Along with 2,300 lives. 450 00:38:19,883 --> 00:38:23,024 ERIC: There was no common doctrine. 451 00:38:23,059 --> 00:38:25,441 No common signaling system. 452 00:38:25,475 --> 00:38:28,685 The whole thing degenerated into complete chaos. 453 00:38:31,309 --> 00:38:35,761 NARRATOR: Two Allied cruisers escape, seeking refuge on the southern coast of Java. 454 00:38:36,486 --> 00:38:40,939 An American heavy cruiser, USS Houston, and HMAS Perth. 455 00:38:42,768 --> 00:38:46,427 ERIC: They had been told that there were no Japanese forces in the vicinity 456 00:38:46,462 --> 00:38:49,050 so therefore they could have a safe passage. 457 00:38:50,051 --> 00:38:54,159 NARRATOR: But 48 hours after escaping the Japanese in the Java Sea, 458 00:38:54,193 --> 00:38:57,127 the Perth disappears. 459 00:39:03,893 --> 00:39:09,726 Diver Andrew Fock and skipper Vidar Skoglie lead an expedition to unravel 460 00:39:09,761 --> 00:39:12,591 the fate of the Australian warship. 461 00:39:14,766 --> 00:39:20,116 Her last known position is in the Sunda Strait, a narrow passage of water between the 462 00:39:20,150 --> 00:39:23,361 islands of Java and Sumatra. 463 00:39:25,811 --> 00:39:29,194 Andrew surveys the area. 464 00:39:30,713 --> 00:39:34,510 Eventually, the sonar detects something promising. 465 00:39:36,339 --> 00:39:40,136 VIDAR: The biggest thrill of all is to find a new wreck. 466 00:39:40,170 --> 00:39:42,000 You never know what you're gonna find down there. 467 00:39:44,968 --> 00:39:47,592 NARRATOR: The team dives. 468 00:39:52,217 --> 00:39:55,669 They encounter a massive wreck. 469 00:39:59,776 --> 00:40:03,297 And as the waters roll back... 470 00:40:06,507 --> 00:40:08,958 We can see for the first time 471 00:40:10,718 --> 00:40:14,515 a huge vessel lying on her port side. 472 00:40:15,136 --> 00:40:21,522 With four large gun turrets visible and several gaping holes in the hull. 473 00:40:25,284 --> 00:40:28,046 It's definitely the Perth. 474 00:40:32,602 --> 00:40:36,951 The guns on one of the turrets are pointing straight down into the sand 475 00:40:36,986 --> 00:40:41,197 and the sighting ports on the two half turrets are both open. 476 00:40:42,750 --> 00:40:47,030 These guns were operational and firing to the end. 477 00:40:48,584 --> 00:40:52,139 She did not go down without a fight. 478 00:41:01,838 --> 00:41:05,739 NARRATOR: Andrew and Vidar are investigating the wreck of HMAS Perth. 479 00:41:08,051 --> 00:41:13,505 The exposed starboard side of the Perth hull shows several gaping holes, 480 00:41:13,540 --> 00:41:17,578 and underneath they find something else. 481 00:41:18,717 --> 00:41:23,342 VIDAR: It had some very serious torpedo damage right behind the bow. 482 00:41:23,791 --> 00:41:27,243 We could actually swim through the hole from one side to the other. 483 00:41:30,764 --> 00:41:33,801 NARRATOR: Using the data, we can look beneath the wreck, 484 00:41:33,836 --> 00:41:38,081 to reveal something impossible to see from diving alone. 485 00:41:38,875 --> 00:41:44,191 Two bigger holes on the opposite port side. 486 00:41:45,572 --> 00:41:48,264 The Perth was under attack from both directions. 487 00:41:50,266 --> 00:41:54,995 And one attacker hit the ship with something unusually powerful. 488 00:41:56,237 --> 00:42:00,828 A typical torpedo wouldn't cause such massive damage. 489 00:42:01,829 --> 00:42:06,006 Wartime records suggest the most likely cause was something that wreaked havoc 490 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:08,664 in the Java Sea days before, 491 00:42:10,217 --> 00:42:13,082 a Japanese wonder weapon. 492 00:42:13,116 --> 00:42:15,705 The long lance torpedo. 493 00:42:16,948 --> 00:42:20,020 ERIC: The long last was by far the most effective torpedo in the world, 494 00:42:20,054 --> 00:42:24,265 and the western navies had virtually no idea of its existence. 495 00:42:25,543 --> 00:42:29,270 NARRATOR: Reaching faster speeds than anything else afloat at the time, 496 00:42:29,305 --> 00:42:33,240 the long lance has a huge warhead, packing around twice the payload 497 00:42:33,274 --> 00:42:36,036 of an average torpedo. 498 00:42:36,070 --> 00:42:39,867 It has an astonishing range of 23 miles. 499 00:42:39,902 --> 00:42:43,733 Inside, it uses a revolutionary system of propulsion 500 00:42:43,768 --> 00:42:46,564 which leaves no trail of bubbles. 501 00:42:47,530 --> 00:42:51,499 OSAMU: The standard surface torpedo ran on compressed air, 502 00:42:51,534 --> 00:42:54,123 which means that you get bubbles. 503 00:42:54,537 --> 00:42:57,885 It leaves a wake in the water which you can see from quite a distance. 504 00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:00,094 You can see it coming. 505 00:43:00,129 --> 00:43:03,891 If you can't see the torpedo coming, how do you avoid it? 506 00:43:03,926 --> 00:43:05,686 Well the answer it you don't. 507 00:43:05,721 --> 00:43:07,723 You can't. 508 00:43:09,828 --> 00:43:14,592 NARRATOR: Its ability to target ships at distances unheard of means the Japanese 509 00:43:14,626 --> 00:43:19,251 can attack the Allies while keeping their own ships out of range. 510 00:43:21,737 --> 00:43:25,775 Tragically for the Perth, she escapes one Japanese fleet, 511 00:43:25,810 --> 00:43:30,055 then sails unwittingly into the path of a second. 512 00:43:31,298 --> 00:43:33,162 ERIC: What they didn't realize was that they were 513 00:43:33,196 --> 00:43:36,924 running into a major Japanese invasion force. 514 00:43:37,753 --> 00:43:42,136 NARRATOR: It's now possible to understand the final hours of HMAS Perth. 515 00:43:44,207 --> 00:43:48,039 In the Java Sea, the Allies take on the Japanese. 516 00:43:48,729 --> 00:43:52,630 Over the course of the battle, they are hit hard. 517 00:43:55,253 --> 00:43:57,842 The Perth escapes. 518 00:43:59,119 --> 00:44:03,502 Told that the Sunda Strait is safe, the captain heads for this narrow stretch of water 519 00:44:03,537 --> 00:44:06,229 off the Java coast. 520 00:44:06,264 --> 00:44:09,647 But she's spotted by a Japanese destroyer. 521 00:44:11,510 --> 00:44:16,412 Minutes later, three entire destroyer divisions close in. 522 00:44:19,795 --> 00:44:23,315 Salvos of torpedoes come from all sides. 523 00:44:27,734 --> 00:44:30,771 The Japanese go in for the kill. 524 00:44:30,806 --> 00:44:34,672 ERIC: Now they could concentrate a superior force of long lance fitted 525 00:44:34,706 --> 00:44:38,123 destroyers against the Allied ships. 526 00:44:42,749 --> 00:44:46,925 NARRATOR: Two long lance torpedoes likely hit the port side, 527 00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:49,445 causing a massive explosion. 528 00:44:51,758 --> 00:44:55,278 ERIC: It was very difficult to counter a long lance because you couldn't see it coming. 529 00:44:55,762 --> 00:44:59,489 NARRATOR: The Perth goes down just eight minutes later, 530 00:45:00,905 --> 00:45:04,287 along with 375 sailors. 531 00:45:06,117 --> 00:45:10,052 Another emphatic victory for the Japanese navy. 532 00:45:11,916 --> 00:45:17,128 The following day, Japanese landing fleets begin their invasion of Java island. 533 00:45:18,577 --> 00:45:22,029 Just one day after originally planned. 534 00:45:22,064 --> 00:45:25,550 ERIC: With the delay of the invasion of Java by a mere 24 hours, 535 00:45:25,584 --> 00:45:27,448 and the heavy losses suffered, 536 00:45:27,483 --> 00:45:30,831 this must go down as one of the greatest disasters in naval history. 537 00:45:32,868 --> 00:45:37,631 NARRATOR: Thousands of Allied lives were lost across the region in just three days. 538 00:45:38,874 --> 00:45:42,636 But today, surveys reveal that little remains of the Perth, 539 00:45:42,670 --> 00:45:46,019 or many other ships sunk by the Japanese. 540 00:45:46,053 --> 00:45:50,126 These and other vessels face another more recent enemy... 541 00:45:50,161 --> 00:45:56,236 Salvagers, with the wrecks being illegally ripped apart for their metal. 542 00:45:57,651 --> 00:46:01,172 VIDAR: The grab itself would go down on top of the wreck and it would stab into it, 543 00:46:01,206 --> 00:46:06,591 that would close up and then just tear, tear chunks of metal off. 544 00:46:06,625 --> 00:46:09,697 So piece by piece, they would rip it up. 545 00:46:09,732 --> 00:46:11,803 ANDREW: There's just no wreck at all. 546 00:46:11,838 --> 00:46:14,772 As if it's just been lifted. 547 00:46:15,496 --> 00:46:20,398 NARRATOR: What remains of these wrecks is a continuing reminder of the first shocking 548 00:46:20,432 --> 00:46:23,988 months of the Pacific war. 549 00:46:24,782 --> 00:46:29,165 And the price of Allied overconfidence. 550 00:46:31,478 --> 00:46:35,275 ERIC: There was a tendency at this time to underestimate the Japanese. 551 00:46:35,309 --> 00:46:39,797 OSAMU: The Japanese actively encouraged that kind of misperception on the part of 552 00:46:39,831 --> 00:46:45,561 the western countries because they didn't want them to know how advanced they really were. 553 00:46:46,562 --> 00:46:49,151 NARRATOR: Less than three months after Pearl Harbor, 554 00:46:49,185 --> 00:46:52,533 the empire of Japan is at the apex of its power. 555 00:46:53,327 --> 00:46:59,609 With superior technology and strategy, it now controls the entire region and its oil. 556 00:46:59,644 --> 00:47:02,820 It will take the Allies three deadly years to 557 00:47:02,854 --> 00:47:05,788 defeat an enemy they so shockingly underestimated. 558 00:47:05,823 --> 00:47:06,824 Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.