Hell Below (2016–2018): Season 2, Episode 5 - Sub vs. Sub - full transcript
Two submerged subs battle blind in a rare World War II attack that changed subsea warfare forever.
EARLY 1945.
IN THE WATERS OFF NORWAY,
A BRITISH SUBMARINE
TRACKS A GERMAN U-BOAT.
WITH NEITHER VESSEL
ON THE SURFACE,
A RARE SITUATION DEVELOPS.
UP PERISCOPE.
NO SUBMARINE HAS
SUCCESSFULLY ATTACKED ANOTHER
WHILE BOTH WERE SUBMERGED.
THE BRITISH CAPTAIN
FACES A UNIQUE CHALLENGE.
THIS IS A NEW PROBLEM.
HIS MECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS CAN'T
HELP HIM THAT MUCH, IF AT ALL.
HE HAS TO DO IT ALL
IN HIS HEAD.
FIRE.
THEY WILL NEED
A NEW BATTLE PLAN...
HARD STARBOARD!
TO CREATE A DIFFERENT
KIND OF SUBMARINE WARFARE.
IN WORLD WAR II,
A SUBSEA WEAPON ALLOWS WARRIORS
TO FIGHT FROM BENEATH THE WAVES.
WITH CUNNING, FORCE,
AND TENACITY,
THEIR ENEMIES STRIKE BACK.
REVOLUTIONARY BUT STILL
SOMETIMES PRIMITIVE,
IT'S A DESPERATE BID...
TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF WAR.
THEIR STORIES ARE LEGEND.
NOVEMBER 11, 1944.
BRITISH SUBMARINE HMS VENTURER
HAS WEATHERED
THE ROUGH NORWEGIAN SEA
ON ITS EIGHTH WAR PATROL.
THEIR TOP SECRET MISSION
IS TO DELIVER SUPPLIES
TO RESISTANCE FIGHTERS
IN OCCUPIED NORWAY.
THE GERMANS,
DURING THIS PERIOD,
POURED IN SOME 400,000 SOLDIERS
IN THIS TINY COUNTRY.
ON THE NAVAL SIDE,
A LARGE PROPORTION
OF THE GERMAN KRIEGSMARINE
WAS SITUATED IN NORWEGIAN WATERS
FOR THE WHOLE PERIOD.
IN DEFIANCE,
SOME NORWEGIANS
WORK WITH THE ALLIES
TO PROVIDE INFORMATION
ABOUT THEIR NAZI OCCUPIERS.
IN EXCHANGE, THE BRITISH PROVIDE
SUPPORT, SUPPLIES, AND MONEY,
OFTEN DELIVERED BY SUBMARINE.
THIS TIME, THE RENDEZVOUS POINT
IS NEAR NARVIK,
IN NORTHERN NORWAY.
AS HMS VENTURER TRAVELS NORTH,
A CREW MEMBER SPOTS A SHAPE
THROUGH THE SEARCH PERISCOPE.
THROUGH THE DARK AND ROUGH SEAS,
HE MAKES OUT THE CONNING TOWER
OF ANOTHER SUBMARINE.
HE DOESN'T KNOW IT, BUT HE HAS
FOUND GERMAN U-BOAT U-771.
GET THE CAPTAIN.
THE U-BOAT TRAVELS
QUICKLY ON THE SURFACE.
U- 771 SPENT WEEKS
BATTLING AGAINST
TWO HEAVILY DEFENDED
ALLIED CONVOYS
HEADING TO THE SOVIET UNION.
THE CREW WERE LUCKY
TO ESCAPE ALIVE.
THE BRITISH SUB
REMAINS UNDETECTED
AND ONLY A FEW
THOUSAND YARDS AWAY.
IT CONTINUES TO TRAVEL
BENEATH THE SURFACE.
THE SUBMARINE'S CAPTAIN
IS LIEUTENANT JAMES LAUNDERS.
ONLY 25 YEARS OLD,
LAUNDERS JOINED THE ROYAL NAVY
AS A CADET IN 1938,
BEFORE BRITAIN DECLARED WAR.
HE'S COMMANDED HMS VENTURER
FOR A YEAR AND A HALF.
LAUNDERS MUST ACT QUICKLY
BEFORE THE U-BOAT SPOTS HIM.
IF HE SPOTS YOUR PERISCOPE,
NOBODY CAN TAKE
COUNTERACTION BETTER
THAN ANOTHER
SUBMARINE COMMANDER.
SO THEREFORE YOU HAVE TO STRIKE
WHILE THE IRON
IS VERY HOT INDEED.
LAUNDERS SNEAKS A LOOK
THROUGH THE PERISCOPE,
THEN ASKS FOR THE TARGET'S
SPEED, RANGE, AND BEARING.
SPEED AND RANGE.
ESTIMATED SPEED,
13 KNOTS.
THEY ESTIMATE
THE U-BOAT IS MAKING 13 KNOTS.
FULL AHEAD TOGETHER.
DOWN PERISCOPE.
HE ORDERS VENTURER
TO CLOSE IN ON THE U-BOAT,
WHILE HE WORKS OUT
HIS CALCULATIONS
AND THE TORPEDOES ARE READIED.
HE WON'T GET ANOTHER CHANCE.
HE MUST GET IT RIGHT.
HE WORKS OUT IN HIS MIND
WHAT THE BEST CHANCE
OF HITTING THE TARGET IS.
THIS WILL MEAN FIRING
ALL FOUR IN HIS TUBES.
HE WILL STILL HAVE
FOUR MORE TORPEDOES LEFT,
BUT NOT ENOUGH TIME
TO RELOAD THEM
BEFORE THE U-BOAT
COULD COUNTER-ATTACK.
SO HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE
HE GETS THE TARGET.
VENTURER CLOSES IN.
LAUNDERS TAKES A FINAL LOOK.
SPEED AND RANGE.
THE U-BOAT IS IN
VENTURER'S CROSSHAIRS.
2,000 YARDS.
THE TORPEDO CREW IS READY
AND WAITS FOR LAUNDERS' COMMAND.
LAUNDERS ORDERS THE SPREAD
OF FOUR TORPEDOES.
FIRE.
THE MARK VIII TORPEDOES
SPEED TOWARD THE GERMAN U-BOAT
AT OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR.
EACH CONTAINS 805 POUNDS
OF THE EXPLOSIVE TORPEX.
VENTURER'S CREW HEARS
THE EXPLOSION THROUGH THE HULL.
THE HYDROPHONE OPERATOR
LOSES THE SOUND
OF THE U-BOAT'S PROPELLER.
THERE IS NOTHING MORE
FROM U-771'S POSITION.
SUBMARINERS
ARE VERY AGGRESSIVE PEOPLE.
THEY HAVE TO BE.
THEY WILL PUT ALL THEIR EFFORTS
INTO SINKING THE ENEMY SUBMARINE
AND TEND NOT TO THINK
PSYCHOLOGICALLY
THAT WHAT'S HAPPENING
TO THE SUBMARINE OVER THERE
COULD HAPPEN TO THEM, TOO.
VENTURER BECOMES
ONE OF THE FEW BRITISH SUBS
TO SINK ANOTHER SUBMARINE.
LAUNDERS IS LATER AWARDED
THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER
FOR SINKING U-771.
REMARKABLY, THE WHOLE ATTACK
TAKES PLACE IN JUST SIX MINUTES.
HIS GREAT VIRTUE
AS A SUBMARINE COMMANDER
IS HIS ABILITY TO SUM THINGS UP
VERY, VERY QUICKLY
IN HIS OWN MIND
AND CARRY OUT AN ATTACK
RAPIDLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
AND HE'S VERY GOOD AT THAT.
AFTER THE SURPRISE ATTACK,
VENTURER RESUMES
ITS ORIGINAL MISSION,
PUTTING SUPPLIES ASHORE
IN NORWAY.
THE SINKING OF U-771
IS PART OF GROWING PRESSURE
BY THE ALLIES SINCE D-DAY.
AMERICANS, BRITISH,
AND CANADIANS
LEAD ADVANCES
ACROSS WESTERN EUROPE.
THE RED ARMY
DRIVES ACROSS EASTERN EUROPE
AND PREPARES TO TAKE
EAST PRUSSIA.
TO STEM THE TIDE,
HITLER TURNS TO GROSSADMIRAL
KARL DÖNITZ AND HIS U-BOATS.
NAZI GERMANY WANTS TO SHARE
EXPERIMENTAL MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
WITH JAPAN,
THE REMAINING AXIS POWER.
THEY HAVE WEAPONS
CALLED WUNDERWAFFEN.
WUNDERWAFFEN,
IT MEANS WONDER WEAPON,
MIRACLE WEAPON.
THE LONGER THE WAR GOES,
IT BECOMES A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL
FOR THE GERMAN PROPAGANDA,
FOR GOEBBELS.
WUNDERWAFFEN WEAPONS,
LIKE THE V-1 BOMBS
AND V-2 ROCKETS,
WERE UNLEASHED
AGAINST THE BRITISH,
PARTICULARLY AFTER D-DAY...
CAUSING MORE THAN
30,000 CASUALTIES.
THE GERMANS
ARE VERY INNOVATIVE
WHEN IT COMES TO
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT,
BUT THE PROBLEM FOR THEM
IS THEY CAN'T PRODUCE
THESE THINGS EN MASSE,
IN CONTRAST TO THE ALLIES.
AND THERE'S ANOTHER PROBLEM.
THESE ARE TWO COUNTRIES,
RELATIVELY SMALL.
AND THEY ARE DIVIDED BY
THE ALLIED SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
OR SPHERE OF POWER,
BE IT BY THE BRITISH,
BE IT BY THE AMERICANS,
BE IT BY THE SOVIETS.
SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM
TO EXCHANGE IDEAS,
TO EXCHANGE PLANS,
AND ALSO TO EXCHANGE TECHNOLOGY.
WHEN SURFACE SHIPS
CARRYING
WAR MATERIALS TO JAPAN
ARE REPEATEDLY SUNK,
THE ONLY REMAINING OPTION
IS TO USE SUBMARINES.
GERMAN U-BOAT U-864
WILL TRANSPORT
WUNDERWAFFEN TECHNOLOGY,
INCLUDING PARTS AND PLANS FOR
THE MESSERSCHMITT ME 163 KOMET,
AN EXPERIMENTAL ROCKET-POWERED
INTERCEPTOR AIRCRAFT,
AND THE MESSERSCHMITT
ME 262 SWALLOW,
THE FIRST JET FIGHTER
TO SEE AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT.
IN A MISSION CODE-NAMED
OPERATION CAESAR,
THE TRANSPORT ALSO INCLUDES
LEADING-EDGE SCIENTISTS
AND TWO JAPANESE EXPERTS
RETURNING TO JAPAN BY SUBMARINE.
THEIR FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE
WILL BE VITAL
FOR MASS PRODUCTION
OF WUNDERWAFFEN.
THEY HOPE THE COMBINATION
OF JAPANESE MANPOWER
WITH GERMAN SCIENCE
WILL TILT THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC
IN JAPAN'S FAVOR
AND FORCE THE ALLIES TO DIVERT
MORE TROOPS TO THE FAR EAST,
PULLING THEM OUT OF EUROPE
TO CLEAR THE WAY
FOR A NAZI RESURGENCE.
U- 864 IS A BRAND-NEW U-BOAT.
U- BOAT COMMANDER
RALF-REIMAR WOLFRAM
STARTS DRILLS AND SEA TRIALS
IN OCTOBER.
WITH ONLY THREE
PREVIOUS PATROLS,
WOLFRAM IS CONSIDERED
A SEASONED OFFICER.
AFTER 1943,
MANY OF THE EXPERIENCED OFFICERS
WERE KILLED DURING THE WAR,
AND MANY OF THE YOUNGER
U-BOAT COMMANDERS
DIDN'T LIVE ENOUGH, LONG ENOUGH,
TO GAIN THE NECESSARY EXPERIENCE
BECAUSE MANY OF THE U-BOATS WERE
SUNK ON THEIR FIRST PATROLS.
SO WOLFRAM,
AS AN EXPERIENCED OFFICER,
WAS QUITE UNIQUE
BECAUSE HE WAS ONE
OF THE OLD GUYS,
HE WAS ONE OF
THE EXPERIENCED GUYS.
THEY LEAVE
KIEL, GERMANY, IN DECEMBER.
THE BOAT AND ALSO THE CREW
AS A TEAM WERE UNEXPERIENCED,
SO IT WAS THE FIRST PATROL
AND ALSO THE FIRST
REAL CHALLENGE.
THE U-BOAT LIKELY CARRIES
A FULL COMPLEMENT OF
27 TORPEDOES AND OTHER WEAPONS
TO DEFEND ITSELF.
THEIR SIX-MONTH JOURNEY
WILL TAKE THEM NORTH
OF THE BRITISH ISLES,
AROUND THE SOUTHERN TIP
OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT,
ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN,
AND TO A U-BOAT BASE
IN MALAYSIA.
THEY STOP IN OCCUPIED NORWAY
TO REFUEL AND PICK UP
ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES.
ALLIED SUBMARINE AND AIRCRAFT
PATROL THE WATERS
BETWEEN THE NORWEGIAN COAST
AND THE UNITED KINGDOM.
THEY WILL HAVE TO SNEAK ACROSS
BEFORE MAKING A BREAK
FOR THE ATLANTIC.
U- 864 HAS SOME OF THE LATEST
IN U-BOAT TECHNOLOGY,
INCLUDING A NEW DEVICE
CALLED THE SNORKEL.
IN WORLD WAR II,
ALL SUBMARINES HAD TO SURFACE
TO RECHARGE THEIR BATTERIES,
WHICH ALLOWED THEM TO DIVE
AND STAY UNDERWATER.
BUT TRAVELING ON THE SURFACE
IS DANGEROUS,
ESPECIALLY DURING THE DAY.
WHEN THE SNORKEL IS RAISED,
ONLY A SMALL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT
STICKS UP OUT OF THE WATER,
ALLOWING MOST OF THE U-BOAT
TO REMAIN HIDDEN.
SO A U-BOAT COULD DIVE,
USE THE DIESEL ENGINE
TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY
BY GETTING IN THE NECESSARY AIR
THROUGH THE SNORKEL
AND ALSO THE AIR
FOR THE CREW TO BREATHE.
BUT U-864
DOES NOT GET VERY FAR.
THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG
WITH THE SNORKEL.
WHEN WOLFRAM
REPORTS THE PROBLEM,
U- BOAT COMMAND DOESN'T WANT
TO TAKE ANY CHANCES.
THEY ORDER U-864
TO A NEARBY PORT FOR INSPECTION.
JUST AS THE U-BOAT TURNS,
IT COMES TO AN ABRUPT HALT.
THE SUBMARINE RUNS AGROUND
IN THE SHALLOW WATERS.
WOLFRAM'S PROBLEMS
HAVE GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE.
THE JAGGED STONE
OF THE NORWEGIAN FJORDS
COULD EASILY DAMAGE HIS HULL.
THE OUTCOME OF OPERATION CAESAR
AND HIS U-BOAT
HANG IN THE BALANCE.
DECEMBER 1944.
NAZI U-BOAT U-864
HAS ENCOUNTERED TROUBLE
OFF THE COAST OF NORWAY.
EN ROUTE TO JAPAN WITH PLANS
AND PARTS FOR SECRET WEAPONS,
THE U-BOAT HAS RUN AGROUND.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO
NAVIGATE IN A NORWEGIAN FJORD
BECAUSE IT'S VERY NARROW,
THERE ARE SHALLOWS,
THERE ARE PROBABLY
UNCHARTED ROCKS AND REEFS.
UNTIL THIS VERY DAY, IT'S VERY
DIFFICULT TO, UM, TO NAVIGATE.
WOLFRAM
IMMEDIATELY SENDS THE CREW
TO CONDUCT A CHECK
OF THE SUBMARINE'S CONDITION.
THEY CONFIRM THAT
THE INTERIOR OF THE HULL
HAS NOT BEEN DAMAGED.
U- BOAT COMMANDER WOLFRAM
IS LUCKY.
U- 864 CARRIES A DANGEROUS CARGO
HIDDEN IN ITS KEEL-
67 TONS OF MERCURY.
MERCURY IS A KEY INGREDIENT
IN WEAPONS PRODUCTION,
OFTEN USED AS A DETONATOR
TO SET OFF EXPLOSIVES.
VERY DENSE, EACH OF
THE 1,857 FLASKS ON BOARD
HOLDS ABOUT 2.5 QUARTS
OF LIQUID MERCURY
AND WEIGHS AROUND 70 POUNDS.
THE FLASKS REPLACE
MUCH OF THE LEAD BALLAST
SUBMARINES USUALLY CARRY
IN THEIR KEEL.
FORTUNATELY FOR THE CREW,
THEIR LETHAL CARGO
REMAINS INTACT.
WOLFRAM CAN'T AFFORD
ANOTHER MISTAKE.
HE REQUESTS A HARBOR PILOT-
A LOCAL SHIP'S CAPTAIN-
TO GUIDE THEM INTO PORT.
FOR A SUBMARINE
ON A SECRET MISSION,
THEY'RE STARTING TO DRAW
ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES.
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,
BRITISH INTELLIGENCE HAS ALREADY
GLEANED INFORMATION
FROM DECODED GERMAN INTERCEPTS
AND LEARNED THAT GERMANY IS
SENDING WUNDERWAFFEN TO JAPAN.
THEY KNOW THAT
THE ONLY WAY THAT CAN BE DONE
IS BY SUBMARINE.
THE QUESTION IS,
WHICH SUBMARINE?
BREAKING CODES
DOES NOT ALWAYS
PROVIDE TIMELY INFORMATION
ABOUT GERMANY'S
INDIVIDUAL NAVAL UNITS.
THE OCEAN IS VAST.
EVEN WITH GOOD INTELLIGENCE,
FINDING SOMETHING OUT THERE
IS REALLY VERY DIFFICULT.
SHIPS AND SUBMARINES CAN GO
WHERE THE CAPTAIN LIKES,
AND SOMETIMES
THE CAPTAINS MAKE ADJUSTMENTS
IN ORDER TO COMPLETE
THEIR MISSION SAFELY.
AFTER GERMAN KRIEGSMARINE CREWS
CONFIRM THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
OF THE U-864'S HULL...
THE U-BOAT THEN HEADS TO BERGEN,
ALSO IN NORWAY,
TO REPAIR THE SNORKEL.
EACH OF THEIR STOPS
INCREASES THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
IN CONTACT WITH THE U-BOAT.
THIS KIND OF INFORMATION HAS
PROVED CRITICAL TO THE ALLIES.
IT IS SECRETLY SHARED BY
A STRONG RESISTANCE MOVEMENT
THAT HAS OPERATED IN NORWAY
SINCE EARLY IN THE WAR.
WHEN WAR BROKE OUT
IN APRIL 1940 IN NORWAY-
THE NAZI INVASION-
THERE WERE TWO MONTHS
OF FIGHTING.
BY JUNE,
RATHER THAN SURRENDER,
THE KING OF NORWAY
AND KEY MINISTERS
FLEE TO ENGLAND
AND SET UP
A GOVERNMENT IN EXILE.
THAT IS THE ORIGIN
OF THE COOPERATION WITH
THE BRITISH ON BRITISH SOIL.
THEY BRING WHAT'S LEFT
OF THEIR NAVY
AND FIGHTING FORCES
AND PROVIDE A LINK
TO THE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT
LEFT IN NORWAY,
WHO SPY AND PASS ON
THE INFORMATION.
MORE TYPICAL
INFORMATION WOULD BE
THAT THIS- AND-THAT SUBMARINE
WITH PENNANT SO- AND-SO
WERE SPOTTED IN SOME PORT
OR IN THE U-BOAT PENS.
BUT THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO
REPORT ON ANY NAVAL MOVEMENTS,
BEING UPDATED
ON WHERE THE VESSELS
WERE ACTUALLY SITUATED
AT THE VERY MOMENT.
THAT WAS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE,
OF COURSE.
IN RETURN,
BRITISH INTELLIGENCE
PROVIDES FUNDING, TRAINING,
AND EQUIPMENT.
WHEN U-864 RAN AGROUND,
TWO JAPANESE MEN IN NORWAY
WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN
NOTICED AND REPORTED.
THE CANDID REPORTS
ON MOVEMENTS-
IN THIS CASE,
SUBMARINES AND SO ON-
COULD BE TRANSMITTED
FAIRLY RAPIDLY.
A TIP-OFF
THAT U-864 IS IN BERGEN
COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER.
IT'S EARLY 1945.
THE ALLIED ARMIES
HAVE RETAKEN FRANCE.
BERGEN IS WHERE THE U-BOATS
ARE GOING TO BE CONCENTRATED.
INFORMATION FROM
THE NORWEGIAN RESISTANCE
MAY PROVIDE THE ALLIES
AN OPPORTUNITY
TO STOP TECHNICAL EXPERTS
WITH WEAPON PLANS AND PARTS
FROM BEING SHIPPED TO JAPAN.
AND THE RAF
STRATEGIC BOMBING COMMAND
IS GOING TO GO AFTER
THE U-BOAT PEN AT BERGEN.
ON JANUARY 12th,
32 AVRO LANCASTER BOMBERS
MAKE THEIR WAY TO NORWAY.
THE LANCASTERS CARRY
TALLBOY BOMBS-
21 FEET LONG,
CONTAINING 5,200 POUNDS
OF THE EXPLOSIVE TORPEX.
TALLBOYS DETONATE
AFTER BURYING THEMSELVES
INSIDE ARMOR, TUNNELS,
AND EVEN CONCRETE.
THEY ARE PERFECT
FOR ATTACKING STRUCTURES
LIKE HEAVILY REINFORCED
U-BOAT PENS.
IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEATED FIGHT
WITH GERMAN LUFTWAFFE,
A LANCASTER DROPS A TALLBOY
NEAR THEIR TARGET.
IT TAKES DAYS TO FIND OUT
IF THE ATTACK WAS SUCCESSFUL.
REPORTS COME IN
FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES.
ALLIED INTELLIGENCE
MUST PIECE THEM TOGETHER.
THE BRITISH WOULD HAVE LEARNED
THAT THE ATTACK WAS A SUCCESS
THROUGH INTELLIGENCE,
THE INTERCEPTION
OF GERMAN MESSAGES,
BUT ALSO HUMAN INTELLIGENCE,
AGENTS FROM THE NORWEGIAN
RESISTANCE MOVEMENT.
THE NEWS IS BAD.
THE ALLIES LEARNED
THAT THEY HAD A DIRECT HIT
ON THE U-BOAT PENS,
BUT IT DID VERY LITTLE DAMAGE.
BUT IT IS ENOUGH
TO DELAY THE DEPARTURE OF U-864
A LITTLE LONGER.
ONE CAN'T HELP
FEELING A LITTLE SORRY
FOR THE JAPANESE PEOPLE
ON BOARD THE U-BOAT
BECAUSE THEY ARE LEAVING
ONE DEFEATED POWER
AND GOING BACK HOME TO A POWER
THAT'S ABOUT PERHAPS
TO BE DEFEATED ITSELF.
BUT PERHAPS
IF IT GETS THE TECHNOLOGY
THAT'S IN THE SUBMARINE,
THEN JAPAN
MIGHT BE ABLE TO HOLD OUT.
DESPITE THE SETBACK,
THE ALLIES STILL BELIEVE
THEY KNOW ENOUGH
TO STOP THE TRANSPORT
OF GERMAN TECHNOLOGY
TO THE PACIFIC FRONT.
WITH THE WAR
NEARING THE END,
YOU NEEDED TO STOP
THE TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
BETWEEN GERMANY AND JAPAN,
BECAUSE YOU JUST
COULDN'T TAKE THE CHANCE
OF THEM USING NEW WEAPONS
TO EXTEND THE WAR.
RATHER THAN TARGET
THE REINFORCED
U-BOAT PENS AGAIN,
THEY WILL TRY WHEN U-864
IS MORE EXPOSED...
AND USE A SUBMARINE
TO ATTACK THE U-BOAT.
BRITAIN'S 9th SUBMARINE FLOTILLA
IS BASED AT HMS AMBROSE,
IN SCOTLAND.
SUBMARINES FROM THE 9th FLOTILLA
HAVE HARASSED GERMAN SHIPS
IN THE NORTH SEA SINCE 1940.
ON FEBRUARY 2, 1945,
HMS VENTURER LEAVES LERWICK,
IN THE SHETLAND ISLANDS,
ON ITS 11th WAR PATROL.
VENTURER IS A BRITISH V,
OR VAMPIRE CLASS, SUBMARINE.
ONE OF THE EARLY ONES
WAS CALLED VAMPIRE,
AND IT SEEMED QUITE USEFUL,
A GOOD NAME FOR SOMETHING
THAT WOULD BE
DRAWING THE ENEMY'S BLOOD.
THE V CLASS
ARE NOT THE FASTEST SUBMARINES,
MAKING ONLY 11 KNOTS
ON THE SURFACE.
HOWEVER,
JUST 204 FEET IN LENGTH,
THEIR COMPACT SIZE
MAKES THEM IDEAL
FOR REGULAR PATROLS
IN NORWEGIAN FJORDS.
VENTURER STILL SAILS
UNDER THE COMMAND
OF LIEUTENANT JAMES LAUNDERS.
JIMMY LAUNDERS
HAS A VERY HIGH REPUTATION
IN THE SUBMARINE SERVICE.
HE'S VERY INTELLIGENT,
HE'S VERY EFFECTIVE,
AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL,
HE HAS THE COMPLETE TRUST
OF HIS SHIP'S COMPANY.
THEIR PLANNED OPERATING AREA
IS AT THE SOUTHERN ENTRANCE
TO THE CITY OF BERGEN.
PATROLLING HERE
MEANS THAT LAUNDERS
CAN INTERCEPT GERMAN VESSELS
AS THEY COME BACK TO BASE.
TIRED U-BOAT CREWS
RETURNING FROM LONG PATROLS
MAY LET DOWN THEIR GUARD
WITH THE LURE OF CLEAN CLOTHES,
FRESH FOOD, AND COMFORTABLE BEDS
THEY WILL FIND IN PORT.
LAUNDERS IS SENSIBLE ENOUGH
TO REALIZE THAT WHEN SUBMARINES
ARE COMING BACK OFF OF PATROL,
THEY'RE MOST VULNERABLE.
THEREFORE THEY BECOME
EASIER TARGETS.
BUT WHEN VENTURER
REACHES THE PATROL AREA,
THEY RECEIVE A CODED MESSAGE
FROM HEADQUARTERS.
THE ORDERS REDIRECT LAUNDERS
TO PATROL OFF THE COAST
OF FEDJE INSTEAD.
THIS MEANS THAT VENTURER WILL
TRY TO INTERCEPT U-BOATS
WITH FAR MORE ALERT CREWS
EXITING BERGEN
INTO THE NORTH SEA AND BEYOND.
WHEN LAUNDERS RECEIVES
THE ORDER TO DIVERT TO FEDJE,
THAT PUTS HIM
RIGHT IN THE PATH OF U-864.
FEBRUARY 8, 1945.
GERMAN U-BOAT U-864
LEAVES THE U-BOAT PENS
AT BERGEN, NORWAY,
FOLLOWING A SERIES OF REPAIRS.
IT HEADS NORTHWEST
TO A DEEP-WATER CHANNEL
THAT LEADS TO THE OCEAN.
FROM THERE
IT WILL CONTINUE ITS MISSION
TO BRING TOP-SECRET
GERMAN TECHNOLOGY TO JAPAN.
U- BOAT COMMANDER
RALF-REIMAR WOLFRAM
IS UNAWARE THAT BRITISH
SUBMARINE VENTURER
HAS BEEN ORDERED
TO PATROL THE AREA.
BUT THE ROYAL NAVY'S
LIEUTENANT JAMES LAUNDERS
DOESN'T KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT HE'S LOOKING FOR, EITHER.
HIS ORDERS
MAKE NO MENTION OF U-864.
THE GENERAL INTELLIGENCE PICTURE
SEEMS TO HAVE INDICATED
THAT THERE WOULD BE A SUBMARINE
DOING SOMETHING.
SUBMARINERS ARE MEANT TO SHOW
CONSIDERABLE INITIATIVE.
YOU PUT THEM IN THE RIGHT AREA,
AND THEY ARE EXPECTED
TO FIND TARGETS.
AFTER THE U-BOAT'S
ESCORT RETURNS TO PORT,
WOLFRAM RUNS READINESS DRILLS
WITH HIS CREW.
THEIR JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN,
BUT THEY MUST BE ON THEIR GUARD.
HE KNOWS THAT THE AREA
IS REGULARLY INFILTRATED
BY RAF PLANES
AND BRITISH NAVAL SHIPS.
SATISFIED EVERYONE IS READY,
HE ORDERS U-864 TO SUBMERGE.
HE SETS COURSE
TOWARD THE SHETLAND ISLANDS-
100 MILES NORTH
OF THE SCOTTISH MAINLAND.
BUT BEFORE LONG,
HE HAS ANOTHER PROBLEM.
ONE OF U-864'S DIESEL ENGINES
IS MISFIRING.
FOR WOLFRAM,
IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN ALMOST
INCREDIBLE STREAK OF BAD LUCK.
HE HAD FINALLY PUT TO SEA AGAIN,
HE AGAIN RUNS INTO
TECHNICAL TROUBLE
WITH ONE OF THE ENGINES
MAKING STRANGE NOISES.
IT WAS PROBABLY A BROKEN PISTON,
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THE BANGING IS SO LOUD
THAT IT COULD BE PICKED UP BY
ENEMY VESSELS FOR MILES AROUND.
FOR A U-BOAT
TRYING TO SNEAKING THROUGH
ENEMY-INFESTED WATERS,
SILENCE WAS
OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
IT ALSO MAKES IT
DIFFICULT FOR THE U-BOAT CREW
TO LISTEN FOR SOUNDS
OF OTHER SHIPS NEARBY.
WOLFRAM SURFACES TO CONTACT
U-BOAT HEADQUARTERS.
BUT HE CAN GUESS WHAT'S COMING.
THEY ORDER U-864 BACK TO BERGEN.
HOWEVER, WITH ALLIED AIR AND SEA
VESSELS PATROLLING THE AREA,
THEY DON'T WANT HIM
TO RETURN ALONE.
THEY WILL SEND AN ESCORT
TO MEET HIM.
A DISAPPOINTED WOLFRAM
ORDERS THEM TO
PERISCOPE DEPTH TO WAIT.
FOR THE U-BOAT,
THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION
IS A MAJOR PROBLEM,
BUT FOR BRITISH SUBMARINE
HMS VENTURER,
IT ALSO CHANGES THE GAME.
IF AN ESCORT ARRIVES,
THE RISKS TO LAUNDERS
GREATLY INCREASE.
THE CHANCE OF HIS PERISCOPE
BEING SPOTTED
GREATLY INCREASE.
HE MIGHT WELL LOSE THE TARGET
AND LOSE HIS OPPORTUNITY.
HE MIGHT EVEN BE
ATTACKED HIMSELF.
HE MIGHT EVEN BE SUNK.
IF VENTURER MISSES THIS CHANCE,
THE ALLIES WILL HAVE TO
START ALL OVER AGAIN.
THEY MAY NOT GET A TIPOFF
ABOUT THE U-BOAT'S DEPARTURE
NEXT TIME.
THEY CONTINUE WITH
A THOROUGH SEARCH PATTERN.
FINALLY, ON THE MORNING
OF FEBRUARY 9th,
VENTURER'S HYDROPHONE OPERATOR
DETECTS A FAINT SOUND.
THE SOUND PICKED UP
COULD WELL BE A FISHING BOAT.
IT'S A NOISY DIESEL.
AND THEREFORE YOU SEE
IS IT A FISHING BOAT?
IT COULD ACTUALLY BE A GERMAN
ARMED TRAWLER, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO YOU TRY TO FIND IT.
OFFICER OF THE WATCH
LIEUTENANT CHALMERS
BEGINS A METHODICAL SEARCH
FOR THE SOURCE.
HE'S CAREFUL
TO HAVE THE PERISCOPE UP
FOR ONLY SHORT PERIODS OF TIME.
WHEN YOUR PERISCOPE'S UP,
YOU ARE GIVING
YOUR POSITION AWAY.
YOU HAVE IT UP FOR
THE SMALLEST AMOUNT OF TIME.
YOU RAISE IT
THE SMALLEST AMOUNT OF DISTANCE
ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE SEA.
DOWN PERISCOPE.
IT IS YOUR GREATEST HELP,
BUT IT CAN ALSO BE
YOUR GREATEST ENEMY.
MORE THAN AN HOUR LATER,
CHALMERS SPOTS
SOMETHING TO THE NORTH.
GET THE CAPTAIN.
LOOKING THROUGH THE TINY LENS,
HE MANAGES TO MAKE OUT
A THIN MAST,
NEARLY THREE MILES AWAY,
AGAINST THE BACKDROP
OF MOVING OCEAN.
CHALMERS UPDATES LAUNDERS,
WHO ORDERS THE CREW
TO ACTION STATIONS.
ACTION STATIONS,
ACTION STATIONS.
ALL COMPARTMENTS REPORT.
LIKE THEIR CONTACT WITH U-771,
VENTURER HAS SPOTTED
THE ENEMY U-BOAT FIRST.
BUT THIS ENCOUNTER
WILL BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
THE EARLIER ATTACK
THAT LAUNDERS HAS CARRIED OUT
IS A CLASSIC SUBMERGED SUBMARINE
VERSUS SURFACE SUBMARINE ATTACK.
THEY GO BACK
TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR.
THIS IS SOMETHING NEW.
VENTURER AND U-864
ARE BOTH SUBMERGED
AND VIRTUALLY BLIND
TO EACH OTHER.
BECAUSE LAUNDERS
CANNOT SEE THE SUBMARINE-
HE CAN ONLY SEE ITS PERISCOPE-
HE ONLY HAS INDICATIONS,
REALLY, OF WHERE IT IS.
THE PERISCOPE IS THEIR
ONLY POINT OF VISUAL REFERENCE.
IT IS A TINY TARGET.
AT FIRST THEY DON'T KNOW
HOW THE SUBMARINE
IS ORIENTED AROUND IT.
NORMALLY, IN AN ATTACK
ON A SURFACE SUBMARINE,
IT'S MUCH EASIER.
THIS IS MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED.
THIS IS LATE 20th CENTURY
NAVAL WARFARE.
UP PERISCOPE.
IN THE CONTROL ROOM,
LAUNDERS LOOKS THROUGH
THE PERISCOPE
AND REQUESTS A REPORT.
THEY INFORM HIM THAT
THE U-BOAT'S SPEED IS UNKNOWN,
IT'S RANGE UNCERTAIN.
BUT THEY LATER ESTIMATE
ABOUT THREE MILES.
LAUNDERS DECIDES AGAINST
THE SNAP ATTACK
HE USED FOR U-771.
HE NEEDS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
THE U-BOAT'S SPEED AND COURSE.
HE RULES OUT USING ACTIVE SONAR.
THIS REQUIRES
SENDING OUT AUDIBLE PINGS
TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE LOCATION
AND DISTANCE OF THE U-BOAT.
DOWN PERISCOPE.
ACTIVE SONAR GIVES YOU
A GOOD FIX ON THE ENEMY.
BUT IT ALSO MEANS THE ENEMY
KNOWS YOU'RE THERE.
THEREFORE YOU HAVE TO USE
YOUR SONAR PASSIVELY.
YOU HAVE TO USE
YOUR HYDROPHONES,
AS THEY'RE SOMETIMES CALLED,
TO LISTEN FOR THE ENEMY.
LAUNDERS THEN ORDERS
VENTURER INTO POSITION BEHIND
AND ON A PARALLEL COURSE
TO THE U-BOAT,
AT A CONSTANT SPEED
OF 4 MILES AN HOUR.
KNOWING THEIR OWN SPEED,
AS THE CREW RECORDS THEIR PATH,
THEY ALSO COLLECT INFORMATION
ABOUT THE U-BOAT.
IF HE ISN'T CHANGING COURSE
AND IF HE'S GOING
AT A CONSTANT SPEED,
THEN THAT IS NOT A VARIABLE.
LAUNDERS RISKS ANOTHER
PEEK THROUGH THE PERISCOPE.
HE'S SHOCKED TO SEE
THAT THE U-BOAT
STILL HAS ITS PERISCOPE UP.
IN FACT, TO LAUNDERS,
THE U-BOAT APPEARS TO BE USING
BOTH THE ATTACK
AND SEARCH PERISCOPES.
LAUNDERS CAN'T
REALLY BELIEVE HIS LUCK,
BECAUSE HERE IS
A GERMAN SUBMARINE
SAYING, HELLO, I'M HERE.
ONE WONDERS
WHAT CONDITIONS WERE.
I THINK WE WOULD HAVE HAD
A VERY, VERY WORRIED
GERMAN SUBMARINE COMMANDER
WHO WAS HOPING TO GET SOME
SUPPORT AND HOPING TO FIND IT.
FOR A U-BOAT,
THE STANDARD PROCEDURE
WOULD HAVE BEEN
TO STAY SUBMERGED,
SIMPLY TO EVADE DETECTION,
HAVING A LOOK FROM TIME TO TIME
THROUGH THE PERISCOPE
IF THE ESCORT ARRIVES,
THEN MAKING CONTACT
AND GOING BACK TO PORT.
HMS VENTURER CONTINUES
TO TRAVEL AT 4 MILES PER HOUR.
THE BRITISH SUBMARINE
CLOSES IN ON THE U-BOAT.
IT'S NOW ONLY ABOUT
2,000 YARDS AWAY.
BUT AS LAUNDERS WATCHES,
THE U-BOAT SUDDENLY TURNS WEST.
LAUNDERS MUST ASSUME
THE CREW OF U-864
HAS PICKED UP THE PRESENCE
OF THE BRITISH SUB
AND MAY BE PREPARING
ITS OWN ATTACK.
IT WAS QUITE
A UNIQUE SITUATION.
BOTH ARE SUBMERGED.
AND NOW THIS GAME
OF HUNTING STARTS.
AND I THINK FOR BOTH COMMANDERS
IT WAS A MOST
EXTRAORDINARY SITUATION,
SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW.
FEBRUARY 9, 1945.
BRITISH SUBMARINE HMS VENTURER
PURSUES GERMAN U-BOAT U-864
IN WATERS OFF NORWAY.
THE U-BOAT'S NOISY ENGINE
PROVES DOUBLY DANGEROUS.
IT'S NOT ONLY
THAT HE CAN BE HEARD VERY EASILY
BY ENEMY CRAFT,
BUT ALSO IT DIMINISHED
YOUR ABILITY
TO DETECT OTHER VESSELS,
BECAUSE ALSO YOUR HYDROPHONES
ARE BLOCKED BY THE NOISE
OF THE ENGINE.
DESPITE ENGINE NOISE ON BOARD,
U- 864'S HYDROPHONES SEEM TO
FINALLY PICK SOMETHING UP.
HMS VENTURER CLOSES IN.
U- BOAT COMMANDER WOLFRAM
APPEARS TO REALIZE
HE'S BEING PURSUED
BY AN ENEMY SUBMARINE.
SO HE APPLIES
THE STANDARD METHOD
FOR EVADING A TORPEDO ATTACK,
WHICH IS ALSO USED
BY ANY SURFACE VESSEL.
HE STARTS TO ZIGZAG,
TO CHANGE HIS COURSE
FROM TIME TO TIME
JUST TO PREVENT
A TORPEDO ATTACK.
THE ZIGZAG WORKS.
THE PATTERN COMPLICATES
THE TORPEDO FIRING SOLUTION
FOR THE BRITISH SUBMARINE.
WITH ONLY
A LIMITED NUMBER OF TORPEDOES,
LAUNDERS CAN'T TAKE THE CHANCE
THAT HE WILL MISS.
TO GET A SHOT AT THE U-BOAT,
LAUNDERS MUST PREDICT
THE PATTERN OF THE ZIGZAG.
DOWN PERISCOPE.
IT IS RISKY TO WAIT.
LAUNDERS KNOWS
THE U-BOAT'S STERN TORPEDOES
ARE AIMED IN HIS DIRECTION.
EVERY TIME IT TURNS,
VENTURER IS DIRECTLY
IN THEIR PATH.
BUT VENTURER CONTINUES
TO TRACK THE U-BOAT,
HOPING IT WILL SURFACE
AND THEY CAN GET A CLEAR SHOT.
BUT IT NEVER DOES.
LAUNDERS PROBABLY
HAS A PRETTY GOOD IDEA
OF WHAT THE NORMAL OPERATING
PROCEDURES OF THE GERMANS ARE
IN THAT AREA.
HE ALSO KNOWS THAT THE GERMAN
MAY BE GIVING HIMSELF A CHANCE
OF GETTING AWAY.
THEREFORE, THERE IS SOME URGENCY
IN CARRYING OUT THE ENGAGEMENT.
LAUNDERS HAS TO ACT.
THERE IS A CHANNEL NEARBY.
IF THE U-BOAT REACHES THERE,
IT WILL BE TOO EASY TO LOSE.
LAUNDERS MUST FIRE ON THE U-BOAT
WITHOUT VISUAL CONTACT.
IT IS SOMETHING
HE'S NEVER DONE BEFORE.
THE GREAT PROBLEM
FOR ANY SUBMARINE COMMANDER
AGAINST ANY TARGET
IS WORKING OUT WHERE
THE TARGET IS GOING TO BE
WHEN THE TORPEDOES ARRIVE.
AND THAT CAN BE SOME TIME AFTER
THE TORPEDOES ARE FIRED.
LAUNDERS KNOWS
THAT HUNTING A SUBMARINE
IS MORE COMPLEX
THAN HIS USUAL TARGETS.
WHEN SHIPS ARE ON THE SURFACE,
THEY MOVE FORWARDS OR BACK,
LEFT OR RIGHT.
THEY MOVE ONLY
IN TWO DIMENSIONS.
A SUBMERGED SUBMARINE
ADDS A THIRD DIMENSION OF DEPTH
TO THE CALCULATIONS.
THIS IS A TARGET
MOVING IN THREE DIMENSIONS.
THEREFORE YOU HAVE TO
THINK VERY CAREFULLY
ABOUT THE DEPTHS AT WHICH YOU'RE
GOING TO FIRE YOUR WEAPONS,
AS WELL AS THE DIRECTION.
IT'S PRETTY CHANCY.
THE ODDS ARE AGAINST LAUNDERS.
HE REALIZES THAT THE BRITISH
MARK VIII TORPEDOES
ARE VERY LOUD UNDERWATER
ONCE THEY'VE BEEN FIRED.
IF THE CREW ON BOARD
THE U-BOAT HEARS THEM,
THEY'LL HAVE TIME TO TURN AWAY,
OR DIVE DEEP TO DODGE
THE INCOMING WARHEADS.
LAUNDERS HAS AN IDEA.
IT'S A LONG SHOT,
BUT IT'S ALL HE'S GOT.
MINUTES LATER,
U-864 TURNS TO STARBOARD.
IT'S TIME FOR LAUNDERS' PLAN
TO GO INTO ACTION.
UP PERISCOPE.
PORT 15.
HIS SUCCESS AND SURVIVAL
DEPEND ON WHETHER
HIS PREDICTIONS
OF THE GERMAN U-BOAT'S
BEHAVIOR ARE CORRECT.
FIRE.
FEBRUARY 9, 1945.
IN THE NORTH SEA,
ABOUT 2 MILES WEST OF
THE NORWEGIAN ISLAND OF FEDJE,
TWO SUBMARINES READY
FOR WHAT COULD BE
THE WORLD'S FIRST
UNDERWATER SUBMARINE DOGFIGHT.
ABOARD GERMAN U-BOAT U-864,
RALF-REINER WOLFRAM
ORDERS A SERIES OF TURNS
TO THWART A TORPEDO ATTACK.
BRITISH SUBMARINE COMMANDER
LIEUTENANT JAMES LAUNDERS
CALCULATES HOW TO SINK
A SUBMERGED U-BOAT.
IF HE CAN WORK OUT
WHEN THE U-BOAT WILL TURN NEXT,
HE CAN PLOT
A TORPEDO-FIRING PATTERN
THAT WILL INTERSECT
WITH WHERE HE ANTICIPATES
THE U-BOAT WILL BE.
LAUNDERS THINKS,
WITH HIS SUBMARINER'S INSTINCT,
THAT ANY SUBMARINE COMMANDER,
IF HE HEARS TORPEDOES
IN THE WATER,
IS GOING TO DIVE.
THEREFORE HE WILL PUT
AT LEAST ONE OF HIS TORPEDOES,
IF NOT MORE,
BELOW WHERE HE THINKS
THE SUBMARINE IS ALREADY,
BECAUSE THEN THE SUBMARINE
WILL DIVE INTO THE TORPEDO.
WHEN THE U-BOAT
TURNS TO STARBOARD,
LAUNDERS STARTS
A TWO-MINUTE COUNTDOWN.
UP PERISCOPE.
HE HAD HIS MEN READY
A SPREAD OF FOUR TORPEDOES.
LAUNDERS HAS CREATED HIS PLAN
TO WORK AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS
TO CREATE A THREE-DIMENSIONAL
FIRING PATTERN.
HE GIVES THE ORDER.
FIRE.
THE FIRST TORPEDO
ERUPTS FROM THE SUBMARINE.
HARD STARBOARD!
WOLFRAM GIVES
THE ORDER TO EVADE-
HARD TO STARBOARD AND DOWN.
FIRE.
THE SECOND AND THIRD TORPEDOES
DART TOWARD THE U-BOAT.
THERE'S ONLY ONE TORPEDO LEFT.
FIRE.
AND WOLFRAM
HAS ALREADY GONE DEEP.
THE FINAL TORPEDO
STREAKS THROUGH THE WATER...
AND SLAMS INTO
THE U-BOAT'S SIDE.
THE INRUSH OF WATER INTO
THE SUBMARINE IS SO RAPID...
THE U-BOAT'S FLOODED MIDSECTION
IMMEDIATELY BECOMES HEAVIER
THAN THE BOW AND STERN.
THE U-BOAT SNAPS
AND FALLS TO THE SEA FLOOR.
ON BOARD VENTURER,
LAUNDERS CAN'T TELL MUCH
ABOUT THE HIT.
HE KNOWS HE SUNK
A PRETTY BIG TARGET.
IT DOES SEEM TO BE CARRYING
A LOT OF STUFF,
WHICH COMES FLOATING
TO THE SURFACE.
THEREFORE IT COULD
WELL BE A MILK COW,
AS THEY CALLED
THE SUPPLY SUBMARINES.
THE MEN ABOARD VENTURER
HAVE NO IDEA HOW IMPORTANT
THEIR MISSION WAS.
IT WAS ONLY
AFTER THE ATTACK
THAT THE BRITISH LEARNED
THAT THEY HAD SUNK U-864
WITH ITS SECRET CARGO.
INCLUDING
THE CANISTERS OF MERCURY,
WORTH ABOUT $5 MILLION,
SETTLING ACROSS THE SILT.
THE SINKING OF U-864
DOES NOT STOP THE AXIS EFFORT.
IN MARCH 1945,
GERMANY TRIES TO SEND
ANOTHER U-BOAT
CARRYING WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY
TO JAPAN.
BUT DURING ITS JOURNEY,
EVENTS CHANGE RAPIDLY.
THE SOVIETS LAUNCH
A FINAL OFFENSIVE
TO TAKE BERLIN.
HITLER COMMITS SUICIDE.
IN MAY, THE CHIEF OF STAFF
OF THE GERMAN HIGH COMMAND
SURRENDERS UNCONDITIONALLY
TO THE ALLIES.
TWO DAYS LATER,
U- 234 RECEIVES A FINAL MESSAGE
FROM GROSSADMIRAL DÖNITZ,
TELLING HIS BELOVED U-BOAT ARM
THE WAR IS LOST.
THE CARGO OF U-234
WAS MORE SINISTER.
A HALF-TON OF URANIUM OXIDE
WOULD BE DISCOVERED ON BOARD
WHEN IT SURRENDERS.
THE WUNDERWAFFEN,
OR WONDER WEAPONS,
DON'T MAKE IT.
JAPAN WILL CONTINUE TO FACE
THE ALLIES ALONE IN THE PACIFIC.
IN 2003,
THE WRECKAGE FROM U-864
WAS LOCATED LESS THAN 2.5 MILES
OFF THE COAST OF NORWAY,
IN AROUND 500 FEET OF WATER.
ITS CARGO ALREADY
CONTAMINATED THE SEABED.
THE DANGEROUS COMBINATION
OF MERCURY
AND THE EXPLOSIVES
OF THE WEAPONS ON BOARD
MAKE SALVAGE RISKY.
THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT
CONTINUES TO WORK
TO MANAGE THE RISKS.
THE SINKING OF U-864
IS THE ONLY ACKNOWLEDGED
SUBMARINE-TO-SUBMARINE
SUBMERGED KILL
OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
IN THE ROYAL NAVY,
IN THE YEARS AFTER THE WAR,
LAUNDERS WAS A LEGEND FOR HAVING
PULLED OFF A REMARKABLE KILL.
THE SINKING OF U-864
IS A MAJOR LANDMARK
IN SUBMARINE WARFARE.
IT IS THE COMING OF AGE
OF THE SUBMARINE
AS AN ANTISUBMARINE SYSTEM.
AFTER THE WAR,
ANTISUBMARINE OPERATIONS
ARE GOING TO BECOME
THE MOST IMPORTANT OPERATIONS
OF THE BRITISH SUBMARINE FORCE
AND MOST OTHER PEOPLE'S
SUBMARINE FORCES.
IT'S VERY MUCH
A PIONEERING OPERATION.
BY SHOWING IT CAN BE DONE,
HMS VENTURER OPENS UP
A WHOLE NEW CHAPTER,
NOT JUST IN SUBMARINE WARFARE,
BUT IN NAVAL WARFARE AS WELL.
IN THE WATERS OFF NORWAY,
A BRITISH SUBMARINE
TRACKS A GERMAN U-BOAT.
WITH NEITHER VESSEL
ON THE SURFACE,
A RARE SITUATION DEVELOPS.
UP PERISCOPE.
NO SUBMARINE HAS
SUCCESSFULLY ATTACKED ANOTHER
WHILE BOTH WERE SUBMERGED.
THE BRITISH CAPTAIN
FACES A UNIQUE CHALLENGE.
THIS IS A NEW PROBLEM.
HIS MECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS CAN'T
HELP HIM THAT MUCH, IF AT ALL.
HE HAS TO DO IT ALL
IN HIS HEAD.
FIRE.
THEY WILL NEED
A NEW BATTLE PLAN...
HARD STARBOARD!
TO CREATE A DIFFERENT
KIND OF SUBMARINE WARFARE.
IN WORLD WAR II,
A SUBSEA WEAPON ALLOWS WARRIORS
TO FIGHT FROM BENEATH THE WAVES.
WITH CUNNING, FORCE,
AND TENACITY,
THEIR ENEMIES STRIKE BACK.
REVOLUTIONARY BUT STILL
SOMETIMES PRIMITIVE,
IT'S A DESPERATE BID...
TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF WAR.
THEIR STORIES ARE LEGEND.
NOVEMBER 11, 1944.
BRITISH SUBMARINE HMS VENTURER
HAS WEATHERED
THE ROUGH NORWEGIAN SEA
ON ITS EIGHTH WAR PATROL.
THEIR TOP SECRET MISSION
IS TO DELIVER SUPPLIES
TO RESISTANCE FIGHTERS
IN OCCUPIED NORWAY.
THE GERMANS,
DURING THIS PERIOD,
POURED IN SOME 400,000 SOLDIERS
IN THIS TINY COUNTRY.
ON THE NAVAL SIDE,
A LARGE PROPORTION
OF THE GERMAN KRIEGSMARINE
WAS SITUATED IN NORWEGIAN WATERS
FOR THE WHOLE PERIOD.
IN DEFIANCE,
SOME NORWEGIANS
WORK WITH THE ALLIES
TO PROVIDE INFORMATION
ABOUT THEIR NAZI OCCUPIERS.
IN EXCHANGE, THE BRITISH PROVIDE
SUPPORT, SUPPLIES, AND MONEY,
OFTEN DELIVERED BY SUBMARINE.
THIS TIME, THE RENDEZVOUS POINT
IS NEAR NARVIK,
IN NORTHERN NORWAY.
AS HMS VENTURER TRAVELS NORTH,
A CREW MEMBER SPOTS A SHAPE
THROUGH THE SEARCH PERISCOPE.
THROUGH THE DARK AND ROUGH SEAS,
HE MAKES OUT THE CONNING TOWER
OF ANOTHER SUBMARINE.
HE DOESN'T KNOW IT, BUT HE HAS
FOUND GERMAN U-BOAT U-771.
GET THE CAPTAIN.
THE U-BOAT TRAVELS
QUICKLY ON THE SURFACE.
U- 771 SPENT WEEKS
BATTLING AGAINST
TWO HEAVILY DEFENDED
ALLIED CONVOYS
HEADING TO THE SOVIET UNION.
THE CREW WERE LUCKY
TO ESCAPE ALIVE.
THE BRITISH SUB
REMAINS UNDETECTED
AND ONLY A FEW
THOUSAND YARDS AWAY.
IT CONTINUES TO TRAVEL
BENEATH THE SURFACE.
THE SUBMARINE'S CAPTAIN
IS LIEUTENANT JAMES LAUNDERS.
ONLY 25 YEARS OLD,
LAUNDERS JOINED THE ROYAL NAVY
AS A CADET IN 1938,
BEFORE BRITAIN DECLARED WAR.
HE'S COMMANDED HMS VENTURER
FOR A YEAR AND A HALF.
LAUNDERS MUST ACT QUICKLY
BEFORE THE U-BOAT SPOTS HIM.
IF HE SPOTS YOUR PERISCOPE,
NOBODY CAN TAKE
COUNTERACTION BETTER
THAN ANOTHER
SUBMARINE COMMANDER.
SO THEREFORE YOU HAVE TO STRIKE
WHILE THE IRON
IS VERY HOT INDEED.
LAUNDERS SNEAKS A LOOK
THROUGH THE PERISCOPE,
THEN ASKS FOR THE TARGET'S
SPEED, RANGE, AND BEARING.
SPEED AND RANGE.
ESTIMATED SPEED,
13 KNOTS.
THEY ESTIMATE
THE U-BOAT IS MAKING 13 KNOTS.
FULL AHEAD TOGETHER.
DOWN PERISCOPE.
HE ORDERS VENTURER
TO CLOSE IN ON THE U-BOAT,
WHILE HE WORKS OUT
HIS CALCULATIONS
AND THE TORPEDOES ARE READIED.
HE WON'T GET ANOTHER CHANCE.
HE MUST GET IT RIGHT.
HE WORKS OUT IN HIS MIND
WHAT THE BEST CHANCE
OF HITTING THE TARGET IS.
THIS WILL MEAN FIRING
ALL FOUR IN HIS TUBES.
HE WILL STILL HAVE
FOUR MORE TORPEDOES LEFT,
BUT NOT ENOUGH TIME
TO RELOAD THEM
BEFORE THE U-BOAT
COULD COUNTER-ATTACK.
SO HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE
HE GETS THE TARGET.
VENTURER CLOSES IN.
LAUNDERS TAKES A FINAL LOOK.
SPEED AND RANGE.
THE U-BOAT IS IN
VENTURER'S CROSSHAIRS.
2,000 YARDS.
THE TORPEDO CREW IS READY
AND WAITS FOR LAUNDERS' COMMAND.
LAUNDERS ORDERS THE SPREAD
OF FOUR TORPEDOES.
FIRE.
THE MARK VIII TORPEDOES
SPEED TOWARD THE GERMAN U-BOAT
AT OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR.
EACH CONTAINS 805 POUNDS
OF THE EXPLOSIVE TORPEX.
VENTURER'S CREW HEARS
THE EXPLOSION THROUGH THE HULL.
THE HYDROPHONE OPERATOR
LOSES THE SOUND
OF THE U-BOAT'S PROPELLER.
THERE IS NOTHING MORE
FROM U-771'S POSITION.
SUBMARINERS
ARE VERY AGGRESSIVE PEOPLE.
THEY HAVE TO BE.
THEY WILL PUT ALL THEIR EFFORTS
INTO SINKING THE ENEMY SUBMARINE
AND TEND NOT TO THINK
PSYCHOLOGICALLY
THAT WHAT'S HAPPENING
TO THE SUBMARINE OVER THERE
COULD HAPPEN TO THEM, TOO.
VENTURER BECOMES
ONE OF THE FEW BRITISH SUBS
TO SINK ANOTHER SUBMARINE.
LAUNDERS IS LATER AWARDED
THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER
FOR SINKING U-771.
REMARKABLY, THE WHOLE ATTACK
TAKES PLACE IN JUST SIX MINUTES.
HIS GREAT VIRTUE
AS A SUBMARINE COMMANDER
IS HIS ABILITY TO SUM THINGS UP
VERY, VERY QUICKLY
IN HIS OWN MIND
AND CARRY OUT AN ATTACK
RAPIDLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
AND HE'S VERY GOOD AT THAT.
AFTER THE SURPRISE ATTACK,
VENTURER RESUMES
ITS ORIGINAL MISSION,
PUTTING SUPPLIES ASHORE
IN NORWAY.
THE SINKING OF U-771
IS PART OF GROWING PRESSURE
BY THE ALLIES SINCE D-DAY.
AMERICANS, BRITISH,
AND CANADIANS
LEAD ADVANCES
ACROSS WESTERN EUROPE.
THE RED ARMY
DRIVES ACROSS EASTERN EUROPE
AND PREPARES TO TAKE
EAST PRUSSIA.
TO STEM THE TIDE,
HITLER TURNS TO GROSSADMIRAL
KARL DÖNITZ AND HIS U-BOATS.
NAZI GERMANY WANTS TO SHARE
EXPERIMENTAL MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
WITH JAPAN,
THE REMAINING AXIS POWER.
THEY HAVE WEAPONS
CALLED WUNDERWAFFEN.
WUNDERWAFFEN,
IT MEANS WONDER WEAPON,
MIRACLE WEAPON.
THE LONGER THE WAR GOES,
IT BECOMES A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL
FOR THE GERMAN PROPAGANDA,
FOR GOEBBELS.
WUNDERWAFFEN WEAPONS,
LIKE THE V-1 BOMBS
AND V-2 ROCKETS,
WERE UNLEASHED
AGAINST THE BRITISH,
PARTICULARLY AFTER D-DAY...
CAUSING MORE THAN
30,000 CASUALTIES.
THE GERMANS
ARE VERY INNOVATIVE
WHEN IT COMES TO
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT,
BUT THE PROBLEM FOR THEM
IS THEY CAN'T PRODUCE
THESE THINGS EN MASSE,
IN CONTRAST TO THE ALLIES.
AND THERE'S ANOTHER PROBLEM.
THESE ARE TWO COUNTRIES,
RELATIVELY SMALL.
AND THEY ARE DIVIDED BY
THE ALLIED SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
OR SPHERE OF POWER,
BE IT BY THE BRITISH,
BE IT BY THE AMERICANS,
BE IT BY THE SOVIETS.
SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM
TO EXCHANGE IDEAS,
TO EXCHANGE PLANS,
AND ALSO TO EXCHANGE TECHNOLOGY.
WHEN SURFACE SHIPS
CARRYING
WAR MATERIALS TO JAPAN
ARE REPEATEDLY SUNK,
THE ONLY REMAINING OPTION
IS TO USE SUBMARINES.
GERMAN U-BOAT U-864
WILL TRANSPORT
WUNDERWAFFEN TECHNOLOGY,
INCLUDING PARTS AND PLANS FOR
THE MESSERSCHMITT ME 163 KOMET,
AN EXPERIMENTAL ROCKET-POWERED
INTERCEPTOR AIRCRAFT,
AND THE MESSERSCHMITT
ME 262 SWALLOW,
THE FIRST JET FIGHTER
TO SEE AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT.
IN A MISSION CODE-NAMED
OPERATION CAESAR,
THE TRANSPORT ALSO INCLUDES
LEADING-EDGE SCIENTISTS
AND TWO JAPANESE EXPERTS
RETURNING TO JAPAN BY SUBMARINE.
THEIR FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE
WILL BE VITAL
FOR MASS PRODUCTION
OF WUNDERWAFFEN.
THEY HOPE THE COMBINATION
OF JAPANESE MANPOWER
WITH GERMAN SCIENCE
WILL TILT THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC
IN JAPAN'S FAVOR
AND FORCE THE ALLIES TO DIVERT
MORE TROOPS TO THE FAR EAST,
PULLING THEM OUT OF EUROPE
TO CLEAR THE WAY
FOR A NAZI RESURGENCE.
U- 864 IS A BRAND-NEW U-BOAT.
U- BOAT COMMANDER
RALF-REIMAR WOLFRAM
STARTS DRILLS AND SEA TRIALS
IN OCTOBER.
WITH ONLY THREE
PREVIOUS PATROLS,
WOLFRAM IS CONSIDERED
A SEASONED OFFICER.
AFTER 1943,
MANY OF THE EXPERIENCED OFFICERS
WERE KILLED DURING THE WAR,
AND MANY OF THE YOUNGER
U-BOAT COMMANDERS
DIDN'T LIVE ENOUGH, LONG ENOUGH,
TO GAIN THE NECESSARY EXPERIENCE
BECAUSE MANY OF THE U-BOATS WERE
SUNK ON THEIR FIRST PATROLS.
SO WOLFRAM,
AS AN EXPERIENCED OFFICER,
WAS QUITE UNIQUE
BECAUSE HE WAS ONE
OF THE OLD GUYS,
HE WAS ONE OF
THE EXPERIENCED GUYS.
THEY LEAVE
KIEL, GERMANY, IN DECEMBER.
THE BOAT AND ALSO THE CREW
AS A TEAM WERE UNEXPERIENCED,
SO IT WAS THE FIRST PATROL
AND ALSO THE FIRST
REAL CHALLENGE.
THE U-BOAT LIKELY CARRIES
A FULL COMPLEMENT OF
27 TORPEDOES AND OTHER WEAPONS
TO DEFEND ITSELF.
THEIR SIX-MONTH JOURNEY
WILL TAKE THEM NORTH
OF THE BRITISH ISLES,
AROUND THE SOUTHERN TIP
OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT,
ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN,
AND TO A U-BOAT BASE
IN MALAYSIA.
THEY STOP IN OCCUPIED NORWAY
TO REFUEL AND PICK UP
ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES.
ALLIED SUBMARINE AND AIRCRAFT
PATROL THE WATERS
BETWEEN THE NORWEGIAN COAST
AND THE UNITED KINGDOM.
THEY WILL HAVE TO SNEAK ACROSS
BEFORE MAKING A BREAK
FOR THE ATLANTIC.
U- 864 HAS SOME OF THE LATEST
IN U-BOAT TECHNOLOGY,
INCLUDING A NEW DEVICE
CALLED THE SNORKEL.
IN WORLD WAR II,
ALL SUBMARINES HAD TO SURFACE
TO RECHARGE THEIR BATTERIES,
WHICH ALLOWED THEM TO DIVE
AND STAY UNDERWATER.
BUT TRAVELING ON THE SURFACE
IS DANGEROUS,
ESPECIALLY DURING THE DAY.
WHEN THE SNORKEL IS RAISED,
ONLY A SMALL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT
STICKS UP OUT OF THE WATER,
ALLOWING MOST OF THE U-BOAT
TO REMAIN HIDDEN.
SO A U-BOAT COULD DIVE,
USE THE DIESEL ENGINE
TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY
BY GETTING IN THE NECESSARY AIR
THROUGH THE SNORKEL
AND ALSO THE AIR
FOR THE CREW TO BREATHE.
BUT U-864
DOES NOT GET VERY FAR.
THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG
WITH THE SNORKEL.
WHEN WOLFRAM
REPORTS THE PROBLEM,
U- BOAT COMMAND DOESN'T WANT
TO TAKE ANY CHANCES.
THEY ORDER U-864
TO A NEARBY PORT FOR INSPECTION.
JUST AS THE U-BOAT TURNS,
IT COMES TO AN ABRUPT HALT.
THE SUBMARINE RUNS AGROUND
IN THE SHALLOW WATERS.
WOLFRAM'S PROBLEMS
HAVE GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE.
THE JAGGED STONE
OF THE NORWEGIAN FJORDS
COULD EASILY DAMAGE HIS HULL.
THE OUTCOME OF OPERATION CAESAR
AND HIS U-BOAT
HANG IN THE BALANCE.
DECEMBER 1944.
NAZI U-BOAT U-864
HAS ENCOUNTERED TROUBLE
OFF THE COAST OF NORWAY.
EN ROUTE TO JAPAN WITH PLANS
AND PARTS FOR SECRET WEAPONS,
THE U-BOAT HAS RUN AGROUND.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO
NAVIGATE IN A NORWEGIAN FJORD
BECAUSE IT'S VERY NARROW,
THERE ARE SHALLOWS,
THERE ARE PROBABLY
UNCHARTED ROCKS AND REEFS.
UNTIL THIS VERY DAY, IT'S VERY
DIFFICULT TO, UM, TO NAVIGATE.
WOLFRAM
IMMEDIATELY SENDS THE CREW
TO CONDUCT A CHECK
OF THE SUBMARINE'S CONDITION.
THEY CONFIRM THAT
THE INTERIOR OF THE HULL
HAS NOT BEEN DAMAGED.
U- BOAT COMMANDER WOLFRAM
IS LUCKY.
U- 864 CARRIES A DANGEROUS CARGO
HIDDEN IN ITS KEEL-
67 TONS OF MERCURY.
MERCURY IS A KEY INGREDIENT
IN WEAPONS PRODUCTION,
OFTEN USED AS A DETONATOR
TO SET OFF EXPLOSIVES.
VERY DENSE, EACH OF
THE 1,857 FLASKS ON BOARD
HOLDS ABOUT 2.5 QUARTS
OF LIQUID MERCURY
AND WEIGHS AROUND 70 POUNDS.
THE FLASKS REPLACE
MUCH OF THE LEAD BALLAST
SUBMARINES USUALLY CARRY
IN THEIR KEEL.
FORTUNATELY FOR THE CREW,
THEIR LETHAL CARGO
REMAINS INTACT.
WOLFRAM CAN'T AFFORD
ANOTHER MISTAKE.
HE REQUESTS A HARBOR PILOT-
A LOCAL SHIP'S CAPTAIN-
TO GUIDE THEM INTO PORT.
FOR A SUBMARINE
ON A SECRET MISSION,
THEY'RE STARTING TO DRAW
ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES.
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,
BRITISH INTELLIGENCE HAS ALREADY
GLEANED INFORMATION
FROM DECODED GERMAN INTERCEPTS
AND LEARNED THAT GERMANY IS
SENDING WUNDERWAFFEN TO JAPAN.
THEY KNOW THAT
THE ONLY WAY THAT CAN BE DONE
IS BY SUBMARINE.
THE QUESTION IS,
WHICH SUBMARINE?
BREAKING CODES
DOES NOT ALWAYS
PROVIDE TIMELY INFORMATION
ABOUT GERMANY'S
INDIVIDUAL NAVAL UNITS.
THE OCEAN IS VAST.
EVEN WITH GOOD INTELLIGENCE,
FINDING SOMETHING OUT THERE
IS REALLY VERY DIFFICULT.
SHIPS AND SUBMARINES CAN GO
WHERE THE CAPTAIN LIKES,
AND SOMETIMES
THE CAPTAINS MAKE ADJUSTMENTS
IN ORDER TO COMPLETE
THEIR MISSION SAFELY.
AFTER GERMAN KRIEGSMARINE CREWS
CONFIRM THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
OF THE U-864'S HULL...
THE U-BOAT THEN HEADS TO BERGEN,
ALSO IN NORWAY,
TO REPAIR THE SNORKEL.
EACH OF THEIR STOPS
INCREASES THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
IN CONTACT WITH THE U-BOAT.
THIS KIND OF INFORMATION HAS
PROVED CRITICAL TO THE ALLIES.
IT IS SECRETLY SHARED BY
A STRONG RESISTANCE MOVEMENT
THAT HAS OPERATED IN NORWAY
SINCE EARLY IN THE WAR.
WHEN WAR BROKE OUT
IN APRIL 1940 IN NORWAY-
THE NAZI INVASION-
THERE WERE TWO MONTHS
OF FIGHTING.
BY JUNE,
RATHER THAN SURRENDER,
THE KING OF NORWAY
AND KEY MINISTERS
FLEE TO ENGLAND
AND SET UP
A GOVERNMENT IN EXILE.
THAT IS THE ORIGIN
OF THE COOPERATION WITH
THE BRITISH ON BRITISH SOIL.
THEY BRING WHAT'S LEFT
OF THEIR NAVY
AND FIGHTING FORCES
AND PROVIDE A LINK
TO THE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT
LEFT IN NORWAY,
WHO SPY AND PASS ON
THE INFORMATION.
MORE TYPICAL
INFORMATION WOULD BE
THAT THIS- AND-THAT SUBMARINE
WITH PENNANT SO- AND-SO
WERE SPOTTED IN SOME PORT
OR IN THE U-BOAT PENS.
BUT THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO
REPORT ON ANY NAVAL MOVEMENTS,
BEING UPDATED
ON WHERE THE VESSELS
WERE ACTUALLY SITUATED
AT THE VERY MOMENT.
THAT WAS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE,
OF COURSE.
IN RETURN,
BRITISH INTELLIGENCE
PROVIDES FUNDING, TRAINING,
AND EQUIPMENT.
WHEN U-864 RAN AGROUND,
TWO JAPANESE MEN IN NORWAY
WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN
NOTICED AND REPORTED.
THE CANDID REPORTS
ON MOVEMENTS-
IN THIS CASE,
SUBMARINES AND SO ON-
COULD BE TRANSMITTED
FAIRLY RAPIDLY.
A TIP-OFF
THAT U-864 IS IN BERGEN
COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER.
IT'S EARLY 1945.
THE ALLIED ARMIES
HAVE RETAKEN FRANCE.
BERGEN IS WHERE THE U-BOATS
ARE GOING TO BE CONCENTRATED.
INFORMATION FROM
THE NORWEGIAN RESISTANCE
MAY PROVIDE THE ALLIES
AN OPPORTUNITY
TO STOP TECHNICAL EXPERTS
WITH WEAPON PLANS AND PARTS
FROM BEING SHIPPED TO JAPAN.
AND THE RAF
STRATEGIC BOMBING COMMAND
IS GOING TO GO AFTER
THE U-BOAT PEN AT BERGEN.
ON JANUARY 12th,
32 AVRO LANCASTER BOMBERS
MAKE THEIR WAY TO NORWAY.
THE LANCASTERS CARRY
TALLBOY BOMBS-
21 FEET LONG,
CONTAINING 5,200 POUNDS
OF THE EXPLOSIVE TORPEX.
TALLBOYS DETONATE
AFTER BURYING THEMSELVES
INSIDE ARMOR, TUNNELS,
AND EVEN CONCRETE.
THEY ARE PERFECT
FOR ATTACKING STRUCTURES
LIKE HEAVILY REINFORCED
U-BOAT PENS.
IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEATED FIGHT
WITH GERMAN LUFTWAFFE,
A LANCASTER DROPS A TALLBOY
NEAR THEIR TARGET.
IT TAKES DAYS TO FIND OUT
IF THE ATTACK WAS SUCCESSFUL.
REPORTS COME IN
FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES.
ALLIED INTELLIGENCE
MUST PIECE THEM TOGETHER.
THE BRITISH WOULD HAVE LEARNED
THAT THE ATTACK WAS A SUCCESS
THROUGH INTELLIGENCE,
THE INTERCEPTION
OF GERMAN MESSAGES,
BUT ALSO HUMAN INTELLIGENCE,
AGENTS FROM THE NORWEGIAN
RESISTANCE MOVEMENT.
THE NEWS IS BAD.
THE ALLIES LEARNED
THAT THEY HAD A DIRECT HIT
ON THE U-BOAT PENS,
BUT IT DID VERY LITTLE DAMAGE.
BUT IT IS ENOUGH
TO DELAY THE DEPARTURE OF U-864
A LITTLE LONGER.
ONE CAN'T HELP
FEELING A LITTLE SORRY
FOR THE JAPANESE PEOPLE
ON BOARD THE U-BOAT
BECAUSE THEY ARE LEAVING
ONE DEFEATED POWER
AND GOING BACK HOME TO A POWER
THAT'S ABOUT PERHAPS
TO BE DEFEATED ITSELF.
BUT PERHAPS
IF IT GETS THE TECHNOLOGY
THAT'S IN THE SUBMARINE,
THEN JAPAN
MIGHT BE ABLE TO HOLD OUT.
DESPITE THE SETBACK,
THE ALLIES STILL BELIEVE
THEY KNOW ENOUGH
TO STOP THE TRANSPORT
OF GERMAN TECHNOLOGY
TO THE PACIFIC FRONT.
WITH THE WAR
NEARING THE END,
YOU NEEDED TO STOP
THE TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
BETWEEN GERMANY AND JAPAN,
BECAUSE YOU JUST
COULDN'T TAKE THE CHANCE
OF THEM USING NEW WEAPONS
TO EXTEND THE WAR.
RATHER THAN TARGET
THE REINFORCED
U-BOAT PENS AGAIN,
THEY WILL TRY WHEN U-864
IS MORE EXPOSED...
AND USE A SUBMARINE
TO ATTACK THE U-BOAT.
BRITAIN'S 9th SUBMARINE FLOTILLA
IS BASED AT HMS AMBROSE,
IN SCOTLAND.
SUBMARINES FROM THE 9th FLOTILLA
HAVE HARASSED GERMAN SHIPS
IN THE NORTH SEA SINCE 1940.
ON FEBRUARY 2, 1945,
HMS VENTURER LEAVES LERWICK,
IN THE SHETLAND ISLANDS,
ON ITS 11th WAR PATROL.
VENTURER IS A BRITISH V,
OR VAMPIRE CLASS, SUBMARINE.
ONE OF THE EARLY ONES
WAS CALLED VAMPIRE,
AND IT SEEMED QUITE USEFUL,
A GOOD NAME FOR SOMETHING
THAT WOULD BE
DRAWING THE ENEMY'S BLOOD.
THE V CLASS
ARE NOT THE FASTEST SUBMARINES,
MAKING ONLY 11 KNOTS
ON THE SURFACE.
HOWEVER,
JUST 204 FEET IN LENGTH,
THEIR COMPACT SIZE
MAKES THEM IDEAL
FOR REGULAR PATROLS
IN NORWEGIAN FJORDS.
VENTURER STILL SAILS
UNDER THE COMMAND
OF LIEUTENANT JAMES LAUNDERS.
JIMMY LAUNDERS
HAS A VERY HIGH REPUTATION
IN THE SUBMARINE SERVICE.
HE'S VERY INTELLIGENT,
HE'S VERY EFFECTIVE,
AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL,
HE HAS THE COMPLETE TRUST
OF HIS SHIP'S COMPANY.
THEIR PLANNED OPERATING AREA
IS AT THE SOUTHERN ENTRANCE
TO THE CITY OF BERGEN.
PATROLLING HERE
MEANS THAT LAUNDERS
CAN INTERCEPT GERMAN VESSELS
AS THEY COME BACK TO BASE.
TIRED U-BOAT CREWS
RETURNING FROM LONG PATROLS
MAY LET DOWN THEIR GUARD
WITH THE LURE OF CLEAN CLOTHES,
FRESH FOOD, AND COMFORTABLE BEDS
THEY WILL FIND IN PORT.
LAUNDERS IS SENSIBLE ENOUGH
TO REALIZE THAT WHEN SUBMARINES
ARE COMING BACK OFF OF PATROL,
THEY'RE MOST VULNERABLE.
THEREFORE THEY BECOME
EASIER TARGETS.
BUT WHEN VENTURER
REACHES THE PATROL AREA,
THEY RECEIVE A CODED MESSAGE
FROM HEADQUARTERS.
THE ORDERS REDIRECT LAUNDERS
TO PATROL OFF THE COAST
OF FEDJE INSTEAD.
THIS MEANS THAT VENTURER WILL
TRY TO INTERCEPT U-BOATS
WITH FAR MORE ALERT CREWS
EXITING BERGEN
INTO THE NORTH SEA AND BEYOND.
WHEN LAUNDERS RECEIVES
THE ORDER TO DIVERT TO FEDJE,
THAT PUTS HIM
RIGHT IN THE PATH OF U-864.
FEBRUARY 8, 1945.
GERMAN U-BOAT U-864
LEAVES THE U-BOAT PENS
AT BERGEN, NORWAY,
FOLLOWING A SERIES OF REPAIRS.
IT HEADS NORTHWEST
TO A DEEP-WATER CHANNEL
THAT LEADS TO THE OCEAN.
FROM THERE
IT WILL CONTINUE ITS MISSION
TO BRING TOP-SECRET
GERMAN TECHNOLOGY TO JAPAN.
U- BOAT COMMANDER
RALF-REIMAR WOLFRAM
IS UNAWARE THAT BRITISH
SUBMARINE VENTURER
HAS BEEN ORDERED
TO PATROL THE AREA.
BUT THE ROYAL NAVY'S
LIEUTENANT JAMES LAUNDERS
DOESN'T KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT HE'S LOOKING FOR, EITHER.
HIS ORDERS
MAKE NO MENTION OF U-864.
THE GENERAL INTELLIGENCE PICTURE
SEEMS TO HAVE INDICATED
THAT THERE WOULD BE A SUBMARINE
DOING SOMETHING.
SUBMARINERS ARE MEANT TO SHOW
CONSIDERABLE INITIATIVE.
YOU PUT THEM IN THE RIGHT AREA,
AND THEY ARE EXPECTED
TO FIND TARGETS.
AFTER THE U-BOAT'S
ESCORT RETURNS TO PORT,
WOLFRAM RUNS READINESS DRILLS
WITH HIS CREW.
THEIR JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN,
BUT THEY MUST BE ON THEIR GUARD.
HE KNOWS THAT THE AREA
IS REGULARLY INFILTRATED
BY RAF PLANES
AND BRITISH NAVAL SHIPS.
SATISFIED EVERYONE IS READY,
HE ORDERS U-864 TO SUBMERGE.
HE SETS COURSE
TOWARD THE SHETLAND ISLANDS-
100 MILES NORTH
OF THE SCOTTISH MAINLAND.
BUT BEFORE LONG,
HE HAS ANOTHER PROBLEM.
ONE OF U-864'S DIESEL ENGINES
IS MISFIRING.
FOR WOLFRAM,
IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN ALMOST
INCREDIBLE STREAK OF BAD LUCK.
HE HAD FINALLY PUT TO SEA AGAIN,
HE AGAIN RUNS INTO
TECHNICAL TROUBLE
WITH ONE OF THE ENGINES
MAKING STRANGE NOISES.
IT WAS PROBABLY A BROKEN PISTON,
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THE BANGING IS SO LOUD
THAT IT COULD BE PICKED UP BY
ENEMY VESSELS FOR MILES AROUND.
FOR A U-BOAT
TRYING TO SNEAKING THROUGH
ENEMY-INFESTED WATERS,
SILENCE WAS
OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
IT ALSO MAKES IT
DIFFICULT FOR THE U-BOAT CREW
TO LISTEN FOR SOUNDS
OF OTHER SHIPS NEARBY.
WOLFRAM SURFACES TO CONTACT
U-BOAT HEADQUARTERS.
BUT HE CAN GUESS WHAT'S COMING.
THEY ORDER U-864 BACK TO BERGEN.
HOWEVER, WITH ALLIED AIR AND SEA
VESSELS PATROLLING THE AREA,
THEY DON'T WANT HIM
TO RETURN ALONE.
THEY WILL SEND AN ESCORT
TO MEET HIM.
A DISAPPOINTED WOLFRAM
ORDERS THEM TO
PERISCOPE DEPTH TO WAIT.
FOR THE U-BOAT,
THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION
IS A MAJOR PROBLEM,
BUT FOR BRITISH SUBMARINE
HMS VENTURER,
IT ALSO CHANGES THE GAME.
IF AN ESCORT ARRIVES,
THE RISKS TO LAUNDERS
GREATLY INCREASE.
THE CHANCE OF HIS PERISCOPE
BEING SPOTTED
GREATLY INCREASE.
HE MIGHT WELL LOSE THE TARGET
AND LOSE HIS OPPORTUNITY.
HE MIGHT EVEN BE
ATTACKED HIMSELF.
HE MIGHT EVEN BE SUNK.
IF VENTURER MISSES THIS CHANCE,
THE ALLIES WILL HAVE TO
START ALL OVER AGAIN.
THEY MAY NOT GET A TIPOFF
ABOUT THE U-BOAT'S DEPARTURE
NEXT TIME.
THEY CONTINUE WITH
A THOROUGH SEARCH PATTERN.
FINALLY, ON THE MORNING
OF FEBRUARY 9th,
VENTURER'S HYDROPHONE OPERATOR
DETECTS A FAINT SOUND.
THE SOUND PICKED UP
COULD WELL BE A FISHING BOAT.
IT'S A NOISY DIESEL.
AND THEREFORE YOU SEE
IS IT A FISHING BOAT?
IT COULD ACTUALLY BE A GERMAN
ARMED TRAWLER, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO YOU TRY TO FIND IT.
OFFICER OF THE WATCH
LIEUTENANT CHALMERS
BEGINS A METHODICAL SEARCH
FOR THE SOURCE.
HE'S CAREFUL
TO HAVE THE PERISCOPE UP
FOR ONLY SHORT PERIODS OF TIME.
WHEN YOUR PERISCOPE'S UP,
YOU ARE GIVING
YOUR POSITION AWAY.
YOU HAVE IT UP FOR
THE SMALLEST AMOUNT OF TIME.
YOU RAISE IT
THE SMALLEST AMOUNT OF DISTANCE
ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE SEA.
DOWN PERISCOPE.
IT IS YOUR GREATEST HELP,
BUT IT CAN ALSO BE
YOUR GREATEST ENEMY.
MORE THAN AN HOUR LATER,
CHALMERS SPOTS
SOMETHING TO THE NORTH.
GET THE CAPTAIN.
LOOKING THROUGH THE TINY LENS,
HE MANAGES TO MAKE OUT
A THIN MAST,
NEARLY THREE MILES AWAY,
AGAINST THE BACKDROP
OF MOVING OCEAN.
CHALMERS UPDATES LAUNDERS,
WHO ORDERS THE CREW
TO ACTION STATIONS.
ACTION STATIONS,
ACTION STATIONS.
ALL COMPARTMENTS REPORT.
LIKE THEIR CONTACT WITH U-771,
VENTURER HAS SPOTTED
THE ENEMY U-BOAT FIRST.
BUT THIS ENCOUNTER
WILL BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
THE EARLIER ATTACK
THAT LAUNDERS HAS CARRIED OUT
IS A CLASSIC SUBMERGED SUBMARINE
VERSUS SURFACE SUBMARINE ATTACK.
THEY GO BACK
TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR.
THIS IS SOMETHING NEW.
VENTURER AND U-864
ARE BOTH SUBMERGED
AND VIRTUALLY BLIND
TO EACH OTHER.
BECAUSE LAUNDERS
CANNOT SEE THE SUBMARINE-
HE CAN ONLY SEE ITS PERISCOPE-
HE ONLY HAS INDICATIONS,
REALLY, OF WHERE IT IS.
THE PERISCOPE IS THEIR
ONLY POINT OF VISUAL REFERENCE.
IT IS A TINY TARGET.
AT FIRST THEY DON'T KNOW
HOW THE SUBMARINE
IS ORIENTED AROUND IT.
NORMALLY, IN AN ATTACK
ON A SURFACE SUBMARINE,
IT'S MUCH EASIER.
THIS IS MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED.
THIS IS LATE 20th CENTURY
NAVAL WARFARE.
UP PERISCOPE.
IN THE CONTROL ROOM,
LAUNDERS LOOKS THROUGH
THE PERISCOPE
AND REQUESTS A REPORT.
THEY INFORM HIM THAT
THE U-BOAT'S SPEED IS UNKNOWN,
IT'S RANGE UNCERTAIN.
BUT THEY LATER ESTIMATE
ABOUT THREE MILES.
LAUNDERS DECIDES AGAINST
THE SNAP ATTACK
HE USED FOR U-771.
HE NEEDS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
THE U-BOAT'S SPEED AND COURSE.
HE RULES OUT USING ACTIVE SONAR.
THIS REQUIRES
SENDING OUT AUDIBLE PINGS
TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE LOCATION
AND DISTANCE OF THE U-BOAT.
DOWN PERISCOPE.
ACTIVE SONAR GIVES YOU
A GOOD FIX ON THE ENEMY.
BUT IT ALSO MEANS THE ENEMY
KNOWS YOU'RE THERE.
THEREFORE YOU HAVE TO USE
YOUR SONAR PASSIVELY.
YOU HAVE TO USE
YOUR HYDROPHONES,
AS THEY'RE SOMETIMES CALLED,
TO LISTEN FOR THE ENEMY.
LAUNDERS THEN ORDERS
VENTURER INTO POSITION BEHIND
AND ON A PARALLEL COURSE
TO THE U-BOAT,
AT A CONSTANT SPEED
OF 4 MILES AN HOUR.
KNOWING THEIR OWN SPEED,
AS THE CREW RECORDS THEIR PATH,
THEY ALSO COLLECT INFORMATION
ABOUT THE U-BOAT.
IF HE ISN'T CHANGING COURSE
AND IF HE'S GOING
AT A CONSTANT SPEED,
THEN THAT IS NOT A VARIABLE.
LAUNDERS RISKS ANOTHER
PEEK THROUGH THE PERISCOPE.
HE'S SHOCKED TO SEE
THAT THE U-BOAT
STILL HAS ITS PERISCOPE UP.
IN FACT, TO LAUNDERS,
THE U-BOAT APPEARS TO BE USING
BOTH THE ATTACK
AND SEARCH PERISCOPES.
LAUNDERS CAN'T
REALLY BELIEVE HIS LUCK,
BECAUSE HERE IS
A GERMAN SUBMARINE
SAYING, HELLO, I'M HERE.
ONE WONDERS
WHAT CONDITIONS WERE.
I THINK WE WOULD HAVE HAD
A VERY, VERY WORRIED
GERMAN SUBMARINE COMMANDER
WHO WAS HOPING TO GET SOME
SUPPORT AND HOPING TO FIND IT.
FOR A U-BOAT,
THE STANDARD PROCEDURE
WOULD HAVE BEEN
TO STAY SUBMERGED,
SIMPLY TO EVADE DETECTION,
HAVING A LOOK FROM TIME TO TIME
THROUGH THE PERISCOPE
IF THE ESCORT ARRIVES,
THEN MAKING CONTACT
AND GOING BACK TO PORT.
HMS VENTURER CONTINUES
TO TRAVEL AT 4 MILES PER HOUR.
THE BRITISH SUBMARINE
CLOSES IN ON THE U-BOAT.
IT'S NOW ONLY ABOUT
2,000 YARDS AWAY.
BUT AS LAUNDERS WATCHES,
THE U-BOAT SUDDENLY TURNS WEST.
LAUNDERS MUST ASSUME
THE CREW OF U-864
HAS PICKED UP THE PRESENCE
OF THE BRITISH SUB
AND MAY BE PREPARING
ITS OWN ATTACK.
IT WAS QUITE
A UNIQUE SITUATION.
BOTH ARE SUBMERGED.
AND NOW THIS GAME
OF HUNTING STARTS.
AND I THINK FOR BOTH COMMANDERS
IT WAS A MOST
EXTRAORDINARY SITUATION,
SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW.
FEBRUARY 9, 1945.
BRITISH SUBMARINE HMS VENTURER
PURSUES GERMAN U-BOAT U-864
IN WATERS OFF NORWAY.
THE U-BOAT'S NOISY ENGINE
PROVES DOUBLY DANGEROUS.
IT'S NOT ONLY
THAT HE CAN BE HEARD VERY EASILY
BY ENEMY CRAFT,
BUT ALSO IT DIMINISHED
YOUR ABILITY
TO DETECT OTHER VESSELS,
BECAUSE ALSO YOUR HYDROPHONES
ARE BLOCKED BY THE NOISE
OF THE ENGINE.
DESPITE ENGINE NOISE ON BOARD,
U- 864'S HYDROPHONES SEEM TO
FINALLY PICK SOMETHING UP.
HMS VENTURER CLOSES IN.
U- BOAT COMMANDER WOLFRAM
APPEARS TO REALIZE
HE'S BEING PURSUED
BY AN ENEMY SUBMARINE.
SO HE APPLIES
THE STANDARD METHOD
FOR EVADING A TORPEDO ATTACK,
WHICH IS ALSO USED
BY ANY SURFACE VESSEL.
HE STARTS TO ZIGZAG,
TO CHANGE HIS COURSE
FROM TIME TO TIME
JUST TO PREVENT
A TORPEDO ATTACK.
THE ZIGZAG WORKS.
THE PATTERN COMPLICATES
THE TORPEDO FIRING SOLUTION
FOR THE BRITISH SUBMARINE.
WITH ONLY
A LIMITED NUMBER OF TORPEDOES,
LAUNDERS CAN'T TAKE THE CHANCE
THAT HE WILL MISS.
TO GET A SHOT AT THE U-BOAT,
LAUNDERS MUST PREDICT
THE PATTERN OF THE ZIGZAG.
DOWN PERISCOPE.
IT IS RISKY TO WAIT.
LAUNDERS KNOWS
THE U-BOAT'S STERN TORPEDOES
ARE AIMED IN HIS DIRECTION.
EVERY TIME IT TURNS,
VENTURER IS DIRECTLY
IN THEIR PATH.
BUT VENTURER CONTINUES
TO TRACK THE U-BOAT,
HOPING IT WILL SURFACE
AND THEY CAN GET A CLEAR SHOT.
BUT IT NEVER DOES.
LAUNDERS PROBABLY
HAS A PRETTY GOOD IDEA
OF WHAT THE NORMAL OPERATING
PROCEDURES OF THE GERMANS ARE
IN THAT AREA.
HE ALSO KNOWS THAT THE GERMAN
MAY BE GIVING HIMSELF A CHANCE
OF GETTING AWAY.
THEREFORE, THERE IS SOME URGENCY
IN CARRYING OUT THE ENGAGEMENT.
LAUNDERS HAS TO ACT.
THERE IS A CHANNEL NEARBY.
IF THE U-BOAT REACHES THERE,
IT WILL BE TOO EASY TO LOSE.
LAUNDERS MUST FIRE ON THE U-BOAT
WITHOUT VISUAL CONTACT.
IT IS SOMETHING
HE'S NEVER DONE BEFORE.
THE GREAT PROBLEM
FOR ANY SUBMARINE COMMANDER
AGAINST ANY TARGET
IS WORKING OUT WHERE
THE TARGET IS GOING TO BE
WHEN THE TORPEDOES ARRIVE.
AND THAT CAN BE SOME TIME AFTER
THE TORPEDOES ARE FIRED.
LAUNDERS KNOWS
THAT HUNTING A SUBMARINE
IS MORE COMPLEX
THAN HIS USUAL TARGETS.
WHEN SHIPS ARE ON THE SURFACE,
THEY MOVE FORWARDS OR BACK,
LEFT OR RIGHT.
THEY MOVE ONLY
IN TWO DIMENSIONS.
A SUBMERGED SUBMARINE
ADDS A THIRD DIMENSION OF DEPTH
TO THE CALCULATIONS.
THIS IS A TARGET
MOVING IN THREE DIMENSIONS.
THEREFORE YOU HAVE TO
THINK VERY CAREFULLY
ABOUT THE DEPTHS AT WHICH YOU'RE
GOING TO FIRE YOUR WEAPONS,
AS WELL AS THE DIRECTION.
IT'S PRETTY CHANCY.
THE ODDS ARE AGAINST LAUNDERS.
HE REALIZES THAT THE BRITISH
MARK VIII TORPEDOES
ARE VERY LOUD UNDERWATER
ONCE THEY'VE BEEN FIRED.
IF THE CREW ON BOARD
THE U-BOAT HEARS THEM,
THEY'LL HAVE TIME TO TURN AWAY,
OR DIVE DEEP TO DODGE
THE INCOMING WARHEADS.
LAUNDERS HAS AN IDEA.
IT'S A LONG SHOT,
BUT IT'S ALL HE'S GOT.
MINUTES LATER,
U-864 TURNS TO STARBOARD.
IT'S TIME FOR LAUNDERS' PLAN
TO GO INTO ACTION.
UP PERISCOPE.
PORT 15.
HIS SUCCESS AND SURVIVAL
DEPEND ON WHETHER
HIS PREDICTIONS
OF THE GERMAN U-BOAT'S
BEHAVIOR ARE CORRECT.
FIRE.
FEBRUARY 9, 1945.
IN THE NORTH SEA,
ABOUT 2 MILES WEST OF
THE NORWEGIAN ISLAND OF FEDJE,
TWO SUBMARINES READY
FOR WHAT COULD BE
THE WORLD'S FIRST
UNDERWATER SUBMARINE DOGFIGHT.
ABOARD GERMAN U-BOAT U-864,
RALF-REINER WOLFRAM
ORDERS A SERIES OF TURNS
TO THWART A TORPEDO ATTACK.
BRITISH SUBMARINE COMMANDER
LIEUTENANT JAMES LAUNDERS
CALCULATES HOW TO SINK
A SUBMERGED U-BOAT.
IF HE CAN WORK OUT
WHEN THE U-BOAT WILL TURN NEXT,
HE CAN PLOT
A TORPEDO-FIRING PATTERN
THAT WILL INTERSECT
WITH WHERE HE ANTICIPATES
THE U-BOAT WILL BE.
LAUNDERS THINKS,
WITH HIS SUBMARINER'S INSTINCT,
THAT ANY SUBMARINE COMMANDER,
IF HE HEARS TORPEDOES
IN THE WATER,
IS GOING TO DIVE.
THEREFORE HE WILL PUT
AT LEAST ONE OF HIS TORPEDOES,
IF NOT MORE,
BELOW WHERE HE THINKS
THE SUBMARINE IS ALREADY,
BECAUSE THEN THE SUBMARINE
WILL DIVE INTO THE TORPEDO.
WHEN THE U-BOAT
TURNS TO STARBOARD,
LAUNDERS STARTS
A TWO-MINUTE COUNTDOWN.
UP PERISCOPE.
HE HAD HIS MEN READY
A SPREAD OF FOUR TORPEDOES.
LAUNDERS HAS CREATED HIS PLAN
TO WORK AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS
TO CREATE A THREE-DIMENSIONAL
FIRING PATTERN.
HE GIVES THE ORDER.
FIRE.
THE FIRST TORPEDO
ERUPTS FROM THE SUBMARINE.
HARD STARBOARD!
WOLFRAM GIVES
THE ORDER TO EVADE-
HARD TO STARBOARD AND DOWN.
FIRE.
THE SECOND AND THIRD TORPEDOES
DART TOWARD THE U-BOAT.
THERE'S ONLY ONE TORPEDO LEFT.
FIRE.
AND WOLFRAM
HAS ALREADY GONE DEEP.
THE FINAL TORPEDO
STREAKS THROUGH THE WATER...
AND SLAMS INTO
THE U-BOAT'S SIDE.
THE INRUSH OF WATER INTO
THE SUBMARINE IS SO RAPID...
THE U-BOAT'S FLOODED MIDSECTION
IMMEDIATELY BECOMES HEAVIER
THAN THE BOW AND STERN.
THE U-BOAT SNAPS
AND FALLS TO THE SEA FLOOR.
ON BOARD VENTURER,
LAUNDERS CAN'T TELL MUCH
ABOUT THE HIT.
HE KNOWS HE SUNK
A PRETTY BIG TARGET.
IT DOES SEEM TO BE CARRYING
A LOT OF STUFF,
WHICH COMES FLOATING
TO THE SURFACE.
THEREFORE IT COULD
WELL BE A MILK COW,
AS THEY CALLED
THE SUPPLY SUBMARINES.
THE MEN ABOARD VENTURER
HAVE NO IDEA HOW IMPORTANT
THEIR MISSION WAS.
IT WAS ONLY
AFTER THE ATTACK
THAT THE BRITISH LEARNED
THAT THEY HAD SUNK U-864
WITH ITS SECRET CARGO.
INCLUDING
THE CANISTERS OF MERCURY,
WORTH ABOUT $5 MILLION,
SETTLING ACROSS THE SILT.
THE SINKING OF U-864
DOES NOT STOP THE AXIS EFFORT.
IN MARCH 1945,
GERMANY TRIES TO SEND
ANOTHER U-BOAT
CARRYING WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY
TO JAPAN.
BUT DURING ITS JOURNEY,
EVENTS CHANGE RAPIDLY.
THE SOVIETS LAUNCH
A FINAL OFFENSIVE
TO TAKE BERLIN.
HITLER COMMITS SUICIDE.
IN MAY, THE CHIEF OF STAFF
OF THE GERMAN HIGH COMMAND
SURRENDERS UNCONDITIONALLY
TO THE ALLIES.
TWO DAYS LATER,
U- 234 RECEIVES A FINAL MESSAGE
FROM GROSSADMIRAL DÖNITZ,
TELLING HIS BELOVED U-BOAT ARM
THE WAR IS LOST.
THE CARGO OF U-234
WAS MORE SINISTER.
A HALF-TON OF URANIUM OXIDE
WOULD BE DISCOVERED ON BOARD
WHEN IT SURRENDERS.
THE WUNDERWAFFEN,
OR WONDER WEAPONS,
DON'T MAKE IT.
JAPAN WILL CONTINUE TO FACE
THE ALLIES ALONE IN THE PACIFIC.
IN 2003,
THE WRECKAGE FROM U-864
WAS LOCATED LESS THAN 2.5 MILES
OFF THE COAST OF NORWAY,
IN AROUND 500 FEET OF WATER.
ITS CARGO ALREADY
CONTAMINATED THE SEABED.
THE DANGEROUS COMBINATION
OF MERCURY
AND THE EXPLOSIVES
OF THE WEAPONS ON BOARD
MAKE SALVAGE RISKY.
THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT
CONTINUES TO WORK
TO MANAGE THE RISKS.
THE SINKING OF U-864
IS THE ONLY ACKNOWLEDGED
SUBMARINE-TO-SUBMARINE
SUBMERGED KILL
OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
IN THE ROYAL NAVY,
IN THE YEARS AFTER THE WAR,
LAUNDERS WAS A LEGEND FOR HAVING
PULLED OFF A REMARKABLE KILL.
THE SINKING OF U-864
IS A MAJOR LANDMARK
IN SUBMARINE WARFARE.
IT IS THE COMING OF AGE
OF THE SUBMARINE
AS AN ANTISUBMARINE SYSTEM.
AFTER THE WAR,
ANTISUBMARINE OPERATIONS
ARE GOING TO BECOME
THE MOST IMPORTANT OPERATIONS
OF THE BRITISH SUBMARINE FORCE
AND MOST OTHER PEOPLE'S
SUBMARINE FORCES.
IT'S VERY MUCH
A PIONEERING OPERATION.
BY SHOWING IT CAN BE DONE,
HMS VENTURER OPENS UP
A WHOLE NEW CHAPTER,
NOT JUST IN SUBMARINE WARFARE,
BUT IN NAVAL WARFARE AS WELL.