If We Built It Today (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Hunt for Noah's Ark - full transcript
According to the Bible, Noah's Ark was a world-changing engineering feat, and it took cutting-edge construction to build it. Experts use the latest tech and modern-day science to reveal if ...
[ THUNDER RUMBLING
AND CRASHING ]
Narrator: THE BIBLICAL STORY OF
THE GREAT FLOOD IS LEGENDARY.
THERE'S SO MUCH VIOLENCE
IN THE WORLD,
THAT GOD DECIDES TO START OVER.
GOD SAYS, "LOOK, ALL OF
THIS TROUBLE AND EVIL
HAS COME UP BEFORE ME.
I'LL START OVER WITH YOU.
BUILD A BOAT."
Ham: HE DIDN'T SAY, "WHAT'S AN ARK?
HOW DO YOU BUILD A SHIP?"
NOAH JUST ACCEPTED IT AS IF,
"OH, YEAH.
WELL, THAT'S DOABLE.
I CAN DO THAT."
Narrator:
ACCORDING TO THE STORY,
NOAH FINISHED THE ARK
JUST BEFORE THE RAIN
STARTED FALLING
FOR 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS.
BUT WOULD WE BE PREPARED
FOR THE GREAT FLOOD
IF IT HAPPENED TODAY? YOU NEVER KNOW.
WITH GLOBAL WARMING,
WE MIGHT NEED NOAH'S ARK.
Narrator:
WE'RE IMAGINING A NEW ARK
THAT WILL PUT TODAY'S
BIGGER BOATS TO SHAME.
BUT DO WE HAVE THE RESOURCES
AVAILABLE TO BUILD IT,
AND WILL OUR ARK BE ABLE TO SAVE
ALL THE CREATURES ON EARTH
LIKE NOAH'S DID?
WE'VE ESTIMATED THAT IN TOTAL,
WE HAVE
8.7 MILLION SPECIES
ON THE PLANET.
LET'S JUST GET WHAT WE CAN GET,
SAVE WHAT WE CAN SAVE,
AND START WITH WHAT WE
HAVE TO START WITH.
Narrator: AND, CAN WE BUILD IT
BY THE BOOK?
Driver: FIRST, YOU NEED
A COMMAND FROM GOD.
AND SECOND, YOU NEED ACCESS
TO GOPHER WOOD,
IF THAT'S INVOLVED
IN THE COMMANDMENT.
AND, UM, AND I'M NOT CONVINCED
THAT PEOPLE HAVE EITHER
OF THESE THINGS TODAY
WHEN THEY'RE REBUILDING ARKS.
THERE'S NOTHING EASY ABOUT
BUILDING A VESSEL THAT SIZE.
Narrator: WE'RE ON THE JOBSITE OF
ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST WONDERS.
AND WE'RE WONDERING,
HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE?
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
HOW MANY WORKERS WOULD WE NEED?
COULD WE EVEN DO IT
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY?
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
♪♪
Narrator:
THE STORY OF NOAH'S ARK
IS SO CAPTIVATING
THAT MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS
AFTER WE'RE TOLD IT
SET SAIL, BELIEVERS, EXPLORERS,
AND EVEN ASTRONAUTS ARE STILL
SEARCHING FOR PROOF IT EXISTS.
Ham: WHENEVER THERE'S SUPPOSED
SIGHTINGS OF THE ARK,
IT GETS HEADLINE NEWS.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE
BIBLE, THE REMAINS OF THE ARK
ARE IN A MOUNTAINOUS
AREA ON THE BORDER
BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA.
SO FAR, NO PHYSICAL
OR PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
HAS BEEN CONFIRMED.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT THE
ARK MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE...
♪♪
...JUST HEAD TO WILLIAMSTOWN,
KENTUCKY,
WHERE A THEME PARK
HOSTS A REPLICA
BUILT TO THE EXACT DIMENSIONS
FOUND IN THE BIBLE.
THE ARK WAS BUILT BASED UPON,
FIRST OF ALL, THE BIBLE,
'CAUSE IT BASICALLY
HAS THE HEIGHT,
THE WIDTH, AND THE LENGTH.
AND THAT'S KIND OF ALL THAT
THE BIBLE DESCRIBED.
Narrator: IT'S THE BIGGEST
TIMBER-BUILT STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD.
♪♪
IT'S STANDS 51 FEET, OR MORE
THAN FOUR STORIES, TALL...
AND 510 FEET LONG,
THE LENGTH OF NEARLY
ONE-AND-A-HALF FOOTBALL FIELDS.
IT HAS FOUR DECKS,
AND THE FLOOR SPACE
IS EQUIVALENT
TO 20 BASKETBALL COURTS.
WHEN YOU BUILD IT TO THE SIZE
ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE,
IT ACTUALLY SAYS SOMETHING.
♪♪
Narrator: THE BIBLICAL MEASUREMENTS
OF THE ARK HAVE INSPIRED
MANY INTERPRETATIONS
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
Driver: HUGH OF SAINT-VICTOR SAYS
THAT THE ARK IS BASICALLY A METAPHOR,
OR A FIGURE OF A TYPE OF
SALVATION IN THE WORLD AS SUCH.
AND SO FOR HIM, THE LENGTH OF
THE ARK IS REALLY MEASURING
THE DAY THE WORLD'S CREATED
UNTIL THE DAY WHEN IT ENDS.
AND THE WIDTH IS HOW MANY PEOPLE
ARE ON THE BOAT,
WHICH IS THE SIZE OF THE CHURCH.
AND THAT WIDTH CHANGES
AND GOES IN AND OUT.
Narrator:
AS THE STORY GOES,
GOD TOOK DRASTIC MEASURES
TO COURSE-CORRECT
THE MISGUIDED WAYS
OF HIS PEOPLE.
Driver: THERE'S SO MUCH VIOLENCE
IN THE WORLD,
THAT GOD DECIDES TO START OVER.
AND NOAH IS AN EXCEPTION
TO THE GENERAL PICTURE
ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH,
AND GOD SAYS,
"LOOK, ALL OF THIS TROUBLE
AND EVIL HAS COME UP BEFORE ME.
I'LL START OVER WITH YOU.
BUILD A BOAT.
PUT YOUR FAMILY ON IT,
AND WE'LL START OVER."
♪♪
Narrator: TODAY, WE BUILD
GIANT BOATS ALL THE TIME.
BUT, COULD WE TAKE ON AN ARK?
♪♪
IT WOULD BE A MASSIVE PROJECT
TO BUILD A WOODEN VESSEL
THE SIZE OF THE ARK.
Narrator: FORTUNATELY,
WE HAVE A PROTOTYPE
TO GET US STARTED.
WELCOME TO THE ARK ENCOUNTER
OF WILLIAMSTOWN, KENTUCKY.
WE BROKE GROUND HERE
IN THE SUMMER OF 2014,
AND OPENED IN JULY OF 2016.
WE'VE HAD OVER 2 MILLION GUESTS
COME THROUGH THE ARK ENCOUNTER
FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
Narrator:
THIS REPLICA GIVES US AN IDEA
OF WHAT THE ARK
MIGHT'VE LOOKED LIKE.
BUT THIS IS ONE SHIP
THAT WILL NEVER SAIL.
IT SITS ON CONCRETE TOWERS
15 FEET ABOVE GROUND.
Ham: WHEN SOMEONE ASKS ME,
"WOULD IT FLOAT?", I SAY, NO.
IT HAS THREE BIG GAPING HOLES
IN THE BACK OF IT
BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY IS ANCHORED
TO THREE SEVEN-STORY TOWERS.
Narrator:
WE WANT TO BUILD A BOAT
THAT CAN ACTUALLY STAY AFLOAT
IN A GREAT FLOOD.
SO WE'LL NEED TO FIND A BUILDER
WHO'S UP TO THE TASK.
♪♪
AND IT'LL NEED TO BE SOMEONE
WITH ACCESS
TO GENERATIONS
OF BOAT-BUILDING SECRETS,
AND THE RIGHT TOOLS
IN THEIR TOOLBOX.
THESE TOOLS, OF COURSE, USED
IN SHIPWRIGHT SHIP-BUILDING,
WOULD'VE LIKELY BEEN USED
WHEN THE ARK WAS BUILT.
AND NOAH WOULD'VE LIKELY HAD
A LOT OF TOOLS
WHEN HE BUILT THE ARK
THAT WOULD BE MADE BY HAND.
Narrator: WE NEED TO CONSIDER
WHERE WE'LL BUILD OUR ARK.
BUILDERS IN KENTUCKY WERE
AT THE MERCY OF MOTHER NATURE.
TIME AND WEATHER
WERE PROBABLY OUR --
OUR BIGGEST HURDLES
WITH THAT WHOLE THING.
Narrator: EVEN IF WE COULD BUILD
A BOAT THIS BIG THAT'S SEAWORTHY,
WE'RE NOT SURE
WE COULD GET EVERYBODY --
OR AT LEAST, EVERY CREATURE --
ON DECK.
Swinimer: IT'S NOT EASY
TO CAPTURE ANIMALS,
AND THEY GET STRESSED
VERY EASILY.
Worm: WE CAN'T TAKE THEM OUT
OF THEIR HABITAT
AND EXPECT THEM TO DO WELL.
VERY FEW SPECIES DO WELL
IN CAPTIVITY.
Narrator: AND IF WE'RE ABLE TO ROUND
UP THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF ANIMALS,
WE STILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO HOUSE AND FEED THEM.
[ GRUNTING ]
WE THINK SOMEWHERE BETWEEN
6,000 AND 7,000 ANIMALS
WOULD'VE BEEN CARED FOR
BY EIGHT PEOPLE EVERY DAY.
I JUST CAN'T FORESEE
HOW THAT WOULD WORK.
IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR
ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE TO SUSTAIN
THAT NUMBER OF ANIMALS
FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME.
♪♪
Narrator: THE COST OF A HUGE
HAND-CRAFTED VESSEL JUST MIGHT SINK US.
THE REPLICA IN KENTUCKY
COST MILLIONS TO BUILD.
SOMEBODY LIKE KEN HAM IS ABLE
TO RAISE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
TO PRODUCE A HUGE ARK
IN KENTUCKY,
AND PEOPLE COME AND BUY TICKETS,
AND I'M SURE THAT
THEY'RE MAKING THEIR MONEY BACK.
Narrator: WE WON'T BE SELLING
TICKETS TO RECOUP OUR MONEY.
SO WE JUST MAY NEED A MIRACLE
TO FLOAT THIS BOAT.
THE REPLICA IN KENTUCKY WAS THE
UNDERTAKING OF AN ORGANIZATION
THAT BUILT THEIR ARK
TO PROVE THAT IT COULD BE DONE.
Ham: YOU COULD DO AS JUST
A TOURIST ATTRACTION,
AND PEOPLE WILL COME TO IT
AS A TOURIST ATTRACTION.
ACTUALLY, WE DID IT BECAUSE
WE ACTUALLY DO BELIEVE
THE BIBLE IS GOD'S WORD.
AND WE DO BELIEVE
THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE.
Narrator:
SINCE WE'RE NOT ON A CRUSADE,
IS THERE AN ACTUAL NEED
FOR A WORKING ARK TODAY?
THE CONDITION FOR NOAH WAS THAT
THE WORLD WAS IN CRISIS.
AND MAYBE WITH THE
ECOLOGICAL CRISIS,
WE'RE ALSO EXPERIENCING
SOME RISING FLOODWATERS.
Narrator: CLIMATE-CHANGE SCIENTISTS
SAY THERE'S A REAL RISK OF EVERYONE
AND EVERYTHING
ENDING UP UNDERWATER.
OCEAN LEVELS HAVE BEEN RISING
THREE MILLIMETERS ANNUALLY
SINCE THE YEAR 2000.
THAT MAY NOT SOUND LIKE MUCH,
BUT EXPERTS AGREE THAT OVER
TIME, IT COULD SPELL DISASTER.
SO WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO CRAFT
A TIGHT SHIP
TO BRAVE THIS STORM.
Narrator: THE GREAT ARK
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT --
IS THERE A NEED FOR IT TODAY,
AND COULD WE EVEN BUILD IT?
CLIMATE SCIENTISTS WARN
THAT SEA LEVELS
ARE RISING
AT AN INCREASING RATE.
AND IN TIME, OUR PLANET
COULD FACE CATASTROPHIC CHANGES.
WE WANT TO BE PREPARED,
SO WE'RE PLANNING
OUR OWN MODERN-DAY VERSION
OF NOAH'S ARK.
BUT IT WILL BE NO SMALL TASK.
Man: WELCOME ABOARD.
Manthorne:
HARDEST THING TO BUILD AN ARK
WOULD BE YOUR STRUCTURAL
INTEGRITY OF THE VESSEL,
SO THAT IT WOULD BE
CAPABLE OF FLOATING
AND WITHSTANDING THE STRESSES
AND STRAINS ON IT.
THE VESSEL WOULD'VE BEEN
INHERENTLY STRONG,
BECAUSE IT HAD THREE DECKS ON IT
AND THAT WOULD'VE ADDED,
UH, A CONSIDERABLE LONGITUDINAL
STRENGTH TO THE VESSEL.
AND A VESSEL OF 450 FEET
IN LENGTH WOULD --
WOULD BE BENDING
UNDER THE LOAD.
Narrator: OUR ARK WILL
NEED TO BE VERY DURABLE
IF IT'S GOING TO STAND UP
TO THE 40 DAYS
AND 40 NIGHTS OF EXTREME WEATHER
THAT NOAH'S FACED.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO
NEED MORE OF A BARGE
THAN A BOAT.
IT WOULD BE PROBABLY
VERY IMPORTANT TO JUST TRY
AND GET A VERY EFFICIENT SHAPE
IN TERMS OF VOLUME
AND WEIGHT-CARRIAGE.
AND THAT WOULD BE AS PRETTY MUCH
AS CLOSE TO A BARGE
AS YOU COULD ENVISION.
AND THE DIMENSIONS GIVEN
ARE NOT DISSIMILAR
TO A LARGE BARGE
THAT ARE BUILT TODAY.
Narrator: SINCE WE'RE RECREATING
NOAH'S ARK,
WE'LL NEED TO BRING JUST AS
MANY ANIMALS ONBOARD AS HE DID.
BUT HOW MUCH WEIGHT COULD
A VESSEL THIS SIZE HANDLE?
Thompson: I WOULD EXPECT THAT
PROBABLY A VESSEL OF 50 FEET HIGH
WOULD PROBABLY NOT WANT TO BE
FLOATING AT MUCH MORE
THAN 20 FEET OF DRAFT,
SO THAT GIVES YOU ABOUT 16,000
TONS OF CAPACITY TO CARRY --
TO CARRY CARGO.
[ ELEPHANT TRUMPETS ]
16,000 TONS IS THE EQUIVALENT
OF 2,300 ELEPHANTS.
BUILDERS OF THE REPLICA
IN KENTUCKY ESTIMATED
A TOTAL OF 7,000 ANIMALS
ON THE ARK,
MOST OF THEM WEIGHING
LESS THAN AN ELEPHANT.
WE'LL PLAN TO BUILD A BOAT
THAT'S STRONG ENOUGH
TO SUPPORT THE BIGGEST
ANIMALS ON EARTH,
AND BUOYANT ENOUGH TO LIFT US
ABOVE RISING SEA LEVELS.
AND THAT MISSION WILL GUIDE
EVERY DECISION
WE MAKE ON
OUR MODERN-DAY NOAH'S ARK.
WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BUILD IT?
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO
MAKE IT OUT OF?
HOW ARE WE GOING
TO BUILD THIS THING?
HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL WE NEED?
AND, HOW MUCH WILL
THIS WHOLE THING COST?
♪♪
OUR FIRST JOB --
CHOOSING A CONSTRUCTION SITE.
WE'VE GOT OUR EYE
ON THIS STRETCH
OF NORTH AMERICAN COASTLINE,
BIRTHPLACE OF SOME
OF THE BIGGEST
AND FASTEST SHIPS IN THE WORLD.
WE WERE WELL-KNOWN
FOR SHIP-BUILDING IN THE PAST.
WE HAD THE CLIPPER SHIPS,
WE HAD THE BEAUTIFUL BLUENOSE.
Narrator: THERE'S A FOREST
FULL OF RAW MATERIALS
TO CHOOSE FROM
IN NOVA SCOTIA.
Manthorne: THERE IS WOOD LIKELY,
TODAY, GROWING IN CANADA
THAT WOULD BE CAPABLE
OF SUPPORTING
THAT KIND OF A PROJECT.
Narrator: AND IT SEEMS LIKE
WE'LL BE ABLE TO FIND THE CREW
WE NEED HERE, TOO.
THERE ARE STILL QUITE A FEW
WOODEN SHIPWRIGHTS,
UH, HAVE THEIR OWN SHOPS AND ARE
STILL BUILDING WOODEN SHIPS.
Narrator: WE'RE SOLD.
WE'LL BUILD IT ALONG
THESE SHORES.
NOW LET'S CONSIDER
OUR MATERIALS.
IN THE BIBLE, NOAH BUILT
HIS ARK OUT OF WOOD.
SHOULD WE DO THE SAME?
WOOD IS AN EXCELLENT MATERIAL
FOR BUILDING BOATS,
AND THERE'S NO
STRUCTURAL REASON
WHY IT COULDN'T BE
BUILT THAT SIZE.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF
ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS
IN BOAT BUILDING
OVER THE YEARS.
AND EVEN IN WOODEN-BOAT
BUILDERS,
THEIR SYSTEM EVOLVED
FOR BUILDING
OVER MANY, MANY CENTURIES.
Narrator: BUT BEFORE WE SETTLE
ON WOOD AS OUR MAIN MATERIAL,
MAYBE WE SHOULD MAKE SURE
WE'RE NOT OVERLOOKING
A BETTER OPTION --
LIKE STEEL, FOR EXAMPLE.
I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE
THAT IT'D BE VERY EASY
TO BUILD A BOAT
OF THAT SIZE OUT OF STEEL.
UH, WOOD IS 16 TIMES LIGHTER
THAN STEEL,
WHICH IS A GOOD THING
FOR A FLOATING OBJECT.
BUT IT'S 16 TIMES
AS WEAK AS STEEL.
Narrator: THERE ARE SOME FINE
STEEL SHIPS BUILT IN CANADA, TOO.
SO LET'S NOT RULE OUT
A METAL ARK JUST YET.
♪♪
SO, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BUILD
THIS THING?
IT TURNS OUT, THE BIBLE IS
A GOOD RESOURCE FOR OUR PROJECT.
THE BIBLE IS FULL
OF INSTRUCTIONS
ABOUT HOW TO BUILD THINGS.
AND IN THE CASE OF NOAH'S ARK,
EXACT DIMENSIONS
ARE GIVEN IN CUBITS.
Narrator: A CUBIT IS ROUGHLY
THE LENGTH OF A MAN'S FOREARM.
THAT'S A PRETTY
ANTIQUATED WAY OF MEASURING.
WE DON'T WANT TO JEOPARDIZE
OUR PROJECT
BY FOCUSING TOO MUCH
ON THE BIBLICAL SPECS.
SO THE FUNCTION OF THE STORY
DOESN'T SEEM, TO ME,
TO DRIVE BUILDING PROJECTS.
IT DOES OTHER SORTS OF THINGS.
IT MAYBE TALKS ABOUT
WHAT SALVATION IS,
HOW GOD RELATES
TO GOD'S PEOPLE.
BUT, UM, BUT WHETHER
IT'S PROVIDING BLUEPRINTS
SEEMS, TO ME,
QUITE UNLIKELY.
Narrator: ENGINEERS DISCOVERED
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ANCIENT BLUEPRINT
WHEN THEY CONVERTED
CUBITS INTO FEET.
Kanewske: 510 FEET LONG,
51 FEET HIGH, 84 FEET WIDE --
THEY'RE PERFECT DIMENSIONS.
WE'VE TALKED TO A LOT
OF ENGINEERS ON THIS SUBJECT.
THEY SAY IT'S THE PERFECT
DIMENSIONS
FOR WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION,
SEAWORTHINESS,
AND JUST AN OVERALL RIDE
FOR THE SHIP.
♪♪
Narrator: THE REPLICA AT THE ARK
ENCOUNTER THEME PARK IN KENTUCKY
IS BUILT
TO THESE EXACT SPECS.
SO IS THIS ONE IN THE
NETHERLANDS CALLED JOHAN'S ARK.
ALTHOUGH IT'S TECHNICALLY
IN THE WATER,
JOHAN'S ARK ISN'T
REALLY READY TO SET SAIL.
IT'S PERCHED ON TOP OF A STRING
OF FLOATING SHIPPING CONTAINERS.
SO FAR, WE HAVE HYPOTHETICAL
DIMENSIONS GUIDING US
IN THE CREATION
OF OUR MODERN-DAY ARK.
OURS NEEDS TO BE FUNCTIONAL,
THOUGH.
LUCKILY, WE DO HAVE CENTURIES
OF BOAT-BUILDING KNOW-HOW
TO DRAW ON.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
BUILDING BOATS OUT OF LOGS
AND CRAFTING CANOES
SINCE PREHISTORIC TIMES.
♪♪
BY 200 B.C.,
THE ROMANS WERE USING ENSLAVED
SAILORS TO POWER THEIR GALLEONS.
BY THE 1500s, SAILS POWERED
SHIPS MIGHTY ENOUGH
TO FIGHT WARS.
TODAY, CRUISE SHIPS
AND FREIGHTERS RULE THE SEAS.
JUST HOW ADVANCED
WILL OUR ARK NEED TO BE?
Thompson: SO,
THE ARK WAS ESSENTIALLY A LARGE VOLUME-
AND WEIGHT-CARRYING VEHICLE.
AND IT DIDN'T NEED TO HAVE
ANY PROPULSION.
THERE WERE NO ENGINES.
THERE WERE NO SAILS.
AND LOOKING AT THAT,
THERE'S A --
IT OFFERS A FEW SIMPLICITIES
IN THE DESIGN
OF A VESSEL OF THAT TYPE.
Narrator:
UP UNTIL THE 19th CENTURY,
NOAH'S EPIC ARK
WOULD'VE BEEN THE SAME SIZE
AS THE LARGEST
SEAGOING VESSEL EVER BUILT.
THEN, OCEAN LINERS
WERE INVENTED.
AND EVER SINCE, THEY'VE JUST
BEEN GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER.
CHECK OUT THIS MONSTER
CRUISE LINER,
HARMONY OF THE SEAS.
THE SECOND-LARGEST
PASSENGER SHIP IN THE WORLD,
IT CAN FIT ALMOST
8,000 PASSENGERS
AND CREW
INTO 18 DIFFERENT DECKS.
IT COST $1.35 BILLION,
TOOK FOUR YEARS TO BUILD,
AND IS MORE THAN TWICE
THE LENGTH OF OUR ARK.
THIS AIRCRAFT CARRIER,
THE USS CARL VINSON,
IS ALSO MORE THAN TWICE
AS LONG AS OUR ARK
AND CAN FIT
90 AIRCRAFT ONBOARD.
AND TODAY'S GLOBAL ECONOMY
DEPENDS ON TRANSPORTING
A MASSIVE VOLUME
OF GOODS BY WATER,
WITH MORE THAN 2 MILLION
SHIPPING CONTAINERS
IN TRANSIT RIGHT NOW.
WITH ALL THIS MODERN
ADVANCEMENT,
IS A HANDMADE WOODEN BOAT
REALLY OUR BEST OPTION?
Narrator: WE WANT TO BUILD
A MASSIVE MODERN-DAY ARK
THAT WOULD BE ABLE
TO STAY AFLOAT, LIKE NOAH'S DID,
JUST IN CASE RISING SEA LEVELS
CAUSE A NATURAL DISASTER
OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS.
ACCORDING TO THE OLD TESTAMENT,
NOAH USED WOOD TO BUILD HIS ARK.
BUT WITH TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY,
IS THERE A BETTER OPTION
FOR OURS?
THERE MIGHT'VE BEEN SOME
INGENIOUS THINGS
THAT THEY DID THAT WE WOULD LOOK
AND SAY, "OH, WOW.
WE JUST RELY ON CRANES TODAY,"
THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE BIG
DIESEL MOTORS AND SO ON.
AND IN FACT, IF WE TRY TO
PUT THAT TECHNOLOGY IN A SHIP --
AND WE DO.
WE HAVE GREAT BIG STEEL SHIPS
THAT HAVE THAT
SORT OF TECHNOLOGY.
AND THE ENGINE ROOM TAKES UP
A LOT OF ROOM,
AND THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE
A LOT OF PEOPLE
LOOKING AFTER
THAT AND MAINTAINING IT.
ACTUALLY, FROM A PERSPECTIVE
OF BUILDING THE ARK TODAY,
I THINK IT WOULD MAKE IT
FAR TOO COMPLICATED.
Narrator: MAYBE NOAH DID KNOW
A LOT MORE THAN WE SUSPECT,
ESPECIALLY ABOUT
THE WISDOM OF SIMPLICITY.
WOOD IS STILL USED ON A LOT
OF TRADITIONAL BOAT-BUILDING
AND, UH, A LOT OF YACHTS
AND SOME LARGER VESSELS.
THE MATERIAL IS STRONG
AND RESILIENT.
IT'S MAYBE NOT AS COMMONLY
AVAILABLE TODAY IN LARGER SIZES
AS IT WOULD'VE BEEN
4,500 YEARS AGO,
BUT IT -- IT IS AN EXCELLENT
MATERIAL FOR BUILDING A VESSEL.
Narrator: SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE
OUR CUE FROM THE ANCIENTS.
WE'LL BUILD OUR ARK OUT OF WOOD.
ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE,
NOAH USED GOPHER WOOD.
WHAT IS THAT?
NOBODY REALLY KNOWS
WHAT GOPHER WOOD IS.
AS A BUILDING MATERIAL, UM,
THE ANCIENTS WERE ALREADY
SPECULATING ON WHAT IT COULD BE.
Manthorne: GOPHER WOOD
IS LIKELY CEDAR WOOD.
THAT'S VERY GOOD
BOAT-BUILDING WOOD
BECAUSE OF THE STRENGTH
VERSUS WEIGHT.
IT'S AN EXTREMELY STRONG WOOD,
AND IT'S STILL USED
TODAY IN VESSELS.
Narrator: SO CEDAR IS AS CLOSE
AS WE'RE GOING TO GET
TO THE EXACT WOOD
USED IN NOAH'S TIME,
BUT CAN WE FIND IT
IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS?
♪♪
Hemessen: WE'RE IN THIS FOREST
THAT HAS A LOT OF SPRUCE IN IT --
WHITE SPRUCE AND RED SPRUCE.
WE HAVE THAT SPECIAL TREE HERE
-- THE EASTERN WHITE CEDAR.
CEDAR IS A REALLY GOOD WOOD
FOR BUILDING BOATS.
IT'S A SOFT WOOD THAT IS EASY
TO WORK WITH AND SHAPE,
AND IT'S VERY ROT-RESISTANT.
Narrator: THAT'S IMPORTANT,
BECAUSE LIKE NOAH'S ARK,
WE WANT THIS BOAT TO LAST
A FULL YEAR AFTER IT'S FINISHED.
Hemessen: THESE CEDARS THAT GROW
IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA,
THEY CAN GET FAIRLY BIG.
SOME OF THE TALLEST ONES
CAN GET TO 100 FEET.
Narrator:
SO HOW MANY OF THESE BIG TREES
ARE WE GOING TO
HAVE TO BRING DOWN?
Hemessen: TO MAKE AN ARK,
YOU NEED ABOUT 20 HECTARES OF CEDAR.
AND THAT'S A LOT OF WOOD.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH WE'RE BUILDING
A BOAT TO SAVE US FROM FLOODING,
THERE'S A CHANCE THAT HARVESTING
ALL THIS CEDAR
COULD MAKE
THE WATER RISE EVEN FASTER.
Hemessen: WHEN YOU LOSE
VEGETATION -- WHEN YOU LOSE TREES,
ESPECIALLY --
YOU WOULD GET EROSION PROBLEMS,
AND YOU GET FLOODING PROBLEMS.
♪♪
Narrator: OF THE 250 MILLION
HECTARES OF FOREST FOUND IN CANADA,
WE ONLY NEED 20 HECTARES --
OR 49 ACRES WORTH --
TO BUILD OUR ARK.
BUT DOES CANADA HAVE ENOUGH
OF OUR WOOD OF CHOICE?
Hemessen: YOU COULD BE HARD-PRESSED
HERE NOW TO FIND 20 HECTARES WORTH,
AT LEAST ALL IN ONE LOCATION.
IT WOULD BE, "DO I HAVE TO GO TO
SEVERAL LOCATIONS
AND GATHER UP YOUR WOOD?"
Narrator: MAYBE OUR FRIENDS
IN KENTUCKY CAN HELP US.
♪♪
THEIR REPLICA OF THE ARK
WAS BUILT WITH ENOUGH TIMBER
TO GO ALL THE WAY
FROM THE MUSEUM'S SITE
IN WILLIAMSTOWN
TO PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.
WELL, THE FIRST THING WAS,
IT'S HUGE.
SO ACTUALLY, WHAT WE NEEDED
WAS HUGE WOOD, RIGHT?
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE HAD
TO SOURCE THE LUMBER,
AND WE BASICALLY GOT IT FROM
WASHINGTON, OREGON, CANADA --
THAT SORT OF THING.
AND THEN THERE ARE THESE LARGE
BEAMS THAT GO UP THE CENTER
OF THE SHIP THAT KIND OF HOLD
THE WHOLE CENTER TOGETHER.
Narrator: SO WE'LL SOURCE OUR
CEDAR FROM MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA.
THEN, WE'LL HAVE TO GET IT
SHIPPED TO OUR BUILDING SITE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT ONE
OF THE BIGGEST
LUMBER ORDERS IN HISTORY.
Thompson: IF WE LOOKED AT THE
OVERALL SIZE OF THAT VESSEL,
THAT WOULD REPRESENT SOMETHING
LIKE 65,000 TREES
BEING CONSUMED.
Narrator: WHERE ARE WE GOING
TO FIND A SAWMILL TO DEAL
WITH THIS MEGA LUMBER ORDER?
♪♪
TURNS OUT, THERE'S A MILL NEAR
OUR EAST COAST BUILD SITE
THAT'S BEEN RUNNING
FOR FOUR GENERATIONS.
SO IF WE HAD 65,000 LOGS
DELIVERED TO THE MILL,
WE WOULD DE-BARK THEM
AND DRY THEM IN THE DRY KILN,
AND PLANE IT THROUGH OUR PLANING
SYSTEM AND SHIP IT TO YOU.
Narrator: BUT COULD A MODERN-DAY
MILL HANDLE A BOAT
THAT REQUIRED
BIBLICAL-SIZED PLANKS?
Wilber:
IF THEY'RE NOT STANDARD SIZES,
WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE
SOME CHANGES IN THE MILL.
UH, BUT THOSE CHANGES ARE --
NOWADAYS, WITH TECHNOLOGY --
QUITE EASILY MADE.
AND IT COULD BE DONE
QUITE EASILY,
JUST TAKE A LITTLE TIME
TO SET UP.
Narrator: THIS SAWMILL MASTER SAYS
WE COULD GET THE JOB DONE FAST.
I DON'T SEE A PROBLEM AT ALL,
WITH THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY.
AND WE'VE LEARNED SO MUCH
OVER THE CENTURIES
FROM THE TIME OF NOAH'S ARK
THAT IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER
AND TAKE MUCH LESS TIME
THAN IT DID ORIGINALLY.
♪♪
Narrator:
SO OUR PLAN IS PROGRESSING.
WE'VE DECIDED WHERE TO BUILD
OUR NEW ARK
AND WHAT WE'LL BUILD IT OUT OF.
BUT BEFORE WE CALL,
"ALL ABOARD,"
WHO'S GOING TO DO THE JOB?
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE THEM?
AND, HOW MUCH WILL
THE WHOLE THING COST?
[ CASH REGISTER DINGS ]
[ THUNDER RUMBLING
AND CRASHING ]
Narrator: WE'RE IMAGINING
HOW WE'D BUILD
A NEW NOAH'S ARK.
SO FAR, WE FIGURED OUT WE'RE
GOING TO BUILD IT IN CANADA,
AND WE'RE GOING TO STAY TRUE
TO TRADITION
AND BUILD IT
OUT OF CEDAR WOOD.
ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE,
NOAH HAD 100 YEARS
TO DO THE JOB.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE
THAT KIND OF TIME.
SURELY, THERE ARE
MODERN INNOVATIONS
TO HELP US SPEED THINGS UP.
Manthorne:
SO IF I WAS BUILDING AN ARK,
I WOULD HAVE TURN
LARGE TREES INTO LUMBER.
AND THIS IS HOW I DO THIS.
WE DID THIS ON A MILL.
AND NOAH WOULD HAVE TO
[INDISTINCT]
BY HAND WITH AN AXE.
IT WAS A VERY LABORIOUS JOB.
Narrator: CUTTING DOWN 65,000
TREES AND RUNNING THEM
THROUGH A SAWMILL SOUNDS
LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE
PRETTY EXPENSIVE.
Thompson: EVEN LOOKING AT THAT,
I'D SAY $6 A FOOT
FOR RELATIVELY
INEXPENSIVE WOOD
WOULD BE $27 MILLION
IN MATERIAL JUST --
JUST TO MAKE THE HULL.
♪♪
Narrator: ONCE ALL THAT WOOD
GETS DELIVERED TO OUR BUILD SITE,
WE NEED A TEAM OF PEOPLE
TO BUILD OUR ARK.
♪♪
SO, WHAT KIND OF CONSTRUCTION
CREW DID THE ORIGINAL ARK HAVE?
NOAH'S BUILDING THE ARK
WITH HIS FAMILY,
IS THE WAY GENESIS PRESENTS IT.
IT'S NOT REALLY A PROBLEM
BECAUSE THEY ALL LIVE SO LONG
THAT THEY CAN TAKE
100 YEARS TO DO IT.
THEY HAVE ALL THE TIME
THAT THEY NEED TO GET IT DONE.
Narrator:
NOAH HAD A FAMILY OF EIGHT,
INCLUDING THREE SONS
AND THEIR WIVES.
BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD WE
NEED TO CONSTRUCT
A FULLY FUNCTIONING ARK TODAY?
Thompson: I DON'T THINK A CREW
OF EIGHT COULD BUILD THE BOAT.
THERE'S JUST TOO MANY
HEAVY ITEMS TO DEAL WITH,
AND TOO MUCH MATERIAL
TO DEAL WITH.
I WOULD DEFINITELY LOOK UP
ALL OF THE --
THE EXPERIENCED SHIPWRIGHTS,
WHO ARE PEOPLE
WHO ARE EXPERIENCED
IN WOODEN-SHIP BUILDING.
AND, UH, CANVASS THEM TO COME
TO MY YARD TO HELP
WITH THE ARK, TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF THEIR EXPERIENCE
AND THEIR CAPABILITIES
IN DOING THIS BIG PROJECT.
IT WOULD PROBABLY TAKE
A CREW OF MINIMUM,
90 PEOPLE WORKING
FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS TO --
TO BUILD A VESSEL OF THAT SIZE.
Narrator: ALL OF THAT HELP
IS GOING TO COST US.
90 PEOPLE WORKING FOR TWO YEARS
STRAIGHT, UH, 40 HOURS A WEEK.
AND IF WE PAY THEM $60 AN HOUR,
THERE'S ANOTHER $25 MILLION
IN LABOR TO ASSEMBLE THE HULL.
♪♪
BUT IT'S NOT JUST
THE SHIPBUILDING CREW WE NEED.
WE ALSO NEED TO THINK ABOUT
THE CREW FOR THE JOURNEY.
I'M NOT SURE THAT A CREW OF
EIGHT COULD EVEN CREW THE BOAT
WHILE IT WAS FLOATING
AROUND THE OCEAN,
BECAUSE THERE WOULD'VE BEEN
FEEDING, CLEANUP, A LOT OF --
A LOT OF WORK TO HAVE BEEN DONE.
Narrator: WE'LL PLAN TO BRING
OUR ENTIRE CREW OF 90 ONBOARD
ONCE CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE,
AND IT SHOULDN'T TAKE
MUCH PERSUASION.
Thompson: IF EVERYBODY WHO'S
BUILDING THE BOAT REALLY BELIEVES
THERE'S A FLOOD COMING, THEY'RE
GONNA BE PRETTY COMMITTED
TO WANTING TO BE
ONBOARD THE VESSEL.
Narrator: SO LOOKS LIKE
IT'LL BE ALL HANDS ON DECK
ONCE WE'VE BUILT THIS THING.
WE'RE PLANNING TO BUILD BIG,
BUT WE'RE GOING TO START SMALL.
THIS IS A TRADITION
IN WOODEN-BOAT BUILDING.
MODELS WERE USED INSTEAD OF
BLUEPRINTS,
WHEN THE BOAT
WAS SCALED OFF THE MODEL
AND BUILT TO THE EXACT SCALE
OF THE MODEL.
ON THIS MODEL, ON THIS SIDE,
YOU'LL SEE ALL THE LINES.
AND THESE ARE CALLED LOTH LINES.
WE'D HAVE TO MODEL
THE ARK FIRST,
LAY DOWN THE LINES ON A BIG AREA
FULL-SIZE,
AND START SQUARING TIMBER.
Narrator: ONCE WE'VE CHOSEN
OUR BUILDING LOCATION
AND MOCKED UP OUR MODEL,
WE'VE GOT TO GET A MASSIVE
AMOUNT OF WOOD ON-SITE.
IN KENTUCKY, THE WOOD
WAS MEASURED AND PRECUT
BEFORE IT WAS DELIVERED.
SO ONCE WE SOURCED
ALL OF THAT MATERIAL,
THEN WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT,
"OKAY, HOW ARE WE GONNA BUILD
ALL THIS STUFF?"
SO WE WANTED TO ACTUALLY HAVE
THE THING SHIPPED
TO A CERTAIN TEAM
THAT COULD KIND OF
CUT UP THE BEAMS
AND PUT TOGETHER THE PIECES
THE WAY
THAT THEY'RE GONNA CONNECT,
AND THEN HAVE THEM SHIPPED
TO THE SITE ITSELF.
Narrator: ONCE THE PIECES ARRIVE
TO OUR BUILDING SITE,
IT'S TIME TO PUT THEM TOGETHER
AND FORM OUR TIMBER FRAME.
Ham: TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS MEANT
BY TIMBER FRAME STRUCTURE --
BECAUSE THE ARK WE BUILT
IS ACTUALLY THE LARGEST TIMBER
FRAME STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD --
THINK ABOUT IT LIKE THIS.
A LOAF OF BREAD,
AND IT HAS SLICES,
AND YOU CALL EACH SLICE A BENT.
AND EACH BENT CONSISTS OF
TWO HALF-BENTS.
AND A HALF-BENT HAS A BIG POLE
CALLED A LODGE POLE,
AND THEN YOU HAVE HALF
THE SLICE OF BREAD
BUILT ON THAT PARTICULAR POLE.
AND SO THEN YOU PUT TWO
HALF-BENTS TOGETHER
AND YOU HAVE SLICES OF BREAD,
IF YOU LIKE.
Narrator: BUT HOW ARE WE GOING
TO HOLD ALL THOSE SLICES TOGETHER
TO MAKE A WATERTIGHT VESSEL?
THIS IS A WOODEN TREE-NAIL,
OR TRUNNEL.
IT'S MADE OF BLACK LOCUST.
DOESN'T ROT IN 200 YEARS OR SO,
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S USED.
AND THIS IS WHAT HOLDS
THIS VESSEL TOGETHER,
IS ALL THESE TREE-NAILS.
Narrator: THE OTHER ADVANTAGE
OF USING TRUNNELS
IS THAT THEY WON'T CORRODE.
SO, ELECTROLYSIS IS
VERY DAMAGING TO VESSELS,
AND USUALLY IS THE --
THE ENDING OF THE VESSEL,
IS WHEN ALL THE FASTENERS ARE
EATEN UP OFF BY ELECTROLYSIS.
IT'S A TRANSFER OF THE METAL.
IT DETERIORATES THE METAL
AND CAUSES IT TO BECOME
VERY SMALL IN THE WOOD,
AND FINALLY WEAKEN
TILL THE VESSEL IS FATIGUED
AND BREAKS UP.
Narrator: WE FIGURE IT'S GOING
TO TAKE AT LEAST
10,000 OF THOSE TRUNNELS
TO GET THE JOB DONE.
BUT HOW ABOUT OUR DESIGN?
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
IF OUR BOAT IS GOING
TO SET SAIL,
IT HAS TO BE ABLE
TO HANDLE THE WAVES.
THE TRUTH IS,
IF YOU TAKE A STICK --
A LONG STICK,
AND YOU THROW IT INTO THE OCEAN,
AND YOU THINK IT'S GONNA
SURF THE WAVES,
IT'S NOT GONNA DO THAT.
IT'S GONNA TURN SIDEWAYS,
AND IT'LL FOUNDER.
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE TALKED TO
A SERIES OF NAUTICAL ENGINEERS.
AND THE THING THAT'S INTERESTING
ABOUT THE ARK IS IT REALLY
HAS KIND OF THE SAME DIMENSIONS
ON A FREIGHTER --
YOU KNOW, LIKE AN OIL FREIGHTER,
TANKER, THAT KIND OF THING.
Manthorne: THE VESSEL WOULD HAVE
TO BE EXTREMELY,
HEAVILY KNEED-OUT TO SUPPORT
THE STRESSES AND STRAINS
AND SUPPORT THE DECKS.
KNEES ARE BENT MEMBERS --
USUALLY GROWED ROOTS
FROM THE ROOT OF TREE,
THAT IS USED TO PUT IN THE
CORNERS AS BRACINGS IN VESSELS,
AND IS STILL USED TODAY.
Narrator: SO OUR ARK WILL NEED TO
BE SHAPED LIKE AN OIL FREIGHTER
AND HAVE STRONG KNEES.
OUR FRIENDS IN KENTUCKY
ALSO FIGURED OUT
HOW TO KEEP OUR SHIP
FROM GETTING SOGGY.
ONE OF THE NATURE OF WOODEN
SHIPS IS THAT WATER SINKS
INTO THE WOOD,
AND IT SWELLS THE WOOD.
AND THEN IT SORT OF CREATES
A SEAL
BETWEEN ALL OF THE PARTS
THAT ARE IN THERE.
AND THE ANCIENT SHIPS THAT --
THAT WE STUDIED
BASICALLY WERE MADE
OUT OF A LOT OF SMALL PIECES
THAT WERE KIND OF CHINKED
TOGETHER IN A WAY,
UM, LIKE A LITTLE PUZZLE.
AND THEN THERE ARE
MULTIPLE LAYERS,
AND SO YOU'VE GOT THE ABILITY
OF THE HULL OF THE SHIP
TO BE ABLE TO SWELL TOGETHER
AND TO CLOSE UP.
Narrator:
WE BETTER GET HAMMERING,
BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT
OF WORK TO DO.
WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING TO
BUILD OUR ARK.
WE FIGURED OUT
WHO WILL DO THE JOB,
HOW MANY WORKERS IT'LL TAKE,
AND HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE THEM.
BUT WE STILL HAVE TO LOOK
AT THE PASSENGER LIST
AND, OF COURSE,
THE FINAL PRICE TAG.
♪♪
Narrator: WE'RE IMAGINING HOW
WE'D BUILD A NEW NOAH'S ARK.
WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BUILD IT
IN CANADA
FROM CEDAR WOOD,
USING ANCIENT
SHIPBUILDING METHODS.
NOW WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT
HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET TWO OF
EVERY ANIMAL ONBOARD LIKE NOAH
DID IN THE BIBLE.
SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE THAT THERE
ARE OVER 8 MILLION SPECIES
ON THE PLANET TODAY,
BUT OUR REPLICA BUILDERS
IN KENTUCKY BELIEVE THAT NOAH
ONLY BROUGHT 7,000 ANIMALS
ABOARD HIS ARK.
Ham: WELL, THE BIBLE
DOESN'T SAY THAT
NOAH TOOK MILLIONS OF SPECIES
ON THE ARK.
IT SAYS THAT TWO OF EACH KIND
OF LAND-DWELLING,
AIR-BREATHING ANIMAL.
SO IT WASN'T THE SEA CREATURES,
FOR A START.
IT WAS ONLY THE LAND-DWELLING,
EVERYTHING ANIMALS.
AND IT WASN'T TWO
OF EACH SPECIES.
IT WAS TWO OF EACH KIND.
YOU CAN HAVE DIFFERENT SPECIES
WITHIN ONE KIND.
SO IF YOU TAKE DOGS -- DINGOES,
WOLVES, COYOTES,
JACKALS, FOXES,
DOMESTIC VARIETIES --
WE WOULD SAY, OKAY,
YOU'VE GOT DIFFERENT SPECIES.
BUT YOU ONLY NEEDED TWO DOGS
ON THE ARK
BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL
IN THE ONE DOG KIND.
Narrator: BUT MANY IN THE
SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY DISAGREE
WITH THIS REASONING.
WELL, ONE THING THAT WASN'T
WELL-KNOWN
WHEN THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN,
I SUPPOSE,
WAS THAT THERE'S A LOT
OF GENETIC VARIABILITY
WITHIN SPECIES,
AND THAT HELPS SPECIES SURVIVE.
WHEN SPECIES ARE PUT INTO VERY,
VERY SMALL POPULATIONS,
THOSE POPULATIONS OFTEN
ARE NOT VERY VIABLE
BECAUSE OF INBREEDING
AND OF GENETIC EFFECTS THAT
ACCUMULATE IN THE POPULATION,
AND THAT MAKE THEM SICK
AND EVENTUALLY THEY DIE OUT.
SO THE IDEA THAT YOU COULD JUST
TAKE TWO OF EACH KIND
AND MAKE THEM BREED AND THAT
WOULD MAKE UP FOR THE WHOLE,
AND THAT WOULD BE
A VIABLE POPULATION, IS UNTRUE.
THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN.
THAT WOULD ONLY BE POSSIBLE FOR
VERY, VERY, VERY FEW SPECIES.
♪♪
Narrator: WE KNOW ONE THING
FOR SURE --
WHATEVER ANIMALS
WE DO BRING ABOARD
NEED TO BE HOUSED AND CARED FOR.
THE ARK IN KENTUCKY
TAKES THIS INTO ACCOUNT,
BUT THE DESIGNERS
HAD TO PLAY IT BY EAR.
WHAT WE TELL THE GUESTS
INITIALLY IS RIGHT HERE,
WE TELL THEM WE TOOK
A LOT OF ARTISTIC LICENSE.
'CAUSE THERE'S NOT A LOT
OF DETAIL ABOUT THE ARK
AND HOW IT WAS BUILT.
THERE ARE SOME DETAILS
ABOUT THE ANIMALS
AND THINGS LIKE THAT,
BUT NOT A LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT,
FOR INSTANCE,
THE WIVES' NAMES --
NOAH'S WIFE AND THE
DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW THAT NOAH HAD.
SO WE DO TAKE A LOT
OF ARTISTIC LICENSE.
SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS SOME OF THE CAGES
FOR THE LARGER ANIMALS.
AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY
PROBABLY DIDN'T WANNA BE IN THE
CAGES WITH THE LARGER ANIMALS.
SO WE HAVE THESE BRIDGES HERE
THAT WE SHOW
WHERE THE FAMILY WOULD'VE GONE
THROUGH THE BRIDGE
AND DONE LIKE AN AUTOMATIC
FEEDER TO BRING GRAIN AND WATER
AND WHAT THE ANIMALS
NEEDED TO SURVIVE.
SO THESE ANIMALS PROBABLY WERE
NOT BROUGHT OUT OF THE CAGES
AND WALKED AROUND.
Narrator: THE DESIGN TEAM RESEARCHED
ANCIENT SHIPBUILDING METHODS
TO ANSWER SOME OF
THE TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
THAT HAVE BEEN TROUBLING
SKEPTICS FOR CENTURIES,
INCLUDING HOW NOAH WOULD'VE
DEALT WITH ANIMAL WASTE.
SO, THERE'S A THING
CALLED A MOON POOL
WHICH BASICALLY IS A BOX THAT
GOES FROM THE TOP OF THE ARK
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ARK.
AND IT'S OPEN TO THE SEA.
IT'S OPEN TO THE AIR ABOVE,
AND IT'S OPEN TO THE SEA BELOW.
AND THE WATER'S NOT GONNA
COME UP INSIDE THAT,
BUT YOU LITERALLY
FIGURE OUT A WAY
TO DROP ALL OF
THE WASTE PRODUCTS
OUT INTO THE SEA
THROUGH THIS THING.
SO IT LITERALLY GOES
THROUGH THE CENTER --
YOU KNOW, THE TOP AND THE BOTTOM
OF THE ARK ITSELF.
[ SHIP HORN BLOWS ]
Narrator: SO WE'LL DO LIKE THEY
DO ON OCEAN LINERS.
WE'LL TREAT AND DUMP.
♪♪
SCRIPTURE AND SPECULATION
CAN ONLY TAKE US SO FAR.
HOW CAN WE BE CONFIDENT THAT
WE CAN SAVE THE ANIMAL WORLD
WITH OUR NEW ARK?
HOPE SWINIMER HAS WRANGLED
AND RELEASED TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS.
THERE IS NO WAY.
YOU KNOW,
I LOOK AT LIFE THIS WAY --
DOING A LITTLE SOMETHING
IS BETTER
THAN DOING NOTHING AT ALL.
SO LET'S JUST GET WHAT WE CAN
GET, SAVE WHAT WE CAN SAVE,
AND START WITH WHAT WE HAVE
TO START WITH.
THAT'S THE PLAN.
[ RUMBLING ]
Narrator:
IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO BRING
TWO OF EVERY SINGLE SPECIES
ONBOARD OUR ARK.
SO HOW MUCH BIODIVERSITY ARE
WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SAVE?
Swinimer:
WELL, YOU GOTTA BE SELECTIVE.
YOU'RE GONNA BE A WORLD TRAVELER
BEFORE THIS IS ALL DONE.
EVEN TO GET THOSE 1.5 MILLION
WE HAVE
ALREADY DESCRIBED
WOULD BE AN ENORMOUS CHALLENGE,
BECAUSE THERE'S MANY OF THEM
THAT HAVE ONLY BEEN SEEN
ONCE OR TWICE.
SO COLLECTING THEM
WOULD TAKE A LONG, LONG TIME.
♪♪
Narrator: AND ONCE WE HAVE
THE ANIMALS ON THE BOAT,
THEY HAVE SPECIFIC NEEDS
THAT WE'LL HAVE TO
TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION --
THINGS LIKE SUFFICIENT ROOM
TO MOVE AROUND,
AND ACCESS TO FRESH AIR
AND NATURAL SUNLIGHT.
Swinimer: THEY NEED ALL OF THIS
ENRICHMENT FOR THEIR VERY WELLBEING.
IF THEY'RE IN CONFINEMENT
WITHOUT ANY ENRICHMENT,
IT WOULD BE LIKE A HUMAN
PUT INTO A SMALL SQUARE BOX
LIKE SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.
THEY WOULD LOSE THEIR WILL.
THE OTHER THING YOU'D REALLY
HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
IS IF A VIRUS BROKE OUT.
I MEAN, IT COULD WIPE OUT
EVERY ANIMAL ON THE BOAT.
IT REALLY COULD.
YOU KNOW, SOME ANIMALS
MIGHT BE IMMUNE TO IT,
BUT THERE'S SO MANY THINGS
MEDICALLY THAT COULD GO WRONG.
Narrator: IT'S A NOBLE
UNDERTAKING TO RESCUE
AS MANY FLYING AND
BREATHING ANIMALS AS POSSIBLE.
WE'LL DO THE BEST WE CAN
IN THE SPACE WE HAVE.
[ ROARS ]
WE CAN SORT THE PREDATORS
FROM THE PREY
AND THE SPIDERS
FROM THE FLIES,
BUT WHAT ABOUT TICKS,
MOSQUITOES, AND OTHER INSECTS
THAT'VE BEEN KNOWN
TO CARRY DISEASES?
A LOT OF SPECIES HAVE PARASITES
AND PATHOGENS
THAT JUST ATTACK THEM.
THAT'S PART OF BIODIVERSITY.
SO IF YOU REALLY WANT TO TAKE
ALL SPECIES,
WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM, TOO.
Narrator:
IN OTHER WORDS,
THE MORE ANIMALS WE CAN SAVE,
THE BETTER.
[ ROARS ]
BUT WE ALSO NEED A PLAN
TO PRESERVE
THE COUNTLESS
SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS
THAT'VE TAKEN PLACE SINCE NOAH'S
ARK WAS SUPPOSEDLY BUILT.
SO, A MODERN EQUIVALENT
TO AN ARK
IS THE FROZEN ARK IN ENGLAND,
WHERE PEOPLE ARE TRYING
TO PRESERVE
GENETIC MATERIAL
OF ENDANGERED SPECIES --
SPECIES WE'RE THREATENED
TO BE LOSING FROM THIS PLANET.
AND THE IDEA TO MAINTAIN THEM
IS NOT TO SQUISH THEM
INTO AN ARK OR INTO A ZOO.
THAT'S MAYBE DONE
FOR SOME SPECIES,
BUT FOR A LOT OF THEM,
THAT'S NOT PRACTICAL.
SO YOU TAKE GENETIC SAMPLES
FROM THEM, OR GAMETES --
SPERMS AND EGGS --
THAT CAN BE FERTILIZED,
AND THEN RECREATE THE SPECIES.
Narrator: INSTEAD OF FOOD
AND WATER DISHES,
WE'LL HAVE PETRI DISHES.
TO KEEP THE EMBRYOS FROZEN,
WE'LL PACK ENOUGH BATTERIES FOR
40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS OF STORM,
AND COVER THE ARK'S DECK
WITH SOLAR PANELS TO POWER US
WHEN THE SUN FINALLY
BREAKS THROUGH.
IMAGINE THAT -- NOAH'S ARK
WITH A BUILT-IN SCIENCE LAB,
FULLY EQUIPPED AND CAPABLE
OF REPOPULATING OUR WORLD
WITH AS MUCH BIODIVERSITY AS YOU
CAN CRAM INTO AN OCEAN LINER.
BUT THIS SHIP IS FAR
FROM BEING READY TO SAIL.
WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE
GOING TO BUILD.
WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING
TO BUILD WITH,
WHO'S GOING TO DO THE JOB,
AND HOW LONG IT'LL TAKE.
BUT IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN --
HOW MUCH IS WEATHERING
THIS STORM GOING TO COST US?
[ THUNDER RUMBLING ]
WE'RE IMAGINING
A LIFE-SIZED LIFEBOAT
CAPABLE OF SAVING
THE POPULATION,
SHOULD NATURAL DISASTER STRIKE.
IT'S MADE OF CEDAR, A STRONG AND
SENSIBLE SHIPBUILDING MATERIAL.
THE ARK WILL TAKE TWO YEARS
AND 90 PEOPLE WORKING AROUND
THE CLOCK TO BUILD.
SO, LET'S DO IT.
♪♪
FIRST, WE NEED
TO PREPARE OUR JOBSITE.
Thompson: YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE
AN AREA THAT WAS GRATED OUT
SO THAT YOU COULD BUILD A BOAT
AND MAKE SURE
THAT IT WAS FLAT ON THE BOTTOM,
AND THAT IT WAS EASY TO ASSEMBLE
AND EASY TO WORK AROUND.
♪♪
Narrator: THEN, WE'LL BRING
TOGETHER CRAFTSMEN WITH SOME OF
THE FINEST BOAT-BUILDING
SKILLS IN THE WORLD.
ONCE WE GET THE FRAME TOGETHER,
WE'LL FURNISH THE INTERIOR
WITH A BIO LAB
AND PACK
IN AS MANY ANIMAL EMBRYOS
AND DNA SAMPLES AS WE CAN.
BUT, WHAT ABOUT OUR SCIENTISTS
AND CREW?
THEY NEED TO STAY HEALTHY AND
HAPPY FOR A YEAR ON THE WATER.
Marsh:
ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE ARK,
BEYOND JUST THE CREATION
OF THE SHIP ITSELF,
WAS REALLY THE CARGO THAT NOAH
AND HIS FAMILY
WERE TAKING WITH THEM.
NOT JUST THE ANIMALS --
THOSE WERE THE THINGS
THAT GOD TOLD HIM TO BRING.
BUT THEY WERE BRINGING
THEIR CULTURE WITH THEM.
Narrator: WE'LL OUTFIT OUR ARK
A LITTLE LIKE A CRUISE SHIP.
WE'LL DESIGN TOP-NOTCH CABINS,
PLUS A GYM, LIBRARY, CINEMA,
AND CHAPEL.
WE'LL STOCK THE KITCHEN
WITH ASTRONAUT FOOD
AND INCLUDE FISHING GEAR
SO OUR PASSENGERS STAY NOURISHED
UNTIL THEY'RE BACK ON DRY LAND.
SO, BRING IT ON.
WE'RE READY
FOR THE WATER TO RISE.
♪♪
WE DID IT!
WE BUILT IN CANADA.
WE MADE IT OUT OF OVER
65,000 CEDAR TREES
USING A SAWMILL,
TRADITIONAL HANDHELD TOOLS,
AND A LOT OF BIOLOGICAL
KNOW-HOW.
IT TOOK OVER TWO YEARS,
AND WE USED 90 TRADITIONAL
SHIPBUILDERS TO DO IT.
SO, WHAT DOES THAT ADD UP TO?
WELL, YOU'RE LOOKING
AT A $50 MILLION
TO $60 MILLION
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT,
WHICH IS A BIG PROJECT.
Narrator: AND THAT'S JUST
THE LABOR AND MATERIALS.
THERE'S ALSO THE COST
OF FITTING OUR ARK
WITH A STATE-OF-THE-ART
LABORATORY.
♪♪
NOW WE'RE READY
TO SAVE HUMANITY,
AND THE ANIMAL WORLD,
AT ALL COSTS.
RIGHT?
IF WE HAD THIS GLOBAL
HAND-HOLDING AND EVERYBODY
IN EVERY PROVINCE
OR EVERY CONTINENT
AND EVERY COUNTRY WAS ONBOARD,
THE POWER OF PEOPLE
CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
Narrator: ESPECIALLY
WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT
THE U.S. SPENT
OVER $130 BILLION
ON DISASTER RELIEF
IN 2017 ALONE.
SO THE ARK, FOR ME,
IS AN INTERESTING METAPHOR FOR,
WE LIVE ON AN ARK.
AND THIS IS ALL WE'VE GOT,
AND THERE'S NO OTHER PLANET
WE CAN REPOPULATE --
AT LEAST,
WE DON'T KNOW ONE YET --
UM, WITH THE SPECIES WE GOT.
SO THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE,
AND WE NEED TO BE
GOOD ZOOKEEPERS,
IF YOU WILL, AND KEEP
THIS PLACE ALIVE INDEFINITELY.
♪♪
Narrator: THE BIBLICAL STORY
OF NOAH'S ARK INSPIRED US.
IT'S ONE OF MANY STORIES
WRITTEN ABOUT
HOW HUMANITY
COULD SURVIVE CATASTROPHE.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT ACTUALLY,
SOME SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES
DO A BETTER JOB OF RE-IMAGINING
WHAT THE ARK MIGHT BE LIKE, UM,
BECAUSE YOU HAVE THESE
SPACE CAPSULES FLYING OFF
WITH ALL THE PLANTS
THAT YOU NEED
AND ALL THE ANIMALS --
LITTLE PODS
SO THAT YOU CAN RESTART LIFE
ON A DIFFERENT PLANET.
Narrator:
IT MAY SEEM LIKE SCI-FI,
BUT SCIENTISTS ARE ALREADY
PREPARING AN INSURANCE POLICY
AGAINST GLOBAL CATASTROPHE.
WELL, THE IMPORTANCE
OF THE FROZEN ARK PROJECT REALLY
IS THE IDEA THAT IF WE LOSE
SPECIES AT A HIGH RATE --
WHICH WE ARE, RIGHT NOW --
IS THERE SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO
BRING THEM BACK AFTER THE FACT,
ONCE WE'VE FIGURED OUT
TO MAINTAIN THE ECOSYSTEMS --
THE TROPICAL FORESTS,
THE CORAL REEFS,
THE WETLANDS,
THE ICE MOUNTAINS AND GLACIERS
THAT WE ARE THREATENED TO LOSE.
♪♪
Narrator:
THIS IS OUR BEST CHANCE
AT REVERSING THE DESTRUCTION
OF THE NATURAL WORLD,
WITHOUT HAVING TO GO TO SEA
IN A GIANT WOODEN SHIP.
IT'S A GLIMPSE
OF A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE,
AND A HOPE FOR A HAPPY ENDING,
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY.
AND CRASHING ]
Narrator: THE BIBLICAL STORY OF
THE GREAT FLOOD IS LEGENDARY.
THERE'S SO MUCH VIOLENCE
IN THE WORLD,
THAT GOD DECIDES TO START OVER.
GOD SAYS, "LOOK, ALL OF
THIS TROUBLE AND EVIL
HAS COME UP BEFORE ME.
I'LL START OVER WITH YOU.
BUILD A BOAT."
Ham: HE DIDN'T SAY, "WHAT'S AN ARK?
HOW DO YOU BUILD A SHIP?"
NOAH JUST ACCEPTED IT AS IF,
"OH, YEAH.
WELL, THAT'S DOABLE.
I CAN DO THAT."
Narrator:
ACCORDING TO THE STORY,
NOAH FINISHED THE ARK
JUST BEFORE THE RAIN
STARTED FALLING
FOR 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS.
BUT WOULD WE BE PREPARED
FOR THE GREAT FLOOD
IF IT HAPPENED TODAY? YOU NEVER KNOW.
WITH GLOBAL WARMING,
WE MIGHT NEED NOAH'S ARK.
Narrator:
WE'RE IMAGINING A NEW ARK
THAT WILL PUT TODAY'S
BIGGER BOATS TO SHAME.
BUT DO WE HAVE THE RESOURCES
AVAILABLE TO BUILD IT,
AND WILL OUR ARK BE ABLE TO SAVE
ALL THE CREATURES ON EARTH
LIKE NOAH'S DID?
WE'VE ESTIMATED THAT IN TOTAL,
WE HAVE
8.7 MILLION SPECIES
ON THE PLANET.
LET'S JUST GET WHAT WE CAN GET,
SAVE WHAT WE CAN SAVE,
AND START WITH WHAT WE
HAVE TO START WITH.
Narrator: AND, CAN WE BUILD IT
BY THE BOOK?
Driver: FIRST, YOU NEED
A COMMAND FROM GOD.
AND SECOND, YOU NEED ACCESS
TO GOPHER WOOD,
IF THAT'S INVOLVED
IN THE COMMANDMENT.
AND, UM, AND I'M NOT CONVINCED
THAT PEOPLE HAVE EITHER
OF THESE THINGS TODAY
WHEN THEY'RE REBUILDING ARKS.
THERE'S NOTHING EASY ABOUT
BUILDING A VESSEL THAT SIZE.
Narrator: WE'RE ON THE JOBSITE OF
ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST WONDERS.
AND WE'RE WONDERING,
HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE?
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
HOW MANY WORKERS WOULD WE NEED?
COULD WE EVEN DO IT
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY?
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
♪♪
Narrator:
THE STORY OF NOAH'S ARK
IS SO CAPTIVATING
THAT MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS
AFTER WE'RE TOLD IT
SET SAIL, BELIEVERS, EXPLORERS,
AND EVEN ASTRONAUTS ARE STILL
SEARCHING FOR PROOF IT EXISTS.
Ham: WHENEVER THERE'S SUPPOSED
SIGHTINGS OF THE ARK,
IT GETS HEADLINE NEWS.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE
BIBLE, THE REMAINS OF THE ARK
ARE IN A MOUNTAINOUS
AREA ON THE BORDER
BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA.
SO FAR, NO PHYSICAL
OR PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
HAS BEEN CONFIRMED.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT THE
ARK MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE...
♪♪
...JUST HEAD TO WILLIAMSTOWN,
KENTUCKY,
WHERE A THEME PARK
HOSTS A REPLICA
BUILT TO THE EXACT DIMENSIONS
FOUND IN THE BIBLE.
THE ARK WAS BUILT BASED UPON,
FIRST OF ALL, THE BIBLE,
'CAUSE IT BASICALLY
HAS THE HEIGHT,
THE WIDTH, AND THE LENGTH.
AND THAT'S KIND OF ALL THAT
THE BIBLE DESCRIBED.
Narrator: IT'S THE BIGGEST
TIMBER-BUILT STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD.
♪♪
IT'S STANDS 51 FEET, OR MORE
THAN FOUR STORIES, TALL...
AND 510 FEET LONG,
THE LENGTH OF NEARLY
ONE-AND-A-HALF FOOTBALL FIELDS.
IT HAS FOUR DECKS,
AND THE FLOOR SPACE
IS EQUIVALENT
TO 20 BASKETBALL COURTS.
WHEN YOU BUILD IT TO THE SIZE
ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE,
IT ACTUALLY SAYS SOMETHING.
♪♪
Narrator: THE BIBLICAL MEASUREMENTS
OF THE ARK HAVE INSPIRED
MANY INTERPRETATIONS
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
Driver: HUGH OF SAINT-VICTOR SAYS
THAT THE ARK IS BASICALLY A METAPHOR,
OR A FIGURE OF A TYPE OF
SALVATION IN THE WORLD AS SUCH.
AND SO FOR HIM, THE LENGTH OF
THE ARK IS REALLY MEASURING
THE DAY THE WORLD'S CREATED
UNTIL THE DAY WHEN IT ENDS.
AND THE WIDTH IS HOW MANY PEOPLE
ARE ON THE BOAT,
WHICH IS THE SIZE OF THE CHURCH.
AND THAT WIDTH CHANGES
AND GOES IN AND OUT.
Narrator:
AS THE STORY GOES,
GOD TOOK DRASTIC MEASURES
TO COURSE-CORRECT
THE MISGUIDED WAYS
OF HIS PEOPLE.
Driver: THERE'S SO MUCH VIOLENCE
IN THE WORLD,
THAT GOD DECIDES TO START OVER.
AND NOAH IS AN EXCEPTION
TO THE GENERAL PICTURE
ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH,
AND GOD SAYS,
"LOOK, ALL OF THIS TROUBLE
AND EVIL HAS COME UP BEFORE ME.
I'LL START OVER WITH YOU.
BUILD A BOAT.
PUT YOUR FAMILY ON IT,
AND WE'LL START OVER."
♪♪
Narrator: TODAY, WE BUILD
GIANT BOATS ALL THE TIME.
BUT, COULD WE TAKE ON AN ARK?
♪♪
IT WOULD BE A MASSIVE PROJECT
TO BUILD A WOODEN VESSEL
THE SIZE OF THE ARK.
Narrator: FORTUNATELY,
WE HAVE A PROTOTYPE
TO GET US STARTED.
WELCOME TO THE ARK ENCOUNTER
OF WILLIAMSTOWN, KENTUCKY.
WE BROKE GROUND HERE
IN THE SUMMER OF 2014,
AND OPENED IN JULY OF 2016.
WE'VE HAD OVER 2 MILLION GUESTS
COME THROUGH THE ARK ENCOUNTER
FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
Narrator:
THIS REPLICA GIVES US AN IDEA
OF WHAT THE ARK
MIGHT'VE LOOKED LIKE.
BUT THIS IS ONE SHIP
THAT WILL NEVER SAIL.
IT SITS ON CONCRETE TOWERS
15 FEET ABOVE GROUND.
Ham: WHEN SOMEONE ASKS ME,
"WOULD IT FLOAT?", I SAY, NO.
IT HAS THREE BIG GAPING HOLES
IN THE BACK OF IT
BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY IS ANCHORED
TO THREE SEVEN-STORY TOWERS.
Narrator:
WE WANT TO BUILD A BOAT
THAT CAN ACTUALLY STAY AFLOAT
IN A GREAT FLOOD.
SO WE'LL NEED TO FIND A BUILDER
WHO'S UP TO THE TASK.
♪♪
AND IT'LL NEED TO BE SOMEONE
WITH ACCESS
TO GENERATIONS
OF BOAT-BUILDING SECRETS,
AND THE RIGHT TOOLS
IN THEIR TOOLBOX.
THESE TOOLS, OF COURSE, USED
IN SHIPWRIGHT SHIP-BUILDING,
WOULD'VE LIKELY BEEN USED
WHEN THE ARK WAS BUILT.
AND NOAH WOULD'VE LIKELY HAD
A LOT OF TOOLS
WHEN HE BUILT THE ARK
THAT WOULD BE MADE BY HAND.
Narrator: WE NEED TO CONSIDER
WHERE WE'LL BUILD OUR ARK.
BUILDERS IN KENTUCKY WERE
AT THE MERCY OF MOTHER NATURE.
TIME AND WEATHER
WERE PROBABLY OUR --
OUR BIGGEST HURDLES
WITH THAT WHOLE THING.
Narrator: EVEN IF WE COULD BUILD
A BOAT THIS BIG THAT'S SEAWORTHY,
WE'RE NOT SURE
WE COULD GET EVERYBODY --
OR AT LEAST, EVERY CREATURE --
ON DECK.
Swinimer: IT'S NOT EASY
TO CAPTURE ANIMALS,
AND THEY GET STRESSED
VERY EASILY.
Worm: WE CAN'T TAKE THEM OUT
OF THEIR HABITAT
AND EXPECT THEM TO DO WELL.
VERY FEW SPECIES DO WELL
IN CAPTIVITY.
Narrator: AND IF WE'RE ABLE TO ROUND
UP THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF ANIMALS,
WE STILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO HOUSE AND FEED THEM.
[ GRUNTING ]
WE THINK SOMEWHERE BETWEEN
6,000 AND 7,000 ANIMALS
WOULD'VE BEEN CARED FOR
BY EIGHT PEOPLE EVERY DAY.
I JUST CAN'T FORESEE
HOW THAT WOULD WORK.
IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR
ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE TO SUSTAIN
THAT NUMBER OF ANIMALS
FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME.
♪♪
Narrator: THE COST OF A HUGE
HAND-CRAFTED VESSEL JUST MIGHT SINK US.
THE REPLICA IN KENTUCKY
COST MILLIONS TO BUILD.
SOMEBODY LIKE KEN HAM IS ABLE
TO RAISE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
TO PRODUCE A HUGE ARK
IN KENTUCKY,
AND PEOPLE COME AND BUY TICKETS,
AND I'M SURE THAT
THEY'RE MAKING THEIR MONEY BACK.
Narrator: WE WON'T BE SELLING
TICKETS TO RECOUP OUR MONEY.
SO WE JUST MAY NEED A MIRACLE
TO FLOAT THIS BOAT.
THE REPLICA IN KENTUCKY WAS THE
UNDERTAKING OF AN ORGANIZATION
THAT BUILT THEIR ARK
TO PROVE THAT IT COULD BE DONE.
Ham: YOU COULD DO AS JUST
A TOURIST ATTRACTION,
AND PEOPLE WILL COME TO IT
AS A TOURIST ATTRACTION.
ACTUALLY, WE DID IT BECAUSE
WE ACTUALLY DO BELIEVE
THE BIBLE IS GOD'S WORD.
AND WE DO BELIEVE
THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE.
Narrator:
SINCE WE'RE NOT ON A CRUSADE,
IS THERE AN ACTUAL NEED
FOR A WORKING ARK TODAY?
THE CONDITION FOR NOAH WAS THAT
THE WORLD WAS IN CRISIS.
AND MAYBE WITH THE
ECOLOGICAL CRISIS,
WE'RE ALSO EXPERIENCING
SOME RISING FLOODWATERS.
Narrator: CLIMATE-CHANGE SCIENTISTS
SAY THERE'S A REAL RISK OF EVERYONE
AND EVERYTHING
ENDING UP UNDERWATER.
OCEAN LEVELS HAVE BEEN RISING
THREE MILLIMETERS ANNUALLY
SINCE THE YEAR 2000.
THAT MAY NOT SOUND LIKE MUCH,
BUT EXPERTS AGREE THAT OVER
TIME, IT COULD SPELL DISASTER.
SO WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO CRAFT
A TIGHT SHIP
TO BRAVE THIS STORM.
Narrator: THE GREAT ARK
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT --
IS THERE A NEED FOR IT TODAY,
AND COULD WE EVEN BUILD IT?
CLIMATE SCIENTISTS WARN
THAT SEA LEVELS
ARE RISING
AT AN INCREASING RATE.
AND IN TIME, OUR PLANET
COULD FACE CATASTROPHIC CHANGES.
WE WANT TO BE PREPARED,
SO WE'RE PLANNING
OUR OWN MODERN-DAY VERSION
OF NOAH'S ARK.
BUT IT WILL BE NO SMALL TASK.
Man: WELCOME ABOARD.
Manthorne:
HARDEST THING TO BUILD AN ARK
WOULD BE YOUR STRUCTURAL
INTEGRITY OF THE VESSEL,
SO THAT IT WOULD BE
CAPABLE OF FLOATING
AND WITHSTANDING THE STRESSES
AND STRAINS ON IT.
THE VESSEL WOULD'VE BEEN
INHERENTLY STRONG,
BECAUSE IT HAD THREE DECKS ON IT
AND THAT WOULD'VE ADDED,
UH, A CONSIDERABLE LONGITUDINAL
STRENGTH TO THE VESSEL.
AND A VESSEL OF 450 FEET
IN LENGTH WOULD --
WOULD BE BENDING
UNDER THE LOAD.
Narrator: OUR ARK WILL
NEED TO BE VERY DURABLE
IF IT'S GOING TO STAND UP
TO THE 40 DAYS
AND 40 NIGHTS OF EXTREME WEATHER
THAT NOAH'S FACED.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO
NEED MORE OF A BARGE
THAN A BOAT.
IT WOULD BE PROBABLY
VERY IMPORTANT TO JUST TRY
AND GET A VERY EFFICIENT SHAPE
IN TERMS OF VOLUME
AND WEIGHT-CARRIAGE.
AND THAT WOULD BE AS PRETTY MUCH
AS CLOSE TO A BARGE
AS YOU COULD ENVISION.
AND THE DIMENSIONS GIVEN
ARE NOT DISSIMILAR
TO A LARGE BARGE
THAT ARE BUILT TODAY.
Narrator: SINCE WE'RE RECREATING
NOAH'S ARK,
WE'LL NEED TO BRING JUST AS
MANY ANIMALS ONBOARD AS HE DID.
BUT HOW MUCH WEIGHT COULD
A VESSEL THIS SIZE HANDLE?
Thompson: I WOULD EXPECT THAT
PROBABLY A VESSEL OF 50 FEET HIGH
WOULD PROBABLY NOT WANT TO BE
FLOATING AT MUCH MORE
THAN 20 FEET OF DRAFT,
SO THAT GIVES YOU ABOUT 16,000
TONS OF CAPACITY TO CARRY --
TO CARRY CARGO.
[ ELEPHANT TRUMPETS ]
16,000 TONS IS THE EQUIVALENT
OF 2,300 ELEPHANTS.
BUILDERS OF THE REPLICA
IN KENTUCKY ESTIMATED
A TOTAL OF 7,000 ANIMALS
ON THE ARK,
MOST OF THEM WEIGHING
LESS THAN AN ELEPHANT.
WE'LL PLAN TO BUILD A BOAT
THAT'S STRONG ENOUGH
TO SUPPORT THE BIGGEST
ANIMALS ON EARTH,
AND BUOYANT ENOUGH TO LIFT US
ABOVE RISING SEA LEVELS.
AND THAT MISSION WILL GUIDE
EVERY DECISION
WE MAKE ON
OUR MODERN-DAY NOAH'S ARK.
WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BUILD IT?
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO
MAKE IT OUT OF?
HOW ARE WE GOING
TO BUILD THIS THING?
HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL WE NEED?
AND, HOW MUCH WILL
THIS WHOLE THING COST?
♪♪
OUR FIRST JOB --
CHOOSING A CONSTRUCTION SITE.
WE'VE GOT OUR EYE
ON THIS STRETCH
OF NORTH AMERICAN COASTLINE,
BIRTHPLACE OF SOME
OF THE BIGGEST
AND FASTEST SHIPS IN THE WORLD.
WE WERE WELL-KNOWN
FOR SHIP-BUILDING IN THE PAST.
WE HAD THE CLIPPER SHIPS,
WE HAD THE BEAUTIFUL BLUENOSE.
Narrator: THERE'S A FOREST
FULL OF RAW MATERIALS
TO CHOOSE FROM
IN NOVA SCOTIA.
Manthorne: THERE IS WOOD LIKELY,
TODAY, GROWING IN CANADA
THAT WOULD BE CAPABLE
OF SUPPORTING
THAT KIND OF A PROJECT.
Narrator: AND IT SEEMS LIKE
WE'LL BE ABLE TO FIND THE CREW
WE NEED HERE, TOO.
THERE ARE STILL QUITE A FEW
WOODEN SHIPWRIGHTS,
UH, HAVE THEIR OWN SHOPS AND ARE
STILL BUILDING WOODEN SHIPS.
Narrator: WE'RE SOLD.
WE'LL BUILD IT ALONG
THESE SHORES.
NOW LET'S CONSIDER
OUR MATERIALS.
IN THE BIBLE, NOAH BUILT
HIS ARK OUT OF WOOD.
SHOULD WE DO THE SAME?
WOOD IS AN EXCELLENT MATERIAL
FOR BUILDING BOATS,
AND THERE'S NO
STRUCTURAL REASON
WHY IT COULDN'T BE
BUILT THAT SIZE.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF
ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS
IN BOAT BUILDING
OVER THE YEARS.
AND EVEN IN WOODEN-BOAT
BUILDERS,
THEIR SYSTEM EVOLVED
FOR BUILDING
OVER MANY, MANY CENTURIES.
Narrator: BUT BEFORE WE SETTLE
ON WOOD AS OUR MAIN MATERIAL,
MAYBE WE SHOULD MAKE SURE
WE'RE NOT OVERLOOKING
A BETTER OPTION --
LIKE STEEL, FOR EXAMPLE.
I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE
THAT IT'D BE VERY EASY
TO BUILD A BOAT
OF THAT SIZE OUT OF STEEL.
UH, WOOD IS 16 TIMES LIGHTER
THAN STEEL,
WHICH IS A GOOD THING
FOR A FLOATING OBJECT.
BUT IT'S 16 TIMES
AS WEAK AS STEEL.
Narrator: THERE ARE SOME FINE
STEEL SHIPS BUILT IN CANADA, TOO.
SO LET'S NOT RULE OUT
A METAL ARK JUST YET.
♪♪
SO, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BUILD
THIS THING?
IT TURNS OUT, THE BIBLE IS
A GOOD RESOURCE FOR OUR PROJECT.
THE BIBLE IS FULL
OF INSTRUCTIONS
ABOUT HOW TO BUILD THINGS.
AND IN THE CASE OF NOAH'S ARK,
EXACT DIMENSIONS
ARE GIVEN IN CUBITS.
Narrator: A CUBIT IS ROUGHLY
THE LENGTH OF A MAN'S FOREARM.
THAT'S A PRETTY
ANTIQUATED WAY OF MEASURING.
WE DON'T WANT TO JEOPARDIZE
OUR PROJECT
BY FOCUSING TOO MUCH
ON THE BIBLICAL SPECS.
SO THE FUNCTION OF THE STORY
DOESN'T SEEM, TO ME,
TO DRIVE BUILDING PROJECTS.
IT DOES OTHER SORTS OF THINGS.
IT MAYBE TALKS ABOUT
WHAT SALVATION IS,
HOW GOD RELATES
TO GOD'S PEOPLE.
BUT, UM, BUT WHETHER
IT'S PROVIDING BLUEPRINTS
SEEMS, TO ME,
QUITE UNLIKELY.
Narrator: ENGINEERS DISCOVERED
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ANCIENT BLUEPRINT
WHEN THEY CONVERTED
CUBITS INTO FEET.
Kanewske: 510 FEET LONG,
51 FEET HIGH, 84 FEET WIDE --
THEY'RE PERFECT DIMENSIONS.
WE'VE TALKED TO A LOT
OF ENGINEERS ON THIS SUBJECT.
THEY SAY IT'S THE PERFECT
DIMENSIONS
FOR WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION,
SEAWORTHINESS,
AND JUST AN OVERALL RIDE
FOR THE SHIP.
♪♪
Narrator: THE REPLICA AT THE ARK
ENCOUNTER THEME PARK IN KENTUCKY
IS BUILT
TO THESE EXACT SPECS.
SO IS THIS ONE IN THE
NETHERLANDS CALLED JOHAN'S ARK.
ALTHOUGH IT'S TECHNICALLY
IN THE WATER,
JOHAN'S ARK ISN'T
REALLY READY TO SET SAIL.
IT'S PERCHED ON TOP OF A STRING
OF FLOATING SHIPPING CONTAINERS.
SO FAR, WE HAVE HYPOTHETICAL
DIMENSIONS GUIDING US
IN THE CREATION
OF OUR MODERN-DAY ARK.
OURS NEEDS TO BE FUNCTIONAL,
THOUGH.
LUCKILY, WE DO HAVE CENTURIES
OF BOAT-BUILDING KNOW-HOW
TO DRAW ON.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
BUILDING BOATS OUT OF LOGS
AND CRAFTING CANOES
SINCE PREHISTORIC TIMES.
♪♪
BY 200 B.C.,
THE ROMANS WERE USING ENSLAVED
SAILORS TO POWER THEIR GALLEONS.
BY THE 1500s, SAILS POWERED
SHIPS MIGHTY ENOUGH
TO FIGHT WARS.
TODAY, CRUISE SHIPS
AND FREIGHTERS RULE THE SEAS.
JUST HOW ADVANCED
WILL OUR ARK NEED TO BE?
Thompson: SO,
THE ARK WAS ESSENTIALLY A LARGE VOLUME-
AND WEIGHT-CARRYING VEHICLE.
AND IT DIDN'T NEED TO HAVE
ANY PROPULSION.
THERE WERE NO ENGINES.
THERE WERE NO SAILS.
AND LOOKING AT THAT,
THERE'S A --
IT OFFERS A FEW SIMPLICITIES
IN THE DESIGN
OF A VESSEL OF THAT TYPE.
Narrator:
UP UNTIL THE 19th CENTURY,
NOAH'S EPIC ARK
WOULD'VE BEEN THE SAME SIZE
AS THE LARGEST
SEAGOING VESSEL EVER BUILT.
THEN, OCEAN LINERS
WERE INVENTED.
AND EVER SINCE, THEY'VE JUST
BEEN GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER.
CHECK OUT THIS MONSTER
CRUISE LINER,
HARMONY OF THE SEAS.
THE SECOND-LARGEST
PASSENGER SHIP IN THE WORLD,
IT CAN FIT ALMOST
8,000 PASSENGERS
AND CREW
INTO 18 DIFFERENT DECKS.
IT COST $1.35 BILLION,
TOOK FOUR YEARS TO BUILD,
AND IS MORE THAN TWICE
THE LENGTH OF OUR ARK.
THIS AIRCRAFT CARRIER,
THE USS CARL VINSON,
IS ALSO MORE THAN TWICE
AS LONG AS OUR ARK
AND CAN FIT
90 AIRCRAFT ONBOARD.
AND TODAY'S GLOBAL ECONOMY
DEPENDS ON TRANSPORTING
A MASSIVE VOLUME
OF GOODS BY WATER,
WITH MORE THAN 2 MILLION
SHIPPING CONTAINERS
IN TRANSIT RIGHT NOW.
WITH ALL THIS MODERN
ADVANCEMENT,
IS A HANDMADE WOODEN BOAT
REALLY OUR BEST OPTION?
Narrator: WE WANT TO BUILD
A MASSIVE MODERN-DAY ARK
THAT WOULD BE ABLE
TO STAY AFLOAT, LIKE NOAH'S DID,
JUST IN CASE RISING SEA LEVELS
CAUSE A NATURAL DISASTER
OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS.
ACCORDING TO THE OLD TESTAMENT,
NOAH USED WOOD TO BUILD HIS ARK.
BUT WITH TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY,
IS THERE A BETTER OPTION
FOR OURS?
THERE MIGHT'VE BEEN SOME
INGENIOUS THINGS
THAT THEY DID THAT WE WOULD LOOK
AND SAY, "OH, WOW.
WE JUST RELY ON CRANES TODAY,"
THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE BIG
DIESEL MOTORS AND SO ON.
AND IN FACT, IF WE TRY TO
PUT THAT TECHNOLOGY IN A SHIP --
AND WE DO.
WE HAVE GREAT BIG STEEL SHIPS
THAT HAVE THAT
SORT OF TECHNOLOGY.
AND THE ENGINE ROOM TAKES UP
A LOT OF ROOM,
AND THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE
A LOT OF PEOPLE
LOOKING AFTER
THAT AND MAINTAINING IT.
ACTUALLY, FROM A PERSPECTIVE
OF BUILDING THE ARK TODAY,
I THINK IT WOULD MAKE IT
FAR TOO COMPLICATED.
Narrator: MAYBE NOAH DID KNOW
A LOT MORE THAN WE SUSPECT,
ESPECIALLY ABOUT
THE WISDOM OF SIMPLICITY.
WOOD IS STILL USED ON A LOT
OF TRADITIONAL BOAT-BUILDING
AND, UH, A LOT OF YACHTS
AND SOME LARGER VESSELS.
THE MATERIAL IS STRONG
AND RESILIENT.
IT'S MAYBE NOT AS COMMONLY
AVAILABLE TODAY IN LARGER SIZES
AS IT WOULD'VE BEEN
4,500 YEARS AGO,
BUT IT -- IT IS AN EXCELLENT
MATERIAL FOR BUILDING A VESSEL.
Narrator: SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE
OUR CUE FROM THE ANCIENTS.
WE'LL BUILD OUR ARK OUT OF WOOD.
ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE,
NOAH USED GOPHER WOOD.
WHAT IS THAT?
NOBODY REALLY KNOWS
WHAT GOPHER WOOD IS.
AS A BUILDING MATERIAL, UM,
THE ANCIENTS WERE ALREADY
SPECULATING ON WHAT IT COULD BE.
Manthorne: GOPHER WOOD
IS LIKELY CEDAR WOOD.
THAT'S VERY GOOD
BOAT-BUILDING WOOD
BECAUSE OF THE STRENGTH
VERSUS WEIGHT.
IT'S AN EXTREMELY STRONG WOOD,
AND IT'S STILL USED
TODAY IN VESSELS.
Narrator: SO CEDAR IS AS CLOSE
AS WE'RE GOING TO GET
TO THE EXACT WOOD
USED IN NOAH'S TIME,
BUT CAN WE FIND IT
IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS?
♪♪
Hemessen: WE'RE IN THIS FOREST
THAT HAS A LOT OF SPRUCE IN IT --
WHITE SPRUCE AND RED SPRUCE.
WE HAVE THAT SPECIAL TREE HERE
-- THE EASTERN WHITE CEDAR.
CEDAR IS A REALLY GOOD WOOD
FOR BUILDING BOATS.
IT'S A SOFT WOOD THAT IS EASY
TO WORK WITH AND SHAPE,
AND IT'S VERY ROT-RESISTANT.
Narrator: THAT'S IMPORTANT,
BECAUSE LIKE NOAH'S ARK,
WE WANT THIS BOAT TO LAST
A FULL YEAR AFTER IT'S FINISHED.
Hemessen: THESE CEDARS THAT GROW
IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA,
THEY CAN GET FAIRLY BIG.
SOME OF THE TALLEST ONES
CAN GET TO 100 FEET.
Narrator:
SO HOW MANY OF THESE BIG TREES
ARE WE GOING TO
HAVE TO BRING DOWN?
Hemessen: TO MAKE AN ARK,
YOU NEED ABOUT 20 HECTARES OF CEDAR.
AND THAT'S A LOT OF WOOD.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH WE'RE BUILDING
A BOAT TO SAVE US FROM FLOODING,
THERE'S A CHANCE THAT HARVESTING
ALL THIS CEDAR
COULD MAKE
THE WATER RISE EVEN FASTER.
Hemessen: WHEN YOU LOSE
VEGETATION -- WHEN YOU LOSE TREES,
ESPECIALLY --
YOU WOULD GET EROSION PROBLEMS,
AND YOU GET FLOODING PROBLEMS.
♪♪
Narrator: OF THE 250 MILLION
HECTARES OF FOREST FOUND IN CANADA,
WE ONLY NEED 20 HECTARES --
OR 49 ACRES WORTH --
TO BUILD OUR ARK.
BUT DOES CANADA HAVE ENOUGH
OF OUR WOOD OF CHOICE?
Hemessen: YOU COULD BE HARD-PRESSED
HERE NOW TO FIND 20 HECTARES WORTH,
AT LEAST ALL IN ONE LOCATION.
IT WOULD BE, "DO I HAVE TO GO TO
SEVERAL LOCATIONS
AND GATHER UP YOUR WOOD?"
Narrator: MAYBE OUR FRIENDS
IN KENTUCKY CAN HELP US.
♪♪
THEIR REPLICA OF THE ARK
WAS BUILT WITH ENOUGH TIMBER
TO GO ALL THE WAY
FROM THE MUSEUM'S SITE
IN WILLIAMSTOWN
TO PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.
WELL, THE FIRST THING WAS,
IT'S HUGE.
SO ACTUALLY, WHAT WE NEEDED
WAS HUGE WOOD, RIGHT?
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE HAD
TO SOURCE THE LUMBER,
AND WE BASICALLY GOT IT FROM
WASHINGTON, OREGON, CANADA --
THAT SORT OF THING.
AND THEN THERE ARE THESE LARGE
BEAMS THAT GO UP THE CENTER
OF THE SHIP THAT KIND OF HOLD
THE WHOLE CENTER TOGETHER.
Narrator: SO WE'LL SOURCE OUR
CEDAR FROM MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA.
THEN, WE'LL HAVE TO GET IT
SHIPPED TO OUR BUILDING SITE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT ONE
OF THE BIGGEST
LUMBER ORDERS IN HISTORY.
Thompson: IF WE LOOKED AT THE
OVERALL SIZE OF THAT VESSEL,
THAT WOULD REPRESENT SOMETHING
LIKE 65,000 TREES
BEING CONSUMED.
Narrator: WHERE ARE WE GOING
TO FIND A SAWMILL TO DEAL
WITH THIS MEGA LUMBER ORDER?
♪♪
TURNS OUT, THERE'S A MILL NEAR
OUR EAST COAST BUILD SITE
THAT'S BEEN RUNNING
FOR FOUR GENERATIONS.
SO IF WE HAD 65,000 LOGS
DELIVERED TO THE MILL,
WE WOULD DE-BARK THEM
AND DRY THEM IN THE DRY KILN,
AND PLANE IT THROUGH OUR PLANING
SYSTEM AND SHIP IT TO YOU.
Narrator: BUT COULD A MODERN-DAY
MILL HANDLE A BOAT
THAT REQUIRED
BIBLICAL-SIZED PLANKS?
Wilber:
IF THEY'RE NOT STANDARD SIZES,
WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE
SOME CHANGES IN THE MILL.
UH, BUT THOSE CHANGES ARE --
NOWADAYS, WITH TECHNOLOGY --
QUITE EASILY MADE.
AND IT COULD BE DONE
QUITE EASILY,
JUST TAKE A LITTLE TIME
TO SET UP.
Narrator: THIS SAWMILL MASTER SAYS
WE COULD GET THE JOB DONE FAST.
I DON'T SEE A PROBLEM AT ALL,
WITH THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY.
AND WE'VE LEARNED SO MUCH
OVER THE CENTURIES
FROM THE TIME OF NOAH'S ARK
THAT IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER
AND TAKE MUCH LESS TIME
THAN IT DID ORIGINALLY.
♪♪
Narrator:
SO OUR PLAN IS PROGRESSING.
WE'VE DECIDED WHERE TO BUILD
OUR NEW ARK
AND WHAT WE'LL BUILD IT OUT OF.
BUT BEFORE WE CALL,
"ALL ABOARD,"
WHO'S GOING TO DO THE JOB?
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE THEM?
AND, HOW MUCH WILL
THE WHOLE THING COST?
[ CASH REGISTER DINGS ]
[ THUNDER RUMBLING
AND CRASHING ]
Narrator: WE'RE IMAGINING
HOW WE'D BUILD
A NEW NOAH'S ARK.
SO FAR, WE FIGURED OUT WE'RE
GOING TO BUILD IT IN CANADA,
AND WE'RE GOING TO STAY TRUE
TO TRADITION
AND BUILD IT
OUT OF CEDAR WOOD.
ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE,
NOAH HAD 100 YEARS
TO DO THE JOB.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE
THAT KIND OF TIME.
SURELY, THERE ARE
MODERN INNOVATIONS
TO HELP US SPEED THINGS UP.
Manthorne:
SO IF I WAS BUILDING AN ARK,
I WOULD HAVE TURN
LARGE TREES INTO LUMBER.
AND THIS IS HOW I DO THIS.
WE DID THIS ON A MILL.
AND NOAH WOULD HAVE TO
[INDISTINCT]
BY HAND WITH AN AXE.
IT WAS A VERY LABORIOUS JOB.
Narrator: CUTTING DOWN 65,000
TREES AND RUNNING THEM
THROUGH A SAWMILL SOUNDS
LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE
PRETTY EXPENSIVE.
Thompson: EVEN LOOKING AT THAT,
I'D SAY $6 A FOOT
FOR RELATIVELY
INEXPENSIVE WOOD
WOULD BE $27 MILLION
IN MATERIAL JUST --
JUST TO MAKE THE HULL.
♪♪
Narrator: ONCE ALL THAT WOOD
GETS DELIVERED TO OUR BUILD SITE,
WE NEED A TEAM OF PEOPLE
TO BUILD OUR ARK.
♪♪
SO, WHAT KIND OF CONSTRUCTION
CREW DID THE ORIGINAL ARK HAVE?
NOAH'S BUILDING THE ARK
WITH HIS FAMILY,
IS THE WAY GENESIS PRESENTS IT.
IT'S NOT REALLY A PROBLEM
BECAUSE THEY ALL LIVE SO LONG
THAT THEY CAN TAKE
100 YEARS TO DO IT.
THEY HAVE ALL THE TIME
THAT THEY NEED TO GET IT DONE.
Narrator:
NOAH HAD A FAMILY OF EIGHT,
INCLUDING THREE SONS
AND THEIR WIVES.
BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD WE
NEED TO CONSTRUCT
A FULLY FUNCTIONING ARK TODAY?
Thompson: I DON'T THINK A CREW
OF EIGHT COULD BUILD THE BOAT.
THERE'S JUST TOO MANY
HEAVY ITEMS TO DEAL WITH,
AND TOO MUCH MATERIAL
TO DEAL WITH.
I WOULD DEFINITELY LOOK UP
ALL OF THE --
THE EXPERIENCED SHIPWRIGHTS,
WHO ARE PEOPLE
WHO ARE EXPERIENCED
IN WOODEN-SHIP BUILDING.
AND, UH, CANVASS THEM TO COME
TO MY YARD TO HELP
WITH THE ARK, TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF THEIR EXPERIENCE
AND THEIR CAPABILITIES
IN DOING THIS BIG PROJECT.
IT WOULD PROBABLY TAKE
A CREW OF MINIMUM,
90 PEOPLE WORKING
FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS TO --
TO BUILD A VESSEL OF THAT SIZE.
Narrator: ALL OF THAT HELP
IS GOING TO COST US.
90 PEOPLE WORKING FOR TWO YEARS
STRAIGHT, UH, 40 HOURS A WEEK.
AND IF WE PAY THEM $60 AN HOUR,
THERE'S ANOTHER $25 MILLION
IN LABOR TO ASSEMBLE THE HULL.
♪♪
BUT IT'S NOT JUST
THE SHIPBUILDING CREW WE NEED.
WE ALSO NEED TO THINK ABOUT
THE CREW FOR THE JOURNEY.
I'M NOT SURE THAT A CREW OF
EIGHT COULD EVEN CREW THE BOAT
WHILE IT WAS FLOATING
AROUND THE OCEAN,
BECAUSE THERE WOULD'VE BEEN
FEEDING, CLEANUP, A LOT OF --
A LOT OF WORK TO HAVE BEEN DONE.
Narrator: WE'LL PLAN TO BRING
OUR ENTIRE CREW OF 90 ONBOARD
ONCE CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE,
AND IT SHOULDN'T TAKE
MUCH PERSUASION.
Thompson: IF EVERYBODY WHO'S
BUILDING THE BOAT REALLY BELIEVES
THERE'S A FLOOD COMING, THEY'RE
GONNA BE PRETTY COMMITTED
TO WANTING TO BE
ONBOARD THE VESSEL.
Narrator: SO LOOKS LIKE
IT'LL BE ALL HANDS ON DECK
ONCE WE'VE BUILT THIS THING.
WE'RE PLANNING TO BUILD BIG,
BUT WE'RE GOING TO START SMALL.
THIS IS A TRADITION
IN WOODEN-BOAT BUILDING.
MODELS WERE USED INSTEAD OF
BLUEPRINTS,
WHEN THE BOAT
WAS SCALED OFF THE MODEL
AND BUILT TO THE EXACT SCALE
OF THE MODEL.
ON THIS MODEL, ON THIS SIDE,
YOU'LL SEE ALL THE LINES.
AND THESE ARE CALLED LOTH LINES.
WE'D HAVE TO MODEL
THE ARK FIRST,
LAY DOWN THE LINES ON A BIG AREA
FULL-SIZE,
AND START SQUARING TIMBER.
Narrator: ONCE WE'VE CHOSEN
OUR BUILDING LOCATION
AND MOCKED UP OUR MODEL,
WE'VE GOT TO GET A MASSIVE
AMOUNT OF WOOD ON-SITE.
IN KENTUCKY, THE WOOD
WAS MEASURED AND PRECUT
BEFORE IT WAS DELIVERED.
SO ONCE WE SOURCED
ALL OF THAT MATERIAL,
THEN WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT,
"OKAY, HOW ARE WE GONNA BUILD
ALL THIS STUFF?"
SO WE WANTED TO ACTUALLY HAVE
THE THING SHIPPED
TO A CERTAIN TEAM
THAT COULD KIND OF
CUT UP THE BEAMS
AND PUT TOGETHER THE PIECES
THE WAY
THAT THEY'RE GONNA CONNECT,
AND THEN HAVE THEM SHIPPED
TO THE SITE ITSELF.
Narrator: ONCE THE PIECES ARRIVE
TO OUR BUILDING SITE,
IT'S TIME TO PUT THEM TOGETHER
AND FORM OUR TIMBER FRAME.
Ham: TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS MEANT
BY TIMBER FRAME STRUCTURE --
BECAUSE THE ARK WE BUILT
IS ACTUALLY THE LARGEST TIMBER
FRAME STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD --
THINK ABOUT IT LIKE THIS.
A LOAF OF BREAD,
AND IT HAS SLICES,
AND YOU CALL EACH SLICE A BENT.
AND EACH BENT CONSISTS OF
TWO HALF-BENTS.
AND A HALF-BENT HAS A BIG POLE
CALLED A LODGE POLE,
AND THEN YOU HAVE HALF
THE SLICE OF BREAD
BUILT ON THAT PARTICULAR POLE.
AND SO THEN YOU PUT TWO
HALF-BENTS TOGETHER
AND YOU HAVE SLICES OF BREAD,
IF YOU LIKE.
Narrator: BUT HOW ARE WE GOING
TO HOLD ALL THOSE SLICES TOGETHER
TO MAKE A WATERTIGHT VESSEL?
THIS IS A WOODEN TREE-NAIL,
OR TRUNNEL.
IT'S MADE OF BLACK LOCUST.
DOESN'T ROT IN 200 YEARS OR SO,
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S USED.
AND THIS IS WHAT HOLDS
THIS VESSEL TOGETHER,
IS ALL THESE TREE-NAILS.
Narrator: THE OTHER ADVANTAGE
OF USING TRUNNELS
IS THAT THEY WON'T CORRODE.
SO, ELECTROLYSIS IS
VERY DAMAGING TO VESSELS,
AND USUALLY IS THE --
THE ENDING OF THE VESSEL,
IS WHEN ALL THE FASTENERS ARE
EATEN UP OFF BY ELECTROLYSIS.
IT'S A TRANSFER OF THE METAL.
IT DETERIORATES THE METAL
AND CAUSES IT TO BECOME
VERY SMALL IN THE WOOD,
AND FINALLY WEAKEN
TILL THE VESSEL IS FATIGUED
AND BREAKS UP.
Narrator: WE FIGURE IT'S GOING
TO TAKE AT LEAST
10,000 OF THOSE TRUNNELS
TO GET THE JOB DONE.
BUT HOW ABOUT OUR DESIGN?
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
IF OUR BOAT IS GOING
TO SET SAIL,
IT HAS TO BE ABLE
TO HANDLE THE WAVES.
THE TRUTH IS,
IF YOU TAKE A STICK --
A LONG STICK,
AND YOU THROW IT INTO THE OCEAN,
AND YOU THINK IT'S GONNA
SURF THE WAVES,
IT'S NOT GONNA DO THAT.
IT'S GONNA TURN SIDEWAYS,
AND IT'LL FOUNDER.
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE TALKED TO
A SERIES OF NAUTICAL ENGINEERS.
AND THE THING THAT'S INTERESTING
ABOUT THE ARK IS IT REALLY
HAS KIND OF THE SAME DIMENSIONS
ON A FREIGHTER --
YOU KNOW, LIKE AN OIL FREIGHTER,
TANKER, THAT KIND OF THING.
Manthorne: THE VESSEL WOULD HAVE
TO BE EXTREMELY,
HEAVILY KNEED-OUT TO SUPPORT
THE STRESSES AND STRAINS
AND SUPPORT THE DECKS.
KNEES ARE BENT MEMBERS --
USUALLY GROWED ROOTS
FROM THE ROOT OF TREE,
THAT IS USED TO PUT IN THE
CORNERS AS BRACINGS IN VESSELS,
AND IS STILL USED TODAY.
Narrator: SO OUR ARK WILL NEED TO
BE SHAPED LIKE AN OIL FREIGHTER
AND HAVE STRONG KNEES.
OUR FRIENDS IN KENTUCKY
ALSO FIGURED OUT
HOW TO KEEP OUR SHIP
FROM GETTING SOGGY.
ONE OF THE NATURE OF WOODEN
SHIPS IS THAT WATER SINKS
INTO THE WOOD,
AND IT SWELLS THE WOOD.
AND THEN IT SORT OF CREATES
A SEAL
BETWEEN ALL OF THE PARTS
THAT ARE IN THERE.
AND THE ANCIENT SHIPS THAT --
THAT WE STUDIED
BASICALLY WERE MADE
OUT OF A LOT OF SMALL PIECES
THAT WERE KIND OF CHINKED
TOGETHER IN A WAY,
UM, LIKE A LITTLE PUZZLE.
AND THEN THERE ARE
MULTIPLE LAYERS,
AND SO YOU'VE GOT THE ABILITY
OF THE HULL OF THE SHIP
TO BE ABLE TO SWELL TOGETHER
AND TO CLOSE UP.
Narrator:
WE BETTER GET HAMMERING,
BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT
OF WORK TO DO.
WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING TO
BUILD OUR ARK.
WE FIGURED OUT
WHO WILL DO THE JOB,
HOW MANY WORKERS IT'LL TAKE,
AND HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE THEM.
BUT WE STILL HAVE TO LOOK
AT THE PASSENGER LIST
AND, OF COURSE,
THE FINAL PRICE TAG.
♪♪
Narrator: WE'RE IMAGINING HOW
WE'D BUILD A NEW NOAH'S ARK.
WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BUILD IT
IN CANADA
FROM CEDAR WOOD,
USING ANCIENT
SHIPBUILDING METHODS.
NOW WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT
HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET TWO OF
EVERY ANIMAL ONBOARD LIKE NOAH
DID IN THE BIBLE.
SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE THAT THERE
ARE OVER 8 MILLION SPECIES
ON THE PLANET TODAY,
BUT OUR REPLICA BUILDERS
IN KENTUCKY BELIEVE THAT NOAH
ONLY BROUGHT 7,000 ANIMALS
ABOARD HIS ARK.
Ham: WELL, THE BIBLE
DOESN'T SAY THAT
NOAH TOOK MILLIONS OF SPECIES
ON THE ARK.
IT SAYS THAT TWO OF EACH KIND
OF LAND-DWELLING,
AIR-BREATHING ANIMAL.
SO IT WASN'T THE SEA CREATURES,
FOR A START.
IT WAS ONLY THE LAND-DWELLING,
EVERYTHING ANIMALS.
AND IT WASN'T TWO
OF EACH SPECIES.
IT WAS TWO OF EACH KIND.
YOU CAN HAVE DIFFERENT SPECIES
WITHIN ONE KIND.
SO IF YOU TAKE DOGS -- DINGOES,
WOLVES, COYOTES,
JACKALS, FOXES,
DOMESTIC VARIETIES --
WE WOULD SAY, OKAY,
YOU'VE GOT DIFFERENT SPECIES.
BUT YOU ONLY NEEDED TWO DOGS
ON THE ARK
BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL
IN THE ONE DOG KIND.
Narrator: BUT MANY IN THE
SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY DISAGREE
WITH THIS REASONING.
WELL, ONE THING THAT WASN'T
WELL-KNOWN
WHEN THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN,
I SUPPOSE,
WAS THAT THERE'S A LOT
OF GENETIC VARIABILITY
WITHIN SPECIES,
AND THAT HELPS SPECIES SURVIVE.
WHEN SPECIES ARE PUT INTO VERY,
VERY SMALL POPULATIONS,
THOSE POPULATIONS OFTEN
ARE NOT VERY VIABLE
BECAUSE OF INBREEDING
AND OF GENETIC EFFECTS THAT
ACCUMULATE IN THE POPULATION,
AND THAT MAKE THEM SICK
AND EVENTUALLY THEY DIE OUT.
SO THE IDEA THAT YOU COULD JUST
TAKE TWO OF EACH KIND
AND MAKE THEM BREED AND THAT
WOULD MAKE UP FOR THE WHOLE,
AND THAT WOULD BE
A VIABLE POPULATION, IS UNTRUE.
THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN.
THAT WOULD ONLY BE POSSIBLE FOR
VERY, VERY, VERY FEW SPECIES.
♪♪
Narrator: WE KNOW ONE THING
FOR SURE --
WHATEVER ANIMALS
WE DO BRING ABOARD
NEED TO BE HOUSED AND CARED FOR.
THE ARK IN KENTUCKY
TAKES THIS INTO ACCOUNT,
BUT THE DESIGNERS
HAD TO PLAY IT BY EAR.
WHAT WE TELL THE GUESTS
INITIALLY IS RIGHT HERE,
WE TELL THEM WE TOOK
A LOT OF ARTISTIC LICENSE.
'CAUSE THERE'S NOT A LOT
OF DETAIL ABOUT THE ARK
AND HOW IT WAS BUILT.
THERE ARE SOME DETAILS
ABOUT THE ANIMALS
AND THINGS LIKE THAT,
BUT NOT A LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT,
FOR INSTANCE,
THE WIVES' NAMES --
NOAH'S WIFE AND THE
DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW THAT NOAH HAD.
SO WE DO TAKE A LOT
OF ARTISTIC LICENSE.
SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS SOME OF THE CAGES
FOR THE LARGER ANIMALS.
AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY
PROBABLY DIDN'T WANNA BE IN THE
CAGES WITH THE LARGER ANIMALS.
SO WE HAVE THESE BRIDGES HERE
THAT WE SHOW
WHERE THE FAMILY WOULD'VE GONE
THROUGH THE BRIDGE
AND DONE LIKE AN AUTOMATIC
FEEDER TO BRING GRAIN AND WATER
AND WHAT THE ANIMALS
NEEDED TO SURVIVE.
SO THESE ANIMALS PROBABLY WERE
NOT BROUGHT OUT OF THE CAGES
AND WALKED AROUND.
Narrator: THE DESIGN TEAM RESEARCHED
ANCIENT SHIPBUILDING METHODS
TO ANSWER SOME OF
THE TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
THAT HAVE BEEN TROUBLING
SKEPTICS FOR CENTURIES,
INCLUDING HOW NOAH WOULD'VE
DEALT WITH ANIMAL WASTE.
SO, THERE'S A THING
CALLED A MOON POOL
WHICH BASICALLY IS A BOX THAT
GOES FROM THE TOP OF THE ARK
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ARK.
AND IT'S OPEN TO THE SEA.
IT'S OPEN TO THE AIR ABOVE,
AND IT'S OPEN TO THE SEA BELOW.
AND THE WATER'S NOT GONNA
COME UP INSIDE THAT,
BUT YOU LITERALLY
FIGURE OUT A WAY
TO DROP ALL OF
THE WASTE PRODUCTS
OUT INTO THE SEA
THROUGH THIS THING.
SO IT LITERALLY GOES
THROUGH THE CENTER --
YOU KNOW, THE TOP AND THE BOTTOM
OF THE ARK ITSELF.
[ SHIP HORN BLOWS ]
Narrator: SO WE'LL DO LIKE THEY
DO ON OCEAN LINERS.
WE'LL TREAT AND DUMP.
♪♪
SCRIPTURE AND SPECULATION
CAN ONLY TAKE US SO FAR.
HOW CAN WE BE CONFIDENT THAT
WE CAN SAVE THE ANIMAL WORLD
WITH OUR NEW ARK?
HOPE SWINIMER HAS WRANGLED
AND RELEASED TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS.
THERE IS NO WAY.
YOU KNOW,
I LOOK AT LIFE THIS WAY --
DOING A LITTLE SOMETHING
IS BETTER
THAN DOING NOTHING AT ALL.
SO LET'S JUST GET WHAT WE CAN
GET, SAVE WHAT WE CAN SAVE,
AND START WITH WHAT WE HAVE
TO START WITH.
THAT'S THE PLAN.
[ RUMBLING ]
Narrator:
IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO BRING
TWO OF EVERY SINGLE SPECIES
ONBOARD OUR ARK.
SO HOW MUCH BIODIVERSITY ARE
WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SAVE?
Swinimer:
WELL, YOU GOTTA BE SELECTIVE.
YOU'RE GONNA BE A WORLD TRAVELER
BEFORE THIS IS ALL DONE.
EVEN TO GET THOSE 1.5 MILLION
WE HAVE
ALREADY DESCRIBED
WOULD BE AN ENORMOUS CHALLENGE,
BECAUSE THERE'S MANY OF THEM
THAT HAVE ONLY BEEN SEEN
ONCE OR TWICE.
SO COLLECTING THEM
WOULD TAKE A LONG, LONG TIME.
♪♪
Narrator: AND ONCE WE HAVE
THE ANIMALS ON THE BOAT,
THEY HAVE SPECIFIC NEEDS
THAT WE'LL HAVE TO
TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION --
THINGS LIKE SUFFICIENT ROOM
TO MOVE AROUND,
AND ACCESS TO FRESH AIR
AND NATURAL SUNLIGHT.
Swinimer: THEY NEED ALL OF THIS
ENRICHMENT FOR THEIR VERY WELLBEING.
IF THEY'RE IN CONFINEMENT
WITHOUT ANY ENRICHMENT,
IT WOULD BE LIKE A HUMAN
PUT INTO A SMALL SQUARE BOX
LIKE SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.
THEY WOULD LOSE THEIR WILL.
THE OTHER THING YOU'D REALLY
HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
IS IF A VIRUS BROKE OUT.
I MEAN, IT COULD WIPE OUT
EVERY ANIMAL ON THE BOAT.
IT REALLY COULD.
YOU KNOW, SOME ANIMALS
MIGHT BE IMMUNE TO IT,
BUT THERE'S SO MANY THINGS
MEDICALLY THAT COULD GO WRONG.
Narrator: IT'S A NOBLE
UNDERTAKING TO RESCUE
AS MANY FLYING AND
BREATHING ANIMALS AS POSSIBLE.
WE'LL DO THE BEST WE CAN
IN THE SPACE WE HAVE.
[ ROARS ]
WE CAN SORT THE PREDATORS
FROM THE PREY
AND THE SPIDERS
FROM THE FLIES,
BUT WHAT ABOUT TICKS,
MOSQUITOES, AND OTHER INSECTS
THAT'VE BEEN KNOWN
TO CARRY DISEASES?
A LOT OF SPECIES HAVE PARASITES
AND PATHOGENS
THAT JUST ATTACK THEM.
THAT'S PART OF BIODIVERSITY.
SO IF YOU REALLY WANT TO TAKE
ALL SPECIES,
WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM, TOO.
Narrator:
IN OTHER WORDS,
THE MORE ANIMALS WE CAN SAVE,
THE BETTER.
[ ROARS ]
BUT WE ALSO NEED A PLAN
TO PRESERVE
THE COUNTLESS
SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS
THAT'VE TAKEN PLACE SINCE NOAH'S
ARK WAS SUPPOSEDLY BUILT.
SO, A MODERN EQUIVALENT
TO AN ARK
IS THE FROZEN ARK IN ENGLAND,
WHERE PEOPLE ARE TRYING
TO PRESERVE
GENETIC MATERIAL
OF ENDANGERED SPECIES --
SPECIES WE'RE THREATENED
TO BE LOSING FROM THIS PLANET.
AND THE IDEA TO MAINTAIN THEM
IS NOT TO SQUISH THEM
INTO AN ARK OR INTO A ZOO.
THAT'S MAYBE DONE
FOR SOME SPECIES,
BUT FOR A LOT OF THEM,
THAT'S NOT PRACTICAL.
SO YOU TAKE GENETIC SAMPLES
FROM THEM, OR GAMETES --
SPERMS AND EGGS --
THAT CAN BE FERTILIZED,
AND THEN RECREATE THE SPECIES.
Narrator: INSTEAD OF FOOD
AND WATER DISHES,
WE'LL HAVE PETRI DISHES.
TO KEEP THE EMBRYOS FROZEN,
WE'LL PACK ENOUGH BATTERIES FOR
40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS OF STORM,
AND COVER THE ARK'S DECK
WITH SOLAR PANELS TO POWER US
WHEN THE SUN FINALLY
BREAKS THROUGH.
IMAGINE THAT -- NOAH'S ARK
WITH A BUILT-IN SCIENCE LAB,
FULLY EQUIPPED AND CAPABLE
OF REPOPULATING OUR WORLD
WITH AS MUCH BIODIVERSITY AS YOU
CAN CRAM INTO AN OCEAN LINER.
BUT THIS SHIP IS FAR
FROM BEING READY TO SAIL.
WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE
GOING TO BUILD.
WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING
TO BUILD WITH,
WHO'S GOING TO DO THE JOB,
AND HOW LONG IT'LL TAKE.
BUT IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN --
HOW MUCH IS WEATHERING
THIS STORM GOING TO COST US?
[ THUNDER RUMBLING ]
WE'RE IMAGINING
A LIFE-SIZED LIFEBOAT
CAPABLE OF SAVING
THE POPULATION,
SHOULD NATURAL DISASTER STRIKE.
IT'S MADE OF CEDAR, A STRONG AND
SENSIBLE SHIPBUILDING MATERIAL.
THE ARK WILL TAKE TWO YEARS
AND 90 PEOPLE WORKING AROUND
THE CLOCK TO BUILD.
SO, LET'S DO IT.
♪♪
FIRST, WE NEED
TO PREPARE OUR JOBSITE.
Thompson: YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE
AN AREA THAT WAS GRATED OUT
SO THAT YOU COULD BUILD A BOAT
AND MAKE SURE
THAT IT WAS FLAT ON THE BOTTOM,
AND THAT IT WAS EASY TO ASSEMBLE
AND EASY TO WORK AROUND.
♪♪
Narrator: THEN, WE'LL BRING
TOGETHER CRAFTSMEN WITH SOME OF
THE FINEST BOAT-BUILDING
SKILLS IN THE WORLD.
ONCE WE GET THE FRAME TOGETHER,
WE'LL FURNISH THE INTERIOR
WITH A BIO LAB
AND PACK
IN AS MANY ANIMAL EMBRYOS
AND DNA SAMPLES AS WE CAN.
BUT, WHAT ABOUT OUR SCIENTISTS
AND CREW?
THEY NEED TO STAY HEALTHY AND
HAPPY FOR A YEAR ON THE WATER.
Marsh:
ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE ARK,
BEYOND JUST THE CREATION
OF THE SHIP ITSELF,
WAS REALLY THE CARGO THAT NOAH
AND HIS FAMILY
WERE TAKING WITH THEM.
NOT JUST THE ANIMALS --
THOSE WERE THE THINGS
THAT GOD TOLD HIM TO BRING.
BUT THEY WERE BRINGING
THEIR CULTURE WITH THEM.
Narrator: WE'LL OUTFIT OUR ARK
A LITTLE LIKE A CRUISE SHIP.
WE'LL DESIGN TOP-NOTCH CABINS,
PLUS A GYM, LIBRARY, CINEMA,
AND CHAPEL.
WE'LL STOCK THE KITCHEN
WITH ASTRONAUT FOOD
AND INCLUDE FISHING GEAR
SO OUR PASSENGERS STAY NOURISHED
UNTIL THEY'RE BACK ON DRY LAND.
SO, BRING IT ON.
WE'RE READY
FOR THE WATER TO RISE.
♪♪
WE DID IT!
WE BUILT IN CANADA.
WE MADE IT OUT OF OVER
65,000 CEDAR TREES
USING A SAWMILL,
TRADITIONAL HANDHELD TOOLS,
AND A LOT OF BIOLOGICAL
KNOW-HOW.
IT TOOK OVER TWO YEARS,
AND WE USED 90 TRADITIONAL
SHIPBUILDERS TO DO IT.
SO, WHAT DOES THAT ADD UP TO?
WELL, YOU'RE LOOKING
AT A $50 MILLION
TO $60 MILLION
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT,
WHICH IS A BIG PROJECT.
Narrator: AND THAT'S JUST
THE LABOR AND MATERIALS.
THERE'S ALSO THE COST
OF FITTING OUR ARK
WITH A STATE-OF-THE-ART
LABORATORY.
♪♪
NOW WE'RE READY
TO SAVE HUMANITY,
AND THE ANIMAL WORLD,
AT ALL COSTS.
RIGHT?
IF WE HAD THIS GLOBAL
HAND-HOLDING AND EVERYBODY
IN EVERY PROVINCE
OR EVERY CONTINENT
AND EVERY COUNTRY WAS ONBOARD,
THE POWER OF PEOPLE
CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
Narrator: ESPECIALLY
WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT
THE U.S. SPENT
OVER $130 BILLION
ON DISASTER RELIEF
IN 2017 ALONE.
SO THE ARK, FOR ME,
IS AN INTERESTING METAPHOR FOR,
WE LIVE ON AN ARK.
AND THIS IS ALL WE'VE GOT,
AND THERE'S NO OTHER PLANET
WE CAN REPOPULATE --
AT LEAST,
WE DON'T KNOW ONE YET --
UM, WITH THE SPECIES WE GOT.
SO THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE,
AND WE NEED TO BE
GOOD ZOOKEEPERS,
IF YOU WILL, AND KEEP
THIS PLACE ALIVE INDEFINITELY.
♪♪
Narrator: THE BIBLICAL STORY
OF NOAH'S ARK INSPIRED US.
IT'S ONE OF MANY STORIES
WRITTEN ABOUT
HOW HUMANITY
COULD SURVIVE CATASTROPHE.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT ACTUALLY,
SOME SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES
DO A BETTER JOB OF RE-IMAGINING
WHAT THE ARK MIGHT BE LIKE, UM,
BECAUSE YOU HAVE THESE
SPACE CAPSULES FLYING OFF
WITH ALL THE PLANTS
THAT YOU NEED
AND ALL THE ANIMALS --
LITTLE PODS
SO THAT YOU CAN RESTART LIFE
ON A DIFFERENT PLANET.
Narrator:
IT MAY SEEM LIKE SCI-FI,
BUT SCIENTISTS ARE ALREADY
PREPARING AN INSURANCE POLICY
AGAINST GLOBAL CATASTROPHE.
WELL, THE IMPORTANCE
OF THE FROZEN ARK PROJECT REALLY
IS THE IDEA THAT IF WE LOSE
SPECIES AT A HIGH RATE --
WHICH WE ARE, RIGHT NOW --
IS THERE SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO
BRING THEM BACK AFTER THE FACT,
ONCE WE'VE FIGURED OUT
TO MAINTAIN THE ECOSYSTEMS --
THE TROPICAL FORESTS,
THE CORAL REEFS,
THE WETLANDS,
THE ICE MOUNTAINS AND GLACIERS
THAT WE ARE THREATENED TO LOSE.
♪♪
Narrator:
THIS IS OUR BEST CHANCE
AT REVERSING THE DESTRUCTION
OF THE NATURAL WORLD,
WITHOUT HAVING TO GO TO SEA
IN A GIANT WOODEN SHIP.
IT'S A GLIMPSE
OF A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE,
AND A HOPE FOR A HAPPY ENDING,
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY.