|
National Geographic The Search For the Battleship Bismark
|
| 00:00:19 |
On February 14, 1939, |
| 00:00:22 |
the massive hull of au |
| 00:00:25 |
slid into the water at Hamburg. |
| 00:00:31 |
For the Nazi party, |
| 00:00:32 |
it was a day to celebrate the |
| 00:00:37 |
a moment to be savored |
| 00:00:50 |
Two years later, the ship was |
| 00:00:59 |
When she left port in the |
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She was widely regarded as |
| 00:01:05 |
and the most dangerous |
| 00:01:11 |
She would never return. |
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Her name was the Bismarck, |
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and she was about to become a legend. |
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Summer, 1988. |
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A converted trawler named |
| 00:02:10 |
bound for the North Atlantic... |
| 00:02:12 |
where the Bismarck sank nearly |
| 00:02:17 |
The story of what happened to |
| 00:02:20 |
on the world's stage |
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everyone who's heard it |
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the man who found the Titanic. |
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Now he's looking for the Bismarck. |
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Come around... one, five, three. |
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One, five, three. |
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I knew the story of the Bismarck, |
| 00:02:44 |
It was an elegant ship, a warship. |
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It was very much like the Titanic, |
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It had such a short life and a very |
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I mean, it was alive for less |
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It's an exciting story. |
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To find it gives you the opportunity |
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a new generation of people. |
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Even before the search begins, |
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Well, if I don't find it, |
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So will a lot of other people. |
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But, it was sort of |
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When I did the Titanic, |
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Now, on one believes |
| 00:03:31 |
And I don't... I think I preferred |
| 00:03:36 |
If the Bismarck is as elusive today |
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Ballard has his work cut out for him. |
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Nineteen forty one. Monday, May 19th. |
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The Bismarck leaves German waters |
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What her commanders hope will be a |
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on British shipping in |
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She is a monumental weapon |
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a sixth of a-mile long, |
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Her 15-inch guns are aimed with the |
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and can hurl a one-ton shell |
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Her crew of over 2,000 men |
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for duty on a ship rumored |
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Many are 18 or 19 years old, |
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The Bismarck is like a huge cat |
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But first she must prowl into enemy |
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Two days out of port the Starella |
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last known position, |
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Because no one knows exactly |
| 00:04:59 |
the search could cover nearly a |
| 00:05:02 |
As far as the location of |
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we have four separate positions. |
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One was by the Dorsetshire, |
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which was the ship |
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and then actually dealt the final blow |
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It gives its position over here |
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Then there's the position of one of |
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which was over in the western area. |
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A published report also puts |
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Then we have a secret document |
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Ballard is a pioneer |
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to explore the deep sea. |
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Over. This is bridge... three, |
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All right. Let's put it in. |
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Okay, bridge... one, eight, five, three |
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These transponders will sink to the |
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powerful acoustic signals, |
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allowing Ballard to pinpoint his |
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Sonar provides his first glimpse |
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three miles beneath the ship. |
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I should pick up bottom right here. |
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Got a helluva long ways to go. |
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Looks pretty gruesome... real gruesome. |
| 00:06:32 |
I don't know. |
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It's horrible topography. |
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Hand to hand combat. |
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Where we dropped the first |
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but the second transponder went in |
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go the third we're in solid mountains, |
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which is just, you know, horrible. |
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Ballard is worried |
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below will make it |
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an underwater sled carrying |
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lights, and sonar equipment. |
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Argo is designed to photograph the |
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just above the pitch dark seabed... |
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Our biggest fear is losing the vehicle |
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because that's the |
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Hanging up on a cliff and cutting |
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I've come close before. |
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Ballard decides to avoid |
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on the flat mud plains to the west. |
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For the men who operate Argo |
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Todd the long watch is just beginning. |
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Nineteen forty one. Tuesday, May 20th. |
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The Bismarck steams north |
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With her is a heavy cruiser, |
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For the men aboard the Bismarck, |
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The war is Europe is |
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and Germany still hasn't suffered a |
| 00:08:34 |
Hitler's troops occupy most of Europe. |
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The German Luftwaffe is carrying out |
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which stands alone against |
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Only England and her legendary sea |
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But even the Royal Navy |
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with a ship quite like the Bismarck. |
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And the idea was that the Bismarck |
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with the cruiser Prince Eugen. |
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And she would spend a three-months |
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the Atlantic sinking all the ships |
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the petrol, the ammunition, |
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keeping the war going. |
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Although the United States won't |
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supply convoys from America |
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hit hard by the German navy. |
| 00:09:30 |
If the Bismarck had cut out onto the |
| 00:09:33 |
she could have done an |
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I think that if she had done that, |
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she could've altered |
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So it was very, very critical. |
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But first, she has to be found. |
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As far as British intelligence knows, |
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in German waters, |
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In fact, |
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from the confined waters of the Baltic. |
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The German plan is simple, |
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First they hope to slip through the |
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and break through to the North sea. |
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If the Bismarck hasn't been detected, |
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to sail into the Atlantic-perhaps |
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But the Bismarck is detected. |
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On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, |
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a British Spitfire |
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showing the Bismarck nestled |
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The report that Bismarck is trying |
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Now all the Royal Navy |
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Summer, 1988. Aboard the Starella, |
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only two days have passed since the |
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and already Ballard believes |
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Argo is sending back images of a |
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That trail should lead |
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Coming in. |
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Come up, Todd... |
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20 meters. |
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Something was buried here. |
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Going down, down... |
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Keep going... |
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Down... |
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On the down swing, on the down. |
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The sinking should |
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I mean that's the best guess. |
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And that's where we're headed. |
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So we're gonna head up there, |
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but stay visual and try to stay |
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For the next three days, |
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Ballard follows the meandering |
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On the fourth day, |
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Got a good object coming. |
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Look at the brightness of that sucker. |
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Wow, it's awesome. |
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Whatever it is, it's a big thing. |
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Woah, what's this? Look at this! |
| 00:12:19 |
This is what we've come for. |
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There's some hull section right here. |
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All right, down, down, |
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Yeah. Kuhboom. |
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What Ballard has found |
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is an impact crater where some large |
| 00:12:43 |
But what kind of object? |
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You can see the debris trail. |
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Very light stuff getting |
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bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger, |
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So I think it went down to the bottom |
| 00:13:04 |
I'm pretty confident |
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We have total coverage of the area |
| 00:13:11 |
and process it our case will get |
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Believing that he |
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Ballard has Argo hoisted from the |
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What we gotta do now is to go home and |
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and see if we can spot |
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"Yes, this is the Bismarck," |
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The photographs give |
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he's been looking for |
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but not the one he wanted. |
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And then there was a teak rudder. |
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I mean, a brand new, beautifully |
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Now, I know that Bismarck |
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Maybe that's teak rudder. |
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But obviously it wasn't the Bismarck. |
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And that image was sort of like |
| 00:14:11 |
I mean I just looked at that |
| 00:14:14 |
I could rationalize around that. |
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It was clearly, |
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Instead of the Bismarck, |
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Ballard has stumbled upon the wreck |
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Round one to the Bismarck. |
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Fifty years ago, |
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the Bismarck was proving to be just |
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On Friday, May 23rd, the battleship |
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British cruiser as she prepares to |
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between Greenland and Iceland. |
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Two hundred and fifty miles away, |
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the British warships Prince of |
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They begin steering a course to |
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before she reaches open water. |
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Leading the attack will be the |
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Now the hold was the epitome of |
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about the Royal Navy before the war. |
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She was a wonderful ship. |
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She was built during the |
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she had very poor armor, |
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very lightly covered armor |
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And she shouldn't have been |
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Now the Hood was a name all of |
| 00:15:40 |
Our commanders tried to scare us with |
| 00:15:43 |
In every exercise, they'd say: |
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"Our ship is in a battle with |
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Saturday morning, May 24th. |
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At a distance of about 14 miles, |
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Bismarck responds |
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One of Bismarck's shells penetrates |
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and ignites her aft powder magazines. |
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The resulting firestorm rips |
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All I saw was a gigantic sheet of |
| 00:16:42 |
front of the compass platform. |
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And the ship started |
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We were all thrown off our feet. |
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There was no order given |
| 00:16:55 |
It wasn't necessary. |
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And the news spread immediately. |
| 00:16:58 |
It was passed on to every body |
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Somewhere posted inside the ship. |
| 00:17:02 |
It was jubilation, |
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And it was difficult to get the men |
| 00:17:09 |
because of all that elation... |
| 00:17:13 |
I managed to get on one of these |
| 00:17:15 |
round again and she'd gone. |
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And there was a fire on |
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And I'd say the water was about |
| 00:17:25 |
And again, I panicked. |
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I turned and swam away again |
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And when I looked round again |
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And over on the other side |
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There was no one else that came up. |
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Just the three of us. |
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In less than ten minutes of battle, |
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Only three men from a crew of |
| 00:17:50 |
When this news was received in England |
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it was received |
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It was as much of a shock to us in |
| 00:17:59 |
We couldn't believe that a ship |
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in all our successes |
| 00:18:04 |
within a few minutes, |
| 00:18:07 |
And people said, well, what next? |
| 00:18:09 |
I mean if the Bismarck can sink the |
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what else can she do? |
| 00:18:15 |
Summer, 1989. A year after |
| 00:18:19 |
Ballard prepares to renew his |
| 00:18:27 |
Well, we learned a lot last year, |
| 00:18:31 |
We've got a better ship, |
| 00:18:33 |
and we can finally |
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It was just too dangerous last year. |
| 00:18:39 |
I'm not too excited about going |
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But I've run out of choices. |
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This is the one of the |
| 00:18:48 |
Another one here, and then here. |
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So the new search area for this year |
| 00:18:52 |
is roughly six miles east-west |
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Now the transponders, Kathy, |
| 00:18:57 |
We've got A here... |
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A there. |
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B out here... |
| 00:19:01 |
Yeah. |
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And C up here. |
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So running throughout this area |
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that we have to worry about. |
| 00:19:10 |
In fact, this shows the wall |
| 00:19:13 |
It rises a thousand feet from here |
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So we have to worry about coming in |
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The winch we have is very powerful |
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If you get it up and you get it |
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20-pund trout on a 5-pound test line. |
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Do not try to reel it in |
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that five-pound test line |
| 00:19:41 |
and the winch will |
| 00:19:43 |
So pay it out give it line. |
| 00:19:48 |
It takes Argo over two hours to reach |
| 00:19:56 |
Its only connection to the surface |
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less than an inch thick. |
| 00:20:05 |
Once in position, |
| 00:20:09 |
But first it must drop through realms |
| 00:20:13 |
under the full weight of the sea. |
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Although the sled performs flawlessly, |
| 00:20:24 |
Ballard finding any trace |
| 00:20:34 |
Well, the good news is the area we |
| 00:20:38 |
to the east isn't so bad. |
| 00:20:41 |
The bad news is we haven't found it. |
| 00:20:43 |
We've covered over 40 miles |
| 00:20:48 |
in an area of 30 square miles |
| 00:20:52 |
and we haven't picked up any other |
| 00:20:59 |
I mean it's an interesting |
| 00:21:02 |
but that's not why I'm here. |
| 00:21:10 |
You guys are really |
| 00:21:12 |
Why don't you guys find this thing? |
| 00:21:15 |
Nothing yet. |
| 00:21:16 |
Todd? See anything? |
| 00:21:18 |
Naw. Nothing... |
| 00:21:20 |
You almost want to throw a trash over |
| 00:21:25 |
Anything that's more |
| 00:21:27 |
This is boring. |
| 00:21:28 |
A little mud watching. |
| 00:21:30 |
I don't think the world realizes |
| 00:21:34 |
And I think I've looked at more |
| 00:21:38 |
Yeah, I think that's the worst part |
| 00:21:42 |
And hours and hours and hours of mud. |
| 00:21:47 |
And that's what I'm worried about is |
| 00:21:51 |
just going right by it |
| 00:22:02 |
The watch is maintained day and night |
| 00:22:07 |
So far, there's been nothing |
| 00:22:11 |
Ready for some mud crawling? |
| 00:22:16 |
Right. |
| 00:22:19 |
...South of that position. |
| 00:22:21 |
Program 12? |
| 00:22:22 |
Program 12. |
| 00:22:25 |
I'll relieve you. |
| 00:22:26 |
I'm relieved. Thank you. Have fun. |
| 00:22:38 |
The area we're searching is quickly |
| 00:22:41 |
area we searched for the Titanic. |
| 00:22:44 |
So they were really evidently |
| 00:22:49 |
and not very busy at being navigators. |
| 00:22:52 |
Because the positions |
| 00:22:55 |
there's nothing there. |
| 00:23:13 |
Saturday, May 24th, 1941. |
| 00:23:17 |
One hour after sinking the Hood, |
| 00:23:21 |
return the ship to occupied France to |
| 00:23:29 |
But Bismarck is being shadowed by |
| 00:23:32 |
while another battle group moves |
| 00:23:37 |
Aboard the Bismarck the |
| 00:23:40 |
is ripe to lose their pursuers. |
| 00:23:46 |
And then came this dramatic event |
| 00:23:52 |
when the captain of the Bismarck |
| 00:23:57 |
and did a tremendous loop right out |
| 00:24:02 |
crossed his own track, |
| 00:24:04 |
crossed the track of the Prince of |
| 00:24:07 |
that were following him |
| 00:24:10 |
Bismarck's maneuver takes the |
| 00:24:14 |
While they search a hundred miles |
| 00:24:17 |
the Bismarck sails closer |
| 00:24:22 |
Thirty one hours pass as the |
| 00:24:26 |
and the ships frantically |
| 00:24:32 |
Then, on Monday morning, |
| 00:24:35 |
there is a sudden change |
| 00:24:38 |
A Catalina flying boat, |
| 00:24:40 |
cruising just below the |
| 00:24:43 |
spots a dull black shape |
| 00:24:47 |
It is the Bismarck. |
| 00:24:51 |
She is less than a day's sail |
| 00:24:54 |
Luftwaffe bombers stationed in France. |
| 00:24:59 |
Most of the British ships are well |
| 00:25:01 |
while others lie south all too far |
| 00:25:06 |
Only one ship has a chance to slow |
| 00:25:10 |
she reaches port the aircraft |
| 00:25:20 |
But the Ark Royal |
| 00:25:22 |
to pit against the Bismarck. |
| 00:25:25 |
Her aging Swordfish torpedo planes |
| 00:25:29 |
an attack speed of less than |
| 00:25:33 |
and carry only one torpedo apiece. |
| 00:25:36 |
Yet they are the only weapon |
| 00:25:40 |
If the Swordfish can't |
| 00:25:43 |
she'll be in friendly |
| 00:25:51 |
With night closing in, |
| 00:25:53 |
the tiny Swordfish race |
| 00:26:01 |
At 8:53 PM they spot |
| 00:26:13 |
They came in the evening, |
| 00:26:18 |
The sea was rough when we opened fire. |
| 00:26:23 |
We shot and shot, |
| 00:26:26 |
We fired so much our gun barrels |
| 00:26:35 |
One of the Swordfish torpedoes hits |
| 00:26:38 |
causing minor damage. |
| 00:26:40 |
But another strikes the battleship in |
| 00:26:45 |
vulnerable her rudders. |
| 00:26:48 |
Bismarck's steering gear jams. |
| 00:26:50 |
Now she can only move in one direction |
| 00:26:54 |
onrushing British fleet. |
| 00:26:58 |
We couldn't understand it |
| 00:27:00 |
the Ark Royal and the |
| 00:27:03 |
"Course of Bismarck is due north", |
| 00:27:05 |
when up to that point it had been |
| 00:27:08 |
And we thought: "They made a mistake". |
| 00:27:10 |
It's very easy when you see a |
| 00:27:13 |
in the haze awfully uncertain |
| 00:27:15 |
left to right or right to left. |
| 00:27:16 |
And we thought: |
| 00:27:19 |
Silly ol' thing. |
| 00:27:21 |
And when it was repeated two or |
| 00:27:24 |
we suddenly realize that the Bismarck |
| 00:27:28 |
Summer, 1989. |
| 00:27:34 |
the Star Hercules has been |
| 00:27:37 |
for over 200 hours without |
| 00:27:43 |
On the ninth day of the hunt, |
| 00:27:49 |
This whole area is like someone |
| 00:27:55 |
We're just getting little snippets. |
| 00:27:58 |
There's some little stuff. |
| 00:28:01 |
Forward, Oops, look at that. |
| 00:28:05 |
That's obviously man-made. |
| 00:28:08 |
No doubt about that. |
| 00:28:10 |
Light stuff. What did that one off |
| 00:28:14 |
It wasn't... |
| 00:28:16 |
Yeah, but it could be an impact crater |
| 00:28:17 |
Could be. |
| 00:28:19 |
We came in on the |
| 00:28:26 |
and we found a big section of wreckage |
| 00:28:30 |
And we got burnt last year |
| 00:28:34 |
We want a definitive, |
| 00:28:35 |
you know, Bismarck, okay? |
| 00:28:38 |
We're not getting that |
| 00:28:42 |
It takes hours and hours and hours. |
| 00:28:45 |
And I haven't slept for 17 hours |
| 00:28:49 |
The trail of clues on the |
| 00:28:53 |
A boot... a lantern... torn |
| 00:28:58 |
But was it the Bismarck? |
| 00:29:18 |
G' morning. |
| 00:29:19 |
G' morning. |
| 00:29:27 |
Just junk... ready? Fire. |
| 00:29:30 |
Each hour brings new discoveries, |
| 00:29:32 |
and a renewed sense that they're |
| 00:29:35 |
There's a circles. |
| 00:29:40 |
Go down. |
| 00:29:52 |
Yet nothing they have found can |
| 00:29:56 |
until just before midnight, |
| 00:29:59 |
when Argo passes over what appears to |
| 00:30:03 |
that once housed |
| 00:30:06 |
There, back up. No, no... reverse it. |
| 00:30:09 |
Back, back, back. Right there! |
| 00:30:11 |
All right. Now! |
| 00:30:14 |
that's it. You got it... No, |
| 00:30:19 |
on 18th century sailing ships... |
| 00:30:33 |
Ballard knows he's getting closer. |
| 00:30:37 |
We haven't found the ship. |
| 00:30:39 |
I don't think it was buried. |
| 00:30:40 |
I don't think it slid down that hill. |
| 00:30:42 |
I don't think it's there. |
| 00:30:44 |
I think it's somewhere else, |
| 00:30:46 |
Here's more debris coming up. |
| 00:30:49 |
And it's that debris the debris trail |
| 00:30:53 |
We just have to pick up |
| 00:30:58 |
Tuesday, May 27th, |
| 00:31:03 |
Over a dozen British warships close on |
| 00:31:07 |
waiting for first light to |
| 00:31:13 |
They know their quarry is wounded, |
| 00:31:21 |
At about midnight, or shortly after, |
| 00:31:26 |
It was impossible to do useful repair. |
| 00:31:30 |
And was just giving up at next morning |
| 00:31:40 |
We ate our meals at our guns. |
| 00:31:42 |
There was no more warm food just |
| 00:31:47 |
And once we had boiled potatoes. |
| 00:31:50 |
And we stayed at our guns |
| 00:31:58 |
And this was perhaps |
| 00:32:01 |
the most dreadful part of the entire |
| 00:32:05 |
The certainty you could |
| 00:32:08 |
You couldn't do anything. |
| 00:32:10 |
And you could probably not do anything |
| 00:32:15 |
that would be shaping up next morning. |
| 00:32:18 |
It was like sentence of death. |
| 00:32:25 |
Tuesday, May 27th. |
| 00:32:27 |
Two hors after sunrise, |
| 00:32:30 |
finally spot the Bismarck emerging |
| 00:32:34 |
Battle stations are called. |
| 00:32:36 |
At 8:47 AM the British |
| 00:32:55 |
The only thing that struck me |
| 00:32:57 |
was all the color contrasts. |
| 00:32:59 |
The Bismarck was black. |
| 00:33:01 |
The British ships were grey. |
| 00:33:03 |
The seas were green with the wind |
| 00:33:09 |
There was the brown of the cordite |
| 00:33:14 |
there was the brown puffs |
| 00:33:16 |
Then there was the flash, |
| 00:33:19 |
And then these enormous shells |
| 00:33:22 |
white as shrouds. |
| 00:33:27 |
And it was majestic. |
| 00:33:31 |
It was an awesome scene. |
| 00:33:33 |
And I can see it today |
| 00:33:39 |
For one full hour the relentless |
| 00:33:44 |
She'd had a lot of damage on the |
| 00:33:48 |
And every time she plunged in the |
| 00:33:55 |
extending over a large area, |
| 00:33:59 |
And then when she went into the sea |
| 00:34:02 |
What I saw made me sick. |
| 00:34:06 |
There were mountains of dead |
| 00:34:09 |
There was one crazy man still at |
| 00:34:26 |
Ammunition was exploding. |
| 00:34:28 |
The entire upper deck was on fire. |
| 00:34:31 |
It looked like a heap of rubble. |
| 00:34:40 |
Then eventually we saw men |
| 00:34:44 |
running down the quarter deck |
| 00:34:47 |
because it was all over. |
| 00:34:50 |
It was finished. |
| 00:34:54 |
No sailor likes to see another ship |
| 00:34:56 |
This piece of film, |
| 00:34:57 |
showing the Bismarck burning |
| 00:35:00 |
is the last view of the battleship |
| 00:35:13 |
I thought about what to do. |
| 00:35:17 |
What good is antiaircraft |
| 00:35:20 |
And we were almost out of ammunition. |
| 00:35:27 |
So I left with some others and we |
| 00:35:29 |
the Bismarck on a life boat. |
| 00:35:39 |
The admiral decided the only way |
| 00:35:44 |
So we went in close and |
| 00:35:50 |
And then we watched her sink. |
| 00:36:02 |
Thursday, June 8th, 1989. |
| 00:36:07 |
A rainy, overcast morning very much |
| 00:36:14 |
And once we've established that, |
| 00:36:16 |
come back west of that line... |
| 00:36:22 |
Looks like we have a big target |
| 00:36:25 |
about 45 meters out. |
| 00:36:28 |
Closing on the target it's |
| 00:36:31 |
All right! |
| 00:36:35 |
Still closing. |
| 00:36:36 |
Staying strong... lot of debris |
| 00:36:49 |
This is a strong one guys. |
| 00:36:51 |
This could be it. |
| 00:36:52 |
This is incredible. |
| 00:36:55 |
Gun decks right across the bridge. |
| 00:37:05 |
Look at that baby! |
| 00:37:42 |
Our ship was at the very spot |
| 00:37:46 |
With all of the rounds coming, |
| 00:37:50 |
splashes, the impacting, rounds, |
| 00:37:54 |
A fire burning just the tremendous |
| 00:37:59 |
And then to realize that the ship sank |
| 00:38:02 |
and then there were all these people |
| 00:38:05 |
You can almost see them |
| 00:38:08 |
full of oil and relate to that. |
| 00:38:12 |
How awful that would be. |
| 00:38:25 |
We swam for a little while, |
| 00:38:27 |
just to keep moving |
| 00:38:31 |
The water was about 10 degrees Celsius. |
| 00:38:36 |
And it was so difficult to swim in |
| 00:38:40 |
surface of the ocean |
| 00:38:43 |
It penetrated our faces and ears. |
| 00:38:46 |
It made everything most difficult. |
| 00:38:49 |
We were ordered to go and rescue |
| 00:38:54 |
So we came up slowly to them |
| 00:38:57 |
the ship's side on ropes. |
| 00:39:03 |
I remember a story that spread |
| 00:39:07 |
A British seaman saw a German sailor |
| 00:39:11 |
So he climbed down into the sea |
| 00:39:15 |
and fastened a rope around |
| 00:39:18 |
I reached one of the ropes to help |
| 00:39:25 |
and then we noticed that he had both |
| 00:39:29 |
and was holding the rope |
| 00:39:32 |
And he fell off just as we got |
| 00:39:38 |
And I went over the side to tie |
| 00:39:42 |
So I did that. Then I lost him. |
| 00:39:46 |
For those of us on the Dorsetshire, |
| 00:39:50 |
Our government should give that man |
| 00:40:12 |
In the days following the |
| 00:40:15 |
Argo maneuvers slowly around |
| 00:40:19 |
trying to determine the |
| 00:40:30 |
Well, I think any time |
| 00:40:36 |
particularly World War II |
| 00:40:40 |
I mean, the futileness of it, |
| 00:40:43 |
The wastefulness of it. |
| 00:40:46 |
And I think one needs to be |
| 00:40:49 |
during World War II. |
| 00:40:51 |
I think it's very critical |
| 00:40:54 |
so we don't repeat these things. |
| 00:41:02 |
All right. |
| 00:41:04 |
All right, Martin, sequence through. |
| 00:41:06 |
Okay... stop. What's that? |
| 00:41:08 |
It's a swastika. Look at it. |
| 00:41:11 |
Is it a swastika? A cross. |
| 00:41:17 |
No, that's not a cross... |
| 00:41:22 |
Part of it is covered up |
| 00:41:26 |
other part is chopped off. |
| 00:41:28 |
All right, down look. |
| 00:41:57 |
Now the ship that Hitler called |
| 00:41:59 |
"this majestic giant of the sea" |
| 00:42:07 |
A ghostly section of the bow |
| 00:42:21 |
Bismarck's 15-inch guns, |
| 00:42:24 |
once held in place by their own weight |
| 00:42:29 |
Only empty holes remain. |
| 00:42:35 |
Across one of the four turret holes, |
| 00:42:45 |
Much of the forward superstructure |
| 00:42:49 |
But the open bridge and conning tower |
| 00:42:58 |
A moment's glory... |
| 00:43:11 |
We've got it all. I mean, |
| 00:43:14 |
We're missing, it looks like, |
| 00:43:20 |
But almost all the other armament |
| 00:43:23 |
We're only missing the big guns... |
| 00:43:25 |
Although the four main |
| 00:43:27 |
Bismarck's smaller guns |
| 00:43:30 |
as if still menacing the sea. |
| 00:43:36 |
That's gone. I'm sure the stack's gone |
| 00:43:46 |
this gun is lost... |
| 00:43:49 |
little anti-aircraft guns... zoom down. |
| 00:43:59 |
There's an anti-aircraft gun. |
| 00:44:03 |
That guy's pointed... |
| 00:44:07 |
The fact that the ship is in one |
| 00:44:10 |
German reports that it was scuttled, |
| 00:44:13 |
though the issue |
| 00:44:16 |
I'm sure that it was a combination of |
| 00:44:21 |
I just find it difficult to understand |
| 00:44:25 |
and I guess it boils down to pride: |
| 00:44:28 |
Germans wanting to be proud |
| 00:44:33 |
and the British wanting to be proud |
| 00:44:38 |
I'm just shocked that there's hardly |
| 00:44:43 |
than the loss of those four turrets, |
| 00:44:47 |
I thought it was going to be |
| 00:44:49 |
sitting upright and proud. |
| 00:45:00 |
The Bismarck survivors have been |
| 00:45:03 |
when the British cruiser Dorsetshire |
| 00:45:08 |
The rescue effort has hardly begun |
| 00:45:11 |
gets a report that a German U-boat |
| 00:45:15 |
In an action that remains |
| 00:45:19 |
he orders a retreat. |
| 00:45:24 |
The question runs through |
| 00:45:29 |
Why did Captain Martin stop the |
| 00:45:32 |
of men were still in the water? |
| 00:45:35 |
I can only interpret it as an act of |
| 00:45:40 |
which sank with all her crew except |
| 00:45:47 |
Hardly had I been taken underneath on |
| 00:45:51 |
by the vibrations of the ship, |
| 00:45:55 |
And I had been one of the last to be |
| 00:45:58 |
of it so far. It was a terrible thing. |
| 00:46:03 |
The water around Dorsetshire's stern |
| 00:46:06 |
sudden exertion of the screws. |
| 00:46:08 |
Slowly, then faster, |
| 00:46:11 |
Bismarck survivors |
| 00:46:14 |
were bundled over the guard |
| 00:46:16 |
Those halfway up the ropes found |
| 00:46:21 |
hung on as long as they could against |
| 00:46:23 |
dropped off one by one. |
| 00:46:25 |
Others in the water clawed |
| 00:46:28 |
as the sides slipped by. |
| 00:46:30 |
In Dorsetshire they heard the thin |
| 00:46:34 |
who had come within an inch of rescue, |
| 00:46:36 |
had believed that their long ordeal |
| 00:46:39 |
cries that the British sailors no less |
| 00:46:42 |
on board would always remember. |
| 00:46:45 |
From the water Bismarck's men |
| 00:46:47 |
as the cruiser's grey side |
| 00:46:50 |
believed then the tales they'd heard |
| 00:46:54 |
about survivors were true after all, |
| 00:46:57 |
presently found themselves alone in |
| 00:47:02 |
And during the day as they |
| 00:47:06 |
with only lifebelts between |
| 00:47:08 |
the cold came to their testicles |
| 00:47:12 |
And one by one they lost consciousness |
| 00:47:14 |
And one by one they died. |
| 00:47:29 |
One of the German sailors rescued by |
| 00:47:34 |
and is buried at sea. |
| 00:47:39 |
The chaplain was there with some |
| 00:47:42 |
and we stood across |
| 00:47:45 |
just staring at each other |
| 00:48:02 |
Then we heard a military signal, |
| 00:48:05 |
it was a funeral for my friend. |
| 00:48:17 |
One of us borrowed h harmonica |
| 00:48:25 |
The British had tears in their eyes, |
| 00:48:29 |
He had stood next to me, |
| 00:48:32 |
he had marched by my side. |
| 00:49:05 |
It is sometimes difficult |
| 00:49:15 |
to be reminded all the time. |
| 00:49:21 |
It's hard to explain. |
| 00:49:32 |
On one hand you're glad you survived, |
| 00:49:38 |
but then you are pulled back |
| 00:49:53 |
It's inevitable that all great ships |
| 00:49:59 |
I think the key thing is |
| 00:50:04 |
I mean, what's our reaction to it? |
| 00:50:09 |
Do we not touch it, not disturb it? |
| 00:50:12 |
To me the Bismarck's the war grave. |
| 00:50:21 |
The chase and sinking of the Bismarck |
| 00:50:24 |
great sea epics of all time. |
| 00:50:27 |
And it was because of the changing |
| 00:50:32 |
It was this great, vast, |
| 00:50:36 |
And then in a flash it sinks the big |
| 00:50:39 |
We look for it, we can't find it. |
| 00:50:41 |
A little tiny airplane suddenly |
| 00:50:45 |
Another little, tiny airplane sends |
| 00:50:50 |
And then the big British ships |
| 00:50:55 |
It's an extraordinary story. |
| 00:50:58 |
And it's full of heroism. |
| 00:51:06 |
I mean, these were wonderful ships |
| 00:51:10 |
You see, we all fired at each other |
| 00:51:14 |
We never saw the enemy at all. |
| 00:51:15 |
The only time I ever saw the enemy |
| 00:51:18 |
ran down in the Bismarck's quarter |
| 00:51:22 |
Apart from that I could've been firing |
| 00:51:24 |
we weren't firing ourselves, |
| 00:51:26 |
but the British could've been |
| 00:51:31 |
A sea battle is a very |
| 00:51:34 |
It won't happen again. |
| 00:51:36 |
Not like that. |
