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00:00:03,066 --> 00:00:05,266
May 30th, 1945,
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00:00:05,266 --> 00:00:07,667
just weeks after
Germany's surrender.
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00:00:07,667 --> 00:00:10,367
In the Pacific,
World War II rages on
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00:00:10,367 --> 00:00:12,700
and Allied forces
are on the move.
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00:00:12,700 --> 00:00:16,967
Here, at the US Army Air Base
in the city of Accra
in West Africa,
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00:00:16,967 --> 00:00:19,900
Americans are being
transported to new assignments
in Europe.
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00:00:22,166 --> 00:00:25,000
But these are not
your average soldiers.
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00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,767
They're members
of the Women's Army Corps,
or WAC for short.
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00:00:28,767 --> 00:00:31,667
And the WACs aren't just
breaking glass ceilings,
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00:00:31,667 --> 00:00:32,867
they're shattering them
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00:00:32,867 --> 00:00:36,500
as trailblazers
serving alongside
their male counterparts
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00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:39,433
to stop Hitler and defeat
the Axis powers.
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00:00:40,767 --> 00:00:44,567
These WACs are specialists
working for
Air Transport Command.
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00:00:44,567 --> 00:00:46,500
They manage
air traffic control,
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00:00:46,500 --> 00:00:50,100
weather forecasting
and other vital logistics.
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00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:52,900
By all accounts,
this should be
a routine flight.
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00:00:52,900 --> 00:00:56,066
After all, the Douglas C-47
Skytrain here
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00:00:56,066 --> 00:00:58,700
is a dependable workhorse
for the Allies.
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00:00:58,700 --> 00:01:02,200
The weather is clear
and the route ahead
is well traveled.
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But this particular flight
will be anything but ordinary.
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00:01:06,467 --> 00:01:10,700
That's because nobody aboard
will make it
to their intended destination.
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00:01:13,567 --> 00:01:15,400
Shortly after takeoff...
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00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,767
...something goes
terribly wrong.
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00:01:19,767 --> 00:01:23,433
Without warning,
the plane careens
at a sharp angle...
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00:01:24,500 --> 00:01:27,500
...and pitches toward
the ocean below.
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00:01:33,166 --> 00:01:35,567
And then, silence.
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00:01:35,567 --> 00:01:38,467
Locals on a remote peninsula
on the Ivory Coast
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claimed to see the plane
crashing into the ocean.
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US forces will conduct
a thorough search,
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00:01:43,667 --> 00:01:45,667
but no wreckage will be found.
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00:01:45,667 --> 00:01:47,266
No bodies recovered.
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00:01:47,266 --> 00:01:49,867
Even the story
is destined to disappear,
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00:01:49,867 --> 00:01:53,000
fading from headline news
to be all but forgotten.
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00:01:54,900 --> 00:01:57,166
The WACs
and their three-man crew
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00:01:57,166 --> 00:01:59,000
will be listed
as Missing In Action.
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00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:04,567
In fact, of the 27 American
World War II servicewomen
who are MIA,
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00:02:04,567 --> 00:02:07,800
18 of them are from this
single crash.
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00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:11,467
The cause
of this terrible crash
and the fate of those aboard
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00:02:11,467 --> 00:02:15,567
is a mystery that demands
to be remembered
and investigated.
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00:02:15,567 --> 00:02:20,567
Can dedicated researchers
uncover the true location
of the accident?
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00:02:20,567 --> 00:02:24,367
Could technology
image the remains
of the sunken wreck?
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00:02:24,367 --> 00:02:25,867
And most importantly,
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can these missing
American heroes be found
and brought home?
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Only time will tell.
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The past is all around us.
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Oh, this is crazy.
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00:02:41,500 --> 00:02:43,300
A world of mystery.
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00:02:43,300 --> 00:02:45,467
-This is a plane.
-Yeah. [laughs]
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00:02:45,467 --> 00:02:46,867
[Josh Gates] Danger.
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We are about to be underwater.
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00:02:48,567 --> 00:02:50,233
Whoa!
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And adventure.
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It's just straight down!
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[vocalizes]
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I travel to the far corners
of the earth
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to uncover
where legends end...
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00:03:05,300 --> 00:03:06,800
Yeah! [laughs]
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...and history begins.
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00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,266
Okay, let's punch it.
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00:03:10,266 --> 00:03:15,300
I'm Josh Gates, and this
is Expedition Unknown.
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00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:24,000
My mission begins
at the US Army's
Fort Gregg-Adams
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00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,800
a few hours south of DC.
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Once on base,
I make my way over
to a one-of-a-kind museum,
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00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:32,567
which chronicle
the long history
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00:03:32,567 --> 00:03:34,700
of women's service
in our military.
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00:03:37,100 --> 00:03:38,200
Tracy.
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00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:40,600
-Hi, Josh. Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you, too.
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00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,700
Welcome to the United States
Army Women's Museum.
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00:03:42,700 --> 00:03:46,100
I am thrilled to be here, uh,
because I have a lot to learn.
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And I think a lot of people
don't know enough about
the Women's Army Corps.
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So tell me, who were the WACs?
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So the WACs
were the first women
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00:03:55,266 --> 00:03:57,867
to serve in the Army
with full military status.
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00:03:57,867 --> 00:03:59,900
-Okay.
-[Tracy Bradford]
It's an amazing story.
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00:03:59,900 --> 00:04:01,700
But I think,
to understand the WACs,
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00:04:01,700 --> 00:04:04,567
we need to go back
to the beginning,
to the American Revolution.
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So let's head this way.
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00:04:06,166 --> 00:04:07,800
Let's go all the way back.
Come on.
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00:04:09,467 --> 00:04:12,500
[Tracy] Really,
since the birth of the Army
in 1775,
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00:04:12,500 --> 00:04:14,767
women have been
finding ways to serve.
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00:04:14,767 --> 00:04:17,367
And so in those early days,
how are they serving?
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00:04:17,367 --> 00:04:19,467
They're serving
in very logistical roles,
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00:04:19,467 --> 00:04:21,100
important work for the Army.
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00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:22,266
They're serving
as laundresses.
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00:04:22,266 --> 00:04:25,767
They're serving as cooks.
As nurses. They're foraging.
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00:04:25,767 --> 00:04:28,867
-Then we see a big change
around World War I.
-Okay.
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00:04:28,867 --> 00:04:30,700
A great example
is the "Hello Girls."
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00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,200
[Josh] The "Hello Girls" were
French-speaking American women
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00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:39,000
brought overseas
to help with communications
during World War I.
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00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,600
It was the first time
women had been used
in forward service.
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00:04:43,767 --> 00:04:45,867
That's really gonna
lay the groundwork
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00:04:45,867 --> 00:04:49,233
for what's gonna happen
in World War II
with our Women's Army Corps.
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[reporter]
American woman power
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00:04:51,367 --> 00:04:54,100
is a reserve
that can win this war.
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00:04:54,100 --> 00:04:59,667
[Josh] The Women's Army Corps
was founded in 1942
five months after Pearl Harbor
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00:04:59,667 --> 00:05:03,567
to bolster the war effort
by enlisting women
to work as cooks,
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00:05:03,567 --> 00:05:07,900
drivers, and offer
communications
and medical support.
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00:05:07,900 --> 00:05:11,000
The original call goes out
for 1,000 WACs,
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00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,100
and over 30,000 women apply.
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00:05:13,100 --> 00:05:16,300
-So right out of the gate,
30,000 women apply to this.
-[Tracy] Yes.
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00:05:16,300 --> 00:05:19,300
And the numbers
are gonna grow exponentially
throughout the war.
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00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:21,400
[Josh] Seeing these women
in these uniforms
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00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:23,400
strikes kind of
an emotional note for me.
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00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,200
My grandmother,
who was British,
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00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:29,767
served in the UK equivalent
of this,
the Women's Royal Army Corps.
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And we have this photo
of her in uniform,
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00:05:32,166 --> 00:05:35,800
and during the 40s in the UK
she was doing transfusions
for soldiers
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00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,400
and supporting the war effort.
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00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:39,567
And the British women
were actually an inspiration
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00:05:39,567 --> 00:05:41,166
for what was gonna happen
in America.
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00:05:41,166 --> 00:05:43,467
Much of the Women's Army Corps
was replicated
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00:05:43,467 --> 00:05:45,867
on the service of women
like your grandmother.
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00:05:45,867 --> 00:05:47,967
There we go.
Nice work, Grammy.
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00:05:47,967 --> 00:05:50,266
-Appreciate it. Grammy. Yeah.
-Grammy. Yeah.
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00:05:50,266 --> 00:05:52,567
Good job, Grammy.
All right. That's amazing.
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00:05:52,567 --> 00:05:54,066
That is incredible to hear.
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00:05:54,066 --> 00:05:55,467
Over the course of the war,
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00:05:55,467 --> 00:05:59,700
150,000 WACS were stationed
all over the world,
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00:05:59,700 --> 00:06:03,300
from Europe to Africa
to the Manhattan Project.
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00:06:03,300 --> 00:06:06,500
It was at the Accra Air Base
in what is now Ghana,
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00:06:06,500 --> 00:06:08,166
that the 18 WACs
were stationed
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00:06:08,166 --> 00:06:10,433
before their doomed flight
to London.
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00:06:12,867 --> 00:06:14,700
So, Josh,
welcome to the archives.
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00:06:14,700 --> 00:06:18,567
[Josh] Wow, look at all
of this material.
This is incredible.
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00:06:18,567 --> 00:06:21,600
This is the official
WAC archive of the crash
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00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,233
and the women who tragically
perished in it.
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00:06:24,767 --> 00:06:26,166
-May I?
-Yes, please.
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00:06:26,166 --> 00:06:28,867
So, we've got
literal headline news here.
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00:06:28,867 --> 00:06:31,867
Army Plane, 18 WACS Lost.
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00:06:31,867 --> 00:06:35,166
18 WACs Missing
on Plane Trip in Africa.
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00:06:35,166 --> 00:06:38,000
Air and surface craft
are searching
for a missing plane
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00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:39,900
carrying 18 WACs
and a crew of three.
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00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:42,767
The WACs are the first
ever reported lost overseas.
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00:06:42,767 --> 00:06:46,000
This must have been
a seismic event
for the Women's Army Corps.
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00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,567
It really was. It was
the largest loss of life
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00:06:48,567 --> 00:06:50,867
for the Women's Army Corps,
all in one event.
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00:06:50,867 --> 00:06:52,033
This was national news,
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00:06:52,033 --> 00:06:55,100
as well as news
in all of the hometowns
of these women.
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00:06:55,100 --> 00:06:57,567
And yet so few people
know this story today.
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00:06:57,567 --> 00:06:58,767
Right, I agree.
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00:06:58,767 --> 00:07:01,567
But we have to remember
that there was
a lot going on still
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00:07:01,567 --> 00:07:02,800
at this time in the war.
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So Germany
had just surrendered,
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00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,467
but we had a big fight
left in the Pacific.
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00:07:07,467 --> 00:07:08,700
[Josh]
With Germany's surrender,
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00:07:08,700 --> 00:07:11,266
the WACs had the opportunity
to go home,
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00:07:11,266 --> 00:07:15,066
but many chose to stay on
to support
a devastated Europe,
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00:07:15,066 --> 00:07:19,100
or be redeployed
to assignments in the Pacific.
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00:07:19,100 --> 00:07:23,166
The fateful flight in question
was scheduled to travel
from Accra Base,
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00:07:23,166 --> 00:07:26,767
with refueling
and personnel stops
in Liberia, Senegal,
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00:07:26,767 --> 00:07:30,166
Morocco and France
before heading to the UK.
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00:07:30,166 --> 00:07:33,567
There were four C-47 aircraft
leaving the base,
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but only three of them
made it.
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00:07:36,066 --> 00:07:38,500
Are these photos of the women
from the crash?
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Yes. In fact, here we have,
um, the majority
of Squadron D
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00:07:42,500 --> 00:07:44,500
-stationed in Accra.
-[Josh] Wow.
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00:07:44,500 --> 00:07:46,667
So these are all the women
that are stationed over there.
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00:07:46,667 --> 00:07:50,800
So presumably, the 18 WACs
who died in this one crash
are in this photo.
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00:07:51,266 --> 00:07:53,000
-[Tracy] Yes.
-[Josh] Wow.
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00:07:54,300 --> 00:07:58,200
So we have here
Corporal Velma H. Holden,
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00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,467
and her colleagues
Private Flossie Flannery.
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00:08:01,467 --> 00:08:03,867
-That is the greatest
name ever. I love that.
-[Tracy chuckles]
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00:08:03,867 --> 00:08:07,600
Doris Cooper,
and Frieda Friend
was on the plane.
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00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,066
Right, so PFC Frieda Friend
and her husband
got married in the States.
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00:08:11,066 --> 00:08:13,166
He ends up being stationed
in Accra.
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00:08:13,166 --> 00:08:16,100
And then later,
she's sent to Accra,
so they were there together.
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00:08:16,100 --> 00:08:19,567
And then she was on this plane
that ended up crashing
on the way to London,
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00:08:19,567 --> 00:08:21,266
And he found out about it
back on the base.
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00:08:21,266 --> 00:08:23,100
-Yes, he did.
-Wow, that's just terrible.
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00:08:23,100 --> 00:08:26,667
And her colleague
is Helen F. Rozzelle,
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00:08:26,667 --> 00:08:28,667
who joined the WAC
to take the place
of a brother,
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00:08:28,667 --> 00:08:30,567
Lieutenant Richard Rozzelle,
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00:08:30,567 --> 00:08:34,200
a pilot whose plane
was shot down
off of Italy in '43.
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00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,800
So she's serving
because she has a brother
who's already been lost.
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00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:38,867
[Tracy] Exactly.
So she actually does enlist
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00:08:38,867 --> 00:08:41,266
after her brother
is Missing In Action.
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00:08:41,266 --> 00:08:46,300
-So currently, they are both
on the MIA register.
-[Josh] Wow.
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00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:48,166
And who's this?
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00:08:48,166 --> 00:08:52,667
[Tracy] So this is actually
Helen Rozzelle here
And Odessa Hollingsworth,
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00:08:52,667 --> 00:08:55,767
two of the women
who were killed
in the plane crash.
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00:08:55,767 --> 00:08:59,800
Look at these two women
just hanging out
on the beach in West Africa.
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00:09:00,700 --> 00:09:03,467
What a cool photo this is.
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00:09:03,467 --> 00:09:05,000
[Tracy] So there
are trailblazers
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00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:06,967
-and that there are women
in the Army.
-[Josh] Yeah.
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00:09:06,967 --> 00:09:10,000
They're serving their nation
and they're also
on a great adventure.
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00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:11,367
[Josh] That's right.
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00:09:11,367 --> 00:09:14,266
And as to this plane,
it really just seems like
188
00:09:14,266 --> 00:09:16,667
it vanishes
off the face of the earth.
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00:09:16,667 --> 00:09:19,600
You look at the news report,
and it says the plane was
last reported
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00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,166
over British West Africa,
about 150 miles west of Accra,
191
00:09:23,166 --> 00:09:25,166
and then nothing.
192
00:09:25,166 --> 00:09:26,767
So they had a normal takeoff.
193
00:09:26,767 --> 00:09:29,100
They... they did
their first check in
194
00:09:29,100 --> 00:09:30,700
and then there was
a frantic mayday call.
195
00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:33,300
But in the mayday,
the pilot doesn't say
what's happening.
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00:09:33,300 --> 00:09:35,266
Does not identify the problem.
197
00:09:35,266 --> 00:09:38,767
So then a major
search-and-rescue operation
is launched,
198
00:09:38,767 --> 00:09:40,166
and it goes on
for over a week.
199
00:09:40,166 --> 00:09:42,467
They send out planes.
They send out ships.
200
00:09:42,467 --> 00:09:45,567
They found absolutely nothing.
No human remains. No debris.
201
00:09:45,567 --> 00:09:47,667
So it is a true mystery.
202
00:09:47,667 --> 00:09:50,100
And a mystery
I hope that can be solved.
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00:09:50,100 --> 00:09:52,367
And we hope so, too.
This is an important story.
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00:09:52,367 --> 00:09:56,667
And we would be very happy
to bring resolution
and recognition
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00:09:56,667 --> 00:09:58,700
to the service of these women.
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00:10:01,266 --> 00:10:03,400
[Josh] To assist
in that effort, I travel west.
207
00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,000
I need to understand
what I'm hunting for...
208
00:10:08,166 --> 00:10:10,467
...by getting my eyes
on a C-47,
209
00:10:10,467 --> 00:10:13,400
or better yet, flying in one.
210
00:10:18,900 --> 00:10:21,166
That's veteran pilot
Mike Nightengale.
211
00:10:21,166 --> 00:10:23,867
In the co-pilot seat
is Steve Rose.
212
00:10:23,867 --> 00:10:25,767
You can't make these names up.
213
00:10:25,767 --> 00:10:28,266
In the navigator seat
behind them is me.
214
00:10:28,266 --> 00:10:32,834
And we're aboard one
of the most famous aircraft
models in history, the C-47.
215
00:10:33,367 --> 00:10:35,066
Nicknamed "The Gooney Bird,"
216
00:10:35,066 --> 00:10:38,567
almost 10,000 of these
were built during
World War II.
217
00:10:38,567 --> 00:10:42,400
This one rolled off
the production line
in March of 1945,
218
00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:45,700
just two months
before the crash
I'm investigating.
219
00:10:49,367 --> 00:10:52,767
We're in the desert outside
of Palm Springs, California,
220
00:10:52,767 --> 00:10:55,667
and in a moment,
this £25,000 antique
221
00:10:55,667 --> 00:10:57,900
is hopefully gonna
get airborne.
222
00:10:58,367 --> 00:10:59,600
Buckle up.
223
00:11:35,266 --> 00:11:36,734
[Mike Nightengale speaking]
224
00:11:42,667 --> 00:11:43,800
My iPhone.
225
00:11:44,100 --> 00:11:45,734
[laughs]
226
00:11:53,467 --> 00:11:56,967
Powered by two massive
Pratt and Whitney
air-cooled engines,
227
00:11:56,967 --> 00:11:59,100
providing 2,400 horsepower,
228
00:11:59,100 --> 00:12:01,867
the C-47 is no puddle jumper.
229
00:12:01,867 --> 00:12:04,300
With a wingspan
of nearly 100 feet,
230
00:12:04,300 --> 00:12:07,266
she could carry
28 fully-equipped paratroopers
231
00:12:07,266 --> 00:12:09,800
or up to £10,000 of cargo.
232
00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:13,767
The C-47 served
all over the globe
during the war,
233
00:12:13,767 --> 00:12:15,767
including at Normandy
on D-Day.
234
00:12:15,767 --> 00:12:20,934
General Eisenhower himself
singled it out as one
of our most valuable assets.
235
00:13:03,567 --> 00:13:05,900
[Josh] I'm flying
in a vintage C-47
236
00:13:05,900 --> 00:13:08,400
over the deserts
of Palm Springs, California.
237
00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:11,166
A plane nearly identical
to this one
238
00:13:11,166 --> 00:13:15,300
crashed into the ocean
off West Africa in 1945,
239
00:13:15,300 --> 00:13:18,600
carrying 18 members
of the Women's Army Corps.
240
00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,300
Now, pilots Mike Nightengale
and Steve Rose
241
00:13:22,300 --> 00:13:25,433
walk me through
what they think could have
caused the crash.
242
00:13:40,767 --> 00:13:43,100
[Josh] Feathering
the propeller of a dead engine
243
00:13:43,100 --> 00:13:45,467
turns the blades parallel
to the airflow
244
00:13:45,467 --> 00:13:48,867
to reduce drag
and help the plane
stay in the air.
245
00:13:48,867 --> 00:13:52,800
But the feathering control
on the C-47 is a bit fickle,
246
00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,600
and it might have become stuck
in its normal position.
247
00:14:02,100 --> 00:14:04,000
[Josh speaking]
248
00:14:05,266 --> 00:14:07,166
[Steve speaking]
249
00:14:07,166 --> 00:14:09,900
[Josh] But the engines
are just one
potential culprit.
250
00:14:10,767 --> 00:14:12,900
A little noticed line
in a maintenance report
251
00:14:12,900 --> 00:14:14,867
from the day
of the doomed flight
252
00:14:14,867 --> 00:14:16,800
makes Steve think
the landing gear
253
00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:18,800
could have played a role
in the crash.
254
00:14:34,967 --> 00:14:37,266
The landing gear
stuck in the down position
255
00:14:37,266 --> 00:14:39,967
would have caused
considerable drag
on the plane,
256
00:14:39,967 --> 00:14:42,467
making it much more
difficult to fly.
257
00:14:42,467 --> 00:14:46,567
Also, the reality of war
meant that pilots
were often flying
258
00:14:46,567 --> 00:14:51,000
without extensive experience
in complex
emergency procedures.
259
00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:54,200
The fateful flight of the WACs
was manned by a good pilot,
260
00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,333
but one with less
than 50 hours
behind the stick.
261
00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:19,000
Now that I know my target,
262
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:23,467
it's time to join the team
hunting for the
long-lost plane of the WACs.
263
00:15:23,467 --> 00:15:26,800
And to do that,
the search moves
halfway around the planet
264
00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,867
to the place
where their plane disappeared.
265
00:15:29,867 --> 00:15:33,100
I leave Palm Springs
and embark on a 19-hour flight
266
00:15:33,100 --> 00:15:37,433
from the west coast of the US
to the west coast of Africa.
267
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,467
Welcome to the Republic
of Cote d'Ivoire,
268
00:15:48,467 --> 00:15:50,867
which translates
to Ivory Coast.
269
00:15:50,867 --> 00:15:54,166
a moniker that dates back
to French
and Portuguese traders
270
00:15:54,166 --> 00:15:58,800
who once shipped
untold tons of ivory
from Africa's western shores.
271
00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:02,100
Five hundred years later,
the exports have
thankfully changed,
272
00:16:02,100 --> 00:16:05,400
but business is still booming
here in the city of Abidjan.
273
00:16:07,166 --> 00:16:10,500
One business in particular
dominates the modern economy,
274
00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:12,133
and it's pretty sweet.
275
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,667
This is the world's
largest exporter of cacao,
276
00:16:16,667 --> 00:16:18,867
which means if you have ever
had a piece of chocolate,
277
00:16:18,867 --> 00:16:21,166
odds are it originated
from here.
278
00:16:21,166 --> 00:16:24,333
It also means that my diet
is about to go
way off the rails.
279
00:16:25,367 --> 00:16:26,567
The local Bushman's Cafe
280
00:16:26,567 --> 00:16:29,900
has some
of the finest examples
of the national product
281
00:16:29,900 --> 00:16:31,200
for me to sample.
282
00:16:32,066 --> 00:16:33,900
That's the best thing
I've ever eaten.
283
00:16:36,867 --> 00:16:38,233
I'm never leaving here.
284
00:16:39,166 --> 00:16:41,467
What else do you have?
Just keep bringing it.
285
00:16:41,467 --> 00:16:42,800
Just bring everything over.
286
00:16:44,367 --> 00:16:45,900
Yep. Thank you very much.
287
00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,500
I'll just be right here
if you need me.
288
00:16:49,500 --> 00:16:52,667
The chocolate made
in Cote d'Ivoire
is enjoyed around the world,
289
00:16:52,667 --> 00:16:55,867
but if you're looking
for some joy that's slightly
less caloric...
290
00:16:55,867 --> 00:16:57,500
-Bonjour.
-Bonjour.
291
00:16:57,500 --> 00:16:59,867
...just head
to the Marche de Treichville,
292
00:16:59,867 --> 00:17:02,066
Abidjan's busy street market.
293
00:17:02,066 --> 00:17:06,500
[singing in native language]
294
00:17:08,300 --> 00:17:09,834
What's up? What's up?
295
00:17:15,667 --> 00:17:16,867
Party right now.
296
00:17:16,867 --> 00:17:19,233
[all cheering]
297
00:17:21,967 --> 00:17:25,567
[Josh] As much as I'd love
to stay with the flash mob
here in the capital,
298
00:17:25,567 --> 00:17:29,367
my final destination
is quite a ways out of town.
299
00:17:29,367 --> 00:17:32,667
So I strap in
for a six-hour drive
up the coast
300
00:17:32,667 --> 00:17:36,800
to meet a group dedicated
to finding the lost C-47.
301
00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:39,567
All right. Well, the team
preparing to mount a search
302
00:17:39,567 --> 00:17:42,000
for the missing plane
are old friends.
303
00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:43,233
And they're staging
their operation
304
00:17:43,233 --> 00:17:47,467
near the suspected crash site
about 200 miles west of here.
305
00:17:47,467 --> 00:17:48,700
Let's rock and roll.
306
00:17:48,700 --> 00:17:50,600
♪♪ Let's get
The motor running ♪
307
00:17:51,266 --> 00:17:53,000
♪♪ I got places to go ♪
308
00:17:54,500 --> 00:17:57,300
[Josh] Outside of Abidjan,
the modern cityscape
309
00:17:57,300 --> 00:18:00,467
is quickly replaced by a blur
of roadside villages,
310
00:18:00,467 --> 00:18:03,367
and eventually by nothing
but humid jungle.
311
00:18:03,367 --> 00:18:06,367
♪♪ No matter what it takes
I'll get to you ♪
312
00:18:06,367 --> 00:18:10,600
♪♪ No ocean too wide
No mountain too far ♪
313
00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:12,033
♪♪ I'll run all night ♪
314
00:18:12,767 --> 00:18:14,333
♪♪ To get to you ♪
315
00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:26,100
Well, welcome to the city
of San Pedro.
316
00:18:26,100 --> 00:18:28,000
You know, last night
I dreamt of San Pedro.
317
00:18:30,867 --> 00:18:32,800
Sorry, that's a Madonna song.
318
00:18:33,767 --> 00:18:36,467
The sun rings through my ears,
whatever that means,
319
00:18:36,467 --> 00:18:38,600
as I find the city's
commercial port,
320
00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,300
where I have a reunion planned
with the members
of Project Recover.
321
00:18:42,567 --> 00:18:44,400
Hey.
322
00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,166
-Mark, good to see you again.
Yeah, pleasure.
-Good to see you again, too.
323
00:18:47,166 --> 00:18:50,200
[Josh] Meet Project Recover
co-founder, Mark Moline.
324
00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:52,767
Historian, Colin Colburn.
325
00:18:52,767 --> 00:18:55,700
And underwater archaeologist,
Drew Pietruszka.
326
00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,266
Project Recover
is a nonprofit group
327
00:18:58,266 --> 00:19:02,567
dedicated to searching for
Missing In Action Americans
from World War II.
328
00:19:02,567 --> 00:19:05,767
I recently worked with them
in Micronesia,
329
00:19:05,767 --> 00:19:08,867
where in 1944,
42 American planes
330
00:19:08,867 --> 00:19:12,867
and over 200 pilots
went Missing In Action.
331
00:19:12,867 --> 00:19:17,500
We located a previously
lost Japanese Zero aircraft...
332
00:19:17,500 --> 00:19:19,900
-Nobody has seen that.
-Yeah, until us.
333
00:19:19,900 --> 00:19:22,266
...and an American
SBD Dauntless
334
00:19:22,266 --> 00:19:25,200
that hadn't been seen
in nearly 80 years.
335
00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:29,500
The first American aircraft
ever located in Truk Lagoon.
We can check it off the list.
336
00:19:29,500 --> 00:19:34,166
[Josh] It was a huge honor
to take part
in such a historic expedition,
337
00:19:34,166 --> 00:19:37,500
which is why I'm back
for an equally
important mission.
338
00:19:38,266 --> 00:19:40,200
Why do we only meet
on remote docks?
339
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:42,700
-I don't know. [chuckles]
-We're just adding continents
as we go.
340
00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:45,000
Yeah, I know.
So we got another one here.
Welcome to Africa, right?
341
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,266
Tell me at least this is gonna
be an easy mission.
342
00:19:47,266 --> 00:19:49,266
I don't think so.
This is not gonna be
an easy one.
343
00:19:49,266 --> 00:19:50,867
This is really
uncharted waters here.
344
00:19:50,867 --> 00:19:52,066
[Josh] So let's talk
about this.
345
00:19:52,066 --> 00:19:55,066
In terms of where
to look for this plane
and these women,
346
00:19:55,066 --> 00:19:56,600
what do we know?
347
00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:00,166
I was able to get the, uh,
accident report from the, uh,
Air Force archives.
348
00:20:00,166 --> 00:20:03,066
-[Josh] Okay.
-And that provided us
a lot more information.
349
00:20:03,066 --> 00:20:05,467
-You have it.
-Down to an X on the map.
350
00:20:05,467 --> 00:20:07,400
-A literal X on the map.
-A literal X on the map.
351
00:20:07,900 --> 00:20:09,000
Wow, look at this.
352
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,266
So this is a copy
of the original
accident report.
353
00:20:12,266 --> 00:20:14,166
It says the plane
takes off normally.
354
00:20:14,166 --> 00:20:16,700
And then it says no messages
were received until 09:20
355
00:20:16,700 --> 00:20:19,567
when Roberts Field
heard a series
of mayday report
356
00:20:19,567 --> 00:20:20,867
from the aircraft.
357
00:20:20,867 --> 00:20:24,567
Roberts Field in Liberia
was the plane's
first scheduled stop
358
00:20:24,567 --> 00:20:26,100
on its way to the UK.
359
00:20:26,100 --> 00:20:27,567
And it was the tower
at Roberts
360
00:20:27,567 --> 00:20:29,767
that received
their mayday signal.
361
00:20:29,767 --> 00:20:34,266
And a series of maydays
were repeated for a period
of five minutes on voice
362
00:20:34,266 --> 00:20:37,567
with no pause at any time
in order to receive an answer.
363
00:20:37,567 --> 00:20:40,467
So what? Just for 5 minutes
they were calling mayday?
364
00:20:40,467 --> 00:20:42,000
A key in the radio.
365
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:43,266
We don't really know
what happened,
366
00:20:43,266 --> 00:20:47,200
-but five minutes in an
aircraft emergency is forever.
-Right.
367
00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,367
It's a long time for them
to have been in trouble.
368
00:20:50,367 --> 00:20:53,667
[Josh] The mayday signal
is received by the team
in the radio tower
369
00:20:53,667 --> 00:20:55,667
who uses
a signal-direction finder
370
00:20:55,667 --> 00:20:59,300
to determine
the plane's bearing,
109 degrees.
371
00:21:01,266 --> 00:21:02,567
We have a bearing.
372
00:21:02,567 --> 00:21:03,800
Not only do we have
the bearing,
373
00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:07,700
we also have a map
with an eyewitness sighting
of the loss.
374
00:21:07,700 --> 00:21:09,000
We have eyewitness sightings.
375
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:10,467
-[Colin Colbourn] Yes.
-Okay.
376
00:21:10,467 --> 00:21:11,800
Josh, look here.
377
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:14,200
A literal X on the map,
378
00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,800
-and it's marked where natives
saw a crash.
-[Mark Moline] Right.
379
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,000
[Josh] The accident report
describes an account
380
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,767
from the indigenous people
in a coastal village
381
00:21:22,767 --> 00:21:25,000
who claimed to witness
a plane crashing
382
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,867
not far from the bearing line
of the C-47.
383
00:21:27,867 --> 00:21:31,200
Investigators brought
one witness by boat
to the site,
384
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:33,867
about a half mile from
a place called Drewin Point,
385
00:21:33,867 --> 00:21:38,000
where they discovered
a mysterious oil slick
on the water's surface.
386
00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:39,867
But no survivors were found,
387
00:21:39,867 --> 00:21:41,400
no bodies recovered.
388
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:43,467
The search was
ultimately called off,
389
00:21:43,467 --> 00:21:45,700
but the bearing
and the eyewitness account
390
00:21:45,700 --> 00:21:48,300
will allow us
to pick up the trail.
391
00:21:49,266 --> 00:21:51,667
So, it seems like we're
headed to Drewin Point.
392
00:21:51,667 --> 00:21:53,400
-Third piece of evidence.
-[both] Yeah.
393
00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:55,000
Who else has searched here?
394
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:56,266
Nobody.
395
00:21:56,266 --> 00:21:58,200
-Literally nobody since '45?
-Yeah.
396
00:21:58,200 --> 00:21:59,667
-Not since the war.
-No.
397
00:21:59,667 --> 00:22:01,100
I've been
all over the world, Josh,
398
00:22:01,100 --> 00:22:04,400
and this is one case
where we're going somewhere
399
00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:06,367
where I have no idea
what to expect.
400
00:22:06,367 --> 00:22:08,667
There's no recreational
divers around here.
401
00:22:08,667 --> 00:22:11,367
Nobody's been underwater,
knows the conditions,
nothing.
402
00:22:11,367 --> 00:22:13,767
Right, forget the wreck,
we don't know what's there
at all.
403
00:22:13,767 --> 00:22:16,166
-Nobody dives out here.
-No, real mystery.
404
00:22:16,166 --> 00:22:19,266
[Josh] Back in 1945,
there was no infrastructure
405
00:22:19,266 --> 00:22:21,100
to mount an underwater search.
406
00:22:21,100 --> 00:22:24,166
Even today, we've had to
ship in our own scuba tanks
407
00:22:24,166 --> 00:22:26,266
and an air compressor to dive.
408
00:22:26,266 --> 00:22:29,100
We've also brought in
underwater sonar technology
409
00:22:29,100 --> 00:22:32,200
that has never been
applied here before.
410
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,066
Okay, should we get out there
and try and solve the mystery?
411
00:22:35,066 --> 00:22:36,000
-Let's do it.
-Let's go.
412
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:37,300
Let's go. Come on.
413
00:22:37,300 --> 00:22:40,000
Project Recover
has a pair of research vessels
414
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,400
waiting to bring us
to our search zone.
415
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,800
We speed out
on to the open ocean,
416
00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:46,900
the first team
to look for this plane
417
00:22:46,900 --> 00:22:50,700
and her vanished passengers
in almost 80 years.
418
00:23:00,100 --> 00:23:01,867
So, Josh, this is Drewin Point
right here.
419
00:23:01,867 --> 00:23:05,266
[Josh] On a boat off of
West Africa's Ivory Coast,
420
00:23:05,266 --> 00:23:07,467
I'm with a team
from Project Recover
421
00:23:07,467 --> 00:23:12,266
searching for
a World War II plane
that disappeared in 1945.
422
00:23:12,266 --> 00:23:16,400
It carried 18 members
of the trailblazing
Women's Army Corps,
423
00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,000
still listed as
missing in action.
424
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,667
But now,
an accident report from
the original investigation
425
00:23:22,667 --> 00:23:27,166
is providing new clues
about where the plane
may have crashed.
426
00:23:27,166 --> 00:23:29,767
Okay, so this is our
big geographical marker.
427
00:23:29,767 --> 00:23:32,000
[Colin] That's right.
So a half mile
off of this point
428
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,867
is supposedly where
our aircraft crashed.
429
00:23:33,867 --> 00:23:35,266
And we can see
a fishing village in here.
430
00:23:35,266 --> 00:23:36,600
This is where
eyewitnesses were?
431
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,867
[Colin] Someone from this
village flagged down
American searchers
432
00:23:39,867 --> 00:23:41,667
to say that
they witnessed the crash.
433
00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:44,266
Boy, it's so tantalizing
to think that
434
00:23:44,266 --> 00:23:47,000
somewhere around us,
underneath us,
435
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,266
this wreck exists.
It's just waiting.
436
00:23:49,266 --> 00:23:50,667
It's just waiting and,
you know,
437
00:23:50,667 --> 00:23:53,500
we're the first ones
to come looking for it
since 1945.
438
00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:55,767
And now we just gotta find it.
439
00:23:55,767 --> 00:23:58,266
When the WAC's plane
went down in this remote area,
440
00:23:58,266 --> 00:24:02,100
the Army did their best
to conduct a search and
rescue operation to find it.
441
00:24:02,100 --> 00:24:05,800
They had the same bearing
and the same witness statement
we do.
442
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,500
But we have something
that they did not,
443
00:24:08,500 --> 00:24:11,467
state of the art
21st century sonar.
444
00:24:11,467 --> 00:24:13,166
That tech is brought onboard
445
00:24:13,166 --> 00:24:16,000
by the remainder
of the Project Recover team.
446
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,800
Josh, you remember
Leila Character from
Micronesia?
447
00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:20,700
-Of course. Great to see you.
-Yeah, you too.
448
00:24:20,700 --> 00:24:22,667
I wanted to also introduce
Erik White.
449
00:24:22,667 --> 00:24:24,000
He's our senior engineer.
450
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,367
Nice to meet you.
I assume it's tech time here?
451
00:24:26,367 --> 00:24:27,767
-It's tech time.
-It's tech time, all right.
452
00:24:27,767 --> 00:24:29,767
I've seen this very
dangerous-looking box before.
453
00:24:29,767 --> 00:24:31,600
-Should we see
what's inside of it?
-Yes.
454
00:24:34,667 --> 00:24:37,567
[Josh] We unpack
the team's precious cargo.
455
00:24:37,567 --> 00:24:39,300
Okay, here we go.
456
00:24:39,700 --> 00:24:41,734
It is something to behold.
457
00:24:43,567 --> 00:24:45,300
Okay, the beast.
458
00:24:45,300 --> 00:24:48,200
We call this an AUV.
This is an autonomous
underwater vehicle.
459
00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,867
-We're not towing this thing.
It's going off on its own.
-Correct.
460
00:24:51,867 --> 00:24:54,667
And once we're in the water,
Leila, what's the mission?
461
00:24:54,667 --> 00:24:58,567
Once we're in the water,
we've preprogrammed it,
so it knows where to go.
462
00:24:58,567 --> 00:25:01,166
It's basically going to follow
a mow-the-lawn pattern,
463
00:25:01,166 --> 00:25:03,667
where it's collecting data
up and down these rows.
464
00:25:03,667 --> 00:25:06,367
It sends out a beam of sound,
that beam of sound
hits the ground.
465
00:25:06,367 --> 00:25:09,066
If the ground is hard,
the beam of sound
appears bright.
466
00:25:09,066 --> 00:25:11,700
If it's soft,
it appears very dark.
467
00:25:11,700 --> 00:25:14,767
So, when we look at the image,
we'd be looking for something
very bright
468
00:25:14,767 --> 00:25:17,200
-for an aircraft
because it would be hard.
-[Josh] Right.
469
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:23,266
The most identifiable features
likely to survive the crash
of the WAC's C-47...
470
00:25:23,266 --> 00:25:24,667
[loud crash]
471
00:25:24,667 --> 00:25:27,166
...would have been the twin
Pratt & Whitney engines.
472
00:25:27,166 --> 00:25:29,467
But parts of
the hull and tail sections
473
00:25:29,467 --> 00:25:31,567
were constructed
of steel as well
474
00:25:31,567 --> 00:25:33,767
and may also be preserved.
475
00:25:33,767 --> 00:25:36,667
So once this is in the water,
how are you communicating
with it?
476
00:25:36,667 --> 00:25:38,667
How are you getting data
as to its position?
477
00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:42,300
So when it's in the water,
we communicate through
our Ranger system.
478
00:25:42,300 --> 00:25:45,200
The vehicle will send us
information every minute.
479
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,467
But you don't actually
get the sonar data, right?
480
00:25:47,467 --> 00:25:49,400
You actually have to
recover the unit for that?
481
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,433
-Correct.
-Okay, great. Well,
let's get it in the water.
482
00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:56,500
Okay. Walking it over.
483
00:25:59,100 --> 00:26:00,600
-Ready?
-[Erik] Yep.
484
00:26:01,166 --> 00:26:02,700
[Josh] Okay,
she's in the water.
485
00:26:04,867 --> 00:26:05,900
She's away.
486
00:26:07,166 --> 00:26:11,400
We deploy the AUV,
aptly nicknamed "Hunter."
487
00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,667
And in moments,
it dives beneath the surface
and begins its scan,
488
00:26:15,667 --> 00:26:19,200
systematically covering
the preprogrammed search zone.
489
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:20,467
It's like a Roomba,
490
00:26:20,467 --> 00:26:23,000
if your Roomba costs
three quarters of
a million dollars
491
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,000
and could map 100 ft
below your floor.
492
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,500
It's going to take
six long hours for Hunter
493
00:26:28,500 --> 00:26:30,367
to cover the grid
we've given it,
494
00:26:30,367 --> 00:26:33,266
which is based
on 80-year-old intel.
495
00:26:33,266 --> 00:26:35,667
We'd love to confirm
that this fishing village
496
00:26:35,667 --> 00:26:39,100
is the same one investigators
encountered after the crash
497
00:26:39,100 --> 00:26:42,767
to know if we've
sent our AUV searching
in the right spot.
498
00:26:42,767 --> 00:26:46,400
So, Colin has an idea
to get more recent data.
499
00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:50,467
I say we head ashore,
go to the village,
500
00:26:50,467 --> 00:26:53,867
see if we can find anyone,
fishermen, older folks,
501
00:26:53,867 --> 00:26:55,266
who may have information.
502
00:26:55,266 --> 00:26:58,100
All right, now we just need to
get to shore.
503
00:26:58,100 --> 00:27:00,567
To get to the village,
Colin hails a ride for us.
504
00:27:00,567 --> 00:27:02,266
Bonjour.
505
00:27:02,266 --> 00:27:04,233
Let's call it a canoe-ber.
506
00:27:11,166 --> 00:27:14,767
We arrive at shore
and step out...
507
00:27:14,767 --> 00:27:16,867
All right, merci. Thank you.
508
00:27:16,867 --> 00:27:18,667
...into another time.
509
00:27:18,667 --> 00:27:20,667
Here, on the edge
of the continent,
510
00:27:20,667 --> 00:27:22,767
a traditional
fishing community
511
00:27:22,767 --> 00:27:25,066
living as they have
for generations.
512
00:27:25,066 --> 00:27:29,100
Isolated on one of the most
gorgeous beaches I've
ever seen.
513
00:27:29,100 --> 00:27:31,967
On any other day,
I'd be hunting for a hammock,
514
00:27:31,967 --> 00:27:34,667
but we're here
on more serious business.
515
00:27:34,667 --> 00:27:36,133
All right. Well, we're ashore.
516
00:27:36,133 --> 00:27:39,033
Now the question is,
is there anybody left here
that was alive back then?
517
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:43,500
-Bonjour. Bonjour, monsieur.
-Bonjour.
518
00:27:43,500 --> 00:27:46,367
[Josh] Anyone alive here
that could have witnessed
the crash
519
00:27:46,367 --> 00:27:48,467
would have to be
well into their 80s.
520
00:27:48,467 --> 00:27:51,867
So, we asked to speak
to the oldest member
of the community.
521
00:27:51,867 --> 00:27:53,367
-...Monogaga?
-[speaks other language]
522
00:27:53,367 --> 00:27:55,300
[dubbed English]
In the village, an old man.
523
00:27:55,300 --> 00:27:58,667
We have a man here
who is nearly 100 years old.
524
00:27:58,667 --> 00:28:00,166
[in English] So 100,
well 100 would be huge.
525
00:28:00,166 --> 00:28:01,800
-[Colin] That's what
we're looking for.
-Yeah, okay.
526
00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:03,700
-[speaks other language]
-[man] Yes, let's go.
527
00:28:03,700 --> 00:28:05,367
-[Josh in English]
Let's go. Please.
-[Colin] All right.
528
00:28:05,367 --> 00:28:06,300
[indistinct chatter]
529
00:28:09,166 --> 00:28:11,000
-[Colin] Bonjour, messieurs.
-Bonjour.
530
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:12,500
-[Colin] Ca va?
-Oui, ca va.
531
00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:14,767
-Bonjour. Bonjour, monsieur.
-Bonjour.
532
00:28:14,767 --> 00:28:16,000
Bonjour.
533
00:28:18,066 --> 00:28:20,266
[in English] Thank you
for taking a few minutes
534
00:28:20,266 --> 00:28:22,100
to talk with us.
I appreciate it.
535
00:28:22,100 --> 00:28:24,467
Did you grow up here
in Monogaga?
536
00:28:24,467 --> 00:28:26,300
[dubbed English]
Yes, I was born here.
537
00:28:26,300 --> 00:28:28,166
And I have lived here
my entire life.
538
00:28:28,166 --> 00:28:29,900
[in English] In 1945,
539
00:28:29,900 --> 00:28:32,967
an American airplane
was flying
540
00:28:32,967 --> 00:28:35,700
just off the village here
and crashed.
541
00:28:35,700 --> 00:28:38,166
Do you remember
a plane crash here?
542
00:28:38,166 --> 00:28:39,233
I didn't see it,
543
00:28:39,233 --> 00:28:42,467
but I remember older people
here talking about it.
544
00:28:42,467 --> 00:28:45,200
They said something
had crashed into the water.
545
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:46,600
So, you heard about the story.
546
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,400
It was something
people were talking about.
547
00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:49,767
Yes.
548
00:28:49,767 --> 00:28:51,400
Something crashed
into the water?
549
00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:55,000
That's right. A huge plane
just flew off the Point
and went in.
550
00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,000
Do you know
if anything washed ashore,
551
00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,867
like wreckage and metal
and things like that?
552
00:28:59,867 --> 00:29:01,000
No nothing.
553
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,867
It was like it never happened.
554
00:29:02,867 --> 00:29:05,367
It just disappeared
into the ocean.
555
00:29:05,367 --> 00:29:06,266
Nothing.
556
00:29:06,266 --> 00:29:08,266
Thank you very much
for talking with us.
557
00:29:08,266 --> 00:29:09,567
Merci beaucoup.
558
00:29:09,567 --> 00:29:11,367
The village elder
has confirmed that
559
00:29:11,367 --> 00:29:13,467
we are searching
in the right place.
560
00:29:13,467 --> 00:29:16,500
And further, the fact that
no debris or remains
561
00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:18,367
washed ashore after the event
562
00:29:18,367 --> 00:29:21,667
may mean the plane went down
relatively intact.
563
00:29:21,667 --> 00:29:25,467
Which could make it easier
for the sonar to image.
564
00:29:25,467 --> 00:29:29,467
Meanwhile, out on the water,
Hunter finishes scanning
the search zone,
565
00:29:29,467 --> 00:29:33,900
and the team scrambles
to retrieve the AUV
and extract its data.
566
00:29:35,300 --> 00:29:37,100
Colin and I
rush back to the boat
567
00:29:37,100 --> 00:29:40,000
to see what, if anything,
it discovered.
568
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,233
-Okay, here we go.
-Yeah.
569
00:29:43,767 --> 00:29:46,600
All right, first question,
is there data?
570
00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:50,166
Yeah, we got some data.
And in fact, about eight
square kilometers of it.
571
00:29:50,166 --> 00:29:52,100
Great, that's a lot
of seafloor.
572
00:29:52,100 --> 00:29:53,567
So, is there anything on it?
573
00:29:53,567 --> 00:29:55,100
We definitely have
some promising targets.
574
00:29:55,100 --> 00:29:57,200
-Okay, take me through it.
What do we got?
-[Leila] All right.
575
00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,467
[Josh] These are individual
sonar lanes we're seeing?
576
00:29:59,467 --> 00:30:00,967
[Leila] These are
individual sonar lanes.
577
00:30:00,967 --> 00:30:03,200
So, we've got these
funny looking bright
spots here--
578
00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,500
-Ooh, this here.
-[Leila] Yeah.
579
00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:07,767
Now, what's really
interesting here is
580
00:30:07,767 --> 00:30:10,300
this linear pattern of debris.
581
00:30:10,300 --> 00:30:12,200
It does look like
a scatter of objects.
582
00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:13,767
[Mark] Yeah,
it's pieces of something,
583
00:30:13,767 --> 00:30:15,567
and they're circular,
it looks like.
584
00:30:15,567 --> 00:30:17,967
And they are just
so contrasted
585
00:30:17,967 --> 00:30:19,667
-against the seafloor, right?
-[Mark] Yeah.
586
00:30:19,667 --> 00:30:21,200
I mean, they're just
sticking out like these
587
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,066
-bright circular targets.
-[Mark] Bright-- Yeah.
588
00:30:23,066 --> 00:30:24,367
[Josh] Colin, what do you
make of the fact that
589
00:30:24,367 --> 00:30:27,467
we just have these isolated
individual objects here?
590
00:30:27,467 --> 00:30:29,600
[Colin] In most plane crashes,
we're not gonna have
591
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,800
-something that looks exactly
like a plane on the bottom.
-Right.
592
00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:34,000
It's going to get
broken up and scattered.
593
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,367
So, this actually looks like
a debris field that we
might see.
594
00:30:36,367 --> 00:30:38,066
So definitely
worth investigating?
595
00:30:38,066 --> 00:30:40,800
Hundred percent.
We need to go down and
look at what this thing is.
596
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:42,667
Okay. Anything else
to look at?
597
00:30:42,667 --> 00:30:46,000
Yeah, we have one target
that looks really interesting.
598
00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,700
-Okay, what do you got?
-Yeah, let's take a look.
599
00:30:48,700 --> 00:30:50,300
[excitedly] Ooh, what is that?
600
00:30:56,467 --> 00:30:58,033
[Josh] That's a big shadow.
601
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,367
When you see
a shadow like that,
602
00:31:00,367 --> 00:31:02,600
it means that
something's really pronounced
603
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,100
and high off the seafloor.
604
00:31:04,100 --> 00:31:06,000
[Josh] I'm off the coast
of West Africa
605
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,567
in an area where
almost 80 years ago,
606
00:31:08,567 --> 00:31:13,000
a C-47 loaded with members
of the US Women's Army Corps
607
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,467
vanished into thin air,
608
00:31:15,467 --> 00:31:19,166
leaving 18 WACs and three
crewmen missing in action.
609
00:31:19,166 --> 00:31:24,567
Now though, a sonar scan
might add a new chapter
to their mystery.
610
00:31:24,567 --> 00:31:27,767
Any idea how high this object
is that's sticking up?
611
00:31:27,767 --> 00:31:30,166
[Mark] It's about 10-15 ft
off the bottom,
612
00:31:30,166 --> 00:31:32,767
-really big.
Sticking up, yeah.
-[Josh] Sticking up 10-15 ft.
613
00:31:32,767 --> 00:31:36,266
This looks a lot more
like something we might
expect to find
614
00:31:36,266 --> 00:31:37,667
-if there's large pieces
of wreckage.
-Right.
615
00:31:37,667 --> 00:31:39,800
These are large objects
that could be
616
00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:41,967
reflective of a large aircraft
like we're looking for.
617
00:31:41,967 --> 00:31:44,100
Drew, what do you think?
Could that be wreckage?
618
00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:45,900
Yeah. I mean, I think
it's definitely possible.
619
00:31:45,900 --> 00:31:48,166
I think we need to suit up
and go for a dive
620
00:31:48,166 --> 00:31:49,567
-and put our eyes on it.
-For sure.
621
00:31:49,567 --> 00:31:51,367
Well, we got a number
of targets to look at.
622
00:31:51,367 --> 00:31:52,467
We got our work
cut out for us.
623
00:31:52,467 --> 00:31:54,233
Yeah, two dives.
624
00:31:58,100 --> 00:32:02,100
[Josh] We motor out
to the coordinates of
the AUV's first sonar hit.
625
00:32:02,100 --> 00:32:03,800
Seventy-five meters.
626
00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,166
[Josh] As we approach,
we prep a shot line,
627
00:32:06,166 --> 00:32:09,000
a weighted marker that
we can follow to the bottom.
628
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,367
Even in rough ocean currents,
the shot line will ensure
629
00:32:12,367 --> 00:32:14,667
that we don't descend
far from the target.
630
00:32:14,667 --> 00:32:18,233
Four, three, two--
Drop, drop, drop!
631
00:32:26,967 --> 00:32:29,000
[Josh] With the shot line
in the water,
632
00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,567
Drew, Mark and I
prepare to dive down
633
00:32:31,567 --> 00:32:32,867
to what appears to be
634
00:32:32,867 --> 00:32:35,667
a debris field
on the bottom of the ocean.
635
00:32:35,667 --> 00:32:36,734
All right, what's our move?
636
00:32:36,734 --> 00:32:39,467
We're gonna start with
just these circular targets
637
00:32:39,467 --> 00:32:40,700
that are kind of in a line,
638
00:32:40,700 --> 00:32:42,467
-and just see what they are.
-Right.
639
00:32:42,467 --> 00:32:43,500
Let's do it.
640
00:32:59,967 --> 00:33:03,266
[Josh over radio]
641
00:33:03,266 --> 00:33:05,600
Topside copies.
Divers heading down
the shot line, over.
642
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,700
[Josh speaking]
643
00:33:16,767 --> 00:33:18,700
[Mark over radio]
644
00:33:19,300 --> 00:33:22,433
[Josh speaking]
645
00:33:23,867 --> 00:33:25,767
How's the visibility
down there? Over.
646
00:33:25,767 --> 00:33:27,700
[Josh speaking]
647
00:33:33,266 --> 00:33:35,266
[Mark speaks]
648
00:33:35,266 --> 00:33:37,467
[Josh speaks]
649
00:33:37,467 --> 00:33:40,800
To safely and efficiently
explore around our target,
650
00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,600
Drew clips a guide reel
to our shot marker,
651
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:45,500
and we begin to swim outward.
652
00:33:48,166 --> 00:33:50,900
[Mark speaks]
653
00:33:51,367 --> 00:33:54,233
[Josh speaking]
654
00:34:05,867 --> 00:34:07,300
[Mark speaks]
655
00:34:07,300 --> 00:34:09,634
[Josh speaks]
656
00:34:14,767 --> 00:34:17,300
[Mark speaking]
657
00:34:23,066 --> 00:34:26,166
[Josh speaking]
658
00:34:26,166 --> 00:34:27,700
[Mark speaking]
659
00:34:27,700 --> 00:34:30,634
[Josh speaks]
660
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,400
[Mark speaking]
661
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:40,767
[Josh speaking]
662
00:34:40,767 --> 00:34:43,533
[Mark speaking]
663
00:34:44,567 --> 00:34:47,200
[Josh speaking]
664
00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:48,100
[Mark speaks]
665
00:34:48,100 --> 00:34:51,000
[Josh speaks]
666
00:34:54,166 --> 00:34:55,867
Topside copies, not wreckage.
667
00:34:55,867 --> 00:34:58,000
That's disappointing to hear.
668
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:00,900
[over radio]
669
00:35:00,900 --> 00:35:04,800
[Mark speaking]
670
00:35:06,667 --> 00:35:08,367
[Josh speaking]
671
00:35:08,367 --> 00:35:11,834
We may have pulled
a lot of "mussels,"
but we're hardly sore.
672
00:35:14,667 --> 00:35:16,233
Whoo.
673
00:35:16,233 --> 00:35:20,600
We return to the boat
and aim for the coordinates
of our second sonar hit.
674
00:35:23,767 --> 00:35:26,867
Which has a very different
profile from the first one.
675
00:35:26,867 --> 00:35:29,767
Whatever this target is,
it looks like it's sticking
676
00:35:29,767 --> 00:35:31,000
way up off the bottom.
677
00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:33,100
-Way off, prominent shadow.
-[Josh] Yeah.
678
00:35:33,100 --> 00:35:34,400
This is not a bed of mussels.
679
00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:36,266
-No.
-[Josh] No, this is something.
680
00:35:36,266 --> 00:35:38,400
The question is what.
Here we go.
681
00:35:50,066 --> 00:35:52,266
[Josh over radio]
682
00:35:52,266 --> 00:35:55,567
[Mark over radio]
683
00:35:55,567 --> 00:35:58,834
[Josh speaking]
684
00:36:04,967 --> 00:36:06,967
[Mark speaking]
685
00:36:06,967 --> 00:36:09,700
[Josh] The current is powerful
enough to pull us off the line
686
00:36:09,700 --> 00:36:11,266
and sweep us out to sea,
687
00:36:11,266 --> 00:36:13,634
so we descend
as fast as we can.
688
00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:17,300
Divers, topside.
How's the descent looking?
689
00:36:17,300 --> 00:36:19,800
[diver over radio]
690
00:36:20,367 --> 00:36:22,500
[Josh speaking]
691
00:36:29,266 --> 00:36:30,567
[Colin over radio]
692
00:36:30,567 --> 00:36:33,333
Low visibility.
Be safe down there, over.
693
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:36,900
[Josh speaking]
694
00:36:56,467 --> 00:36:59,100
Well, whatever this is,
it should be sticking
way off the bottom,
695
00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:00,900
so hopefully
you run into it, over.
696
00:37:00,900 --> 00:37:03,000
[Josh] With conditions
this murky,
697
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,567
it's risky for all of us
to be groping in the dark
698
00:37:05,567 --> 00:37:07,066
without getting separated.
699
00:37:07,066 --> 00:37:09,166
So, Drew clips on to
the shot line
700
00:37:09,166 --> 00:37:12,233
and explores in a wide circle
around us.
701
00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:19,233
We watch him disappear
into the gloom and wait.
702
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:30,266
[Mark speaks]
703
00:37:30,266 --> 00:37:32,867
[Josh speaks]
704
00:37:32,867 --> 00:37:37,066
[Mark speaking]
705
00:37:37,066 --> 00:37:39,900
[Josh speaks]
706
00:37:59,367 --> 00:38:02,800
[Josh] I thought I knew about
every possible way to
enjoy chocolate.
707
00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:03,900
[both] Cheers.
708
00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:05,300
Cocoa tea.
709
00:38:05,300 --> 00:38:07,100
But at the Bushman's Cafe,
710
00:38:07,100 --> 00:38:10,500
I learn about a serious
blind spot in my repertoire.
711
00:38:10,500 --> 00:38:12,000
Okay, this is for the adults.
712
00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:15,000
You can call it
the moonshine cacao.
713
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:16,700
-Chocolate moonshine?
-Yeah.
714
00:38:17,767 --> 00:38:19,667
-This is chocolate hooch?
-Yes, it is.
715
00:38:19,667 --> 00:38:21,133
Okay. Is it strong?
716
00:38:21,967 --> 00:38:23,700
-Oh, boy.
-[chuckles]
717
00:38:27,266 --> 00:38:29,467
-[loudly] Ooh!
-[laughs]
718
00:38:29,467 --> 00:38:30,600
How you feeling?
719
00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:32,266
I'm feeling like
I want a bottle of this.
720
00:38:32,266 --> 00:38:34,300
This tastes like
chocolate rum.
721
00:38:34,300 --> 00:38:36,233
How do I get a crate of this
722
00:38:36,867 --> 00:38:39,066
loaded into my luggage?
723
00:38:39,066 --> 00:38:41,400
Actually, we never actually
thought about selling it so--
724
00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:42,967
You've never thought
about selling this?
725
00:38:42,967 --> 00:38:46,367
-No, actually. [laughs]
-Let me help you get rich
right now.
726
00:38:46,367 --> 00:38:47,700
Put this in a bottle.
727
00:38:50,100 --> 00:38:52,000
It's my first time
getting drunk on chocolate.
728
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:53,467
[laughs]
729
00:38:53,467 --> 00:38:54,834
I recommend it.
730
00:39:01,467 --> 00:39:04,767
[Josh over radio]
731
00:39:04,767 --> 00:39:06,667
Topside copies, something big.
732
00:39:06,667 --> 00:39:08,266
Can you tell what it is?
733
00:39:08,266 --> 00:39:10,667
[Josh] In the waters
off of West Africa,
734
00:39:10,667 --> 00:39:13,400
I'm diving with the team
from Project Recover
735
00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:17,600
to locate a plane missing
since the final days
of World War II.
736
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:20,300
One which was
transporting 18 members
737
00:39:20,300 --> 00:39:23,100
of the trailblazing
Women's Army Corps.
738
00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:38,700
[Mark over radio]
739
00:39:39,567 --> 00:39:42,400
[Josh over radio]
740
00:39:51,266 --> 00:39:53,300
Copy that.
Natural feature, over.
741
00:39:54,100 --> 00:39:57,133
[Mark over radio]
742
00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:01,133
[Josh speaks]
743
00:40:03,166 --> 00:40:07,266
[Mark speaking]
744
00:40:07,266 --> 00:40:11,133
[Josh speaking]
745
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:15,767
[Mark speaks]
746
00:40:15,767 --> 00:40:18,333
[Josh speaks]
747
00:40:34,967 --> 00:40:36,667
Whoo.
748
00:40:36,667 --> 00:40:38,734
-All right,
that was a heartbreaker.
-Yeah, it was.
749
00:40:38,734 --> 00:40:41,100
You know, first of all,
horrible visibility.
750
00:40:41,100 --> 00:40:42,767
[both] Terrible.
751
00:40:42,767 --> 00:40:46,567
But then out of the mist,
you just see this dark shape
rising up.
752
00:40:46,567 --> 00:40:49,300
-[Mark] Yeah.
-[Josh] But definitely
not a plane.
753
00:40:49,300 --> 00:40:54,900
We return to our vessel
off the coast of Monogaga
without our C-47.
754
00:40:54,900 --> 00:40:57,800
When the Army searched here
in 1945,
755
00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:00,100
there was almost
no infrastructure,
756
00:41:00,100 --> 00:41:02,000
and little has changed today.
757
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,367
This is a supremely
hard place to investigate.
758
00:41:05,367 --> 00:41:07,900
Which is why nobody has
in 80 years.
759
00:41:07,900 --> 00:41:11,266
And that in itself,
is why we're here.
760
00:41:11,266 --> 00:41:14,000
At Project Recover,
our goal is to bring
our MIAs home.
761
00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:17,867
And it's also really important
for us to respect the memory
of the fallen.
762
00:41:17,867 --> 00:41:20,367
Yeah, and I think
a real accomplishment here is
763
00:41:20,367 --> 00:41:23,266
-simply getting this story
out there for people.
-Yeah.
764
00:41:23,266 --> 00:41:25,734
Not just the sacrifice
of these women,
765
00:41:25,734 --> 00:41:27,667
but also just
the incredible dedication
766
00:41:27,667 --> 00:41:30,066
and accomplishment
of the Women's Army Corps.
767
00:41:30,066 --> 00:41:31,667
It's a story that
not enough people know,
768
00:41:31,667 --> 00:41:34,166
-and I hope that we've
brought some attention to it.
-Yeah.
769
00:41:34,166 --> 00:41:37,066
And it's not
the end of the search.
This is just the beginning.
770
00:41:37,066 --> 00:41:38,400
We're gonna
keep looking for them.
771
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:41,767
This is a special group
of women who could have
chosen to go home,
772
00:41:41,767 --> 00:41:44,100
but they wanted to
go back to the war front
and keep fighting.
773
00:41:44,100 --> 00:41:46,567
And we wanna respect that,
and make sure we find 'em
and bring 'em home.
774
00:41:46,567 --> 00:41:48,800
-Absolutely.
-So, Josh, what we'd
like to do now is
775
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,300
hold up the American flag
and read off the names
of the three crew
776
00:41:52,300 --> 00:41:56,400
and 18 Women's Army Corps
soldiers that were aboard
this aircraft.
777
00:42:02,266 --> 00:42:07,567
[reading] Alfred R. Ellis,
Robert E. Mulhern,
George A. Shiffman,
778
00:42:07,567 --> 00:42:10,767
Doris F. Cooper,
Velma E. Holden,
779
00:42:10,767 --> 00:42:14,767
Flossie D. Flannery,
Evelyn L. McBride,
780
00:42:14,767 --> 00:42:19,100
Rose F. Puchalla,
Mildred E. Rice,
781
00:42:19,100 --> 00:42:23,100
Helen F. Rozzelle,
Ruth E. Warlick,
782
00:42:23,100 --> 00:42:27,266
Alice D. King,
Alice P. McKinney,
783
00:42:27,266 --> 00:42:30,767
Rose Brohinsky,
Frieda C. Friend,
784
00:42:30,767 --> 00:42:34,734
Mary M. Gollinger,
Odessa L. Hollingsworth,
785
00:42:34,734 --> 00:42:38,867
Wilma E. Liles,
Leona M. Seyfert,
786
00:42:38,867 --> 00:42:43,233
Bonnie L. Williams,
and Pearl Roomsburg.
787
00:42:45,567 --> 00:42:50,300
[Josh] These 18 brave women
had to fight just to serve
their country.
788
00:42:52,066 --> 00:42:56,667
They saw a war
that engulfed the world,
and they rushed to volunteer.
789
00:42:56,667 --> 00:43:01,500
And they gave their lives
to make our world safer today.
790
00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:10,667
At the beginning of the war,
America didn't want women
in the army.
791
00:43:10,667 --> 00:43:15,600
By the end,
Douglas MacArthur called
the WACs, "My best soldiers."
792
00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:20,967
The Women's Army Corps
continued to serve after
World War II until the 1970s,
793
00:43:20,967 --> 00:43:25,000
when women were fully
integrated in the US Army.
794
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:29,567
Today, women make up
more than 16% of our nation's
armed forces.
795
00:43:29,567 --> 00:43:34,467
More than 9,000 women have
earned Combat Action Badges.
796
00:43:34,467 --> 00:43:37,867
The journey that started
with women like the 18 MIAs
797
00:43:37,867 --> 00:43:42,166
on an ill-fated C-47,
continues today.
798
00:43:42,166 --> 00:43:44,567
And while the hunt
for their plane goes on,
799
00:43:44,567 --> 00:43:47,667
the most important duty
we have is to ensure
800
00:43:47,667 --> 00:43:49,767
that their story is remembered
801
00:43:49,767 --> 00:43:52,467
so that their
service and sacrifice
802
00:43:52,467 --> 00:43:54,567
will never be forgotten.