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NARRATOR:
They're watching you.

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More than 6,000 satellites
circle the Earth.

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Every day,
they uncover new,

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mysterious phenomena
that defy explanation.

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Revealed from the skies,

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Armageddon in
the land of the Bible.

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EGLASH: Wow, look at
this devastation here.

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That's unreal.

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NARRATOR:
Debauchery in the swamps.

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KERLEY: People could do just
about whatever they wanted.

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It was pretty wild.

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NARRATOR:
And death and salvation

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at the end of the world.

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HORTON: This played a critical
part in one of the most

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extraordinary survival stories

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of human history.

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NARRATOR: Baffling phenomena,
mysteries from space.

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What on Earth are they?

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[theme music playing]

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February 2022,
Israel.

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Journalist Ruth Eglash
is journeying through

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the 4,000-mile-long
Rift Valley,

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drawn here by
a worrying phenomenon

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captured from the sky.

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What's happening here is
really weird

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and a little bit scary.

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NARRATOR: Drone footage taken
above the east of

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the country has revealed
an unfolding catastrophe in

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coastal areas.

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These look almost like
gigantic teeth marks,

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as if someone is chewing
away at the shorelines.

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DENNIE: They're almost
perfectly round,

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and it turned this coastline
into what looks like

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Swiss cheese.

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NARRATOR:
Some of the chasms have

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the appearance of sinkholes,

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but their number and magnitude
are unprecedented.

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KOUROUNIS: These holes
appeared in clusters,

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but there's no clear indication
as to what's forming them,

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and the fact that
there are so many

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just adds to the mystery.

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JANULIS: The only thing
I've seen that looks like this

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essentially is the remnants
of a battlefield

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after artillery strikes.

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NARRATOR: The giant craters are
eating away at land

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around the Dead Sea,

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a place that has held deep
significance to humankind

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for millennia.

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The Dead Sea is one of
the most remarkable places

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on Earth,

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with evidence of continuous
occupation that goes back into

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the Stone Age.

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EGLASH: The Dead Sea,
it has a special place

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in the hearts of people
around the world.

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NARRATOR: According to
the Bible, the Dead Sea

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was once verdant
and filled with life.

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It also contains stories
that echoed

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the destruction revealed
from the skies.

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HORTON: It's been a place
people visited

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because of its extraordinary
magical qualities.

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But perhaps the Dead Sea is
most famous for

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the stories around
two twin cities

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known as Sodom and Gomorrah.

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[people shouting]

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KOUROUNIS: The tales go that
Sodom and Gomorra were

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destroyed entirely
by fire and brimstone,

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leaving nothing left behind,
not even vegetation.

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NARRATOR: According to
the book of Genesis,

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God brings devastation to
the twin cities as punishment

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for their sins
and sexual immorality,

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devastation that could explain

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the giant voids
in the aerial footage.

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Most explanations

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that are credible about
the destruction of Sodom

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and Gomorrah are geological
ones based on seismic activity.

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HORTON:
The Dead Sea is at the end

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of the Great East African
rift valley,

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and it's an area that's very
unstable with earthquakes,

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and I just wonder
whether our holes

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are in some ways related
to these earthquakes.

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NARRATOR: Eglash continues
eastward, bearing down

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on the site in the images.

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It is believed that Sodom
and Gomorrah once stood

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in an area of the Dead Sea
much like this one.

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Approaching the coast,

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the journalist finds
more evidence

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that history could be
repeating itself.

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This is weird.

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The road is supposed to carry
on here, but it ends suddenly.

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The ground is opening up.

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It's like someone
just pulled it apart.

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That's...unreal.

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I don't know if I should get
too much closer here.

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NARRATOR: As Eglash
approaches the shoreline,

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the scale of the
destruction intensifies.

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Wow! Look at
this devastation here.

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This is unbelievable.

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There's a whole building,

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it seems to have
just collapsed

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inside this enormous hole
right here.

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NARRATOR: It appears
that this was once

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a thriving coastal resort,

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but it is now being consumed
from below,

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forcing its residents to flee.

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EGLASH:
This place is just eerie.

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That looks like a gas station.

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Looks like they got out of
here in a hurry.

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They just ripped
everything from

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the walls as quick as
they could,

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saved everything that
needed saving,

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and they got out of here.

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This destruction is on
an almost unimaginable scale.

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NARRATOR: Further aerial images
show that this isn't

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the only community
being devoured

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by the mystery craters.

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Many more have materialized
along the Dead Sea's shores,

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and the rate at which they're
appearing is increasing.

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JANULIS: This is something
significant going on here.

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It's basically
the whole coastline

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is littered with the things.

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KOUROUNIS: There are literally
thousands of these holes.

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What could be causing this?

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NARRATOR: Local records reveal
the devastation is

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the consequence of decades of
political upheaval

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and conflict,

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a tragic side effect of
humankind's attempts

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to play God
with these historic lands.

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This area has turned into
a very dangerous place to live.

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It's shocking.

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The Dead Sea is
dying right in front of us.

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CERVENY: These strange holes
have ramifications

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for the entire world.

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NARRATOR: Coming up,
decoding the Dead Sea.

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EGLASH: This is amazing.

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I mean, it's incredible.

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NARRATOR:
And the lost temple of heaven.

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We're talking an ancient
megastructure on a scale

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basically never seen before
on this planet.

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NARRATOR: Aerial images have
revealed town-swallowing craters

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around the Dead Sea,

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echoing the biblical destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah.

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Ruth Eglash is investigating.

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Hi, there,
Captain Jacky.

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Thank you so much for having
me on your boat.

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To learn more,
Eglash is

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meeting with Jacky Ben Zaken,
who has

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worked on the Dead Sea
almost a decade.

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Like so many people here,

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his life has been devastated
by the mysterious craters

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on its shores.

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EGLASH: What's the impact in
this area?

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Well, families lost
their livelihood,

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and people left --
people left the area.

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NARRATOR: According to Jacky,
the disaster here is

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the culmination of
a series of events

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three million years
in the making.

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BEN ZAKEN: In order to
understand the problem

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of the Dead Sea,
we have to understand

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the uniqueness of the Dead Sea.

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NARRATOR: The Dead Sea
was originally formed when

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flooding from
the Mediterranean created

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a giant lagoon.

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Two million years ago,

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rising tectonic plates cut
the lagoon off from the ocean,

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and over time, it turns into
a highly saline inland sea.

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There's less water going in
that is going out

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through evaporation,

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making it saltier and saltier
and saltier.

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NARRATOR: Throughout
the Dead Sea's history,

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the salt in its waters

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has precipitated into
the bedrock,

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meaning it now sits on layers
of the mineral

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up to 55 feet thick.

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All of the salt that has been
produced when the sea dried up

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in the past is still there.

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It lies underneath the sea
in layers of rock.

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Ben Zaken also reveals that
the unique geology here has

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created giant columns of salt
that rise up from the seabed.

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You look down,
you see how deep it is.

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EGLASH:
This is amazing.

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I mean, I knew the Dead sea
was salty, but to see it

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like this, it's incredible.

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NARRATOR:
For countless millennia,

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the Dead Sea's salt beds
remain stable.

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But when Israel declares
its independence in 1948,

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events unfold which trigger
the disaster

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revealed from the skies.

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Water is everything here.
Water is worth more than gold.

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So, to ensure the survival of
the newly created country

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00:11:45,505 --> 00:11:47,939
of Israel, they had to make sure
they had water.

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NARRATOR:
To secure its water,

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in 1953, Israel turns
to the River Jordan,

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the main source of water
for the Dead Sea.

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00:12:03,523 --> 00:12:07,358
Palestine, Syria, Lebanon,
and Jordan also siphon

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00:12:07,394 --> 00:12:10,929
their supplies from
the 223-mile-long waterway.

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00:12:12,966 --> 00:12:14,933
The River Jordan
had its water flow

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00:12:15,035 --> 00:12:18,436
massively reduced by
Israel's water program.

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00:12:18,505 --> 00:12:21,606
JANULIS: The entire history of
the region is one of warfare

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00:12:21,708 --> 00:12:23,241
over water.

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00:12:23,310 --> 00:12:27,345
So anytime somebody modifies
the water system,

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00:12:27,414 --> 00:12:29,347
you're looking at
potential conflict,

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00:12:29,416 --> 00:12:31,649
and that's exactly
what happened.

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00:12:35,055 --> 00:12:37,655
NARRATOR: Escalating disputes
over water supplies

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00:12:37,724 --> 00:12:39,858
between Israel and Arab nations

205
00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:43,027
are one of the contributing
factors of the Six-Day War

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00:12:43,029 --> 00:12:45,130
in 1967.

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00:12:45,132 --> 00:12:50,502
The 132-hour conflict
claims over 20,000 lives

208
00:12:50,637 --> 00:12:53,438
and results in Israel
laying claim to land

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00:12:53,540 --> 00:12:55,640
in the West Bank
and Golan Heights.

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00:12:57,043 --> 00:12:59,410
The name of the war,
the Six Days War,

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00:12:59,412 --> 00:13:03,114
makes it sound like a sort of
minor incident.

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00:13:03,116 --> 00:13:04,415
But it wasn't, it changed

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00:13:04,417 --> 00:13:06,918
the entire political landscape
of the Middle East.

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00:13:11,158 --> 00:13:12,557
NARRATOR:
Over the following decades,

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00:13:12,625 --> 00:13:16,127
more and more water is
diverted from the River Jordan,

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00:13:16,129 --> 00:13:19,531
meaning just 11 percent
of the once mighty waterway

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00:13:19,533 --> 00:13:21,299
now trickles into the Dead Sea.

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00:13:27,407 --> 00:13:30,108
EGLASH: You can really see how
the water has receded.

219
00:13:30,210 --> 00:13:34,512
Where that jetty is,
that was where the water was.

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00:13:34,514 --> 00:13:37,549
And today,
we're all the way down here.

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00:13:37,617 --> 00:13:38,950
It's unbelievable.

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00:13:43,723 --> 00:13:47,125
NARRATOR: Every year, the water
level here drops by three feet.

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00:13:48,228 --> 00:13:52,130
When it rains,
freshwater flows into cracks in

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00:13:52,232 --> 00:13:54,065
the newly exposed shoreline,

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00:13:54,133 --> 00:13:57,502
dissolving the thick layers
of salt below.

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00:13:57,504 --> 00:14:00,405
This creates chasms,
which then collapse.

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00:14:09,249 --> 00:14:12,217
The challenge for Jacky
and the other locals here

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00:14:12,219 --> 00:14:14,319
is predicting when
this will happen.

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00:14:15,622 --> 00:14:16,955
-And you see that's...whoa!
-[shrieks]

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00:14:17,057 --> 00:14:20,258
-That's okay. That's a sinkhole.
-Okay.

231
00:14:20,327 --> 00:14:22,093
[indistinct]

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00:14:22,095 --> 00:14:23,094
-Whoa.
-You see, that's a sinkhole.

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00:14:23,129 --> 00:14:24,429
Don't want to get
too close to the edge.

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00:14:24,431 --> 00:14:25,463
BEN ZAKEN: Yeah.

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00:14:27,801 --> 00:14:29,100
NARRATOR: Every year,

236
00:14:29,202 --> 00:14:32,437
hundreds more holes,
up to 100 feet deep,

237
00:14:32,505 --> 00:14:34,505
materialize along the coast.

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00:14:36,810 --> 00:14:37,909
For locals like Jacky,

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00:14:37,911 --> 00:14:40,912
the effect is devastating,
and thousands may

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00:14:40,914 --> 00:14:44,649
soon be forced to flee
these historic shores.

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00:14:44,751 --> 00:14:47,418
Why should you stay --
I mean, why --

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00:14:47,553 --> 00:14:51,055
why should you live in a place
where you don't see a future?

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00:14:59,232 --> 00:15:00,531
NARRATOR: Hour by hour,

244
00:15:00,633 --> 00:15:03,635
the Dead Sea's water level
continues to drop,

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00:15:03,703 --> 00:15:06,504
meaning the situation here
will only get worse.

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00:15:10,443 --> 00:15:12,644
For now,
all the authorities can do is

247
00:15:12,745 --> 00:15:16,047
continue to monitor
the devastation from the skies.

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00:15:20,053 --> 00:15:22,820
The Dead Sea is clearly one of
the greatest wonders of

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00:15:22,923 --> 00:15:25,356
the world, but if it keeps
receding the way it has,

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00:15:25,458 --> 00:15:26,524
there'll be nothing left.

251
00:15:28,028 --> 00:15:31,496
HORTON:
If the Dead Sea was to dry up,

252
00:15:31,498 --> 00:15:34,232
it would be a real tragedy
to humanity.

253
00:15:42,943 --> 00:15:46,611
NARRATOR: Coming up,
wild times in the Wild West.

254
00:15:46,713 --> 00:15:50,148
You came to this town,
and whatever your vice was

255
00:15:50,249 --> 00:15:52,216
was wide open.

256
00:15:52,218 --> 00:15:54,352
NARRATOR:
And ice tomb.

257
00:15:54,421 --> 00:15:57,722
Being trapped in Antarctica is
a death sentence.

258
00:16:08,535 --> 00:16:10,835
NARRATOR:
June 2020,

259
00:16:13,273 --> 00:16:14,372
California.

260
00:16:17,911 --> 00:16:21,846
A drone scans
the 550-square-mile expanse

261
00:16:21,948 --> 00:16:23,448
of the San Francisco Bay.

262
00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,721
You have this vast,
empty area,

263
00:16:29,789 --> 00:16:33,424
and it looks to be
some sort of marsh.

264
00:16:36,162 --> 00:16:39,063
But when we look closer,
you start to see

265
00:16:39,132 --> 00:16:42,233
that there's also
a scattered handful

266
00:16:42,335 --> 00:16:44,102
of dilapidated old buildings.

267
00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:49,707
NARRATOR: The crumbling
structures sit between

268
00:16:49,809 --> 00:16:52,810
the cities of Fremont
and Palo Alto.

269
00:16:54,614 --> 00:16:56,914
KERLEY: We are talking some of
the most expensive

270
00:16:56,916 --> 00:16:58,916
real estate in the world,

271
00:16:58,918 --> 00:17:02,253
and then inside
these marshes is a ghost town.

272
00:17:09,529 --> 00:17:12,063
NARRATOR: Local records reveal
the mystery settlement is

273
00:17:12,132 --> 00:17:14,232
called Drawbridge,

274
00:17:14,333 --> 00:17:19,604
and its history is one steeped
in blood, lust, and vice.

275
00:17:19,706 --> 00:17:22,407
KERLEY: People could do
just about whatever

276
00:17:22,509 --> 00:17:24,442
they wanted to do
in Drawbridge.

277
00:17:25,712 --> 00:17:26,911
It was pretty wild.

278
00:17:30,717 --> 00:17:32,517
NARRATOR:
Drawbridge has its origins

279
00:17:32,652 --> 00:17:34,952
in the 19th century
Gold Rush,

280
00:17:35,054 --> 00:17:38,589
when San Francisco's
population explodes from 1,000

281
00:17:38,591 --> 00:17:41,826
to 25,000 in the space
of 12 months.

282
00:17:43,229 --> 00:17:48,599
Prices skyrocket, with
prospectors paying a dollar for

283
00:17:48,701 --> 00:17:50,001
a single slice of bread,

284
00:17:50,003 --> 00:17:54,739
forcing many to turn to
hunting to feed their families.

285
00:17:54,807 --> 00:17:57,542
If food is scarce,
if you have a hard time

286
00:17:57,610 --> 00:18:00,044
putting food on the table,
you have to hunt wild game.

287
00:18:01,214 --> 00:18:03,714
RUBEN: The ability to hunt
and either eat or sell

288
00:18:03,716 --> 00:18:09,253
the meat was very attractive
to a lot of people.

289
00:18:09,355 --> 00:18:11,656
NARRATOR: As game stocks
become depleted,

290
00:18:11,724 --> 00:18:15,026
officials restrict how much
the locals can hunt.

291
00:18:17,730 --> 00:18:20,865
In 1876,
travelers on a train

292
00:18:20,967 --> 00:18:24,836
across the San Francisco
marshes discover an opportunity.

293
00:18:27,006 --> 00:18:29,807
In the middle of it, they had
to put in a drawbridge,

294
00:18:29,809 --> 00:18:31,409
which meant that,
occasionally,

295
00:18:31,411 --> 00:18:34,112
the train had to stop,
and when it did,

296
00:18:34,214 --> 00:18:37,548
the passengers realized there
are a lot of ducks around here.

297
00:18:39,018 --> 00:18:41,519
AUERBACH: When hunters realized
that this was a good spot

298
00:18:41,521 --> 00:18:43,020
for duck hunting,

299
00:18:43,022 --> 00:18:46,624
a kind of ad hoc community
built up.

300
00:18:50,163 --> 00:18:54,232
NARRATOR: Soon, 1,000 hunters
are disembarking at Drawbridge

301
00:18:54,333 --> 00:18:58,002
every weekend,
using makeshift weapons

302
00:18:58,004 --> 00:19:01,205
that can slaughter up
to 500 birds with a single shot.

303
00:19:04,811 --> 00:19:07,712
Illegal gun clubs
spring up to service

304
00:19:07,814 --> 00:19:09,046
the bloodthirsty crowds,

305
00:19:09,148 --> 00:19:12,950
many accepting poultry
as payment.

306
00:19:13,052 --> 00:19:16,621
AUERBACH: The hunting was so
plentiful that dead ducks were

307
00:19:16,623 --> 00:19:19,223
actually used
as betting currency

308
00:19:19,325 --> 00:19:21,626
at the gambling tables,

309
00:19:21,694 --> 00:19:24,328
I'll see your duck and raise
you three mallards.

310
00:19:26,533 --> 00:19:32,203
NARRATOR: In 1920, the carnage
at Drawbridge steps up a gear,

311
00:19:32,305 --> 00:19:34,939
when Congress
passes the 18th Amendment,

312
00:19:35,041 --> 00:19:38,042
banning the production
and sale of alcohol.

313
00:19:44,450 --> 00:19:47,218
As bars
and booze factories close,

314
00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,054
smugglers use the Bay Area's
creeks and inlets

315
00:19:50,123 --> 00:19:52,356
to quench
San Francisco's thirst.

316
00:19:54,961 --> 00:19:57,461
HUNT: Boats docked
all along the coast,

317
00:19:57,563 --> 00:20:00,331
and rum and whiskey

318
00:20:00,333 --> 00:20:02,633
and all kinds of liquor

319
00:20:02,702 --> 00:20:04,335
flowed through this area.

320
00:20:11,244 --> 00:20:15,146
NARRATOR: Hidden in the marshes,
Drawbridge becomes ground zero

321
00:20:15,215 --> 00:20:18,216
for the Bay Area's
Prohibition partying.

322
00:20:18,218 --> 00:20:20,651
RODRIGUEZ McROBBIE:
Drawbridge's initial appeal

323
00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,821
was in the booze,
but it became a hotbed

324
00:20:23,823 --> 00:20:27,325
of anything that was

325
00:20:27,393 --> 00:20:29,126
illegal and fun.

326
00:20:32,432 --> 00:20:34,799
NARRATOR: Within a year,
Drawbridge expands from

327
00:20:34,801 --> 00:20:38,035
a handful of shacks
to over 90 buildings,

328
00:20:38,137 --> 00:20:41,706
a mix of cabins,
speakeasies, gambling dens,

329
00:20:41,708 --> 00:20:42,707
and brothels.

330
00:20:44,410 --> 00:20:47,411
Visitors are offered
four options --

331
00:20:47,513 --> 00:20:51,816
drink, gamble, smoke, or leave.

332
00:20:51,918 --> 00:20:54,652
You came to this small little
town right off

333
00:20:54,721 --> 00:20:59,824
the rail line, and whatever
your vice was, was wide open.

334
00:20:59,926 --> 00:21:01,259
BROWN:
People could drink freely.

335
00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:02,526
They could gamble freely.

336
00:21:02,629 --> 00:21:05,062
They could engage in
prostitution freely.

337
00:21:05,131 --> 00:21:10,201
Anything went in Drawbridge.

338
00:21:11,638 --> 00:21:14,705
NARRATOR: In 1933,
Prohibition ends,

339
00:21:14,807 --> 00:21:17,408
and San Francisco's bars
and clubs reopen.

340
00:21:19,812 --> 00:21:22,313
People desert the marshes,

341
00:21:22,415 --> 00:21:24,849
and Drawbridge's heyday
draws to a close.

342
00:21:26,452 --> 00:21:31,055
You have this kind of
marshland area

343
00:21:31,157 --> 00:21:33,724
and this really
ramshackle town,

344
00:21:33,826 --> 00:21:36,861
and there's no real reason to
want to go there anymore.

345
00:21:36,929 --> 00:21:40,731
Really, all that was left was
one lonely former

346
00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:41,966
drawbridge operator,

347
00:21:42,068 --> 00:21:44,602
wandering around trying to pay
for sex with a dead duck.

348
00:21:48,675 --> 00:21:50,808
RUBEN: The final blow
for Drawbridge came when

349
00:21:50,810 --> 00:21:53,311
the buildings started
to sink into the marsh.

350
00:21:53,412 --> 00:21:55,112
The residents decided
this was the last straw

351
00:21:55,214 --> 00:21:57,448
and started to leave
the area.

352
00:22:00,353 --> 00:22:03,421
NARRATOR: Today, Drawbridge's
revelers are long gone.

353
00:22:03,523 --> 00:22:05,222
But this strange legacy
of some

354
00:22:05,324 --> 00:22:08,159
of the most debauched times
in U.S. history

355
00:22:08,260 --> 00:22:10,528
is still visible
from the skies.

356
00:22:13,599 --> 00:22:16,600
The remains of the town are
slowly sinking into the same

357
00:22:16,703 --> 00:22:21,205
marsh that, in its heyday, had
protected it from prying eyes.

358
00:22:29,248 --> 00:22:33,050
NARRATOR: Coming up,
the 1,000-year-old ghost fleet.

359
00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:36,120
BELLINGER: Many of them are
eerily intact.

360
00:22:36,122 --> 00:22:38,956
It's as if they sank yesterday.

361
00:22:39,058 --> 00:22:41,826
NARRATOR: And the town
that turned Antarctica red.

362
00:22:41,894 --> 00:22:45,730
WALTERS: I find it amazing
that this remote place

363
00:22:45,832 --> 00:22:49,400
has this incredibly rich story
attached to it.

364
00:22:58,811 --> 00:23:00,945
NARRATOR:
March 19th, 2020.

365
00:23:05,318 --> 00:23:06,417
A satellite scans

366
00:23:06,419 --> 00:23:08,753
an archipelago off
the Swedish coast.

367
00:23:10,923 --> 00:23:17,128
It's a series of islands,
and there are two very

368
00:23:17,263 --> 00:23:21,365
parallel rows of mysterious
white floating objects

369
00:23:21,401 --> 00:23:22,633
sprinkled between them.

370
00:23:24,103 --> 00:23:27,405
The fact that they are evenly
spaced out

371
00:23:27,407 --> 00:23:30,107
and parallel to each other
is very --

372
00:23:30,209 --> 00:23:31,342
very strange.

373
00:23:35,314 --> 00:23:37,515
NARRATOR: The mystery
structures' location could

374
00:23:37,517 --> 00:23:39,150
offer a clue to their purpose.

375
00:23:40,420 --> 00:23:42,520
They sit in the Baltic Sea,

376
00:23:42,622 --> 00:23:47,725
a 150,000-square-mile treasure
trove of maritime history.

377
00:23:49,195 --> 00:23:51,462
HUNT:
This area of the Baltic

378
00:23:51,564 --> 00:23:56,033
has so many shipwrecks
over hundreds,

379
00:23:56,102 --> 00:23:58,102
if not thousands of years.

380
00:23:58,104 --> 00:24:01,105
BELLINGER: There have been
reports of divers

381
00:24:01,107 --> 00:24:03,340
and even looters visiting
these wrecks

382
00:24:03,442 --> 00:24:05,910
and, at times, removing
artifacts from them.

383
00:24:07,814 --> 00:24:10,848
Could it be that
these platforms have

384
00:24:10,950 --> 00:24:13,951
something to do with
the recovery of shipwrecks?

385
00:24:18,024 --> 00:24:20,224
NARRATOR: When military
veteran Clint Janulis

386
00:24:20,326 --> 00:24:22,159
studies the image,
he reveals

387
00:24:22,228 --> 00:24:24,428
the structures serve
a different purpose.

388
00:24:26,599 --> 00:24:29,934
A strong clue is
it's really close to

389
00:24:30,036 --> 00:24:33,237
a major naval base,
used to refit, repair,

390
00:24:33,339 --> 00:24:35,406
and overhaul submarines.

391
00:24:38,177 --> 00:24:40,010
What we're actually seeing
in this image

392
00:24:40,012 --> 00:24:42,513
is what's called
a deperming station.

393
00:24:44,917 --> 00:24:48,352
NARRATOR: Deperming stations are
clandestine facilities used by

394
00:24:48,421 --> 00:24:52,223
the military to conceal subs
and ships from enemy tracking.

395
00:24:53,526 --> 00:24:56,460
JANULIS: It's a bit like
camouflaging a tank aboveground,

396
00:24:56,562 --> 00:24:59,096
but you can do a bit more than
just hide its visual appearance.

397
00:24:59,098 --> 00:25:01,832
You can actually change
its magnetic signature.

398
00:25:05,605 --> 00:25:08,038
NARRATOR: The ability to change
a vessel's magnetic

399
00:25:08,140 --> 00:25:10,641
signature is critical to
navies around the world.

400
00:25:12,111 --> 00:25:14,044
It's a technology
born from some of

401
00:25:14,146 --> 00:25:17,114
the darkest days of
20th century history.

402
00:25:19,519 --> 00:25:23,120
The whole idea of de-magnetizing
was basically an outgrowth

403
00:25:23,122 --> 00:25:26,557
of the threat posed by mines
deployed during World War II.

404
00:25:27,793 --> 00:25:32,630
NARRATOR: During World War II,
Allied and Axis powers

405
00:25:32,732 --> 00:25:36,400
construct thousands
of naval vessels,

406
00:25:36,502 --> 00:25:39,303
but they suffer from
a critical flaw.

407
00:25:41,507 --> 00:25:45,142
WAKEFIELD: Any steel vessel
will have a magnetic field

408
00:25:45,244 --> 00:25:47,311
around it,
and this magnetic field

409
00:25:47,413 --> 00:25:50,314
will disrupt the Earth's
magnetic field,

410
00:25:50,316 --> 00:25:53,617
and so this allows it
to be detected.

411
00:25:53,619 --> 00:25:57,221
If you think of the trick of
using a needle,

412
00:25:57,223 --> 00:25:59,256
rubbed against
something magnetic,

413
00:25:59,325 --> 00:26:02,126
the needle is
suddenly magnetized.

414
00:26:02,128 --> 00:26:05,062
That magnetization
becomes a signal.

415
00:26:05,164 --> 00:26:06,630
So that's a big problem.

416
00:26:09,936 --> 00:26:12,536
NARRATOR: At facilities
like the one in the image,

417
00:26:12,638 --> 00:26:16,140
engineers wrap vessels in
giant coils of copper wire

418
00:26:16,241 --> 00:26:18,042
and bombard them
with electricity.

419
00:26:19,946 --> 00:26:22,112
The electrical currents
running through

420
00:26:22,114 --> 00:26:25,716
these copper cables is
as high as 4,000 amps.

421
00:26:25,851 --> 00:26:28,419
And what this does is
it resets

422
00:26:28,421 --> 00:26:31,422
the magnetic signature
of the vessel.

423
00:26:36,128 --> 00:26:38,629
NARRATOR: In World War II,
the technology enables

424
00:26:38,731 --> 00:26:42,199
thousands of vessels
to evade Nazi sea mines,

425
00:26:42,301 --> 00:26:44,201
but it becomes
even more critical to

426
00:26:44,203 --> 00:26:46,503
naval commanders
in the post-war years.

427
00:26:50,543 --> 00:26:51,609
JANULIS:
During the Cold War,

428
00:26:51,611 --> 00:26:54,078
both the Soviet Union
and the rest of the world

429
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,414
were essentially playing
a giant game of cat and mouse.

430
00:26:57,483 --> 00:27:00,517
Submarine warfare and
technology was central to that.

431
00:27:03,122 --> 00:27:04,822
NARRATOR:
At the height of the Cold War,

432
00:27:04,957 --> 00:27:07,424
the Soviet Union possesses
twice as many

433
00:27:07,526 --> 00:27:09,426
nuclear armed subs
as the U.S.

434
00:27:11,530 --> 00:27:14,531
Many of them patrol
the seas in the image,

435
00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,835
meaning they become the focus
of potentially apocalyptic

436
00:27:17,937 --> 00:27:20,604
stealth warfare
between the two superpowers.

437
00:27:22,308 --> 00:27:24,808
WALTERS: The Baltic really is
this massive potential

438
00:27:24,910 --> 00:27:26,944
flashpoint for
any future conflict,

439
00:27:27,013 --> 00:27:28,946
where all sides are
kind of flexing

440
00:27:29,015 --> 00:27:31,048
their military muscles.

441
00:27:31,117 --> 00:27:36,620
JANULIS: Both the Soviet Union
and the Allied submarines

442
00:27:36,622 --> 00:27:39,623
were hunting each other,
tracking each other down.

443
00:27:39,625 --> 00:27:44,361
They were trying to show that
they had the superiority.

444
00:27:47,833 --> 00:27:50,634
NARRATOR: To evade detection,
nuclear subs shut

445
00:27:50,736 --> 00:27:53,137
down systems
and minimize propeller noise,

446
00:27:53,238 --> 00:27:56,040
a technique known
as silent running.

447
00:27:56,108 --> 00:27:58,876
[indistinct talking]

448
00:27:58,878 --> 00:28:02,012
NARRATOR: But they can still be
tracked by magnetic detection,

449
00:28:02,014 --> 00:28:04,948
meaning each must regularly
visit facilities

450
00:28:05,051 --> 00:28:06,417
such as this one.

451
00:28:09,255 --> 00:28:11,722
MUNOZ:
A submarine's biggest asset is

452
00:28:11,824 --> 00:28:15,459
its ability to
travel undetected.

453
00:28:15,561 --> 00:28:17,961
If you can detect it,
you can sink it.

454
00:28:22,401 --> 00:28:26,737
Western forces decommission
the site in the image in 2004,

455
00:28:26,806 --> 00:28:28,605
but escalating tensions
mean there

456
00:28:28,607 --> 00:28:30,407
has been renewed
activity here.

457
00:28:30,409 --> 00:28:31,542
[boat horn blowing]

458
00:28:31,610 --> 00:28:34,044
A new Cold War played out in

459
00:28:34,113 --> 00:28:36,613
the freezing depths of
the Baltic Sea.

460
00:28:39,785 --> 00:28:44,421
As the Russians encroach
further into that area,

461
00:28:44,523 --> 00:28:48,225
there is a concern that this
buildup is gonna eventually

462
00:28:48,227 --> 00:28:49,727
lead to something.

463
00:28:49,729 --> 00:28:52,329
Worst case scenario,
a new conflict breaks out.

464
00:29:00,139 --> 00:29:03,907
NARRATOR: Coming up, carnage
at the end of the world.

465
00:29:03,909 --> 00:29:06,343
KOUROUNIS: The most
miraculous part is that

466
00:29:06,412 --> 00:29:08,412
every single
one of them survived.

467
00:29:08,514 --> 00:29:12,116
NARRATOR:
And built on bones.

468
00:29:12,118 --> 00:29:16,653
If people died, their bodies
became part of the wall.

469
00:29:25,464 --> 00:29:28,632
November 7th, 2021.

470
00:29:33,105 --> 00:29:35,205
Satellites scan
the tiny British island of

471
00:29:35,307 --> 00:29:36,306
South Georgia,

472
00:29:36,308 --> 00:29:40,110
approximately 900 miles
from civilization.

473
00:29:43,349 --> 00:29:45,115
We're right down here in

474
00:29:45,250 --> 00:29:48,018
the southern oceans,
in a little harbor.

475
00:29:49,421 --> 00:29:53,524
But what I can see is this
huge industrial complex.

476
00:29:55,528 --> 00:29:57,761
This is one of the most

477
00:29:57,830 --> 00:30:00,931
inhospitable places on
the entire planet.

478
00:30:02,301 --> 00:30:05,936
So what could
possibly draw people

479
00:30:06,038 --> 00:30:07,404
to this area of the world?

480
00:30:09,708 --> 00:30:12,242
NARRATOR: Abandoned buildings
and shipwrecks

481
00:30:12,344 --> 00:30:13,944
litter the isolated facility.

482
00:30:16,415 --> 00:30:19,449
The most curious part are these
large, circular structures.

483
00:30:20,719 --> 00:30:22,519
They look like...

484
00:30:22,621 --> 00:30:24,121
storage tanks.

485
00:30:25,391 --> 00:30:27,958
Are we seeing fuel tanks here?

486
00:30:32,431 --> 00:30:34,631
NARRATOR: Historical records
shed more light.

487
00:30:37,403 --> 00:30:40,204
AUERBACH: The stuff stored
in these tanks is fuel,

488
00:30:40,306 --> 00:30:43,106
but it's fuel from
a very different age.

489
00:30:44,443 --> 00:30:46,944
This crumbling site
was once one of

490
00:30:47,046 --> 00:30:51,815
the largest whale oil
refineries in the world.

491
00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:59,423
NARRATOR: During the 1700s,
mankind embarks on a global

492
00:30:59,425 --> 00:31:02,526
whale massacre that will last
for two centuries.

493
00:31:06,732 --> 00:31:10,734
By the 1840s, 900 whaling ships
are patrolling

494
00:31:10,803 --> 00:31:14,137
the oceans in hunts that can
last for four years.

495
00:31:15,808 --> 00:31:18,408
We're getting development
of machinery,

496
00:31:18,410 --> 00:31:21,645
which required lubrication

497
00:31:21,747 --> 00:31:25,449
and before the discovery
of petroleum,

498
00:31:25,517 --> 00:31:28,218
the only form of lubricant
that was available

499
00:31:28,220 --> 00:31:29,953
was whale oil.

500
00:31:30,022 --> 00:31:32,422
KOUROUNIS:
Literally the wheels of

501
00:31:32,557 --> 00:31:36,360
the Industrial Revolution were
greased by whale oil.

502
00:31:38,230 --> 00:31:41,999
NARRATOR:
By the early 20th century,

503
00:31:42,001 --> 00:31:44,801
whalers have killed
around three million

504
00:31:44,904 --> 00:31:46,203
of these giant mammals.

505
00:31:49,108 --> 00:31:51,341
And every room in every
household in

506
00:31:51,410 --> 00:31:55,312
the US contains items derived
from whale carcasses.

507
00:31:56,849 --> 00:31:58,048
Many different parts of whales

508
00:31:58,150 --> 00:31:59,549
were used in
different industries.

509
00:31:59,618 --> 00:32:03,954
The bones were used as ribbing
in women's corsets.

510
00:32:04,056 --> 00:32:06,523
The teeth were carved
like ivory

511
00:32:06,625 --> 00:32:10,127
into chess pieces
and piano keys.

512
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,634
NARRATOR: In 1904,
dwindling whale numbers

513
00:32:17,703 --> 00:32:20,337
in the Atlantic lure
a Norwegian captain

514
00:32:20,439 --> 00:32:22,306
to establish a station
at the site

515
00:32:22,408 --> 00:32:25,909
in the image
called Grytviken.

516
00:32:28,414 --> 00:32:31,248
Thousands of whales have
traveled down to feed

517
00:32:31,317 --> 00:32:34,518
on the rich waters of
the Antarctic summer.

518
00:32:36,488 --> 00:32:40,023
It was Grand Central Station
of whales.

519
00:32:43,562 --> 00:32:44,828
At Grytviken,

520
00:32:44,930 --> 00:32:49,499
500 men catch and kill
200 cetaceans each year,

521
00:32:49,501 --> 00:32:52,836
including a 110-foot-long
blue whale,

522
00:32:52,972 --> 00:32:55,105
the largest animal ever hunted.

523
00:32:58,243 --> 00:33:01,011
There would have been
countless corpses

524
00:33:01,013 --> 00:33:03,013
of these whales dragged ashore,

525
00:33:03,015 --> 00:33:07,951
with dozens of men
flensing off the blubber

526
00:33:08,020 --> 00:33:09,286
of these animals.

527
00:33:11,323 --> 00:33:12,656
AUERBACH: This was
the equivalent of a kind of

528
00:33:12,758 --> 00:33:16,960
factory production,
where the raw material was

529
00:33:17,062 --> 00:33:18,028
whale carcasses.

530
00:33:29,842 --> 00:33:32,409
NARRATOR:
Over the following 60 years,

531
00:33:32,544 --> 00:33:37,214
this facility churns out
450,000 tons of oil.

532
00:33:39,218 --> 00:33:43,053
But the tale of this whaling
station doesn't end there.

533
00:33:46,759 --> 00:33:51,428
This whaling station played
a critical part in one

534
00:33:51,430 --> 00:33:55,132
of the most
extraordinary survival

535
00:33:55,233 --> 00:33:57,601
stories of human history.

536
00:34:02,741 --> 00:34:05,942
NARRATOR: On December 5, 1914,

537
00:34:06,045 --> 00:34:09,212
British polar explorer
Ernest Shackleton set sail

538
00:34:09,314 --> 00:34:12,049
from the site attempting to
make the first

539
00:34:12,150 --> 00:34:13,617
land crossing of Antarctica.

540
00:34:16,321 --> 00:34:19,356
In that part of the world,
plans can often go awry,

541
00:34:19,425 --> 00:34:21,124
and that's exactly
what happened.

542
00:34:21,126 --> 00:34:23,527
His ship got trapped in
the ice,

543
00:34:23,662 --> 00:34:26,029
was crushed,
and eventually sank.

544
00:34:29,501 --> 00:34:31,301
NARRATOR:
With his crew marooned,

545
00:34:31,303 --> 00:34:33,937
Shackleton returns
to South Georgia for help,

546
00:34:36,708 --> 00:34:40,310
piloting a lifeboat
for 16 days

547
00:34:40,412 --> 00:34:43,513
through 1,000 miles
of ice-packed ocean.

548
00:34:45,217 --> 00:34:47,484
He then assembles
a rescue team

549
00:34:47,486 --> 00:34:50,520
and heads back to recover
his stranded shipmates.

550
00:34:52,057 --> 00:34:56,726
The most miraculous part of
this entire story

551
00:34:56,728 --> 00:34:59,830
is that every single
one of them survived.

552
00:35:01,333 --> 00:35:06,136
Shackleton's sailing of this
tiny, tiny little boat is still

553
00:35:06,238 --> 00:35:09,406
considered one of
the greatest feats

554
00:35:09,408 --> 00:35:11,508
of sailing ever undertaken.

555
00:35:16,548 --> 00:35:19,783
NARRATOR: Five decades after
Shackleton's heroic mission,

556
00:35:19,785 --> 00:35:21,351
the whaling station closes.

557
00:35:23,455 --> 00:35:27,624
Today, life has returned
to this place of death,

558
00:35:27,726 --> 00:35:29,726
and its once
blood-soaked buildings

559
00:35:29,728 --> 00:35:31,828
can be seen from space.

560
00:35:34,466 --> 00:35:38,001
WALTERS: I find it amazing that
this remote place on this tiny

561
00:35:38,003 --> 00:35:40,504
little island in the middle of
this vast,

562
00:35:40,606 --> 00:35:42,706
almost frozen sea,

563
00:35:42,708 --> 00:35:46,109
has this incredibly
rich story attached to it.

564
00:35:56,522 --> 00:35:59,723
NARRATOR: Coming up --
curse of the emperor.

565
00:35:59,725 --> 00:36:03,727
We're seeing the impacts of
this echoing

566
00:36:03,729 --> 00:36:04,961
through to the modern day.

567
00:36:14,506 --> 00:36:18,408
NARRATOR:
May 15th, 2019.

568
00:36:18,410 --> 00:36:20,844
Satellites flying
over the Yin Mountains

569
00:36:20,846 --> 00:36:23,947
in northern China photograph
a mystery structure.

570
00:36:27,452 --> 00:36:31,021
JANULIS: It seems to be made up
of concentric rings,

571
00:36:31,023 --> 00:36:33,056
one inside the other,
almost like a bullseye.

572
00:36:34,259 --> 00:36:36,359
NARDI: Given the way
the circles sort of protrude

573
00:36:36,428 --> 00:36:38,628
from the ground,
it looks like it could be

574
00:36:38,630 --> 00:36:41,731
some sort of a tower,
but it's really hard to tell

575
00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:44,100
without getting
a closer look at it.

576
00:36:48,574 --> 00:36:52,108
NARRATOR: The newly discovered
edifice is around 330 feet in

577
00:36:52,110 --> 00:36:56,112
diameter and sits over
5,000 feet above sea level.

578
00:36:56,114 --> 00:37:01,618
HUNT: These concentric rings are
actually high up on a mountain.

579
00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:04,321
So what would this
be doing out here

580
00:37:04,323 --> 00:37:05,956
in the middle of nowhere?

581
00:37:09,695 --> 00:37:12,562
NARRATOR: A wider search of
the area yields a clue.

582
00:37:14,333 --> 00:37:16,233
It's actually close to
a section of

583
00:37:16,334 --> 00:37:17,334
the Great Wall of China.

584
00:37:17,435 --> 00:37:18,635
So this leads me to believe

585
00:37:18,737 --> 00:37:21,238
that perhaps there's some
military connection.

586
00:37:25,143 --> 00:37:27,744
NARRATOR: The site sits between
two sections of

587
00:37:27,846 --> 00:37:29,412
the Zhao State Wall,

588
00:37:29,414 --> 00:37:31,448
one of dozens of
separate structures

589
00:37:31,549 --> 00:37:34,517
that comprise
the Great Wall of China.

590
00:37:34,519 --> 00:37:37,220
What we call
the Great Wall of China is a bit

591
00:37:37,222 --> 00:37:41,658
of a misnomer, because, in fact,
it's not one single wall.

592
00:37:43,128 --> 00:37:45,228
NARDI: The wall was built in
different sections,

593
00:37:45,230 --> 00:37:48,331
oftentimes running in parallel
to one another throughout

594
00:37:48,333 --> 00:37:49,633
different periods of time.

595
00:37:52,304 --> 00:37:54,504
Around 220 BCE,

596
00:37:54,573 --> 00:37:57,140
Qin Shi Huang,
the first emperor

597
00:37:57,209 --> 00:37:58,942
of a unified China,

598
00:37:59,010 --> 00:38:01,044
connects different
sections of wall to

599
00:38:01,113 --> 00:38:04,414
protect his new kingdom from
northern raiders.

600
00:38:04,549 --> 00:38:09,419
We're talking an ancient
mega structure on a scale

601
00:38:09,521 --> 00:38:11,521
basically never seen before on
this planet.

602
00:38:13,025 --> 00:38:15,091
HUNT:
The labor force was forced

603
00:38:15,093 --> 00:38:19,095
to work under such
dire circumstances.

604
00:38:19,097 --> 00:38:22,132
If people died, they were
just put into the wall.

605
00:38:25,604 --> 00:38:28,805
NARRATOR: Qin stations garrisons
and communication systems

606
00:38:28,807 --> 00:38:32,942
along his 3,100-mile-long wall
to guard against invaders.

607
00:38:37,616 --> 00:38:38,815
JANULIS:
When you look at the image,

608
00:38:38,817 --> 00:38:41,151
you can see how it could be
a beacon tower.

609
00:38:42,521 --> 00:38:44,821
NARDI: These towers allowed
soldiers to communicate

610
00:38:44,923 --> 00:38:47,190
with one another,
either through smoke signals

611
00:38:47,192 --> 00:38:49,225
during the day
or lighting fires at night.

612
00:38:50,629 --> 00:38:54,531
That's how they communicated
great distances very quickly,

613
00:38:54,533 --> 00:38:56,299
literally at the speed
of light.

614
00:38:59,304 --> 00:39:01,938
NARRATOR: When archaeologists
excavate the site,

615
00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,808
they discover that it does
have ties to China's

616
00:39:04,810 --> 00:39:08,812
war-torn past,
but from a different period.

617
00:39:08,814 --> 00:39:12,816
This structure gives
a fascinating insight

618
00:39:12,818 --> 00:39:14,551
into a little-known dynasty

619
00:39:14,619 --> 00:39:16,753
that had a really
vital role in shaping

620
00:39:16,855 --> 00:39:17,987
modern China.

621
00:39:20,826 --> 00:39:23,226
NARRATOR: The mystery structure
has its origins

622
00:39:23,228 --> 00:39:25,328
in the third century CE,

623
00:39:25,430 --> 00:39:28,965
a period of bloody unrest
in this region.

624
00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:36,106
From this chaos,

625
00:39:36,108 --> 00:39:39,609
a clan of nomadic warriors
emerge, who establish

626
00:39:39,611 --> 00:39:43,113
a 780,000-square-mile empire

627
00:39:43,215 --> 00:39:46,216
and become known
as the Wei dynasty.

628
00:39:46,318 --> 00:39:51,621
HORTON: They're best remembered
for the legends

629
00:39:51,623 --> 00:39:55,358
about a girl warrior
called Mulan

630
00:39:55,460 --> 00:39:57,861
who dressed up as a man

631
00:39:57,996 --> 00:40:01,831
and led the army
for over a decade.

632
00:40:04,202 --> 00:40:07,704
NARRATOR: As the dynasty grows,
its emperors construct

633
00:40:07,806 --> 00:40:09,606
ceremonial sites, including

634
00:40:09,741 --> 00:40:13,143
the one in the image,
to beg the gods for continued

635
00:40:13,211 --> 00:40:14,244
good fortune.

636
00:40:17,315 --> 00:40:19,916
Like the Temple of Heaven
in Beijing,

637
00:40:19,918 --> 00:40:21,317
it was used by the Wei

638
00:40:21,420 --> 00:40:24,721
for a practice known as
imperial worship.

639
00:40:24,823 --> 00:40:28,124
HORTON: The belief is that

640
00:40:28,226 --> 00:40:31,060
there is an emperor of heaven
who controls all natural

641
00:40:31,129 --> 00:40:35,698
phenomenon -- earthquakes,
rainfall, tsunamis.

642
00:40:35,700 --> 00:40:39,536
BELLINGER: The circular shape of
it is extremely important,

643
00:40:39,637 --> 00:40:44,040
because in ancient Chinese
history, heaven is round.

644
00:40:45,744 --> 00:40:49,612
NARRATOR: The Wei emperors use
ceremonies at the site to

645
00:40:49,714 --> 00:40:51,748
reinforce their godlike status

646
00:40:51,817 --> 00:40:54,017
and maintain
their grip on power.

647
00:40:56,121 --> 00:40:59,422
But their success ultimately
leads to their downfall.

648
00:41:01,526 --> 00:41:04,461
HUNT:
The dynasty became too wealthy,

649
00:41:04,562 --> 00:41:07,730
too much like the elites of
the rest of China,

650
00:41:07,833 --> 00:41:10,133
and they lost touch
with their people.

651
00:41:11,803 --> 00:41:14,604
JANULIS: So the working class
people were propping up

652
00:41:14,739 --> 00:41:17,307
their leaders to live
in lives of luxury,

653
00:41:17,309 --> 00:41:20,343
and they basically said, "No,

654
00:41:20,445 --> 00:41:22,245
we're gonna rebel."

655
00:41:24,716 --> 00:41:28,818
NARRATOR: In 534 CE, following
a brutal civil war,

656
00:41:28,820 --> 00:41:31,354
the dynasty collapses.

657
00:41:36,261 --> 00:41:40,063
1,500 years later,
the mark it made on

658
00:41:40,098 --> 00:41:43,633
the history of China is still
visible from space.

659
00:41:46,004 --> 00:41:49,939
When we look at China today,
we're seeing the impacts

660
00:41:50,041 --> 00:41:52,342
of this ancient dynasty

661
00:41:52,410 --> 00:41:54,410
echoing through
to the modern day.