1 00:00:17,287 --> 00:00:22,077 Welcome to the Baltic Sea and the sublime shoreline of Sweden. 2 00:00:28,767 --> 00:00:32,726 For centuries Britons have charted a course to this glorious coast 3 00:00:32,767 --> 00:00:35,076 for its treasure trove of riches. 4 00:00:37,487 --> 00:00:42,356 From bustling capital to sleepy village, the sea is in the soul of the Swedes. 5 00:00:43,887 --> 00:00:48,165 The Baltic weaves its way around the myriad of inviting isles. 6 00:00:49,287 --> 00:00:54,600 Britain is an island nation, but Sweden is a nation of islands. 7 00:00:54,647 --> 00:00:57,002 The coast runs deep in their soul. 8 00:00:57,047 --> 00:01:00,722 They come here to let their hair down, to unleash their inner Viking. 9 00:01:01,767 --> 00:01:05,555 And now we're here to meet the Swedes. 10 00:01:05,607 --> 00:01:11,204 To investigate the last days of sail, Dick reaches dizzying new heights. 11 00:01:12,247 --> 00:01:15,683 lt's a very long way up. Now l know why l didn't join the navy. 12 00:01:17,647 --> 00:01:22,675 NlCK: Timber! Alice learns how Sweden keeps Britain's builders beaming. 13 00:01:22,727 --> 00:01:27,243 So much for the forest being an oasis of calm. This one's absolutely deafening. 14 00:01:27,287 --> 00:01:31,519 NlCK: Mark's aboard the world's most stunning shipwreck. 15 00:01:31,567 --> 00:01:36,197 This is the Tutankhamen of maritime archaeology. 16 00:01:37,727 --> 00:01:39,922 NlCK: And l toast farewell to summer. 17 00:01:39,967 --> 00:01:41,082 Skal. 18 00:01:41,127 --> 00:01:42,719 Swedish style. 19 00:01:44,767 --> 00:01:48,442 This is Coast and beyond. 20 00:02:19,687 --> 00:02:23,077 Sweden, a country in love with its coast. 21 00:02:23,127 --> 00:02:27,803 An elegant capital built on the water dances to the rhythms of the sea. 22 00:02:28,847 --> 00:02:31,361 For centuries Britons have partnered the Swedes 23 00:02:31,407 --> 00:02:34,160 in a love affair with their shore. 24 00:02:34,207 --> 00:02:37,040 From the island that inspired ABBA 25 00:02:37,087 --> 00:02:40,397 to a mysterious connection between Britain's Highlands 26 00:02:40,447 --> 00:02:42,403 and Sweden's High Coast, 27 00:02:42,447 --> 00:02:46,076 we're all linked to this majestic landscape. 28 00:02:46,967 --> 00:02:49,003 Long before the flatpack furniture boom, 29 00:02:49,047 --> 00:02:52,084 we came here for wood to build our houses. 30 00:02:52,127 --> 00:02:57,645 And Swedish iron was at the cutting edge of our industrial revolution. 31 00:02:57,687 --> 00:03:01,043 Like us, the Swedes treasure island life, 32 00:03:01,087 --> 00:03:04,397 a land of adventure with a wild spirit. 33 00:03:05,367 --> 00:03:09,963 We're in search of our bonds with a people who know how to party. 34 00:03:10,007 --> 00:03:11,998 (Singing in Swedish) 35 00:03:13,927 --> 00:03:15,042 Skal! 36 00:03:19,607 --> 00:03:24,283 We've crossed to the Baltic Sea for an adventure along Sweden's shore. 37 00:03:24,327 --> 00:03:30,277 Our destination is Stockholm, but we begin at Hogbonden in the wild north. 38 00:03:43,967 --> 00:03:47,755 The Swedes call this their High Coast. 39 00:03:47,807 --> 00:03:53,404 l'm on Hogbonden, a rocky outpost on the edge of a vast Nordic wilderness. 40 00:03:53,447 --> 00:03:58,441 Europe doesn't get much more isolated than this. 41 00:03:59,407 --> 00:04:02,683 And what splendid isolation it is. 42 00:04:07,167 --> 00:04:10,477 ln winter, few venture this far north, 43 00:04:10,527 --> 00:04:15,043 but in the long, light days of summer, Swedes head to their High Coast. 44 00:04:18,767 --> 00:04:19,995 - Hello there. - Oh, hi. 45 00:04:20,047 --> 00:04:22,766 This is absolutely wonderful, isn't it? 46 00:04:22,807 --> 00:04:26,243 Now, l've heard that Sweden can be quite cold in winter. 47 00:04:26,287 --> 00:04:29,359 But now its warm, it's sunny. ls this when you come out of hibernation? 48 00:04:29,407 --> 00:04:34,276 Yes, it is. We love the summer. lt's the feeling of freedom. 49 00:04:34,327 --> 00:04:39,037 lt's lots to do by the sea. We go to the beaches. 50 00:04:39,087 --> 00:04:42,682 We go out in the nature. We take saunas. 51 00:04:44,767 --> 00:04:49,522 NlCK: Sauna? l've only just arrived and we're about to strip off. 52 00:04:49,567 --> 00:04:53,606 Still, the picturesque steam house is irresistible. 53 00:04:53,647 --> 00:04:57,401 Not sure l like the look of the plunge pool, though. 54 00:05:01,367 --> 00:05:04,837 Last year, the sea between here and the mainland froze solid. 55 00:05:04,887 --> 00:05:09,324 Fortunately, it's summer now. Looks deceptively blissful, doesn't it? 56 00:05:09,367 --> 00:05:11,244 Time to get changed. 57 00:05:11,287 --> 00:05:13,755 - lt's hot up here. MAN: Yes. 58 00:05:13,807 --> 00:05:17,766 - My specs are gonna start melting soon. MAN: lt's a matter of humidity. 59 00:05:17,807 --> 00:05:21,243 You can put some beer on the stones, get a nice smell 60 00:05:21,287 --> 00:05:24,484 and raise the temperature to about 70 degrees. 61 00:05:26,367 --> 00:05:29,564 And then l guess there's a... You can smell the kind of hoppy... 62 00:05:29,607 --> 00:05:32,519 You feel it first now, being on top. 63 00:05:32,567 --> 00:05:33,556 (Sighs) 64 00:05:33,607 --> 00:05:36,565 lt's a kind of beer massage. lt's wonderful. 65 00:05:38,287 --> 00:05:41,962 After steaming in alcohol, a sobering experience awaits. 66 00:05:42,007 --> 00:05:47,479 We're 350 miles further north than Aberdeen. This'll be chilly. 67 00:05:47,527 --> 00:05:50,087 (Yells) 68 00:06:00,847 --> 00:06:05,398 l'm turning into a human iceberg, so l am getting out. 69 00:06:07,687 --> 00:06:09,678 Well... 70 00:06:11,167 --> 00:06:16,480 l've had my ritual sauna and dip in the Baltic, 71 00:06:16,527 --> 00:06:19,917 and l feel suitably Swedish, ready for an epic journey. 72 00:06:26,367 --> 00:06:28,835 When the Swedes aren't in the Baltic Sea, 73 00:06:28,887 --> 00:06:32,118 they're either on it or they're beside it. 74 00:06:32,167 --> 00:06:35,796 From north to south, this coast is peppered with islands, 75 00:06:35,847 --> 00:06:37,838 a paradise of private hideaways. 76 00:06:38,567 --> 00:06:44,199 The lsle of Viggso was the perfect refuge for a world-famous pop group. 77 00:06:44,247 --> 00:06:46,636 Hi. My name is lngmarie Halling. 78 00:06:46,687 --> 00:06:48,200 Waterloo 79 00:06:48,247 --> 00:06:50,317 Couldn't escape if l wanted to 80 00:06:50,367 --> 00:06:55,680 Back in the '70s l used to do make-up and hair for a group called ABBA. 81 00:06:55,727 --> 00:06:58,400 Promise you'll love me for ever more 82 00:06:58,447 --> 00:07:03,965 Here comes this band dressed in costumes that no one ever had seen before. 83 00:07:04,007 --> 00:07:06,646 They were really crazy. 84 00:07:06,687 --> 00:07:11,841 During these hectic tours they did, they really needed a place to be, 85 00:07:11,887 --> 00:07:14,003 a place to hide out, 86 00:07:14,047 --> 00:07:18,199 so they found this place called Viggso a gorgeous place, 87 00:07:18,247 --> 00:07:21,159 and this is where they could be, just hanging out, 88 00:07:21,207 --> 00:07:26,156 drive around with their boat, swimming and fishing and having a good time. 89 00:07:26,207 --> 00:07:31,327 Not doing anything in particular. We're good at that, just being. 90 00:07:31,367 --> 00:07:33,801 Knowing me, knowing you 91 00:07:33,847 --> 00:07:34,836 Ah-ha 92 00:07:34,887 --> 00:07:38,038 A lot of good inspiration came from this island. 93 00:07:38,087 --> 00:07:40,362 Knowing me, knowing you 94 00:07:40,407 --> 00:07:41,396 Ah-ha 95 00:07:41,447 --> 00:07:44,883 This little writing hut, which belongs to Bjorn, 96 00:07:44,927 --> 00:07:48,522 was a good place for them to sit and find the songs. 97 00:07:48,567 --> 00:07:52,480 Knowing me, knowing you lt's the best l can do 98 00:07:52,527 --> 00:07:56,645 So welcome to this little famous house out on Viggso, the writing hut. 99 00:07:56,687 --> 00:07:59,201 There used to be a little piano here. 100 00:07:59,247 --> 00:08:04,605 That's what they needed to be able to write songs like Dancing Queen. 101 00:08:04,647 --> 00:08:06,638 ABBA: Dancing Queen 102 00:08:09,807 --> 00:08:13,004 Well, back in the '70s, the trees weren't this high. 103 00:08:15,847 --> 00:08:20,762 No matter what, this is a very inspirational view. 104 00:08:20,807 --> 00:08:23,002 Even today, l think. lt's great. 105 00:08:23,847 --> 00:08:28,682 You can dance, you can jive 106 00:08:28,727 --> 00:08:32,197 Having the time of your life 107 00:08:32,247 --> 00:08:35,717 Ooh, see that girl 108 00:08:35,767 --> 00:08:37,439 Watch that scene 109 00:08:37,487 --> 00:08:39,955 Dig in the dancing queen 110 00:08:46,127 --> 00:08:48,880 NlCK: We're travelling along the edge of the Baltic Sea, 111 00:08:48,927 --> 00:08:52,840 heading down Sweden's coast making for Stockholm. 112 00:08:52,887 --> 00:08:56,323 But l can't resist stopping off to explore the High Coast. 113 00:09:01,407 --> 00:09:05,036 These spectacular highlands don't just resemble Scotland. 114 00:09:05,087 --> 00:09:07,681 There's a mystery locked in this landscape 115 00:09:07,727 --> 00:09:10,002 that links the Swedes to the Scots. 116 00:09:13,087 --> 00:09:16,397 Cliffs, headlands, islands, pretty villages, 117 00:09:16,447 --> 00:09:21,282 the Hugge Kusten, the High Coast, is everything l could have hoped for. 118 00:09:21,327 --> 00:09:26,276 lt's wonderfully picturesque, but there's more to it than meets the eye. 119 00:09:26,327 --> 00:09:30,400 This shoreline is on the move, rising from the sea. 120 00:09:30,447 --> 00:09:36,044 This coast is lifting upward at a rate of nearly one centimetre a year. 121 00:09:40,207 --> 00:09:43,165 Within a few generations, the coast has risen up, 122 00:09:43,207 --> 00:09:48,122 cutting off villages from the sea and turning bays into lakes. 123 00:09:48,167 --> 00:09:51,762 At the peak of a mountain, there's the highest beach in the world, 124 00:09:51,807 --> 00:09:56,198 286 metres above the water and still rising. 125 00:09:57,287 --> 00:10:00,040 To unravel this geological puzzle, 126 00:10:00,087 --> 00:10:03,124 l'm crossing one of the largest boulder fields on earth, 127 00:10:03,167 --> 00:10:07,524 down to sea level to meet park ranger Milly Lundstedt. 128 00:10:09,447 --> 00:10:10,675 What a wonderful beach. 129 00:10:10,727 --> 00:10:14,606 lt's got these typical wave-smoothed boulders on it, hasn't it? 130 00:10:14,647 --> 00:10:17,036 - Worn by the accent of the water. - So rounded. 131 00:10:19,407 --> 00:10:23,366 - Here you have a really nice stone. - That's a classic example, isn't it? 132 00:10:24,367 --> 00:10:28,599 This is a huge beach. lt goes back such a long way. 133 00:10:28,647 --> 00:10:31,161 l'm taking my smooth sea-worn rock 134 00:10:31,207 --> 00:10:33,596 to compare it with the stones further inland, 135 00:10:33,647 --> 00:10:39,722 pebbles of an ancient shoreline left stranded as the ground rose up. 136 00:10:39,767 --> 00:10:43,237 MlLLY: And you can feel that this is like an older beach. 137 00:10:43,287 --> 00:10:48,407 You can see the likeness between those stones. lt's smooth, rounded. 138 00:10:48,447 --> 00:10:50,677 NlCK: So this one too came off a beach? 139 00:10:50,727 --> 00:10:55,243 Yeah. lt's both beach stones, actually. But far... several thousand years ago. 140 00:10:57,327 --> 00:10:59,761 NlCK: Heading away from the coast, 141 00:10:59,807 --> 00:11:02,037 we're still striding over the old sea bed. 142 00:11:02,087 --> 00:11:04,078 Odd. 143 00:11:04,767 --> 00:11:08,043 This beach is going on forever. 144 00:11:08,087 --> 00:11:13,400 We've been walking for at least 1 5 minutes since we left. 145 00:11:15,527 --> 00:11:18,041 How far up this cliff did the water use to come? 146 00:11:18,087 --> 00:11:21,443 MlLLY: Well, actually, the water, the sea was covered whole of this cliff. 147 00:11:21,487 --> 00:11:23,443 You're kidding? This was completely underwater? 148 00:11:23,487 --> 00:11:26,240 Yeah, it was completely underwater. 149 00:11:26,287 --> 00:11:29,836 NlCK: To reach the only land that wasn't once at the bottom of the sea 150 00:11:29,887 --> 00:11:35,484 we've got to climb a mountain, a ride to the highest beach in the world in style. 151 00:11:35,527 --> 00:11:36,516 Great. 152 00:11:36,567 --> 00:11:39,843 This is the strangest trip to the seaside l've ever taken. 153 00:11:39,887 --> 00:11:41,764 lt's really nice to take a ride, no? 154 00:11:41,807 --> 00:11:44,401 NlCK: To see why this land's rising, 155 00:11:44,447 --> 00:11:47,883 we're taking a trip back to 20,000 years ago. 156 00:11:47,927 --> 00:11:52,603 Then Scotland and Sweden were covered in ice. 157 00:11:52,647 --> 00:11:57,641 The frozen straitjacket over Sweden's High Coast was two miles thick, 158 00:11:57,687 --> 00:11:59,643 pressing down on the earth. 159 00:11:59,687 --> 00:12:02,963 When the ice melted, that weight lifted 160 00:12:03,007 --> 00:12:06,636 and this landscape started to spring back upwards. 161 00:12:07,007 --> 00:12:09,237 Because the ice was so thick here, 162 00:12:09,287 --> 00:12:13,485 northern Sweden's now rising almost six times faster than Scotland. 163 00:12:14,607 --> 00:12:17,804 These hills grow about a centimetre a year, 164 00:12:17,847 --> 00:12:22,238 but once the peaks were at sea level, surrounded by water. 165 00:12:22,287 --> 00:12:25,199 So we're about to land on top of a former island. 166 00:12:25,247 --> 00:12:28,444 Exactly. 9,600 years ago, actually. 167 00:12:28,487 --> 00:12:30,443 What a strange sensation. 168 00:12:30,487 --> 00:12:33,524 What an enormous view we have. 169 00:12:33,567 --> 00:12:37,924 lslands, peninsulas, forests, little village down there. 170 00:12:37,967 --> 00:12:41,118 lt's beautiful, isn't it? But what did this all look like 1 0,000 years ago? 171 00:12:41,167 --> 00:12:44,079 lf we were standing exactly here 1 0,000 years ago, 172 00:12:44,127 --> 00:12:45,765 we're actually standing on a beach. 173 00:12:45,807 --> 00:12:46,796 - Right here? - Yeah. 174 00:12:46,847 --> 00:12:49,236 On the highest shore line in the world, actually. 175 00:12:49,287 --> 00:12:54,725 And when you look out, you see the sea and small islands, a few of them only. 176 00:12:54,767 --> 00:12:56,644 Which have become the tops of mountains now. 177 00:12:56,687 --> 00:13:00,316 Yeah, exactly, because of the land uplift, so... 178 00:13:00,367 --> 00:13:03,359 And how much has it come up in total, where we are now? 179 00:13:03,407 --> 00:13:09,039 Well, from the sea level today and what we're standing today is 286 metres, 180 00:13:09,087 --> 00:13:10,361 and we're still rising. 181 00:13:13,967 --> 00:13:17,164 NlCK: This landscape's still recovering from the lce Age. 182 00:13:17,207 --> 00:13:22,076 These hills really are alive, springing upwards from the sea. 183 00:13:27,287 --> 00:13:30,120 We're standing on the bounciest beach in the world. 184 00:13:30,167 --> 00:13:31,725 Yes, correct. 185 00:13:38,407 --> 00:13:42,002 NlCK: The Baltic is a curious sea all round. 186 00:13:42,047 --> 00:13:46,245 lt's almost land-locked, more of a lake, really. 187 00:13:46,287 --> 00:13:50,200 Rivers pour fresh water into the Baltic, diluting the seawater. 188 00:13:51,487 --> 00:13:56,720 Because it's not very salty, unlike the seas off Britain, it ices up. 189 00:13:56,767 --> 00:13:59,565 For months, much of the Baltic is frozen, 190 00:13:59,607 --> 00:14:02,724 so Sweden employs a fleet of icebreakers. 191 00:14:10,007 --> 00:14:13,079 They forge on through the almost endless winter nights, 192 00:14:13,127 --> 00:14:15,925 keeping the Baltic Sea open for trade. 193 00:14:24,247 --> 00:14:25,885 For centuries they've been shipping 194 00:14:25,927 --> 00:14:29,237 one of Sweden's greatest natural resources to Britain 195 00:14:29,287 --> 00:14:31,403 from the Port of Sundsvall. 196 00:14:33,807 --> 00:14:38,597 ln a nearby forest, Alice is exploring why there's more to Swedish timber 197 00:14:38,647 --> 00:14:41,400 than flatpack furniture. 198 00:14:42,567 --> 00:14:47,322 ln the second half of the 1 9th century, Britain was Sweden's biggest customer, 199 00:14:47,367 --> 00:14:49,483 so if you live in a Victorian house, 200 00:14:49,527 --> 00:14:52,883 there's a very good chance that the beams and floorboards 201 00:14:52,927 --> 00:14:55,999 are made of Swedish timber just like this. 202 00:14:59,247 --> 00:15:02,284 From the forests, logs were floated down rivers 203 00:15:02,327 --> 00:15:05,558 to sawmills that used to line the coast. 204 00:15:05,607 --> 00:15:08,804 Swedish exports provided the planks, 205 00:15:08,847 --> 00:15:13,523 the pit props and railway sleepers for Britain's industrial boom. 206 00:15:15,927 --> 00:15:18,566 And we still want these trees. 207 00:15:18,607 --> 00:15:23,283 They grow slowly in the cold climate, making the timber strong. 208 00:15:29,967 --> 00:15:35,246 So much for the forest being an oasis of calm. This one's absolutely deafening. 209 00:15:35,287 --> 00:15:38,882 And it's incredible watching the speed and the scale of this destruction, 210 00:15:38,927 --> 00:15:40,599 but it's sustainable. 211 00:15:40,647 --> 00:15:42,797 This forest is being cleared this year. 212 00:15:42,847 --> 00:15:45,998 ln a couple of years' time, it'll be replanted. 213 00:15:47,167 --> 00:15:49,681 Felling 1 00 trees an hour, 214 00:15:49,727 --> 00:15:54,437 the high-tech harvester cuts the precise lengths ordered by the sawmill. 215 00:15:54,487 --> 00:15:59,436 Today it's for doorframes and decking, much of it heading our way. 216 00:16:03,487 --> 00:16:08,686 Back on the coast, the log pile grows to feed the automated production line. 217 00:16:10,007 --> 00:16:15,081 Only a few people are needed to transform a forest into cut timber. 218 00:16:16,287 --> 00:16:20,883 lt's extraordinary. We're looking out at an ocean of logs. 219 00:16:20,927 --> 00:16:23,316 Yeah, you know, this is a pretty large mill, 220 00:16:23,367 --> 00:16:26,564 so we will process around 1 ,000 logs per hour, 221 00:16:26,607 --> 00:16:29,963 so all the logs you will see here will be consumed in one and a half weeks. 222 00:16:31,047 --> 00:16:35,882 ALlCE: Half of the output of this mill is for export to the UK. 223 00:16:39,407 --> 00:16:42,365 So within the space ofjust a couple of weeks, 224 00:16:42,407 --> 00:16:47,401 a tree that was once standing in a Swedish forest can be brought here, 225 00:16:47,447 --> 00:16:52,202 converted into sawn timber and loaded onto a ship bound for Britain, 226 00:16:52,247 --> 00:16:56,365 to end up perhaps in a builder's merchant somewhere near you. 227 00:17:00,847 --> 00:17:04,522 NlCK: Sweden's east coast is a wild frontier. 228 00:17:04,567 --> 00:17:07,001 People cling on as best they can. 229 00:17:12,767 --> 00:17:17,124 Rare white-tailed sea eagles hunt along these unspoilt shores. 230 00:17:23,287 --> 00:17:25,642 Heat stored in the sea during summer 231 00:17:25,687 --> 00:17:28,485 keeps the coast relatively warm in winter, 232 00:17:28,527 --> 00:17:32,281 making it attractive to animals, like the moose. 233 00:17:40,127 --> 00:17:43,164 ln the frozen north, scientists are studying 234 00:17:43,207 --> 00:17:46,677 how moose head seawards when the temperature drops. 235 00:17:49,487 --> 00:17:52,445 My name is Goran Ericsson, l'm a professor in wildlife ecology, 236 00:17:52,487 --> 00:17:57,003 and one of my topics is studying moose above the Arctic Circle here in Sweden. 237 00:18:00,727 --> 00:18:04,163 Above the Arctic Circle there's very few roads, there's rough country, 238 00:18:04,207 --> 00:18:06,960 a lot of mountains, a lot of creeks. 239 00:18:07,007 --> 00:18:08,918 Of course, we do the field work from ground, 240 00:18:08,967 --> 00:18:11,401 but instead of walking for a couple of weeks, 241 00:18:11,447 --> 00:18:13,756 we use a helicopter for a couple of hours. 242 00:18:15,767 --> 00:18:18,565 When winter comes, there will be three or four feet of snow, 243 00:18:18,607 --> 00:18:21,360 so then it's a real hostile environment, 244 00:18:21,407 --> 00:18:23,875 so many of the moose will leave this area 245 00:18:23,927 --> 00:18:27,476 and start the migration towards the coast. 246 00:18:37,327 --> 00:18:40,922 (Whispers) Look. Look at the female trotting to the right. 247 00:18:40,967 --> 00:18:42,639 She has a calf behind her. 248 00:18:42,687 --> 00:18:46,726 They haven't spotted us yet, so we're safe here. 249 00:18:48,487 --> 00:18:51,718 There comes the big bull, taking it slowly, 250 00:18:51,767 --> 00:18:55,965 following in the scent of the female to see what's happening here. 251 00:19:01,647 --> 00:19:04,798 During wintertime we put collars on the animals, 252 00:19:04,847 --> 00:19:08,920 and the collar units are a combination between a GPS and a cellphone 253 00:19:08,967 --> 00:19:12,676 that's transmitted via a link out to our computers. 254 00:19:16,567 --> 00:19:18,956 This is one of the ones we use in research. 255 00:19:19,007 --> 00:19:24,035 He's about six years old. He's probably in his prime age. 256 00:19:25,207 --> 00:19:29,917 l would estimate that it's about 700, 800 kilos. 257 00:19:33,007 --> 00:19:35,521 The reason they load up fat is as an energy resource 258 00:19:35,567 --> 00:19:37,717 that it can sustain and survive the winter. 259 00:19:37,767 --> 00:19:40,725 But it also helps them to conserve the heat, 260 00:19:40,767 --> 00:19:46,205 so they're easily handling minus 35, minus 45 Celsius. 261 00:19:49,527 --> 00:19:53,122 The river valleys and rangers are extremely important. 262 00:19:53,167 --> 00:19:56,762 They will funnel the moose from the mountains towards the coast. 263 00:19:56,807 --> 00:19:59,958 The environment is hostile. There's not so much food. 264 00:20:00,007 --> 00:20:03,886 lf you move out from the mountainous areas to the coast, 265 00:20:03,927 --> 00:20:07,363 there will be less coldness and probably more food for them. 266 00:20:12,767 --> 00:20:15,679 (Whispering) What a great day. Wow. 267 00:20:28,887 --> 00:20:31,560 NlCK: Continuing my Swedish journey, 268 00:20:31,607 --> 00:20:34,838 l'm heading for the remote Hornslandet peninsular. 269 00:20:37,007 --> 00:20:40,317 They've been catching salmon and herring in the waters off Hornslandet 270 00:20:40,367 --> 00:20:41,482 since the lron Age. 271 00:20:42,727 --> 00:20:46,800 An ancient tradition is preserved behind the fishermen's huts 272 00:20:46,847 --> 00:20:49,077 with a strange spiral of stones. 273 00:20:55,047 --> 00:20:59,120 For centuries they've practised a mysterious pagan ritual here. 274 00:21:05,687 --> 00:21:09,839 Fishermen are a superstitious lot, 275 00:21:09,887 --> 00:21:14,517 and this labyrinth is one of their sacred places. 276 00:21:14,567 --> 00:21:19,800 lt probably dates from the centuries when Hornslandet was still an island 277 00:21:19,847 --> 00:21:23,203 and fishermen used to walk the stone maze 278 00:21:23,247 --> 00:21:26,205 to bring them good luck on their fishing expeditions 279 00:21:26,247 --> 00:21:29,956 to ensure big catches out at sea. 280 00:21:34,287 --> 00:21:38,246 But the fishermen didn't just rely on a pagan god for a decent catch. 281 00:21:48,167 --> 00:21:54,003 This weathered timber chapel has been standing on this stony beach 282 00:21:54,047 --> 00:21:56,242 for over 200 years. 283 00:21:56,287 --> 00:21:59,279 Generations of pious fishing families 284 00:21:59,327 --> 00:22:04,845 have passed through this very simple sanctuary. 285 00:22:04,887 --> 00:22:08,960 lt feels very quiet and calm, bit like a ship in dry dock. 286 00:22:23,007 --> 00:22:25,601 We're leaving the Swedish mainland behind, 287 00:22:25,647 --> 00:22:28,286 travelling some 60 miles offshore 288 00:22:28,327 --> 00:22:32,002 to a group of rocky outcrops, the Aland lslands. 289 00:22:36,887 --> 00:22:40,357 There's an extraordinary story that links these small isles 290 00:22:40,407 --> 00:22:43,126 not only with Britain but Australia too. 291 00:22:43,167 --> 00:22:47,797 An unlikely seafaring connection between the British Empire and Aland 292 00:22:47,847 --> 00:22:50,281 has brought Dick here to explore. 293 00:22:55,767 --> 00:22:59,203 DlCK: ln summer, Aland's hundreds of tiny islands 294 00:22:59,247 --> 00:23:02,922 attract Scandinavian holidaymakers by the boatload. 295 00:23:03,727 --> 00:23:07,640 Charting a course around these rocky isles is tricky for skippers today, 296 00:23:07,687 --> 00:23:13,000 but 1 50 years ago, without navigation aids, it was treacherous. 297 00:23:13,967 --> 00:23:17,721 So this pilot station was built when Aland began to emerge 298 00:23:17,767 --> 00:23:20,679 as a rising power in the Baltic Sea trade. 299 00:23:23,007 --> 00:23:25,202 There were four pilots stationed here, 300 00:23:25,247 --> 00:23:28,284 and it was the job of those guys to ensure the safe passage of the ships 301 00:23:28,327 --> 00:23:29,760 through these rocky outcrops, 302 00:23:29,807 --> 00:23:32,526 and there was plenty of traffic to keep them busy. 303 00:23:33,727 --> 00:23:37,163 The Baltic is notorious for its misty moods, 304 00:23:37,207 --> 00:23:40,358 and ships, rocks and fog don't mix. 305 00:23:40,407 --> 00:23:43,717 No wonder they invested in a warning system. 306 00:23:43,767 --> 00:23:48,522 Apparently, this is the only operational steam fog horn in the world. 307 00:23:49,567 --> 00:23:50,966 How's it working? 308 00:23:51,007 --> 00:23:55,000 Well, we have this engine that is running this air compressor, 309 00:23:55,047 --> 00:23:57,561 and now it's pumping into the tank. 310 00:23:57,607 --> 00:24:01,122 And then we've got this pressure metre that we can see. 311 00:24:01,167 --> 00:24:02,486 How do you know when it's ready? 312 00:24:02,527 --> 00:24:06,076 When it reaches one bar on the red and then it goes off. 313 00:24:06,127 --> 00:24:08,880 - lt's quite close. - Ten seconds and it will go off. 314 00:24:08,927 --> 00:24:11,566 - Ten seconds? - Yes. 315 00:24:15,807 --> 00:24:17,843 (Fog horn blares) 316 00:24:17,887 --> 00:24:20,560 What an amazing noise. 317 00:24:20,607 --> 00:24:22,916 lmagine if you were a fog-bound scared sailor, 318 00:24:22,967 --> 00:24:25,606 that must have been music to your ears. 319 00:24:30,687 --> 00:24:34,839 The Aland lsles are home to a proud seafaring people. 320 00:24:34,887 --> 00:24:38,960 Around 90 years ago, one of those merchants hatched an ambitious plan 321 00:24:39,007 --> 00:24:41,680 to plug Aland into the wealth of the British Empire 322 00:24:41,727 --> 00:24:44,321 using some very big boats. 323 00:24:46,367 --> 00:24:50,724 ln Mariehamn, one of these mighty ships still rests at anchor. 324 00:25:01,527 --> 00:25:03,995 What a gorgeous vessel. 325 00:25:04,047 --> 00:25:07,198 This was one of the last commercial sailing ships. 326 00:25:07,247 --> 00:25:09,715 She may look like a 1 9th-century relic, 327 00:25:09,767 --> 00:25:13,760 but this 20th-century beauty held her own against the steamships. 328 00:25:16,287 --> 00:25:19,643 This is the last word in wind-powered transport, 329 00:25:19,687 --> 00:25:21,803 the final hurrah of sail. 330 00:25:21,847 --> 00:25:23,997 As late as the 1 940s, 331 00:25:24,047 --> 00:25:28,086 these vessels still managed to give steamships a run for their money. 332 00:25:28,127 --> 00:25:31,199 The world knew them as windjammers. 333 00:25:33,007 --> 00:25:36,522 And in the days of empire, they connected Britain to Australia. 334 00:25:37,407 --> 00:25:40,922 MAN ON NEWSREEL: Australia is ready to cast its bread upon the waters. 335 00:25:40,967 --> 00:25:43,003 Mountains of wheat from the outback plains 336 00:25:43,047 --> 00:25:45,481 stacked high in Port Victoria, South Australia, 337 00:25:45,527 --> 00:25:47,802 are destined to fill the granaries of the world. 338 00:25:47,847 --> 00:25:50,759 Under their battened hatches are stacked the wheat cargos 339 00:25:50,807 --> 00:25:53,844 with which they will race round the stormy Cape Horn 340 00:25:53,887 --> 00:25:56,640 in their annual dash to Europe. 341 00:25:58,127 --> 00:26:01,244 DlCK: South Australia was the start of the grain run, 342 00:26:01,287 --> 00:26:04,836 the windjammers'epic voyage to Britain. 343 00:26:04,887 --> 00:26:08,516 lt took months to sail the 1 2,000 miles to Falmouth. 344 00:26:11,647 --> 00:26:16,243 And yet steamships could do the trip to Australia three times faster, 345 00:26:16,287 --> 00:26:19,120 so why bother with these sailing ships? 346 00:26:19,167 --> 00:26:23,399 How did a business built on wind and sail rule the waves for so long? 347 00:26:23,447 --> 00:26:26,757 Henrik, hello. Permission to come aboard, sir? 348 00:26:26,807 --> 00:26:28,206 Permission granted, sir. 349 00:26:28,247 --> 00:26:32,160 DlCK: l'm meeting maritime historian Henrik Karlsson. 350 00:26:32,207 --> 00:26:35,597 lt's an economical principle called ''just in time'' 351 00:26:35,647 --> 00:26:37,842 that we use today as well in logistics, 352 00:26:37,887 --> 00:26:40,640 because these ships were transporting grain 353 00:26:40,687 --> 00:26:43,326 from Australia to the UK or to Europe, 354 00:26:43,367 --> 00:26:49,283 and you could have loaded a steamship very quickly, like less than a month, 355 00:26:49,327 --> 00:26:56,358 but in order to take the grain to the mill and make flour out of it, 356 00:26:56,407 --> 00:27:01,481 it needs to ripen, so they used the ship as a storage during the voyage. 357 00:27:01,527 --> 00:27:03,085 So it was good to be slightly slower? 358 00:27:03,127 --> 00:27:07,359 HENRlK: Yeah, and the voyage would take at least three months. 359 00:27:07,407 --> 00:27:12,117 DlCK: They may have been slow, but these boats are more modern than they appear. 360 00:27:12,167 --> 00:27:14,601 The Pommern was built in 1 903, 361 00:27:14,647 --> 00:27:18,117 her hull is made of steel, just like a steamship, 362 00:27:18,167 --> 00:27:21,443 but this windjammer's hung onto the romance of sail. 363 00:27:24,047 --> 00:27:27,437 lt took age-old skills to handle them. 364 00:27:27,487 --> 00:27:32,003 Those timeless traditions of the sea attracted a crew of youthful admirers. 365 00:27:33,567 --> 00:27:36,843 People like Jocelyn Palmer, in search of adventure, 366 00:27:36,887 --> 00:27:40,118 paid for a passage on the last working tall ships. 367 00:27:40,167 --> 00:27:41,725 Jocelyn lived in Australia, 368 00:27:41,767 --> 00:27:46,283 but she took the slow boat back to Britain where she'd been born. 369 00:27:46,327 --> 00:27:51,685 We left on 1 1th March 1 948 370 00:27:51,727 --> 00:27:53,524 from Port Victoria 371 00:27:53,567 --> 00:27:58,163 with a full cargo of wheat. 372 00:27:58,207 --> 00:28:03,884 lt felt very remote being between South America and the Antarctic. 373 00:28:03,927 --> 00:28:07,715 Huge waves and the ship just sailing through them, 374 00:28:07,767 --> 00:28:11,442 just like a little yacht in the sea. 375 00:28:11,487 --> 00:28:14,684 And it got so cold, we looked out for icebergs, 376 00:28:14,727 --> 00:28:19,005 because a meeting with an iceberg would be pretty fatal, of course. 377 00:28:23,807 --> 00:28:28,403 The sailing ships were considered something very romantic. 378 00:28:28,447 --> 00:28:32,520 On a moonlight night, you could see the sails were snowy white. 379 00:28:32,567 --> 00:28:38,483 And just that creaking of the timbers, you felt that the ship was alive. 380 00:28:38,527 --> 00:28:40,916 And in those days, there was no other shipping there. 381 00:28:40,967 --> 00:28:44,403 We were absolutely on our own except for the whales. 382 00:28:47,527 --> 00:28:49,563 DlCK: Romantic it may have been, 383 00:28:49,607 --> 00:28:53,122 but it was no pleasure cruise for passengers or crew. 384 00:28:54,487 --> 00:28:56,682 You went halfway round the world in these things, 385 00:28:56,727 --> 00:28:59,161 so we're talking about the elements, the weather. 386 00:28:59,207 --> 00:29:01,163 - lt must have been hard to steer. - Oh, yeah. 387 00:29:01,207 --> 00:29:06,076 When a wave is hitting the rudder, you can feel it in the steering wheel, 388 00:29:06,127 --> 00:29:08,721 and that's why they lashed the people to the wheel. 389 00:29:08,767 --> 00:29:09,756 - Tied on? - Yeah. 390 00:29:09,807 --> 00:29:12,719 Well, they put the lashing around, across your shoulders, 391 00:29:12,767 --> 00:29:17,682 so you weren't swept overboard when a big sea came, you know. 392 00:29:17,727 --> 00:29:20,287 There were also two men at the wheel in strong weather. 393 00:29:20,327 --> 00:29:22,682 DlCK: Two of us? Right. 394 00:29:22,727 --> 00:29:24,763 One night in the South Atlantic, 395 00:29:24,807 --> 00:29:28,561 Jocelyn witnessed the power of the high seas at first hand. 396 00:29:28,607 --> 00:29:31,565 JOCELYN: Suddenly heard ''Bang!'' from up on deck 397 00:29:31,607 --> 00:29:33,563 and people running around, 398 00:29:33,607 --> 00:29:36,405 and some of the sails had just blown out. 399 00:29:36,447 --> 00:29:41,282 That was why we heard a crack. The sails were torn. The wind was terrific. 400 00:29:41,327 --> 00:29:47,766 lt was screaming wind and cold and it was really very unpleasant. 401 00:29:47,807 --> 00:29:51,083 l think we were more worried about the crew 402 00:29:51,127 --> 00:29:54,597 because we knew they had to get up there and go aloft 403 00:29:54,647 --> 00:29:59,880 and take down the damaged sails and put up fresh sails 404 00:29:59,927 --> 00:30:02,282 to get the ship sailing properly again. 405 00:30:07,767 --> 00:30:11,885 DlCK: Even on a calm day, going aloft is not for the faint-hearted. 406 00:30:13,767 --> 00:30:16,759 lt's quite wobbly. The boat's stationary now. 407 00:30:16,807 --> 00:30:20,880 At sea this would be all over the place, and they didn't have harnesses. 408 00:30:21,967 --> 00:30:23,286 Brave men. 409 00:30:25,407 --> 00:30:29,798 Very good. So you're almost on the top of the world. 410 00:30:34,367 --> 00:30:35,720 That is something else. 411 00:30:36,607 --> 00:30:38,643 (Laughs) 412 00:30:38,687 --> 00:30:43,283 lt's a very long way up. Now l know why l didn't join the navy. 413 00:30:43,327 --> 00:30:47,081 This feels relatively safe. lf you look at where they were attaching the sail, 414 00:30:47,127 --> 00:30:50,483 they've got nothing below them at all. 415 00:30:50,527 --> 00:30:53,360 - How do we get down? - Well... 416 00:30:56,287 --> 00:30:59,120 DlCK: For the crew, it was a tough and dangerousjob, 417 00:30:59,167 --> 00:31:02,364 but there was no shortage of volunteers. 418 00:31:02,407 --> 00:31:05,080 l have known many old sailors 419 00:31:05,127 --> 00:31:08,597 who started their seafaring life onboard ships like this, 420 00:31:08,647 --> 00:31:11,878 and they all said it was the best time of their life. 421 00:31:17,447 --> 00:31:22,521 DlCK: Just a fortunate few are left who knew the windjammers in their pomp. 422 00:31:22,567 --> 00:31:26,560 That great era of sail is passing over the horizon. 423 00:31:32,847 --> 00:31:37,716 NlCK: Back on the mainland, ourjourney continues along Sweden's east coast. 424 00:31:37,767 --> 00:31:40,725 Fingers of land poke out into the Baltic Sea. 425 00:31:42,687 --> 00:31:45,042 lslands dot the shoreline. 426 00:31:45,087 --> 00:31:48,875 lt's so peaceful here, you can almost hear your own heartbeat. 427 00:31:52,127 --> 00:31:56,643 Odd to think this was once the beating heart of our industrial revolution. 428 00:32:00,287 --> 00:32:04,166 Rock from near here helped lay the foundations for modern Britain. 429 00:32:05,527 --> 00:32:10,920 Get it hot enough and this ore releases a metal, iron. 430 00:32:13,327 --> 00:32:18,401 300 hundred years ago, this precious metal was shipped almost 1,000 miles 431 00:32:18,447 --> 00:32:21,086 to the mills of Sheffield and Birmingham. 432 00:32:24,767 --> 00:32:27,645 But why were we coming all this way for iron? 433 00:32:31,127 --> 00:32:35,405 The town of Osterbybruk was well known to Britain's early engineers. 434 00:32:35,447 --> 00:32:39,918 They needed a supply of iron that was pure enough to turn into steel. 435 00:32:39,967 --> 00:32:45,439 ln the mid 1 8th century this foundry was producing metal of unrivalled purity. 436 00:32:48,687 --> 00:32:53,920 This is the only forge of its kind in the world, 437 00:32:53,967 --> 00:32:58,882 and it's been making high-quality iron for 350 years. 438 00:33:01,687 --> 00:33:03,439 Not a moment to trip over. 439 00:33:08,167 --> 00:33:11,443 At the start of the industrial revolution, 440 00:33:11,487 --> 00:33:15,241 the Swedes had the technology and the premium-grade iron 441 00:33:15,287 --> 00:33:18,085 to hammer out a world-beating product. 442 00:33:33,727 --> 00:33:35,718 Whoo! 443 00:33:36,647 --> 00:33:39,878 That was impressive. Good heavens. 444 00:33:41,247 --> 00:33:45,798 This Swedish iron helped put the ''great'' in Britain. 445 00:33:56,847 --> 00:34:01,204 As we head further south, we reach the Stockholm archipelago. 446 00:34:05,607 --> 00:34:11,477 We're about to arrive in the grand coastal capital, Stockholm itself. 447 00:34:19,007 --> 00:34:21,805 A third of this city is water. 448 00:34:21,847 --> 00:34:24,315 Boats and bridges unite settlements 449 00:34:24,367 --> 00:34:27,484 which originally grew up on separate islands. 450 00:34:39,447 --> 00:34:42,280 Stockholm is a city of the sea. 451 00:34:42,327 --> 00:34:45,239 The sea reaches from the heart of the inner city here 452 00:34:45,287 --> 00:34:47,642 all the way out to the wider world. 453 00:34:47,687 --> 00:34:51,202 The power of the sea is written into the DNA of Stockholm 454 00:34:51,247 --> 00:34:53,966 and into the psyche of its people. 455 00:34:55,847 --> 00:34:57,963 The elegant buildings of the old town 456 00:34:58,007 --> 00:35:02,478 bear witness to Sweden's rich history of trade. 457 00:35:02,527 --> 00:35:05,599 Stockholm's heritage is almost entirely intact 458 00:35:05,647 --> 00:35:09,765 because the city wasn't bombed during the Second World War. 459 00:35:09,807 --> 00:35:14,119 But the Swedes did play a pivotal part in the conflict. 460 00:35:14,167 --> 00:35:16,442 Back in the dark days of the Second World War, 461 00:35:16,487 --> 00:35:19,445 the city was alive with intrigue. 462 00:35:19,487 --> 00:35:22,763 Sweden was neutral and Stockholm was open for business, 463 00:35:22,807 --> 00:35:24,126 with both sides. 464 00:35:24,167 --> 00:35:28,445 The Swedes didn't fight, but they did trade, 465 00:35:28,487 --> 00:35:31,206 with the Allies and the Nazis, 466 00:35:31,247 --> 00:35:34,478 double-dealing that has Alice intrigued. 467 00:35:37,567 --> 00:35:42,641 ALlCE: l'm on the trail of a rarely told tale of industrial espionage, 468 00:35:42,687 --> 00:35:45,918 a connection to this coast that was crucial 469 00:35:45,967 --> 00:35:48,686 to victory in the Second World War. 470 00:35:48,727 --> 00:35:51,116 The Swedish were the world experts 471 00:35:51,167 --> 00:35:55,843 in producing a vital component of the machinery of war, 472 00:35:55,887 --> 00:36:00,836 without which a country's war efforts would have literally ground to a halt. 473 00:36:00,887 --> 00:36:08,475 Both Germany and Britain desperately needed Swedish ball bearings. 474 00:36:08,527 --> 00:36:13,282 These tiny balls of specially hardened steel contained within bearings 475 00:36:13,327 --> 00:36:17,320 were the key components allowing moving parts in planes and tanks 476 00:36:17,367 --> 00:36:19,642 to rotate and not seize up. 477 00:36:19,687 --> 00:36:23,999 Without ball bearings, weapons production would grind to a halt. 478 00:36:24,047 --> 00:36:28,962 Churchill knew that Britain's future and the freedom of Europe 479 00:36:29,007 --> 00:36:31,840 revolved around these steel spheres. 480 00:36:33,287 --> 00:36:35,881 The self-aligning ball bearing was invented 481 00:36:35,927 --> 00:36:41,081 by Swedish engineer Sven Wingquist in 1 907. 482 00:36:41,127 --> 00:36:43,687 By the start of the Second World War, 483 00:36:43,727 --> 00:36:47,925 the British depended on the Swedes for their supply of ball bearings. 484 00:36:50,927 --> 00:36:55,478 ln the 1 940s, Sweden was a neutral country 485 00:36:55,527 --> 00:36:58,678 caught in a vice between two power blocks. 486 00:36:59,527 --> 00:37:02,246 The Nazis had surrounded Sweden. 487 00:37:02,287 --> 00:37:05,245 The country could still trade, but the German stranglehold 488 00:37:05,287 --> 00:37:09,280 meant the Swedes were wary of doing business with the Allies. 489 00:37:09,327 --> 00:37:11,761 Diplomats were sent to Stockholm 490 00:37:11,807 --> 00:37:15,277 in a desperate bid to get ball bearings back to Britain. 491 00:37:17,687 --> 00:37:19,996 l'm with war historian Nick Hewitt. 492 00:37:21,047 --> 00:37:24,005 So, Nick, these are the precious objects. 493 00:37:24,047 --> 00:37:25,639 NlCK: Absolutely. These are they. 494 00:37:25,687 --> 00:37:28,884 This is the ball inside, this is the bearing 495 00:37:28,927 --> 00:37:32,522 and that would be used in perhaps a reasonable sized piece of equipment. 496 00:37:32,567 --> 00:37:35,843 So what was the range of machinery these ball bearings might have been used in? 497 00:37:35,887 --> 00:37:39,562 Absolutely everything, from radar sets, 498 00:37:39,607 --> 00:37:42,041 to maybe the joystick of a Spitfire. 499 00:37:42,087 --> 00:37:45,124 And the undercarriage wheels of the same aircraft 500 00:37:45,167 --> 00:37:48,045 go up and down inside the wings, and you need bearings to do that. 501 00:37:48,087 --> 00:37:50,965 And you think about a turret and the way that turns around, 502 00:37:51,007 --> 00:37:53,805 you need bearings to do that too, so you can possibly argue 503 00:37:53,847 --> 00:37:56,680 that you couldn't have won the Battle of Britain without ball bearings. 504 00:37:56,727 --> 00:37:59,958 ALlCE: To keep Britain's weapons production moving, 505 00:38:00,007 --> 00:38:04,364 the big guns weighed in to strong-arm the Swedes into playing ball 506 00:38:04,407 --> 00:38:08,161 and make more of their ball bearings available to the Allies. 507 00:38:08,207 --> 00:38:12,678 This is a telegram, and it's a telegram to the president of the United States, 508 00:38:12,727 --> 00:38:16,003 President Roosevelt, from the prime minister, Winston Churchill. 509 00:38:16,047 --> 00:38:18,197 These are two of the most powerful men in the world 510 00:38:18,247 --> 00:38:20,636 exchanging communications about ball bearings. 511 00:38:20,687 --> 00:38:22,643 Such a strange story. 512 00:38:22,687 --> 00:38:24,518 And what they're saying is, firstly, 513 00:38:24,567 --> 00:38:28,685 we urgently need to get out of Sweden ball bearings in particular. 514 00:38:28,727 --> 00:38:30,638 What the British are asking the Americans, 515 00:38:30,687 --> 00:38:32,518 what Churchill is asking Roosevelt for, 516 00:38:32,567 --> 00:38:36,685 is to apply pressure using 30,000 tonnes of oil a quarter 517 00:38:36,727 --> 00:38:39,287 that the Swedes are getting from the Americans. 518 00:38:39,327 --> 00:38:43,400 lf the Swedes refuse to supply the ball bearings, cut off the oil taps. 519 00:38:43,447 --> 00:38:46,041 lt's a bargaining tool, blackmail and bribery, basically. 520 00:38:47,967 --> 00:38:52,882 ALlCE: Secret deals were struck to buy more ball bearings for Britain. 521 00:38:52,927 --> 00:38:55,361 But to get them out of Sweden, 522 00:38:55,407 --> 00:38:59,161 Allied air crews had to fly through Nazi airspace. 523 00:38:59,927 --> 00:39:02,600 As the war progresses, they're being attacked 524 00:39:02,647 --> 00:39:05,002 by radar-equipped German night fighters 525 00:39:05,047 --> 00:39:07,197 which can find them at night and shoot them down. 526 00:39:07,247 --> 00:39:10,205 The only defence they've got is the speed and the altitude they fly. 527 00:39:11,407 --> 00:39:16,083 ALlCE: This rare film shows a top-secret mission to Sweden, 528 00:39:16,127 --> 00:39:21,599 an RAF Mosquito repainted with civilian markings. 529 00:39:21,647 --> 00:39:26,198 These super-fast fighter bombers were converted to carry cargo, 530 00:39:26,247 --> 00:39:30,001 including people, strapped in their bomb bay. 531 00:39:39,487 --> 00:39:43,685 But planes alone couldn't bring back enough ball bearings 532 00:39:43,727 --> 00:39:48,357 and Nazi control of the Baltic sea lanes seemed absolute. 533 00:39:48,407 --> 00:39:53,606 One man, an unsung hero, thought differently. 534 00:39:53,647 --> 00:39:56,525 There was a remarkable man called George Binney. 535 00:39:56,567 --> 00:39:57,556 Which one's him? 536 00:39:57,607 --> 00:39:59,325 George is in the middle with the pipe. 537 00:39:59,367 --> 00:40:00,516 ALlCE: Right. 538 00:40:00,567 --> 00:40:03,035 NlCK: He's a civilian. He's out here before the war. 539 00:40:03,087 --> 00:40:05,282 And he's involved in the steel industry, 540 00:40:05,327 --> 00:40:08,683 so he knows Scandinavia, he has the right contacts. 541 00:40:08,727 --> 00:40:10,445 He comes up with an alternative plan, 542 00:40:10,487 --> 00:40:13,684 which is to use fast military patrol boats known as motor gun boats. 543 00:40:15,727 --> 00:40:19,117 ALlCE: These fast boats had a shallow draft, 544 00:40:19,167 --> 00:40:23,206 so they might just skirt over the German mines. 545 00:40:24,207 --> 00:40:29,327 Success would demand courage. George Binney hand-picked their crews. 546 00:40:30,127 --> 00:40:32,687 Only the most able made the grade. 547 00:40:32,727 --> 00:40:35,560 Many came from the merchant fleets of Hull, 548 00:40:35,607 --> 00:40:40,158 young men, mostly single, who might never see home again. 549 00:40:41,247 --> 00:40:43,203 lt must have been incredibly dangerous 550 00:40:43,247 --> 00:40:46,080 sailing a boat like that through the naval blockades. 551 00:40:46,127 --> 00:40:48,357 These are not built for rough weather, for a start, 552 00:40:48,407 --> 00:40:51,479 they're prone to mechanical failure, their engines break down a lot, 553 00:40:51,527 --> 00:40:53,563 and they're also vulnerable to the Germans. 554 00:40:53,607 --> 00:40:57,600 Two of them are sunk out of five, which is quite a high attrition rate. 555 00:40:57,647 --> 00:41:00,719 These sailors were running huge risks to get the ball bearings out of Sweden. 556 00:41:00,767 --> 00:41:04,476 Very, very big risks, yeah. lt's a dangerous covert operation. 557 00:41:05,647 --> 00:41:10,277 ALlCE: Right under the nose of the Nazis, hunted by sea and air, 558 00:41:10,327 --> 00:41:15,526 these brave crews pulled off some of the most vital missions of the war. 559 00:41:18,047 --> 00:41:21,039 lt's a sobering thought that the fate of Europe 560 00:41:21,087 --> 00:41:23,885 once revolved around these bearings, 561 00:41:23,927 --> 00:41:27,761 which kept the machinery of war running on both sides, 562 00:41:27,807 --> 00:41:31,117 but it was the bravery of the Allied airmen and sailors 563 00:41:31,167 --> 00:41:36,844 that kept the Swedish supply of ball bearings rolling into Britain. 564 00:41:43,007 --> 00:41:47,683 NlCK: The Swedes love their coast and its wonderful isles. 565 00:41:53,887 --> 00:41:57,118 Stockholm is part of a vast archipelago. 566 00:41:58,167 --> 00:42:02,683 Thousands of rocky outcrops are scattered far out into the Baltic Sea. 567 00:42:09,767 --> 00:42:13,077 Stockholmers call this their Skargarden. 568 00:42:13,127 --> 00:42:16,358 ''Skar'' is Old Norse for ''small island''. 569 00:42:16,407 --> 00:42:21,242 So Skargarden translates roughly as Garden of lslands, 570 00:42:21,287 --> 00:42:24,324 and this is some garden. 571 00:42:37,767 --> 00:42:42,079 Little boats ply the waters and traditional wooden houses dot the shore. 572 00:42:42,127 --> 00:42:45,881 This is Stockholm's depressurisation zone, 573 00:42:45,927 --> 00:42:47,963 where city folk come to relax. 574 00:42:48,967 --> 00:42:53,085 l'm here at the end of August. The long winter nights are looming. 575 00:42:54,087 --> 00:42:57,045 So the Swede's celebrate summer while they can, 576 00:42:57,087 --> 00:43:00,636 with a party to mark the passing of the season, 577 00:43:00,687 --> 00:43:03,155 a brief return to their Viking roots 578 00:43:03,207 --> 00:43:06,836 and a bit of craziness by throwing a crayfish party. 579 00:43:08,647 --> 00:43:13,038 Every year they say goodbye to daylight with an outdoor feast. 580 00:43:14,487 --> 00:43:17,638 l've been invited to one by Jessika Gedin. 581 00:43:17,687 --> 00:43:22,283 She's offered to give me a beginner's guide to throwing a crayfish party. 582 00:43:22,327 --> 00:43:26,206 The upper classes started eating it in the beginning of the 1 9th century 583 00:43:26,247 --> 00:43:28,442 and everybody tagged along. 584 00:43:28,487 --> 00:43:31,047 And now we have all these traditions with it. 585 00:43:31,087 --> 00:43:33,885 We have the lanterns, the August moon, 586 00:43:33,927 --> 00:43:36,600 and you have the singing and the beer and the schnapps, 587 00:43:36,647 --> 00:43:41,118 and it's a bit like Christmas in the end of the summer. 588 00:43:41,167 --> 00:43:44,477 NlCK: Why do you celebrate the end of summer? Why is that such a big deal? 589 00:43:44,527 --> 00:43:48,520 lt's not a celebration, really, it's sort of a sad festival, in a way, 590 00:43:48,567 --> 00:43:51,525 because we've been longing for the light for such a long time. 591 00:43:51,567 --> 00:43:55,401 l mean, we spend like six months in complete darkness in Sweden, 592 00:43:55,447 --> 00:44:00,316 so when the summer comes we go like crazy, and this is the last party. 593 00:44:00,367 --> 00:44:03,962 lt's sort of melancholic but it's fun at the same time. 594 00:44:04,007 --> 00:44:07,238 - Lead on. - Sure. Come on. 595 00:44:07,287 --> 00:44:12,236 NlCK: lt seems drinking and singing matter as much as the crayfish. 596 00:44:12,287 --> 00:44:13,276 (All singing) 597 00:44:13,327 --> 00:44:16,444 Sounds as if the party's already started, Jessika. 598 00:44:16,487 --> 00:44:18,478 JESSlKA: That's good. 599 00:44:24,327 --> 00:44:25,646 Wow. 600 00:44:25,687 --> 00:44:27,678 (Singing) 601 00:44:31,127 --> 00:44:35,245 NlCK: To get me into the swing, l'm relying on Hans Rosenfeldt. 602 00:44:35,287 --> 00:44:37,482 You can't have a crayfish party without the singing 603 00:44:37,527 --> 00:44:39,802 and you can't have the singing without the schnapps. 604 00:44:39,847 --> 00:44:43,476 So that's how it all works together. 605 00:44:43,527 --> 00:44:46,963 And the schnapps is there just because you sing, 606 00:44:47,007 --> 00:44:49,521 and every song with a drink. 607 00:44:49,567 --> 00:44:53,162 The song you were singing when we came to sit down, what was that about? 608 00:44:53,207 --> 00:44:56,119 - lt was actually about schnapps. - lt was a drinking song? 609 00:44:56,167 --> 00:44:58,965 HANS: lt was a pure drinking song. Let's say that everybody has it. 610 00:44:59,007 --> 00:45:02,044 lf you have a crayfish party, you sing Hej Languor. 611 00:45:02,087 --> 00:45:05,716 (Singing in Swedish to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star) 612 00:45:10,647 --> 00:45:11,762 ALL: Skal! 613 00:45:11,807 --> 00:45:13,957 NlCK: l recognised that. HANS: You recognised that. 614 00:45:14,007 --> 00:45:16,885 - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. - Yes, it is. Nursery rhyme. 615 00:45:16,927 --> 00:45:20,476 NlCK: As long as the song has the word crayfish in it, you can have a drink. 616 00:45:20,527 --> 00:45:21,516 Yeah, basically. 617 00:45:21,567 --> 00:45:24,479 Actually, you drink even if it hasn't got the word crayfish in it. 618 00:45:24,527 --> 00:45:27,997 As soon as someone takes up a song, at the end you drink. 619 00:45:28,047 --> 00:45:31,642 So, Hans, here we are sitting on the most coastal location you can imagine, 620 00:45:31,687 --> 00:45:34,884 on a grassy promontory with the Baltic wrapped around us. 621 00:45:34,927 --> 00:45:37,122 Does the coast mean a lot to Swedes? 622 00:45:37,167 --> 00:45:40,045 l think it does. We have a lot of it. 623 00:45:40,087 --> 00:45:43,363 l'd say most people have a relationship to the coast. 624 00:45:43,407 --> 00:45:47,605 You can light a fire, you can drink your coffee, you can eat your lunch 625 00:45:47,647 --> 00:45:49,205 and then you can go back in 626 00:45:49,247 --> 00:45:53,604 to your more square-formed life in the big city again. 627 00:45:53,647 --> 00:45:57,925 So l think it's a huge freedom factor in the coast in Sweden. 628 00:45:57,967 --> 00:46:00,606 (Singing) 629 00:46:00,647 --> 00:46:02,956 ALL: Skal! 630 00:46:03,007 --> 00:46:05,282 JESSlKA: We worship summer, l think we do. 631 00:46:05,327 --> 00:46:10,321 We're like asleep for six months when it's dark and when we're working, 632 00:46:10,367 --> 00:46:13,723 and then, you know, suddenly spring comes and everything changes. 633 00:46:13,767 --> 00:46:17,203 - Explodes. - So l think this is sort of part of it. 634 00:46:17,247 --> 00:46:20,683 This is sort of what we consider being Swedish, l think. 635 00:46:20,727 --> 00:46:24,037 (Singing in Swedish to the tune of Ding Dong Merrily On High) 636 00:46:33,407 --> 00:46:36,717 NlCK: How do l go about breaking into one of these delicious-looking fish? 637 00:46:36,767 --> 00:46:39,565 - Would you give me a demonstration? - Yeah, sure. 638 00:46:39,607 --> 00:46:44,840 You just pick them up like this, turn it over and then you just basically suck. 639 00:46:48,327 --> 00:46:51,478 - You like that? - Well... 640 00:46:51,527 --> 00:46:53,757 - l would say no. - Perhaps with a bit more practice. 641 00:46:53,807 --> 00:46:56,367 Sounds like l'm just sucking up a mouthful of seawater. 642 00:46:56,407 --> 00:46:58,841 (Singing) 643 00:47:02,087 --> 00:47:05,966 NlCK: Blimey. l can barely sing in English, let alone Swedish. 644 00:47:08,527 --> 00:47:09,846 (Singing continues) 645 00:47:18,167 --> 00:47:20,158 ALL: Skal! 646 00:47:21,287 --> 00:47:23,278 JESSlKA: Your Swedish is pretty good. 647 00:47:23,327 --> 00:47:25,557 NlCK: l got the last word anyway. 648 00:47:28,207 --> 00:47:32,120 Stockholm was once the centre of Sweden's global sea trade, 649 00:47:32,167 --> 00:47:35,842 but today the majority of boats look for local business. 650 00:47:37,487 --> 00:47:41,765 The sea's a highway here in the Swedish capital. 651 00:47:41,807 --> 00:47:44,116 You hop on and off ferries, like that one there, 652 00:47:44,167 --> 00:47:46,283 as if you're getting on and off buses. 653 00:47:46,327 --> 00:47:48,318 The water's a living space. 654 00:47:48,367 --> 00:47:52,326 No wonder the Swedes take such pride in their coastal heritage 655 00:47:52,367 --> 00:47:54,358 and their maritime traditions. 656 00:47:54,407 --> 00:47:58,639 But there are a few skeletons out there in David Jones's locker. 657 00:48:00,167 --> 00:48:02,158 Mark has come to Stockholm harbour 658 00:48:02,207 --> 00:48:06,837 to investigate one of the world's most embarrassing naval accidents. 659 00:48:12,647 --> 00:48:17,482 MARK: There's one remarkable shipwreck l've always wanted to set foot on. 660 00:48:21,007 --> 00:48:23,919 Now finally l'm here. 661 00:48:25,127 --> 00:48:28,642 lt's magnificent. lt's the complete ship. 662 00:48:29,887 --> 00:48:34,244 This mighty warship is nearly 400 years old, 663 00:48:34,287 --> 00:48:37,279 yet it's as if she was built yesterday, 664 00:48:37,327 --> 00:48:40,444 a wreck raised almost intact. 665 00:48:40,487 --> 00:48:43,957 This isn't a re-creation, it's the actual ship. 666 00:48:47,927 --> 00:48:52,079 The Vasa was meant to spearhead Sweden's navy, 667 00:48:52,127 --> 00:48:56,120 but she sank in 1 628 on her maiden voyage. 668 00:48:57,847 --> 00:49:01,806 How did the Vasa, the king's grandest warship, 669 00:49:01,847 --> 00:49:05,601 keel over and sink on her first outing? 670 00:49:05,647 --> 00:49:09,925 l'm going to the site of Sweden's great national embarrassment 671 00:49:09,967 --> 00:49:12,322 with historian Marika Hedin. 672 00:49:14,047 --> 00:49:16,436 MARlKA: 1 0th August, 1 628. 673 00:49:16,487 --> 00:49:20,275 lt was meant to be a moment of natural pride and grandeur, 674 00:49:20,327 --> 00:49:23,319 and it was for about 30 minutes. 675 00:49:23,367 --> 00:49:25,676 So where exactly did she go down? 676 00:49:25,727 --> 00:49:29,606 Well, she was found over there, 677 00:49:29,647 --> 00:49:32,480 where the water is about 30 metres deep. 678 00:49:32,527 --> 00:49:35,246 So that meant that when she went down, 679 00:49:35,287 --> 00:49:39,041 you would have seen the masts sticking out of the water, flags and all. 680 00:49:39,087 --> 00:49:42,363 - That was a very public spectacle. - lt was. lt was a public fiasco. 681 00:49:44,447 --> 00:49:49,441 MARK: This magnificent ship sank in the most humiliating fashion. 682 00:49:49,487 --> 00:49:52,638 The Vasa never got out of Stockholm harbour. 683 00:49:53,647 --> 00:49:58,323 Shamed by the disaster, Sweden forgot the Vasa, 684 00:49:58,367 --> 00:50:02,519 but the Baltic Sea preserved her in its cold embrace 685 00:50:02,567 --> 00:50:04,922 for over three centuries. 686 00:50:04,967 --> 00:50:08,926 The reason she sank was waiting to be discovered. 687 00:50:08,967 --> 00:50:14,166 Finally, in 1 956, amateur archaeologist Anders Franzen 688 00:50:14,207 --> 00:50:16,482 went fishing for the wreck. 689 00:50:18,487 --> 00:50:21,718 MARlKA: He rowed around in his little boat in the harbour 690 00:50:21,767 --> 00:50:24,042 looking for blackened oak, 691 00:50:24,087 --> 00:50:27,682 which would have been a sign that he would have found the Vasa. 692 00:50:27,727 --> 00:50:33,245 And eventually he did come up and found something in 1 956, 693 00:50:33,287 --> 00:50:35,437 and that, of course, was the starting point 694 00:50:35,487 --> 00:50:40,038 for one of the greatest adventures of maritime archaeology in the world, 695 00:50:40,087 --> 00:50:41,076 the salvage. 696 00:50:43,087 --> 00:50:46,443 lt was an extremely complex operation, 697 00:50:46,487 --> 00:50:48,523 no one had done anything like it before, 698 00:50:48,567 --> 00:50:52,765 so everything that was tried was experimental. 699 00:50:52,807 --> 00:50:56,641 And the divers worked in very harsh conditions, 700 00:50:56,687 --> 00:51:00,475 through water, digging tunnels under the wreck, 701 00:51:00,527 --> 00:51:04,076 so that she eventually could be lifted through steel wires 702 00:51:04,127 --> 00:51:05,879 up towards the surface. 703 00:51:05,927 --> 00:51:11,081 So after over 300 years, the Vasa was to break through the surface again. 704 00:51:11,127 --> 00:51:15,996 That's true, on 24th April, 1 961 . lt was a world event. 705 00:51:19,127 --> 00:51:23,006 MARK: Were the divers worried that as she came up she would break apart? 706 00:51:23,047 --> 00:51:25,038 MARlKA: No one knew how strong she would be, 707 00:51:25,087 --> 00:51:27,965 and, of course, all of the iron bolts had rusted away, 708 00:51:28,007 --> 00:51:31,886 and attempts had been below the surface to strengthen her, 709 00:51:31,927 --> 00:51:35,078 but still we didn't know if she would hold together. 710 00:51:35,127 --> 00:51:38,164 But she did. She was very well built in some respects. 711 00:51:38,207 --> 00:51:41,199 - And very little used, of course. - That's true. 712 00:51:44,887 --> 00:51:49,642 MARK: So she was able to be, as it were, brought back on her own buoyancy. 713 00:51:49,687 --> 00:51:51,723 MARlKA: That's true, that was the last trip 714 00:51:51,767 --> 00:51:53,883 that the Vasa would ever make on her own, 715 00:51:53,927 --> 00:51:57,078 and then she was put into the conservation process, 716 00:51:57,127 --> 00:51:59,357 which took some 1 7 years. 717 00:52:03,167 --> 00:52:06,477 MARK: To find out why she sank in the first place, 718 00:52:06,527 --> 00:52:10,236 l'm stepping back in time, nearly 400 years. 719 00:52:11,887 --> 00:52:15,721 She's beautiful, isn't she? And this is actually a rare privilege. 720 00:52:15,767 --> 00:52:19,885 Only heads of state and the occasional maritime archaeologist 721 00:52:19,927 --> 00:52:21,804 are allowed on board these days. 722 00:52:36,007 --> 00:52:39,397 MARK: The Vasa is so well preserved, 723 00:52:39,447 --> 00:52:42,678 you can still piece together the evidence of her sinking. 724 00:52:44,607 --> 00:52:46,598 Be careful here. lt's... 725 00:52:47,367 --> 00:52:50,200 The beams come down quite low. 726 00:52:50,247 --> 00:52:53,364 lt gives an impression of what it was actually like down here. 727 00:52:53,407 --> 00:52:58,117 Yes, it must have been very crowded and quite dark. 728 00:52:58,167 --> 00:53:03,924 MARK: So on that fateful day, they fired the cannons? 729 00:53:03,967 --> 00:53:07,676 Yes, they did, because they were sailing out and this was a moment of triumph, 730 00:53:07,727 --> 00:53:12,596 so they fired a salute, and all the cannon ports were open. 731 00:53:12,647 --> 00:53:14,842 And this was probably an error of judgement, 732 00:53:14,887 --> 00:53:18,402 because when the ship keeled over then, the water came in. 733 00:53:18,447 --> 00:53:21,086 So you can just imagine the water gushing in. 734 00:53:21,127 --> 00:53:22,924 Yes, it must have been quite scary. 735 00:53:22,967 --> 00:53:25,003 So she literally just fell over. 736 00:53:25,047 --> 00:53:27,242 Yes, she did, straight into the mud. 737 00:53:29,007 --> 00:53:33,046 MARK: The open gun ports meant water flooded in 738 00:53:33,087 --> 00:53:35,760 after a simple gust of wind made the ship roll over. 739 00:53:37,207 --> 00:53:41,246 The fatal mistake was in the original design. 740 00:53:43,007 --> 00:53:45,885 You can see she's very narrow in the stern, 741 00:53:45,927 --> 00:53:47,963 and this made her very unstable. 742 00:53:48,007 --> 00:53:51,761 Surely there were lots of other boats sailing around of this size 743 00:53:51,807 --> 00:53:53,638 and they weren't capsizing all the time. 744 00:53:53,687 --> 00:53:56,440 No, that's right, there actually was a sister ship to the Vasa 745 00:53:56,487 --> 00:53:59,718 which had almost the same dimensions, the Apple. 746 00:53:59,767 --> 00:54:03,077 And she sailed off a year after Vasa sank, 747 00:54:03,127 --> 00:54:06,324 but she was a little more broader, 748 00:54:06,367 --> 00:54:09,040 she was about three and a half feet broader, 749 00:54:09,087 --> 00:54:11,043 and that made all the difference. 750 00:54:11,087 --> 00:54:15,080 But l think the Vasa, if she had made it out into the archipelago, 751 00:54:15,127 --> 00:54:20,281 and then she would have been loaded with materials and with more men, 752 00:54:20,327 --> 00:54:23,763 she would have been heavier and more stable in the water. 753 00:54:23,807 --> 00:54:27,595 So it wasn't just a bad design, but it was also bad luck. 754 00:54:27,647 --> 00:54:29,000 Really bad luck, l would say. 755 00:54:36,567 --> 00:54:39,718 MARK: lt's ironic that this Swedish naval disaster 756 00:54:39,767 --> 00:54:45,160 has left us with the most important shipwreck ever discovered. 757 00:54:46,287 --> 00:54:50,599 This is the Tutankhamen of maritime archaeology. 758 00:54:54,247 --> 00:54:56,920 NlCK: On ourjourney along the shores of Sweden 759 00:54:56,967 --> 00:55:01,643 we've discovered links between us and our coastal cousins in Scandinavia, 760 00:55:01,687 --> 00:55:04,360 the age-old trade in timber and iron 761 00:55:04,407 --> 00:55:07,365 and a passion for messing about in boats. 762 00:55:09,527 --> 00:55:11,279 Once ashore in the city, 763 00:55:11,327 --> 00:55:16,720 the hectic traffic's also strangely familiar but somehow different. 764 00:55:19,887 --> 00:55:22,162 There are many things we share with Sweden, 765 00:55:22,207 --> 00:55:27,361 but after 3rd September, 1 967, there was one less. 766 00:55:27,407 --> 00:55:29,204 That's when Swedes switched 767 00:55:29,247 --> 00:55:33,604 from driving on our side of the road, the left, and changed to the right, 768 00:55:33,647 --> 00:55:36,207 to conform with the rest of mainland Europe. 769 00:55:37,927 --> 00:55:39,997 l'm used to biking through London, 770 00:55:40,047 --> 00:55:43,801 but switching to the right-hand side makes things a bit hairy. 771 00:55:43,847 --> 00:55:46,759 lmagine what it was like back in 1 967 772 00:55:46,807 --> 00:55:49,799 when the whole country changed lanes overnight. 773 00:55:49,847 --> 00:55:51,997 Potential chaos. 774 00:55:56,207 --> 00:55:59,995 Well, the radio said l had to stop, l have to stop for a while here. 775 00:56:00,047 --> 00:56:02,561 l shall then be shown onto the other side of the road. 776 00:56:02,607 --> 00:56:06,998 l then have to stop there and at five o'clock we all move off 777 00:56:07,047 --> 00:56:10,801 driving on the right-hand side of the road. 778 00:56:10,847 --> 00:56:12,838 Shall l go over that side? Thank you. 779 00:56:14,447 --> 00:56:19,396 lt was known as H day, after the Swedish word for right, ''hoger''. 780 00:56:19,447 --> 00:56:23,406 They cleverly combined the capital H with an arrow changing lane 781 00:56:23,447 --> 00:56:25,802 to create a logo for switchover day. 782 00:56:29,247 --> 00:56:32,205 But there was more to H day than a logo. 783 00:56:32,247 --> 00:56:36,525 The government embarked on a massive programme of advertising and education, 784 00:56:36,567 --> 00:56:39,479 from highway code lessons for children 785 00:56:39,527 --> 00:56:41,757 to some rather alarming stunts. 786 00:56:49,727 --> 00:56:53,845 Finally, on September 3rd, everything was in place, 787 00:56:53,887 --> 00:56:56,242 the roads altered, the signs ready, 788 00:56:56,287 --> 00:57:00,326 1 0,000 police and troops deployed onto the streets. 789 00:57:00,367 --> 00:57:03,996 But still no one knew how many people might become victims 790 00:57:04,047 --> 00:57:06,481 of this right-hand revolution. 791 00:57:06,527 --> 00:57:11,806 This is the scene at five o'clock in the morning on 3rd September, 1 967, 792 00:57:11,847 --> 00:57:13,997 as everybody switched lanes. 793 00:57:14,047 --> 00:57:16,481 Amazingly, H day went without a hitch. 794 00:57:17,927 --> 00:57:22,364 ln fact, surprisingly, the number of accidents slightly decreased. 795 00:57:23,647 --> 00:57:28,596 So might we one day find ourselves switching lanes too? 796 00:57:28,647 --> 00:57:33,767 On the highways worldwide, sticking to the left puts us in the minority, 797 00:57:33,807 --> 00:57:37,356 but on the seaways it's a different story. 798 00:57:37,407 --> 00:57:40,365 The rules of navigation that apply around the globe 799 00:57:40,407 --> 00:57:43,285 owe an awful lot to the pioneering efforts of the British 800 00:57:43,327 --> 00:57:46,000 to impose order on the sea lanes of the world. 801 00:57:48,447 --> 00:57:53,726 lronically, when proposing navigation laws for steamships in the 1 9th century, 802 00:57:53,767 --> 00:57:59,000 Britain decided ships should pass each other not on the left but on the right. 803 00:57:59,047 --> 00:58:02,323 Over the years this British ''keep right'' regulation 804 00:58:02,367 --> 00:58:05,757 became adopted as the global standard for the seas. 805 00:58:06,727 --> 00:58:09,924 Britannia's rule does in fact rule the waves. 806 00:58:18,567 --> 00:58:21,240 Even out here, on the edge of the Baltic Sea, 807 00:58:21,287 --> 00:58:24,643 some thousand miles from our own islands, 808 00:58:24,687 --> 00:58:29,203 you can sense the influence of Britain reaching far beyond our own coast. 809 00:58:29,247 --> 00:58:33,559 We're a seafaring people, but we share our story with distant shores.