1 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,320 This is Coast! 2 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:18,800 At the edge of our isles 3 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,200 - is a natural wilderness. - SEAGULLS 4 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,000 Vast seas, 5 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,240 deep oceans, 6 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:28,520 tempestuous tides. 7 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,480 The relationship between us and our wild waters 8 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:37,240 is a challenge. 9 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,640 But one we embrace. 10 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:41,960 For work... 11 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:43,600 ..play... 12 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,440 ..and sheer necessity. 13 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,080 There's nowhere wilder then our open waters, 14 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,160 and for me, there's no bigger adrenaline rush. 15 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:56,400 But out here, 16 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:00,320 you're at the mercy of some seriously majestic natural forces, 17 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:04,880 which can make the sea a perilous place to be. 18 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,240 As I head for one of our most treacherous stretches, 19 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,080 Northumberland's north-east, 20 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,080 my fellow coast crew are also taking to the high seas. 21 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:18,520 Walk on the boat! 22 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,440 Mark's exploring how a stalwart of our oceans, 23 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:26,960 the roll-on, roll-off ferry, stays safe in wild waters. 24 00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:29,040 If the water from here 25 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,880 gets into here, it could be lethal. 26 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:38,280 Miranda's diving into the untamed depths of Dublin Bay. 27 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,320 Out there is Britain's most venomous jellyfish, the Lion's Mane. 28 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:45,000 And I'm about to enter its lair. 29 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:46,920 And Dick's on the trail of a plan 30 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,320 to make wartime waters even wilder... 31 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:51,880 ..with fire. 32 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,200 - The water's bubbling. - Yep. 33 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:56,600 - We're boiling the sea? - Yes. 34 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:00,480 Welcome to the wild waters of our coast. 35 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,320 OK, Tom. 36 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:34,600 Wild waters, 37 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,280 the ultimate gauntlet thrown down by nature. 38 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,240 But for centuries, man has looked out there 39 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,440 and also found a maritime muse. 40 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,200 Inspiration for how we work with 41 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,680 and survive nature at its most terrifying. 42 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,600 What drives people to take on the elements? 43 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,640 And how do we contend with perilous seas? 44 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,480 I'm taking a journey down the north-east Coast of Northumberland 45 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,600 on a quest to find out. 46 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,560 Starting at windswept Bamburgh 47 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,400 and heading for the mouth of the River Tyne. 48 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,720 This coast is one of Britain's most hazardous, 49 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:36,080 a 65 mile danger zone, with 780 known shipwrecks. 50 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,920 'I'm venturing into these wild waters with RNLI coxswain, 51 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:53,440 'John Hanvey, to investigate why they've claimed so many victims.' 52 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:57,400 What is it, John, that makes this coast so dangerous? 53 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,920 Well, as you can see by looking at the chart, 54 00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:03,400 you have virtually a straight run up the coastline, 55 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:05,720 and then you come across the Farne Islands, 56 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,880 which the furthest one out is about three and a half miles, 57 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,080 and because the Farne Islands are blocking the route of the tide, 58 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,040 as it funnels through, the tide becomes very strong 59 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,520 and runs in loads of different directions. 60 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:19,880 So, it's like a gigantic, natural breakwater 61 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:22,720 - sticking out into the shipping lanes? - It is, yes. 62 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,320 It's like a millpond here today, John, 63 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,080 but what's it like when you've got a really big storm blowing? 64 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,520 It's wild, got a lot of wind, a lot of tide, 65 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:33,520 a lot of water coming over the top, 66 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:34,800 the boat's rolling 67 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,040 and when it's dark it makes it ten times worse. 68 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,520 Another thing we get on this part of the coast is fog, 69 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,320 and I think a lot of people who have been to sea all their life 70 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:46,000 would sooner have a gale of wind than they would the fog. 71 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:50,280 Because this coastline has a host of hidden hazards. 72 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:54,040 Basically, between the Farnes, right down over Holy Island, 73 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,920 we've got a lot of shallower water, we've got smaller islands, 74 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,880 some of which have only got about a metre of water 75 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:02,680 covered over the top of them, so if you don't know where they are, 76 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:04,400 they would catch you out. 77 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:10,320 These waters are so wild that even with modern navigation, 78 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,400 vessels still sail into trouble. 79 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,680 Two centuries ago, up to five ships a night were lost. 80 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,400 What did they do before the days of the RNLI? 81 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,480 'They looked to a local landmark.' 82 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:26,800 Bamburgh Castle. 83 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,520 I want to find out why it made this coast 84 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:34,920 the cradle of life-saving. 85 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,160 Bamburgh Castle is an impressive vantage point. 86 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:45,760 300 years ago, it was home to Dr John Sharp, 87 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,080 archdeacon and son of the Archbishop of York. 88 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,760 He devoted his life to saving others. 89 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:58,440 It's the late 1700s and Sharp is receiving weekly reports 90 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,440 of drowned bodies being washed up on these shores. 91 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:06,760 Sharp grows increasingly disturbed by the relentless loss of life 92 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:11,240 and becomes obsessed with making our wild waters safer. 93 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:19,160 'There was no nearby lighthouse, no ship-to-shore communication, 94 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,920 'no distress flares. 95 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,000 'So, what did Sharp come up with? 96 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,840 'A set of instructions.' 97 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:31,040 It was a watch and rescue system. 98 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:35,400 When the mists came down, or the waters turned wild, 99 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:39,160 it was all eyes on the coast for those at Bamburgh Castle. 100 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:43,760 He'd invented the first coastguard station. 101 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:46,800 "In every great storm, 102 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,360 'two men on horseback are sent from the castle 103 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,320 "to patrol from sunset to sunrise." 104 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,040 - BELL RINGS - "A bell on the south turret 105 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,440 "will be rung out in every thick fog as a signal. 106 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:04,000 "A person is to attend every morning to look out 107 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,120 "if any ships be in distress." 108 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:12,400 If any were spotted, those at the castle jumped into action. 109 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:17,200 First, a gun signalled the location of the wrecked ship. 110 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,280 Prepare to give fire. 111 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:20,560 GUNSHOT 112 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:22,800 One shot for the islands. 113 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:24,880 TWO GUNSHOTS 114 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:26,560 Two for north. 115 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,800 THREE GUNSHOTS 116 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:31,200 Three for south. 117 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,440 But how could you communicate with stricken vessels? 118 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,560 Sharp's solution was a flag and a speaking trumpet. 119 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,160 Ahoy there! 120 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,000 Help is at hand. 121 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:53,040 Enormous iron chains hauled foundering ships to shore. 122 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,040 The first coastguard at Bamburgh 123 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,720 not only warned ships away from the coastline, 124 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,920 but provided refuge for shipwrecked sailors, 125 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:08,080 food, first aid, beds, space to store cargo. 126 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:14,720 Despite Sharp's pioneering efforts, lives were still being lost. 127 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:20,240 There was no slipway to get a boat out to stranded ships. 128 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:22,640 He needed something remarkable. 129 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:31,080 In 1788, Sharp contacted a London coach builder, Lionel Lukin. 130 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:37,120 Lukin had just modified and patented a Norway yawl by adding air boxes, 131 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:42,520 cork gunnels and a deeper keel to improve stability and buoyancy. 132 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:46,440 Lukin called his vessel the 'unimmergible boat.' 133 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,120 It was intended as a Thames work boat, 134 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:53,280 but Sharp immediately saw its potential as a life-saver. 135 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,760 How could a river boat from the placid Thames 136 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,120 work in the wild waters of the North Sea? 137 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,400 - Hi, Tim. Very good to meet you. - Hello, Nick. Nice to meet you too. 138 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:11,120 'I'm meeting boat restorer, Tim West, to find out.' 139 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:14,200 Here it is. 140 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:15,640 The coble. 141 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,800 Specially designed for the north-east Coast. 142 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,320 Because they're going into the water this way, 143 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:23,360 the forefoot is a deep forefoot, 144 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,600 so it acts as a rudder when you're going into the sea. 145 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:28,040 When it's deep enough, 146 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:29,840 they would then, 147 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:31,440 they would then fit the rudder. 148 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,200 They'd lean it over the stern and then drop the rudder into the, 149 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:36,640 the pintles, aren't they, these holes here? 150 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:38,360 And then you've got a tiller somewhere. 151 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,600 I do like model boats. 152 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:43,880 There you go, you've got a tiller on. Beautiful. 153 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:45,760 So, that's what steers the boat. 154 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:51,040 This coble could be launched from a flat beach. 155 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,240 To stop the wild waters swallowing it, 156 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,360 buoyant cork panels and air chambers were added. 157 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,760 But was it really unsinkable? 158 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:05,920 'We're putting our scale model to the test.' 159 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:08,720 - A demo bit of sea. - This is the North Sea. 160 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:14,040 And we've managed to find two likely passengers in period dress. 161 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:15,440 Very elegantly dressed, yeah. 162 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,480 Lukin's principal design was to make sure the boat, 163 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,520 even though it was fully overwhelmed, 164 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,320 - it wouldn't, er, it wouldn't completely sink. - Yeah. 165 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:27,520 So, he fitted additional buoyancy in, which I've done here, 166 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:29,360 with some cork covered with calico. 167 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,200 Theoretically, if the boat was full of water, 168 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:34,720 it wouldn't sink, even with survivors on board. 169 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:37,240 Can we try that? Here comes the North Sea storm. 170 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:38,800 Right, here it comes. 171 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:48,120 So, that's showing that the boat copes quite well in the sea, 172 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,480 so let's er, let's see what happens when we submerge it. 173 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:58,440 So, it doesn't sink, and it's not even turned upside down. 174 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,840 So, Lupin's designed worked. 175 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,600 So, the basic coble with extra buoyancy 176 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,360 - could stay afloat in a North Sea storm. - Yep. 177 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:11,280 That's remarkable, the beginning of the lifeboat story, 178 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,440 demonstrated in a paddling pool on a beach at Bamburgh. 179 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:22,480 John Sharp was a visionary who conquered these wild waters. 180 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:28,040 He created the first coastguard and first lifeboat station. 181 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:33,000 This hero of the waves gave rise to a crucial rescue service 182 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,800 that still watches over our coast today. 183 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:54,800 The coastguard is a staple of our seas. 184 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:00,520 But a somewhat larger workhorse of our wild waters 185 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:02,520 is the roll-on, roll-off ferry. 186 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:06,760 Reliable and steadfast, 187 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:11,200 it takes a pretty wild ocean to stop them sailing. 188 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,080 These beasts of our maritime superhighway 189 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:17,600 evolved from times of war. 190 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:25,040 Now, they wage a daily battle to keep people and cargo moving. 191 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:33,960 Departing from Stranraer on the west coast of Scotland, 192 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:38,160 Mark's on a mission to investigate how 'RoRos' 193 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:42,920 and their passengers stomach our wild waters. 194 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:46,760 If you were going to design a ship 195 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:49,080 to take on the high seas, 196 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:54,280 a roll-on, roll-off ferry might not be the obvious choice. 197 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:56,520 It's not, on first appearance, 198 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,080 the most watertight of vessels. BEEPING 199 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:02,560 RoRos have a huge, open stern, 200 00:13:02,560 --> 00:13:04,880 leading to a cavernous hull. 201 00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:10,760 If the water from here 202 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:13,520 gets into here, it could be lethal. 203 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:20,160 On the 31st of January, 1953, 204 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:21,800 it did and it was. 205 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:28,200 The wildest storm in living memory claimed the first RoRo casualty... 206 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:30,400 ..the Princess Victoria. 207 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,640 On this very route, Stranraer to Larne, 208 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:37,080 her stern doors were ripped from their hinges, 209 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,200 water flooded in. 210 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,680 "Despite the valiant efforts of her crew 211 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:47,200 "and other seafarers, 212 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,520 "the Princess Victoria foundered 213 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:51,760 "off the coast of Northern Ireland 214 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,840 "with a loss of 133 lives." 215 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:03,320 An inquiry blamed wild waters and a fatal flaw in the stern door. 216 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,440 It didn't provide a watertight seal for the car deck. 217 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:11,160 Since then, failing doors and ferocious seas 218 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:15,800 have been factors in two more European ferry sinkings, 219 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,080 the 1987 Herald of Free Enterprise 220 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:21,960 and The Estonia, less than a decade later. 221 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,000 'I want to investigate what was learned from these disasters' 222 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,560 and how ferries cope with stormy seas. 223 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,640 Wild waters have been the driving force 224 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,840 behind the science and safety of RoRo ferries. 225 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:46,040 Whilst design hasn't changed, technology has. 226 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:50,640 Now these floating giants have CCTV everywhere. 227 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,480 Sensors ensure doors are sealed shut. 228 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:57,840 Checks between crew and bridge 229 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:01,760 are constant before and during crossings. 230 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:03,760 If anything is awry, 231 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:06,240 a ship won't sail. 232 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:11,160 But what happens if a ferry hits trouble out at sea? 233 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:15,520 Emergency drills are another product of lessons learnt. 234 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:18,560 BEEP 235 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,320 Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please. 236 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,760 "This is the captain speaking, please listen very carefully." 237 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:27,240 All hands muster to emergency stations. 238 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,200 Each week, crews from around our shores 239 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:40,360 take part in emergency drills to evacuate passengers 240 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:42,600 from these floating giants. 241 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:44,320 Today, I'm going to join them. 242 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,080 Go to the left, bear left and round the sink. 243 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,240 Stay there and do your best. 244 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,120 In an emergency at sea, 245 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:57,040 passengers are instructed to find their nearest assembly station. 246 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:00,720 Gosh, it's somewhere out here. 247 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,160 First team, it's 10 minutes of air time. 10 minutes of airtime left. 248 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,200 Can you imagine what this would be like in a real emergency, 249 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,840 finding your way round this labyrinth of doors? 250 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,400 The situation has now become very serious. 251 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,240 As a result, I've decided to abandon ship. 252 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:22,800 "Evacuate..." 253 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:24,400 'For the crew on board, 254 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:28,040 'this evacuation procedure is second nature.' 255 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,640 I think it's down here, outside decks. 256 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:32,960 Chaps in orange. 257 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:34,320 I feel safer now. 258 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:38,040 - I need a life jacket. - There you are. - Ah, thanks. 259 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,480 There are four lifeboats on this ferry, 260 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:42,920 each holding 125 people. 261 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,200 And these people will help you onto the boat! 262 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:49,360 Please do what's instructed. 263 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:50,560 Walk on the boat, 264 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:54,000 move on down and sit on the opposite side of the boat, please. 265 00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:58,200 There we are, safe. 266 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:00,120 That was really very exciting. 267 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,080 You know, these guys do it all the time, every Sunday morning, 268 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:08,040 so they're so calm, but it was so quick, so fast. 269 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:12,000 Evacuation at sea is thankfully rare. 270 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:18,080 But there's one factor none of us can control on our wild waters... 271 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:20,400 '..the great British weather.' 272 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,360 But can we be one step ahead of it? 273 00:17:23,360 --> 00:17:27,200 'Paddy McAlinden is the ship's master.' 274 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:30,520 We have got much more detailed forecasts. As you can see here, 275 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,680 there's everything in this, we've got sea states, wave heights, 276 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,720 wind strengths, and they're planning this for every three hours, 277 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:38,920 right through for a four-day sequence. 278 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:40,720 Nowadays, you can really set your watch 279 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,320 on the time of day a front going through, 280 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:44,600 they are that accurate. 281 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:49,880 Ultimately though, whether you sail or not is your decision as master? 282 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:52,760 My decision, the decision rests with me and if I say, 283 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:56,840 "I do not consider the conditions favourable for the voyage", 284 00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:57,960 I will not sail. 285 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:04,240 Just a tiny percentage of ferry crossings are cancelled 286 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:05,880 due to bad weather. 287 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:10,440 The sheer size of RoRos means even when the waters are wild, 288 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,600 you're probably in the most stable vessel on our seas. 289 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,160 If you've got a big swell 290 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:20,120 and, say, a small boat, 291 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:24,680 you'll literally go up and down the full height of the waves, 292 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:26,320 just like this - there you go. 293 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:33,320 Now, if we've, on the other hand, got a RoRo ferry, 294 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,440 the same swell... 295 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:39,560 and that's going through the waves something like this... 296 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:43,360 ..a funnel there... 297 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:48,960 ..the vertical heave is much less, 298 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,520 and therefore it's a much more comfortable ride. 299 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:57,000 So, why do so many of us still get seasick? 300 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:07,320 Ferries can't avoid sideways roll - a key cause of nausea. 301 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:12,440 On a RoRo the passengers are on higher decks than the cars 302 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:14,080 for safety reasons. 303 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:19,400 That makes a sideways roll much worse. 304 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:20,880 Put the RoRo ferry 305 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:22,760 in a typical swell - 306 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,600 you can see that the movement 307 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,840 down below is much less 308 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:29,240 than up on top. 309 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:32,560 Of course, that will mean it's much more nauseous up here 310 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:34,120 than it is down here. 311 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:40,040 Millions suffer seasickness, 312 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:44,720 but what's going on inside our bodies when the nausea hits? 313 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:51,200 I'm putting myself on the line for science. 314 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:52,640 Hi, John. 315 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:54,880 Nice to meet you - and here's Rose, my assistant. 316 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,440 Professor John Golding from the University of Westminster 317 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:03,600 is an expert in motion sickness and spatial disorientation. 318 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:05,520 So, can you make me seasick? 319 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,240 Well, we haven't got a boat here to actually do that, 320 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:09,560 but we can mimic it 321 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,320 - by simply using a rotating chair. - Right. 322 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:14,600 - Here we go. - Sitting comfortably? - OK. 323 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,000 And Rose, if you could pass me the blindfold - 324 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,440 - do you mind wearing this blindfold? - No, that's all right. 325 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:22,600 Now, I must warn you, I've never, ever been seasick. 326 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,560 - Right. - I've done lots of sailing, but never been seasick. 327 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:27,840 - Well, this is going to be a challenge. - It is indeed. 328 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:31,160 The reason we have the blindfold is to cut out your horizon view 329 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:34,240 to make it a bit more difficult for you to resist motion sickness. 330 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:36,560 MUSIC: You Spin Me Round by Dead Or Alive 331 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,680 - Round I go. - And speed up a bit. 332 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:43,440 Head up. 333 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,240 Down. Hold it down. 334 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:48,400 Up. Hold it. 335 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:49,480 Down. 336 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,080 I mean, are some people more susceptible to sea sickness 337 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:55,040 - than others? - Yes, there's huge differences. 338 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,360 It's partly genetics - it's also partly age. 339 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:01,120 When you're young, about eight or nine years old, 340 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:03,720 that's the most susceptible period of your life, 341 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,320 then you get slightly more resistant as you get older, 342 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:09,880 and women tend to be slightly more susceptible, as well. 343 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:14,000 Sea sickness is caused when the inner ear canals, 344 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,000 which sense rotation spinning in the chair, 345 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:21,640 conflict with the inner ear otoliths which sense acceleration, 346 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:23,520 nodding the head. 347 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,480 Beginning to feel ever so slightly nauseous. 348 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:29,600 Head up, head down. 349 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:31,880 - Head up... - Yes, it's coming on now. 350 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:34,160 ..and head down. Urgh... 351 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:38,080 - Head up...and head down. - Ugh. Eurgh... 352 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:42,680 The sensory confusion tricks the body into thinking it's poisoned, 353 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:44,800 which is why we're sick. 354 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:46,680 HE VOMITS 355 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:51,400 That could be what we call the avalanche phenomenon, 356 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:55,600 that things seem OK to begin with, and then it suddenly comes on. 357 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:57,200 Oh, God. 358 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,280 Well, just keep your head still and breathe. 359 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:01,440 - I have no idea where I am. - Breathe - breathe slowly. 360 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:04,120 HE CHUCKLES Oh... 361 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:06,400 Oh, dear. 362 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:11,360 I'm in good company, at least - even Nelson suffered sea sickness. 363 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:16,920 Our bodies might bow to wild waters, but these titans of the waves 364 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:22,440 have all the available technology to keep us safe from savage seas. 365 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,520 It doesn't take long to get your sea legs back, 366 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,760 and suddenly I feel very much in control. 367 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:35,960 - Turning that to the centre. - That's the thrusters? 368 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,040 The thrusters, now, are back controlled here. 369 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:43,000 I'm about to do something that, as a sailor, I've always wanted. 370 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,960 Oh, it's so exciting! 371 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:47,040 OK then, Mark, push the handles right down. 372 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:48,360 - Right to the end? - Right down. 373 00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:49,480 - 10. - That's it. 374 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:50,520 HE LAUGHS 375 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,280 - OK, you've got it. - I don't believe it! - Yeah, you've done it there. 376 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:58,520 I've taken the helm of a RoRo out into our wild waters. 377 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,560 Unforgiving seas are not for the faint-hearted. 378 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:28,160 Some hardened seafarers spend most of their life in wild waters... 379 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:30,640 sea birds. 380 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:38,320 But there is one patch of solid ground to which they flock - 381 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:40,240 the Farne Islands. 382 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:52,560 28 rocky bastions standing steadfast against swell and tide. 383 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,320 Wildlife photographer Richard Taylor-Jones 384 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:03,920 has come to this inaccessible idyll at a wild time of the year. 385 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,000 It's June. 386 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:16,600 The Farnes play host to 140,000 arctic terns... 387 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:18,520 shags... 388 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:19,800 puffins... 389 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:21,640 guillemots... 390 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,560 and eiders - 391 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:29,520 the male our most handsome, heaviest and fastest flying duck... 392 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,160 ..the female just a brown bundle. 393 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,880 These feathered seafarers 394 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:41,480 have worked out how to do everything at sea, 395 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,120 except breed. 396 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:46,800 For that, they come ashore. 397 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:52,320 A carpet of copulation swarming and swirling for a few short weeks 398 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:54,320 to produce their young. 399 00:24:57,360 --> 00:24:59,880 Why choose the Farnes? 400 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:05,320 Quite simply, the islands are free of ground-dwelling predators - 401 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:09,200 rats, cats, dogs, foxes - 402 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:12,720 kept away by the wild sea. 403 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:17,800 But ironically, safety on land isn't guaranteed 404 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:19,320 for eider ducklings. 405 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,800 They leave their nests as soon as they've hatched 406 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:26,240 and make for the sea. 407 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:32,160 Food will not be brought to them - 408 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:35,480 it's move or starve. 409 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:42,880 Hungry eyes watch and wait. 410 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,800 Herring gulls have a snack in mind. 411 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:54,600 For four hours, this eider duck mother is cornered... 412 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:56,680 GULL CRIES 413 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:03,200 ..but one chick escapes her watchful eye. 414 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:07,640 It's now easy prey. 415 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:34,720 Not all stay safe on the Farnes, 416 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,760 but most ducklings will reach the sea. 417 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:45,960 Soon this busy, bustling world will empty. 418 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:56,640 The birds will head back out into wild waters. 419 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,440 The power of the sea sculpts the coast... 420 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,760 ..bearing witness to tragedy... 421 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:18,800 and triumph. 422 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,840 I'm exploring one of Britain's most treacherous coasts - 423 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:30,200 the North East. 424 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:35,840 Wild waters awash with feats of conquest and survival. 425 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,720 I've reached Seahouses Harbour. 426 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:44,240 Getting in here takes some nifty navigation... 427 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:50,720 ..and the help of the Longstone Lighthouse, six miles offshore. 428 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:57,240 But two centuries ago it was the lighthouse keeper's daughter 429 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:01,520 who became a leading light in the world of life-saving. 430 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:06,720 Come to this coast and you can't miss Grace Darling. 431 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:10,800 In 1838 she spotted the steamship Forfarshire 432 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,160 through the window of the lighthouse. 433 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,640 Reports at the time described the seas as being 434 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:20,920 "lashed by the tempest into the most tumultuous commotion." 435 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,880 The ship was broken in two - one half lodging on the rocks. 436 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:28,680 Grace and her father rowed into the eye of the storm 437 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,120 and rescued nine survivors - 438 00:28:31,120 --> 00:28:33,960 and Grace became a national heroine. 439 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:38,680 The splendidly named 440 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:42,480 Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned 441 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,560 awarded Grace a specially minted medal. 442 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:50,320 On it, a cherub blowing life into the dying embers of a torch - 443 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,640 a metaphor for saving life. 444 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:56,200 It coincided with a burgeoning interest 445 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,280 in the science of resuscitation... 446 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:01,360 ..but, 200 years ago, 447 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:05,840 how did they set about bringing the drowned back to life? 448 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:07,760 Hello, Craig. 449 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:11,080 Craig Barclay is a local historian. 450 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:13,840 The technique which probably seems strangest to us 451 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:15,760 in the 21st century 452 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:17,560 is the tobacco enema, 453 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,160 and the key to that is the bellows. 454 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,760 That sounds incredibly painful - how did it work? 455 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:26,600 Essentially, imagine me with my pipe of tobacco. 456 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,320 Imagine you have just been dragged out of the harbour - 457 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,680 life appears extinct. 458 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:36,800 My solution to this problem is to take a long drag on my pipe, 459 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,080 to blow the smoke through a rubber tube into the bellows 460 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:44,520 - and to insert these bellows into your backside and blow. - Ouch! 461 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,000 I think I'd probably jump clean back into the water again. 462 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:48,080 Not very much fun, 463 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:52,040 but it was felt that tobacco would stimulate you back into life. 464 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:53,760 Blowing smoke rings. 465 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,520 If you were unlucky enough to drown in a spot 466 00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:01,560 without a handy rectal fumigation kit, fear not - 467 00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:05,000 other methods were available. 468 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:09,160 The barrel roll, to force air in and out of the chest. 469 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,600 And the trotting horse method, 470 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:15,240 to compress the chest and bounce the body to restore breathing. 471 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:20,480 Harbours like this were the front line 472 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:22,960 in the fight-back against wild waters. 473 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,520 There was just one catch. 474 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:29,800 These imaginative methods weren't very effective. 475 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,800 Half a century later, new guidelines were published. 476 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:38,160 Instruction manuals such as this were in circulation. 477 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:40,920 They said you should never hang someone upside-down, 478 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:42,920 you should never roll them on a barrel 479 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:46,560 you should never blow tobacco into their backside. 480 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:49,400 I imagine a round of applause, probably, from certain sea-goers. 481 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:51,600 I think a round of applause from many. 482 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:54,720 The techniques recommended continued to be warming the body, 483 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:56,480 massaging the body, 484 00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:00,160 but also inserting air into the body - 485 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,320 again using the bellows, 486 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,560 but now inserted into the nostril with the other nostril sealed, 487 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:07,680 mouth sealed, 488 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:11,440 and once you had a good seal you could use that to inflate the lungs. 489 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:14,120 So a first step towards modern resuscitation. 490 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:19,240 It may have taken some eye-watering experimentation 491 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:24,120 to get to our modern world of defibrillators and oxygen masks, 492 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:28,440 but the principle of resuscitation remains unchanged - 493 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:31,240 getting air back into our lungs. 494 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:46,640 On our coast, nature has the power to take your breath away... 495 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:54,960 ..but some people find the wildest water below the surface. 496 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:07,520 Under the waves lurks an untamed world of watery wildlife. 497 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:17,120 In Dublin Bay, 498 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:19,960 Miranda's preparing to take the plunge. 499 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:29,720 Here, these seemingly tranquil waters have a wild side... 500 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,760 and come with a sting in their tail. 501 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,800 Dublin Bay is a Mecca for open sea swimmers - 502 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:39,240 they come here every weekend 503 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,880 to flex their muscles against tide and temperature. 504 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:43,320 Four minutes. 505 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:46,520 But these wild waters aren't just home to aquatic athletes. 506 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:50,400 Out there is Britain's most venomous jellyfish, the lion's mane - 507 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,840 and I'm about to enter its lair. 508 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:59,240 The lion's mane can grow up to two metres in diameter, 509 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:04,520 and its tentacles trail over an area of 500 square metres. 510 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:08,200 It's one of the largest jellyfish in the world. 511 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:12,520 This king of the underwater jungle 512 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:15,160 feeds on plankton and all other jellyfish. 513 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:21,280 Many swimmers have had painful encounters on this coast. 514 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:27,760 So, how did it feel? 515 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:29,120 - What was it like? - Nasty. 516 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,200 I mean, there's an absolute sudden, um, just stinging pain, 517 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:34,080 and it was really, really intense. 518 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:36,400 It was kind of like a burn and sting at the same time, 519 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:37,520 really, really strong - 520 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,560 like, I just literally screamed in the water, I was like, "Whoa!" 521 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:45,760 I tried everything - I tried whisky on it and then whisky in me, 522 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:49,400 I tried urine, I tried vinegar, I tried the whole shebang, 523 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:51,000 and it was torture. 524 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:53,520 - They say alcohol is very good. - What, to drink it? 525 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:55,960 - Yes. - SHE LAUGHS 526 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,040 Right, off you go. 527 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:01,920 As the swimmers set off hoping for a sting-free race, 528 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,000 I want to know what attracts these venomous jellyfish 529 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:06,640 to this coast... 530 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:08,880 and why they're so hazardous. 531 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:11,760 - Good morning. - How you doing, you all right? 532 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,200 I'm heading out with Dr Tom Doyle 533 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:17,120 of the National University of Ireland, Galway 534 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:21,040 and Damien Haberlin from University College Cork. 535 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,080 They're trying to unlock the secrets of the lion's mane 536 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:26,400 in a bid to find an antidote. 537 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:30,120 Just 500 metres offshore is a lion's mane hot spot. 538 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:34,760 What is it about this area that they really like? 539 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:38,520 There seems to be some sort of a retaining feature, 540 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:40,520 and the jellyfish likes that kind of habitat, 541 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:43,120 where basically they're moving back and forth with the tide, 542 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:45,280 they're not being swept out on the ocean currents, 543 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:46,320 and a lot of jellyfish, 544 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,480 they do actually like to stay in a particular area, 545 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:50,720 so there'll be a lot of other jellyfish species here 546 00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:52,520 - that they'd actually feed on. - OK. - So... 547 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:54,960 - Oh, look! There's actually two. - Yeah! Oh, yeah - great. 548 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:56,760 And there's a blue jelly, as well. 549 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,880 Lion's manes are relatively weak swimmers, 550 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:04,440 but congregate in favourable conditions. 551 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:11,640 So, how do you study a potentially lethal jellyfish? 552 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:15,680 Get in these wild waters and catch one. 553 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:19,160 Cue wet suits... 554 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:28,840 ..and a liberal application of petroleum jelly. 555 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:32,320 I've never taken so many precautions going into the water before. 556 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:33,640 That feels disgusting. 557 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:35,600 I feel like I've trowelled it on. 558 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:37,880 You're looking good, there, actually. 559 00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:43,080 Suited and booted, it's time to sit and wait. 560 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:47,680 OK there's one there, there's one there, go there. 561 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:00,200 Is that definitely a lion's mane? 562 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:01,880 Yeah, it's definitely a lion's mane. 563 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:03,520 Brilliant. Oh, that's good. 564 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:06,200 Going to scoop it up. 565 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:10,920 I'm going to stay back a bit - those tentacles look really long! 566 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:13,040 Our catch is a mere baby. 567 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:14,680 Great stuff, well done. 568 00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:19,200 Picking up a fully grown specimen would be highly dangerous. 569 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:20,240 And there we go. 570 00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:22,520 Oh, that's a good one - look at the tentacles, wow. 571 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:24,400 - Really sticky! - Plenty of venom. 572 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:25,640 - Oh, brilliant. - Yeah. 573 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:29,320 Plenty of venom indeed - 574 00:36:29,320 --> 00:36:34,120 it's managed to find a tiny patch of my exposed skin. 575 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:35,760 I think I've been stung, actually. 576 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:38,000 A bit like a nettle sting, I think, just up here. 577 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:39,240 Yeah, yeah - it looks red, 578 00:36:39,240 --> 00:36:41,480 - so it looks like you've been stung, all right. - Yeah. 579 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:43,800 - Yeah, OK. The real deal, then. - Yeah, yeah. - Hardcore. 580 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:46,080 - You can join the team now. - Thank you! 581 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:49,520 So, I've obviously been stung by a very small bit of tentacle - 582 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:51,760 what reaction is happening inside my body? 583 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:55,400 Each tentacle has thousands and thousands of stinging capsules 584 00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:56,640 like a balloon, 585 00:36:56,640 --> 00:37:00,840 and inside that is coiled up, effectively, a harpoon - 586 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:02,880 these balloons burst, 587 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:06,520 that fires the harpoon that pierces your skin 588 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:09,760 and then the venom is injected into your system. 589 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:13,880 Once inside, scientists think - based on other jellies - 590 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:17,080 that venom attaches on to red blood cells, 591 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:20,160 making a hole which releases potassium. 592 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:22,920 A serious sting with large amounts of venom 593 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:25,600 could cause a dangerous flush of potassium, 594 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:28,840 whose effects the scientists are still investigating. 595 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:33,840 Developing an antidote 596 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:37,480 means collecting the venom by taking off some toxic tentacles. 597 00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:42,280 - All right, so I've got a load of tentacles there. - OK... 598 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:44,120 - All right... - Snip. 599 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:46,000 So, trimming those tentacles off - 600 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,840 is that actually harming the jellyfish? 601 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:50,280 No, these animals lose tentacles all the time, 602 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:53,080 when they capture prey or when they get entangled in seaweed, 603 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:55,920 - or anything like that. - We can see them floating around in the water. 604 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:57,320 Yeah, absolutely, so, you know, 605 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,560 - taking some tentacles... - It's just like a haircut. 606 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,400 - It's just like a haircut, yeah. - All right. 607 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,000 This sample will be analysed in a laboratory. 608 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:07,760 The scientists hope their work here 609 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:10,360 will not only help them understand stings, 610 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:14,440 but could lead to successful antivenom for the lion's mane. 611 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,680 The very wildness of these waters 612 00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:25,120 lures us, as well as these beautiful, captivating creatures. 613 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:30,040 Creatures we're one step closer to understanding, 614 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:33,040 thanks to the swimmers and the scientists. 615 00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:46,720 We're exploring the wild waters of our coast. 616 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:56,920 From vast expanses of open seas... 617 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:05,600 ..to epic oceans, whose waves crash on our coast. 618 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:15,520 The lure of our wild waters is irresistible. 619 00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:20,800 I'm traversing the treacherous tides of the North East, 620 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:27,200 on a mission to uncover how man contends with nature to save lives. 621 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:29,200 I've reached Tynemouth... 622 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,880 ..a seemingly calm river-mouth with deadly obstacles. 623 00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:41,080 Here, shallow seas meet with shifting sands 624 00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:45,160 and hidden rocks known ominously as the Black Middens. 625 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:50,840 This treacherous topography is a natural wrecking zone. 626 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,600 Rescue by lifeboat is difficult enough... 627 00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:59,200 ..so, can you rise above it? 628 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:06,120 This is a breeches buoy - 629 00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:12,080 basically a life buoy attached to the top part of a pair of trousers. 630 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:15,600 A line was fired from the shore to the sinking ship, or the wreck, 631 00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:20,240 and then one at a time survivors climbed into the breeches buoy 632 00:40:20,240 --> 00:40:24,080 and were hauled to safety by the onshore team. 633 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:25,760 Good in theory, 634 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,840 but what I want to know is how it worked in reality, 635 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:32,840 and why this antiquated aid is still being used 636 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:34,640 on this part of the coast. 637 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:42,800 Invented in 1808, the breeches buoy was once commonplace on our coast... 638 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:49,200 ..but it was never more needed here than in 1864, 639 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:54,120 when the Black Middens claimed three ships in one dark night. 640 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:57,120 The local coastguard 641 00:40:57,120 --> 00:41:00,160 couldn't operate the breeches buoy quickly enough. 642 00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:04,640 Watching was one John Morrison. 643 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:08,400 Realising trained backup could have saved lives, 644 00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:11,720 he founded the first Volunteer Life Brigade. 645 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:16,840 They're one of just two remaining teams in Britain 646 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:19,560 trained in this ship-to-shore rescue system. 647 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:24,160 But how much graft does it take to save lives? 648 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:29,920 In my quest to find out first-hand how the breeches buoy works, 649 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:32,320 I've volunteered to be rescued. 650 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:37,720 I'm heading out to my 19th century shipwreck, 651 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:41,360 where the stricken crew include the local vicar, 652 00:41:41,360 --> 00:41:44,600 who's trying to make the best of a bad situation. 653 00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:47,120 Eternal Father, creator of land and sea, 654 00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:50,320 we pray for all those involved in the life... 655 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:53,360 Today's drill is for display purposes, 656 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:57,000 but it's still an essential part of Brigade training. 657 00:41:59,920 --> 00:42:02,480 Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, action! 658 00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:11,560 That'll do. 659 00:42:13,680 --> 00:42:16,520 A rocket fires a line from land to boat. 660 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:19,240 Fire! 661 00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:21,960 No mean feat in wild waters. 662 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:27,880 The breeches buoy is then hauled across to the shipwreck. 663 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,520 Here we go - it's my turn. 664 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:35,040 And now my fate is in the hands of the Brigade. 665 00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:40,880 This is just a drill, 666 00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:43,760 but it's exciting enough to give me a flavour 667 00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:47,720 of what it would be like being rescued from a sinking ship 668 00:42:47,720 --> 00:42:50,280 in a raging storm - 669 00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:52,240 it would be frightening. 670 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:58,960 It's surprising how the cold of the water takes your breath away. 671 00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:01,360 I've got very little energy for saving myself - 672 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:04,320 I'm entirely in the hands of the Brigade. 673 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:08,960 Little short bites, guys, come on! 674 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:11,800 It takes the team less than two minutes 675 00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:14,800 to drag me the hundred metres to safety. 676 00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:17,960 Thank you, thank you. 677 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:20,000 HE PANTS 678 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:28,320 I'm breathless, and I've done nothing 679 00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:30,240 but been dragged through the water - 680 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:33,800 at the most incredible speed, it's far faster than I expected. 681 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:38,480 But there's no rest for me. 682 00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:43,320 Now I'm turning rescuer, and joining the Brigade to haul in the next man. 683 00:43:49,720 --> 00:43:52,000 My arms are burning. 684 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:56,400 Keep going, guys, come on. 685 00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:58,800 Little short bites, little short bites. 686 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:01,640 This team have developed their own language - 687 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:04,920 every command practised until its second nature. 688 00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:06,280 The water's pulling it... 689 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:08,280 Keep a hand on the rope at all times. 690 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:14,960 Do you feel the shackle coming? Tell the guy behind you, please. 691 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:17,640 - Shackle! - Shackle! - Shackle! - Shackle! 692 00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:18,760 Fine, how are you?! 693 00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:20,920 LAUGHTER 694 00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:22,840 Oh! Oh! 695 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:26,080 My arms are like overcooked spaghetti. 696 00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:28,720 I've got nothing below the shoulders. 697 00:44:28,720 --> 00:44:30,920 I've only hauled in the vicar - 698 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:34,400 these volunteers will do this ten times. 699 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:36,080 Twice for each rescue. 700 00:44:39,240 --> 00:44:42,360 The breeches buoy is rarely used today, 701 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:45,240 but the teamwork it demands has remained essential 702 00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:47,800 for overcoming our wild waters. 703 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:55,320 Being part of this team and sharing their camaraderie for a short while 704 00:44:55,320 --> 00:45:00,400 helps to wash away fears of the ocean and its violent moods. 705 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:02,160 This band of brothers 706 00:45:02,160 --> 00:45:06,000 are testament to the courage of Tyneside's volunteers. 707 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:20,680 Courage is often called for on our coast. 708 00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:28,480 Our waters are at their wildest during times of war. 709 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:39,600 One narrow stretch has been contested for centuries - 710 00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:42,480 the English Channel. 711 00:45:45,880 --> 00:45:50,120 During the Second World War, plans were afoot to invade. 712 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:55,240 Hitler's eyes were fixed on our white cliffs. 713 00:45:56,800 --> 00:46:00,960 This coast was renamed Hellfire Corner. 714 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:04,320 Dick Strawbridge is investigating how these wild waters 715 00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:08,160 made front page news, 716 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:13,080 when they were put to work to extinguish the enemy threat. 717 00:46:18,160 --> 00:46:21,600 The Second World War has thrown up many strange stories. 718 00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:24,160 Rumours are spread fastest 719 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:26,760 when Britain has faced her greatest threats. 720 00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:32,600 But one tale persists to this day... 721 00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:34,840 the story that German troops 722 00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:38,080 actually invaded the south coast in 1940. 723 00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:45,480 This headline on the 15th of December 1940 724 00:46:45,480 --> 00:46:49,200 claims that 80,000 charred German bodies 725 00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:52,560 were washed up on British beaches after a failed invasion attempt - 726 00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:54,800 they'd been consumed by fire. 727 00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:57,640 Now, I'm an ex-military man, I've never heard of this - 728 00:46:57,640 --> 00:47:01,480 but this isn't any local rag, this is the New York Times. 729 00:47:03,480 --> 00:47:06,440 What was this "all-consuming fire" off our shores? 730 00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:12,160 If it claimed 80,000 victims and foiled an invasion, 731 00:47:12,160 --> 00:47:15,880 why isn't this episode of wartime history something we all know? 732 00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:19,040 It's quiet and quaint now, 733 00:47:19,040 --> 00:47:23,000 but 75 years ago, this was Britain's front line. 734 00:47:24,920 --> 00:47:28,320 I want to uncover the truth about the fiery hell of these waters 735 00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:30,280 and the secret wartime weapon 736 00:47:30,280 --> 00:47:33,080 that supposedly stopped a German invasion. 737 00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:36,280 GERMAN MARCHING SONG 738 00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:41,040 By May 1940, the Germans had taken and occupied 739 00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:44,200 Belgium, Holland and France - just 20 miles away. 740 00:47:45,760 --> 00:47:48,400 Most of Britain's weapons had been left behind 741 00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:49,920 on the beaches of Dunkirk. 742 00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:53,680 Our Channel coast was a sitting duck. 743 00:47:55,120 --> 00:47:57,360 We installed some obvious defences - 744 00:47:57,360 --> 00:48:01,040 pillboxes, tunnels, gun emplacements... 745 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:03,560 but were we really going to use all-consuming fire 746 00:48:03,560 --> 00:48:05,080 to scupper the enemy? 747 00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:09,680 One man believed we could. 748 00:48:09,680 --> 00:48:14,680 Lord Hankey, a man obsessed with developing weapons of fire. 749 00:48:14,680 --> 00:48:20,400 Lord Hankey was the head of the top secret Petroleum Warfare Department. 750 00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:22,320 His classical education 751 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:25,360 sparked an interest in using fire to fight the enemy. 752 00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:30,760 Hankey knew the 7th century Byzantines built ships 753 00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:34,680 that spewed out flames to form a fiery floating barrier on the sea. 754 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:40,480 It inspired his own idea for an impenetrable defence - 755 00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:42,680 setting the Channel on fire. 756 00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:47,800 But to make fire, you need this stuff - 757 00:48:47,800 --> 00:48:49,160 fuel. 758 00:48:51,480 --> 00:48:55,640 By 1940, Britain had squirreled away a surplus of it. 759 00:48:55,640 --> 00:48:57,560 As the invasion threat loomed, 760 00:48:57,560 --> 00:49:00,600 Lord Hankey was determined to put it to use. 761 00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:04,400 But could Hankey pull off his audacious plan 762 00:49:04,400 --> 00:49:06,680 to defend our coast with a fence of fire? 763 00:49:10,560 --> 00:49:14,320 I know fuel floats on water, but how do you get it to burn? 764 00:49:15,800 --> 00:49:18,080 David, lovely to meet you. 765 00:49:18,080 --> 00:49:20,040 - Good afternoon. - Yeah, good to see you! 766 00:49:20,040 --> 00:49:23,720 To find out, I've enlisted chemist Dr David Kinnison 767 00:49:23,720 --> 00:49:25,600 from Southampton University. 768 00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:28,560 Is it as simple as pouring oil on water and setting it on fire, 769 00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:32,560 - because oil floats? - No, it just won't burn. 770 00:49:32,560 --> 00:49:33,920 Why doesn't it light? 771 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:35,520 It requires a lot of heat, 772 00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:37,360 because there's not enough vapour there 773 00:49:37,360 --> 00:49:39,720 that can mix with air to ignite. 774 00:49:39,720 --> 00:49:41,320 So, what do we do? 775 00:49:41,320 --> 00:49:44,160 Well, what we can do is introduce some lighter fuels - 776 00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:46,400 for example, something like petrol. 777 00:49:46,400 --> 00:49:49,240 Right, petrol, we know petrol you put a match anywhere near it, 778 00:49:49,240 --> 00:49:51,200 it goes off - but does it burn on water? 779 00:49:51,200 --> 00:49:53,320 Yes, it does, and the reason it will burn 780 00:49:53,320 --> 00:49:56,200 is because it's highly volatile, very easy to light. 781 00:49:56,200 --> 00:49:58,840 It's not the actual petrol, it's the vapour above it. 782 00:49:58,840 --> 00:50:01,280 Indeed, that is exactly it. 783 00:50:01,280 --> 00:50:04,120 - That does go "whoof", doesn't it? - Yeah. 784 00:50:04,120 --> 00:50:07,080 So, as a solution to your defences? 785 00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:10,720 This will not last - it's over very quickly, your defence is lost. 786 00:50:10,720 --> 00:50:13,040 So, how do we turn this into a defensive weapon, then? 787 00:50:13,040 --> 00:50:16,520 If we add heavier oils, these will last longer 788 00:50:16,520 --> 00:50:18,520 and we can get a sustained burn. 789 00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:20,680 - So, it's a cocktail? - Yes. 790 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:22,400 Right, OK. 791 00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,480 What's happening now, there's this petrol - 792 00:50:25,480 --> 00:50:27,200 as it burns, it generates heat, 793 00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:30,520 and that heat is absorbed by the oils 794 00:50:30,520 --> 00:50:34,240 and they will start to vaporise and burn as well. 795 00:50:34,240 --> 00:50:36,840 - That is burning a lot more ferociously. - Yep. 796 00:50:36,840 --> 00:50:41,000 - In fact, the water's bubbling. - Yep. 797 00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:42,280 Wow. 798 00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:47,240 That's... That's the actual water turning into steam and bubbling out. 799 00:50:47,240 --> 00:50:49,360 Yeah. The sea on fire. 800 00:50:53,040 --> 00:50:54,720 Our experiment demonstrates 801 00:50:54,720 --> 00:50:57,520 how a flame barrage could work in principle, 802 00:50:57,520 --> 00:50:59,920 but the wild waters of the Channel 803 00:50:59,920 --> 00:51:02,920 are a different challenge altogether. 804 00:51:02,920 --> 00:51:05,120 So, did Hankey really do it? 805 00:51:07,080 --> 00:51:08,400 Hello, hello! 806 00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:11,800 - Lovely to meet you, Paul. - How do you do? 807 00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:16,080 Brothers John and Paul Stone were there the day the sea caught fire. 808 00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:19,280 We lived just at the top of the hill, 809 00:51:19,280 --> 00:51:22,120 and you'd see this curtain of black smoke come up. 810 00:51:22,120 --> 00:51:24,120 I can remember Mum and Dad saying, 811 00:51:24,120 --> 00:51:28,480 "Oh, they're testing the oil defences down in the bay." 812 00:51:28,480 --> 00:51:33,240 The whole line of black smoke all the way across the bay. 813 00:51:33,240 --> 00:51:36,040 It was so dense and sticky and black 814 00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:39,320 that they'd actually discoloured the White Cliffs of Dover, 815 00:51:39,320 --> 00:51:41,200 so our white cliffs 816 00:51:41,200 --> 00:51:45,000 became grey cliffs for quite a few years afterwards. 817 00:51:51,080 --> 00:51:55,640 John and Paul had witnessed one of the first flame barrage experiments. 818 00:51:55,640 --> 00:51:59,080 The tests worked - they were even filmed, 819 00:51:59,080 --> 00:52:02,760 so scientists could study the weapon and make adjustments. 820 00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:11,800 This was fire on an unprecedented scale - 821 00:52:11,800 --> 00:52:14,680 just imagine it. We've got flames 40 feet in the air, 822 00:52:14,680 --> 00:52:17,320 black, noxious smoke coming up, covering the beach, 823 00:52:17,320 --> 00:52:19,720 even going over the cliffs. 824 00:52:27,160 --> 00:52:29,120 It was impressive - 825 00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:31,920 but was it a practical proposition? 826 00:52:31,920 --> 00:52:34,760 Was this defence system ever rolled out along our coast, 827 00:52:34,760 --> 00:52:36,320 and if so, how? 828 00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:40,680 To find out, I've come a few miles north 829 00:52:40,680 --> 00:52:44,960 where local historian Stuart Smith made an incredible discovery. 830 00:52:44,960 --> 00:52:48,720 - Stuart, how lovely to meet you. - Good to meet you, as well. 831 00:52:48,720 --> 00:52:50,640 - What have we got here? - Ah! 832 00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:52,360 A little prized possession of mine. 833 00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:55,040 - It's part of the flame barrage? - Yes. - How do you know that? 834 00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:56,480 It's quite simple, really - 835 00:52:56,480 --> 00:52:58,080 cos when I pulled it out, 836 00:52:58,080 --> 00:53:02,160 it actually still smelt of the petroleum, the mixture. 837 00:53:02,160 --> 00:53:04,200 There... I suppose there's a... 838 00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:06,200 - Yeah. - There's a very slight whiff to it, but... 839 00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:08,240 Unfortunately it's been exposed to the air now, 840 00:53:08,240 --> 00:53:10,320 - but when it... - Yeah, but actually you can see, 841 00:53:10,320 --> 00:53:13,200 - it's all black and tarry inside. - Yeah. 842 00:53:13,200 --> 00:53:16,240 - This is an amazing piece of history, isn't it? - Oh, that's why I love it. 843 00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:17,600 But where did this go to? 844 00:53:17,600 --> 00:53:19,640 The hotel there, The Clarendon Hotel, 845 00:53:19,640 --> 00:53:22,080 and when they were digging the new wall that's along here, 846 00:53:22,080 --> 00:53:24,280 they actually came across the pipes. 847 00:53:24,280 --> 00:53:27,320 Now, I'm lucky enough to have the photograph, still. 848 00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:30,120 This is the exact spot - you can see everything's still the same. 849 00:53:30,120 --> 00:53:31,640 Yeah, this is the exact spot. 850 00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:33,680 How did they get the fuel out into the sea? 851 00:53:33,680 --> 00:53:36,920 Well, they had pumps down in the cellar of the hotel. 852 00:53:36,920 --> 00:53:41,040 They built two massive tanks at the back and it pumped across here, 853 00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:43,600 and they say that the pumps were so powerful 854 00:53:43,600 --> 00:53:46,200 that they could pump the mixture up to a mile. 855 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:48,480 Why would they have it in a pub? 856 00:53:48,480 --> 00:53:50,520 To hide it - pure camouflage. 857 00:53:53,080 --> 00:53:56,440 I've never been in a pub where petroleum, not pints, 858 00:53:56,440 --> 00:53:58,600 once ran through its pipes. 859 00:53:58,600 --> 00:54:00,000 And if you look through here, 860 00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:03,720 you can actually see where the pipes came in, 861 00:54:03,720 --> 00:54:06,120 and they're all still there. 862 00:54:06,120 --> 00:54:08,520 This would have been the heart of the whole system, 863 00:54:08,520 --> 00:54:10,560 and it all would have happened here. 864 00:54:10,560 --> 00:54:12,680 I mean, the Germans were coming, 865 00:54:12,680 --> 00:54:15,720 the Battle of Britain was raging above our heads in the skies, 866 00:54:15,720 --> 00:54:18,320 and the men were desperate for a defence - 867 00:54:18,320 --> 00:54:19,440 and this is it. 868 00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:24,960 The plan was to defend key beaches 869 00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:26,200 from Kent to Dorset. 870 00:54:26,200 --> 00:54:27,720 There were flame barrages 871 00:54:27,720 --> 00:54:29,520 installed in Studland Bay... 872 00:54:31,360 --> 00:54:32,960 ..Rye... 873 00:54:34,920 --> 00:54:37,280 ..key beaches around Dover... 874 00:54:37,280 --> 00:54:39,040 all the way up to Sandwich. 875 00:54:41,360 --> 00:54:45,760 So, did we fire up this barrage and stop a German invasion in 1940? 876 00:54:48,360 --> 00:54:50,080 We know the sea caught fire... 877 00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:54,840 ..there's physical proof the barrage was installed... 878 00:54:55,840 --> 00:55:00,120 ..but there's still no evidence that the Germans invaded... 879 00:55:00,120 --> 00:55:04,760 and no trace of 80,000 charred bodies. 880 00:55:04,760 --> 00:55:06,560 This headline is all I've got. 881 00:55:08,320 --> 00:55:10,720 Surely there's no smoke without fire? 882 00:55:13,120 --> 00:55:14,760 Historian Lee Richards 883 00:55:14,760 --> 00:55:17,920 has studied how fact and fiction merge in the fog of war. 884 00:55:19,640 --> 00:55:22,840 There certainly would be charred bodies in the Channel. 885 00:55:22,840 --> 00:55:25,880 At the time, the Germans were doing practice drills, 886 00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:28,800 getting incendiary bombs thrown on them, 887 00:55:28,800 --> 00:55:32,000 aircrew being shot down, naval engagements - 888 00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:35,280 so, there would be lots of bodies in the Channel. 889 00:55:35,280 --> 00:55:38,480 So there were some charred bodies, but not on the same scale? 890 00:55:38,480 --> 00:55:41,360 No, not at all. People were coming to the wrong conclusions. 891 00:55:41,360 --> 00:55:43,280 - Did we actually play on that? - Absolutely. 892 00:55:43,280 --> 00:55:44,800 Britain had formed something 893 00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:47,440 - called the Underground Propaganda Committee... - Right. 894 00:55:47,440 --> 00:55:51,280 ..and their job was to exaggerate Britain's military potential. 895 00:55:51,280 --> 00:55:55,240 They'd come up with a rumour that there had been an invasion, 896 00:55:55,240 --> 00:55:58,320 it had been defeated by this British secret weapon 897 00:55:58,320 --> 00:55:59,880 that sets the sea on fire. 898 00:55:59,880 --> 00:56:01,760 It got into the foreign press, 899 00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:04,120 it was then picked up by the British press. 900 00:56:04,120 --> 00:56:08,800 So, the information was being passed out to different... 901 00:56:08,800 --> 00:56:11,600 and coming back into our press to be spread as news, 902 00:56:11,600 --> 00:56:13,200 even though we started the rumour. 903 00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:15,080 Absolutely correct, yes. 904 00:56:18,280 --> 00:56:21,000 Leaflets were also printed to warn the Germans 905 00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:23,600 that invading Britain would be unwise, 906 00:56:23,600 --> 00:56:25,640 and dropped over enemy lines. 907 00:56:27,280 --> 00:56:31,800 Here we have one that helped to spread the story of the burning sea. 908 00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:33,280 Ah! 909 00:56:33,280 --> 00:56:35,640 It's giving them phrases that they would find useful 910 00:56:35,640 --> 00:56:37,000 during their invasion. 911 00:56:37,000 --> 00:56:41,040 It has such phrases as, "I can smell oil on the sea", 912 00:56:41,040 --> 00:56:42,640 "Look, the water's burning", 913 00:56:42,640 --> 00:56:45,240 "Look at the captain, he's burning beautifully". 914 00:56:45,240 --> 00:56:47,120 It's really quite a graphic message - 915 00:56:47,120 --> 00:56:50,960 - "Come to England, we will burn you and you will end up as ashes." - Yes. 916 00:56:50,960 --> 00:56:53,880 This propaganda - did it have a positive effect? 917 00:56:53,880 --> 00:56:57,320 Here we are, you believe that we can set the sea on fire - 918 00:56:57,320 --> 00:56:59,200 did it affect the Germans, do you think? 919 00:56:59,200 --> 00:57:01,880 I mean, it's certainly detrimental to German morale... 920 00:57:01,880 --> 00:57:03,400 But good for our morale. 921 00:57:03,400 --> 00:57:05,240 Yes, as I say, perhaps more importantly, 922 00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:07,280 it was good for the morale of Britain, 923 00:57:07,280 --> 00:57:10,000 it was good for the morale of the occupied countries, 924 00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:13,240 it was telling the neutral countries, particularly America, 925 00:57:13,240 --> 00:57:16,160 that we were still in the fight, we were still strong, 926 00:57:16,160 --> 00:57:18,200 and we had the potential to win. 927 00:57:20,360 --> 00:57:23,400 A year would elapse between the headline in the New York Times 928 00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:25,400 and the Americans joining the war. 929 00:57:26,560 --> 00:57:30,680 In 1940, the flame barrage was our winning weapon. 930 00:57:32,240 --> 00:57:35,200 A weapon that had once petrified the enemy, 931 00:57:35,200 --> 00:57:37,840 yet reassured Britain and her allies - 932 00:57:37,840 --> 00:57:41,560 a weapon whose existence was enough. 933 00:57:41,560 --> 00:57:44,520 It never actually needed to be used. 934 00:57:46,240 --> 00:57:50,120 Whether it was the fire on the sea or the firing of imaginations, 935 00:57:50,120 --> 00:57:52,480 wild rumours generated in this part of the coast 936 00:57:52,480 --> 00:57:54,840 were actually one of Britain's secret weapons 937 00:57:54,840 --> 00:57:56,480 during the Second World War. 938 00:58:12,240 --> 00:58:15,400 Our wild waters have been both barrier... 939 00:58:17,560 --> 00:58:19,080 ..and gateway. 940 00:58:20,720 --> 00:58:23,080 Pitching ourselves against nature 941 00:58:23,080 --> 00:58:26,000 makes for thrilling spectacle... 942 00:58:27,640 --> 00:58:30,480 ..and spectacular stories. 943 00:58:35,800 --> 00:58:38,960 Wild waters test our mettle. 944 00:58:38,960 --> 00:58:42,040 Contending with them demands resourcefulness, 945 00:58:42,040 --> 00:58:44,320 resilience, respect. 946 00:58:44,320 --> 00:58:50,040 Not only do they shape our coast, but also our coastal character.