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Two submerged subs battle blind in a rare World War II attack that changed subsea warfare forever.
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00:00Early 1945.
00:03In the waters off Norway, a British submarine tracks a German U-boat.
00:10With neither vessel on the surface, a rare situation develops.
00:16No submarine has successfully attacked another while both were submerged.
00:21The British captain faces a unique challenge.
00:24This is a new problem.
00:25His mechanical instruments can't help him that much, if at all.
00:28He has to do it all in his head.
00:31Fire!
00:34They will need a new battle plan.
00:36To create a different kind of submarine warfare.
00:48In World War II, a subsea weapon allows warriors to fight from beneath the waves.
00:58With cunning, force and tenacity.
01:01Your enemies strike back.
01:05Revolutionary, but still sometimes primitive.
01:09It's a desperate bid.
01:12To change the course of war.
01:16Their stories are legend.
01:19November 11th, 1944.
01:33British submarine HMS Ventura has weathered the rough Norwegian Sea on its 8th War Patrol.
01:40Their top secret mission is to deliver supplies to resistance fighters in occupied Norway.
01:47The Germans during this period poured in some 400,000 soldiers in this tiny country.
01:54On the naval side, a large proportion of the German Kriegsmarine was situated in Norwegian waters for the whole period.
02:07In defiance, some Norwegians work with the Allies to provide information about their Nazi occupiers.
02:13In exchange, the British provide support, supplies and money, often delivered by submarine.
02:22This time, the rendezvous point is near Narvik in northern Norway.
02:30As HMS Ventura travels north, a crew member spots a shape through the search periscope.
02:35Through the dark and rough seas, he makes out the conning tower of another submarine.
02:41He doesn't know it, but he has found German U-Boat U-771.
02:47Get the captain.
02:52The U-Boat travels quickly on the surface.
02:57U-771 spent weeks battling against two heavily defended Allied convoys heading to the Soviet Union.
03:03The crew were lucky to escape alive.
03:10The British sub remains undetected and only a few thousand yards away.
03:16It continues to travel beneath the surface.
03:20The submarine's captain is Lieutenant James Launders.
03:25Only 25 years old, Launders joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1938, before Britain declared war.
03:33He's commanded HMS Ventura for a year and a half.
03:39Launders must act quickly before the U-Boat spots him.
03:42If he spots your periscope, nobody can take counteraction better than another submarine commander.
03:47So, therefore, you have to strike while the iron is very hot indeed.
03:50Launders sneaks a look through the periscope, then asks for the target's speed, range, and bearing.
03:56Speed and range.
03:58Estimated speed.
03:59Thirteen knots.
04:00They estimate the U-Boat is making thirteen knots.
04:03Follow ahead.
04:04Together.
04:05Down periscope.
04:06Let's go.
04:08He orders Ventura to close in on the U-Boat, while he works out his calculations and the torpedoes are readied.
04:16He won't get another chance.
04:18He must get it right.
04:20He works out in his mind what the best chance of hitting the target is.
04:24This will mean firing all four in his tubes.
04:27He will still have four more torpedoes left, but not enough time to reload them before the U-Boat could counterattack.
04:35So he wants to make sure he gets the target.
04:37Ventura closes in.
04:41Launders takes a final look.
04:44Speed and range.
04:46The U-Boat is in Ventura's crosshairs.
04:49Two-thirds.
04:51The torpedo crew is ready and waits for Launders' command.
04:56Launders orders the spread of four torpedoes.
05:00Fire.
05:01The Mark 8 torpedoes speed toward the German U-Boat at over 50 miles per hour.
05:14Each contains 805 pounds of the explosive Torpex.
05:18Ventura's crew hears the explosion through the hull.
05:37The hydrophone operator loses the sound of the U-Boat's propeller.
05:42There is nothing more from U-771's position.
05:46Submariners are very aggressive people.
05:49They have to be.
05:51They will put all their efforts into sinking the enemy submarine and tend not to think, psychologically,
05:56that what's happening to the submarine over there could happen to them too.
06:01Ventura becomes one of the few British subs to sink another submarine.
06:16Launders is later awarded the distinguished service order for sinking U-771.
06:22Remarkably, the whole attack takes place in just six minutes.
06:28His great virtue as a submarine commander is his ability to sum things up very, very quickly
06:33in his own mind and carry out an attack rapidly and effectively.
06:37And he's very good at that.
06:39After the surprise attack, Ventura resumes its original mission, putting supplies ashore in Norway.
06:49The sinking of U-771 is part of growing pressure by the Allies since D-Day.
06:55Americans, British and Canadians lead advances across Western Europe.
07:02The Red Army drives across Eastern Europe and prepares to take East Prussia.
07:08To stem the tide, Hitler turns to Gross Admiral Karl Dönitz and his U-Boats.
07:14Nazi Germany wants to share experimental military technology with Japan, the remaining Axis power.
07:20They have weapons called Wunderwaffen.
07:23Wunderwaffen means wonder weapon, miracle weapon.
07:28The longer the war goes, it becomes a very important tool for the German propaganda, for Goebbels.
07:35Wunderwaffen weapons, like the V-1 bombs and V-2 rockets, were unleashed against the British,
07:41particularly after D-Day, causing more than 30,000 casualties.
07:50The Germans are very innovative when it comes to technological advancement,
07:54but the problem for them is they can't produce these things in mass, in contrast to the Allies.
08:01And there's another problem.
08:04These are two countries relatively small,
08:07and they are divided by the Allied sphere of influence or sphere of power.
08:13Be it by the British, be it by the Americans, be it by the Soviets.
08:16So it's very difficult for them to exchange ideas, to exchange plans and also to exchange technology.
08:24When surface ships carrying war materials to Japan are repeatedly sunk,
08:30the only remaining option is to use submarines.
08:39German U-Boat U-864 will transport Wunderwaffen technology,
08:45including parts and plans,
08:47for the Messerschmitt Me-163 Comet,
08:51an experimental rocket-powered interceptor aircraft,
08:56and the Messerschmitt Me-262 Swallow,
08:59the first jet fighter to see air-to-air combat.
09:05In a mission codenamed Operation Caesar,
09:08the transport also includes leading-edge scientists
09:12and two Japanese experts returning to Japan by submarine.
09:17Their first-hand knowledge will be vital for mass production of Wunderwaffen.
09:23They hope the combination of Japanese manpower with German science
09:27will tilt the war in the Pacific in Japan's favor,
09:31and force the Allies to divert more troops to the Far East,
09:35pulling them out of Europe to clear the way for a Nazi resurgence.
09:41U-864 is a brand new U-Boat.
09:45U-Boat commander Ralph Reimarr Wolfram starts drills and sea trials in October.
09:51With only three previous patrols,
09:53Wolfram is considered a seasoned officer.
09:57After 1943, many of the experienced officers were killed during the war,
10:02and many of the younger U-Boat commanders
10:06didn't live long enough to gain the necessary experience,
10:10because many of the U-Boats were sunk on their first patrols.
10:14So Wolfram, as an experienced officer,
10:17was quite unique because he was one of the old guys.
10:21He was one of the experienced guys.
10:23They leave Kiel, Germany in December.
10:26The U-Boat and also the crew as a team were unexperienced.
10:38So it was the first patrol and also the first real challenge.
10:43The U-Boat likely carries a full complement of 27 torpedoes and other weapons to defend itself.
10:53Their six-month journey will take them north of the British Isles,
10:57around the southern tip of the African continent,
11:00across the Indian Ocean,
11:02and to a U-Boat base in Malaysia.
11:04They stop in occupied Norway to refuel and pick up additional supplies.
11:15Allied submarine and aircraft patrol the waters between the Norwegian coast and the United Kingdom.
11:22They will have to sneak across before making a break for the Atlantic.
11:29U-8-6-4 as some of the latest in U-Boat technology,
11:34including a new device called the snorkel.
11:40In World War II,
11:41all submarines had to surface to recharge their batteries,
11:44which allowed them to dive and stay underwater.
11:49But traveling on the surface is dangerous,
11:52especially during the day.
11:54When the snorkel is raised,
12:02only a small piece of equipment sticks up out of the water,
12:05allowing most of the U-Boat to remain hidden.
12:08So a U-Boat could dive,
12:11use the diesel engine to recharge the battery
12:14by getting in the necessary air through the snorkel
12:18and also the air for the crew to breathe.
12:21But U-8-6-4 does not get very far.
12:27There is something wrong with the snorkel.
12:33When Wolfram reports the problem,
12:35U-Boat command doesn't want to take any chances.
12:38They order U-8-6-4 to a nearby port for inspection.
12:42Just as the U-Boat turns,
12:50it comes to an abrupt halt.
12:55The submarine runs aground in the shallow waters.
13:02Wolfram's problems have gone from bad to worse.
13:05The jagged stone of the Norwegian fjords
13:09could easily damage his hull.
13:11The outcome of Operation Caesar
13:13and his U-Boat hang in the balance.
13:22December 1944.
13:24Nazi U-Boat U-8-6-4
13:27has encountered trouble off the coast of Norway.
13:33En route to Japan
13:34with plans and parts for secret weapons,
13:37the U-Boat has run aground.
13:41It's very difficult to navigate
13:43in a Norwegian fjord
13:45because it's very narrow,
13:46there are shallows,
13:48there are probably uncharted rocks and reefs.
13:51Until this very day,
13:53it's very difficult to navigate.
13:59Wolfram immediately sends the crew
14:00to conduct a check
14:01of the submarine's condition.
14:06They confirm that the interior
14:07of the hull has not been damaged.
14:16U-Boat commander Wolfram is lucky.
14:19U-8-6-4 carries a dangerous
14:21cargo hidden in its keel.
14:2467 tons of mercury.
14:27Mercury is a key ingredient
14:28in weapons production,
14:30often used as a detonator
14:31to set off explosives.
14:35Very dense,
14:36each of the 1857 flasks on board
14:39holds about two and a half quarts
14:41of liquid mercury
14:42and weighs around 70 pounds.
14:47The flasks replace much
14:48of the lead ballast
14:50submarines usually carry
14:51in their keel.
14:56Fortunately for the crew,
14:58their lethal cargo
14:59remains intact.
15:06Wolfram can't afford
15:07another mistake.
15:08He requests a harbor pilot,
15:11a local ship's captain
15:13to guide them into port.
15:14For a submarine
15:19on a secret mission,
15:20they're starting
15:21to draw attention
15:22to themselves.
15:27In the United Kingdom,
15:28British intelligence
15:29has already gleaned information
15:31from decoded
15:32German intercepts
15:33and learned that Germany
15:35is sending
15:36Wunderwaffen to Japan.
15:39They know that the only way
15:40that can be done
15:41is by submarine.
15:42The question is,
15:42which submarine?
15:45Breaking codes
15:46does not always provide
15:47timely information
15:48about Germany's
15:49individual naval units.
15:51The ocean is vast.
15:52Even with good intelligence,
15:53finding something out there
15:55is really very difficult.
15:57Ships and submarines
15:58can go where the captain likes
15:59and sometimes the captains
16:00make adjustments
16:01in order to complete
16:02their mission safely.
16:09After German Kriegsmarine
16:10crews confirmed
16:11the structural integrity
16:12of the U-864's hull,
16:16the U-boat then heads
16:17to Bergen,
16:18also in Norway,
16:19to repair the snorkel.
16:24Each of their stops
16:25increases the number of people
16:26in contact with the U-boat.
16:27This kind of information
16:32has proved critical
16:33to the Allies.
16:36It is secretly shared
16:37by a strong resistance
16:38movement
16:39that has operated
16:40in Norway
16:41since early in the war.
16:43When war broke out
16:45in April 1940
16:47in Norway,
16:48the Nazi invasion
16:49there were two months
16:50of fighting.
16:51The war broke out
16:52in April 1940
16:53in Norway,
16:54the Nazi invasion
16:55there were two months
16:56of fighting.
16:57fighting.
17:00By June,
17:01rather than surrender,
17:02the King of Norway
17:03and key ministers
17:04flee to England
17:05and set up
17:06a government
17:07in exile.
17:07That is the origin
17:10of the cooperation
17:12with the British
17:13on British soil.
17:15They bring
17:16what's left
17:17of their navy
17:18and fighting forces
17:19and provide a link
17:20to the resistance
17:20movement
17:21left in Norway
17:22who spy
17:23and pass
17:24on the information.
17:25information.
17:25More typical information
17:27would be that
17:28this and that
17:29submarine
17:30with pennant
17:31so-and-so
17:32were spotted
17:33in some port
17:35or in the U-boat pens.
17:37But they were
17:38instructed
17:39to report
17:40on any
17:41naval movements
17:43being updated
17:44on where
17:45the vessels
17:46were actually
17:47situated
17:48at the very moment.
17:49that was a great
17:50importance,
17:51of course.
17:52In return,
17:53British intelligence
17:54provides funding,
17:55training,
17:56and equipment.
18:01When U-864
18:02ran aground,
18:03two Japanese
18:04men in Norway
18:05would likely
18:05have been noticed
18:06and reported.
18:07The candid reports
18:10on movements,
18:11in this case
18:12submarines
18:13and so on,
18:14could be
18:15transmitted
18:16fairly rapidly.
18:19A tip-off
18:20the U-864s
18:21in Bergen
18:22could be a game-changer.
18:30It's early 1945.
18:32The Allied armies
18:33have retaken France.
18:34Bergen is where
18:36the U-boats
18:37are going to be
18:38concentrated.
18:39Information from
18:40the Norwegian
18:41resistance
18:42may provide
18:43the Allies
18:43an opportunity
18:44to stop
18:45technical experts
18:46with weapon
18:46plans and parts
18:47from being
18:48shipped to Japan.
18:49And the RAF
18:51Strategic Bombing
18:52Command is going
18:52to go after
18:53the U-boat pen
18:54at Bergen.
18:55On January 12th,
18:5732 Avro
18:59Lancaster bombers
19:00make their way
19:01to Norway.
19:02The Lancasters
19:03carry Tallboy
19:04bombs.
19:0521 feet long,
19:06containing 5,200 pounds
19:08of the explosive
19:09Torpex.
19:11Tallboys detonate
19:12after burying
19:13themselves inside
19:14armor, tunnels
19:15and even concrete.
19:17They are perfect
19:18for attacking
19:19structures like
19:20heavily reinforced
19:20U-boat pens.
19:23In the middle
19:24of a heated fight
19:25with German Luftwaffe,
19:26a Lancaster drops
19:29a Tallboy
19:29near their target.
19:37It takes days
19:38to find out
19:38if the attack
19:39was successful.
19:40Reports come in
19:41from different sources.
19:43Allied intelligence
19:44must piece them
19:45together.
19:48The British
19:48would have learned
19:49that the attack
19:49was a success
19:50through intelligence.
19:51the interception
19:52of German messages,
19:53but also human
19:54intelligence,
19:55agents from
19:56the Norwegian
19:56resistance movement.
19:59The news is bad.
20:01The Allies learned
20:02that they had a
20:03direct hit
20:04on the U-boat pens,
20:05but it did
20:06very little damage.
20:09But it is enough
20:10to delay the departure
20:11of U-864
20:12a little longer.
20:13One caught up
20:14feeling a little
20:18sorry for the
20:19Japanese people
20:20on board the U-boat
20:21because they are
20:22leaving one defeated
20:23power and going
20:24back home to a power
20:25that's about perhaps
20:26to be defeated itself.
20:27But perhaps
20:28if it gets the technology
20:29that's in the submarine,
20:30then Japan might
20:31be able to hold out.
20:35Despite the setback,
20:36the Allies still
20:37believe they know
20:38enough to stop
20:39the transport of
20:40German technology
20:41to the Pacific Front.
20:43With the war
20:44nearing the end,
20:45you needed to stop
20:46the trade
20:47and technology
20:48between Germany
20:49and Japan.
20:50You just couldn't
20:51take the chance
20:52of them using
20:53new weapons
20:54to extend the war.
20:55Rather than target
20:56the reinforced U-boat
20:57pens again,
20:58they will try
20:59when U-864
21:00is more exposed
21:02and use a submarine
21:03to attack the U-boat.
21:07Britain's ninth
21:08submarine flotilla
21:09is based at HMS
21:10Ambrose in Scotland.
21:13Submarines from
21:14the ninth flotilla
21:15have harassed
21:16German ships
21:17in the North Sea
21:18since 1940.
21:22On February 2nd,
21:231945,
21:24HMS Venturer
21:25leaves Leric
21:26in the Shetland Islands
21:28on its eleventh
21:29war patrol.
21:32Venturer
21:33is a British V,
21:34or Vampire-class submarine.
21:36One of the early ones
21:37was called Vampire,
21:38and it seemed quite useful,
21:39a good name for something
21:40that would be drawing
21:41the enemy's blood.
21:43The V-class
21:44are not the fastest
21:45submarines,
21:46making only 11 knots
21:47on the surface.
21:49However,
21:50just 204 feet in length,
21:52their compact size
21:53makes them ideal
21:54for regular patrols
21:55in Norwegian fjords.
21:57Venturer
22:02Venturer still sails
22:03under the command
22:04of Lieutenant James Launders.
22:08Jimmy Launders
22:09has a very high reputation
22:10in the submarine service.
22:12He's very intelligent,
22:13he's very effective,
22:14and most important of all,
22:16he has the complete trust
22:17of his ship's company.
22:18Their planned operating area
22:22is at the southern entrance
22:23to the city of Bergen.
22:25Patrolling here
22:26means that Launders
22:27can intercept German vessels
22:28as they come back to base.
22:30Tired U-boat crews
22:31returning from long patrols
22:32may let down their guard
22:33with a lure of clean clothes,
22:34fresh food,
22:35and comfortable beds
22:36they will find in port.
22:37Launders is sensible
22:38enough to realize
22:39that the ship's company
22:40is at the southern entrance
22:41at the southern entrance
22:42to the city of Bergen.
22:43Patrolling here
22:44means that Launders
22:45can intercept German vessels
22:46as they come back to base.
22:47They're not capable enough
22:48to realize
22:49that when submarines
22:50are coming back off for patrol,
22:51they're most vulnerable.
22:52Therefore,
22:53they become easier targets.
22:58But when Venturer
22:59reaches the patrol area,
23:00they receive a coded message
23:02from headquarters.
23:04The orders redirect Launders
23:06to patrol off the coast
23:07of Faya instead.
23:10This means that Venturer
23:11will try to intercept U-boats
23:13with far more alert crews
23:14exiting Bergen
23:15into the North Sea
23:16and beyond.
23:17When Landers receives the order
23:21to divert to Faya,
23:23that puts him right
23:24in the path of U-864.
23:34February 8th, 1945.
23:38German U-boat U-864
23:40leaves the U-boat pens
23:41at Bergen, Norway,
23:42following a series of repairs.
23:43It heads northwest
23:47to a deep water channel
23:48that leads to the ocean.
23:50From there,
23:51it will continue its mission
23:52to bring top secret
23:53German technology to Japan.
23:57U-boat commander
23:58Ralph Reimer Wolfram
23:59is unaware that British Submarine Venturer
24:02has been ordered to patrol the area.
24:08But the Royal Navy's
24:09Lieutenant James Launders
24:10doesn't know exactly
24:11what he's looking for either.
24:14His orders make no mention
24:15of U-864.
24:17The general intelligence picture
24:19seems to have indicated
24:20that there would be
24:21a submarine doing something.
24:23Submariners are meant
24:24to show considerable initiative.
24:26You put them in the right area
24:28and they are expected
24:29to find targets.
24:33After the U-boat's escort
24:34returns to port,
24:35Wolfram runs readiness drills
24:37with his crew.
24:41Their journey has just begun,
24:42but they must be on their guard.
24:45He knows that the area
24:46is regularly infiltrated
24:47by RAF planes
24:48and British naval ships.
24:51Satisfied everyone is ready,
24:53he orders U-864 to submerge.
25:01He sets course toward
25:02the Shetland Islands,
25:03100 miles north
25:04of the Scottish mainland.
25:11But before long,
25:12he has another problem.
25:14One of U-864's
25:15diesel engines is misfiring.
25:18For Wolfram,
25:19it must have been
25:20an almost incredible streak
25:22of bad luck.
25:26He had finally put a sea again.
25:28He again runs into technical trouble
25:31with one of the engine
25:32making strange noises.
25:35It was probably a broken piston,
25:37something like that.
25:43The banging is so loud
25:44that it could be picked up
25:45by enemy vessels
25:46for miles around.
25:49For U-boat,
25:50trying to sneak in through
25:51enemy-infested waters,
25:53silence was of utmost importance.
25:57I think I heard something.
26:00It also makes it difficult
26:01for the U-boat crew
26:02to listen for sounds
26:03of other ships nearby.
26:04Let's go on.
26:06Let's go on.
26:07Go on!
26:11Wolfram surfaces
26:12to contact U-boat headquarters.
26:17But he can guess what's coming.
26:18They order U-864 back to Bergen.
26:21However,
26:22with Allied air and sea vessels
26:23patrolling the area,
26:24they don't want him
26:25to return alone.
26:26They will send an escort
26:27to meet him.
26:28A disappointed Wolfram
26:29orders them to periscope depth
26:30to wait.
26:31Periscope,
26:32good, good, good, good.
26:33For the U-boat,
26:34the engine malfunction
26:35is a major problem.
26:37But for British submarine
26:38HMS Venturer,
26:39it also changes the game.
26:40If an escort arrives,
26:41the risks to launder
26:42greatly increase.
26:43The chance of his
26:44pilot is not going to
26:45be in a boat.
26:46If the ship is not going to
26:47be in a boat,
26:48they will send an escort
26:49to meet him.
26:50A disappointed Wolfram
26:51orders them to periscope depth
26:52to wait.
26:53For the U-boat,
26:54the engine malfunction
26:55is a major problem.
26:56But for British submarine
26:57HMS Venturer,
26:58it also changes the game.
26:59If an escort arrives,
27:00the risks to launder greatly increase.
27:01his periscope being spotted
27:02greatly increase.
27:06He might well lose the target
27:07and lose his opportunity.
27:09He might even be attacked himself.
27:10He might even be sunk.
27:12If Venturer misses this chance,
27:14the Allies will have to start
27:16all over again.
27:19They may not get a tip-off
27:21about the U-boat's
27:22departure next time.
27:24They continue with
27:25a thorough search pattern.
27:31Finally,
27:32on the morning of February 9th,
27:34Venturer's hydrophone operator
27:36detects a faint sound.
27:39The sound picked up
27:40could well be a fishing boat.
27:42It's a noisy diesel,
27:43and therefore,
27:44you see,
27:45is it a fishing boat?
27:46It could actually be
27:47a German armed trawler,
27:48for example.
27:49So you try to find it.
27:50Officer of the Watch,
27:51Lieutenant Chalmers,
27:52begins a methodical search
27:53for the source.
27:54He's careful to have
27:55the periscope up
27:56for only short periods of time.
27:59When your periscope's up,
28:00you're giving your position away.
28:01You have it up
28:02for the smallest amount of time.
28:03You raise it
28:04the smallest amount of distance
28:05above the surface of the sea.
28:07Down, periscope.
28:08It is your greatest help,
28:09but it can also be
28:10your greatest enemy.
28:12More than an hour later,
28:13Chalmers spots
28:14some damage.
28:15After the watch,
28:16Lieutenant Chalmers
28:17begins a methodical search
28:18for the source.
28:19He's careful to have
28:20the periscope up
28:21for only short periods of time.
28:22Chalmers spots
28:23something to the north.
28:24Get the captain.
28:26Looking through
28:27the tiny lens,
28:28he manages to make out
28:29a thin mast
28:30nearly three miles away,
28:32against the backdrop
28:33of moving ocean.
28:36Chalmers updates Launders,
28:38who orders the crew
28:39to action stations.
28:41Action stations!
28:42Action stations!
28:43All components are pulled!
28:44Like their contact
28:45with U-771,
28:47Venturer has spotted
28:48the enemy U-boat first,
28:50but this encounter
28:51will be completely different.
28:53The earlier attack
28:54that Launders
28:55has carried out
28:56is a classic
28:57submerged submarine
28:58versus surface submarine attack.
29:00They go back
29:01to the First World War.
29:03This is something new.
29:04Venturer and U-864
29:06are both submerged
29:08and virtually blind
29:09to each other.
29:10Because Launders cannot
29:13see the submarine,
29:15he can only see its periscope,
29:17he only has indications
29:19really of where it is.
29:21The periscope
29:22is their only point
29:23of visual reference.
29:24It is a tiny target.
29:26At first they don't know
29:28how the submarine
29:29is oriented around it.
29:30Normally,
29:31in an attack on a surface submarine,
29:33it's much easier.
29:34This is much more sophisticated.
29:35This is late
29:3620th century naval warfare.
29:37In the control room,
29:38Launders looks through
29:39the periscope
29:40and requests a report.
29:41They inform him
29:42that the U-boat speed
29:43is unknown,
29:44its range uncertain,
29:45but they later estimate
29:46about three miles.
29:47Launders decides against
30:00the snap attack he used
30:01for U-771.
30:02He needs more information
30:03about the U-boat speed
30:04and course.
30:05He rules out using
30:06active sonar.
30:07This requires
30:08sending out audible pings
30:09to gather more information
30:10about the location
30:11and distance of the ship.
30:12He rules out using
30:13active sonar.
30:14This requires sending out
30:15audible pings
30:16to gather more information
30:17to the U-boat.
30:18Down periscope.
30:19Active sonar gives you
30:22a good fix on the enemy,
30:24but it also means
30:27the enemy knows
30:28you're there.
30:29Therefore,
30:31you have to use
30:32your sonar passively.
30:34You have to use
30:35your hydrophones,
30:36as they're sometimes called,
30:37to listen for the enemy.
30:38Launders then orders
30:41Venturer into position
30:42behind and on a parallel
30:44course to the U-boat
30:45at a constant speed
30:46of four miles an hour.
30:49Knowing their own speed
30:50as the crew records
30:51their path,
30:52they also collect
30:53information about
30:54the U-boat.
30:55If he isn't
30:56changing course
30:57and if he's going
30:58at a constant speed,
30:59then that is not a variable.
31:01the U-boat is going to be
31:02on the plane.
31:03The U-boat is going to be
31:04on the plane.
31:05The U-boat is going to be
31:06on the plane.
31:07It's shocked to see
31:08that the U-boat still has
31:09its periscope up.
31:10In fact,
31:11to Launders,
31:12the U-boat appears
31:13to be using both
31:14the attack and search
31:15periscopes.
31:18Launders can't really
31:19believe his luck
31:20because here is
31:22a German submarine
31:23saying,
31:24hello, I'm here.
31:28One wonders what conditions
31:29were.
31:30I think we had a very,
31:31very worried
31:32German submarine commander
31:33who was hoping to get
31:34some support
31:35and hoping to find it.
31:39For a U-boat,
31:40the standard procedure
31:41would have been
31:42to stay submerged,
31:43simply to evade detection,
31:46having a look
31:47from time to time
31:48through the periscope
31:49if the escort arrives,
31:51then making contact
31:52and going back to port.
31:59HMS Venturer
32:00continues to travel
32:01at four miles per hour.
32:02The British submarine
32:03closes in on the U-boat.
32:05It's now only
32:06about 2,000 yards away.
32:09But as Launders watches,
32:11the U-boat suddenly
32:12turns west.
32:15Launders must assume
32:16the crew of U-864
32:17has picked up the presence
32:18of the British sub
32:19and may be preparing
32:20its own attack.
32:23It was quite
32:24a unique situation.
32:26Both are submerged
32:28and now this game
32:30of hunting starts.
32:31and I think
32:33for both commanders
32:34that was the most
32:35extraordinary situation,
32:37something completely new.
32:43February 9th, 1945.
32:45British submarine
32:46HMS Venturer
32:48pursues German U-boat U-864
32:50waters off Norway.
32:52The U-boat's noisy engine
32:58proves doubly dangerous.
32:59It's not only that
33:01you can be hurt
33:02very easily
33:03by enemy craft,
33:04but also
33:05it's diminished
33:06your ability
33:07to detect
33:08other vessels
33:09because also
33:10your hydrophones
33:11are blocked
33:12by the noise
33:13of the engine.
33:14Despite engine noise
33:15on board,
33:16U-864's hydrophones
33:17seem to finally
33:18pick something up.
33:19HMS Venturer
33:20closes in.
33:21U-864's hydrophones
33:24U-864's hydrophones
33:25seem to finally
33:26pick something up.
33:31HMS Venturer
33:32closes in.
33:41U-boat commander
33:42Wolfram appears
33:43to realize
33:44he's being pursued
33:45by an enemy submarine.
33:58So,
33:59he applies
34:00the standard method
34:01for evading
34:02a torpedo attack,
34:03which was also
34:04used by any
34:05surface vessel.
34:06He starts to zigzag
34:07to change his course
34:09from time to time
34:10just to prevent
34:11torpedo attack.
34:17The zigzag
34:18works.
34:25The pattern
34:26complicates
34:27the torpedo firing
34:28solution for the
34:29British submarine.
34:31With only
34:32a limited number
34:33of torpedoes,
34:34Launders
34:35can't take the chance
34:36that he will miss.
34:38To get a shot
34:39at the U-boat,
34:40Launders must predict
34:41the pattern of the
34:42zigzag.
34:43Down, Periscope.
34:46It is risky
34:47to wait.
34:50Launders knows
34:51the U-boat's stern
34:52torpedoes are aimed
34:53in his direction.
34:54Every time it turns,
34:55Venturer is directly
34:56in their path.
35:00But Venturer continues
35:01to track the U-boat,
35:02hoping it will surface
35:03and they can get
35:04a clear shot.
35:05But it never does.
35:07Launders probably
35:09has a pretty good idea
35:10of what the normal
35:11operating procedures
35:12of the Germans
35:13are in that area.
35:14He also knows
35:15that the German
35:16may be giving himself
35:17a chance of getting away.
35:18Therefore, there is
35:19some urgency
35:20in carrying out
35:21the engagement.
35:23Launders has to act.
35:25There is a channel
35:26nearby.
35:27If the U-boat
35:28reaches there,
35:29it will be too easy
35:30to lose.
35:32Launders must fire
35:33on the U-boat
35:34without visual contact.
35:35It is something
35:36he's never done before.
35:39The great problem
35:40for any submarine commander
35:41against any target
35:42is working out
35:43where the target
35:44is going to be
35:45when the torpedoes arrive.
35:47and that can be
35:49some time
35:50after the torpedoes
35:51are fired.
35:53Launders knows
35:54that hunting a submarine
35:55is more complex
35:56than his usual targets.
35:58When ships
35:59are on the surface,
36:00they move forwards
36:01or back,
36:02left or right.
36:03They move only
36:04in two dimensions.
36:10A submerged submarine
36:11adds a third dimension
36:12of depth to the calculations.
36:17This is a target
36:18moving in three dimensions.
36:19Therefore,
36:20you have to think
36:21very carefully
36:22about the depths
36:23at which you're going
36:24to fire your weapons
36:25as well as the direction.
36:26It's pretty chancy.
36:30The odds are against Launders.
36:35He realizes
36:36that the British Mark 8
36:37torpedoes
36:38are very loud
36:39underwater
36:40once they've been fired.
36:41If the crew on board
36:46the U-boat
36:47hears them,
36:48they'll have time
36:49to turn away
36:50or dive deep
36:51to dodge
36:52the incoming warheads.
36:57Launders has an idea.
36:59It's a long shot,
37:00but it's all he's got.
37:05Minutes later,
37:06U-864 turns to starboard.
37:08It's time for Launders' plan
37:10to go into action.
37:13Up, Periscope!
37:19Board 15!
37:21His success and survival
37:22depend on whether
37:23his predictions
37:24of the German U-boat's
37:25behavior are correct.
37:33Fire!
37:38February 9, 1945.
37:50In the North Sea,
37:51about two miles west
37:52of the Norwegian
37:53island of Faya,
37:56two submarines ready
37:57for what could be
37:58the world's first
37:59underwater submarine
38:00dogfight.
38:03Aboard German U-boat
38:04U-864,
38:05Ralph Reiner Wolfram
38:07orders a series of turns
38:08to thwart a torpedo attack.
38:16British submarine commander
38:17Lieutenant James Launders
38:18calculates how to sink
38:19a submerged U-boat.
38:22If he can work out
38:23when the U-boat
38:24will turn next,
38:25he can plot
38:26a torpedo firing pattern
38:27that can intersect
38:28with where he anticipates
38:29the U-boat will be.
38:31Launders thinks
38:32with his submariner's instinct
38:33that any submarine commander,
38:35if he hears torpedoes
38:36in the water,
38:37is going to dive.
38:39Therefore,
38:40he will put
38:41at least one of his torpedoes,
38:42if not more,
38:43below where he thinks
38:45the submarine is already.
38:48Because then,
38:49the submarine will dive
38:50into the torpedo.
38:52When the U-boat
38:53turns to starboard,
38:54Launders starts
38:55a two-minute countdown.
38:56Up, Periscope!
38:57He had his men ready
38:58a spread of four torpedoes.
39:03Launders has created his plan
39:07to work at different depths
39:08to create a three-dimensional
39:09firing pattern.
39:10He gives the order.
39:11Fire!
39:12The first torpedo erupts
39:25from the submarine.
39:31Much do I want!
39:33Wolfram gives the order
39:34to evade.
39:35Hard to starboard
39:36and down.
39:37Fire!
39:38The second and third torpedoes
39:50dart toward the U-boat.
39:58There's only one torpedo left.
40:00Fire!
40:01Fire!
40:08And Wolfram
40:09has already gone deep.
40:13The final torpedo
40:14streaks through the water
40:20and slams into the U-boat side.
40:22The inrush of water
40:31into the submarine
40:32is so rapid
40:37the U-boat's flooded midsection
40:38immediately becomes heavier
40:39than the bow and stern.
40:44The U-boat snaps
40:45and falls to the seafloor.
40:49Onboard Venturer,
40:50Launders can't tell much
40:51about the hit.
40:52He knows he sunk
40:53a pretty big target.
40:54It does seem to be carrying
40:55a lot of stuff
40:56which comes floating
40:57to the surface.
40:58Therefore, it could well
40:59be a milk cow
41:00as they called
41:01the supply submarines.
41:03The men aboard Venturer
41:04have no idea
41:05how important their mission was.
41:11It was only after the attack
41:12that the British learned
41:13that they had sunk U-864
41:16with its secret cargo.
41:17Including the canisters of mercury
41:21worth about $5 million
41:22settling across the silt.
41:28The sinking of U-864
41:29does not stop the Axis effort.
41:32In March 1945,
41:34Germany tries to send
41:35another U-boat
41:36carrying weapons technology
41:37to Japan.
41:40But during its journey,
41:41events change rapidly.
41:42The Soviets launch a final offensive
41:45to take Berlin.
41:47Hitler commits suicide.
41:50In May,
41:51the Chief of Staff
41:52of the German High Command
41:53surrenders unconditionally
41:54to the Allies.
41:55Two days later,
41:58U-234 receives the final message
42:00from Gross Admiral Dönitz,
42:02telling his beloved U-boat arm
42:04the war is lost.
42:10The cargo of U-234
42:12was more sinister.
42:14A half-ton of uranium oxide
42:16would be discovered on board
42:17when it surrenders.
42:18The Wunderwaffen,
42:21or wonder weapons,
42:23don't make it.
42:26Japan will continue
42:27to face the Allies alone
42:28in the Pacific.
42:33In 2003,
42:35the wreckage from U-864
42:36was located less than
42:37two and a half miles
42:38off the coast of Norway,
42:40in around 500 feet of water.
42:43Its cargo already contaminated
42:48the seabed.
42:51The dangerous combination
42:52of mercury
42:53and the explosives
42:54of the weapons on board
42:55make salvage risky.
43:00The Norwegian government
43:01continues to work
43:02to manage the risks.
43:04The sinking of U-864
43:09is the only acknowledged
43:12submarine-to-submarine
43:14submerged kill
43:15of the Second World War.
43:16In the Royal Navy,
43:17in the years after the war,
43:19Landers was a legend
43:21for having pulled off
43:22a remarkable kill.
43:26The sinking of U-864
43:27is a major landmark
43:29in submarine warfare.
43:32It is the coming of age
43:33of the submarine
43:34as an anti-submarine system.
43:38After the war,
43:39anti-submarine operations
43:40are going to become
43:41the most important operations
43:43of the British submarine force
43:45and most other people's
43:46submarine forces.
43:47It's very much
43:48a pioneering operation.
43:50By showing it can be done,
43:52HMS Venturer opens up
43:53a whole new chapter,
43:55not just in submarine warfare,
43:57but in naval warfare as well.
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