Episode 10 Channel Patrol


Episode 10

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Stretching from Land's End to Dover,

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this is the busiest seaway in the world.

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And come hell or high water...

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Three, two, one. Firing!

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No amount of training can ever prepare you for what

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we faced that night.

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..it's open for business 365 days a year.

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Over 90% of the world's trade travels by sea.

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It's not just TVs and refrigerators, it's everything around us.

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Teeming with every type of vessel...

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Everyone on board reckons their job is the hardest.

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..and a rich diversity of wildlife.

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It's kept safe by those who patrol its seaways.

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Just throw your line to the boat!

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Their actions standing between triumph...

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ALL: Whoo!

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..and disaster...

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Ease off! Ease off!

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..on the unpredictable waters of the English Channel.

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Today, a maintenance crew have to inch their way through

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a seaway obstacle course.

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The nature of our job is to go into areas

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where other shipping shouldn't go, because it's too dangerous.

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So we go in, we mark the dangers, and then we come back out again.

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A group of university students get a taste of Navy life.

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ALL: Oh!

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-You're not supposed to have this.

-LAUGHTER

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And a team of builders take on a challenging restoration,

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two miles out at sea.

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Easy. Easy!

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It's going off the edge.

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The Channel is a vast, maritime highway,

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with up to 500 vessels on the water at any time...

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from pleasure boats to supertankers -

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it's a vital waterway for the British economy.

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Lighthouses and navigation buoys

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help keep vessels from running aground.

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The job of maintaining these crucial towers of light on land

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and sea has fallen to an organisation called Trinity House.

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It was set up over 500 years ago by Henry VIII.

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One of their flagships is the Galatea,

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specifically built to look after today's lighthouses and buoys.

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Whatever the weather, the ship is out making the seas safe.

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Primarily, Galatea is designed to be a buoy tender,

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and lighthouse tender. She's got a big crane on the back

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for lifting buoys out the water,

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she's got chain holds for pulling the buoy chain into.

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She's got a helicopter pad for working lighthouses.

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The work we do in the English Channel is very important

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because it's one of the most busy shipping lanes in the world.

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Today, there's an urgent callout,

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and they head up the east coast from the Channel.

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Everyone ready to go?

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A light on one of the buoys isn't working,

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and it's marking the entranceway to the Thames Estuary,

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one of the busiest shipping lanes in the area.

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The potential for disaster is huge,

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so the crew urgently needs to repair it.

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Like the cat's-eyes in a road,

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marker buoys are designed to be visible day and night

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to keep shipping safe.

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The team head straight out to the stricken buoy, known as a casualty.

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First one we're going to look at

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is the casualty, the Fisherman 3.

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So, it gives you all the basic

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information about the buoy -

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the light, the characteristic, the chain, the length.

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And then I'll go down onto the deck and will brief all the crew,

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and then we'll crack on with the job.

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As the crew get suited and booted, they have no idea what's wrong

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with the buoy they'll be pulling up onto the deck.

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It's reported that it's unlit.

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This type of buoy,

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we know they tend to have a common fault.

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They can get a bit of water inside, and it just shorts the electrics,

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and burns out the regulator.

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So, that then runs the batteries down and it goes unlit.

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The consequences of us not maintaining the aids to navigation

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would involve more shipping casualties.

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Most of the UK's goods, if you like, come in by sea -

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oil and all the stuff on the supermarket shelves.

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If a major port got blocked, for example,

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the shelves would run out of food within a few days.

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The captain's second-in-command is Sophie Platten.

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She's been at sea for 13 years,

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and began her career as a cadet on container ships.

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I'm in charge of the daily running of the ship,

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including the maintenance. In charge of the buoy-working deck.

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Supporting the captain when required

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and ensuring that, you know, everything runs smoothly.

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Copy that, that's the anchor aweigh.

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Something that I wanted to do since I was quite young.

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Always fancied, you know, a job with a difference.

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I think...this job definitely is that, you know.

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I do enjoy that every day is different,

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and that you can progress, you know,

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keep working up through the ranks, as well.

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You're up on the Galatea, good morning, that's us...

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The Galatea's reached the casualty buoy.

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Approaching the casualty now, I'm just manoeuvring the ship.

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I'm going to turn the ship around in the tide.

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The batteries could've failed, the lantern could've failed...

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It's clearly not been hit, now we can see it.

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We're going to pick it up and do some tests on it

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and find out what's wrong with it.

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While the captain keeps the Galatea alongside the buoy,

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Sophie's in charge of the operation on deck.

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So, guys, we have we've come here to Fisherman 3,

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casualty buoy, been reported unlit.

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So we'll bring it in. It's got 25 metres of 32mm chain.

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Three metre bridle, and a three tonne sinker.

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Just do our standard work, disconnect it,

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and work out why it's unlit.

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Right? Let's get this job done.

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The buoy is hoisted alongside.

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It's a bit awkward, isn't it?

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The team need to work quickly to find the problem.

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Every minute it's out of the water is a hazard for shipping.

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The Fisherman 3 is green,

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because it marks the left side of a shipping lane.

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We need to secure it to the working chain, so that way

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when we break the buoy, we'll be able to heave all the cable up.

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Any part of the buoy below the surface

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makes a good breeding ground for mussels.

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So, we've disconnected the buoy from the cable, and

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now we're going to heave the rest of the cable in and pick the sinker up.

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We're going to calibrate the cable as we bring it in.

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We're checking the thickness of the chain.

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Pins out.

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The sinker is a three tonne metal weight

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that sits on the seabed to keep the buoy in place.

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It's connected to the buoy by a chain, but it's

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so heavy they need to take precautions in case the chain snaps.

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If the chain were to run off at all,

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it's going to come all the way across the deck here.

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Could take people's feet out, break legs, anything.

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It's a fair jump, isn't it?

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The chain can wear out if any slack drags along the seabed.

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They need to make sure it's still thick enough to hold

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the buoy in place. So they check its width, known as the "thrash".

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Got a thrash of 28½.

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-RADIO:

-'28½, and it's gone down...

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'1½ in one year and four months.

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-'So, I think it'll be fine, won't it?'

-Yep.

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It looks like it'll last another year.

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We've just calibrated the chain.

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It's got a thrash that we're happy with, it's within our limits,

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so we're going to keep it.

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But it's just slipping on our gypsy, so were going to bring

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a second working chain up, just to help us heave it up.

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Just be careful there, Ellis.

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With the extra chain attached...

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Just get it the other side, Wes, that's it.

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..they have enough grip

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for the winch to pull the three-tonne sinker on board.

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While they wait for the sinker to arrive,

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the team try to work out why the buoy's not lighting up.

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Have you got the solar tester there?

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Bo's'n Ryan's not impressed.

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Those batteries don't look great, do they?

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They've not been greased or anything, have they?

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-There's no Vaseline on them at all, or anything like that.

-No.

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So we'll have a good tidy up.

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Cos the regulator's burnt-out,

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there's no input from the solar panel,

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so the batteries aren't being charged at all.

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When the light's running, it's just constantly draining the battery,

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so it's eventually going to run the batteries out.

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While they replace the batteries and service the buoy,

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the sinker finally emerges from the water.

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It looks like a giant bath plug.

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On closer inspection,

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the bottom of the chain is really worn where it's been dragging

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against the rocks on the seabed, and they decide to take no chances.

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It's now gone under the limits that we think is acceptable,

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so we're going to change it out for a new chain.

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This will eat up vital minutes, so they need to get a move on.

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The new chain comes in 100 metre lengths,

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so they have to cut to size.

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And there's more work than they thought to be done on the buoy.

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Just checking the voltage of the batteries.

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They've only got about three volts on them,

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so these are both dead, well and truly.

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Just strip it right out,

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we'll try and get rid of the old regulator

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as well, if we can get that off.

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Once we've got the new batteries in, we can see

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-whether this regulator's working.

-Exactly. Yeah, cool.

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It's not just the batteries that are gone.

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We've got a problem with one of the solar panels,

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so we're in the process of changing that over.

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Once that's been changed, were going to connect it all up.

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We'll be testing the light and, er, it should be good.

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The buoy's in need of a complete overhaul.

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With another job on the horizon, they need to get finished fast.

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With new batteries and a new solar panel, the light is back in action.

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Yep, all happy.

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With the final checks in place,

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it's time to get the buoy back in the water.

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Chain's clear.

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Yep, it's all done, all working correctly.

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Mission accomplished.

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But there's no rest for the team as they're already

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on their way to the next buoy.

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And it looks tricky.

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The English Channel has a long history

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in the defence of Britain against invasion.

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British forces still patrol this important border,

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keeping warships in operation to be deployed at a moment's notice,

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regulating fishing vessels and aiding border control

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intercepting narcotics and contraband.

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Thrust to port, step three.

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But every hardened mariner has to start the journey somewhere.

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The Navy train recruits from as young as 16 years of age.

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And today, a group of eager university students

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are getting a taste of Navy life.

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I'm considering joining the Royal Navy as a hydrographic officer.

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This is a great way to find out what the Navy does when it's at sea.

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It's a great way to find out

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what you're signing yourself up to.

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Ready fender for'ards!

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The potential recruits are taking part in a simulated

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counternarcotics and people smuggling exercise.

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It's a task the Navy takes on for real

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while on active duty round the world.

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My team had a success on a vessel

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smuggling heroin, and it was the first time heroin

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was ever found in the maritime

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domain, in the Indian Ocean.

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And now vessels are out in the Indian Ocean,

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from all over the world, are finding these smuggled drugs.

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We have very strict procedures we need to carry out,

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and it's very important we stick within the legal

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guidelines of the United Nations, and our own rules of engagement.

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Lieutenant Palmer is hoping today's challenge will give the students

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an insight into the skills they might need if they join up.

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I've based this scenario on operations that we carry out

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day-to-day in the Navy,

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that ships are out, currently conducting these operations.

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It's developing their interpersonal skills,

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and focusing on their teamwork and leadership.

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It's exposing them to things

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they probably wouldn't get to do in normal life.

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SHIP ALARM BEEPS

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OK, let's go ahead.

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A lot of the time the students will struggle with

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the military aspect of being on the boat and the unit.

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It's quite a tough transition to go from being a student

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to actually trying to be in the military.

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We've started commencing the Solent Storm exercise now.

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There are 64 students across two patrol ships -

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HMS Smiter and HMS Puncher - a supporting RIB and seven yachts.

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Each of which have been positioned out in the Solent

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by the Navy commanders.

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The exercise is to police the waters,

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and locate and identify any suspicious yachts that may be

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conducting illegal activity, such as smuggling drugs or people.

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The students will be observed by 12 Navy training officers.

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Up top, where the captain is, they will be looking out to make sure

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that they know where the vessel is, and manoeuvring safely towards it.

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Whereas these are here to support

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and provide extra information to the command team.

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Because these are like an extra set of eyes.

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So, we have the charts down here,

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the radar, and the ship's log.

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So the job here is to provide support to upstairs.

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I'd like to go to 3110...

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We've found one of the yachts with the other set of students on.

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And we've identified it as one of the...

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We've got an intelligence picture of one of these yachts,

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and we've identified that this is one of the yachts were looking for.

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Just tell him we have a yacht on our port beam, we're going to ask

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some questions, can you head over and take a look at them for us?

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Amongst today's young trainees, and in charge of communication

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on this first yacht search,

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is 21-year-old chemistry student Jessie Tucker.

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Jessie must instruct the support RIB.

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We have a yacht on our port bow...

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-Beam.

-..beam.

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It is of interest, and we're going to investigate further.

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Over.

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I joined the unit just to do something

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a little bit different, to be honest.

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It's nice to get away from

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the day-to-day life of lectures

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and working in the labs, in my case, or the library.

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This is Coalition Warship papa 272, over.

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-RADIO:

-'Coalition Warship, we receive you.'

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Now in radio contact with the yacht,

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Jessie cross-examines the seafarers to see if anything doesn't add up.

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What is the name of your vessel, over?

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'The vessel's name is Jet Hannessa.'

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What is the registered flag state of your vessel, over?

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'Spanish.'

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How many crew are on board, over?

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'Erm, three - no, four. Four.

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-'Oh, sorry, five.'

-SHE LAUGHS

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It's up to you now to make that decision

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of what you think about this yacht.

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Can you confirm that there are

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three to five passengers on the vessel?

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-Confirm the number of passengers...

-Yes, that's a very helpful question.

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Under the United Nations Law of the Sea,

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a warship can verify the flag of any vessel on the high seas.

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-..Over?

-'Flag flying currently is British, over.'

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Things that indicate to us that something's not right

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and we need to go and investigate that, OK?

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So, what is our tripwire here?

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Our tripwire is that they've stated to us that they're

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-flying the Spanish national flag.

-Yep.

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However, we've got a confirmed

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-sighting from our RIB that they're actually find the British flag.

-Yep.

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Therefore, we can board the vessel to check their documents.

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Yeah, and the other thing is, their crew numbers are a bit dodgy,

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aren't they?

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So we know from United Nations Security Council Resolution 1279

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that there is people smuggling, drug smuggling

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and piracy in this area. So there are two tripwires there.

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Now, the best way of doing this, to not get them so anxious,

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is to go for the flag state verification.

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Then we can have a further look around

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if we think there's something suspicious.

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Sir, I intend to conduct a routine boarding of your vessel under

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United Nations section on the Law of the Sea, Article 110 in order to

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verify the flag state of your yacht.

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Please turn into wind and reduce your speed to a minimum.

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Do not make any external communications with anyone

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other than this warship.

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Do not throw anything overboard during this process.

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I'm sending my boarding team via RIB. Over.

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'OK, we've received you, over.'

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Now he's caught,

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I'd say they're making the boarding now, which is fine.

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They'll have to check the documents of the yacht, check that the flag

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state refers to what they told us when we've VHF radio called them.

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They'll also then have to go through the compartments

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and have a good search around, once they're given authorisation,

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see if they can find any narcotics or any other contraband.

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Below deck, the navigational team must plot the exact coordinates

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of the suspect yacht for Navy records.

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-I want this marking on the chart, with the time and the position.

-OK.

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-5-0...

-5-46.927.

0:18:280:18:32

What we're doing here,

0:18:320:18:34

is we're noting down in the ship's log where we are, a grid reference...

0:18:340:18:38

-Happy on radar.

-OK.

0:18:380:18:41

Great. So that we know where we were.

0:18:410:18:44

We've noted down the name of the yacht, and the fact that the RIB has

0:18:440:18:47

boarded it, and the time, so that it's there for records later.

0:18:470:18:50

The RIB team have checked the vessel for any illegal activity,

0:18:510:18:55

and they were right to be suspicious.

0:18:550:18:57

Stand by to conduct cargo transfer.

0:18:570:19:00

Stand by.

0:19:000:19:02

The unit have discovered a suspect package.

0:19:020:19:05

The handover is complete,

0:19:060:19:08

and Jessie's first patrol mission is a success.

0:19:080:19:11

Puncher, Smiter, all copy, the whole visual.

0:19:110:19:14

Jessie's done really well this morning with her radio call.

0:19:140:19:17

And by the end of it was very confident.

0:19:170:19:20

I'm really, really impressed by that performance there.

0:19:200:19:24

After a fruitful operation, the patrol ship

0:19:240:19:27

and its Navy students continue the search exercise

0:19:270:19:30

across the Solent for more illegal activity.

0:19:300:19:33

Would you hold your course, then we'll come round?

0:19:330:19:35

Check quarters!

0:19:350:19:36

The English Channel may now be an accessible route for all

0:19:420:19:46

seafarers, but was once a natural defence halting invading armies.

0:19:460:19:51

In the middle of the Solent stand four Victorian sea forts.

0:19:510:19:55

Built in the late 1800s to protect

0:19:550:19:57

Portsmouth from attack by Napoleon III's forces,

0:19:570:20:01

they're now being put to a more welcoming use.

0:20:010:20:03

One of the largest, No Man's Fort, is nearing the end

0:20:050:20:08

of a two-year refurbishment to turn it into a luxury offshore hotel.

0:20:080:20:12

And in just a week's time, it's due to open for business.

0:20:130:20:18

The man at the helm of this unique challenge

0:20:180:20:20

is project manager Ian Fitzpatrick.

0:20:200:20:23

I am up against it,

0:20:230:20:24

I've got till next Friday to get everything completed,

0:20:240:20:26

so a busy few days. All the lads are aware of it.

0:20:260:20:28

We know what we've got to do, we've just got to get on and do it.

0:20:280:20:31

Getting everything complete, everything signed off,

0:20:310:20:33

everything commissioned,

0:20:330:20:35

and everything certificated.

0:20:350:20:36

Hopefully, this time next week, we'll be just about there -

0:20:360:20:39

finishing touches.

0:20:390:20:40

But this is not your average building site.

0:20:400:20:43

No Man's Fort originally cost £460,000 to build back in the 1870s.

0:20:430:20:49

Decommissioned by the Navy in the 1960s, restoring this

0:20:490:20:53

Grade II listed property is a multimillion pound operation.

0:20:530:20:57

The 35-strong team has been

0:20:580:21:00

working round the clock on the refurbishment,

0:21:000:21:03

which will include 22 bedrooms, a cabaret bar, sauna,

0:21:030:21:06

two helipads and its very own lighthouse.

0:21:060:21:10

When I applied to be a fire alarm engineer, I thought

0:21:100:21:12

I'd be out on land all the time. Being out at sea

0:21:120:21:15

is a bit new to me. It's not like the normal commute,

0:21:150:21:17

normally doing jobs in and around London.

0:21:170:21:19

Whereas this is all preplanned,

0:21:190:21:21

you've got to meet someone at the port

0:21:210:21:24

and then get onto the boat to get here.

0:21:240:21:26

It's a 30 minute daily boat ride.

0:21:260:21:29

Two miles out at sea, these maritime monuments were tactically

0:21:290:21:33

positioned so that any enemy vessels wishing to attack would be

0:21:330:21:36

forced to sail between the forts, and be bombarded by heavy cannons.

0:21:360:21:41

But times have changed, and today's battle is to arm the fort

0:21:410:21:45

with two heavy-duty bits of kit.

0:21:450:21:48

We've got two hot tubs coming,

0:21:480:21:50

and we're going to put them up onto the rooftop.

0:21:500:21:53

The hot tubs are going to turn up on a barge.

0:21:530:21:55

As they approach the landing stage,

0:21:550:21:57

we'll strap them up,

0:21:570:22:00

lift them off with our hoist onto the first ground level, then

0:22:000:22:04

from there, they get lifted onto our gantry, and go onto the rooftop.

0:22:040:22:07

Using the crane in these conditions is fine,

0:22:070:22:09

when the sea's like this it's not a problem at all.

0:22:090:22:11

Soon as you get a bit of a swell on the water, or we have the big

0:22:110:22:14

freightliners go past - you need to see them in the distance.

0:22:140:22:18

If you see the freightliner coming, the barge'll pull off,

0:22:180:22:20

and you get lots of aborted trips. Lots of aborted deliveries.

0:22:200:22:24

Man-days lost due to bad weather and stormy seas.

0:22:240:22:29

The weather can change within hours.

0:22:290:22:30

I can go from a flat, calm sea like I've got today,

0:22:300:22:33

to a force six, which basically takes our boat off the water.

0:22:330:22:38

The unpredictability of the weather is not the only problem

0:22:380:22:41

the team face.

0:22:410:22:42

This sea-based citadel has its own set of issues

0:22:420:22:46

in getting materials on and off site.

0:22:460:22:48

It's not just a simple...

0:22:480:22:50

On a normal building site, you get something delivered easy.

0:22:500:22:52

On here, if it's got to come to the roof,

0:22:520:22:54

it has to be hand pulled up.

0:22:540:22:55

I mean, we've only had this a couple of weeks now.

0:22:550:22:58

Everything else has been brought up here by hand.

0:22:580:23:00

-It's made life a bit easier, this crane.

-A bit easier.

0:23:000:23:03

A simple delivery would take a couple of days to do, wouldn't it?

0:23:030:23:06

It's a joint effort. I'd say the hot tubs will be harder cos...

0:23:060:23:09

-They're bigger and a more awkward shape. Aren't they?

-Yeah.

0:23:090:23:12

We haven't decided how we're going to get them up here.

0:23:120:23:15

They're going to come out this way, it's just getting them

0:23:150:23:18

over the edge of this banister, really.

0:23:180:23:20

Can't carry them up a spiral staircase,

0:23:200:23:22

so you've got to come all the way up and we've got to try

0:23:220:23:25

and slide them along over here without damaging the side of them.

0:23:250:23:29

Renovating a 150-year-old structure is hard at the best of times

0:23:290:23:34

but doing it in the middle of the ocean holds unique challenges.

0:23:340:23:37

The eight-tonne blocks of concrete

0:23:380:23:40

and stone that help to form its 27ft foundations were

0:23:400:23:44

brought out by barge and eased into position by divers.

0:23:440:23:47

Rising 18 metres above sea level, the steep,

0:23:490:23:52

circular walls are 15ft thick and reinforced with iron plating.

0:23:520:23:57

Ideal for repelling invaders

0:23:570:23:58

but not for bringing on bulky building materials.

0:23:580:24:02

The Fort's location is also proving a challenge for operations manager,

0:24:020:24:06

Rob Seddon, whose job includes overseeing the interiors.

0:24:060:24:10

Just having to work out the position.

0:24:100:24:12

They're bringing the RIB out as well.

0:24:120:24:14

I need a couple of more hands tomorrow, we're going to try

0:24:140:24:17

and get some more staff in to help us,

0:24:170:24:18

some more labourers, electricians, whoever we need.

0:24:180:24:21

I'm just going to wander around now, check some of the bedrooms.

0:24:210:24:24

The biggest thing for us is logistics and deliveries.

0:24:240:24:26

I got a phone call today saying all the dressings for the day beds

0:24:260:24:29

should be here Tuesday, Wednesday.

0:24:290:24:31

If it's going to be Tuesday, it'll be Wednesday, OK?

0:24:310:24:34

When they arrive, we need to get the logistics so it gets onto the boat.

0:24:340:24:37

When it gets off the boat, I make sure it's put into the rooms.

0:24:370:24:39

Gets put into the rooms, I make sure the beds get dressed.

0:24:390:24:42

So, if it arrives on Wednesday and we open on Saturday,

0:24:420:24:44

everything gets really angsty.

0:24:440:24:46

Hot tubs came out today, fantastic. All the railway sleepers here.

0:24:460:24:49

It's just a matter of getting everything onto the roof

0:24:490:24:51

and getting it all put in place.

0:24:510:24:52

But organising the finishing touches

0:24:520:24:55

isn't the only job on Rob's daily agenda.

0:24:550:24:57

Cos of the size of the Fort and the amount of people

0:24:570:24:59

we have on here, we've got to run boats to and from every day.

0:24:590:25:02

In the evening, we work out how many staff we have going off,

0:25:020:25:05

so we have to work out how many boats we have to run,

0:25:050:25:07

so we either do one boat, two boats, three boats when it's really busy.

0:25:070:25:10

Then we have to plan the timing as well cos the boat driver

0:25:100:25:13

can't drive after dark.

0:25:130:25:15

General manager, Mark Watts, is explaining to the Fort's new

0:25:160:25:20

manager, Jason Ward, how it will run when the resort opens.

0:25:200:25:23

-Oh, wow.

-Impressive, eh?

0:25:250:25:28

So you can have up to 60 people around this whole lighthouse area,

0:25:290:25:33

up and down it, so we want to be serving canapes out here

0:25:330:25:37

and making sure it's all dressed properly.

0:25:370:25:39

You've got a bar just behind me, here.

0:25:390:25:41

-This is the main atrium, here.

-Good.

0:25:420:25:45

These lamps, we have brought across, they are authentic

0:25:450:25:49

but we're going to put one on the roof, here, next week, if we can.

0:25:490:25:52

This helipad, here, I'm converting to be able to do golf from here.

0:25:520:25:56

-Wonderful.

-You've got biodegradable

0:25:560:25:58

fish food golf balls and they'll be...

0:25:580:26:01

You can drive them off into the sea, there.

0:26:010:26:03

-This brings us into the cabaret bar, here.

-OK.

-Excellent.

0:26:040:26:08

We'll have the parties here, with up to 200 people in here.

0:26:080:26:11

I've got some work to do in here, then.

0:26:110:26:13

With only a few days left before No Man's Fort is due to be

0:26:140:26:17

completed, Jason is looking forward to starting work.

0:26:170:26:21

-Coming out, enjoy the views.

-Another great view,

0:26:220:26:25

look at that.

0:26:250:26:26

At this stage, you always worry

0:26:260:26:28

if you're going to start on time or finish on time.

0:26:280:26:30

I think we can do it. There's been work going on

0:26:300:26:32

for a couple of years.

0:26:320:26:34

This last bit is always the bit that worries people

0:26:340:26:37

but we'll be there, we'll be open.

0:26:370:26:39

The build team are preparing for the delivery of two luxury hot tubs.

0:26:420:26:46

It's never that easy.

0:26:460:26:47

Knowing our luck, they'll probably come flat pack.

0:26:470:26:50

Don't say that, we'll have to put them together.

0:26:500:26:52

Luckily, today, the seas are calm for the hot tubs' arrival

0:26:520:26:56

and it's time the team got to work.

0:26:560:26:58

To lift the 26st tubs onto the roof of this 60ft tall fort,

0:27:010:27:06

the team will use the winch.

0:27:060:27:08

The straps are safely secured

0:27:080:27:10

and the first hot tub slowly rises off the barge.

0:27:100:27:13

We'll get Stevie to cut it off and then bale it off.

0:27:130:27:17

They're big, them.

0:27:170:27:19

Despite concerns,

0:27:190:27:20

the hot tub has made it to the first floor without a hitch.

0:27:200:27:23

-Are you all right?

-Yeah.

0:27:270:27:29

Shorten these drops, lower that, and try to manoeuvre it over

0:27:290:27:36

and out the way.

0:27:360:27:37

But getting it on the roof using the localised crane is

0:27:370:27:40

when the problems start.

0:27:400:27:42

We need to bring that back into that gantry, further towards the fence.

0:27:490:27:53

-Out that way.

-Out that way?

-Yeah.

0:27:530:27:56

But the shape isn't the only concern.

0:27:570:27:59

The A-frame on the roof, that holds the winch, isn't tall enough,

0:27:590:28:03

which means the hot tub won't make it over the rail,

0:28:030:28:06

a headache that contract supervisor, Steve Wilson, doesn't need.

0:28:060:28:11

Obviously, with the area... We've got to get it up and over.

0:28:110:28:14

So, yeah, it's not an easy task. No, we need to shorten these.

0:28:140:28:19

The team decide to shorten the straps to raise the tub

0:28:200:28:24

higher on the winch.

0:28:240:28:25

It's never straightforward.

0:28:250:28:27

But it's still not high enough.

0:28:350:28:38

Having worked on the project for the last eight months,

0:28:380:28:40

-Steve is used to the challenges.

-It's a lot smaller than

0:28:400:28:43

the big stuff that's bringing it off the boat.

0:28:430:28:45

-You're not going to get four of them in there, are you?

-No.

0:28:450:28:48

First time you try it and you fail, you try again. You re-rig it,

0:28:480:28:51

you look at it and you try and get it up. Nothing seems to go

0:28:510:28:55

first time on here, you always have to try and adapt it to get it up.

0:28:550:28:58

Because obviously, you've only got a small area to work

0:29:000:29:03

and you've got the crane above you

0:29:030:29:05

and you've got to get it past the crane, so, yeah, it's quite awkward.

0:29:050:29:08

The build team decide to push the crane up to its maximum height.

0:29:080:29:12

-'Hello.'

-Go ahead.

0:29:160:29:18

-'Bring it back down and it'll rise far enough.'

-OK.

0:29:180:29:23

-Stop.

-Stop.

0:29:240:29:27

-Lift it.

-Go on, then, one more.

0:29:320:29:36

INDISTINCT CHATTER

0:29:380:29:41

No, move, move ,move.

0:29:410:29:42

-'Are you ready?'

-Yep.

0:29:420:29:45

'OK, lower it down.'

0:29:450:29:46

Slowly, slowly.

0:29:460:29:48

-They're not that heavy, they're just awkward.

-It's going to work.

0:29:520:29:56

It has to, it's the only option we've got now.

0:29:560:29:58

If not, it's going to be extreme lifting.

0:29:580:30:02

The hot tub has reached the distance

0:30:040:30:06

but the only way to slide it over the rail is to take

0:30:060:30:09

the brakes off the frame and wheel the heavy tub into position.

0:30:090:30:13

It's going to be a very tricky manoeuvre.

0:30:130:30:16

-Is the break off?

-Yeah, the brake's off.

0:30:180:30:21

-Easy, easy.

-It's going off the edge.

0:30:230:30:26

With a 26st hot tub hanging over the Solent,

0:30:260:30:29

the last thing they want is for the frame to fall off the platform.

0:30:290:30:32

Can you and Kev come and give us a hand up here for a minute, mate?

0:30:320:30:36

Steve Wilson, call back.

0:30:360:30:37

-That's it.

-There you go.

0:30:370:30:39

INDISTINCT COMMENTS

0:30:430:30:45

Rob?

0:30:450:30:47

Taking the brakes off.

0:30:470:30:49

-Have you got it?

-Yeah!

0:30:530:30:55

You beauty!

0:30:560:30:57

After a hair-raising five minutes,

0:30:570:31:00

the hot tub is finally on the top deck.

0:31:000:31:03

Yeah?

0:31:030:31:04

Up.

0:31:040:31:06

It's awkward.

0:31:060:31:07

It's been a mammoth effort but the team has done it.

0:31:070:31:12

I'm going to have to sort that out now.

0:31:120:31:14

20 minutes that they've taken to be up here

0:31:140:31:16

so we'll start installing them.

0:31:160:31:17

Got to have them in by the end of the day.

0:31:170:31:19

It's not like a normal Monday to Friday nine to five,

0:31:230:31:26

we're in the lap of the gods.

0:31:260:31:28

Every day is totally different.

0:31:290:31:30

And when you talk to people, "What do you do for a living?"

0:31:350:31:38

"I work on a fort in the middle of the ocean." It's a bit, "You what?"

0:31:380:31:41

When you bring up pictures and show them, it blows people's minds.

0:31:410:31:44

It really does blow people's minds.

0:31:440:31:46

With just a week left before they're due to open,

0:31:460:31:48

the team is just hoping the weather stays on their side.

0:31:480:31:51

The fierce tides and choppy seas of the English Channel make it

0:32:020:32:06

an excellent base for naval manoeuvres and exercises.

0:32:060:32:09

Giving potential new recruits a taste of naval life.

0:32:110:32:14

Strategically positioned Portsmouth is a hub of naval power that

0:32:160:32:20

has defended the UK over centuries.

0:32:200:32:22

And today, 64 university students have reported for duty.

0:32:280:32:32

They're taking part in a simulated counternarcotics

0:32:350:32:38

and smuggling exercise but a real emergency has come up.

0:32:380:32:43

-OVER RADIO:

-'The yacht in question is now

0:32:430:32:45

'one nautical mile on my starboard quarter.

0:32:450:32:48

'Request assistance to transport casualty to Cowes.'

0:32:480:32:50

I'll send the RIB over now, over.

0:32:500:32:53

The student skipper on another boat has been injured.

0:32:570:33:00

-What's broken?

-Right foot. Metatarsals. That's what we believe.

0:33:020:33:07

Just be careful coming onto the boat.

0:33:070:33:09

-I'm going to put my foot up in the air...

-Yep.

0:33:090:33:11

-..and go in towards it.

-Just support it.

0:33:110:33:14

It's a reminder that life at sea is unpredictable

0:33:160:33:19

and potentially dangerous.

0:33:190:33:21

I can't stand up because of this foot.

0:33:230:33:25

OK.

0:33:250:33:26

My foot got caught under a rope and it just got wedged.

0:33:260:33:29

It's silly. INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION

0:33:290:33:32

-Love you!

-Love you lots!

-See you in half an hour.

-See you tomorrow!

0:33:320:33:35

Good news is she's in a taxi and she's on the way to hospital.

0:33:500:33:53

If all things are good, then she'll be back with us tonight.

0:33:530:33:56

Maybe just a sprain, let's live in hope.

0:33:560:33:59

Back on the pilot ship,

0:34:030:34:05

the students are rotating their roles to broaden their experience.

0:34:050:34:08

We're about to put Jessie on a RIB

0:34:100:34:12

and they're going to become part of the boarding team

0:34:120:34:16

and they get on the yacht, so they'll be looking for any

0:34:160:34:19

suspicious packaging, any extra personnel.

0:34:190:34:22

For example, for the exercise, there might be some people smuggling.

0:34:220:34:25

They have to be quite careful on the RIB

0:34:250:34:27

because they'll bounce around a lot in this sea.

0:34:270:34:30

Also, when they get onto the yachts, lots and lots of metal

0:34:300:34:34

and stuff, which are quite hazardous.

0:34:340:34:35

They have to be quite careful when they're going around.

0:34:350:34:38

I'll ask them what their nationalities are.

0:34:380:34:40

Ask them if they're carrying anything they're not supposed to be

0:34:400:34:43

carrying and then report back to HMS Puncher.

0:34:430:34:47

INDISTINCT CHATTER ON BOAT

0:34:470:34:49

On board the suspect yacht, the students have clear instructions.

0:34:490:34:53

Yeah, we've been told to sail about in this area

0:34:530:34:56

and act slightly suspiciously.

0:34:560:34:59

Are you ready to be boarded?

0:34:590:35:01

FROM YACHT: Are you boarding?

0:35:010:35:03

Yes.

0:35:060:35:07

Guys, are you ready to hop on the yacht, please?

0:35:090:35:13

-Good luck finding it. If there's anything!

-We don't have anything.

0:35:160:35:20

Nothing to hide here.

0:35:200:35:22

This may not be a real-life callout but the unit boarding

0:35:240:35:27

the vessel must still be aware of the potential dangers...

0:35:270:35:31

such as the suspects carrying weapons

0:35:310:35:34

or the boat being booby-trapped.

0:35:340:35:36

But the students aren't deterred, and the hidden goods are discovered.

0:35:370:35:41

And it's rocket, just not the explosive type.

0:35:430:35:46

-ALL:

-Oh!

0:35:480:35:50

You're not supposed to have this.

0:35:500:35:52

-So, yes, I found some...

-Suspicious packages.

0:35:530:35:57

..suspicious packages that they're not supposed to be holding.

0:35:570:36:02

So that was a successful search, I suppose.

0:36:020:36:04

It's been a triumphant training day for Jessie

0:36:070:36:09

and the other students. And the good news doesn't end there.

0:36:090:36:13

Unfortunately, I caught a rope on my foot.

0:36:130:36:17

I'm all good, no broken bones, just a bit swollen on the foot. All good.

0:36:170:36:22

Keeping accidents at bay in the English Channel is crucial

0:36:320:36:36

so that the ports and trade routes can remain open.

0:36:360:36:38

If a port were to close,

0:36:400:36:42

supermarkets would run out of food in a matter of days.

0:36:420:36:45

The navigational buoys in the English Channel help mark

0:36:460:36:49

the danger areas in these waters,

0:36:490:36:51

ultimately keeping the country supplied with goods.

0:36:510:36:55

It falls to Trinity House vessel, the Galatea,

0:36:550:36:58

to maintain these aides to navigation.

0:36:580:37:00

Fresh from repairing one nautical buoy, the Galatea is

0:37:080:37:11

onto its next mission, a routine check in a very problematic area.

0:37:110:37:16

It's a very hazardous environment to drive a ship into,

0:37:190:37:22

there's lots of fixed structures.

0:37:220:37:23

If anything went wrong with the ship's equipment or the engines

0:37:230:37:26

failed or anything like that, we'd need to get out pretty sharpish.

0:37:260:37:31

There's a lot of things we can hit in there.

0:37:310:37:33

The nature of our job is to go into areas where other shipping

0:37:330:37:37

shouldn't go because it's too dangerous.

0:37:370:37:40

So, we go in, we mark the dangers and then we come back out again.

0:37:400:37:43

That's what we're trained to do.

0:37:430:37:44

But guiding 84 metres of floating steel through an aquatic

0:37:460:37:49

slalom course is no time for complacency.

0:37:490:37:53

Done it lots of times before, yeah.

0:37:530:37:55

Still doesn't... You still can't get too confident, though.

0:37:560:38:00

Just always be on your guard.

0:38:000:38:01

It's fun. It's the dangerous stuff that I like doing, you know?

0:38:020:38:06

And it's not just the static white power generators to be avoided.

0:38:060:38:10

Can you just keep an eye, as we're moving in,

0:38:100:38:12

on these wind farm boats, make sure none of them are getting close?

0:38:120:38:15

Last thing I want to do is get in a situation with one of those

0:38:150:38:17

while we're surrounded by turbines.

0:38:170:38:19

They're even ready for an emergency stop.

0:38:190:38:21

Ship on standby for boarding, thank you.

0:38:210:38:24

We'll get the PO, petty officer, to stand by on the deck,

0:38:240:38:27

ready to drop the anchor, just in case we lose power.

0:38:270:38:30

The thing we've got to remember with that is not to drop

0:38:300:38:33

it on top of one of the cables. Lots of electric cables on the seabed.

0:38:330:38:37

Moving in, now, Martin. Coming ahead.

0:38:370:38:40

Captain Wayne Durrant uses all his years of experience

0:38:430:38:46

to reach the buoy.

0:38:460:38:48

Keep a nice little bit of movement ahead

0:38:480:38:49

and let the tide just push me in between the two turbines.

0:38:490:38:53

So we're actually using the elements to achieve what I need,

0:38:540:38:57

rather than fighting the elements to achieve what I need.

0:38:570:39:00

It's a bit like driving a shopping trolley.

0:39:000:39:02

But with a buoy nestled between metal pylons,

0:39:050:39:08

precision's required and instruments need referring to.

0:39:080:39:11

This is done on a positioning system which basically allows me

0:39:150:39:18

to keep the ship in one place...

0:39:180:39:20

..in basic terms, and just move in increments

0:39:220:39:25

and turn the head in increments at whatever speed I like.

0:39:250:39:28

I sit here and tell it what to do and I've got to monitor it but in

0:39:290:39:33

all reality, the computer's actually driving the ship at the moment.

0:39:330:39:36

It helps us to work in a lot rougher conditions

0:39:370:39:40

because it can maintain the ship's heading, to keep

0:39:400:39:42

the wind on one side while the guys are working on the other.

0:39:420:39:45

That's really, really handy for us as a lighthouse service.

0:39:450:39:49

The positioning system means the approach can be ultra slow.

0:39:520:39:56

I'm moving in slowly to the buoy at about a knot.

0:39:560:39:58

And I'm just checking all my reference systems -

0:40:000:40:03

my gyros are still in line,

0:40:030:40:04

wind sensors are still working and the motion sensor systems

0:40:040:40:07

on the ship are still working and all tying up.

0:40:070:40:11

Basically making sure nothing's going wrong. We could have a blackout.

0:40:130:40:17

The generators could trip out, we could have a thruster failure,

0:40:170:40:21

we could have position failure.

0:40:210:40:23

With the Galatea safely alongside the buoy,

0:40:270:40:30

the work on deck can begin.

0:40:300:40:31

Right, let's have a look at what we've got.

0:40:310:40:33

This is the Long Sand middle buoy.

0:40:330:40:35

It marks an area of deep water where ships can safely pass through

0:40:350:40:39

the wind farm.

0:40:390:40:40

Red-coloured buoys mark the right-hand side

0:40:400:40:43

of a shipping channel as you enter from open sea.

0:40:430:40:46

What we've done is we've brought it on deck, calibrated the chain.

0:40:460:40:49

We're just about the check the sinker but our job, here

0:40:490:40:52

today, is to change the lantern over,

0:40:520:40:55

so that's just what the lads are starting to do now.

0:40:550:40:58

They'll disconnect the old one,

0:40:580:40:59

lower that down and then we'll get the new one up to them.

0:40:590:41:04

Connect it all up, check it all works.

0:41:040:41:07

Back over the side, onto the next job.

0:41:070:41:09

The organisation has to visit all the buoys on a regular basis

0:41:140:41:18

to make sure they accurately mark hazards.

0:41:180:41:20

Trinity House make sure that they're proactive rather than reactive.

0:41:220:41:26

You don't want to get to a point where you've let the chain wear

0:41:260:41:29

too thin and it would drift,

0:41:290:41:30

cos that would be a danger to the mariner.

0:41:300:41:32

We make sure that we change things ahead of time

0:41:320:41:34

so they stay in position, where they should be.

0:41:340:41:37

They need to check the solar power system is working

0:41:380:41:41

so the flashing light will be sufficiently charged

0:41:410:41:44

and seen at night and in bad weather.

0:41:440:41:46

Flash character of this one is ISO two, that's every two seconds

0:41:470:41:51

and basically, the flash character is just

0:41:510:41:53

the pattern of the flashes that the buoy has to be programmed.

0:41:530:41:56

With the new unit in place,

0:42:040:42:05

it needs to be lowered down and bolted to the rest of the buoy.

0:42:050:42:09

I think that's for scrap.

0:42:170:42:19

For the captain, it's been a successful mission

0:42:190:42:21

but there's one last thing to do.

0:42:210:42:23

Wipe its backside and then put it back in and off we go.

0:42:240:42:27

Yep, good to go.

0:42:270:42:29

The buoy can be returned to its post,

0:42:300:42:33

marking the deep water through the wind farm.

0:42:330:42:35

For the team, every buoy serviced keeps the sea safe for all mariners.

0:42:400:42:46

Yes, very successful job.

0:42:460:42:47

Everybody did really well and, yep, got the job done and now,

0:42:470:42:50

onto the next job.

0:42:500:42:51

With the mission complete, the teams sit down for a well-deserved meal

0:42:560:43:01

but they can't rest for long.

0:43:010:43:03

They have to be on call, to maintain and mend lighthouses

0:43:030:43:06

and buoys, 365 days a year.

0:43:060:43:09

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