0:00:11 > 0:00:13This is Coast!
0:00:16 > 0:00:18At the edge of our isles
0:00:18 > 0:00:22- is a natural wilderness. - SEAGULLS
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Vast seas,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27deep oceans,
0:00:27 > 0:00:28tempestuous tides.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35The relationship between us and our wild waters
0:00:35 > 0:00:37is a challenge.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39But one we embrace.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41For work...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43..play...
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..and sheer necessity.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52There's nowhere wilder then our open waters,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and for me, there's no bigger adrenaline rush.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56But out here,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00you're at the mercy of some seriously majestic natural forces,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04which can make the sea a perilous place to be.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10As I head for one of our most treacherous stretches,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Northumberland's north-east,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16my fellow coast crew are also taking to the high seas.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18Walk on the boat!
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Mark's exploring how a stalwart of our oceans,
0:01:21 > 0:01:26the roll-on, roll-off ferry, stays safe in wild waters.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29If the water from here
0:01:29 > 0:01:31gets into here, it could be lethal.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Miranda's diving into the untamed depths of Dublin Bay.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Out there is Britain's most venomous jellyfish, the Lion's Mane.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45And I'm about to enter its lair.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46And Dick's on the trail of a plan
0:01:46 > 0:01:50to make wartime waters even wilder...
0:01:50 > 0:01:51..with fire.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- The water's bubbling.- Yep.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56- We're boiling the sea?- Yes.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Welcome to the wild waters of our coast.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02OK, Tom.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Wild waters,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38the ultimate gauntlet thrown down by nature.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44But for centuries, man has looked out there
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and also found a maritime muse.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Inspiration for how we work with
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and survive nature at its most terrifying.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02What drives people to take on the elements?
0:03:05 > 0:03:08And how do we contend with perilous seas?
0:03:11 > 0:03:14I'm taking a journey down the north-east Coast of Northumberland
0:03:14 > 0:03:16on a quest to find out.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Starting at windswept Bamburgh
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and heading for the mouth of the River Tyne.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28This coast is one of Britain's most hazardous,
0:03:28 > 0:03:36a 65 mile danger zone, with 780 known shipwrecks.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47'I'm venturing into these wild waters with RNLI coxswain,
0:03:47 > 0:03:53'John Hanvey, to investigate why they've claimed so many victims.'
0:03:54 > 0:03:57What is it, John, that makes this coast so dangerous?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Well, as you can see by looking at the chart,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03you have virtually a straight run up the coastline,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and then you come across the Farne Islands,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08which the furthest one out is about three and a half miles,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12and because the Farne Islands are blocking the route of the tide,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15as it funnels through, the tide becomes very strong
0:04:15 > 0:04:17and runs in loads of different directions.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19So, it's like a gigantic, natural breakwater
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- sticking out into the shipping lanes?- It is, yes.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It's like a millpond here today, John,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28but what's it like when you've got a really big storm blowing?
0:04:28 > 0:04:31It's wild, got a lot of wind, a lot of tide,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33a lot of water coming over the top,
0:04:33 > 0:04:34the boat's rolling
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and when it's dark it makes it ten times worse.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Another thing we get on this part of the coast is fog,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42and I think a lot of people who have been to sea all their life
0:04:42 > 0:04:46would sooner have a gale of wind than they would the fog.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Because this coastline has a host of hidden hazards.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Basically, between the Farnes, right down over Holy Island,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56we've got a lot of shallower water, we've got smaller islands,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59some of which have only got about a metre of water
0:04:59 > 0:05:02covered over the top of them, so if you don't know where they are,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04they would catch you out.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10These waters are so wild that even with modern navigation,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13vessels still sail into trouble.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Two centuries ago, up to five ships a night were lost.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21What did they do before the days of the RNLI?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25'They looked to a local landmark.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Bamburgh Castle.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I want to find out why it made this coast
0:05:32 > 0:05:34the cradle of life-saving.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Bamburgh Castle is an impressive vantage point.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45300 years ago, it was home to Dr John Sharp,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49archdeacon and son of the Archbishop of York.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53He devoted his life to saving others.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58It's the late 1700s and Sharp is receiving weekly reports
0:05:58 > 0:06:02of drowned bodies being washed up on these shores.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Sharp grows increasingly disturbed by the relentless loss of life
0:06:06 > 0:06:11and becomes obsessed with making our wild waters safer.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19'There was no nearby lighthouse, no ship-to-shore communication,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21'no distress flares.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25'So, what did Sharp come up with?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27'A set of instructions.'
0:06:27 > 0:06:31It was a watch and rescue system.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35When the mists came down, or the waters turned wild,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39it was all eyes on the coast for those at Bamburgh Castle.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43He'd invented the first coastguard station.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46"In every great storm,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49'two men on horseback are sent from the castle
0:06:49 > 0:06:52"to patrol from sunset to sunrise."
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- BELL RINGS - "A bell on the south turret
0:06:57 > 0:07:00"will be rung out in every thick fog as a signal.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04"A person is to attend every morning to look out
0:07:04 > 0:07:06"if any ships be in distress."
0:07:07 > 0:07:12If any were spotted, those at the castle jumped into action.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17First, a gun signalled the location of the wrecked ship.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Prepare to give fire.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20GUNSHOT
0:07:20 > 0:07:22One shot for the islands.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24TWO GUNSHOTS
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Two for north.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29THREE GUNSHOTS
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Three for south.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36But how could you communicate with stricken vessels?
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Sharp's solution was a flag and a speaking trumpet.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Ahoy there!
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Help is at hand.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53Enormous iron chains hauled foundering ships to shore.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57The first coastguard at Bamburgh
0:07:57 > 0:08:00not only warned ships away from the coastline,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03but provided refuge for shipwrecked sailors,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08food, first aid, beds, space to store cargo.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14Despite Sharp's pioneering efforts, lives were still being lost.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20There was no slipway to get a boat out to stranded ships.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22He needed something remarkable.
0:08:24 > 0:08:31In 1788, Sharp contacted a London coach builder, Lionel Lukin.
0:08:31 > 0:08:37Lukin had just modified and patented a Norway yawl by adding air boxes,
0:08:37 > 0:08:42cork gunnels and a deeper keel to improve stability and buoyancy.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Lukin called his vessel the 'unimmergible boat.'
0:08:46 > 0:08:49It was intended as a Thames work boat,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53but Sharp immediately saw its potential as a life-saver.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59How could a river boat from the placid Thames
0:08:59 > 0:09:03work in the wild waters of the North Sea?
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- Hi, Tim. Very good to meet you. - Hello, Nick. Nice to meet you too.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11'I'm meeting boat restorer, Tim West, to find out.'
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Here it is.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15The coble.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Specially designed for the north-east Coast.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Because they're going into the water this way,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23the forefoot is a deep forefoot,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26so it acts as a rudder when you're going into the sea.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28When it's deep enough,
0:09:28 > 0:09:29they would then,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31they would then fit the rudder.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34They'd lean it over the stern and then drop the rudder into the,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36the pintles, aren't they, these holes here?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38And then you've got a tiller somewhere.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I do like model boats.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43There you go, you've got a tiller on. Beautiful.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45So, that's what steers the boat.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51This coble could be launched from a flat beach.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54To stop the wild waters swallowing it,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58buoyant cork panels and air chambers were added.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01But was it really unsinkable?
0:10:01 > 0:10:05'We're putting our scale model to the test.'
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- A demo bit of sea. - This is the North Sea.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14And we've managed to find two likely passengers in period dress.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15Very elegantly dressed, yeah.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Lukin's principal design was to make sure the boat,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20even though it was fully overwhelmed,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23- it wouldn't, er, it wouldn't completely sink.- Yeah.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27So, he fitted additional buoyancy in, which I've done here,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29with some cork covered with calico.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Theoretically, if the boat was full of water,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34it wouldn't sink, even with survivors on board.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Can we try that? Here comes the North Sea storm.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38Right, here it comes.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48So, that's showing that the boat copes quite well in the sea,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51so let's er, let's see what happens when we submerge it.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58So, it doesn't sink, and it's not even turned upside down.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00So, Lupin's designed worked.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04So, the basic coble with extra buoyancy
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- could stay afloat in a North Sea storm.- Yep.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11That's remarkable, the beginning of the lifeboat story,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14demonstrated in a paddling pool on a beach at Bamburgh.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22John Sharp was a visionary who conquered these wild waters.
0:11:22 > 0:11:28He created the first coastguard and first lifeboat station.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33This hero of the waves gave rise to a crucial rescue service
0:11:33 > 0:11:35that still watches over our coast today.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54The coastguard is a staple of our seas.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00But a somewhat larger workhorse of our wild waters
0:12:00 > 0:12:02is the roll-on, roll-off ferry.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Reliable and steadfast,
0:12:06 > 0:12:11it takes a pretty wild ocean to stop them sailing.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16These beasts of our maritime superhighway
0:12:16 > 0:12:17evolved from times of war.
0:12:19 > 0:12:25Now, they wage a daily battle to keep people and cargo moving.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Departing from Stranraer on the west coast of Scotland,
0:12:33 > 0:12:38Mark's on a mission to investigate how 'RoRos'
0:12:38 > 0:12:42and their passengers stomach our wild waters.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46If you were going to design a ship
0:12:46 > 0:12:49to take on the high seas,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54a roll-on, roll-off ferry might not be the obvious choice.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It's not, on first appearance,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59the most watertight of vessels. BEEPING
0:12:59 > 0:13:02RoRos have a huge, open stern,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04leading to a cavernous hull.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10If the water from here
0:13:10 > 0:13:13gets into here, it could be lethal.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20On the 31st of January, 1953,
0:13:20 > 0:13:21it did and it was.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28The wildest storm in living memory claimed the first RoRo casualty...
0:13:28 > 0:13:30..the Princess Victoria.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33On this very route, Stranraer to Larne,
0:13:33 > 0:13:37her stern doors were ripped from their hinges,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39water flooded in.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44"Despite the valiant efforts of her crew
0:13:44 > 0:13:47"and other seafarers,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49"the Princess Victoria foundered
0:13:49 > 0:13:51"off the coast of Northern Ireland
0:13:51 > 0:13:54"with a loss of 133 lives."
0:13:57 > 0:14:03An inquiry blamed wild waters and a fatal flaw in the stern door.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07It didn't provide a watertight seal for the car deck.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Since then, failing doors and ferocious seas
0:14:11 > 0:14:15have been factors in two more European ferry sinkings,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19the 1987 Herald of Free Enterprise
0:14:19 > 0:14:21and The Estonia, less than a decade later.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28'I want to investigate what was learned from these disasters'
0:14:28 > 0:14:31and how ferries cope with stormy seas.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Wild waters have been the driving force
0:14:36 > 0:14:40behind the science and safety of RoRo ferries.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Whilst design hasn't changed, technology has.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Now these floating giants have CCTV everywhere.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Sensors ensure doors are sealed shut.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Checks between crew and bridge
0:14:57 > 0:15:01are constant before and during crossings.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03If anything is awry,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06a ship won't sail.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11But what happens if a ferry hits trouble out at sea?
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Emergency drills are another product of lessons learnt.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18BEEP
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24"This is the captain speaking, please listen very carefully."
0:15:24 > 0:15:27All hands muster to emergency stations.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Each week, crews from around our shores
0:15:35 > 0:15:40take part in emergency drills to evacuate passengers
0:15:40 > 0:15:42from these floating giants.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Today, I'm going to join them.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Go to the left, bear left and round the sink.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Stay there and do your best.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52In an emergency at sea,
0:15:52 > 0:15:57passengers are instructed to find their nearest assembly station.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Gosh, it's somewhere out here.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04First team, it's 10 minutes of air time. 10 minutes of airtime left.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Can you imagine what this would be like in a real emergency,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11finding your way round this labyrinth of doors?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18The situation has now become very serious.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21As a result, I've decided to abandon ship.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22"Evacuate..."
0:16:22 > 0:16:24'For the crew on board,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28'this evacuation procedure is second nature.'
0:16:28 > 0:16:30I think it's down here, outside decks.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Chaps in orange.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34I feel safer now.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- I need a life jacket. - There you are.- Ah, thanks.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40There are four lifeboats on this ferry,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42each holding 125 people.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47And these people will help you onto the boat!
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Please do what's instructed.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Walk on the boat,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54move on down and sit on the opposite side of the boat, please.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58There we are, safe.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00That was really very exciting.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03You know, these guys do it all the time, every Sunday morning,
0:17:03 > 0:17:08so they're so calm, but it was so quick, so fast.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Evacuation at sea is thankfully rare.
0:17:12 > 0:17:18But there's one factor none of us can control on our wild waters...
0:17:18 > 0:17:20'..the great British weather.'
0:17:20 > 0:17:23But can we be one step ahead of it?
0:17:23 > 0:17:27'Paddy McAlinden is the ship's master.'
0:17:27 > 0:17:30We have got much more detailed forecasts. As you can see here,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33there's everything in this, we've got sea states, wave heights,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36wind strengths, and they're planning this for every three hours,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38right through for a four-day sequence.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Nowadays, you can really set your watch
0:17:40 > 0:17:43on the time of day a front going through,
0:17:43 > 0:17:44they are that accurate.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49Ultimately though, whether you sail or not is your decision as master?
0:17:49 > 0:17:52My decision, the decision rests with me and if I say,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56"I do not consider the conditions favourable for the voyage",
0:17:56 > 0:17:57I will not sail.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Just a tiny percentage of ferry crossings are cancelled
0:18:04 > 0:18:05due to bad weather.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10The sheer size of RoRos means even when the waters are wild,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14you're probably in the most stable vessel on our seas.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17If you've got a big swell
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and, say, a small boat,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24you'll literally go up and down the full height of the waves,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26just like this - there you go.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33Now, if we've, on the other hand, got a RoRo ferry,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35the same swell...
0:18:35 > 0:18:39and that's going through the waves something like this...
0:18:41 > 0:18:43..a funnel there...
0:18:44 > 0:18:48..the vertical heave is much less,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52and therefore it's a much more comfortable ride.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57So, why do so many of us still get seasick?
0:19:01 > 0:19:07Ferries can't avoid sideways roll - a key cause of nausea.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12On a RoRo the passengers are on higher decks than the cars
0:19:12 > 0:19:14for safety reasons.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19That makes a sideways roll much worse.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20Put the RoRo ferry
0:19:20 > 0:19:22in a typical swell -
0:19:22 > 0:19:25you can see that the movement
0:19:25 > 0:19:27down below is much less
0:19:27 > 0:19:29than up on top.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Of course, that will mean it's much more nauseous up here
0:19:32 > 0:19:34than it is down here.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Millions suffer seasickness,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44but what's going on inside our bodies when the nausea hits?
0:19:46 > 0:19:51I'm putting myself on the line for science.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52Hi, John.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Nice to meet you - and here's Rose, my assistant.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Professor John Golding from the University of Westminster
0:19:58 > 0:20:03is an expert in motion sickness and spatial disorientation.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05So, can you make me seasick?
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Well, we haven't got a boat here to actually do that,
0:20:08 > 0:20:09but we can mimic it
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- by simply using a rotating chair. - Right.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- Here we go.- Sitting comfortably?- OK.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17And Rose, if you could pass me the blindfold -
0:20:17 > 0:20:19- do you mind wearing this blindfold? - No, that's all right.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Now, I must warn you, I've never, ever been seasick.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- Right.- I've done lots of sailing, but never been seasick.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Well, this is going to be a challenge.- It is indeed.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31The reason we have the blindfold is to cut out your horizon view
0:20:31 > 0:20:34to make it a bit more difficult for you to resist motion sickness.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36MUSIC: You Spin Me Round by Dead Or Alive
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- Round I go.- And speed up a bit.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Head up.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Down. Hold it down.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Up. Hold it.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49Down.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I mean, are some people more susceptible to sea sickness
0:20:52 > 0:20:55- than others? - Yes, there's huge differences.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58It's partly genetics - it's also partly age.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01When you're young, about eight or nine years old,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03that's the most susceptible period of your life,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06then you get slightly more resistant as you get older,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09and women tend to be slightly more susceptible, as well.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14Sea sickness is caused when the inner ear canals,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17which sense rotation spinning in the chair,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21conflict with the inner ear otoliths which sense acceleration,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23nodding the head.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Beginning to feel ever so slightly nauseous.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Head up, head down.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- Head up...- Yes, it's coming on now.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34..and head down. Urgh...
0:21:34 > 0:21:38- Head up...and head down. - Ugh. Eurgh...
0:21:38 > 0:21:42The sensory confusion tricks the body into thinking it's poisoned,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44which is why we're sick.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46HE VOMITS
0:21:48 > 0:21:51That could be what we call the avalanche phenomenon,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55that things seem OK to begin with, and then it suddenly comes on.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Oh, God.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Well, just keep your head still and breathe.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01- I have no idea where I am. - Breathe - breathe slowly.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04HE CHUCKLES Oh...
0:22:05 > 0:22:06Oh, dear.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11I'm in good company, at least - even Nelson suffered sea sickness.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16Our bodies might bow to wild waters, but these titans of the waves
0:22:16 > 0:22:22have all the available technology to keep us safe from savage seas.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29It doesn't take long to get your sea legs back,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and suddenly I feel very much in control.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35- Turning that to the centre. - That's the thrusters?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38The thrusters, now, are back controlled here.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43I'm about to do something that, as a sailor, I've always wanted.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44Oh, it's so exciting!
0:22:44 > 0:22:47OK then, Mark, push the handles right down.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48- Right to the end?- Right down.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49- 10.- That's it.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50HE LAUGHS
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- OK, you've got it.- I don't believe it!- Yeah, you've done it there.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58I've taken the helm of a RoRo out into our wild waters.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Unforgiving seas are not for the faint-hearted.
0:23:21 > 0:23:28Some hardened seafarers spend most of their life in wild waters...
0:23:28 > 0:23:30sea birds.
0:23:32 > 0:23:38But there is one patch of solid ground to which they flock -
0:23:38 > 0:23:40the Farne Islands.
0:23:46 > 0:23:5228 rocky bastions standing steadfast against swell and tide.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Wildlife photographer Richard Taylor-Jones
0:23:58 > 0:24:03has come to this inaccessible idyll at a wild time of the year.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10It's June.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16The Farnes play host to 140,000 arctic terns...
0:24:16 > 0:24:18shags...
0:24:18 > 0:24:19puffins...
0:24:19 > 0:24:21guillemots...
0:24:21 > 0:24:23and eiders -
0:24:23 > 0:24:29the male our most handsome, heaviest and fastest flying duck...
0:24:31 > 0:24:34..the female just a brown bundle.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37These feathered seafarers
0:24:37 > 0:24:41have worked out how to do everything at sea,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44except breed.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46For that, they come ashore.
0:24:46 > 0:24:52A carpet of copulation swarming and swirling for a few short weeks
0:24:52 > 0:24:54to produce their young.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Why choose the Farnes?
0:24:59 > 0:25:05Quite simply, the islands are free of ground-dwelling predators -
0:25:05 > 0:25:09rats, cats, dogs, foxes -
0:25:09 > 0:25:12kept away by the wild sea.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17But ironically, safety on land isn't guaranteed
0:25:17 > 0:25:19for eider ducklings.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24They leave their nests as soon as they've hatched
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and make for the sea.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Food will not be brought to them -
0:25:32 > 0:25:35it's move or starve.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Hungry eyes watch and wait.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Herring gulls have a snack in mind.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54For four hours, this eider duck mother is cornered...
0:25:54 > 0:25:56GULL CRIES
0:25:59 > 0:26:03..but one chick escapes her watchful eye.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07It's now easy prey.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Not all stay safe on the Farnes,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37but most ducklings will reach the sea.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45Soon this busy, bustling world will empty.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56The birds will head back out into wild waters.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10The power of the sea sculpts the coast...
0:27:13 > 0:27:16..bearing witness to tragedy...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18and triumph.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I'm exploring one of Britain's most treacherous coasts -
0:27:28 > 0:27:30the North East.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Wild waters awash with feats of conquest and survival.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39I've reached Seahouses Harbour.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Getting in here takes some nifty navigation...
0:27:45 > 0:27:50..and the help of the Longstone Lighthouse, six miles offshore.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57But two centuries ago it was the lighthouse keeper's daughter
0:27:57 > 0:28:01who became a leading light in the world of life-saving.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06Come to this coast and you can't miss Grace Darling.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10In 1838 she spotted the steamship Forfarshire
0:28:10 > 0:28:13through the window of the lighthouse.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Reports at the time described the seas as being
0:28:16 > 0:28:20"lashed by the tempest into the most tumultuous commotion."
0:28:20 > 0:28:24The ship was broken in two - one half lodging on the rocks.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Grace and her father rowed into the eye of the storm
0:28:28 > 0:28:31and rescued nine survivors -
0:28:31 > 0:28:33and Grace became a national heroine.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38The splendidly named
0:28:38 > 0:28:42Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned
0:28:42 > 0:28:45awarded Grace a specially minted medal.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50On it, a cherub blowing life into the dying embers of a torch -
0:28:50 > 0:28:53a metaphor for saving life.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56It coincided with a burgeoning interest
0:28:56 > 0:28:58in the science of resuscitation...
0:28:59 > 0:29:01..but, 200 years ago,
0:29:01 > 0:29:05how did they set about bringing the drowned back to life?
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Hello, Craig.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Craig Barclay is a local historian.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13The technique which probably seems strangest to us
0:29:13 > 0:29:15in the 21st century
0:29:15 > 0:29:17is the tobacco enema,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20and the key to that is the bellows.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22That sounds incredibly painful - how did it work?
0:29:22 > 0:29:26Essentially, imagine me with my pipe of tobacco.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Imagine you have just been dragged out of the harbour -
0:29:29 > 0:29:31life appears extinct.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36My solution to this problem is to take a long drag on my pipe,
0:29:36 > 0:29:40to blow the smoke through a rubber tube into the bellows
0:29:40 > 0:29:44- and to insert these bellows into your backside and blow.- Ouch!
0:29:44 > 0:29:47I think I'd probably jump clean back into the water again.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48Not very much fun,
0:29:48 > 0:29:52but it was felt that tobacco would stimulate you back into life.
0:29:52 > 0:29:53Blowing smoke rings.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57If you were unlucky enough to drown in a spot
0:29:57 > 0:30:01without a handy rectal fumigation kit, fear not -
0:30:01 > 0:30:05other methods were available.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09The barrel roll, to force air in and out of the chest.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11And the trotting horse method,
0:30:11 > 0:30:15to compress the chest and bounce the body to restore breathing.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Harbours like this were the front line
0:30:20 > 0:30:22in the fight-back against wild waters.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26There was just one catch.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29These imaginative methods weren't very effective.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Half a century later, new guidelines were published.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Instruction manuals such as this were in circulation.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40They said you should never hang someone upside-down,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42you should never roll them on a barrel
0:30:42 > 0:30:46you should never blow tobacco into their backside.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49I imagine a round of applause, probably, from certain sea-goers.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51I think a round of applause from many.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54The techniques recommended continued to be warming the body,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56massaging the body,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00but also inserting air into the body -
0:31:00 > 0:31:02again using the bellows,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06but now inserted into the nostril with the other nostril sealed,
0:31:06 > 0:31:07mouth sealed,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11and once you had a good seal you could use that to inflate the lungs.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14So a first step towards modern resuscitation.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19It may have taken some eye-watering experimentation
0:31:19 > 0:31:24to get to our modern world of defibrillators and oxygen masks,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28but the principle of resuscitation remains unchanged -
0:31:28 > 0:31:31getting air back into our lungs.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46On our coast, nature has the power to take your breath away...
0:31:50 > 0:31:54..but some people find the wildest water below the surface.
0:32:02 > 0:32:07Under the waves lurks an untamed world of watery wildlife.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17In Dublin Bay,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Miranda's preparing to take the plunge.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29Here, these seemingly tranquil waters have a wild side...
0:32:29 > 0:32:32and come with a sting in their tail.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Dublin Bay is a Mecca for open sea swimmers -
0:32:37 > 0:32:39they come here every weekend
0:32:39 > 0:32:41to flex their muscles against tide and temperature.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Four minutes.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46But these wild waters aren't just home to aquatic athletes.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50Out there is Britain's most venomous jellyfish, the lion's mane -
0:32:50 > 0:32:52and I'm about to enter its lair.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59The lion's mane can grow up to two metres in diameter,
0:32:59 > 0:33:04and its tentacles trail over an area of 500 square metres.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08It's one of the largest jellyfish in the world.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12This king of the underwater jungle
0:33:12 > 0:33:15feeds on plankton and all other jellyfish.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21Many swimmers have had painful encounters on this coast.
0:33:26 > 0:33:27So, how did it feel?
0:33:27 > 0:33:29- What was it like?- Nasty.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32I mean, there's an absolute sudden, um, just stinging pain,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34and it was really, really intense.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36It was kind of like a burn and sting at the same time,
0:33:36 > 0:33:37really, really strong -
0:33:37 > 0:33:40like, I just literally screamed in the water, I was like, "Whoa!"
0:33:42 > 0:33:45I tried everything - I tried whisky on it and then whisky in me,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49I tried urine, I tried vinegar, I tried the whole shebang,
0:33:49 > 0:33:51and it was torture.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53- They say alcohol is very good. - What, to drink it?
0:33:53 > 0:33:55- Yes. - SHE LAUGHS
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Right, off you go.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01As the swimmers set off hoping for a sting-free race,
0:34:01 > 0:34:05I want to know what attracts these venomous jellyfish
0:34:05 > 0:34:06to this coast...
0:34:06 > 0:34:08and why they're so hazardous.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- Good morning. - How you doing, you all right?
0:34:11 > 0:34:14I'm heading out with Dr Tom Doyle
0:34:14 > 0:34:17of the National University of Ireland, Galway
0:34:17 > 0:34:21and Damien Haberlin from University College Cork.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24They're trying to unlock the secrets of the lion's mane
0:34:24 > 0:34:26in a bid to find an antidote.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30Just 500 metres offshore is a lion's mane hot spot.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34What is it about this area that they really like?
0:34:34 > 0:34:38There seems to be some sort of a retaining feature,
0:34:38 > 0:34:40and the jellyfish likes that kind of habitat,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43where basically they're moving back and forth with the tide,
0:34:43 > 0:34:45they're not being swept out on the ocean currents,
0:34:45 > 0:34:46and a lot of jellyfish,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48they do actually like to stay in a particular area,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50so there'll be a lot of other jellyfish species here
0:34:50 > 0:34:52- that they'd actually feed on. - OK.- So...
0:34:52 > 0:34:54- Oh, look! There's actually two. - Yeah! Oh, yeah - great.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56And there's a blue jelly, as well.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Lion's manes are relatively weak swimmers,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04but congregate in favourable conditions.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11So, how do you study a potentially lethal jellyfish?
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Get in these wild waters and catch one.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Cue wet suits...
0:35:24 > 0:35:28..and a liberal application of petroleum jelly.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32I've never taken so many precautions going into the water before.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33That feels disgusting.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35I feel like I've trowelled it on.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37You're looking good, there, actually.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Suited and booted, it's time to sit and wait.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47OK there's one there, there's one there, go there.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Is that definitely a lion's mane?
0:36:00 > 0:36:01Yeah, it's definitely a lion's mane.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Brilliant. Oh, that's good.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Going to scoop it up.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10I'm going to stay back a bit - those tentacles look really long!
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Our catch is a mere baby.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14Great stuff, well done.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19Picking up a fully grown specimen would be highly dangerous.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20And there we go.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Oh, that's a good one - look at the tentacles, wow.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24- Really sticky! - Plenty of venom.
0:36:24 > 0:36:25- Oh, brilliant.- Yeah.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Plenty of venom indeed -
0:36:29 > 0:36:34it's managed to find a tiny patch of my exposed skin.
0:36:34 > 0:36:35I think I've been stung, actually.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38A bit like a nettle sting, I think, just up here.
0:36:38 > 0:36:39Yeah, yeah - it looks red,
0:36:39 > 0:36:41- so it looks like you've been stung, all right.- Yeah.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43- Yeah, OK. The real deal, then. - Yeah, yeah.- Hardcore.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46- You can join the team now. - Thank you!
0:36:46 > 0:36:49So, I've obviously been stung by a very small bit of tentacle -
0:36:49 > 0:36:51what reaction is happening inside my body?
0:36:51 > 0:36:55Each tentacle has thousands and thousands of stinging capsules
0:36:55 > 0:36:56like a balloon,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00and inside that is coiled up, effectively, a harpoon -
0:37:00 > 0:37:02these balloons burst,
0:37:02 > 0:37:06that fires the harpoon that pierces your skin
0:37:06 > 0:37:09and then the venom is injected into your system.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13Once inside, scientists think - based on other jellies -
0:37:13 > 0:37:17that venom attaches on to red blood cells,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20making a hole which releases potassium.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22A serious sting with large amounts of venom
0:37:22 > 0:37:25could cause a dangerous flush of potassium,
0:37:25 > 0:37:28whose effects the scientists are still investigating.
0:37:32 > 0:37:33Developing an antidote
0:37:33 > 0:37:37means collecting the venom by taking off some toxic tentacles.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42- All right, so I've got a load of tentacles there.- OK...
0:37:42 > 0:37:44- All right...- Snip.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46So, trimming those tentacles off -
0:37:46 > 0:37:47is that actually harming the jellyfish?
0:37:47 > 0:37:50No, these animals lose tentacles all the time,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53when they capture prey or when they get entangled in seaweed,
0:37:53 > 0:37:55- or anything like that.- We can see them floating around in the water.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Yeah, absolutely, so, you know,
0:37:57 > 0:37:59- taking some tentacles... - It's just like a haircut.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01- It's just like a haircut, yeah. - All right.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04This sample will be analysed in a laboratory.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07The scientists hope their work here
0:38:07 > 0:38:10will not only help them understand stings,
0:38:10 > 0:38:14but could lead to successful antivenom for the lion's mane.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20The very wildness of these waters
0:38:20 > 0:38:25lures us, as well as these beautiful, captivating creatures.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30Creatures we're one step closer to understanding,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33thanks to the swimmers and the scientists.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46We're exploring the wild waters of our coast.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56From vast expanses of open seas...
0:39:00 > 0:39:05..to epic oceans, whose waves crash on our coast.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15The lure of our wild waters is irresistible.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20I'm traversing the treacherous tides of the North East,
0:39:20 > 0:39:27on a mission to uncover how man contends with nature to save lives.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29I've reached Tynemouth...
0:39:30 > 0:39:34..a seemingly calm river-mouth with deadly obstacles.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Here, shallow seas meet with shifting sands
0:39:41 > 0:39:45and hidden rocks known ominously as the Black Middens.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50This treacherous topography is a natural wrecking zone.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Rescue by lifeboat is difficult enough...
0:39:56 > 0:39:59..so, can you rise above it?
0:40:03 > 0:40:06This is a breeches buoy -
0:40:06 > 0:40:12basically a life buoy attached to the top part of a pair of trousers.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15A line was fired from the shore to the sinking ship, or the wreck,
0:40:15 > 0:40:20and then one at a time survivors climbed into the breeches buoy
0:40:20 > 0:40:24and were hauled to safety by the onshore team.
0:40:24 > 0:40:25Good in theory,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28but what I want to know is how it worked in reality,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32and why this antiquated aid is still being used
0:40:32 > 0:40:34on this part of the coast.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42Invented in 1808, the breeches buoy was once commonplace on our coast...
0:40:44 > 0:40:49..but it was never more needed here than in 1864,
0:40:49 > 0:40:54when the Black Middens claimed three ships in one dark night.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57The local coastguard
0:40:57 > 0:41:00couldn't operate the breeches buoy quickly enough.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Watching was one John Morrison.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Realising trained backup could have saved lives,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11he founded the first Volunteer Life Brigade.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16They're one of just two remaining teams in Britain
0:41:16 > 0:41:19trained in this ship-to-shore rescue system.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24But how much graft does it take to save lives?
0:41:25 > 0:41:29In my quest to find out first-hand how the breeches buoy works,
0:41:29 > 0:41:32I've volunteered to be rescued.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37I'm heading out to my 19th century shipwreck,
0:41:37 > 0:41:41where the stricken crew include the local vicar,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44who's trying to make the best of a bad situation.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Eternal Father, creator of land and sea,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50we pray for all those involved in the life...
0:41:50 > 0:41:53Today's drill is for display purposes,
0:41:53 > 0:41:57but it's still an essential part of Brigade training.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, action!
0:42:10 > 0:42:11That'll do.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16A rocket fires a line from land to boat.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Fire!
0:42:19 > 0:42:21No mean feat in wild waters.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27The breeches buoy is then hauled across to the shipwreck.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Here we go - it's my turn.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35And now my fate is in the hands of the Brigade.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40This is just a drill,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43but it's exciting enough to give me a flavour
0:42:43 > 0:42:47of what it would be like being rescued from a sinking ship
0:42:47 > 0:42:50in a raging storm -
0:42:50 > 0:42:52it would be frightening.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58It's surprising how the cold of the water takes your breath away.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01I've got very little energy for saving myself -
0:43:01 > 0:43:04I'm entirely in the hands of the Brigade.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Little short bites, guys, come on!
0:43:08 > 0:43:11It takes the team less than two minutes
0:43:11 > 0:43:14to drag me the hundred metres to safety.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Thank you, thank you.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20HE PANTS
0:43:26 > 0:43:28I'm breathless, and I've done nothing
0:43:28 > 0:43:30but been dragged through the water -
0:43:30 > 0:43:33at the most incredible speed, it's far faster than I expected.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38But there's no rest for me.
0:43:38 > 0:43:43Now I'm turning rescuer, and joining the Brigade to haul in the next man.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52My arms are burning.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Keep going, guys, come on.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58Little short bites, little short bites.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01This team have developed their own language -
0:44:01 > 0:44:04every command practised until its second nature.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06The water's pulling it...
0:44:06 > 0:44:08Keep a hand on the rope at all times.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Do you feel the shackle coming? Tell the guy behind you, please.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17- Shackle!- Shackle!- Shackle!- Shackle!
0:44:17 > 0:44:18Fine, how are you?!
0:44:18 > 0:44:20LAUGHTER
0:44:20 > 0:44:22Oh! Oh!
0:44:22 > 0:44:26My arms are like overcooked spaghetti.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28I've got nothing below the shoulders.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30I've only hauled in the vicar -
0:44:30 > 0:44:34these volunteers will do this ten times.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Twice for each rescue.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42The breeches buoy is rarely used today,
0:44:42 > 0:44:45but the teamwork it demands has remained essential
0:44:45 > 0:44:47for overcoming our wild waters.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55Being part of this team and sharing their camaraderie for a short while
0:44:55 > 0:45:00helps to wash away fears of the ocean and its violent moods.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02This band of brothers
0:45:02 > 0:45:06are testament to the courage of Tyneside's volunteers.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20Courage is often called for on our coast.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28Our waters are at their wildest during times of war.
0:45:34 > 0:45:39One narrow stretch has been contested for centuries -
0:45:39 > 0:45:42the English Channel.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50During the Second World War, plans were afoot to invade.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55Hitler's eyes were fixed on our white cliffs.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00This coast was renamed Hellfire Corner.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04Dick Strawbridge is investigating how these wild waters
0:46:04 > 0:46:08made front page news,
0:46:08 > 0:46:13when they were put to work to extinguish the enemy threat.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21The Second World War has thrown up many strange stories.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24Rumours are spread fastest
0:46:24 > 0:46:26when Britain has faced her greatest threats.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32But one tale persists to this day...
0:46:32 > 0:46:34the story that German troops
0:46:34 > 0:46:38actually invaded the south coast in 1940.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45This headline on the 15th of December 1940
0:46:45 > 0:46:49claims that 80,000 charred German bodies
0:46:49 > 0:46:52were washed up on British beaches after a failed invasion attempt -
0:46:52 > 0:46:54they'd been consumed by fire.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57Now, I'm an ex-military man, I've never heard of this -
0:46:57 > 0:47:01but this isn't any local rag, this is the New York Times.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06What was this "all-consuming fire" off our shores?
0:47:08 > 0:47:12If it claimed 80,000 victims and foiled an invasion,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15why isn't this episode of wartime history something we all know?
0:47:17 > 0:47:19It's quiet and quaint now,
0:47:19 > 0:47:23but 75 years ago, this was Britain's front line.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28I want to uncover the truth about the fiery hell of these waters
0:47:28 > 0:47:30and the secret wartime weapon
0:47:30 > 0:47:33that supposedly stopped a German invasion.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36GERMAN MARCHING SONG
0:47:37 > 0:47:41By May 1940, the Germans had taken and occupied
0:47:41 > 0:47:44Belgium, Holland and France - just 20 miles away.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Most of Britain's weapons had been left behind
0:47:48 > 0:47:49on the beaches of Dunkirk.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Our Channel coast was a sitting duck.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57We installed some obvious defences -
0:47:57 > 0:48:01pillboxes, tunnels, gun emplacements...
0:48:01 > 0:48:03but were we really going to use all-consuming fire
0:48:03 > 0:48:05to scupper the enemy?
0:48:06 > 0:48:09One man believed we could.
0:48:09 > 0:48:14Lord Hankey, a man obsessed with developing weapons of fire.
0:48:14 > 0:48:20Lord Hankey was the head of the top secret Petroleum Warfare Department.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22His classical education
0:48:22 > 0:48:25sparked an interest in using fire to fight the enemy.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30Hankey knew the 7th century Byzantines built ships
0:48:30 > 0:48:34that spewed out flames to form a fiery floating barrier on the sea.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40It inspired his own idea for an impenetrable defence -
0:48:40 > 0:48:42setting the Channel on fire.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47But to make fire, you need this stuff -
0:48:47 > 0:48:49fuel.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55By 1940, Britain had squirreled away a surplus of it.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57As the invasion threat loomed,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Lord Hankey was determined to put it to use.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04But could Hankey pull off his audacious plan
0:49:04 > 0:49:06to defend our coast with a fence of fire?
0:49:10 > 0:49:14I know fuel floats on water, but how do you get it to burn?
0:49:15 > 0:49:18David, lovely to meet you.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20- Good afternoon. - Yeah, good to see you!
0:49:20 > 0:49:23To find out, I've enlisted chemist Dr David Kinnison
0:49:23 > 0:49:25from Southampton University.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Is it as simple as pouring oil on water and setting it on fire,
0:49:28 > 0:49:32- because oil floats? - No, it just won't burn.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33Why doesn't it light?
0:49:33 > 0:49:35It requires a lot of heat,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37because there's not enough vapour there
0:49:37 > 0:49:39that can mix with air to ignite.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41So, what do we do?
0:49:41 > 0:49:44Well, what we can do is introduce some lighter fuels -
0:49:44 > 0:49:46for example, something like petrol.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Right, petrol, we know petrol you put a match anywhere near it,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51it goes off - but does it burn on water?
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Yes, it does, and the reason it will burn
0:49:53 > 0:49:56is because it's highly volatile, very easy to light.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58It's not the actual petrol, it's the vapour above it.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01Indeed, that is exactly it.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04- That does go "whoof", doesn't it? - Yeah.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07So, as a solution to your defences?
0:50:07 > 0:50:10This will not last - it's over very quickly, your defence is lost.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13So, how do we turn this into a defensive weapon, then?
0:50:13 > 0:50:16If we add heavier oils, these will last longer
0:50:16 > 0:50:18and we can get a sustained burn.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20- So, it's a cocktail?- Yes.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Right, OK.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25What's happening now, there's this petrol -
0:50:25 > 0:50:27as it burns, it generates heat,
0:50:27 > 0:50:30and that heat is absorbed by the oils
0:50:30 > 0:50:34and they will start to vaporise and burn as well.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36- That is burning a lot more ferociously.- Yep.
0:50:36 > 0:50:41- In fact, the water's bubbling.- Yep.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42Wow.
0:50:42 > 0:50:47That's... That's the actual water turning into steam and bubbling out.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Yeah. The sea on fire.
0:50:53 > 0:50:54Our experiment demonstrates
0:50:54 > 0:50:57how a flame barrage could work in principle,
0:50:57 > 0:50:59but the wild waters of the Channel
0:50:59 > 0:51:02are a different challenge altogether.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05So, did Hankey really do it?
0:51:07 > 0:51:08Hello, hello!
0:51:08 > 0:51:11- Lovely to meet you, Paul. - How do you do?
0:51:11 > 0:51:16Brothers John and Paul Stone were there the day the sea caught fire.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19We lived just at the top of the hill,
0:51:19 > 0:51:22and you'd see this curtain of black smoke come up.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24I can remember Mum and Dad saying,
0:51:24 > 0:51:28"Oh, they're testing the oil defences down in the bay."
0:51:28 > 0:51:33The whole line of black smoke all the way across the bay.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36It was so dense and sticky and black
0:51:36 > 0:51:39that they'd actually discoloured the White Cliffs of Dover,
0:51:39 > 0:51:41so our white cliffs
0:51:41 > 0:51:45became grey cliffs for quite a few years afterwards.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55John and Paul had witnessed one of the first flame barrage experiments.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59The tests worked - they were even filmed,
0:51:59 > 0:52:02so scientists could study the weapon and make adjustments.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11This was fire on an unprecedented scale -
0:52:11 > 0:52:14just imagine it. We've got flames 40 feet in the air,
0:52:14 > 0:52:17black, noxious smoke coming up, covering the beach,
0:52:17 > 0:52:19even going over the cliffs.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29It was impressive -
0:52:29 > 0:52:31but was it a practical proposition?
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Was this defence system ever rolled out along our coast,
0:52:34 > 0:52:36and if so, how?
0:52:37 > 0:52:40To find out, I've come a few miles north
0:52:40 > 0:52:44where local historian Stuart Smith made an incredible discovery.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48- Stuart, how lovely to meet you. - Good to meet you, as well.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50- What have we got here?- Ah!
0:52:50 > 0:52:52A little prized possession of mine.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55- It's part of the flame barrage?- Yes. - How do you know that?
0:52:55 > 0:52:56It's quite simple, really -
0:52:56 > 0:52:58cos when I pulled it out,
0:52:58 > 0:53:02it actually still smelt of the petroleum, the mixture.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04There... I suppose there's a...
0:53:04 > 0:53:06- Yeah.- There's a very slight whiff to it, but...
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Unfortunately it's been exposed to the air now,
0:53:08 > 0:53:10- but when it...- Yeah, but actually you can see,
0:53:10 > 0:53:13- it's all black and tarry inside. - Yeah.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- This is an amazing piece of history, isn't it?- Oh, that's why I love it.
0:53:16 > 0:53:17But where did this go to?
0:53:17 > 0:53:19The hotel there, The Clarendon Hotel,
0:53:19 > 0:53:22and when they were digging the new wall that's along here,
0:53:22 > 0:53:24they actually came across the pipes.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27Now, I'm lucky enough to have the photograph, still.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30This is the exact spot - you can see everything's still the same.
0:53:30 > 0:53:31Yeah, this is the exact spot.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33How did they get the fuel out into the sea?
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Well, they had pumps down in the cellar of the hotel.
0:53:36 > 0:53:41They built two massive tanks at the back and it pumped across here,
0:53:41 > 0:53:43and they say that the pumps were so powerful
0:53:43 > 0:53:46that they could pump the mixture up to a mile.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Why would they have it in a pub?
0:53:48 > 0:53:50To hide it - pure camouflage.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56I've never been in a pub where petroleum, not pints,
0:53:56 > 0:53:58once ran through its pipes.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00And if you look through here,
0:54:00 > 0:54:03you can actually see where the pipes came in,
0:54:03 > 0:54:06and they're all still there.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08This would have been the heart of the whole system,
0:54:08 > 0:54:10and it all would have happened here.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12I mean, the Germans were coming,
0:54:12 > 0:54:15the Battle of Britain was raging above our heads in the skies,
0:54:15 > 0:54:18and the men were desperate for a defence -
0:54:18 > 0:54:19and this is it.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24The plan was to defend key beaches
0:54:24 > 0:54:26from Kent to Dorset.
0:54:26 > 0:54:27There were flame barrages
0:54:27 > 0:54:29installed in Studland Bay...
0:54:31 > 0:54:32..Rye...
0:54:34 > 0:54:37..key beaches around Dover...
0:54:37 > 0:54:39all the way up to Sandwich.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45So, did we fire up this barrage and stop a German invasion in 1940?
0:54:48 > 0:54:50We know the sea caught fire...
0:54:51 > 0:54:54..there's physical proof the barrage was installed...
0:54:55 > 0:55:00..but there's still no evidence that the Germans invaded...
0:55:00 > 0:55:04and no trace of 80,000 charred bodies.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06This headline is all I've got.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Surely there's no smoke without fire?
0:55:13 > 0:55:14Historian Lee Richards
0:55:14 > 0:55:17has studied how fact and fiction merge in the fog of war.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22There certainly would be charred bodies in the Channel.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25At the time, the Germans were doing practice drills,
0:55:25 > 0:55:28getting incendiary bombs thrown on them,
0:55:28 > 0:55:32aircrew being shot down, naval engagements -
0:55:32 > 0:55:35so, there would be lots of bodies in the Channel.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38So there were some charred bodies, but not on the same scale?
0:55:38 > 0:55:41No, not at all. People were coming to the wrong conclusions.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43- Did we actually play on that? - Absolutely.
0:55:43 > 0:55:44Britain had formed something
0:55:44 > 0:55:47- called the Underground Propaganda Committee...- Right.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51..and their job was to exaggerate Britain's military potential.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55They'd come up with a rumour that there had been an invasion,
0:55:55 > 0:55:58it had been defeated by this British secret weapon
0:55:58 > 0:55:59that sets the sea on fire.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01It got into the foreign press,
0:56:01 > 0:56:04it was then picked up by the British press.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08So, the information was being passed out to different...
0:56:08 > 0:56:11and coming back into our press to be spread as news,
0:56:11 > 0:56:13even though we started the rumour.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15Absolutely correct, yes.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21Leaflets were also printed to warn the Germans
0:56:21 > 0:56:23that invading Britain would be unwise,
0:56:23 > 0:56:25and dropped over enemy lines.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31Here we have one that helped to spread the story of the burning sea.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Ah!
0:56:33 > 0:56:35It's giving them phrases that they would find useful
0:56:35 > 0:56:37during their invasion.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41It has such phrases as, "I can smell oil on the sea",
0:56:41 > 0:56:42"Look, the water's burning",
0:56:42 > 0:56:45"Look at the captain, he's burning beautifully".
0:56:45 > 0:56:47It's really quite a graphic message -
0:56:47 > 0:56:50- "Come to England, we will burn you and you will end up as ashes."- Yes.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53This propaganda - did it have a positive effect?
0:56:53 > 0:56:57Here we are, you believe that we can set the sea on fire -
0:56:57 > 0:56:59did it affect the Germans, do you think?
0:56:59 > 0:57:01I mean, it's certainly detrimental to German morale...
0:57:01 > 0:57:03But good for our morale.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05Yes, as I say, perhaps more importantly,
0:57:05 > 0:57:07it was good for the morale of Britain,
0:57:07 > 0:57:10it was good for the morale of the occupied countries,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13it was telling the neutral countries, particularly America,
0:57:13 > 0:57:16that we were still in the fight, we were still strong,
0:57:16 > 0:57:18and we had the potential to win.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23A year would elapse between the headline in the New York Times
0:57:23 > 0:57:25and the Americans joining the war.
0:57:26 > 0:57:30In 1940, the flame barrage was our winning weapon.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35A weapon that had once petrified the enemy,
0:57:35 > 0:57:37yet reassured Britain and her allies -
0:57:37 > 0:57:41a weapon whose existence was enough.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44It never actually needed to be used.
0:57:46 > 0:57:50Whether it was the fire on the sea or the firing of imaginations,
0:57:50 > 0:57:52wild rumours generated in this part of the coast
0:57:52 > 0:57:54were actually one of Britain's secret weapons
0:57:54 > 0:57:56during the Second World War.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15Our wild waters have been both barrier...
0:58:17 > 0:58:19..and gateway.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23Pitching ourselves against nature
0:58:23 > 0:58:26makes for thrilling spectacle...
0:58:27 > 0:58:30..and spectacular stories.
0:58:35 > 0:58:38Wild waters test our mettle.
0:58:38 > 0:58:42Contending with them demands resourcefulness,
0:58:42 > 0:58:44resilience, respect.
0:58:44 > 0:58:50Not only do they shape our coast, but also our coastal character.