0:00:09 > 0:00:14This is Coast. A very unusual Coast.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20We're leaving our mainland far, far behind,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25off to explore surprising opportunities offshore.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31Miranda discovers how a deserted isle promises remarkably long life...
0:00:31 > 0:00:33..to puffins.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34Nearly 30 years old.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Getting that way.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37That's really awesome.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Nick Hewitt boards an extraordinary sea tower.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Now a life-saver but it was built to kill.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Wow, looks like Frankenstein's lab.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52And Tessa encounters a top secret weapon...
0:00:52 > 0:00:55..with an offshore mystery.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00How did the government send orders to a submarine deep underwater?
0:01:00 > 0:01:03How do we speak to subs?
0:01:03 > 0:01:10My quest takes me offshore across the Atlantic to a new world.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12I'm in Canada.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16What opportunities did this outpost of empire offer to those
0:01:16 > 0:01:18fleeing our isles?
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's almost as if you're more Scottish than the Scots here.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27This is Coast - Offshore.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57My offshore odyssey to Canada begins on our own shores...
0:01:57 > 0:01:58..in Scotland.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06The embarkation point for many Scottish emigrants to the
0:02:06 > 0:02:08New World was Cromarty.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Offshore opportunities are nothing new here.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Recently, it's been oil rigs in transit to the sea
0:02:21 > 0:02:27but in centuries past, people queued for a one-way ticket offshore.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29It's the 24th of April 1833,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33and there's an air of unrest in Cromarty.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36A newspaper advertisement reads, "The subscribers will,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40"in a few days, commence fitting out two first class ships,
0:02:40 > 0:02:45"to sail from Cromarty betwixt the 25th of May and the 5th of June."
0:02:45 > 0:02:48A new life in Canada beckoned.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53A mass exodus was under way around the Scottish coast.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00In the 18th and 19th centuries tens of thousands departed
0:03:00 > 0:03:02the highlands and islands.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04They sought new opportunities in North America.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Over 50 ships left for Canada from Cromarty alone.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14So, why were the Scots fleeing?
0:03:15 > 0:03:20Around 250 years ago, the "highland clearances" began.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Crofters were forced off the land -
0:03:23 > 0:03:26people replaced with more profitable sheep.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Some had little choice, others saw Canada as a new start.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37In the new world, land was plentiful and settlers were welcome.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39But the emigrants left with mixed emotions.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Here's an eyewitness account of one of the departures.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50"The Cleopatra as she swept past the town of Cromarty was greeted
0:03:50 > 0:03:53"with three cheers by crowds of the inhabitants
0:03:53 > 0:03:55"and the emigrants returned the salute...
0:03:57 > 0:04:01"..but mingled with the dash of the waves
0:04:01 > 0:04:07"and the murmurs of the breeze, their faint huzzas seemed rather
0:04:07 > 0:04:12"sounds of wailing and lamentation than of a congratulatory farewell."
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Almost two centuries on,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21I want to know what became of those who made the voyage.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26The only way to find out is to follow them.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28I'm heading offshore.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I'm leaving our isles, bound for Canada.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38I want to discover what new opportunities awaited overseas.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56My journey begins in Nova Scotia, "New Scotland."
0:04:56 > 0:05:01Many Scots facing the challenge of a new continent landed at Pictou.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15On arrival, ships moored offshore.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Rowing boats ferried the settlers to join fellow Scots who'd
0:05:18 > 0:05:19spread the word.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27After some six weeks at sea, the newcomers to the New World
0:05:27 > 0:05:30had to find their own place to call home.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33The prime locations were all coastal
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and once those places had been used up, people were
0:05:36 > 0:05:42forced inland to the inaccessible forests, places like this. Look,
0:05:42 > 0:05:47a tiny clearing, a crude log cabin. It was very tough and in winter,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51they had to put up with temperatures down to minus 20 degrees centigrade.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58The majority of Scots headed east to Cape Breton.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02I'm following them.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09It's a road trip which feels strangely familiar.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13There's so much of this that reminds me of Scotland. Right now,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17we're driving along what could be a sea loch...
0:06:17 > 0:06:20..but we're in Canada.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24The further I travel, the closer to Scotland I seem.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29And this is just like the bridge at the bottom of Glen Coe.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Cape Breton is awash with Scottish namesakes.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43It even has its own highlands.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47But what's in a name?
0:06:51 > 0:06:55I want to know if the settlers were able to retain their Scottish
0:06:55 > 0:06:57identity so far from home.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04But an inland sea stands in my way. Time to take to the water.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09I've got a date with the descendant of one Scottish emigrant who
0:07:09 > 0:07:11arrived two centuries ago.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Just over the water is the spot where he settled.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19So what did New Scotland have in store for him?
0:07:25 > 0:07:29To find out, I need to paddle my way offshore.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Many of those who settled in Canada after their epic Atlantic
0:07:38 > 0:07:43voyage were born to life offshore on the Western Isles of Scotland.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Some left island homes with a heavy heart.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Others opted for adventure when opportunity came knocking.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04They'd experienced the harsh life off Scotland's shore.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Even the rock is eventually eaten away by the sea.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14But there are opportunities for wildlife out here.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20Being a strong swimmer helps, and so does a pair of wings.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28There's a remarkable sea bird colony on the Shiant Islands.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36People have given up the struggle to survive on these volcanic outcrops.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43But could they hold the secret to a surprisingly long life for puffins?
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Miranda is off to explore.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53The rocky Shiants lie about five miles out to sea. Deserted by the
0:08:53 > 0:08:57locals 100 years ago, they're now home to over 20,000 sea birds.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03But I have just one special bird in my sights.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06A bird that hit the headlines.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11This is EB73152 but he's more than just a number, this is
0:09:11 > 0:09:16the OAP of the bird world, famed as being Britain's oldest puffin.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Scientists recorded his age as 34 -
0:09:20 > 0:09:23that's well over 100 in human years.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28So why has this puffin pensioner chosen such a harsh
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and unforgiving island as home
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and how has he managed to survive so long?
0:09:33 > 0:09:36I'm trying to meet this offshore hero
0:09:36 > 0:09:40to see how sea birds manage to grow so old out here.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42And it's just puffins everywhere.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Finding one particular puffin in this lot is a tall task.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I'm relying on some expert bird spotters.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57The welcome party awaits on the beach.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Hope they've put a brew on for us.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05For just two weeks a year, researchers come to the Shiants.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I'm joining the team who've been ringing puffins here
0:10:08 > 0:10:11since the 1970s.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Hopefully my quest to meet the catchily named EB73152 will help
0:10:16 > 0:10:21me understand why puffins live so long in remote outposts like this.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24If anyone can find him, it's Ian Buxton.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28He's been coming to the Shiants for nearly 40 years.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Ian and the puffins have grown old together.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37When he netted EB73152, he'd discovered Britain's oldest puffin.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Now, the search continues.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46So you're catching them in the mist nets here, how does this work?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49And the bird flies into some slack net.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50This pocket, and sort of falls down.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Yes, that's right.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55So it doesn't harm the bird, it just holds it there safely
0:10:55 > 0:10:56and we come along and extract it.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00OK. What have you learned about the birds that return here every year?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Well firstly, that they're very long lived. 35 years of thereabouts.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06The European record I believe is about 41. That's not a British
0:11:06 > 0:11:09one quite yet. Hopefully it will be fairly soon but you never know.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11And they're burrow-faithful aren't they?
0:11:11 > 0:11:13So you can recover the same bird year after year from the same...
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Well, basically a very small area, so it does sounds as though
0:11:16 > 0:11:20they are certainly burrow-faithful, and... We have another one in there.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Fairly keen today.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27Hopefully these burrow-faithful birds return to the same nest site.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32That gives us a chance to nab EB73152.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35We'd never spot him by sight.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38One puffin looks pretty much like another.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41The only way we can tell is simply through the ring,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45cos the birds look exactly the same once they get to adulthood.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49And I'd say that this one is going to be over 15 years.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51That was ringed in 1990
0:11:51 > 0:11:55so that's going to be 26/27 years old at least.
0:11:55 > 0:12:02No sign of EB73152, but surprisingly there are lots of old puffins.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Wow, look at that.
0:12:03 > 0:12:051st July 1985.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09That's nearly 30 years old. That's really awesome.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12I'm looking for one long-lived bird,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16but this island is full of puffin pensioners.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20It's remarkable to find they can grow so old offshore.
0:12:20 > 0:12:26And it's not just puffins. Oystercatchers, 40 years old,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28razorbills, 41,
0:12:28 > 0:12:33and Britain's oldest Manx shearwater, an astonishing 50 years old.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38In contrast, garden birds have an average life expectancy less
0:12:38 > 0:12:40than 2 years.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43To keep the population going, they have many chicks quickly.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50But puffins invest in one chick at a time.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Oh, look at that. Cuteness in the extreme!
0:12:54 > 0:12:55Do you want to swap?
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Well, if you're happy to.
0:12:57 > 0:12:58Yes, there you go, have a cuddle.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00It's not going to take my arm off is it?
0:13:00 > 0:13:06Oh, look at that that is just the best thing, how sweet.
0:13:06 > 0:13:12A single bundle of fluff, a year's worth of effort for proud parents.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Once fledged, the young birds take time to learn
0:13:15 > 0:13:17survival in their harsh offshore home.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21They don't breed until they're at least four years old.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25It's this breeding strategy which provides the best answer as to
0:13:25 > 0:13:27why puffins live so long.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Long-lived puffins get a chance to rear many chicks.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Offshore, they've found the opportunity to live with few predators
0:13:36 > 0:13:38poaching their precious young.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42But then something happened.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47A threat to the puffin nest suddenly appeared on tier rocky outpost.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Somewhere out there,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52hidden from view is Britain's only colony of black rats.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Rats with a reputation for eating puffin eggs.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05The black rats probably landed on the island after a shipwreck
0:14:05 > 0:14:07over 100 years ago.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Now, the rats can feed on puffin eggs and attack their chicks.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Being a wildlife enthusiast, I love all animals
0:14:20 > 0:14:24but I find it very hard to feel affectionate towards rats.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Especially if you're sleeping near them.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Our cameras reveal my worst fears.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41Black rats foraging for food around our camp.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Offshore, the fate of these castaways has become entwined with the puffins.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55In the cold light of day, I'm meeting Charlie Elder,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59who's studied the black rats of the Shiants.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Black rats now only exist in some dockland areas and on this
0:15:02 > 0:15:07island. This is the last stable population of black rats in Britain.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09In a way, you've got this rare species,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12so should you be conserving it, but then you've got the sea bird
0:15:12 > 0:15:13colonies that you want to conserve as well,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16so it's a bit of a dilemma for conservationists.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18If you get rats on an island, they can devastate sea bird
0:15:18 > 0:15:20populations and cause extinctions.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23It seems here the fine balance has been struck
0:15:23 > 0:15:25between the sea bird populations and the rats.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28But we'll never know how much bigger the sea bird populations could be
0:15:28 > 0:15:31if the rats weren't here.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36Puffin utopia or the black rat's last stand, the opportunities
0:15:36 > 0:15:41offered offshore, held in the balance here on the Shiants.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48EB73152 hasn't turned up. Maybe he's finally come to the
0:15:48 > 0:15:51end of his innings out in the Atlantic, or maybe,
0:15:51 > 0:15:56like the puffin I'm ringing, he'll be back in years to come.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59So you could come back in 30 years and say hi.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Wouldn't that be amazing if I did?
0:16:01 > 0:16:05All right, little puffin. I might see you again one day, off you go.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Puffins spend much of their life offshore,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15returning to the same island time and again.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18But I'm pursuing Scottish men
0:16:18 > 0:16:22and women who left these shores never to return.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35The Isle of Barra is the powerbase of the Clan MacNeil.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Around two centuries ago, many of the MacNeils deserted Barra.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46Clansman Donald McNeil was one of them and I'm on his trail.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Donald sought fresh opportunities
0:16:52 > 0:16:57and more land offshore in Nova Scotia - New Scotland.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05I'm following Donald MacNeil's route to a new life.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10What became of his overseas gamble?
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Apparently, it was springtime, 1802, a good time of year, the whole
0:17:16 > 0:17:20summer ahead of them to get a toehold in this wilderness.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24There are no pictures of Donald, just the graves of his descendants.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28But luckily for us, the final stages of his epic transatlantic
0:17:28 > 0:17:31journey have been logged in his family archive.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37"Donald and his son Rory came in a small rowboat.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42"After rowing some distance down the lake,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46"they came to the north side of the narrows."
0:17:47 > 0:17:50And this is it straight ahead here. I can see a beach
0:17:50 > 0:17:54and I'm just trying to put myself in their rowing boat, imagine what they
0:17:54 > 0:17:58felt. They'd made this extraordinary journey across the Atlantic, they'd
0:17:58 > 0:18:02taken a heavy rowing boat over land, across the sea, and they'd
0:18:02 > 0:18:06finally reached this spot, the place that was going to provide for them,
0:18:06 > 0:18:11perhaps for all time, and they were about to set foot on that land.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16And I've got to say, today it feels absolutely enchanting.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22So far from all the places and people they'd known,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Donald and his son pressed on.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28I've got my heart in my mouth, I'm quite emotional.
0:18:30 > 0:18:36"They landed, staked out lands, and decided to settle down.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43"Those were the first MacNeils who settled in Cape Breton."
0:18:43 > 0:18:44For the MacNeils!
0:18:48 > 0:18:53I feel a bond with this Scotsman who invested all in a one-way ticket,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56braving the unknown to begin again.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59I'm two centuries too late to see him,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03but I can meet his direct descendant, Vince MacNeil.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05- Very good to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07- So, this is the beach? - This is the very place,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10the very place where my ancestors arrived in 1800.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12It must mean something very special to you.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15It's very special to me. It's part of my identity, part of who I am.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18And what do you think Donald and Rory were like as people?
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Well, they were adventurous, that's for sure, to come to a place
0:19:21 > 0:19:25where they had never been before which was unsettled, the New World.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27It would have been dangerous for them, so they had to be brave
0:19:27 > 0:19:30to go from being simple crofters to owning hundreds of acres of land.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34It would have been just amazing for them.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38200 years on, Vince ensures Scottish ties aren't extinguished.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41He's keeper of the family flame.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45So, through my father, I would be Vincent son of Edward,
0:19:45 > 0:19:50son of Raymond, son of Hector, son of Hector, son of James,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54son of Malcolm, son of John, son of Rory the piper.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57And through my mother, I would be Vincent, son of Patsy MacNeil,
0:19:57 > 0:20:02daughter of Hector Joseph, son of Franz Hector, Son of Hector Rory,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05son of Rory Mor, son of Donald, son of Rory.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07All MacNeils.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- You really DO know your family story, don't you?- I do.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12And I actually have my family tree here,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- so I can show you my connection with them.- Fantastic.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16I might need some help with this.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Oh my, it's huge! Is this beach big enough?
0:20:20 > 0:20:21I'm not sure.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Wow, that is amazing! So, going down the tree,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28where do we get to Donald who landed on this beach?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31OK, there is Donald and there is Rory Mor, his son.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36You've shown an unusual passion for tracing your roots.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39It's just part of who I am, and it's also part of my culture.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Genetic links offshore across the ocean.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45What else did those pioneers carry with them
0:20:45 > 0:20:48from the old country to the New World?
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Up in the village, a highland gathering awaits.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Nick, these are some of my cousins here that we've assembled,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09- and we're going to have a milling frolic.- A what?
0:21:13 > 0:21:17The milling frolic is an old community ritual. Beating
0:21:17 > 0:21:21newly woven cloth compressed the fibres, making it warmer to wear.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24It looks extraordinary to me coming from Britain.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Well, the traditions here survived.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29And do you take part in this yourself?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Yes, yes. Would you like to join us?
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- Well, yeah I'd love to yeah. - Come on over.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Hello, that was wonderful.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39I've never heard of a milling frolic. It's completely extraordinary.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44It's almost as if you're more Scottish than the Scots here.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47It's about maintaining your heritage and your culture
0:21:47 > 0:21:49and this is a good way to do it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51People get together, have fun, and sing songs.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55So, if your ancestors walked over the hill now, they'd immediately
0:21:55 > 0:21:58recognise the song, the sound, and they'd know what you're doing?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Exactly yep, they'd be quite familiar with it.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03So, here's a bit of a tricky question,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Are you more Canadian or more Scottish?
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Oh, we're more Cape Bretoners.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12I'm sorry, I can't lie.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I'm suddenly feeling very English and a bit underdressed.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22THEY SING SCOTTISH SONG
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Traditionally, before being beaten, the cloth was soaked in stale
0:22:37 > 0:22:40urine to get rid of any unwanted oils.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46Luckily for me the Nova Scotians don't observe the ritual that closely.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52The milling frolic's a new one on me.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55But for these descendants of Scottish emigrants, it's a
0:22:55 > 0:22:59bridge across the great divide.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06An incredibly powerful sense of connection between the MacNeils
0:23:06 > 0:23:07here in Nova Scotia
0:23:07 > 0:23:11and their roots in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It's as if
0:23:11 > 0:23:17200 year of history and 2,000 miles of Atlantic Ocean just didn't exist.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22It's as if Nova Scotia is moored just offshore mainland Scotland.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31We've left our mainland behind...
0:23:31 > 0:23:34..to explore outposts of opportunity.
0:23:37 > 0:23:43An ocean away in Canada and closer to home.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53Beyond our own shore, we've built a network of offshore enterprise.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00Strange structures providing new possibilities.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Beacons to light the way.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Farms in the sea to harvest fish.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Metal giants to deliver energy.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26A little-seen world of wonder,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30littered with extraordinary outposts.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37But head off our south coast, and the waters of the Solent
0:24:37 > 0:24:41surround a structure shrouded in mystery.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48An offshore riddle best investigated from Portsmouth.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55Naval historian Nick Hewitt is going back to the First World War.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02Ever since I was a boy, I've been fascinated by subs.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08I've always wanted to do that. I'm standing on a U-Boat.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14The threat U-Boats might sink Britain a century ago was very real.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21Offshore at Portsmouth is a towering reminder of Britain's
0:25:21 > 0:25:23anti-submarine war.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24And there she is.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29You can just make out a sort of shadowy spec on the horizon.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31She's known as the Nab Tower and she was
0:25:31 > 0:25:35built in 1918 as a defence against attack by German U-Boats.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40The Nab Tower was kept top secret during its construction
0:25:40 > 0:25:41but she wasn't alone.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44There were two towers.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Take a look at this newspaper account from the time.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53It was written when the towers were nearing completion at Shoreham
0:25:53 > 0:25:57on the south coast and it says that "no-one except for those responsible
0:25:57 > 0:26:00"for their construction knows for what use they're intended."
0:26:00 > 0:26:04It goes on to describe them as "the mysterious twins"
0:26:07 > 0:26:10The press went to town on the towers,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13but no-one knew the desperate wartime plan.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15The towers were being built to intercept
0:26:15 > 0:26:18German U-Boats in the English Channel.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25Nets, mines, and patrol boats were part of the scheme
0:26:25 > 0:26:29but the crowning glory was something more concrete.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34If you can put forts permanently in the straits,
0:26:34 > 0:26:39then you've got powerful gunfire support for these little warships.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46But why did only one of the towers make it offshore, and not
0:26:46 > 0:26:50as planned in the Dover Straits, but here close to Portsmouth?
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Nearly a century on, mystery still surrounds the Nab Tower.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Now there's a chance to explore
0:26:58 > 0:27:01while vital repairs are taking place.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04This is just amazing. I've looked at this for years
0:27:04 > 0:27:07and years from shore side but I've never been this close
0:27:07 > 0:27:10and I've certainly never stepped aboard.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11Look at the rust on that.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16I've got to get off this boat now.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20That will do! Wow, excellent.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Up close, the Nab Tower is enormous.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Civil Engineer Ron Blakely has the stats.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32It weighs, we understand, up to about 20,000 tonnes,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35and 10,000 tonnes of steel above.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38So how on earth was this massive structure going to be
0:27:38 > 0:27:39installed offshore?
0:27:43 > 0:27:47To see how clever the secret plan was, take one cardboard box
0:27:47 > 0:27:51and smother it in quick-drying concrete.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52And...it floats!
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- It floats.- Perfectly.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59A huge hollow base meant the Nab Tower was built to float.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04The idea was to tow the floating structure offshore.
0:28:04 > 0:28:05Then what?
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Right, here we go then.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09This power drill offers a clue.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17The valves are open, the air is coming out, down she goes.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18Settles to the bottom of the sea.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Fantastic.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25Within the Nab's base was a honeycomb of floodable tubes.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30It was a brilliant plan, but there was a big problem.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35The construction proved so complex that by the time the towers
0:28:35 > 0:28:38were ready, the First World War was over.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43This should have been the nerve centre to intercept U-Boats
0:28:43 > 0:28:46patrolling the Channel a century ago.
0:28:46 > 0:28:51Wow, looks like Frankenstein's lab.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53But she never saw action.
0:28:55 > 0:28:56With the war finished,
0:28:56 > 0:29:00whilst still in dock, one twin was quietly scrapped.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06But for the other tower, the authority spied an offshore opportunity.
0:29:08 > 0:29:14In 1920, she was finally towed out to sea, not near Dover to fight
0:29:14 > 0:29:19subs, but 100 miles further along the coast near Portsmouth
0:29:19 > 0:29:23for an unexpected career as a lighthouse,
0:29:23 > 0:29:28a beacon in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31Now, a much-needed make-over will keep the light
0:29:31 > 0:29:34burning for another 50 years at least.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40It's really great to see this fantastic piece of history
0:29:40 > 0:29:43living on usefully into the 21st century.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53We're exploring opportunities offshore.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58I've journeyed over the ocean to Canada.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05I'm following in the tracks of those who left our shores
0:30:05 > 0:30:09forever in search of a new life.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12In Nova Scotia, I discovered connections reaching
0:30:12 > 0:30:15back across the seas to Scotland.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21Now, I'm heading east to where an expedition from England first
0:30:21 > 0:30:24set foot over a century earlier.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29When Nova Scotia became a home from home for the Scots,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33it was the English who first laid claim to Newfoundland.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42I've journeyed to the first site settled by English emigrants -
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Cupids Cove.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56England's interest in Canada was first aroused by explorer
0:30:56 > 0:31:00John Cabot who landed in 1497.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Now, as Cabot was working for Henry VII, it was the English who
0:31:06 > 0:31:11claimed all of this and named it, rather prosaically, New-found-land.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17But it took over 100 years for emigrants to take
0:31:17 > 0:31:20advantage of this new outpost.
0:31:20 > 0:31:26In 1610, adventurers led by John Guy arrived here in Cupids Cove
0:31:26 > 0:31:30to establish England's first Canadian colony.
0:31:32 > 0:31:33I've got a clue to help me
0:31:33 > 0:31:37find where those first English pioneers set up home.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42It's a copy of a letter written in 1611 by one of the settlers and
0:31:42 > 0:31:47it describes in very exact detail how to find the settlement site.
0:31:47 > 0:31:53I have to walk for 240 paces from the side of this lake towards the coast.
0:31:53 > 0:31:571, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
0:31:57 > 0:31:59I've done a lot of walking...
0:31:59 > 0:32:02..108,109,110...
0:32:02 > 0:32:04..but this is a first.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Each step brings me closer to the origins of an English colony.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11240 and there it is, an English flag.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13The cross marks the spot.
0:32:18 > 0:32:19Wow, take a look at this.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26An archaeological investigation is being led by Bill Gilbert.
0:32:26 > 0:32:27Very good to meet you.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30- Nice to meet you, welcome to Cupids. - Why, thank you.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35The site of the first English settlement in Canada, established in 1610.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40The dig reveals the first stones laid by English settlers.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44Four centuries on, it's as though building has only just started.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47- This is the outside wall? - This is the outside wall.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49These are the foundations of modern Canada in a way.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Really, it's the beginnings of English Canada.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56This precious time capsule contains everyday treasures
0:32:56 > 0:33:01from home that the settlers carried with them far offshore.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05This is actually the earliest English coin ever found in Canada.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09- Wow.- It was minted at the Tower of London. It's a silver fourpence.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11- That's amazing!- A groat, yeah.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Whoever dropped that must have been gutted. How much would...
0:33:13 > 0:33:16Well I would think it would probably have been half a day's pay for sure.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19It's a big chunk of change, you wouldn't want to lose it.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23This is an apothecary jar. This would have held perhaps ointment
0:33:23 > 0:33:26or some sort of medicine, and it was probably made in Southwark.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28- Come all the way from the Thames. - From the Thames.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30They were importing their culture, their way of life.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34This is bringing Englishness to the continent of North America.
0:33:34 > 0:33:35Exactly. Yeah,
0:33:35 > 0:33:40they were trying to re-establish their culture here in the New World.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44These long lost pieces make a personal connection to
0:33:44 > 0:33:46a motherland an ocean away.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52Cherished possessions of those who dared to explore new opportunities.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Following the success of the first settlement at Cupids Cove,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05more English communities soon sprang up.
0:34:08 > 0:34:13There was a clear pattern to the locations they chose to settle.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18Look at a map and nearly every town in Newfoundland is coastal.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Settlers came here to make the most of the bounties offshore.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Newfoundland's seas were teeming with fish.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31When John Cabot discovered Newfoundland, eyewitnesses
0:34:31 > 0:34:33spoke of the seas here being,
0:34:40 > 0:34:42The king of them all was cod.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Over the centuries, a huge industry grew,
0:34:47 > 0:34:49attracting trawlers from around the world.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58The early pioneers came to start new lives.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Then generations of British fishermen took the opportunity
0:35:01 > 0:35:04to plunder the riches off Newfoundland's shores.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Those days of plenty are long gone.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Cod fishing was banned when stocks collapsed.
0:35:19 > 0:35:20British boats have disappeared.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26But what links do remain with the motherland?
0:35:29 > 0:35:32It seems they're still flying the flag.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38This little harbour town claims to have the largest
0:35:38 > 0:35:40Union Jack in the world.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Today, they're giving it an airing.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51This is a big flag.
0:35:51 > 0:35:57To be exact, this monster is 23 foot by 36 foot.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01Why do these Canadians fly the Union flag?
0:36:01 > 0:36:04You're a long way from England, a long way from Britain.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Yes, but we still feel very connected. I guess many
0:36:07 > 0:36:12of our people came from Devon, and we think we're very British here.
0:36:12 > 0:36:18I have tights with Union Jacks on them, I have boxer shorts
0:36:18 > 0:36:23with Union Jacks on them, I have pillows, I have everything.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26We're very proud of this Union Jack.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29It's the birthplace of English Canada.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Without any further ado, we're going to raise our flag,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37and as we do, we're going to sing "God Save the Queen."
0:36:37 > 0:36:43# God save our gracious Queen
0:36:43 > 0:36:48# Long live our noble Queen
0:36:48 > 0:36:54# God save the Queen. #
0:37:04 > 0:37:10When the province of Newfoundland voted to join Canada in 1949,
0:37:10 > 0:37:15political ties were severed but emotional bonds are stronger.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18No longer an outpost of Empire,
0:37:18 > 0:37:23they still salute those who braved the ocean for unknown opportunities.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35Back home, life offshore provides a different sort of escape.
0:37:40 > 0:37:46Free from the confines of our island's edge, spirits soar.
0:37:52 > 0:37:59Coastal folk spend happy hours gazing out to sea.
0:38:01 > 0:38:07But some go further. They chose to spend eternity offshore.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12My name is John Lister.
0:38:14 > 0:38:19I spend the vast majority of my life by the sea, by the coast
0:38:19 > 0:38:23but I'm here today for a very special reason.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31We're leaving here from Keyhaven and we shall go about 3 miles south of
0:38:31 > 0:38:35the Needles, which are the western extreme of the Isle of Wight,
0:38:36 > 0:38:40to a designated area specifically for burial at sea.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47Everyone in the UK has a right to be buried at sea,
0:38:47 > 0:38:48should they choose that way.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52If we did 20 in a year, we'd be surprised
0:38:52 > 0:38:58so it's a very, very tiny percentage of people who actually opt for this.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04As the engine slows on the boat, we'll often play Elgar's Nimrod.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10And then we will often read Tennyson's Crossing The Bar,
0:39:10 > 0:39:15and that poem is very, very pertinent.
0:39:15 > 0:39:21"Sunset and evening star And one clear call for me!
0:39:22 > 0:39:26"And may there be no moaning of the bar,
0:39:26 > 0:39:28"When I put out to sea."
0:39:31 > 0:39:35We have come here today as an expression of our regard
0:39:35 > 0:39:38for the life of a beloved human being...
0:39:38 > 0:39:41In quite a few occasions, we've had people that have
0:39:41 > 0:39:43opted for a burial at sea because they've got
0:39:43 > 0:39:47a son in Australia, a daughter in America and they feel that as they
0:39:47 > 0:39:51become part of the sea, so they sort of unite family together as it were.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03The coffins are made of 18mm marine ply that bears no
0:40:03 > 0:40:07resemblance to the coffin you see pallbearers bringing into a church.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11They will survive in the water for about 4-5 years.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15They will just return to pulp and the concrete that's in them
0:40:15 > 0:40:19will return to sand, by which time the deceased is there no longer.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24"We have met to pay tribute and say farewell.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29"We therefore commit his body to the deep in maritime tradition.
0:40:29 > 0:40:30"May he rest in peace."
0:40:39 > 0:40:43"For tho' from out our borne of Time and Place
0:40:43 > 0:40:45"The flood may bear me far,
0:40:47 > 0:40:53"I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar."
0:41:05 > 0:41:09Leaving the mainland behind, surprising stories
0:41:09 > 0:41:11await in the surrounding seas.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16We're exploring life offshore.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25For some, life at sea is part of the job.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34Our Navy has long roamed the oceans,
0:41:35 > 0:41:39only returning to land to ready for their next adventure.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50In our harbours, great ships are on show for all to see.
0:41:51 > 0:41:52But far from home,
0:41:52 > 0:41:58the Navy has a fleet of boats that they'd rather keep hidden.
0:41:58 > 0:42:03Weapons of war, roving far, far offshore.
0:42:05 > 0:42:10Today, a battle-hardened veteran of this secret fleet
0:42:10 > 0:42:12rests at Devonport.
0:42:15 > 0:42:21Tessa's about to discover how we keep in contact with our submarines.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Lying in Devonport is a beached steel whale.
0:42:28 > 0:42:34But this whale was a killer. An attack submarine.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41Courageous here is the sister vessel of the only British submarine
0:42:41 > 0:42:45that's sunk a warship since the Second World War
0:42:45 > 0:42:50and here is that deadly sub, HMS Conqueror.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55Like Courageous, HMS Conqueror is now retired
0:42:55 > 0:43:00but she's famous, or some would say infamous, for sinking the Belgrano.
0:43:00 > 0:43:06In 1982, Britain prepared to fight way off our shores.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Britain has sent more ships to join the Falklands Task Force, now
0:43:10 > 0:43:11steaming south.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Argentina had invaded the Falkland Islands.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Britain readied to re-take them by force.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22Then came a deadly strike.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28The Argentinian cruiser, General Belgrano,
0:43:28 > 0:43:34was hit by torpedoes fired from a British submarine.
0:43:37 > 0:43:43On May the 2nd 1982, the sub HMS Conqueror fired three torpedoes.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50She hit the General Belgrano,
0:43:50 > 0:43:56a perceived threat to the British fleet. 323 men died.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03The lethal blow came from Conqueror
0:44:03 > 0:44:06but permission to fire came from home.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13How did the British government in London send orders to
0:44:13 > 0:44:18a submarine deep underwater 8,000 miles away in the south Atlantic?
0:44:20 > 0:44:22How do we speak to subs?
0:44:23 > 0:44:25Attack submarines are on the front line.
0:44:25 > 0:44:30They patrol at the sharp end in stealth, miles offshore.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33Our Government needed to contact the subs,
0:44:33 > 0:44:37but hundreds of feet underwater, that wasn't so easy.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43When submerged, it was tricky to tune into signals
0:44:43 > 0:44:46as ex-radio operator Mike Pitt knows.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51So, Mike, this was the radio control room?
0:44:51 > 0:44:53It was the radio office.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56And what was your main job in here? What were you doing?
0:44:56 > 0:44:58To receive all the signals coming from the UK.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Right, but you'd have to go up to a certain depth to receive
0:45:00 > 0:45:02the signal to then pick it up here?
0:45:02 > 0:45:05There were a number of different aerials carried on board,
0:45:05 > 0:45:09for example we have a floating wire aerial which trailed
0:45:09 > 0:45:10out the back of the submarine.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13If we were using that, the submarine could stay at a lower depth
0:45:13 > 0:45:17because the aerial was then lying just underneath the surface.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20We had another aerial which was fitted into the back of the fin,
0:45:20 > 0:45:24so then the submarine had to come a lot shallower to be able to receive the signals.
0:45:24 > 0:45:30Our submarines had multiple aerials to try and receive radio messages.
0:45:30 > 0:45:35But still, in the Falklands War, communication proved a major problem
0:45:35 > 0:45:37as recently released documents reveal.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Kept top secret for years, we now have the de-classified
0:45:43 > 0:45:46Captain's narrative from HMS Conqueror.
0:45:46 > 0:45:52On the 5th of April 1982, Conqueror left Faslane for the Falklands.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54But as she approached the South Atlantic,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57deep underwater, there were radio failures.
0:45:58 > 0:46:04"9th of April 1982. Traffic received, garbled.
0:46:05 > 0:46:12"13th of April 1982. All corrupt, attempting to patch the signals."
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Vital commands were struggling to reach the most deadly
0:46:17 > 0:46:18weapon in the Task Force.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24How come receiving radio signals underwater was so hard?
0:46:24 > 0:46:27I'm at sea with scientist Chris Stevens.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34Why is it so challenging for radio waves to try and penetrate water?
0:46:34 > 0:46:37When radio waves hit water, particularly sea water, it's
0:46:37 > 0:46:40just like light hitting metal. A lot of the waves reflect,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43and what little actually enters the water is very rapidly absorbed.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47It creates electrical currents in the water that absorb the energy.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51To see how radio signals of different frequencies perform
0:46:51 > 0:46:54underwater, we'll try different radio stations.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57So Chris, what are we actually going to do?
0:46:57 > 0:46:59OK, so we have a radio here.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01HE PLAYS RADIO
0:47:03 > 0:47:05Here we go. Receiving radio waves.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08So Chris, that station you've just tuned into is an FM station,
0:47:08 > 0:47:11or broadcast on FM which means it's high frequency.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13That's right, high frequency means many, many,
0:47:13 > 0:47:16many radio peaks per second, whereas low frequencies are very, very
0:47:16 > 0:47:20long waves with only a few peaks coming past.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22Let's see if it works.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26So, put the radio into our plastic submarine,
0:47:26 > 0:47:32attach a depth gauge, submerge it in seawater and listen.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35RADIO GURGLES
0:47:35 > 0:47:38Oh! We can't hear a thing.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42- Is that what we're left with, some gurgling? - That's all you're left with.
0:47:42 > 0:47:49Just 10cm beneath the sea, the high frequency FM radio signal is lost.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51It's no good for submarines.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Not at all, useless.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57What happens when we repeat, but with a lower frequency station?
0:47:57 > 0:47:59OK, so this is long wave.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03This is long wave yeah, this is the lowest frequency we've got.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05We're going to toss Radio 4 into the estuary.
0:48:05 > 0:48:06Let's do it.
0:48:09 > 0:48:10How far down is the basket?
0:48:10 > 0:48:12It's about 2m.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14OK, can I still hear the radio?
0:48:14 > 0:48:17Yes, definitely still get human voices.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23The low frequency signal penetrates much deeper...
0:48:24 > 0:48:27..down about 2m before it fades out.
0:48:27 > 0:48:33So long wave 20 times more effective underwater than the higher
0:48:33 > 0:48:37frequency FM, but still, Chris, 2m, I mean, not great
0:48:37 > 0:48:40if you're a giant submarine having to come up that high.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42No, this would still be no good.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44To get a 150m underwater, the Navy had to go to
0:48:44 > 0:48:47a frequency 3,000 times lower than this one.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54Very low frequency or VLF radio signals were the key to
0:48:54 > 0:48:56communicating with subs.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59But the lower the frequency,
0:48:59 > 0:49:03the bigger the masts needed to transmit the message.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08At a massive installation in Rugby, a giant array of antennae
0:49:08 > 0:49:13sent commands to our submarines, using very low frequency, VLF, radio
0:49:15 > 0:49:19as former Station Manager, Malcolm Hancock remembers.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23This is a plan of the site, the 900 acre site with
0:49:23 > 0:49:27all of the large 12 masts. You see them dotted all around here.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33During the Falklands War, the signals were top secret.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Even Malcolm's team couldn't decipher them.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40Messages came up by landline from Northwood or Whitehall.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44We could transmit in Morse code or latterly in the Cold War,
0:49:44 > 0:49:45more teleprinter messages,
0:49:45 > 0:49:48a single teleprinter message would be going out.
0:49:50 > 0:49:568,000 miles from home, HMS Conqueror entered the Falklands battle zone.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58The stakes couldn't' be higher.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02But she'd been struggling to receive VLF radio signals.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06"The VLF broadcast is not helping me."
0:50:09 > 0:50:13The problem was the VLF radio was optimised for the Cold War,
0:50:13 > 0:50:18a Soviet-NATO stand-off in the North Atlantic.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21But the Falklands War was in the South Atlantic.
0:50:21 > 0:50:26In the southern Ocean VLF messages were at their limits.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29There was an alternative
0:50:29 > 0:50:33but it meant submarines sacrificing their greatest advantage...
0:50:33 > 0:50:35..stealth,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38as former Commander Chris Munns knows.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41The submarines were also capable of receiving a satellite signal.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44In order to receive that satellite signal,
0:50:44 > 0:50:46they had to expose an aerial above the water
0:50:46 > 0:50:49which, of course, implied much more risk for the submarine
0:50:49 > 0:50:53because they were detectable if they had an aerial above the water.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55The very thing VLF was designed to avoid,
0:50:55 > 0:50:59HMS Conqueror now had to do - expose herself.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04Even worse, a damaged mast forced her to surface,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07to repair the satellite aerial.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10The Argentinians might detect Conqueror.
0:51:10 > 0:51:17But radioed intelligence also helped Conqueror identify a target.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20"I have remained in the trail for the last 11 hours.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23"In contact with the enemy at last!"
0:51:23 > 0:51:26She had found the cruiser, General Belgrano.
0:51:26 > 0:51:33Then, on the afternoon of 2nd May 1982,
0:51:33 > 0:51:35the Conqueror was sent orders that made history.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40We know from Margaret Thatcher's account that the cabinet
0:51:40 > 0:51:44approved the Conqueror to attack the Belgrano at 13.30, half past one...
0:51:44 > 0:51:45Right.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49..and the signal was transmitted to Conqueror shortly after that.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52The signal was received slightly garbled
0:51:52 > 0:51:54because the reception wasn't perfect
0:51:54 > 0:51:57and the captain wanted to make sure he had a perfect clean copy
0:51:57 > 0:52:01of this very important signal before he could act against the Belgrano.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07So, once had the authority to attack the Belgrano, he moved
0:52:07 > 0:52:10into a firing position, and he fired just before 7 o'clock, at 18.56.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13Yeah look at that, order of firing.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23The Conqueror fired three torpedoes.
0:52:23 > 0:52:28Two struck the Belgrano, she caught fire and sank.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34The attack on the Belgrano remains controversial
0:52:34 > 0:52:36but it changed the course of the conflict.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42Argentine ships retreated to their own waters.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45HMS Conqueror returned victorious.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52Now, a new generation of submarines patrol.
0:52:52 > 0:52:57They carry a vastly more powerful threat, Britain's nuclear weapons.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02In the dire scenario that we suffer a devastating attack,
0:53:02 > 0:53:06wiping out central authority, the loneliest decision,
0:53:06 > 0:53:11whether to retaliate, would lie with a Commander offshore.
0:53:22 > 0:53:27We've struggled for centuries to keep in touch with far-flung outposts.
0:53:28 > 0:53:34200 years ago, as the Empire grew, so did our need to send messages.
0:53:35 > 0:53:40Communications carried by sail across the Atlantic took 2 weeks.
0:53:41 > 0:53:47But amazingly, we eventually became hard-wired to North America,
0:53:47 > 0:53:49here, at Heart's Content.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58This remote harbour was the westernmost landing point
0:53:58 > 0:54:00of one of the greatest offshore
0:54:00 > 0:54:05triumphs of the 19th century, the Transatlantic cable.
0:54:09 > 0:54:14In 1866, a gigantic steam ship,
0:54:14 > 0:54:19Brunel's Great Eastern, left Ireland bound for Heart's Content in Canada.
0:54:22 > 0:54:28Behind her unravelled 2,000 miles of telegraph cable.
0:54:30 > 0:54:37I'm told the cable that transformed global communication is still to be found.
0:54:39 > 0:54:45And here it is, rising from the sea and crossing a beach.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49It's amazing, actually, just to see it lying here
0:54:49 > 0:54:50rusting on the pebbles.
0:54:50 > 0:54:56This cable once carried messages 2,000 miles across the Atlantic all
0:54:56 > 0:55:00the way from Heart's Content here to Valentia in Ireland.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04When the Great Eastern moored in the bay at Heart's Content
0:55:04 > 0:55:09and the cable was brought ashore, continent was wired to continent.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13Messages now sped around the world in minutes.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18It was an audacious feat of engineering
0:55:18 > 0:55:21that's captured our imagination on Coast.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25We've visited the cable station on the Irish Coast...
0:55:28 > 0:55:32..and even unearthed the remains of the Great Eastern near Liverpool.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37But now I want to explore the other side of the story.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41I want to know how this cable transformed life
0:55:41 > 0:55:43here in Newfoundland.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47Who better to ask than Roland Peddle who manned the
0:55:47 > 0:55:49cable station in the 1950s.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55- This is where the cable was coming in, right here.- Oh, really.- Yes.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57And there they all are, look, coming out of the floor.
0:55:57 > 0:56:02I find it amazing that the messages between two entire continents
0:56:02 > 0:56:05were passing through these bits of wire here.
0:56:05 > 0:56:10The old cable station was cutting edge mid-20th century technology.
0:56:12 > 0:56:17But what I really want to know is what Roland was listening in on.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20Everything that happened on your side of the Atlantic,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24private messages, all the news, came out here.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28I was here from 1953 to '60 and some of the things that
0:56:28 > 0:56:32happened in that time, of course... Grace Kelly married Rainier.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38they sent these hot little messages back and forth all the time.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40- Did you read them? - Oh, did I ever. Er.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44C'mon tell us one or two. Do you remember any of them?
0:56:44 > 0:56:47- No. But there were different things like that.- I bet you do really.
0:56:47 > 0:56:48I'm not going to give you any juicy stuff,
0:56:48 > 0:56:50poor old Marilyn would turn over in her grave.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52Just a little nugget, go on.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54There was everything, how much they loved each other
0:56:54 > 0:56:57and missed each other and all this and where they were and how
0:56:57 > 0:57:01they were sort of, you know, hiding away from, well, the paparazzi.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04Didn't call them paparazzi then, you know, all that kind of stuff.
0:57:04 > 0:57:09But one thing that I can remember especially was that it was
0:57:09 > 0:57:12a time Fidel Castro took over from Batista,
0:57:13 > 0:57:16and of course it was history and I decided that
0:57:16 > 0:57:19I would keep the history, and even though I probably was not
0:57:19 > 0:57:22allowed to do it, I would take the tape, and I would wind up the tape
0:57:22 > 0:57:27and get all the tape wound up, and I had it. Oh, I had all kinds of stuff.
0:57:27 > 0:57:33And my dear mum ended up getting Alzheimer's, and she quietly
0:57:33 > 0:57:36- discarded the whole works.- Oh, no! - Yeah. The whole thing I had, yeah.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42Soon afterwards, the cable station at Heart's Content
0:57:42 > 0:57:48and the cable itself were discarded too, overtaken by new technologies.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56But on my journey, I've found much older connections.
0:57:56 > 0:58:01Connections between people endure.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05The arrival of those first emigrants from our shores planted
0:58:05 > 0:58:10memories of home still nurtured here.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16Those memories, those connections are a bond across the oceans.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19For many islanders who head offshore,
0:58:19 > 0:58:22the greater the distance, the stronger the bond.