Abandoned Sea Fortress Trip - Project Speedboat 8

oh hello welcome to the big trip here we go he's loading we've got dry back went to Sainsbury's we got some little treats in there got three fuel tank fuel tanks may become the subject of this journey where's drew already 40 miles that way there's a bunch of old rusting metal out in the sea we're gonna go and check it out I've been wanting to look at it for a long time I'm excited slightly nervous let's hope the engine doesn't pull apart it's over late I'm a nervous traveler this is gonna be what we're mainly gonna have to do is calm me down you've made the brave decision of coming aboard yeah please come with crew I want to be doing a lot of things I'm gonna be filming I'm gonna be sightseeing and at some point I'm gonna be screaming in terror as we run out of petrol how do you know that in front of me I wouldn't describe myself as seaworthy in any in any serious context I'm a nervous traveller on the Underground oh there we go it's a treat it's actually quite comfy once you're in steel tank number one going on that is twice it's litres of the Queen's petrol there's been some rough distance calculation and rough is the element that I'm concerned about you houseand are you that we will be able to make it there and back I'd say there's a 50% chance of success tell me again why we're not taking the clearly superior boats who are right without comfortable seating bench seating because when you say speedboat you think it kind of sounds glamorous detective [Music] London VTS this is RHIB Goodwin / travelling outbound from Jersey boy Wharf / Bravo thank you do that facially permission for the barrier which is where we're heading now to the temporary er the weather is looking good speed limit here is 12 knots we'll be heading out for about half an hour and then once about half that but we can open er up [Music] apologies apologies yep 12 knots thank you unbelievable I told you bar right just been told off for speeding how many knots are we doing there 14 knots it's quite a nice telling off of them yeah may I remind you of the 12 knots speed limit push it we're doing 40 knots all right pull it right back we don't know if we've got enough fuel to get there and back round trip we're looking at about 80 nautical miles if we're burning a litre per mile we don't have enough fuel but if we burn less than a liter per mile we're fine a middle say obvious way to find out there was no other way to find this well we've got three tanks the first is the middle sized tank that tank when it runs out we can then look at how far we've gone and make a calculation about whether we think we can make it there basically there's a speed limit here and that means we can't get on the plane so we're actually using more fuel once we get past the speed limit we can get the whole boat out of the water so we're skimming along and that's much more efficient in theory but there's give me a temptation to really floor it if we do that before we can use more fuel so it's kind of you know we've got to strike the right balance to hopefully have enough fuel to get there if we don't get there this is gonna be a bit depressing tons coming out so suncream very important here we go Oh that's a real holiday palace now this is borderline erotic I wouldn't say that we've got flares here if we need bill said this one you hold that way the other one you hold that way so don't get the wrong I'm kind of guy I am strawberry I will o take a little straw here we go so he got never me is a deaf ear hold over me I think now we'll be on the speed limit are we we are it my friend let's get on the play okay okay nineteen 10 a.m. we've been cruising for an hour 15 minutes I was in steady 20 knots we seem to have loads of fuel still in the first Hank and we're kind of nearly out to sea now so it's actually looking like we might make it it's lovely weather those wonderful days people just crossing under the m25 now [Music] [Music] finally captain fog on deck so heading for that red marker there okay I see we'll take a hard right down there we'll be cruising at zero feet the Sun is coming down now may be time for some children sunblock again [Music] I say let's baby was a yeah soldiers on stilts that's the Army's name for the men who garrison the sea forts in the Thames Estuary approachable only by boat it's the loneliest job in the army there are seven towers to each fort connected by steel bridges each four to 750 tons of reinforced concrete the sea forts 3.7 guns kept watch for bombers and marauding events with Sunstone head they don't seem to be arranged in any kind of circle I mean I wonder how they decided to place them relative to one another oh you know the answer is it who the the towers apparently are in this formation so that they can attack planes coming in any direction as they travel up attack towards London [ __ ] so most of the towers had the big anti-aircraft guns but I think one of them had a searchlight and then something else was on one of the other one well here we go we are here we have made it once a prank of gasps as well yeah just coming to the end of the first tank still there few drops in there really I can't quite believe we're actually here looking at it like we're trying to tie up to one of these bad boys I mean to me that seems terrifying bill said don't do it big like sharp and difficult yes it does look loads sharp and difficult I think anchor maybe anchor 7.2 meters we find it a shallow you love the look of their their incredible looking sailor how in God's name do you get I think you're gonna receive more nothing on that I think we have to see [Music] where is she we anchor off [Music] so if Stannis's repeats even out here they've got super busy alluring thesis temper something some great reference here for a dystopian future I think of I mean this is you don't get weathering like this without an actual weathering [Music] brave men younger and fitter than me in the war would have come here to shoot at other equally brave men of different nationalities they attempted to kill one other it's sobering imagine being out here I mean that is terrifying right [Music] at night no it'd have been the gentle rumble of the large anti-aircraft guns right off your head firing crabs at night and then there'll be the searchlight for me some sort of siren sounds simmilar bells relaxing I love it there plants up there I mean that it's down is the resilience of nature I mean as you're saying that I'm flying right by some my lovely work they're a lot taller than you imagine when you're down at water level they're actually impressively tall I think also the structures go down a long way cuz they go out to the seabed so they're actually you know number seven meters down this was built in the immediate aftermath of the first round of the Blitz this is how I guess they get it down they floated out here Bob and drop it down so it actually is secured to the sea it's a free-standing thing do you had enough power you could pick it up and move it I'm just gonna go for a quick swim I feel like you know we've got to have a swim while we're here it's a good excuse to get the guns out ladies I told you okay hang on this is what I wanted all the time doing this boat up I always imagined you know one day being in the tropical waters and just diving in off the back so here we are no time like the present I should just gone in that tonight three two one go Oh lovely it's great and it's just a dredger over there Patricia how are you sharing the okay I'm getting scared of slight some sea monster yeah here we are doing a home that's really perfect how was it the GoPros gone flat but it's charging up courtesy of the wonderful 2 amp USB sockets we've got a bit of a storage I'll just show you to have all the equipment working and the engine all running nicely them feels quite an achievement but anything could go wrong on the way back that's the beauty of this Oh Anchors Away no what's the opposite of anchors oh no I think it is thank all the way yeah a bit of actual real look at that proof that we were here good of silt [Applause] this is the Kentish wind farm you're only allowed 50 meters format so well so closely we can go but cracking wind farm one of the fact one of the great kind of it is amazing these are out here generating free electricity yeah obviously it's not much wind today which makes it nice for boating but not for an electricity generation should we go home let's go home let's go home let's go home the natural way so this is the Isle of Sheppey here we're going around which is a sort of Nature Reserve on the Swale and a bird sanctuary we're just driving a huge petrol engine of it Rollo yes boy but so near London and yet there is loads of wildlife here and that's my moving thing maybe I'll take my hat off there I like a seal a big tube of muscle and fat that's how I consider myself a lot of the time [Music] right moment right right now [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] mmm that was big-time football I was like weird but you totally got a jumped in the end oh my god I didn't see I coming I was just looking at the view and just so are so lovely and we suddenly hit the bow wave more in there just top 20 fix dots show me the faster side up a bit off plans well we're still on the second tank of fuel we haven't run out yeah I think yeah on the whole we've done nearly 90 miles and it's been unbelievably successful I was a bright Oh hold on hold on a minute don't speak too soon Harry oh that's the fuel running out Oh must be okay let's hope that's the fuel running out let's go on to the other tank we have been ragging it that's true we have been yeah that feels very empty that tank okay so the first tank it's still got some juice in there bu T right so we're back on the original tank which is still got a bit in and that saves having to siphon from the backup okay so in theory that should start just here we go perfect whoa there she is David close to the smell oh wait pork sauce pan pinky right you've got to get the right one this time so Foxtrot alpha Charlie [Music] we made it this was an incredible test 90 miles 55 litres of fuel that gives us with full tanks 150 mile range [Music] hey fen are you going to come on the trip around the UK in the really good boat No

Channel: Harry Dwyer

Views: 316,607

Keywords: abandoned, sea, fort, thames, boat, trip, travel, exploring, adventure, exploration, decay, rib, sr4, ww2, world war two, relic, history, abandoned places, urbex, war, derelict, lostplaces

Id: UKwmm1xD1v0

Length: 19min 44sec (1184 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 31 2019