The Disastrous Attempt To Reach The North Pole In A WW1 Submarine | Frozen North | Timeline

[Music] the Arctic still a mystery at the beginning of the 20th century could the be undiscovered land under the ice a terror [Music] Incognito reaching the North Pole was a real challenge many Expeditions set out risking their lives to be the first there but none succeeded then in 1926 it all changed explorers took to the [Music] air the first person to reach the pole was Norwegian R amonson his Airship took just 17 hours in 1931 another Adventurer takes up the challenge he wants to get to the North Pole in a submarine under the ice Hubert Wilkins an Australian polar Explorer will write history and then be forgotten until now when modern explorers follow his footsteps they're determined to find out why so little is known about wilkin's legendary Expedition and what happened to him and his [Music] submarine [Music] Hubert Wilkins 13th child of an English sheep farmer was raised in the Wilds of South Australia his first job kangaroo Hunter outdoor life in this parch land teaches him about the sun wind and clouds it also gives him a lifelong quest to understand how weather and climate work he has other skills too many self-taught pilot photographer cameraman reporter but his real passion is exploration and this takes him all over the world in 1928 Wilkins sets out on an Epic Journey the first transarc flight it's more than 3,200 km from Alaska to the northern edge of Europe as he flies over the icy waste he collects data which will help explain global weather fluctuations his goal spitsbergen 20 hours flying in a single engined plane it's a worldwide sensation this pioneering flight earns him Fame and glory and a Knighthood from King George V from now on he's sir Hubert New York gives him a rousing Fifth Avenue [Music] [Applause] welcome during the celebrations he meets Suzanne Bennett a fellow Australian she's a singer and actress searching for fame on Broadway a few weeks later they get engaged Suzanne soon realizes that she's marrying a Restless Explorer a true Adventurer for her husband is once again planning an expedition to the North Pole not by air but by submarine under the ice he rents a redundant World War I submarine from the US Navy for just $1 a year and equips it as a laboratory for Arctic research his scientific goal collecting data to improve Europe's weather [Music] forecasts if we can demonstrate that a submarine is useful in traveling underneath the Arctic Ice I believe it may also prove useful in times for National Defense and for the development of commercial possibilities along the Arctic Coast of United States and Canada in 1929 newspaper Mogul r ol Hurst offers to Hubert around the world flight aboard the Airship craft [Music] Zeppelin during this flight Wilkins thinks of an idea that could attract Financial sponsors for his planned Expedition the submarine and the Zeppelin should meet at the North [Music] Pole Hurst is thrilled and Promises $250,000 provided the Rendevous actually happens Wilkins plan makes headlines worldwide Walt Disney too is fired with [Music] enthusiasm he sends a Hubert a personal Mickey Mouse [Music] card with best wishes for the expedition's [Music] success Hubert Wilkins is on board his submarine as she heads for her naming ceremony over 800 enthusiastic onlookers welcomed them to the port of Brooklyn guest of honor is Jean jul grandson of the famous French novelist the French national anthem is played prohibition forbids alcohol lady Wilkins must Christen the boat with ice [Music] cubes ship I name you Nautilus go on your wonderful Adventure in your heart his great treasure bring that treasure safely back to me she's called Nautilus after the legendary submarine in jul Van's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Wilkins fixes a bronze plaque to the hull on it is Captain Nemo's motto mobilis in Mobile moving amidst movement I find it remarkable that Wilkins was inspired by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea written by jul V an author dear to the French it combined wilkin's dreams with his ambition to do scientific research he's just like the heroes of 20,000 Leagues sharing their desire to collect data and make a contribution to sence sir Hubert borrows another idea from jilan he converts the submarine's torpedo room into an air lock as air is pumped in and the pressure increases the researchers ears begin to ache they try to equalize when the air pressure inside is greater than the water pressure outside they open the hatch for the first time ever scientists have direct access to the deep ocean now they can take samples from the [Music] depths just like Captain Nemo sir Hubert wishes to explore and Conquer The Polar Seas his theory is that the Arctic drives Europe's [Music] weather on his submarine Expedition he wants to prove that the Arctic Ocean plays a key role in global weather patterns and determines our climate he hopes his research will make long-term forecasts possible [Music] during the fitting out Wilkins relies on his ship rides expertise but none of them has experience of such extreme conditions since no one had ever taken a submarine to the [Music] Arctic the plan is to build a wooden superstructure with skids so the boat can slide along the under surface of the ice in case of collision with an iceberg at the bow they build a shock absorber Wilkins also thinks of other possible emergencies he's afraid of being trapped under the sea ice so he designs a special ice borer to cut an escape hole to the surface [Music] they test it on land the drill should bore a hole through this ice block but it sticks and the designer has to help with a hammer despite this Wilkins makes no improvements to the drill the clock is ticking and he wants to start his expedition during good weather another new feature is this special hydraulic [Music] flap its job is to keep the submarine a safe distance below the ice Nautilus is now a unique and unusual underwater craft but is it fit for Arctic exploration nobody yet knows uh you will have to judge it from its time and judge from that time it was quite this that was in some way high technology you had never before done a drilling of the ice from beneath and you had never had a Ram uh with this purpose to protect the ubot from the icebergs so that was quite [Music] new Nautilus undergos her sea trials including a test [Music] dive almost immediately there's a problem Nautilus out of control Dives below her 200t maximum depth discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and AdFree podcasts presented by world renown historians all from history hit watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device download the app now to explore everything from the wonders of ancient Pompei and the Mystery of the princes in the tower to the life of Anne Belin and D-Day sign up via the link in the description Captain Dan andhar immediately checks his boat can she withstand the water pressure a Chik would send them all to a watery [Music] grave fortunately luck is on their side a catastrophe has been avoided but Nautilus still needs repairs and their departure for the North Pole must be delayed newspapers begin to criticize Wilkins and his risky Venture of course the constraints of having to use an old and uh fairly unsafe submarine was due to money constraints he could have achieved a lot more in Total Safety if he had plenty of funds to build his own submarine so the criticism was somehow right Wilkins defends his plan in a 350 page book under the North Pole this documents his Adventure in detail before he even sets out so Hubbert sees his book as a source of income and as a testament for future Generations but if we fail I want to leave behind a record of our preparation ations and proposals to help that someone who will someday make a transarc journey beneath the ice [Music] successfully Nautilus and her crew of 20 leave New York they're facing a voyage of more than 10,000 km time is short in Just 2 months the Arctic Autumn storms will begin in even if all goes well it will take them at least 4 weeks to reach the North Pole lady Wilkins waves a final farewell later she will complain that she's the world's loneliest wife the first stage is an Atlantic Crossing to England and then on to Norway 6,000 500 km of [Music] ocean a week after setting out naus is hit by a violent storm she's tossed around like a toy rolling up to 100° the engines fail and most of the crew are [Music] seasick [Music] they tried to repair the engines in vain a drift in Mid-Atlantic the Nautilus sends an SOS it's just 19 years since the Titanic sent the same signal the crew is scared their elderly submarine is supposed to take them to the Poland back but now they realize she's in poor shape by luck a warship USS Wyoming is nearby she hears the distress call and steams to Nautilus his aid for hours they attempt to get aligned to the submarine finally as the storm dies down they succeed and officer from the Wyoming offers Captain danenhower a tow to England they'll also Supply sir Hubert and his crew with welcome fresh vegetables cigarettes and newspapers The Crossing continues under toe the crew is now divided s determined to continue the expedition to the North Pole others want to disembark as soon as they reach the next port after 23 days Nautilus finally reaches Plymouth in Southwest England she must yet again be repaired once more the team loses valuable time Wilkins is worried they won't be able to reach the pole before Arctic winter sets in the Omens aren't good repairs in Dry Dock take over a month and the Expedition is still almost 5,000 kilom from its goal while the men kick their heels sir Hubert welcomes a very important visitor Edward Prince of Wales 5 years later the prince will become king Ed Edwood VII Wilkins has known him since the end of the first world war and they both share a passion for technology and flying at last the dock is flooded sir Hubert is impatient every hour counts as the shorter days and Autumn storms draw nearer The 4day Voyage from England to Norway goes without a [Music] hitch in beun the crew makes final preparations for the trip under the [Music] ice new supplies and scientific instruments are loaded [Music] more researchers joined the crew bhart fillinger from fryberg Germany and Norwegian Harold spup acknowledged as the leading oceanographer of his time then a final check of the Nautilus is seaworthiness our chief of the Norwegian subance service Captain Punk Nelson was kindly asked if he could come on board the northless and uh do an inspection and uh tell about his findings and what he thought about the design itself and when he came up again he told Mr SP that I will never have sent my Crews on board this submarine the whole of Bergen is wondering if the crew will ever return alive [Music] Wilkins receives a telegram from his sponsor Randolph Hurst asking him to cancel the Expedition he should try again next year with a more modern submarine but sir Hubert is [Music] undeterred they reach spitsbergen still more than a th000 kilm from the North [Music] Pole for the first time Nautilus meets drif ice inside the hull it's freezing cold despite this Wilkins and his researchers start their work Harold Farr's particular interest is to find out if the Earth is a perfect sphere to do this he uses a special pendulum gravity varies from place to place the smaller the distance from the Earth's center the greater the force of gravity and the faster the pendulum swings sure enough close to the pole the pendulum swings considerably faster than at the equator it's thanks to Nautilus pioneering work that we know today Earth is flattened at the [Music] poles these measurements have major historical significance they were the first ones taken at Sea we knew a lot about gravity on land but at Sea we had no knowledge at [Music] all the nearer Wilkins and his crew get to the pole the more unbearable conditions on board become the temperature is below freezing everyone must keep moving to stop their arms and legs stiffening [Music] up inside Nautilus there's Frozen condensation everywhere the boat has no Heating and the water pipes are close to [Music] freezing all the crew can do is tough it out there's almost no insulation in the hull it's like living in a freezing cigar [Music] tube it is no wonder that the men eventually began to fear for their very love lives I with all of the problems that this submarine had encountered with with breakdowns imagine suddenly having to face the possibility of actually diving under the arctic ice pack imagine thinking that you would spend a month under there imagine thinking that you would never survive where you going to get the air from where the drill is going to fail despite the appalling conditions Wilkins and his team carry on with their research day and night they work in the pressure chamber they want to find out what creatures can live in the icy depths and use a plankton net to catch specimens everyone is Amazed by the jellyfish like this one with its graceful movements Wilkins writes in his diary the jellyfish were the only things which seemed to drift by unconcernedly some of them looking like miniature airships in a Milky Sky shul V's Captain Nemo was also Amazed by the [Music] jellyfish they did valuable scientific work for the very first time in the Arctic region and importantly showed that science could be done from a submarine operating in that icy Wasteland of the Arctic Ocean however science alone is not going to make the headlines Randolph Hurst and his newspapers are waiting for The Sensational moment when Nautilus makes her first dive under the ice sir Hubert writes in his private diary without exception the others in the vessel wanted to immediately turn back to do so would be to admit complete [Music] failure Wilkins gives the command prepare to dive a diver does a final inspection of the submarine Hull and rudders everything is checked to reduce the risk of an accident under the ice if anything goes wrong they might not get out [Music] alive it's bad news a vital part of the steering system is [Music] missing the two horizontal diving Rudders have disappeared without them Nautilus is unfit to dive how could this have happened was the damage caused by hitting ice flows a submarine Voyage in the Arctic is very rich rky and the consequences unforeseeable a rumor circulates among the crew it's sabotage perhaps fearing the dive under the ice would prove fatal one of the engineers damaged the hydroplanes on purpose the men would do anything I believe in order to end the mission they had had enough the ice inside the submarine everything soaking wet no they had to somehow end it on the 28 of August 1931 Nautilus reaches the edge of the pack I at 82° North they are still 800 km from the [Music] pole despite the missing hydroplanes sir Hubert is determined to continue his mission to show the world that a submarine can dive under the ice and reach the North Pole [Music] this is the first day since we discovered the loss of the diving roders that we have had calm water and I was determined that the ship would go under the ice the forward ballast tanks are flooded naess's bow sinks low in the water then Captain danenhower orders Full Speed Ahead and Rams the submarine under the ice [Music] later Wilkins wrote the noise of the ice scraping along the top of the vessel was terrifying it sounded as though the whole superstructure was being demolished at last the historic moment sir Hubert and his crew were under the Arctic ice cap the first people ever to do this they discover that it's much lighter under the ice than anyone had imagined but the risky dive has damaged the radio aerial from now on Nautilus is cut off from the rest of the world the radio operator tries to contact Randolph Hurst in New York but it's no use even sending an SOS is impossible it's actually a very good point that Roy Amon made which was if you are going on a polar Expedition don't have any means of communication because if you then don't communicate then people start getting worried back in the US rumors fly the submarine has disappeared the crew is dead The Washington Post is first to [Music] print now Wilkins has another problem he needs proof that Nautilus has actually gone under the [Music] ice once more he gives the order to dive this time he and his cameraman film from an ice flow to provide firm [Music] evidence again and again the captain Rams Nautilus under the ice but only submerges a few meters eventually sir Hubert has enough shots and stops filming but he is afraid that just diving under the ice won't be enough to get his expedition on newspaper front [Music] [Music] pages however he and his crew can finally stretch their legs a great pleasure after almost 4 weeks cooped up in a cold wet [Music] submarine to find Nautilus is exact position they take a fix on the sun just as Captain Nemo did for his Nautilus fortunately there are no clouds if they can't see the sun they can't calculate their latitude and longitude [Music] meanwhile sir Hubert and the radio man rig a temporary aerial it works and they send a short signal that all is well soon they receive a reply from Randol Hurst the expedition's backer in New York Dear Sir Hubert I'm exceedingly happy to hear good news from you but I feel continued concern about the welfare of yourself and your crew I most urgently beg you to return [Music] promptly the message also tells them that the planned rendevu with a zeppelin the North Pole is canell and Hurst is stopping all further funding for Wilkins this is a bitter blow he's invested around $100,000 almost all his personal for fortune in the Expedition now he could face bankruptcy so Hubert and Harold srop the oceanographer decide there's only one way to salvage the expedition's reputation concentrate on the science using a device called a nanson bottle they measure temperature and salinity deep below the surface of the Arctic Ocean a weight is dropped down the line far below it hits the nanson bottle and turns it upside down closing it tight now no water can get in or out Theos naus made a very important discovery that there's a branch of the Gulf Stream which reaches far up into the Arctic the salinity and temperature readings prove the existence of this Branch since the Gulf Stream is associated with a higher solinity and B fairly obviously higher water temperature it's the Gulf Stream that is responsible for Europe's mild climate the radad dendron a subtropical plant from Asia can flourish in the mountains of Norway Wilkins measurements showed a relatively high salt content deep in the Arctic Ocean this is chilled seawater from the salt-rich Gulf Stream which flows from the warm south to the cold North part of of the worldwide system of ocean currents which drives our climate we now know that the polar regions particularly the Arctic are key to understanding what drives the climate change we are experiencing Wilkin Nautilus Expedition gives us data from high latitudes back to 1931 and includes readings from the surface right down to 3,000 M this information is priceless after 3 weeks surrounded by Ice Wilkins abandons his dream Nautilus sets course for [Music] Norway however the sea between the edge of the pakist and spitsen is notorious for bad weather once again the submarine is hit by a severe storm and once again many of the crew are [Music] seasick finally on the 20th of September Nautilus makes it back to Bergen the crowd can hardly believe that the crew has returned alive but another engine failure means the elderly submarine will Voyage no further the US Navy who still own the boat give the order to sink her off the Norwegian Coast a FJ n beon will be Nautilus is last resting place the radio operator sends a final message goodbye Nautilus with all your discomforts there will always be a warm spot in the heart of your radio man for the first submarine to penetrate the Arctic Ice Wilkins is already back in America his dream of reaching the North Pole unfulfilled the crew was Nautilus make our last [Music] dive ever since sir Hubert had to cut his expedition short people have asked why was the steering gear damaged by ice or was it really sabotage it took the second world war to make Wilkins dream of long-term weather forecasting possible both sides set up extensive networks of Arctic observation stations a milestone for meteorology [Music] during the 1950s there's another development an important one for wilkin's dream the United States builds the world's first nuclear powered [Music] submarine it's a giant 100 m long and over 3,000 tons five times larger than Wilkins boat M Eisenhower America's first lady launches the new submarine again named Nautilus prohibition is long over so this time it's champagne not ice [Music] cubes the launch marks a major advance in submarine technology at last sir Hubert's wish can be fulfilled it's now possible to dive long distances under ice the nuclear power plant makes life on board very comfortable air conditioning freezers full of supplies and much more room nothing like the old [Music] Nautilus then the Soviet Union launches the world's first satellite Sputnik 1 the Americans have lost the first first leg of the Space Race to divert public attention from this cold war defeat Nautilus is sent on a top secret mission operation Sunshine few people are told her route following sir Hubert's example she sets course for the Arctic and makes the first ever dive beneath the North Pole more than 3,000 km under the packis shortly after this she beats the target of 20,000 Leagues set by jul Van's novel on her return to New York USS Nautilus gets a warm welcome but sir Hubbert is not among the guests his pioneering journey is long forgotten although he failed to reach the North Pole it was his expedition that proved submarines could dive safely under the polar ice cap for almost 80 years his Nautilus has been lying undisturbed at the bottom of the bord just a few kilometers from Bergen now scientists in a modern submersible are determined to find out why wilkin's legendary Expedition had to be aborted can they find evidence of sabotage over the years s cubber's reputation has grown he's now acknowledged as one of the 20th Century's greatest polar explorers and his submarine Expedition is an important part of scientific history Nautilus ought to be declared a Norwegian National Marine Monument this Twan submersible is depth rated to 400 m it's powered by electric motors and in emergency can stay underwater for up to a week the water is murky light Fades quickly in the first few meters two parallel laser beams allow the crew to measure objects underwater the eagle has landed after 30 minutes the submarine lands on the bed of the FI on the surface a mother ship monitors the dive 346 M okay the submersible uses its sonar to try and locate Wilkin submarine then at 340 M the crew spots a Target on the sonar it's the [Music] naus okay fantastic these skids allowed Nautilus to slide under the ice a hatch s Hubert's door to the freezing Arctic [Music] waste now the hull is a paradise for [Music] shrimp now anglerfish guards his territory the flag on his strangely shaped fin attracts prey on the bow is the shock absorber which was never [Music] needed many years ago at the launching party sir Hubert stood here with his wife Suzanne and Jean jul Nautilus his name is now almost covered by mosik Brier Owens red algae and other Marine creatures the big ice drill is well preserved in an emergency it would have been used to carve an Escape [Music] Route [Music] this thin ice drill allowed the crew to regulate Nautilus his Air Supply under the ice now crustations graze on it the wooden deck rotted away long ago so far the researchers have found no evidence of sabotage they are particularly Keen to examine the stern of the submarine this is where the hydroplanes were before their mysterious disappearance was Nautilus steering gear deliberately damaged is the sabotage theory true [Music] but the scientists can't reach the rudder the stern is buried deep in the sediment their submersible can go no further so like sir Hubert they must finish their expedition early [Music] a salvage vessel equipped with an ROV a remotely operated vehicle called Argus comes to help fortunately the team has a detailed construction plan of the Nautilus this allows them to work out exactly where they should dig in the silt the ROV operator is halor Moon strong m Argus starts its dive command sent down this umbilical cable guide it into the depths a special suction pump will excavate the silt around the nautiluses stern once it's clear the scientists can examine the crucial mounting points to which the hydroplanes were once attached they wait for evidence will it prove that the diving rodders were deliberately [Music] sabotaged a video camera sends images up to the control room on the Mother Ship these show that several cubic meters of silt must be excavated this will take time the researchers wait anxiously [Music] clouds of silt make it difficult to see argus's pumps are at full power but can't dig deep enough once more the team has to abandon their search back in Bergen they talked to the Norwegian Navy's most senior submarine technical officer it's uh very likely that if the notilus had been plowing through very dense ice with small icebergs lying all the way along the supports which seems to be very thin might have been damaged or bent inwards and then the whole thing could have been started whether it was sabotage or not the essential thing is that Nautilus had lost her diving Rudders used to regulate dive dep so she couldn't dive safely under the ice it would have been suicidal crew santis Wilkins all would have been lost but they all came back alive that in itself is a great achievement so Hubert himself never joined in the speculation about sabotage even in old age he still dreamed of making another submarine expedition to the North Pole in October 1958 he met James Calvert captain of the nuclear submarine skate Wilkins suggested that he should take his boat to the pole in midwinter sadly just 6 weeks after this Photograph was taken sir Hubert died aged [Music] 70 although WI Expedition failed to hit the headlines and was soon forgotten it did make a major contribution to our understanding of the Arctic and he was right submarines could reach the North [Applause] Pole Captain Calver uses this historic moment to thank his hero sir Hubert Wilkins on this day we pay tribute to one of the Great Men of our Century he spent his life in the noblest of callings the attempt to broaden the horizons of the mind of [Music] man the captain has brought his friends ashes with him at last sir Hubert's dream comes true he has reached the North [Music] [Applause] [Music] Pole

Channel: Timeline - World History Documentaries

Views: 730,416

Keywords: Arctic exploration challenges, Dan Snow, History Hit, Matt Lewis, Suzannah Lipscomb, Timeline - World History Documentaries, access to history, early submarine design, early th century exploration, exclusive content, historical accounts, historical adventure, historical artifacts, historical conquests, historical events, historical landmarks, historical timeline, polar expeditions in the past, polar navigation, polar region history, polar regions exploration

Id: yGCJSv2FaJE

Length: 52min 19sec (3139 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 20 2024