Season 3
3 episodes
45 min. per episode
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An ambitious engineer battles nature and his own doubts to create a groundbreaking lighthouse, uncovering haunting secrets at sea.
Episodes
The English Channel. The highway of the sea with over 400 cargo ships that sail through daily. Beachy Head lighthouse warns sailors of the "Sailors' Graveyard" - the most dangerous waters along England's south coast. Here are rocks, rough seas and dark storms. In the 18th century, a priest provides light along the coast, and later as many as three lighthouses are built at Beachy Head. But how do the engineers manage to build the lighthouses in the harsh conditions?
The Shetland Islands, 1854. Great Britain is at war with Russia. The British Admiralty requires a lighthouse at the Shetland Islands so that the British can sail north of Norway and into Russian waters. But Chief Engineer David Stevenson says it is impossible to build on the island of Muckle Flugga. The steep rocky island lies in treacherous waters with massive waves and frequent storms - where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea. But the lighthouse must be ready within six months.
Boston, USA, 1713. Three ships sink on the dangerous reefs and rocks in Boston's harbor. It is a disaster, because goods from Great Britain are vital for the inhabitants. The merchants demand a lighthouse, and the Boston Light is completed in 1716. But it is hit by one disaster after another. And the light of the lighthouse is not enough. Boston's dense fog is deadly to sailors, and the fog horn has not yet been invented.
Engineer Rob Bell examines the design and construction challenges faced in building a true engineering marvel, rock lighthouses - lighthouses built on treacherous rocks and reefs out at sea that were a hazard to shipping.