Narrator: aboard this episode
of "mythbusters"...
Welcome back, pirates.
All: arr!
Narrator: ...it's the
"pirate special" sequel.
Our very own
pirates of the caribbean
Once again plunder and pillage
for pirate parable.
I think I just stepped
on an octopus.
First, adam and jamie tackle
the movie-inspired myth
Of the pirate submarine.
Then kari and grant
bury tory alive...
Kari: oh, gee,
he's up to his knee!
...to find out...
Oh, fiddle,
we're up to your middle.
...if you can escape...
Oh, heck,
I'm up to his neck.
...a terrifying death sentence.
And finally, more caribbean
chaos as adam and jamie...
What do you mean
we ain't got no cannonballs?!
...investigate the ballistic
properties of improvised a*mo.
Who are the mythbusters?
Yee-haw!
Adam savage...
Time for science!
...and jamie hyneman.
Was that beautiful
or what?
Between them, more than 30 years
of special-effects experience.
It bleeds!
Joining them,
grant imahara...
Don't give up on me now!
...tory belleci...
And that's how we like it.
Narrator:
...and kari byron.
High expl*sives
and electricity -- whoo!
They don't just tell the myths.
They put them to the test.
Pirates.
All: yarr!
Apparently, we haven't done
enough pirate myths.
Who says we haven't?!
I'll run 'em straight through,
the scurvy dogs!
Kari: the fans.
And there are hordes
of 'em.
Grant:
wait, wait, wait.
Instead of killin' 'em all,
Why don't we take
a few more suggestions?
Right, and do a "mythbusters
pirate special number 2,"
Another excuse to not bathe
for weeks.
[ Laughter ]
Narrator: the last time the
mythbusters stopped bathing,
Four maritime myths
walked the plank.
Slowing a fall with a knife sail
hit the deck.
[ Laughter ]
And rum
as a stain remover was...
Oh, busted!
Narrator:
so was the nautical notion
That wooden shrapnel
from a cannonball was lethal.
The team finally saw the light
With eye patch
as a night-vision aid.
That was like
night and day.
But this veritable
feast of fables
Merely scratched the surface.
Oh, you threw off
my count.
You're too much of a landlubber
to be in that outfit.
You get seasick.
I don't need to go on the sea
for this technique, jamie.
Check this out.
It's a pirate submarine.
I take a rowboat and turn it
upside down,
And I get inside.
And I walk from the shore
into the water,
And the rowboat keeps
a pocket of air
So I can make my way
out to my enemies
And deal with them in a way
they would never see coming.
I'm not so sure about that.
That sounds like a myth to me.
Well, that's what we're here
to find out.
I've thought about this
at length,
And I've considered that,
since I get sick on the sea,
I'd like to do this whole
experiment in a swimming pool.
Okay, well,
we'll get some ramps
That we can walk down
into the pool with.
And we got to find a boat.
Exactly.
Because of adam's history
of hurling on the high seas...
...the team drop anchor
in the calm waters
Of the fremont pool in oakland.
Okay,
if you can push...
En route, they stopped in
at the rowboat store,
Which means
they have all they need
To re-create the mythical
movie scene in question.
Using a ramp, they'll walk
the upturned boat
Into the shallow end
of the pool
Before heading
out of their depth
To test its
submarine-like properties.
Oh, bloody hell,
that's heavy.
Oh, my god.
That's really heavy.
It's getting lighter.
[ Laughter ]
Yeah!
There we go. Let's move forward.
Come on.
With the weight supported
on the water's surface,
Our potential submariners
begin their descent.
Okay, we get
into deeper water,
We'll find out
if the boat comes with us.
[ Laughter ]
Gonna be a bit
of a problem, lad.
Actually,
I'm sort of floating.
Yeah, me, too.
I'm holding on
to the boat.
I'm holding on to it,
and I'm floating.
[ Laughs ]
[ speaks indistinctly ]
That's a good strut.
Adam: well, the first test went
as well as could be expected.
There is, indeed, a breathable
pocket of air in the boat,
But the boat didn't sink.
Well, that didn't work
at all.
The myth is
that the boat will go
Under the surface of the water
like a diving bell,
Like a primitive submarine,
So you can conceal yourself
from your enemies,
And that didn't happen
to us here.
Narrator: nope.
Our not-so-stealthy pirates
were left high and...wet.
But despite their failure,
Adam isn't ready to consign
this myth
To davy jones' locker quite yet.
Here's the problem.
Humans are neutrally buoyant.
When we go into the water,
being mostly water,
We don't weigh anything.
We're not applying any downforce
to this boat.
But in our research,
We turned up that pirates wore
tons of crap --
Cutlasses and cuirasses
and daggers and blunderbusses
And all that sort of stuff.
And specifically yellowbeard
was supposed to have worn
Awesome.
So jamie and I are gonna put
Try this test again,
And see if we get any more
of a positive result.
All right, let's make our way
out to deeper waters.
Narrator: adam and jamie,
With 60 pounds of pirate bling
and weaponry,
Once again attempt to slide
beneath the water
In their makeshift submersible.
But will
the excess baggage help?
[ Laughter ]
Here we are again.
Here we go again.
While adam and jamie head
for deeper waters,
Why don't we join
kari, grant, and tory
For a mythical
pirate t*rture technique?
The myth we're working on
is called "sand necktie."
Aye,
that be pirate fashion?
Actually,
this one's about sand.
The idea is the pirates
Would bury their prisoners
up to the neck
At the shore at low tide,
So when the tide came in,
they'd drown a torturous death.
So what we're looking at
Is whether you can escape
or not, right?
Exactly.
Narrator: it's a myth
with a morbid fascination --
Buried alive...
With water views!
But is the pirate sand necktie
really a certain death sentence,
Or could you dig your way out of
your vertical shallow grave?
Okay,
so what's the plan?
Some people think
it's not the drowning
That k*lled the prisoners,
but the pressure of the sand --
That it would
just close in around you
Like a boa constrictor.
Well, that sounds
pretty easy.
So we go to the beach,
we dig a big hole,
We put tory in,
and see if he passes out.
If he doesn't pass out,
then we can see if he escapes.
Wait, don't I get a say
in this at all?
No.
No.
Narrator: so it's a simple plan
that involves cap'n limpy
And cabin boy imahara
Burying tortuga tory
to the neck.
Aye, there's the "x"
marks the spot.
Oh,
there's the treasure.
There's the treasure.
All right,
start digging, mates.
First up,
a vertical grave...
Why am I digging
my own hole?
...well away from
the rising tide, for safety,
From which tory will attempt
to escape --
That's if he doesn't suffocate
from the constriction first.
Kari: I don't have time to deal
with that ye oldie pirate trick
Where you have to use a shovel
to dig a hole.
We're in a modern world,
we're modern people,
And I'm a modern pirate.
I'm using heavy machinery.
You know,
watching kari dig this ditch
And knowing that I'm gonna be
up to my neck in sand,
It's kind of like watching her
dig my grave.
I hope I don't regret
saying that.
Narrator: you could say
tory's got some grave doubts.
Uhhh-aaah.
Kari: perfect.
Right up to your neck.
Uhh.
That's good.
Is it, though?
Grant:
you know, if you do start
to freak out,
It's gonna take us a while
to get you out.
That's my big concern,
'Cause if something does
go wrong,
It's not gonna be just a quick
pull me out of the sand.
I'm stuck.
Narrator: as a precaution
against hypothermia,
Tory will wear a wet suit.
Why am I doing this?
Can somebody tell me?
No. But how about giving us
a prediction, just the same?
Tory: my prediction --
I'm gonna get buried
up to my neck,
And I won't be able to move
at all.
I don't think I'm gonna
be able to get out.
I think I'm gonna freak out,
Call everybody to come in
and dig me out.
Kari: you're gonna be okay.
You'll be fine.
We're gonna be here
the entire time.
Let's get this over with.
[ Whimpers ]
[ Laughing ]
what are we doing?
Narrator: well, tory,
to the untrained eye,
It looks a lot like
you're being buried alive.
Kari: oh, no,
he's up to his toes.
Oh, gee,
he's up to his knee.
With torturing tory
on the agenda,
Kari and grant are as happy
as any pirate could be.
Strangely, tory isn't having
nearly as much fun.
All right, I'm probably gonna
check out a little bit,
So don't be offended if
I don't answer your questions.
I'm just trying
to remain calm here.
Grant: all right, dude.
Totally.
Narrator: calm breathing
will be important,
Because, as sanjay explains,
Another name for this myth
could be "dead man's chest."
Singh: one of the biggest
problems I can see is that,
As we breathe,
our chest wall expands
To allow our lungs to expand,
To have the air exchange happen
in our lungs.
Well, with the sand up against
his chest and all that pressure,
He's not gonna be able to take
normal-sized breaths.
He'll become lethargic,
slow to respond.
He'll look around,
and he'll become
A little bit more
less and less with it.
Kari: it touches on all of
the major phobias and fears --
Being buried alive,
drowning, claustrophobia.
I mean, he's in a hole.
The tide is coming in.
To imagine a pirate
having to die this way --
It's terrifying.
Narrator:
cue cap'n limpy...
Oh, fiddle,
we're up to your middle.
...and her
"buried alive" verse...
I been a bad pirate.
Narrator: ...sung to cheer up
her c*ptive audience.
Oh, heck,
I'm up to his neck.
Before giving tory the go-ahead
to begin his escape attempt
And not content
with taunting and tickling...
Tickle, tickle,
tickle.
[ Laughing ] you suck.
...kari decides
to bring to the party
What she likes to call
"motivation."
Aah!
Grant:
oh, they're alive!
[ Laughs ]
Oh, dude!
[ Laughs ]
he's looking at me.
Hey,
he's looking at me.
What's up, buddy?
In danger of becoming
crab meat...
Tory, I'm hungry.
You look delicious.
...and with some concern
for his constricted ribcage...
I can breathe, like, but I can't
really take a deep breath.
It's just
kind of like phew.
...kari and grant start
the clock
On tory's escape attempt.
Okay, I'm ready to go.
All right, what I'm doing
right now
Is I'm just wiggling my fingers,
Just to kind of make room
for my hand
And see if I can
actually free my arm.
That's funny
'Cause it just doesn't look like
you're moving at all.
Narrator:
and that's a problem,
Because in addition to his fear
Of small rodents
and the color purple,
It turns out he doesn't like
being buried alive.
Okay, can you guys be ready
with shovels?
Yeah, yeah.
I'm noticing that, as I'm
realizing that I can't move,
That it's starting
to freak me out.
Narrator: it's the "mythbusters:
pirate special" sequel.
[ laughs ]
Adam: okay.
Jamie: yeah.
There we go.
Adam and jamie
have already failed
To turn an upturned rowboat
into a makeshift submarine.
They're simply too buoyant
And couldn't pull the boat
to the bottom of the pool.
But they're about to find out
If 60 pounds
of pirate accessories
Are enough ballast to sink them
And their precious
pocket of air.
I think I've just stepped
on an octopus.
Now we're going.
Okay, here we go.
Here we go.
Pull.
Okay, pull.
Oh, no.
Not happening.
No, not happening.
[ Laughter ]
Jamie:
yeah, it's pretty much the same
as it was the last time.
Pretty much
exactly the same.
[ Laughs ]
Well,
what do you think?
I think
this one's a bust.
Yeah.
I think this --
Okay, so we added
an extra 60 pounds.
I think there's a lot more than
I'd like to find out
exactly how much.
With the myth sinking fast,
the guys want some answers.
And to get them, they've got
another test in mind.
And this time,
wearing scuba gear,
They're going down
with the boat.
Adam:
let's say you're on the bottom
of the ocean
With a boat full of air.
Could you even remotely
hold on to it?
What we're gonna do
to test this is
We're gonna anchor ourselves
to the bottom of this pool
With about 500 pounds
of barbell weights.
We're gonna put the boat
down there full of water
And fill it with air
and see if we can hold onto it
While it's got enough air
for us to breathe in.
Narrator: this will be
the definitive test.
If they can't hold down
their pirate submarine
With all that extra weight,
the myth's a bust.
You ready to do this?
Everything's set up.
[ Air hissing ]
Yeah.
At the bottom,
they anchor themselves
To a quarter ton of barbells,
Grab hold of the boat,
And then blow bubbles
into the reservoir above them,
Filling it with the smallest
of breathable air pockets.
But...
...they just can't hang on,
And this myth floats off
To wherever busted myths
float off to.
I'd like to point something out
about this experiment.
Let's look at some footage
of our boat on the bottom.
Okay, you see
how we've got barbell weights
Hanging from
the boat itself?
We had to put 200 pounds
onto the boat
Just to offset
the buoyancy of the wood
Before we even got air
into it.
That's how much buoyancy
we're talking about.
Then you put air in,
And jamie and I couldn't
hold onto it with 500 pounds.
There is no way that,
Under anything
remotely approaching
A normal circumstance,
A human could hold a breathable
pocket of air by himself
At the bottom
of the ocean.
Well, something tells me we're
not quite done yet, though.
Oh, no.
Yes, they're going to
appease the curiosity gods
By running the numbers.
I think it's time to quantify
Just how much weight it's gonna
take to hold that boat down.
The way we're gonna
find that out
Is by filling it with water
and weighing --
Keeping track
of the weight of the water
That we put into it
until it sinks.
Narrator: okay,
it's a complicated thing.
But basically adam and jamie
Are going to flip this myth
on its head.
By overcoming
the boat's buoyancy,
They'll know how much force,
or weight,
It would take to hold down
a boat full of air.
So there's going to be a whole
lot of bailing in reverse.
Eight!
Each of these buckets holds
And after 2,000 pounds
of h2o and barbells...
Yeah, that's it.
Now it's coming over the side
over there.
...adam and jamie know
exactly why this myth is sunk.
Adam: all right,
so it took 2,000 pounds
Of water and barbell weights
combined to sink this boat.
In practical terms
what that means is
If you're trying to hold
this boat upside down --
Full of air,
at the bottom of the ocean --
That there's 2,000 pounds
of force pulling upwards.
So that even if you were
jabba the hutt
And weighed enough
to hold the boat down,
Your arms would still have
an out-of-body experience.
They would be ripped
out of their sockets.
You couldn't do it.
Narrator: and for all of you
eagle-eyed scientists out there,
If the team had carried out
the tests in saltwater,
It would only have increased
the buoyancy of the boat,
Making it harder
to hold down.
So there's just
one outstanding question --
How did captain jack sparrow
do it in the movie?
We proved
it's not possible in reality.
I think it's about time
we show
How they do it
in the movies.
Absolutely.
Through careful editing
and a choice of shots,
Let's demonstrate
how hollywood makes
the impossible possible.
Narrator:
this one's pretty simple --
No special effects needed here.
Oh, I think
it's working.
Right, shot the second --
Predrilled holes and weight
to make the boat sink --
Jamie and adam inside
with special small air tanks.
Ready?
Here we go.
Narrator:
with a neutrally buoyant boat
And concealed air tanks,
Our pirates can defy physics
And walk their submersible
along the ocean floor.
Shot number three --
Jamie and adam the pirates
from inside the boat.
You ready?
Go.
Narrator: supposedly at
the bottom of the ocean,
They're actually walking the
upturned boat along the surface.
Are you excited?
Yeah.
Kind of
the strong, silent type, he is.
[ Laughs ]
It's all a bunch of movie magic
we've done for your benefit.
This movie-magic thing's
pretty cool.
I really think
we can make a go for it.
What do you think?
Sure, why not?
Let's be
special-effects wizards.
[ Chuckles ]
You know, adam,
it's perfectly clear --
There's just no way
that two men
Could hold
a boat underwater
If it's got a pocket
of breathable air in it.
It'd be too buoyant.
Right, and it didn't work
worth a damn, either!
Yeah.
So the myth is busted?
Busted!
Totally busted!
Busted!
Narrator:
pirates are an intrinsic part
of modern-day entertainment.
I mean, who doesn't love a camp
pirate musical extravaganza?
But let's not forget --
Back in the day,
they prowled the high seas
With murderous intent.
I takes what I wants,
and I wants what I take.
[ Laughs ]
Narrator:
crossing paths with a corsair
Could be fatal in any number
of imaginative ways.
Yaah!
But surely the worst
was the mythical sand necktie.
Buried to the neck,
the incoming tide ensured
A gruesome,
claustrophobic death.
Or did it?
Tortuga tory,
up to his neck in it,
Is attempting to find out.
This is scary.
I'm not gonna lie.
Narrator:
but despite losing his head
For the five minutes
he was locked in position,
Tory eventually manages to free
one of his arms.
Grant: hey!
Oh, my gosh.
Kari:
there you go.
That's a good start.
If you can get one hand free,
you can dig yourself out.
Now that I have my arms free,
I feel much better.
Narrator:
tory may feel better,
But freedom is still
a long way off.
Grant: well, we're a little bit
past the 30-minute mark.
He seems to be doing
pretty well,
Except I'm noticing
that he's digging in
And then he has a cave-in,
And it's like he has to start
all over again.
Every time I move, the sand
falls in on me. It's great.
[ Chuckling ]
like that. Yeah!
I'm back where I started.
One step forward,
Okay. 66 Minutes.
Oh.
This is ridiculous.
[ Grunting ]
God!
Ohh! Ohh!
You know what?
I welcome the tide now.
Narrator: with tory ready
to end it all,
Kari and grant step up
to boost morale.
[ Australian accent ] right,
here we have a very rare sight.
The burrowing belleci.
He's almost formed
his little burrow,
And that'll be his home
for the next five years.
And what do you know?
The burrowing belleci
musters his energy and...
Yeah! Yeah!
Yay!
That is 86 minutes.
Narrator: after an hour
and a half of extreme science,
Tory must be feeling
on top of the world, right?
Tory:
gosh, this whole experience
Pretty much sucked
from the beginning.
The only time it sounded
kind of fun
Was when we were
in the office saying,
"Hey, do you want to get buried
up to your neck in sand?"
And I was like, "yeah,
that sounds kind of fun."
But getting out of it
was really hard.
It's taken me over an hour
to dig my way out of this hole.
Narrator: the escape casts doubt
over the myth
That the infamous sand necktie
Will give you a bad case
of dead.
But tory was buried in dry sand,
Well away
from the incoming tide.
Until they test the lethality
under those conditions,
This myth is still alive.
You know, jamie,
I've always pondered --
What would pirates do
if they were in a battle
And they ran out
of cannonballs?
They'd improvise.
They'd just grab
anything they had handy
And shove it
down the barrel.
[ Laughs ]
That sounds like something
we should test.
You got it.
Well,
excepting pirate booty,
What would you find
on a pirate ship
That you could cram down a
barrel and fire at your enemies?
Well, let me think.
The first thing that comes
to my mind
Would be silverware --
like cutlery.
Oh, that's good.
I guess if you were desperate,
You could use bottles of rum
and wine.
Chain.
Nails.
Well, and then,
if you're really hard up --
I mean, you are a pirate
after all,
So you could take off
your wooden peg leg
And you could fire that.
Well, you'd have to be
very, very desperate,
But that sounds great.
Let's try it!
As plans go, this one's
as simple as it gets.
Jamie and adam will gather
The ad hoc ammunition
they've chosen to test...
It's a genuine, bona fide
pirate peg leg.
Narrator:
...and make their way down
To the alameda county
b*mb disposal range
To fire it from a cannon.
And the a*tillery in question
has a familiar muzzle.
Look at that.
Like seeing an old friend.
How you doing there,
little buddy?
Narrator: of course --
Old friend old moses
and cannoneer harry webb
Have had a blast
with the mythbusters before.
And because they can do that,
It's no surprise
they've been invited back.
My buddy old moses here
Is a replica
of an 1841 6-pound ball cannon.
And it fires that 6-pound ball
at about 900 miles an hour.
So, harry, are you okay with us
sh**ting pretty much anything
We decide to put
in the cannon?
Certainly, within reason.
I mean, it has to be
under 3 1/4 inches
And under 12 pounds,
just for the stress of the g*n.
But anything you can
fit down there
That qualifies for that
is fine with me.
Adam: so, today,
We're actually gonna
hopefully use old moses
To demonstrate a bunch
of impromptu cannon loads.
Okay.
[ Both laugh ]
Speaking my language,
there.
I thought
you'd like that.
Narrator:
with harry's blessing,
They can begin prepping
old moses for firing.
And unfortunately
for everyone within earshot,
Adam can get into character.
What are you doing
with my cannon?!
Hold it right there!
Now, who told me
that we had no cannonballs?
I want you to take everything
we've got on the ship,
Shove it down that barrel,
and sh**t it at that boat!
Well,
don't just stand there!
Are we gonna have to
listen to this all day?
Yes.
On location
at the b*mb disposal range...
What do you mean
we ain't got no cannonballs?!
Narrator: ...jamie and adam
are on course
For some
caribbean cannonball chaos.
It's a bit hot
being a pirate.
They're testing the myth
that improvised a*mo will work
In place
of regular cannonballs.
Perfect!
And to do that,
they need a target,
Some way of gauging
and comparing the performance
Of the different types of a*mo.
If you've
watched "mythbusters" before,
You know that pigs
Are often used by them
as human analogues.
Lucky for us,
There's not a big difference
between humans and pirates,
So he makes
an excellent pirate analogue.
Narrator:
and now a short break
To hear from our partners
on the pirate channel.
Welcome back, pirates,
To the pirate channel's
"household hints."
If you're like me,
You've found yourself
in the heat of battle
Without a cannonball,
And I'd like to suggest
a few things
You might shove down that barrel
for maximum damage.
Of course,
you can run to the mess hall
And use whatever pirate cutlery
you've got.
I like this method just fine.
But if I've got steak knives,
if my men are eating well,
These are much more effective.
Nails are also very good.
Shove a bunch of them
down the barrel --
It's like
a pirate fléchette g*n.
I like the chain for eliminating
five or six people at a time...
Off the deck.
And if your pirates subscribe
to the geneva convention,
Ye oldie pirate rum is ideal
Because it creates wounds
that are pre-disinfected.
Grapeshot is, of course,
the most loveliest.
But if you find yourself without
any of these, don't fear.
Ah.
You can always use
your own peg leg as a weapon.
Narrator: while adam's
been working on his career
In daytime pirate tv,
Jamie's done, you know,
some work.
You want sawdust
in that?
Put sawdust
in the middle of it.
Under the careful tuition of our
resident cannon expert, harry,
He's packed the a*mo
for the first test.
Jamie:
first up is grapeshot.
This is kind of a control
Because this is an actual thing
that pirates would have used.
They're basically just ba*ls,
And you sh**t a whole bunch
of them out of the cannon.
It's kind of like
a great big shotgun.
Narrator:
and for a great big shotgun,
you need lots of gunpowder,
Which the team carefully load
Before sliding the grapeshot
canister down the barrel.
Well, piggy's looking
pretty dashing there
In his striped shirt.
Fire when ready.
Let's do it.
Okay.
Let him have it.
Okay, test number one.
Remember, this is a control
Using legitimate
period-accurate ammunition.
It'll be the point of comparison
for what's to follow.
Webb: firing!
[ Chuckling ]
Oh, wow.
All right.
I think it hit him.
I'm pretty sure
that's a palpable hit.
Narrator: yep, porky the pirate
took a hit --
A hit with at least enough force
to knock him off his hook.
Jamie: the grapeshot did exactly
what I expected it would do.
They behaved like
little cannonballs.
They ripped right through
the pig.
Didn't even know
it was there.
I-i-i don't have anything
to say about this.
It's astonishing.
Look, really, you should
just be watching the high-speed.
Check out the high-speed.
Do you see
what I'm talking about?
This grapeshot is deadly.
That's our control.
That's what we're gonna compare
all the other types of things
We're sh**ting
out of this cannon to.
Narrator:
so, what's next on the menu?
So, in the middle of a battle,
You haven't got anything hard
or metallic
To shove in your cannon --
maybe you'll go for the stores.
And we thought broken glass.
So what we've got is
bottle of red, bottle of white.
Whatever kind of mood
you're in tonight.
Narrator:
but jamie thinks this movie myth
is going to go up in smoke.
Jamie: the glass is gonna
shatter right off the bat.
The shock wave is gonna
disintegrate the glass.
The liquid
is just gonna vaporize.
I wouldn't be surprised to see
Just little flecks of glass
on the pig, and that's about it.
You like your pork marinated
in wine?
Firing!
Wow!
[ Laugh ]
That's so percussive.
Narrator: did someone mention
percussion?
[ Tchaikovsky's "1812 overture"
plays ]
Tchaikovsky's "1812 overture" --
With a*tillery explosions
written into the score,
It's the perfect "mythbusters"
soundtrack.
Exactly what I said
it was gonna be.
It's got little flecks of glass
on the surface.
Oh, there's one that actually
went in a little bit.
It looks like it --
right through the cloth.
Ugh!
Gross!
Adam: I didn't have much hope
for the wine,
And it actually delivered
even less than I was thinking.
We've got a couple
of little flecks of glass
Embedded in his flesh.
He smells like wine,
but in a battle...
[ Scoffs ]
...honestly,
you're better off
Throwing things
at your opponents
Than trying to fire wine
through your cannons.
I don't think
you'd die from that.
No.
It would hurt,
but it's not like you'd k*ll
A whole bunch of people.
You'd have a bunch of people
who were annoyed
And smelled like wine.
Yeah, and they'd be
kind of bloody.
Let's set up again.
Okay.
Narrator:
so bottles of grog are busted
as improvised a*mo.
But that's only the first item
on this menu of mayhem.
Adam and jamie
are tackling the tall tale
Of improvised ammunition.
They have
a period-accurate cannon,
A pirate pig for cannon fodder,
And a range of mythical
movie-inspired ammunition.
Really, you'd have to say
they're on the cutting edge
Of screwing around.
So, what's next to test?
I tell you what I want to see
from this --
Why I'm so excited
about doing this --
Is I want to see
one of these spoons like --
Shh-brrrrr! --
Sticking right out of our pig,
our pirate.
You've got to figure
Things really suck for you
at this point --
You're loading silverware
into your cannons.
I think we're gonna see
at least one utensil
Sticking out of our pirate.
We have to.
If we're sh**ting
a whole barrel full,
We ought to see
at least one.
Webb: 3...2...1!
[ expl*si*n, clinking ]
[ Laughs ]
I can't get used to that.
I know.
There's just nothing
that makes it comfortable.
I saw a whole spray.
It was awesome!
Narrator:
but a closer look at the scene
Reveals none of the silverware
stuck in porky the pirate pig.
I don't see
any cutlery in him.
Where's all
the cutlery?
Oh,
here's something.
Ow!
[ Laughs ]
It's a bit hot,
is it?
Yeah.
Jamie: cutlery doesn't work
too well.
It's not like it is
in the movies,
Where he's got
a fork and a knife
And a fork and a knife
and a spoon.
It does this.
It gets all mangled.
It goes everywhere.
It's not accurate.
It's probably lethal to somebody
somewhere in the target zone,
But it's not like the grapeshot,
Where you hit
what you aim it at
And they're gonna be dead.
Narrator:
the guys have proved
Randomly shoving cutlery
down the barrel is busted,
But silverware still
has a shot at making its mark.
On the next test,
A healthy handful
of steak knives
Is packed into a
ballistics-friendly container.
Adam:
that's just scary-looking.
Look at it.
Look at it.
All heading right for you.
Shhhhh!
Ugh!
[ Coughs ]
Let's try it.
Narrator: the meat knives
are locked and loaded.
The target is in place.
What's on the menu,
cap'n redbeard?
That pig.
Narrator:
it seems his reputation
As a bloodthirsty scourge
of the high seas is accurate.
But what about a prediction
for the test?
I like the way
the kitchen knives look,
But I think we might end up
with another cutlery spread.
What do you think?
Stop doing that
with your hair. It's creepy.
[ Laughs ]
Let's fire that puppy.
Let's go!
Firing!
Wow!
[ Chuckles ]
Whoo!
It's always
an adrenaline rush.
Uh-oh.
What?
I can see it from here.
What?
We got damage.
We got damage?
We got flesh wounds.
[ Laughs ]
Oh, wow!
Looks like those meat knives are
effective at cutting meat.
Wow!
Look at that damage!
Narrator:
yep, on the high-speed,
The high-speed steak knives
scythe through their target.
Aligning them in the canister
To keep them compact
as they left the muzzle
Made a huge difference
to the result.
Well,
we got some good slices.
So we could, based on that,
say it'd definitely be lethal.
So, what's next?
Well,
why not the pirate leg?
Ah! Good.
Adam:
here's the thing about firing
Your own wooden leg
at your opponent.
You have to ask yourself,
"How much damage
am I really gonna do?"
Because if you don't at least
take off his leg,
Then you've sustained
more damage than he has.
'Cause you're missing
a leg!
I got a newfound respect
for pirates, man.
This is not easy.
But it does lend
a certain cachet.
You'd have to be
pretty desperate
To use
your own wooden leg
And fire it at your enemy.
Much better to take
someone else's wooden leg.
So, that's what you did?
You knocked him down
and yanked his fake leg off?
Exactly.
But we got a problem.
This is wider
than the barrel.
So, what are we gonna
do about it?
Well, I picture the situation
as totally desperate.
You're just like,
"right, lads, get my leg off!"
Take your leg off, shove it
in the end of the barrel,
And yell, "fire!"
You don't have to cut it
or anything.
Just -- boop! --
And see what happens.
Narrator:
and what happens is...
I don't see anything.
...the peg leg
ceases to exist.
Where's my peg leg?
I see a lot of little splinters
all over the place.
Yeah.
With a pound
of 1f black powder
Sending an expl*sive shock wave
at 900 miles per hour
Along the 60-inch barrel,
It's no surprise
the peg leg went away.
Note, pirates -- never use
your wooden leg in a fire fight.
[ Chuckles ]
This is a public service
we've done here.
Tory has found out,
if you're up to your neck in it,
Life can be a beach.
Grant: hey!
Oh, my gosh.
Narrator:
but he did escape,
Casting doubt that the mythical
pirate punishment --
The sand necktie --
is a certain death sentence.
Yeah! Yeah!
Kari: tory didn't pass out,
but he did get out.
It just took him an hour
and a half to dig his way out.
Yeah, but that was dry sand,
and this myth is about wet sand.
So I think
the next logical step
Is to bury someone
up to their neck in wet sand
And see if they can
escape that.
Yeah, but I think
it's just too dangerous
To bury somebody
that close to the water line.
Maybe what we should do is build
a box, fill it with wet sand,
And have some kind
of mechanism
So if the person
starts freaking out
We can release the sand,
and they can get out safely.
Okay,
so who are we gonna bury?
Well, since kari's knee's
messed up,
And I'm building the box,
looks like it's you.
Arr!
Narrator: so this time
cabin boy imahara
Will play the part of prisoner.
Well, I'm making a box
to hold sand.
But it's not a sandbox.
Narrator:
but with the added weight
of the wet sand,
There's an increased danger
of suffocation...
It's kung-fu carpentry.
Narrator: ...and grant may need
to get out fast.
So it's over to our resident
kung-fu carpenter.
Has he got a plan
to ensure grant lives
To mythbust another day?
If he does freak out,
if he can't breathe,
If something goes wrong, and we
need to get him out quickly,
We're gonna have straps
around all of the walls
That are gonna
hold the box together --
We pop the straps,
and the wall will collapse
And the sand will come out,
And we'll be able
to rescue grant.
The sand chamber
is complete.
Ha ha ha ha!
Ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha!
Narrator: while grant and tory
dream of world domination,
Let's get back to the beach...
Grant, we need a new cabin boy,
so we're getting rid of you.
Narrator: ...where they set up
the sand chamber,
Ready for
grant's incarceration.
All right, here's the plan.
Step one -- we build the box.
Step two --
we put grant in the box.
Don't knock on the glass.
It upsets the fish.
Step three -- we fill the box up
with sand and water.
And then we see if grant
can get out.
I await your punishment!
I have a feeling grant --
This is the last
we're gonna see grant.
I'm gonna miss him.
Arr!
I be the scurvy dog!
Narrator:
while grant wanders off
to find some limes...
Where's grant?
Narrator: ...tory brings in
the mechanical digger
To start loading up the sand.
And kari and grant organize
the water pump
To simulate sand conditions
close to the shoreline --
You know, wet.
Aye, cap'n limpy.
Throw it over the side.
What are you calling me?
Cap'n limpy.
That's what everybody else is
calling you.
Behind your back.
All that's left to do is for
grant to put on his wet suit...
Hey, make sure you cover
the poop deck, okay?
[ Laughs ]
Come on.
...get back in his box...
Okay.
I'm rea--
[ laughs ]
That's an
interesting experience.
Narrator: ...and wait patiently
as kari and tory...
Tory: it's like watering
a little grant flower.
Narrator:
...add enough water and sand
to bury him to the neck.
This is
a very interesting feeling.
I cannot move my arms at all.
I can wiggle my toes,
and I can wiggle my fingers.
All right,
this is feeling pretty good.
What do you think --
we let him go for it?
All right, pirate.
Dig your way to freedom.
All right, here I go.
I will be playing the part
of the tide.
Ooh!
Splash splash!
I've got my fingers
making a little finger space,
Trying to head towards
the stomach.
And in fact, I'm making use
Of my arm being
straight up and down
As a path to the top,
And moving my shoulder,
which is working pretty well.
Narrator:
safe in the knowledge
He can call
for the quick release,
Grant coolly tries to think his
way out of his beachside jail.
I think I can do this.
Tide's coming in.
But that early confidence
is misplaced
Because after 10 minutes
of desperate struggling,
Grant realizes he may as well
have been trying
To stop the tide coming in.
Uh, you know what?
What are you thinking?
It just hit.
I had two open cavities
down by my fingers.
They just filled in.
I got two fistfuls of sand,
and I can't move anymore.
Narrator: the higher density
of the wet sand,
Plus the water
kari and tory are adding
To simulate the incoming tide,
Seals grant's hands
and his fate,
Which leaves
just one option.
The crab whisperer...
Ca-caw! Ca-caw!
Narrator: ...will call
to his legion of crab allies
To help dig him out.
That's
not a crab call.
Kiki-kiki-ki!
Everybody knows that.
Narrator: or not.
Yeah.
That's it.
I'm done.
All right,
let's get him out.
How we gonna
get him out?
We'll test
the safety mechanism.
Okay,
I'm getting way far back.
We'll see how fast
it really takes.
[ Both laugh ]
Okay,
everybody stand back.
This thing might explode.
Okay.
You ready?
I'm ready to see this.
Okay, here we go.
Stand back,
everybody.
Whoa-oh-oh!
Freedom!
It worked!
Yeah!
[ Laughs ]
Kari: whoo!
Narrator: while grant enjoys
an endorphin high
From his near-death experience,
Tory can explain why this myth
was confirmed.
Tory: the water is a key factor
in this whole experiment.
If the water is continually
washing over the person
Buried up to their neck,
there's no way they can get out.
The sand just continues
to fill up those gaps
Because the water keeps pushing
the sand into those gaps.
So if you're buried
up to your neck
And you're close
to the shoreline,
You're pretty much dead.
Whoa-oh-oh!
Freedom!
It worked!
Yeah!
[ Laughs ]
All right,
this one's looking confirmed --
You can't dig your way
out of wet sand.
And I think you would drown
before you'd asphyxiate
From the pressure on your lungs
from the sand.
So all in all, this is a very
dastardly punishment or death.
That's confirmed.
Narrator: adam and jamie
have been playing with big g*ns
And improvised ammunition.
Wow!
But so far
the cannonball chaos myth
Has yet to live up
to its movie inspiration.
Jamie: wine bottle, the cutlery,
the steak knives --
They tend to kind of break apart
into little bits.
They get mangled.
They don't stay together
in one compact unit.
You don't get maximum
penetration because of that.
You get just litter.
So I'm not really satisfied yet.
Adam: what's next?
Nails.
Nails!
Ye oldie nails.
Ye oldie nails.
Let's set up for
jamie's ye oldie fléchette g*n.
Narrator:
if you're wondering,
"Fléchette" literally translated
from the french
Means "little arrow."
So fléchette rounds are
small darts, needles, or nails.
And jamie has the chance to fire
this supersized fléchette g*n.
Webb: fire!
[ Jamie laughs ]
You are now a cannoneer,
sir.
Thank you.
That's kind of intense.
Intense?
Yeah.
I kind of think we did something
to the pirate this time.
Narrator: but did it,
like in the movie,
Do enough to be useful
in a full-scale fire fight?
[ Laughs ]
Oh!
Oh, that's bad.
Now, that is
a mortal wound.
After all that we've fired
at this intrepid pirate,
I have to say ye oldie nails
Are almost as deadly
as the grapeshot.
Look at this.
Look at the damage they done
to this poor bloke.
That's awful.
Jamie: nice big heavy nails
like that --
You don't want to be
in front of them.
No, no.
And looks like they stayed
pretty contiguous,
'Cause they ripped him
to shreds.
More!
What's next?
Narrator:
next are lengths of chain --
A perfectly legitimate thing
to find on deck.
And jamie thinks
It's porky the pirate pig's
worst nightmare.
Jamie:
if there was one thing
That I wouldn't want
to get hit by
Coming out of a cannon,
It would be this.
It's strong. It's massive.
I don't think
it's gonna pull apart.
And if it spreads out
when it comes out of the barrel
At 900 miles an hour,
It'd be cutting you in half.
Here we go.
This one's for glory!
Oh!
[ Laughs ]
oh, yeah.
Rarrr!
Let's go look.
Oh!
Wow!
Dude, that is wrong.
Wow!
That is so wrong.
I walked up.
I thought it looked
totally fine,
And then you
spun it around,
And I saw
that everything I couldn't see
Wasn't actually there.
That's about the most gruesome
damage we've ever done
To one of our pirates
and pigs.
Any of our test subjects.
That's horrifying.
That kicks the -- the --
the grapeshot's butt,
Kicks it down the stairs
and takes its lunch money.
Narrator: gruesome, indeed.
Friends and family
of porky the pirate
May wish to look away now.
Quite simply, of all the
improvised cannon a*mo tested,
The heavy-duty chain was easily
the most effective.
Jamie: it actually behaved
like a b*llet.
It just passed
right through him.
It ricocheted off the hill,
Landed in the grass
a couple of hundred feet away
Still in one piece.
So, where do we stand
on cannonball alternatives?
The lightweight stuff
didn't fare so well.
I mean, the peg leg,
The wine bottle,
the silverware --
They just don't have
much mass.
They kind of
disintegrated.
I wouldn't want to stand in
front of it, but not so good.
Whereas the sharp stuff
and bladed stuff,
Like the steak knives
and the nails,
Was actually
somewhat effective.
Yeah, and then the absolute
most terrifying thing
In the whole deal
was that chain.
That was just horrible.
Without a doubt.
In fact, I'm packing chain
for every pillaging trip I take.
Pirates!
All: arr!
We've done
some good work here.
All: arr!
It ought to tide the fans over
for a little while.
All: arr!
What's your favorite letter
of the alphabet?
"M!"
"P"!
And sometimes "q."
See you next time.
Hey, you.
Yeah, you.
Got any ideas?
For our viewers' special?
Send 'em in!
And if they're good,
they're on tv, mate.
If they're bad,
I will find you, gut you,
And hang your carcass
from the yardarm.
Ohh!
Oh, that smarts!
Well,
you were being impolite.
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05x23 - Pirates 2!
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A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk urban legends by directly testing them.
A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk urban legends by directly testing them.