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THE QUEST FOR TRUTH

During the second Great War, the South China Sea was the arena for one of the most violent battles, recklessness, traitorous acts as well as extreme bravery in the history of World War II. However, most of these stories were never told. Destined to remain hidden and buried in the murky blanket of the seas of Southeast Asia.

In the secret and silent world of the world’s submarine services, hidden from the public’s eye, one of the lesser players of WWII, the Royal Netherlands Navy, sent submarines to protect its interest in the Dutch East Indies.

In the early 1940s, the K-XVI, K-XVII, O-16, and O-20 ploughed the great stretches of the Seas of Malaya and Indonesia laying ambush for any Axis ships foolhardy enough to cross their path. Armed with 14 torpedoes, 8.8 cm and 40 mm guns, and manned by 38 sea-hardened sailors, these silent assassins nevertheless met their match and eventual demise in the seabed of Southeast Asia.

Till today, all but one boat is yet to be found, the K-XVI. 3 expeditions were launched in the past 3 years to seek out this wreck. But even in death, the K-XVI remains as elusive. The focus of this one-hour documentary will be to seek and recover the K-XVI. It will trace the events behind the sinking of the three found subs to find clues about the sinking and maybe the final resting place of the K-XVI.