Beyond Oak Island (2020–…): Season 3, Episode 3 - The Riches of Poverty Island - full transcript

- Tonight...
- Time to dive, let's go!

On Beyond Oak Island...

I'm convinced Poverty Island's
worth another go.

This year we were able
to get absolute coordinates.

The lighthouse keeper's son

thought they had
discovered something.

Secret Confederate gold

dumped off Poverty Island.

We've got everything we
need to justify a dive.

- What was it? .45 billion reasons?
- That's right.

Here we go!



Okay, they found something.

- This very well could be what we seek.
- Yeah.

All the while we
were growing up,

my brother and I were
fascinated with finding treasure.

Pirate treasure,

cursed treasure.

Civil War gold.

Since then,
our work on Oak Island

has shown us there's
a world of mysteries...

- Whoa.
- Waiting to be explored.

So, we like to reach
out to other treasure hunters.

X marks the spot,
right there. Brilliant.

- We want to hear their stories...
- That's right.

- And share our insights.
- "Ill-gotten gains."



- And who knows...
- I got it.

Maybe we can help
them with their search.

Not only in America.

Wow. That is gold.

- But all over the world.
- Yeah!

Beyond Oak Island.

Matty, Rick,
we have a distinguished

visitor that came all
the way to Oak Island

to talk about something

that I have very much
enjoyed: this is Bob Kreipke.

- Hi, Bob.
- Hey, Bob.

Bob was actually the
historian, the corporate historian

for Ford Motor Company.

So, he's very
knowledgeable about archives

and preserving history
and all these sort of things.

Last summer, Bob and I had a...

I guess it would
be corny to call it

a most excellent
adventure, but, but we had

a great adventure,
we had a lot of fun.

I've come to have a
tremendous respect for him.

He has a passion
for this one treasure,

lost treasure, and
the story around it,

which always
appeals to my brother.

The treasure hunt, it's
in our own backyard,

and I think you know
what I'm talking about.

- Poverty Island.
- Poverty Island.

This is one I was hoping
that you were gonna revisit.

- It's incredible.
- This one is just really fun,

but it would add

a real comment
to the history books

as to what happened,

and, and how the Great Lakes

played a role in what you

wouldn't think they would,
and that would be the Civil War.

Absolutely.

In 1863, at the
height of the American Civil War,

a Union blockade of
all Southern sea ports

was devastating the
Confederate economy.

However, many historians
believe that France,

which was desperate to obtain
Southern shipments of cotton,

was secretly aiding the
rebel cause by smuggling gold

across the Atlantic Ocean
through Northern channels.

Officially, France was
neutral in the Civil War,

but they were very
dependent upon

Confederate cotton.

They were very interested in

having the Confederacy
actually win the war.

In 1863, Napoleon III
allegedly sent $4.5 million

in gold to help
the Confederates.

But the Union Navy
was very, very effective at

blockading the southern ports,
so they decide they're gonna

get this gold to the Confederacy
through the St. Lawrence,

and they would take it to
the Great Lakes and get it

down to Chicago, and from
Chicago, get it to Richmond

on a train or overland.

One of
these shipments is believed

to have entered
the Northern region

of Lake Michigan near a
200-acre landmass known

as Poverty Island when it
was detected by a Union vessel.

A desperate chase ensued.

Legend has it off of
Poverty Island, the ship carrying

the gold said, "The gun
boat's a lot faster than we are;

"we're gonna be overtaken.

We don't want this
falling in the wrong hands."

So they decided to scuttle
it and throw it overboard.

According to researchers,

five wooden chests,
linked together by chains

and containing as
much as $400 million

in today's value,

were lost on the
bottom of the lake,

where they remained undisturbed
for nearly seven decades.

But in 1933, a
Milwaukee-based treasure hunter

named Wilfred Behrens
led a search operation

aboard his ship, known
as the Captain Lawrence,

and reportedly located
the sunken chests

using a diving bell drag line,

just offshore from
Poverty Island.

The operation was witnessed
by an 11-year-old named

Karly Jessen, the son of
the island's lighthouse keeper.

Watching the Captain
Lawrence, watching the diving bell,

watching the operations.

One day, something
unusual happened on board.

The crew were out there
hooting and hollering.

The lighthouse keeper's
son thought they had

discovered this lost treasure.

Shortly thereafter, a storm
kicks up and he retreats

back to the lighthouse, and
the next morning they go out

and the Captain
Lawrence is no more.

A massive storm
battered the boat, causing it,

along with its
salvaged treasure,

to sink within minutes.

Behrens intended to
raise the vessel, but died

before being able to mount
a successful salvage effort.

To this day, many treasure
hunters are convinced

the gold is still out there,

hidden in the frigid
waters of Lake Michigan.

No one has found that treasure.

I think if you find the
Captain Lawrence,

we can backtrack and say,

you know what, the
treasure's got to be here.

- This is the spot?
- Right here.

One year ago,

Marty Lagina joined
historian Bob Kreipke

to search the southern
waters just off Poverty Island

for evidence of the
Captain Lawrence wreckage

and the lost treasure
using sonar technology.

Okay, on bottom.

Although they detected

a mysterious,
square-shaped object...

I find that unique.

Compelling evidence of

the ship and the five chests
eluded the search operation.

- Bob, there's a lot of treasure mysteries in the world.
- Yes.

What was it about Poverty
Island that made you so

passionate about it? You've
been working on this for years.

I think the number of
clues that seemed feasible.

Any orchestrated
treasure hunt is based

on, you know, some smoke.

You know, there's gotta be...

This one has credence to it.

In addition to being a historian

for Ford Motor Company,

where he worked for 44 years,

Bob Kreipke has been fascinated

with the local lore
surrounding lost Civil War gold

in Lake Michigan
for most of his life.

When I was about 15 years old,

I read some articles about
this Poverty Island treasure.

And because we vacationed
in this area all the time,

I thought, boy, this
would be pretty interesting.

His formal research
on the project began in 1977,

and has included a thorough

examination of shipping records,

weather reports, and
every related document

in Michigan, Wisconsin,

and the National Archives
in Washington, D.C.

The one thing about
Poverty Island is

I believe it's very doable
to search for this treasure.

You have an island that
doesn't move, and um...

Bob, I hate to interrupt you.

I hate to, but I can't help it.

We have an island
that doesn't move, too...

and it hasn't worked out yet.

- It hasn't helped.
- But there's a big difference. - Okay.

The difference with Poverty
Island is, guess what?

We don't have to do drilling.
We don't have to do dynamite.

We don't have to do
seismic scans and that.

And you know what
treasure you're looking for.

- Absolutely. - We don't have that luxury.
- That's true.

Yeah, we know what it looks like

and it's not going to
be dangerously deep.

Have you ever seen a figure,
has any historian tried to put

a value to it; is there a range?

Well, some of the articles
that have been written about it

kind of stick on $400 million.

What I contend is you
find the Captain Lawrence.

We know which way the wind
was coming. We backtrack.

And it had to be close
enough so the guy,

- the kid could see it.
- That's right.

And that's another clue.

It couldn't have
been miles away.

It had to be
right in that strait.

And I believe that
that's where it lies.

So, when you guys
went out before...

Yes, Bob and I
have been talking,

and here's the
difference this year.

- Okay.
- The whole thing goes back

to what the young man overheard.

And so, logically, we thought
he would be near the lighthouse.

The lighthouse is
on the south side of

- the island.
- That is correct.

But it didn't match some

of the other things, so
what we were thinking is

a young kid... If a
ship is near his island

and he's bored to death, and I'm

sure they were bored to death.

They were bored to death.

They'd follow it around.

So, there's no reason that

the conversation couldn't

have been overheard here
on the north side of the island.

I believe that the captain
didn't want to dump them

where any Tom, Dick
and Harry would find them.

So he had to be deep enough
that it was not an easy task.

But on the other
side of the coin,

he didn't want to get out
in this deep water up here.

So that's why I think
he scuttled it here.

You know, Bob, the thing
that is quite appealing with

this is it's in the backyard.

Yeah. Well, plus, Rick,
you open those chests,

-you're gonna, you're gonna
learn a lot about history, -Oh, yes.

About what the heck happened.

- Yes.
- Why did so many people

dedicate so much
time and effort...

And money... to an enterprise?

Right? There has
to be some truth to it.

Absolutely.

I'm convinced that
this is worth another go.

I know a guy that
I can contribute.

His name is Doug Gossage,

and he's a good
underwater device man.

- He's gonna get us a magnetometer.
- That'd be great.

So, we might be
able to pin it down a little bit.

Now, I think we want
to put eyes in the water.

Get some divers in
there and literally confirm

what we think we see

on our electronic gear.

- Recently certified.
- I'm raising

- my hand.
- Well, there's one pair

- of eyes.
- So here's the thing, big brother.

I want to accompany Bob.

At least, you know,
have a go this time.

- Okay.
- Matty,

- sounds like you're all in.
- Yes, sir.

So, unfortunately, I'm gonna

leave you on Oak Island because

- it could take about a week.
- I will hold down the fort.

And I wish you complete
success. I mean,

there's nothing better

than putting a period
at the end of a story.

- I agree.
- I would love

that you find that period.

- Okay. Well, let's go give it a try.
- I love this.

Get me in Lake
Michigan. Let's go.

We are in my
old stomping grounds now.

I feel like I'm home.

- This is, like, your roots, I feel like.
- Yeah.

- This is where I come from.
- You and Rick

grew up in this area,

and so I feel like I'm
getting the full Lagina history

- by being here. Yeah.
- Well, you are, for whatever that's worth.

One week after their meeting

in the war room, Marty Lagina

and Matty Blake
travel to Fairport,

a coastal town on
Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

They'll be joining a team

that's exploring the
waters near Poverty Island

five miles to the south,

searching for a
lost shipment of gold

that was reportedly
thrown overboard

into Lake Michigan in 1863.

Hey, we're almost here.

- There it is.
- Oh, I think I see it.

There's the big lake.

I'm back in my old
stomping grounds right here

in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan,

and we are gonna
have another try

at the Poverty Island treasure.

Last year, we were too
wed to the south side.

We're gonna try the north
side of the island this time.

This, sir, is gonna be fun.

- I can't wait.
- Welcome to Michigan's

- wild and wooly Upper Peninsula.
- I love it.

- Captain Larry.
- Marty. How are you doing?

- This is my buddy Matty Blake.
- Matty.

- Nice to meet you. I'm Larry.
- Permission to come aboard?

Absolutely. Come
on aboard, fellas.

Rounding
out the treasure-hunting team

led by Bob Kreipke

is magnetometer expert and
master diver Doug Gossage,

underwater archaeologist
Rob Westrick

and local expert
diver Luke Clyburn,

who has more than six
decades of experience

in the frigid waters
of Lake Michigan.

Are we gonna find
something today, Bob?

- Oh.
- Piloting the team's 46-foot search vessel,

the Viking, is Captain
Larry Barbeau.

- That's our crew, then, right?
- This is everybody.

- How's the waters, Larry?
- It shouldn't be that bad today.

It's supposed to be pretty
calm. Where we're gonna be at,

we should be
protected by the island,

- so we should be all right.
- Okay.

Isn't that what the guy
said that sunk out there?

That's the same thing he said,

- so...
- That's what I thought.

- Well, let's get going, then.
- Let's do it.

Let's get on the water.
Let's get on the water.

Let's go have some
fun and find something.

Let's bring this
old girl out there. Let's go.

There's no real easy
way to get to Poverty Island,

which is also why

it doesn't attract hundreds
of treasure hunters.

And I'll tell you,
there's a lot of reefs

and shoals out there.

Getting even out
to Poverty Island

is not for the faint of heart.

You got to know
what you're doing.

Okay, so, Bob, we are

somewhat zeroed in
this year, right? Tell me

- about that.
- Yes, yes.

This year, we were able to get

absolute coordinates

that we believe is
the Captain Lawrence,

the ship that the lighthouse
keeper's son witnessed.

We do need

to still do a little
bit of plowing,

you know, with the equipment

- to see exactly, yep, that is the debris field.
- Okay.

Do you think there's
an actual chance

you'll come up
with those chests?

I wouldn't have spent
the decades I have

- fooling around with this...
- I suppose.

- Yeah.
- If I didn't think there was a possibility.

But the real thing is

- piecing the history together.
- Right.

Because we don't
know the provenance

- of that boat. The first one.
- No.

The one that threw

- the treasure overboard.
- That's right.

And suppose we
actually found this stuff.

What we could
unravel is who is trying

to mess with the U.S. Civil War

- down through Michigan.
- Yes.

- Yes. Yes.
- What a piece of history that would be.

What's your job gonna
be here today, then, Luke?

My job is actually to
go underwater and look

- at the debris field.
- How would you identify the Captain Lawrence?

Underwater, I'm gonna look
for anything that's a ship part.

I've been doing a lot
of work in Michigan

documenting historic shipwrecks.

Lot of these ships were built...

Most of them have plans
that you can go back in

- and look at the history of them.
- Sure.

And you can say
without any question

this was a particular
boat or it was not.

You got coordinates that
get us in the general area.

You're gonna refine it.

Yeah. So, we-we laid out
about five or six survey lanes.

Captain Larry
Barbeau will pilot the Viking

along the survey lanes
in a precise grid pattern.

Underwater imaging
expert Doug Gossage

will then use his magnetometer
to identify ferrous targets,

such as an anchor,
boiler or propeller...

Items that could help locate

the debris field of
the Captain Lawrence.

What I'm expecting here,
since the record shows that it's

broken up on rocks,

is not so much an
intact, you know, hull

- as, uh, a scattering of iron.
- Oh, yeah. A spread.

Hey, we're coming
up to Poverty right now.

Hey, guys. There she be.

- Oh, wow, that's it? Wow.
- Poverty Island.

It's really creepy. That
island looks haunted.

You know, it kind
of sets the stage

that we are in a mysterious

and perhaps dangerous spot.

- You know, it's chilling. It looks like a haunted house.
- Doesn't it?

But what's giving
me the chills now

is-is thinking of
what it was like.

I mean, these families
living out here. So isolated.

Imagining what it would
be like on a stormy night...

It's just incredible
what they went through.

Yeah.

Captain Larry, I think
we're all set here.

- Let's go to our... Let's go to our destination.
- All set?

- All right, sounds good.
- Let's get that fish

- in the water. All right. Thank you.
- Sounds great.

It's a big lake,
and other people

have looked, right?

But we're bringing tools that
other people haven't used.

We're bringing a
really good team.

Uh, we're at the waypoint
if you want to go ahead and drop

- the magnetometer in. I'll get on track.
- Yeah, go ahead

and get on track,
and we'll drop it in.

I think we have a much
better chance of finding

the remnants of the
Captain Lawrence,

which might eventually
lead us to the gold.

Okay, yeah, so,
we're close to the area here.

- Let's get in.
- Okay, all right.

What we're expecting
or hoping to see when we're running

the magnetometer
survey is some variation

in the Earth's magnetic field.

And if we are lucky enough
to run over the center

of a larger item like
an air compressor

or an engine,
that'll be a spike.

- Even an untrained eye like us, we could see that spike?
- Yeah.

- Great.
- You can see that spike. And if I dropped a buoy on that,

- it's within six feet, I promise you.
- Got it.

Got it.

The magnetometer is only
going to find ferrous material,

but even a wooden ship has a lot

of iron in it, and this
ship we're looking for

had big boilers, had
air compressors on it.

How is he tracking? How
is he... Does he have GPS

- up there or something?
- I gave him, uh, the start lane

and the end lane
GPS coordinates,

and he entered
them in as waypoints.

Waypoints. So he's gonna
go to the next waypoint.

- Yeah. Yeah. So when...
- I see.

- Each of the red dots is a waypoint?
- Right.

- Okay.
- This is interesting right now

watching Doug with his tech,

right? Larry has to hit

the right precise spots.

Zoom it in. I'll be
able to get that line.

I'll be able to run right on it.

If Larry's
missing that or if he's off

his coordinates, it
throws the whole read off.

Modern technology is awesome,

but if you don't have
a good old captain

that knows how
to drive this thing,

might as well not even bother.

So, what it'll do
instead of this straight line here

is it'll come across
the screen that way,

and it might come
back to where it started.

- That would mean we're directly over the top of it.
- Okay.

- Now wait a minute, now wait a minute.
- Whoa!

- Wait a second.
- See that dip?

Now we got a good hit.

This is quite
simple. As that line moves

on his little right column
of the screen, that's a hit.

That's something
anomalous. That is

ferrous metal.

And what we have to find
out now is is that consistent?

- So, this line went from here to there?
- Yeah. So it went

- that side from center line, then went off there.
- Wow!

- What does that mean, that it's...?
- And now it's returning.

- It's like a huge curve.
- A big arc.

So, this is unbelievable.
So, so, right now,

that line indicates we could
be on top of a debris field

- that's lasting that long?
- We actually would be coming out of it

- right now because it's returning back, too.
- Hauling back.

- Oh, I see it, yeah. It's coming back.
- Yeah.

- This is good.
- This is awesome.

So, would you pick
that as a dive spot?

Uh, let's run a couple
more parallel lines,

and if it matches up with the
scenery that we're seeing here,

I would take that, absolutely.

So, we're gonna drive back

the other way and
see if that matches.

That was a beautiful
turn. Good job, Larry.

- Larry's nailing the turns.
- Textbook lane.

- It's starting to bend.
- A little bit.

- It's inching over.
- There it goes.

We are seeing these
spikes, and-and they're

now repeatable.

- It's bending. Look at that.
- I think so.

- Right at the outcropping.
- Yeah.

That's incredible.

And they seem to
be in the same area,

so I can tell we're all

starting to think, like,
we could have found

the debris field of
the Captain Lawrence.

Yeah, we just need
one more hit here,

and then we'll virtually know.

We're literally
right offshore, right in the spot

- where we expect it to be.
- Right in the spot. Come on.

It's kind of like
one of those...

Mm, maybe pre-bingo moments.

I'm about to say "bingo,"

but I'm not quite
there. But we're close.

I think we've got it
right off that shoal.

Rob, ready to bring the fish in?

The magnetometer scan went
well from most standpoints.

The device worked.

- Got it?
- We're confident in the data. And yes,

- we got hits.
- Nice.

You need to go
back, back on shore,

crunch this data and
pick the best spot.

- Is that the idea?
- Yeah. Ideally,

I can correct imperfections
in the GPS and then the data.

And, uh, it takes
a little bit of time.

Do you think there's enough
for us to do a dive tomorrow?

I'm encouraged
with, uh, what we saw.

I don't think we
hit one large item.

I think we hit a debris field.

I'd put it in the 90th percentile
that we're gonna have

a good place to dive, but
Doug wants to go home.

He wants to crunch the numbers.

He wants to get us the
optimum place to dive.

And tomorrow, we're diving.

- Skipper, bring us home.
- You got it. - Great job, Captain.

Good job. You must
have been good at coloring

when you were little because
you stayed right in the lines.

Stayed in the lines.

Matty, you know
I hate to be cliché, buddy,

but today's the day.

Well, today's the day we're
gonna get in that water,

- I hope, at least.
- I hope.

I hope he's got, like, a,
you know, a grade A target.

- Right.
- Because diving

here today is the equivalent
of, "It's time to dig,"

- right? "It's time to dive."
- Exactly. Exactly.

In Fairport,
Michigan, Marty Lagina

and Matty Blake
are assisting a team

that's searching for lost
Civil War gold believed

to be on the bottom
of Lake Michigan.

- Hey, Matty. Hey, Marty.
- There they are.

- Hey, Doug. Hey, Bob.
- How you guys doing?

Image scanning
specialist Doug Gossage

and team leader Bob
Kreipke have been analyzing

the data from yesterday's
magnetometer scans

to identify the most
promising targets.

The team hopes that the
hits discovered just north

of Poverty Island

are part of a debris field
that will lead to the wreckage

of the Captain
Lawrence and millions

in lost Civil War gold.

I think we got some good news.

Well, we want a place to dive,

- and we want a damn good place to dive.
- Okay.

- We'll give you a good place.
- All right.

So, what we have here,

this is the, uh,
bird's-eye view.

We have Poverty Island here.

- So, we ran five lines if you remember.
- Sure.

- Yep.
- Yeah, absolutely.

One in particular,
uh, it had some...

well, let's just say
some business on it.

- Yes, yes.
- Okay. It only takes one,

- right?
- That's right.

And this is the line.

So, what we
have is the left side

is the beginning of that lane,

and the right side is
the end of that lane.

So, this here could very well

potentially be a debris field.

- You got the Grand Tetons over here.
- Yeah,

there's a couple... There's a
couple of good spikes there.

You know, obviously, I
think that is our best spot.

Does that correspond
with where we saw the line

tracking almost off
the screen in that area?

Yeah, I think it does.

That's our dive spot, then.

I know exactly what I
would like to find down there,

but-but why don't you
tell me, what are we likely

to find, Doug? I mean...

Well, based on this signature,

here I would expect
that maybe planking

- and maybe some pins, that sort of thing.
- Okay.

Now, when we get to
that end and those Grand Tetons,

as you explain them,

um, that's gonna be a
little bit, uh, more exciting.

That could be one
of the air compressors

- that was on there.
- Um, potentially. It could be.

Yeah, it is... It's something
definitely more substantial

- than scattered debris.
- We got

everything we
need to justify a dive.

What was it, .45
billion reasons?

That's right.
That's what we came here for.

- All right, cool.
- Right, Bob?

Oh, that's why we're here.

All right.

Time to dive. Let's go.

- Let's go dive.
- Okay.

- Hello, my friends.
- How are you?

Good. Thank you, sir.

- Permission to come aboard again?
- You bet.

It's time to go. You know,

I often say on Oak Island,

"It's time to dig."
Here, it's time

to dive, time to search.
It's always exciting.

- Here we go.
- When you think about the numbers

of the potential of this gold,

$400 million in
today's currency,

that is literally breathtaking.

You have to kind
of calm yourself

and look at the
evidence. But, you know,

Bob's done that, so I trust

his enthusiasm, and I
trust Marty's instincts.

Looks like we're getting pretty
close to the dive spot, right?

Yeah. The three of us, Luke, you
and I are gonna be in the water.

So, Marty's gonna be
on the surface comm.

He'll be able to talk to us,

- and we'll be able to respond to him.
- Great.

And then I'm gonna have

a video camera, and
it's got an umbilical cord

up to the boat.

And Marty will be able to see...

- What you're seeing.
- What I'm pointing at.

- Oh, fantastic.
- Yeah.

Diver Luke Clyburn

will also be deploying

the JW Fishers Pulse 8X
underwater metal detector,

capable of scanning
for ferrous targets

at depths of up to 200 feet.

Luke will scan any debris

to try to determine
whether it's a ship's part

that could have belonged
to the Captain Lawrence.

All right, we're here. We're
gonna throw the anchor in.

We'll have Noel throw the
anchor in. Get us situated.

And you guys can get in the
water and see what you find.

All right, guys,
suit up. Let's go.

- We're gonna try this.
- Great.

Once again,

we have a dream team
assembled for a mystery like this

and specifically
this one. I mean,

Doug Gossage is
incredible at what he does,

using that magnetometer
to get scans.

Also has a wealth
of diving experience,

so he's perfect for the job.

And, uh, Luke Clyburn, who's got

literally thousands
of hours with dives

in Lake Michigan
and the Great Lakes.

So, I couldn't be diving
with two better people.

Okay, guys, everybody
okay? Okay? Okay? Okay?

You got this, bud.

We've done all the
equipment checks.

We've gone over my gear.

This is it. It's go time.

In a sense,

you're trying to find a
needle in a haystack,

especially underwater,
so I'm excited

- to see what we come up with.
- Can you hear me,

Matty?

10-4.

I feel, like, sort of like
a mother bear up here

or something, you know?

Some of my cubs
just went in the water.

- Well, it looks pretty flat here, doesn't it, Marty?
- Yeah.

This brings you back to
sobering reality, doesn't it?

I mean this looks like stuff
that could cover up anything.

- Yes. Yeah.
- Yeah.

Could be something
one inch below that.

- Oh, absolutely. Yeah.
- And we're not seeing it.

- Yeah.
- Those guys got their work

- cut out for them down there.
- Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Doug, do you think you're...
we're in the right spot?

We think that's a good
idea. Heading out...

out from the boat.
Head deeper. Over.

We start making our way back
up that ledge from 50 feet up,

and I see something,
and I point to it.

What's that? What's that?

Well, it's something,
it looks like.

Here we go.

It looks like a deadeye.

They used deadeyes
on ships a lot,

and they were a
round cylinder of wood

with holes in them, which is
why they were called deadeyes.

And you'd run the
cabling through those.

Just north of
Poverty Island in Lake Michigan...

Does it have a
name carved in it?

Marty Lagina and Matty Blake

are providing help to a
treasure-hunting team

searching for a shipwreck.

One that sank in 1933,

reportedly just after
it salvaged millions

in Civil War gold.

Matty and the other divers

have just discovered
man-made objects

that they hope are
part of a debris field

that will lead them
to the lost vessel

and its treasure.

They can't bring it
up, though, can they?

The state of Michigan

happens to have
some very strict rules.

You can document things
that you find on the bottom.

You can come back and
make some claims to them.

You can see what it is there,

especially when you're
rubbing away zebra mussels,

but the state of Michigan
does not want you

to bring it to the surface,

even to verify it.

Roger.

We want to keep
expanding the search,

but if something goes
wrong on coming up,

you have to have
a little extra air.

Kind of like an airplane
landing with sufficient fuel,

you know, to be
able to take off again.

It's kind of like that.

So, when it gets to
a certain pressure,

the rules are the dive's
over. Divers are coming up.

Yeah, you got something.

- A piece of it.
- Definitely shipwreck, yeah.

We started out and
kind of went a little, uh...

right towards the shore

and down there in
a little deeper water.

I think it was maybe
50 feet. And, uh,

I think we all saw it
all at the same time,

and everybody just
kind of converged on it.

Yeah, we saw it, too,

- but we couldn't tell what it was.
- Yeah, no,

- it's shipwreck material. It's...
- Yes!

Oh, yeah.

It's...

Yeah.

I-It's like a round, um,

- you know, about telephone size, pole size.
- Yep.

- And it was a corner post of some sort.
- That big?

- Oh, yeah, it was, uh, it was this high off the bottom.
- Oh.

And that metal rod was
probably all of two feet,

- two and a half feet.
- Yeah.

And it was... it was definitely,

you know, the kind
of rod that they used

- That's great.
- Back then?

Oh, yeah. Yeah,
I've seen it lots.

This artifact is part
of a ship that broke off

in a pretty disastrous method

because it's not a
complete artifact.

It's just a-a small piece of it.

So, it's consistent with
what we're looking for.

So, where do we go from here?

Okay. Well, let's get
you new tanks. Let's go.

- Great.
- Let's get you back in the water.

All right, here we go.

Here we go again.

We got one thing found.

Great. We-We're
not skunked. Yay!

But we need to
find some more stuff.

We need a pointer.

You have to start
finding that debris trail.

Divers down.

What are you seeing, Doug?
Anything we need to know?

- Yeah, the sediment looks... It does.
- It looks firm.

Correct me if I'm wrong,
but that would indicate

that stuff should
be on the surface.

Stuff should be.
Yeah, absolutely.

Tree branch.

Topside to Doug for air check.

How much you got?

Roger that.

They still got a
little bit of time.

Might find something yet.

What we know about that ship,

there's got to be
stuff down there.

We-we might just be
not quite in the right area.

- And the thing is if you miss it by just a little bit...
- Yeah.

- You miss by an inch, you miss by a mile.
- Exactly.

Wow.

Hey Doug, can you,
uh, look at the timber

and give me the dimensions?

Standing by.

Okay. You don't use
two-inch-thick wood for much.

Sound like a ship piece to you?

It does. Timber that long,

that's a... that's a
piece of hull structure.

- Has to be, right?
- It has to be. It can't be anything else.

We are in an area
that was an area of interest.

We are diving based on data.

This could be something
from the Captain Lawrence.

That ship might have
been right above the gold

or had the gold on board.

So we might be real close.

This is good news.

Off the coast of Poverty Island

in Lake Michigan...

That's fantastic.

Marty Lagina,
Matty Blake and their team

have found evidence
of a possible shipwreck

connected to a fortune

in lost Civil War gold.

Matty Blake is part
of the dive team

that's investigating
the underwater finds.

Probably is an outer frame,

would've wrapped
around the ship.

Then it'd be about
the right age, too, then,

- wouldn't it?
- It would be.

Has it got any sort of
fasteners or anything in it?

Doug, any-any evidence
of fasteners of some type

or holes?

If we were to figure
how far spaced are the fasteners,

you know, based on that,

you know how far
away those ribs were,

and you can determine

a rough guess to how long
the vessel would have been.

And if it matches up with
the Captain Lawrence,

it's another piece
of the puzzle.

- They stirred up the bottom.
- They must be stirring up the bottom, yeah.

Okay. Surface as you need to.

That's great, guys. Well done.

I think it's the Captain
Lawrence. I'm gonna

- choose to believe it.
- Yeah.

So, where are the chests, Bob?

If it drifted this
way, it's back there.

You're finding a piece,
you got a starting point,

- and from there...
- Well, we have two points now,

so when we plot
those when we get up,

that could be
really interesting.

- Sure.
- I don't know of anybody underwater

that ever sort of just went in

and dove and found something,
like, you know, in five minutes.

We'd have to hire
a team of divers

and search this
whole bloody channel.

We had always speculated

that we would not find

a pristine, intact ship
on the bottom there.

The Coast Guard reports

say the ship got
smashed into pieces.

So we were suspecting

it would be a "debris field."

And that debris field
could stretch a ways.

I think that was
an excellent dive.

We're running out of daylight.

These guys are tired and
they're cold. We're calling it.

But we moved the
dial. We're on the boat.

We're happy. We're safe.

If I had to ask you
for a percentage,

was that a piece of a
wooden ship, what is it?

100%! I like that number.

That's a good number.

Well, here's what occurs to me.

We did a hell of a lot
better than last year.

I mean, last year,
we were kind of

find the needle in the haystack.

Here, we brought
a lot more together.

We had coordinates.
We had you guys.

And we did a lot better.

But, you know, the scary
bit is that this is like a...

This is, like, just
keeps sucking you in.

If you were on this quest alone,

- let's say it was your deal...
- Yes.

Would you keep coming back now?

You seen enough to
have you come back?

Yeah, I would. It's
intrigued me enough now,

uh, I-I want to find this ship.

That's great, guys.

Well done. You're probably cold.

- Freezing but exhilarated.
- Yeah, let's...

let's get this boat to shore
and see if we can get you

a cup of hot coffee.

I think Captain Lawrence

warrants more investigation,
because we will find

more debris.

We will probably
find more planking.

And hopefully,
we'll find something

that would prove that it
was the Captain Lawrence.

Here's the bald truth.

I-I was pretty sure we
weren't gonna find chests

strapped together with
.45 billion dollars in them.

I didn't think that
was gonna happen

on a couple-day dive.

Uh, am I happy with
the results, though? Yes.

Luke has seen intact wrecks,

and yet he's still impressed
with what we found.

And Doug has found a
lot of stuff down by Florida,

and he's impressed
with what we found.

So, that's
infectious. I'm happy.

Well, there's a guy
that's gonna be very interested

and missed what we did today,
and that's your brother, Rick.

He will.

Well, I mean, just even
seeing Poverty Island, you know,

coming up on it,
everything you said about it,

I believed you
intellectually, but to see it,

it-it almost didn't
do it justice,

'cause I was like,
"Yes, now I get it."

- The place is spooky.
- Yeah.

What, to me, stood out, though,

in terms of what
we were there to do

was I found it,

like, a very mitigating
circumstance

that if I'm gonna make
a run for open water,

be it through there
or through there,

this is a great area
to dump my treasure

before I make a break for it.

And when you're kind of
tucked behind that island

on the north side,

it suddenly kind of made sense
to me as a good place to look.

We did what divers
could do, but, you know,

this looks little on
this map, but it's big.

But anyway, I-I'm convinced
that this is worth another go.

And in that... in that vein,

uh, I actually got
Bob standing by,

and he-he tells me he's
got some-some new data.

So, I think we should
bring him up on the screen,

- Matty, he's... It's all set.
- Yeah.

It's all set up. And we'll...
Let's see what he says.

- Yeah, absolutely. He's the guy.
- You know...

- You know the passion he has.
- He's the guy.

- There he is.
- Hello, Bob. Hi, Bob.

- How are you doing?
- We're doing well.

How are you?

I'm doing well myself.

Great. Well, I've got Matty here

and, of course,
big brother Rick.

And I know you've
been crunching through

what we recovered
in the pictures,

but you kind of mentioned

that you've got some...
something new up your sleeve

that might really help.

Is that correct?

Hey, listen, we're working
on something right now

which I think will be
a major breakthrough.

Well, I'm
wanting to hear about that.

- What've you got?
- Well, based on our dives

that we took last time, we
tok some of that information,

and we crunched it down,

and I looked at some
of the old records

about the wind
conditions and that,

and hey, I'm ready to go again.

And we've got a new piece
of equipment at our access.

It's an R.O.V. We've got
complete control over it,

and it does have one cord

that brings up the video
and th... and the controls.

Can we cover more ground, Bob?

Because that's
what I'm convinced,

in our first two attempts,

we just couldn't
cover enough ground.

Yes, this device can cover,

you know, at one
crack, 600 feet.

That sounds great.
Diving on an actual picture.

- Yes.
- All right. Eyes and fins, right?

Eyes and fins.

I'd be so much more
comfortable, too,

now doing it again
and having an image

to dive on as opposed to a hit.

I mean, Bob, we might
have been close last time,

because the divers
showed us pictures...

- Yes.
- Of what you-you felt might be the rib of a schooner.

- Which would fit.
- Yes.

I've become convinced that this

is well worth pursuing still,

but the next time, we
got to throw more at it.

We got to cover more ground,

we got to, we got to
get a little more rigorous

about how we do this.

But sounds like you're
prepared to do that.

Oh, yes. I agree.

I'm all in. I want
another crack at it.

Yeah, I-I do, too.
I-I just like this one.

I like it for all kinds
of different reasons.

I agree, uh, this is
well worth pursuing.

I mean, it's-it's
in your backyard.

Wha... Who's gonna
walk away from that?

Bob, I thank you, as always.

You know, you always get us
re-excited about the venture.

So, we will proceed, and
I'll be glad to meet you

out there in the open waters
of Lake Michigan, okay?

- You take care.
- Take care, Bob. Good luck.

- Sounds good. Thanks.
- Thanks, Bob. Until the next time.

Ugh, that was incredible.

You know, guys
like that, it's funny.

We keep running
into characters like this

who are doggedly determined.

They're turned on by a story,
and then they just won't quit.

Is it something about
the word "treasure,"

or is it something about

- the ability of human beings...
- Now you know what the word is, Rick?

To commit to
endeavors that nothing

can dissuade them
from pursuing it?

The word is
"quest." It's a quest.

There's kind
of like a list of ingredients

- that make these things special.
- Yes.

I don't think there's one
example where it's like:

"Well, a guy buried some gold,

I want that gold," it's always,
"There was espionage,"

- or "There was a dumping of treasure."
- There's a story.

"There's a story of a
young kid seeing..."

And usually,
history's intertwined.

- History's intertwined. Yes.
- Upheavals.

You know, there's a
lot of common threads

that run through
all of these quests.

Yeah, agreed.

But we got a great big
one to attend to right here.

- So, let's-let's get back at it. Got a lot of work.
- Sure do.

Good job,
fellas. That was fun.

Yeah.