09x20 - The Hedden Truth

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR: Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...

Looks like we have one
or two shipwrecks right here.

DOUG:
Wow.

We hear you.

MARTY:
We have found
several things on Lot 8.

-It's very old.
-Age?

-1500s.
-MARTY: Well, how about that?

-Another one coming in.
-It's got to be bobby-dazzlers

and top pocket finds, mate.

Wow.

Doesn't get
any better than this.

NARRATOR:
There is an island
in the North Atlantic

where people
have been looking for

an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.

So far, they have found
a stone slab

with strange symbols
carved into it,

man-made workings
that date to medieval times,

and a lead cross
whose origin may be connected

to the Knights Templar.

To date, six men have d*ed

trying to solve the mystery.

And according to legend,

one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

-PETER: You ready?
-RICK: Yeah.

A little chilly, but...
Yeah,

-it's chilly.
-I want to do some work
so I can get warm.

-Yeah.
-GARY: I'm really,
really happy, mate.

This is the level of the gold
and the silver

water tests, mate.

There's got to be some gold

and bobby-dazzlers in there.

That's the hope, isn't it?

-Yeah.
-That's the hope.

NARRATOR:
Despite the onset

of the harsh North Atlantic
fall season,

the outlook remains bright
for brothers Rick

and Marty Lagina
and their team

as they press forward
in their quest

to solve the 227-year-old
Oak Island mystery.

GARY:
Fingers crossed on this one.

NARRATOR:
As they are
now approaching a depth

of 100 feet in their
ten-foot-diameter shaft,

known as DH-82,

they have much more
than mere faith

driving their hope
for a major discovery.

DH-82 is located

at the center of the massive
crater-shaped excavation

that was conducted

by treasure hunter
Robert Dunfield in 1965,

which caved in at a depth
of 143 feet

due to the believed

man-made flood tunnel
originating at Smith's Cove.

This not only
suggests that Dunfield

was digging in the original
Money Pit,

where the legendary
Chappell Vault

is believed to lie buried
somewhere below 150 feet,

but it was also at this location
where Rick,

Marty and the team
detected high traces of both

gold and silver during
water tests earlier this year.

RICK:
So, I think it's exciting

just simply because
it's backfilled

from the Dunfield dig.

They didn't have
metal detectors.

They were looking for treasure.
Right?

They weren't going through
their spoils

piles like you're about to do.

-No.
-So, look, your top-pocket

finds, your bobby-dazzlers,
might have to

do with the fact that,
long ago, they found something

-and didn't know it,
and that's down that hole.
-Yeah.

PETER:
I'm hoping Dunfield missed it.

-Oh, yeah.
-PETER: Let's get
in there, Gary.

All right, mate.

MARTY:
The Dunfield dig has always been

interesting in the sense that

we want to try and find
what Dunfield might have missed.

He never
got deep enough based on

the Chappell Vault data.

-Nothing?
-No.

MARTY:
If this vault exits,

we should hit it in this area.

Each time we dig,
we look for it.

-RICK: There's some timber.
-GARY: Excellent.

Certainly getting full grabs,

-that's for sure.
-GARY: Yeah.

We've just got to get
that gold and silver

now to hold in our hands.

Wait and see.

-All right.
-Ready?

Yeah.

Let's find some good stuff.

NARRATOR:
Over the past two weeks,

while excavating DH-82

and sifting
through mounds of old spoils

that Dunfield unearthed
but never thoroughly searched,

the Oak Island team
has made a number

of compelling discoveries,

including potentially
ancient tools,

evidence of a wooden structur,

and a leather shoe sole
that could date back

to the 13th century.

I think DH-82, in particular,

is-is a very good choice.

I love the fact that
the empirical evidence is

showing there's treasure
in this area.

So, there's reason
to believe that the story,

the mystery, will get solved.

Here comes another one.

GARY:
This is it, mate.

Here we go.

Oh, look at that timber.

PETER:
Oh, wow.

GARY:
Yeah, that's a big piece
of wood, isn't it?

RICK:
I'm gonna see if
we have a tape measure.

-Okay.
-All right.

The timber is very interesting,

and it's very interesting
for one reason.

There's a lot of data that
can be retrieved from it,

i.e. C-14, it's big enough

for dendrochronology.

I'm just gonna measure
that log to see

if it corresponds
with the tunnel height.

We can do
species identification.

It's a treasure trove of,

potentially,
very interesting information.

Yup, four-two.

And that probably would've
been driven in the ground,

so a four-foot-high tunnel,

give or take.

If it had a roof,
you add another six inches,

eight inches.

Interesting, though.

IAN:
Yeah.

It would be
a four-foot-high tunnel.

Was that the height they were?

-A lot of them were that height.
-Yeah.

All I know is,
this was done with purpose.

BILLY:
Yeah, it looks like somebody
had an axe and then they just

tried to square this end up
for the post, right?

-Yeah.
-So, what do you think?

-Oak?
-I think so, yeah.

NARRATOR:
Could Rick Lagina's speculatin
that the team has unearthed

a timber from a tunnel

some 100 feet deep be correct?

-That's a lot of wood.
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
Earlier this year,

while drilling
a borehole known as D-2

just eight feet
to the southeast,

they also recovered evidence
of a tunnel at the same

approximate depth that
dated to as early as 1488,

along with metal
containing high traces of gol.

I don't know what else
you'd build

with a four-foot-two log.

[laughter]

It's not a shaft.

NARRATOR:
Is it possible that the team

has found another section
of the same structure?

And if so,
could it mean they are close

to discovering
the legendary vault?

Gary? There's only
one way to figure that out.

You, sir,
have to find something.

Oh, yeah.
Let's find some history.

NARRATOR:
As Rick Lagina
continues supervising

the excavation
of the DH-82 shaft...

MARTY: Carmen Legge,
welcome back to Oak Island.

-Howdy. How are you?
-Good.

-Nice to see you, Craig.
-Nice to see you.

NARRATOR: ...his brother Marty
and their partner Craig Tester

are meeting with
blacksmithing expert

Carmen Legge
in the research center.

We have actually found
several things that I

helped dig up on Lot 8,
so I want to show those to you.

-How about we start with
this right here?
-All right.

MARTY:
This one I remember
because I dug it.

And I thought it was
just a chain, but now I,

I don't think so.

Well, it is
a couple links of a chain,

-so you got that part right.
-Okay.

NARRATOR:
One week ago,

while searching an area
on Lot 8,

where they are awaiting
a permit to excavate a large

buried metal anomaly
that was detected

earlier this year,

Marty and Gary unearthed
a large chain-like object

as well as part of
a suspected ancient tool.

CARMEN:
It's an unusual chain.

Very well made, too.

This chain was
not made for strength.

It was just made
to contain something.

Blacksmith-made?

CARMEN:
Yes, oh, yes.
Very old, very old.

This would be
a typical boom chain.

So, it would contain
something that

was floating in water, you know,
like, uh, boom logs

or some lumber
or something like that.

NARRATOR:
A piece of a boom chain?

Dating back to as early
as the Middle Ages,

boom chains
were often used to link

floating logs together
in bodies of water

in order to create barriers
to deter passing ships.

Is it possible that
this piece of a boom chain

was used as part of
some kind of defensive barrier

created by someone on
Oak Island centuries ago?

If so, for what purpose,

and could it be connected to

the large metallic anomaly

that the team hopes to
excavate in the coming weeks?

MARTY:
All right, well, how about...

Yeah, how about that?

CARMEN:
You can see that, uh, it's just
a slight bit of concave to it.

-MARTY: Yes.
-This is only one of two

things that I can think of
that this could be.

It's a hook driver for
driving down the iron bands

on barrels to tighten them.

-Yeah.
-The only other thing is

it could be a chinking iron

for driving oakum

into the planks
outside of a ship.

MARTY:
What is oakum? What is it?

Oakum is a mixture
of hemp and tar to seal

the boards around the ship.

-Okay.
-CARMEN: I still want to say

-this is a chinking tool.
-MARTY: Mm-hmm.

CARMEN:
It's the right size,
it's the right shape,

it's got the right dimensions
to it.

You can see that
something been hitting

-that for many, many times.
-MARTY: Okay.

How old do you think that is?

They've been using them since

the time of building ships,
so 1500s.

-Seriously? Wow.
-CARMEN: Yes.

MARTY:
That is quite remarkable.

MARTY:
How old do you think that is?

They've been using them
since the time

of building ships, so 1500s.

-Seriously? Wow.
-CARMEN: Yes.

MARTY:
That is quite remarkable.

NARRATOR: In the Oak Island
Research Center,

blacksmithing expert
Carmen Legge

has just informed
Marty Lagina and Craig Tester

that a metal artifact discovered

on Lot 8 could be related

to ship construction
and predate the discovery

of the Money Pit
by as much as three centuries.

MARTY:
Why on Lot 8? You know?
Nobody ever lived there.

Might've been some sort of
staging area there for repairs.

Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR:
Over the past five years,

the Oak Island team

has unearthed evidence

of numerous centuries-old wharfs

and potential shipping statios

at Smith's Cove,
adjacent to Lots 32

and 25,

and even in the
triangle-shaped swamp.

Is it possible that
the team has found another

location where
a major operation involving

large sailing vessels
visiting the island took plac?

And in an area
where they await a permit

to excavate a large,
mysterious metal object?

There's no evidence
of habitation there.

So, it becomes more
significant that we're

finding these things on Lot 8.

We need to,
once again, search through

that area to find answers,
concrete answers.

Something that helps us
with the overall treasure hunt.

Carmen, always a pleasure
and always, uh,

very enlightening. We got
some more pondering to do.

Thank you very much, sir.

Very good.
I want to see some more stuff.

-We'll find you some more stuff.
-Okay.

-MARTY: Cheers.
-CRAIG: Take care.

NARRATOR:
As Marty and Craig conclude
their meeting with Carmen Lege

in the research center,

and while the excavation in
the Money Pit area continues..

We're at 124.

-124?
-GARY: So, we're moving.

PETER:
That's good.

RICK: Dr. Lee Spence,
Tony, thank you for coming.

What we're about to
undertake is important.

NARRATOR: ...Rick Lagina,
along with his nephew Alex

and members of the team,
have gathered in the w*r room

to plan a highly anticipated
dive operation with Tony Sampson

and renowned underwater
archaeologist Dr. Lee Spence.

We do have some data, uh,
provided by CSR GeoSurveys.

Dr. Spence, you have had
an opportunity

-to look at some of that data.
-Very interesting.

NARRATOR:
With more than 50 years
of experience

as a treasure hunter
and underwater explorer,

Dr. Spence has located
more than 100 shipwrecks

and discovered more than
$50 million in artifacts

and treasure dating back
to as early as the 15th century.

RICK:
What we ask of Dr. Spence is

to look at that CSR data,

that mag data,
and see if you can suggest

to us what these targets
might be,

and whether or not you saw
anything worth, uh,

Tony diving on.

-So, Steve, if you could
bring that data up.
-Sure.

So, there are
the anomalies supplied

-to us from CSR.
-RICK: The reason

for the dive, obviously,
is to try to explain

-those two mystery
targets up there.
-TONY: Yeah, exactly.

And that's the
Frog Island Shoal one.

RICK:
As you can see,
there's a number of targets

around the island,
but those are probably

-the two most interesting.
-LEE: They should be.

TONY: We're heading towards
the Frog Island Shoal, mate.

NARRATOR:
One week ago, Rick, Marty,

and Craig commissioned

representatives
from CSR GeoSurveys Limited

to conduct a magnetometer survey

across the northern waters
surrounding Oak Island.

JACK:
Oh, oh.

-Is that a hit?
-COLIN: That's a hit.

-Yeah.
-NARRATOR: Incredibly,

the scans identified

a number
of compelling anomalies,

including one adjacent to Lot5

and also a massive object

near Frog Island,
to the east of Oak Island.

One that could potentially
be the wreck

of a large sailing vessel.

This area up here,

if I had done this mag and-and

I saw these targets,

I would think, "Okay,
looks like we have one or two

-shipwrecks right here."
-RICK: That's great.

MARTY:
Well, that's exciting.
Here's a man

who really knows
what he's talking about.

Dr. Spence thinks
that the anomaly

near Frog Island
is indeed a shipwreck.

For our purposes,
it could be a shipwreck

that helps us solve our mystery.

Here. This looks
like a shipwreck to me.

RICK:
That's one off of Lot 5?

Yes. Now, this is
very shallow water.

You can have shipwrecks
in extremely shallow water,

but y'all have
all of this geology here,

and so, there are lots
of things that it could be.

NARRATOR:
Although Nova Scotia law

restricts treasure hunting
in open waters, it is

the team's hope that,
if they can find

evidence of a wreck,
they can acquire a special

permit to investigate it
more thoroughly.

So, what-what's
your approach, then?

Looking at
the Frog Island Shoal one,

I would take
the handheld mag out.

And if you've got
a six-foot linear feature

down there, you know,
then the heart

starts to b*at a little bit
because it might be, might be

a cannon or an anchor
or something.

Well, I think all that
can be said at this point is,

-"Go find a shipwreck."
-Okay.
-Yes.

We will, indeed.

NARRATOR:
While Tony,
Dr. Spence, and members

of the team prepare
for their dive operation...

...later that afternoon...

That's about the biggest
hammer grab yet.

...Rick Lagina, along
with other members of the tea,

continue to monitor
the excavation

of the DH-82 shaft.

Two thumbs up?

RICK:
Hey, Andrew.

Where are we?

-Really?
-Yup.

Well, that's spot-on,


-What are we gonna see?
-It could be anything.

From this point forward,
it could be anything.

If there is a consensus about
the Dunfield excavation, is that

he didn't get as deep
as he wanted to,

and we have a rough idea
of where he stopped.

Yes.

As far as how deep
Robert Dunfield got

with his excavation,

it was right around 140 feet.

So, we're right on the cusp
of entering new territory,

and thus the possibility
that you'll see something

at this depth
increases dramatically.

-What's up?
-I can't get a bite.

ANDREW:
It's slipping off on you?

Yeah. It's terrible.

Hey, Rick.



and Danny's
in high pressures now.

-Really?
-ANDREW: Yup.

RICK:
Andrew mentions that

the pressures have gone up
on the oscillator.

That means we've encountered
something solid.

So, let's see what
the oscillator is on.

GARY:
Another sh*t at glory.

-Ready?
-Yup.

It's our moment to shine.

[beeping]

We got a signal here, though.

Just there.

The Peter push.

You got it out, mate.

All right,
let's see what we got.

What the heck is that?

It's crazy.

GARY:
What the heck is that?

A double-ended spike.

NARRATOR:
In the Money Pit area,

the team has just unearthed

a potentially important clue
at a depth of some



GARY:
Well, that's little, isn't it?

-Sail cloth needle.
-Yeah, could be.

NARRATOR:
A possible sail cloth needle?

Dating back in use
to the first century,

sail cloth needles were designed

for the purpose of making
and repairing the sails

of large ocean vessels.

Found a cool find, Charles.

NARRATOR:
In 2016,

while excavating the
four-foot-wide GAL-1 shaft

located just seven feet
southeast of DH-82,

Gary discovered
an identical artifact.

-What is it?
-Looks like a sail cloth
needle to me.

NARRATOR:
But just how would
sail cloth needles

come to be buried deep
in the Money Pit area?

Could it possibly be explained

by the theory held by some,

including the late Oak Island
landowner Fred Nolan,

that a massive sailing vessel
may have been dismantled

in order to construct
the original treasure shaft?

We're about to get to that


We got that coming up.

We could really do
with an Hail Mary find now.

Yup.

-Let's get stuck in, then.
-Yup.

GARY:
Come on, me beauty.

RICK:
When we're at the 150-foot
excavation depth,

it's exciting and troubling
at the same time because

this is the exact elevation

that Robert Dunfield
wanted to get to,

but then he lost the hole.

So, if there's
something to be found,

I should think it would be
within the next ten feet.

-PETER: Nothing?
-GARY: No.

Nothing. Not in that one.

No metals anyway.

No clay backfill in that one.

No. It's becoming quite clear
we're close to the bottom.

Rick, Andrew's coming in.

Did they just measure?

This could be
interesting, gentlemen.

-Hey, gentlemen.
-TERRY: There he is,
the man of the hour.

-How you doing, man?
-Good. How are you guys?

-Very good.
-ANDREW: Good, good.

I guess we got news.

I don't know if it's
the news we're looking for.

Michel's having
a little bit of a hard time,

he said,
with the material down there.

Very, very hard

for him to get a bucketful, but

it seems quite dense.

Uh, right now, we're at 153
with our excavation.

The can's acting
as if we were into rock.

-RICK: Sobering.
-ANDREW: We've kind of exhausted

-all the resources now.
-Right.

NARRATOR:
The news that the DH-82 shaft

has now encountered bedrock

at a depth of 153 feet--

the exact reported depth of

the fabled Chappell Vault--

is nothing short of devastating.

RICK:
I mean, to date,

DH-82 has been surprising

because we found artifacts
from previous digs.

We also found evidence
of some sort of tunnel.

And we've gone past
the 150-foot level,

and yet there's nothing
to be found.

It's disappointing,
to say the least.

We full--
well and truly expected

to find something at that depth.

You know,
you can try to advance the can,

but I don't think you're going
to, and then we'll call it.

-Yeah.
-TERRY: It's a bitter one.

A bitter pill to swallow.

-RICK: Thank you.
-Thanks, guys.

NARRATOR:
The team has now excavated three

ten-foot-diameter shafts
where water testing

in previously drilled
six-inch boreholes produced

high traces
of both silver and gold.

And yet

they have recovered
no further signs of treasure.

You know, it's disappointing,

but there's a lot of data.

I think what
we encountered here,

it all needs to be looked at,
and a proper plan developed.

The best is yet to come.

NARRATOR:
Now, with only a few remaining

weeks before the onset
of winter,

the team has
a critical decision to make:

where to excavate a fourth
and final steel-cased shaft

this year in the hopes of
recovering the treasure that

scientific evidence suggests
is somewhere deep below.

RICK:
I think we need
to take a step back

and try to come
to an understanding

of where to put the next can.

We've retrieved a lot
of information, and we need to

try to step back
and put it together.

Persistence and perseverance.

We're gonna get there.
I know it.

Sempre Avanti.

Always keep moving forward.

Thank you, guys.

-See you, Rick.
-Yup.

NARRATOR:
The following morning,

as Rick, Marty, and Craig

begin preparations

for how to proceed
in the Money Pit area...

TONY:
So, we're about
on the spot now, guys.

NARRATOR: ...Alex Lagina
and his cousin David Fornetti

join diver Tony Sampson and hs
team, along with underwater

archaeologist Dr. Lee Spence,

to investigate the waters

between Oak Island

and neighboring Frog Island.

TONY:
What do we got for depth, Ryan?



TONY:


-Sweet. Okay.
-Great.

Let's kit up and, um,
we're gonna splash this one.

We're gonna
drop the anchor, Jamie.

NARRATOR:
Tony and Dr. Spence

will be conducting a dive
in an effort to collect

more data regarding
the metallic anomalies

that were detected during
the recent magnetometry surve.

ALEX:
The target today is a cluster

of magnetometer hits

that could be a shipwreck
on Frog Island Shoal.

NARRATOR:
However, due to
environmental restrictions,

they will only be able
to perform a noninvasive

investigation of the ocean floor

using cameras
and handheld scanning devices.

-Okay, you ready to go?
-DAVID: Away we go.

NARRATOR:
If evidence of man-made objecs

or human activity is found,

the team can apply for a permt

to dig up, as well as remove
objects from the area.

Hopefully they get a hit soon.

NARRATOR:
Because the ocean floor is
covered with vegetation,

Tony Sampson is utilizing
an Aquascan DX-200

handheld magnetometer,

which emits magnetic pulses
capable of detecting iron

targets buried up to 23 feet
below the ocean floor.

[buzzing]

Surface to diver, we hear you.
Over.

[buzzing continues]

Surface to diver,
we hear you. Over.

NARRATOR: At a depth of some


Oak Island and nearby
Frog Island, diver Tony Sampsn

and underwater archaeologist
Dr. Lee Spence have just

confirmed that some kind
of a large metallic object

is buried beneath the thick
vegetation on the ocean floor.

Copy you, Tony.
That's great news.

Do you see anything sticking out
from the bottom?

Anything prominent? Over.

Copy. Fingers crossed
they see something.

Really.
We need permission to move

the silt and see what
they're actually finding.

To get a permit,
we need to lay eyes on

something underwater
that comes from a shipwreck.

A magnetometer hit
is not gonna be enough.

We need Tony
or Lee to see something.

A cannon, a coin,

timbers from a ship.

Something on the bottom.

NARRATOR:
Because the silt and vegetatin

is preventing Tony
and Dr. Spence from seeing

the metal object or objects
they've just detected,

they are now expanding
their search area

in order to look for
any visible debris that

could help determine
just what they have found.

[buzzing]

We hear you. Go ahead.
Over.

NARRATOR:
Another magnetometer hit?

Is it possible
that Tony and Dr. Spence

have found more evidence
of human activity

and possibly
the remains of a shipwreck?

If so, could it be connected
to the recent ship-related

discoveries that the team
has made in the Money Pit?

Copy that.
Nothing visible? Over.

Copy that.

Mag hits in the silt,
and nothing on the rocks.

Copy you.

We'll see you on the boat soon.
Over.

LEE: Well, there were actually
two areas out on that shoal

where we did find a reading
that was buried,

that could be part of a ship.

But so much of the bottom--
there were large rocks

and a lot of kelp growing,

and it could have easily

hidden a wreckage that's ther.

-Very interesting dive.
-Yeah.

I'm absolutely convinced that
there's a shipwreck there.

-Hey.
-Hey.

-Hi, guys. How you doing?
-How'd it look?

Well, you know, there was a reef
line there, we could see it.

-There was structure.
-Good.

But everything solid
had kelp on it.

And so that kelp could've
been hiding part of a shipwreck.

Like a fluke
of an anchor sticking up.

Right. So, you think
maybe further investigation.

Oh, I definitely think that.
No question about it.

I would not write off.

Right. Okay, well,
that's-that's good.

I mean, I-I would love it.
But whatever

we're getting is
below the silt.

-ALEX: Yeah.
-LEE: They're never going
to issue us a permit

because it's going to be buried
and we can't see it.

Right. Right.

All of the evidence, and even

the expert, is saying
there's a shipwreck here,

but none of it is enough
to get an excavation permit.

Our only hope, really, would
be to come back and hope that

just the natural action
of the tide

and maybe some storms uncover
some evidence of a shipwreck,

at which point we can

get an image of it and then

apply for an excavation permit.

It's great. This is
our most promising spot,

and if you go down there
and you think that it

-warrants further investigation,
I think that's good.
-Yeah.

Should we continue with the
shipwreck investigation?

Hundred percent.

So, a continued dive program

is warranted.

Late winter, early spring,
because that's when

the water clarity is best.

Well, I think, yeah,
we'll probably have

to keep Lee here for
another year, I think.

[laughter]

Okay, let's pull anchor
and get out of here, guys.

NARRATOR:
Later that afternoon...

MARTY: Most important thing
we do here in the w*r room

is talk about where
we're going to actually dig.

We have all
of Steve's data available.

NARRATOR:
...Rick and Marty Lagina,

along with their partner
Craig Tester

and other members of the team,

gather in the w*r room to decide

where to excavate
their fourth and final

ten-foot-diameter shaft
in the Money Pit area.

So, where do
you guys want to go?

I want to go back over
on the east side to-- I think

it's DE-11 is what I'm calling
kind of the center of it.

And it's outside
of the Hedden Shaft.

Hamilton supposedly
indicated he thought he went

through a tunnel
leading to the vault

and didn't realize it and
thought it was a flood tunnel.

NARRATOR:
During the summer of 1940,

treasure hunter
Erwin Hamilton and his team

built a six-by-six-foot
shaft extension down to a totl

depth of 170 feet that
originated from the bottom of

the 12-by-24-foot shaft that
his predecessor Gilbert Hedden

had constructed
just three years before.

At a depth of 150 feet,
Hamilton's crew intercepted

a four-foot-high tunnel
that they simply believed

to be a booby trap
and continued on, hoping to

encounter the Chappell Vault
just a few feet away.

Unfortunately,
they made no further discoveries

and abandoned the shaft's
construction soon thereafter.

-Hey, Jack, check this out.
-Whoa.

However,
last year, while searching

through the spoils
of a borehole known as OC-1,

which was excavated in 2019,
just northeast

of the Hedden Shaft

and Professor Hamilton's
extension,

the team recovered
a rose-head spike

from a depth below 150 feet
that was coated in a kind of

man-made cement substance,
similar to that

reportedly encasing
the fabled Chappell Vault.

If you had to pick
a spot where the vault

-is, is that it?
-CRAIG: Yeah, I would say so.

So, there's another piece of
information that helps support

this location.
I mean, you know we've

done a bunch of water testing.

We did have three wells
very close

to this proposed
caisson location

that did test
for precious metals

right in this area right here.

I'm pretty sure that is centered
around DE-11, isn't it, Craig?

-Right.
-RICK: Good location.

That's most curious.

NARRATOR:
Traces of gold
detected in the area

of DE-11, located some ten fet
to the east of where the team

has recently excavated
three ten-foot-diameter shaft?

Is it possible that Craig has
chosen a location that might not

only mark where the tunnel
they have previously discoverd

leads but also where they will
find the fabled treasure vaul?

I would go with,
with Craig's spot.

I think there's a pretty
broad consensus amongst us.

Well, yeah.
I-I-I say that we do that.

JACK:
D.M.T.-2.

-For my brother.
-STEVE G.: I like that.

That's fine with me.

Nobody's gonna argue
with you on that one.

Yep.

CRAIG:
Jack brought up the point,

he wanted to name it D.M.T.-2

for my son Drake Maxwell Tester.

He passed away five years ago.

You know,
obviously tugs at the heart,

uh, but I'm glad we're
naming another shaft after him.

-Okay, well, Steve, go pin it.
-Yep.

-MARTY:
We'll just stay the course.
-STEVE G.: Okay.

NARRATOR: As a new day
dawns on Oak Island,

and while representatives
from Irving Equipment Limited

and ROC Equipment make
preparations for the excavatin

of the D.M.T.-2 shaft...

RICK: This is certainly
a target of interest.

...Rick Lagina, along with
his nephew David Fornetti,

surveyor Steve Guptill, and Ok
Island historian Paul Troutman

arrive at Lot 8,

located on the western
side of Oak Island.

We need to find a hard target

that we can investigate
that can explain the CSR

-mag hits in this area.
-Yes.

NARRATOR: Earlier this year,
a magnetometry survey conductd

in this area
identified a large metallic

anomaly at an undetermined
depth.

One week ago,
Marty Lagina and Gary Drayton

discovered
a ship-repairing tool nearby

that could date back
to as early as 1500.

Let's clear
off the surface here.

NARRATOR:
Now, Rick and the team
will be conducting a follow-up

scanning survey
to better identify

what the buried anomaly could be
so that they can apply

for a government permit
to excavate it.

So, I'm gonna scan this way,
come back this way, scan

on the other side,
and maybe another side.

So, that way we have it in
both directions, and hopefully

-we see something
and anything that's disturbed.
-Okay.

In order to scan the area
of interest, Paul Troutman

is utilizing an OKM Gepard
ground-penetrating device.

It works by emitting
radio waves into the ground

that bounce off
potential objects, voids,

or man-made structures down to
a depth of as much as 130 fee.

The receiver then generates

both two-dimensional
and three-dimensional images

of any anomalies detected, as
well as their approximate depth.

[beeping]

Okay.

That's one run.

Let's save it here
and see what we have.

Okay, so let me show you
the features here.

So... so we have
a first anomaly at five feet,

-second anomaly at 19, 20.
-A larger one.

-Yes.
-And we can rotate this in 3D.

So, it looks like that's

a pretty linear feature
right there.

-RICK: Mm-hmm.
-It's kind of interesting.

-Yep. I agree.
-Yep.

NARRATOR:
Two possible anomalous
features at depths

of five and approximately


And in the same location where

a large metallic object
was detected earlier this yea?

Since the historical records
indicate that no

homesteads were ever
established on Lot 8, just

what could be buried here?

I hope this
is a man-made feature.

RICK:
I agree.

-You mind if I take a look?
-Sure, go ahead.

You can see here
this is Paul's walk path.

RICK:
Mm-hmm.

DAVID:
So I'd be curious to know,

so how far in was that anomaly?

You see there it's about...

seven and a half feet
into the walking path.

Right about where that rock is.

Right, so to me this one

anomaly down here is
the one that's more interesting.

If you look,
it does look like a square.

Almost kind of indicative
of a shaft,

when you think about it,
because the area around it

is raised, and this just
sinks right down in here.

I mean, it's
an interesting feature.

I can see a square depression.

Whether it's truly square
or not, it's a clear depression.

You can see
defined lines on the sides.

Steve?

Yeah, I agree with these two.

It looks very square
or rectangle-ish.

Could Paul, David and Steve's
speculation that they have

located a possible shaft
in the same location where metal

has also been detected
deep underground be correct?

If so, perhaps this data
will help the team

obtain a permit
to find out for sure.

MARTY:
This spot on Lot 8,

it's just a real intriguing area

because it also has all those
surface finds all around it.

It's worth a dig.

The depression seems to be
rectangular.

Why the large rock there?
There's always been the thought

that stones are markers
on this island. I don't know.

The only way
to truly tell is to dig.

-Yep.
-PAUL: Exactly.
-I agree.

We just keep moving.

PETER: Yeah,
first hammer grab's going in.

GARY:
Treasure's where you find it,

and I'd be happy
to find it in here.

RICK:
All indications are,
there might be something

in this area, but you guys got
to find it first.

ANDREW:
We're gonna find out.

NARRATOR: After completing
his investigation on Lot 8,

Rick Lagina joins
other members of the team

in the Money Pit area as
the excavation of their new,

ten-foot-diameter shaft, known
as D.M.T.-2, is now underway.

Some work was done here...

-Okay.
-...long ago.

We don't have a rationale
for it.

NARRATOR:
Based on water testing that
was conducted earlier this yer

in previously drilled boreholes,
which produced high trace

evidence of silver and gold,
the team is hopeful that with

D.M.T.-2 they will finally
intersect

the original treasure shaft.

It is also in
this very same location

where two years ago
they recovered possible

evidence of
the fabled Chappell Vault

at an approximate depth
of 150 feet.

-It's no match for us, Rick.
-See what these teeth can do.

-[laughter]
-All right, thank you both.

-Thanks, Rick.
-Be here in a few minutes.

Just give me a call
when the shiny stuff comes up.

Perfect.

RICK:
We have hopes for D.M.T.-2.

There are some
interesting clues that suggest

this area might be of interest.

-Here comes some more
of the Fellowship.
-Oh, yeah.

RICK:
And there's a historical
narrative that

strongly suggests something
was at that 150-foot level.

-Morning, guys.
-Morning, chaps.

-You guys ready for D.M.T.-2?
-Yep.
-Yep.

More importantly,
you ready to find some treasure?

-Always.
-Yep.

I mean, my big interest here is,

-that's where we got
that really high gold.
-Yes.

-Yeah.
-So, we'll be taking

samples to see if we get
that really high gold again.

Well, I'm rolling my sleeves up.
I want to find some gold today.

I want to see that gold dance.

Tell me about it.

It's about time, isn't it?
It's long overdue.

-It is long overdue.
-Yeah.

I believe
there's gonna be a Drayton

two-step coming up
after this can.

Based on the data,
I think we're close in

vicinity of
the historical Money Pit.

Each time we dig,
we try and contain ourselves,

but each time
we hope this is it.

I mean, we really, really do.

What's the rundown?

Well, the excavation depth's
right around six foot.

What's the target depth?

Well, we know Hamilton
found wood at 150.

But, look, you got to,
you got to let

the empirical evidence speak.

Right? Whatever
comes up out of the hole,

you find something, fasteners.

Or if we find wood,
adze-cut wood with dowels in it,

that would indicate
something far, far older.

Yeah.

RICK:
I'll be honest, I never thougt
that the puzzle would be

quite so grand and quite
so large and quite so complex.

But we're here
to make discovery.

We're here
to explain the mystery,

so we always are
hopeful because

I am 100% convinced

that the story,
the mystery, will get solved.

These next hammer grabs should
show up some, some timbers.

Yeah.

Today's the day, mate.

RICK:
Let's find something good.

NARRATOR:
For Rick, Marty,

Craig and their team,

a week that saw both
disheartening setbacks

and promising new developments

has ultimately ended with hope
that historic discoveries

may soon be recovered
not only deep below ground

but also in the waters
that surround Oak Island.

And now, as they begin
their most critical

and consequential dig so far,

one thing is for certain.

Nothing can break their
resolve to find the answers.

Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

There's just a big layer
of rocks

right across this whole area.

It's just like the paved area.

This looks clearly man-made.

We have got an hit.

I'm hoping it's a big
jewelry box down there.

Look at that.

It could be one of the stones

from a Masonic
high priest breastplate,

who had buried
the Ark of the Covenant

on Oak Island centuries ago.

GARY:
Holy schmoly! Heads up.

The vault, we're about