11x21 - Straight as an Arrow

[bunniefuu]

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

GARY:
Wow! Look at this.

CRAIG:
What do we have?

GARY: Check out
that circle of stones.

JACK: Right at the spot
where John Edwards theorized

we would find something.

ERIC: Here's the artifact.

DOUG: It was
found on the island.

RICK: If it is as old

as we believe it is, it
is quite remarkable.

CORJAN: In a castle
in the Netherlands,

I found some symbols

that I recognize
from the island.

I think the trip is warranted.

You're gonna find
the answers in Europe.

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.

♪ ♪

- SCOTT: Morning, Roger.
- RICK: Morning, Roger.

Hey, guys. How's it going?

- You tell us.
- Exactly.

Well, I wish I had
much better news

to tell you than,
than what I have.

NARRATOR: As a new
day begins on Oak Island

for brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina

and their team,

they find themselves
facing a daunting ordeal

in the Money Pit area

that is almost as old as
the 229-year mystery itself.

Water started coming in,

around 95 feet, where that...

Pretty well where
that old tunnel was.

And it happened so fast

that nobody really
had time to react.

It's the whole history
of Oak Island, right?

Yeah.

- RICK: The water.
- That's right.

Water. Water. Water.

That's-that's been
problematic for everyone.

And now it's a-a big problem
for advancing this agenda.

Yep.

NARRATOR: One week ago, the
team had every reason to believe

that they were close
to a major discovery

when representatives from
Dumas Contracting Limited

began a probe-drilling operation

at a depth of 106 feet
deep in the Garden Shaft

as they attempted to explore
a seven-foot-high tunnel...

A tunnel that runs westward

into an area known
as the Baby Blob,

where high-trace
evidence of gold, silver

and other metals
were recently detected

between 80 and


NARRATOR: But just hours
after the drilling operation began...

NARRATOR: salt water
suddenly rushed into the shaft

forcing the workers
to flee for safety...

and it left the team
wondering if they had struck

one of the legendary
man-made flood tunnels

that have thwarted
the efforts of searchers

in the Money Pit for
more than two centuries.

We're getting roughly
about 479 gallons per minute

coming in through
the bottom of the shaft.

It's a lot of water.

It's not just a... a drop
in the bucket there.

- Yeah.
- RICK: So, what are the...

What are the next steps?

What do you, what
do you intend to do?

Um, we need to kind of sit down

and-and figure out
what we want to do.

Maybe we can draw the
water down low enough

- that we can perhaps get the drill out.
- ROGER: Yeah.

That's what I want to do is

sit down with everybody
involved and-and just

- put a good plan together.
- Yep.

♪ ♪

Anything you need,
Roger, let us know.

- Let Scott know.
- Okay.

I'll talk to my people and
I'll get back to you guys

as soon as we put
something down pat.

Okey doke. We'll
let you get after it.

ROGER: Sounds good.

- RICK: Thank you, Roger.
- SCOTT: All right.

- ROGER: All right, thanks, guys.
- RICK: See ya.

NARRATOR: Later that morning...

RICK: Here's the thing.

I think we all believe

that the previous years'
research trips have

yielded benefits.

NARRATOR: Rick meets
with his partner Craig Tester,

Doug Crowell and researchers

Corjan Mol

and Emiliano Sacchetti

who are joining via
video conference.

So I think that it's important

to start the process

of researching a potential trip

to answer "who" and
to confirm "when."

Yeah.

RICK: And I think,

based on Professor
Gaspani's work,

we have a potential
point of beginning,

a potential "when."

NARRATOR: In the past year,

Italian archaeoastronomer
Professor Adriano Gaspani

has shared his
scientific research

that several megalithic
stone structures

on Oak Island's surface
including Nolan's Cross,

five pyramid-shaped
piles of stones on Lot 15,

and the stone triangle,
which pointed north

toward the original
Money Pit shaft...

were all created
by aligning the stones

with certain stars and the
Sun during the 13th century

by members of the
Knights Templar...

The Christian m*llitary order

who many researchers
have speculated

transported priceless
religious artifacts

from Europe and hid
them on Oak Island.

I think what we need to do to
support Professor Gaspani's work

is to look for cultural
context back in the Old World.

You know, we've had
some presentations

that maybe the Norse could
have been here around 1000.

So, if you could get some tie

between the Templars, Vikings,

I think that'd be
a good way to go.

Okay.

NARRATOR: Three weeks ago,

retired professor
Dr. Doug Symons

presented the team with
his published research

describing how members

of the Scandinavian
Viking culture,

who were known to have
established settlements

in Iceland, Greenland
and Northern Canada

more than 1,000 years ago,

assimilated with
the Templar order

during the 12th century
Crusades in the Holy Land

and may have helped the
Templars navigate to Oak Island

in order to hide their
sacred treasures.

I would ask both of you to
devote whatever resources

and the time you
can to this endeavor.

And we will meet again shortly.

EMILIANO: I think
you guys are right.

What I will be looking for is,

you know, religious places

that have stellar and
solar targets that are close

to what we know
about Nolan's Cross.

CORJAN: We have
a target date now.

So that's definitely

something we should investigate.

We can certainly look for, uh,

places in Europe
where we can find

any connotation with the
period that we're looking for.

So, yeah, I think, I
think it's a great idea.

Thank you both.
We'll-we'll be in touch.

We'll certainly
get this started.

Absolutely.

CRAIG: Thank you.

- RICK: Take care, guys.
- EMILIANO: Okay.

NARRATOR: While Rick
and Craig finish their meeting

in the research center...

GARY: Here we go.
The swamp doctor will

give us a diagnosis.

NARRATOR: Marty Lagina
and geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner

join other members of the team

in the northern
region of the swamp

where they have
made a potentially

important discovery.

Okay. What are we
up to today, gentlemen?

Well, quite honestly, Marty,

I feel like we found something
that's rather significant.

Steve's standing on
top of this boulder,

where at the bottom,

there's definitely
a disturbance here.

This is one of John Edwards',

the theorist's
spots in the swamp.

The way to unlock Nolan's Cross

is built into the cross itself.

NARRATOR: One week ago,

researcher John
Edwards pointed the team

to this location claiming

that based on its proximity to
the boulders of Nolan's Cross,

he believed that they
might find a buried treasure

connected to the
Knights Templar.

- That boulder was put there.
- That boulder was put there.

NARRATOR: And, incredibly,

as Billy Gerhardt
excavated the area,

a massive boulder was discovered

sitting atop a potentially
man-made stone formation.

So, we want to know whether
that thing was moved or not?

Yep.

NARRATOR: Now the
team has asked Dr. Spooner

to examine the site

in order to determine
if it is merely

a natural feature

or if it really could
be man-made.

So I want to roll
that boulder over

and see what's underneath it.

- Mm-hmm.
- MARTY: Okay.

Well, let's position
ourselves over there

and get after it.

IAN: Good to go.

MARTY: I'll tell you
what I find interesting

about John Edwards'
presentation.

How in the world are all
these unrelated theorists,

they keep focusing
in on Nolan's Cross.

Are you gonna try
and pick that up?

JACK: Oh, I think he is.

MARTY: If Nolan's Cross
is real from a standpoint

that it was
constructed by people,

that is a giant thing to me.

IAN: Really, what I
want to look at carefully

is this surface right here.

Okay. So this is
getting interesting here.

Here's a cobble
that I just turned over.

There's a stick up here

that obviously was in between
the boulder and the sediment.

So I think it's possible that
boulder was moved around.

JACK [chuckles]: Nice.

IAN: People were
moving around boulders.

MARTY: To what end?

IAN: So I think it's possible
that boulder was moved around.

And it looks like they
dug down into the till

- for some reason, too.
- Right.

NARRATOR: In the northern
region of the Oak Island swamp,

geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner
has just given his assessment

that a large boulder
and stone formation

that were uncovered one day ago

appears to be a
man-made feature.

IAN: If you wanted to move water

through this area,

if you wanted to
get drainage here,

you'd move stones,
you'd move things around.

You know?

MARTY: Yeah.

It just seems like
people were manipulating

or trying to change the
water level in the swamp

- for whatever reason.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: If Dr. Spooner
and Billy are correct,

that the area
around this feature

was artificially
drained in the past,

could that offer evidence
to support the theory

of researcher John Edwards,

who believes it may have
been created centuries ago

by members of the
Knights Templar?

- IAN: Ooh.
- JACK: What'd you find?

Right at the base of
the swamp material,

some nice cut wood.

- JACK: Oh.
- GARY: Oh, right.

IAN: Yeah, so I'll take that in,

we'll carbon-date that and
see what we come up with.

- GARY: Yeah.
- JACK: I think we have to continue digging around

and see if we find
any other oddities...

- Yeah.
- And hopefully, some metals, too.

Yep.

Okay, we'll let
you do your thing.

Steve and I are gonna
run, do some other stuff.

- GARY: Okay, mate.
- See you, guys.

GARY: Let's keep digging, mate.

NARRATOR: The
following morning...

RICK: Good morning, everyone.

I think everyone knows
the issues that confront us.

Yeah. Good morning,
uh, Rick, Marty and Scott.

NARRATOR: in the w*r room,

Rick and Scott Barlow
meet via video conference

with Marty Lagina

and representatives from
Dumas Contracting Limited

regarding the
mysterious flooding

that has taken place
in the Garden Shaft.

Roger has indicated
to us this morning

that with the 60-horse
pump, we have the ability

to maintain a continued
dewatered state in the shaft.

We just cannot quantify
what potential risks

that may be developing
at the bottom of the shaft

as a result of that
continued pumping of water,

sand and silt material
out of the shaft.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Using
an industrial pump

in the Garden Shaft,

representatives
from Dumas believe

that they would be able to
lower the water level in the shaft

all the way to the
depth of 106 feet.

However, they fear that
the constant pumping

of the water, sand
and silt at that level

could cause the structure
to become unstable,

and potentially lead to
a catastrophic collapse.

JEFF: We might be able to
maintain that pumping level

at a lower rate

and a... at a higher
elevation in the shaft.

And that's-that's an option,

when the drill is there
and we have a pump.

So, you're not pumping
it all the way down,

You're just maintaining,
uh, not down at 99 or 85,

you're-you're up in
the upper 40s, let's say.

- Yep.
- MARTY: Yes.

JEFF: So, there's an
option there to keep drilling

if it's feasible to drill or if
it's where you want to drill.

Okay, so, the prime driver
here is to make use of the shaft;

for our purposes,
the horizontal drilling.

Absolutely correct.

MARTY: I guess I'd like to try.

You know, let's
see what happens.

- Yep.
- RICK: That would be interesting,

because of the
offset chamber idea.

Right.

CRAIG: We've got a
huge open section, right?

So, right at 55,
it's like the bottom

dropped right out of 'er.

Might be a void down there.

NARRATOR: One year ago,

while conducting a
core-drilling operation

just west of the Garden Shaft,

the team encountered
a mysterious void

at a depth of nearly 55 feet.

LAIRD: Hello.

NARRATOR: And
several weeks later,

when the team ran a
test on a sample of wood

from the Garden Shaft
at that same depth...

EMMA: This one,

I detected gold.

Wow.

NARRATOR: This has
made the team speculate

that there could be
an offset chamber

that contains
valuables in that area.

Is it possible that,
by drilling horizontally

at a depth of some 50 feet
from inside the Garden Shaft,

the team still has a chance to
make a breakthrough discovery

in the Money Pit area?

RICK: I think we have to take

what the reality on
the ground is giving us.

Meaning, we still have options
to drill at a higher elevation

and take advantage
of what we can do.

The year is closing down.

Why would we not take advantage
of what we can accomplish

rather than trying
to worry ourselves

about what we're not
being able to accomplish?

SCOTT: Maybe we get
lucky and it's something

we can maintain
with a small pump.

Yeah.

MARTY: Fair enough.

I think there are some
exciting things ahead.

- Yep.
- Okay, so, we have an interim plan.

Okay.

- JEFF: Thank you.
- Bye-bye.

- MARTY: Thanks a lot.
- RICK: Bye.

NARRATOR: While Rick and Marty

finish their meeting
in the w*r room...

GARY: Battle plan is we're
gonna find some good stuff today.

- Let's have at 'er, then.
- All right.

NARRATOR: in the northern
region of the triangle-shaped swamp,

Craig Tester, along with
other members of the team,

continue excavating

a potentially
man-made stone feature

where researcher
John Edwards believes

something of historic
value could be buried.

JACK: That's a big tree.

GARY: Really leggy, isn't it?

BILLY: That's
the first tree stump

that we found up in this end.

- Yeah.
- GARY: Yeah, we found two layers

of trees over there.

It was another layer of
trees underneath the top one.

Mm-hmm.

So, maybe it suggests that
people cleared this section off.

GARY: Yep.

That's a big stump.

NARRATOR: Several weeks ago,

while digging near the
middle of the swamp,

Billy unearthed several
other tree stumps.

Because trees are not
able to naturally grow

in marsh environments,

these findings have
suggested to Dr. Ian Spooner

that the swamp may have
been artificially manipulated

hundreds of years ago.

Could that mean that
the team has found

even more clues that this
feature is, in fact, man-made?

If so, just what might they find
as they continue to excavate it?

CRAIG: Okay, guys.

- I'll head on out.
- GARY: All right, mate,

we'll give you a
shout if we find more.

- Okay.
- JACK: See you, Craig.

JACK: That's a big timber.

[strains]: Oh, yeah.

That's a big log.

That's definitely been chopped.

Almost too straight to be
growing in the swamp, right?

That's a good point.
This was brought here.

JACK [strains]: Oh, yeah.

That's definitely been
chopped several different times.

Yeah, that was brought
here for something.

I'll toss it aside.

[grunts]

NARRATOR: In the northern
region of the Oak Island swamp,

Billy Gerhardt, Jack Begley

and Gary Drayton have
just uncovered more evidence

of mysterious human activity...

- What's that piece there, Jack?
- Oh, that one's cut, too.

NARRATOR: near a
believed man-made stone feature

that was buried beneath
the water, sludge and muck.

BILLY: You see how
it's lined with rocks?

JACK: Yep. I'll walk
around and take a look.

BILLY: I'll bail
that out a little bit

and see if we can
see a little more.

JACK: Yeah, this
is definitely rocks.

Yeah.

That looks muddy there,
but it's rocks just underneath.

- Mm-hmm.
- Certainly looks like a rock-lined depression.

- JACK: Yeah.
- So, somebody dug a pit here, I would say.

Well, let me hop down
and take a look at it.

- [grunts] Ah...
- But this looks very much rock-lined.

You know, I didn't go around
the edges too much but...

- 'cause I wanted to leave it...
- Yeah, I can feel the rocks

under my feet here, and...

Yeah.

That's rocks over there.

Ah, they do go
all the way around.

Yeah, it looks like
somebody put the rocks here

to keep the edges
from falling together.

Well, this seems purposeful.

-It-it really looks

- like it was made by humans.
- Yep.

What's interesting for
me is that this feature

is where John Edwards
theorized we would find something.

Yep.

NARRATOR: A
rock-lined depression,

in the northern
region of the swamp?

If Billy Gerhardt is correct

that it may be covering
a previous excavation,

might it help
validate the theory

of researcher John Edwards,

who believes a
priceless treasure

connected to the Knights
Templar could be buried here?

Oh, wow, look at this.

Circular group of rocks.

This is crazy.

We came here because
of John Edwards' theory,

and I believe we found
something unique...

That is very, very cool.

A hidden stone feature
that has the potential

to be very special.

It's incredible.
That's what this is.

- Lots of things to consider.
- One thing for sure,

we have definitely
got to stand down now,

'cause this looks
really, really old.

JACK: And we need
to get Rick down here,

and I think the guys need
to come take a look at this.

BILLY: Agreed. Maybe they'll see

- more than we do.
- GARY: Yeah.

All right, mate,
let's go tell the guys.

I'll reposition.

- Yeah. Bloody good digging, Billy.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: While
Billy, Gary and Jack

finish their investigation in
the swamp on Oak Island...

You can't tell the
Oak Island story

without all the people who have
been involved over the years.

And Paul worked, uh, quite a
bit with Dan Blankenship, right?

NARRATOR: Rick Lagina and
Oak Island historian Doug Crowell

have traveled some


to the city of
Halifax, Nova Scotia.

After several months
of correspondence,

Rick and Doug have arranged
to meet with Eric Wroclawski,

the son of the late
Oak Island researcher

Paul Wroclawski, who
passed away in 2014.

Having established
close ties in the 1990s

with Rick and Marty's late
partner Dan Blankenship,

Paul Wroclawski
conducted research

into the earliest known
inhabitants on Oak Island

and also collected
certain discoveries

that were made by
previous searchers

who attempted to solve
the treasure mystery.

- Hi, Eric. How are you?
- Hey, Eric. -Good.

NARRATOR: Today, Rick and Doug

have been given permission
by Paul's son, Eric,

to view one of
those discoveries.

RICK: Well, first and foremost,
Eric, I want to say thank you,

uh, for the invite to come down.

Your father played a big role

and was very helpful
in getting us acclimated

not only to the island
and the locations

he felt were very important,

but also help us developing

a further understanding
of-of the mystery.

Thank you, Rick.
That means a lot.

I-I was always impressed
with the work of your dad

because he really took an
investigative approach to it.

And he looked at every piece
of minutia about the island

and that-that was
really impressive.

Well, that sounds
like him all right.

[laughter]

Well, here's the artifact
that you've come to see.

DOUG: That's much smaller
than I thought from the picture.

- Really?
- DOUG: Yeah.

- RICK: Well, Doug...
- DOUG: Oh, wow.

- RICK: You've wanted to see that for a long time.
- DOUG: Yeah.

- You can take it out of the bag if you'd like.
- DOUG: Oh, can I?

Please. Yeah.

Wow.

- Look at that.
- Yeah.

ERIC: I know Robert Dunfield Jr.

Was the one to
give it to my father.

But, uh, I don't know much more
about the backstory than that.

Mm.

I remember it was so
important to your dad.

He had developed a
rapport with Dunfield Jr.

The story is that
the grandfather

had found the items.

Hmm.

DOUG: We don't know whether

it was found in wood
that was brought up

out of, uh, Robert Dunfield's
dig in the Money Pit,

or was found somewhere
on the surface of the island.

Right.

NARRATOR: In November of 1965,

California geologist
Robert Dunfield

conducted the largest excavation

that has ever been attempted
in the Money Pit area.

Using a 70-ton crane,

he dug a massive


reaching a depth of 140 feet.

But unfortunately, due
to mysterious flooding,

just like the Laginas are
currently experiencing,

the pit caved in and no
treasure was recovered.

That's great.

NARRATOR: However,
could this artifact,

which Robert's
grandson eventually gave

to Paul Wroclawski,
be an important clue

that could still help solve
the Oak Island mystery?

You know, when I first
saw a picture of this,

it was, uh, suggested
that it was a crossbow bolt.

- Oh, really?
- DOUG: Yeah.

And that really was, uh,
intriguing to me because

usually crossbows,
you think older,

medieval-type of period of time.

DOUG: Usually
crossbows, you think older

medieval-type of period of time.

NARRATOR: At the
home of Eric Wroclawski

in Halifax, Nova Scotia,

Rick Lagina and Doug Crowell

are examining a curious artifact

that was reportedly found
on Oak Island in the 1960s

by the late treasure
hunter Robert Dunfield.

Supposedly, there were three
of them found on the island.

One-one was
given to your father.

And we don't know where
the other two are now.

RICK: If it is as old as we
are being led to believe it is,

- it's quite remarkable.
- Right.

NARRATOR: The crossbow
is a handheld w*apon

designed to sh**t arrows

and was first documented in
China and Greece around 500 BC.

However, nearly


crossbows revolutionized
warfare across Europe

and in the Holy Land
during the Crusades.

I really hoped that
someday I would see this.

So, it's really cool
to be sitting here

at the table with you now.

It certainly is more interesting
than I even imagined.

NARRATOR: Is it possible

that a discovery made
by Robert Dunfield

more than 50 years ago

could help Rick, Marty,
Craig and the team

identify just who may have been
behind the Oak Island mystery?

RICK: It's certainly
nothing similar

to any artifact we
have found on the island

- at least not to date.
- DOUG: No.

And that's what
makes it so intriguing.

- ERIC: That's really interesting.
- DOUG: Yeah.

We'd like to find a way to...

um, do some analysis
of it on our own.

Obviously, it would be
noninvasive, non-destructive.

Yeah. I would be
very interested in that.

And I think, uh, that's what
my father would've wanted.

My father was very passionate.

So, I think anything to
really help, uh, tell that story

would be... would be good.

Um, why don't we go back
and-and come to an understanding

amongst ourselves
and, uh, develop

some sort of strategy
to take the item

- and have it looked at.
- ERIC: Of course.

We always address
the Oak Island mystery

with a who, what, when,
where, why and how.

Maybe this will cr*ck
a couple of the W's.

Wow.

Is it okay if I take
a few pictures?

Yeah. Go right ahead, Doug.

RICK: You can't but say
this object is incredibly curious

because it was
found on the island.

It's certainly quite old.

We have not found
anything else like it

even remotely on the island.

And we have the ability
to understand it further.

It's a beautiful
artifact. It really is.

You know, all we can say is

thank you for being
so open-minded

and we'll get back to you.

Sure thing, Rick.
We'll be in touch then.

- Okay.
- DOUG: That's great.

- RICK: Thank you, Eric.
- ERIC: Yeah. Of course.

NARRATOR: Later
that afternoon...

- RICK: Hey, guys.
- GARY: Hey, chaps.

What do we have?

Check out that circle of stones.

NARRATOR: having
returned to Oak Island,

Rick, along with Craig Tester

and lead archaeologist
Laird Niven

arrive at the northern
region of the swamp

to examine the
mysterious stone feature

that was uncovered
earlier today.

JACK: This is just what was here

- when Billy bailed the water out.
- Yeah.

So, this was in place?

You didn't pull out
any rocks or anything?

Basically, I just
cleaned the edges off.

We didn't really dig any.

We figured it was
enough of a feature

that we needed to
call you guys over

and give us a better
evaluation of what this is.

BILLY: Yeah. It's almost
like somebody engineered it.

You can see the
one-over-two, two-over-one.

I see what's described

as a one-over-two,
two-over-one construct.

And it would only
reinforce to me

that this is an intentional,
purposeful construct.

But we need to do more work
to understand it completely.

JACK: But no metals.

No metals, but we didn't find
any metals at the paved area

- or on the stone roadway.
- True.

GARY: So, maybe
it's an older construct.

BILLY: At face value,
it just suggests to me

that people may have
been on Oak Island

a little bit before
what we thought.

Did you check that board?

Is that a stake there?
Go get that one.

Should be a... no, well,
you can go down there.

JACK: That's
definitely been cut.

Yeah. And there's-there's
more in here.

It's loaded with wood
all along this line.

Let's see that one.

You got a few of these?

These are... these are
kind of like what Fred found.

- The big, long strokes with an a*.
- CRAIG: Mm-hmm.

Maybe this is a
candidate for C-14.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: During one
of his many investigations

of the triangle-shaped swamp,

Fred Nolan discovered several
uniform lines of wooden stakes,

which were carbon-dated
to as early as the 1500s.

Fred was convinced
they were survey markers,

used centuries ago
to help artificially create

the brackish bog.

Is it possible that
the Oak Island team

has found a similar stake?

At a site believed
to mark a location

where treasure could be buried?

But it doesn't
seem natural to me.

D-Do you think
this is natural, Laird?

I don't think that's natural.

- GARY: This is really cool.
- RICK: What does it mean?

This might not be the
only feature around here.

You know, my thought is to
have Dr. Spooner come out

- and maybe try to core through it somewhere.
- Yeah.

CRAIG: And see
what he comes up with.

I don't think we should do
anything more here physically

until Dr. Spooner comes in.

CRAIG: If people were here

and building something
at John Edwards' site,

we've really got to be careful
when we're examining it.

It may tell the story
of who was there.

It could be a game changer.

GARY: Another thing we should do

is get Steve Guptill in here
and pin some of these rocks

and see how the
elevation is on this

- compared to the paved area.
- CRAIG: Yep.

Let's see what the
data's telling us.

There still could be something
waiting for us down there.

JACK: We haven't
even seen the bottom yet.

RICK: Well done, guys.

GARY: All right, Billy,
I brought the cavalry.

BILLY: That's who we
were waiting for, Gary.

All the answers.

[laughter]

NARRATOR: After exposing

more of what appears to
be a man-made stone feature

in the northern region of
the triangle-shaped swamp...

This is a unique area

with the bowl-shape
rocks on the sides.

NARRATOR: the Oak Island
team has once again invited

geoscientist Dr. Ian
Spooner to examine it

and also collect evidence
in order to determine

just when it may
have been constructed.

There's an awful lot of
small, flat, stackable rocks.

Like somebody
would've handpicked

if they were trying
to make an edge.

And it was most likely built

when it wasn't a swampy
environment over here yet.

- I think almost certainly.
- Mm-hmm.

- That's 1700s or earlier.
- IAN: Right.

In my opinion,

this is a-a man-made feature.

Somebody cleared this area out

and constructed a ring of rocks.

Reinforces that it wasn't
a swamp at that time.

But it was a place of activity.

The thing is this is
unrecorded activity.

This is activity that's
not in any history books.

And it may tie
into the Money Pit.

CRAIG: Steve, elevation-wise,
how does this compare

to the other parts of the swamp?

It is collecting fresh
water really quick.

And actually that's a good
point. I'm gonna grab the spot

it's coming in, just to mark

where we are
getting fresh water.

NARRATOR: In an
effort to determine

if this feature could
match the date

of any other man-made features,

which the team has
uncovered in the swamp,

surveyor Steve Guptill
is using his GPS device

to plot the elevation
of the flat stones

covering the topsoil.

Actually, at the base of
that, we're about a foot

under sea level, which
matches the paved area as well.

JACK: Oh!

NARRATOR: The
stone-lined depression?

Matching the elevation
of the massive paved area

that was uncovered back in 2019?

And which Dr. Spooner
dated to as early as 1200 AD?

If this feature was created
during the same era,

could it be covering a
treasure that is connected

to the medieval order
of the Knights Templar,

as suggested by
researcher John Edwards?

What do you need to do?

I wouldn't disturb
this pit itself.

I mean, I'd just
like to take a core.

- It just, it only needs to be that long.
- BOTH: Yeah.

GARY: That's great.
You-you never know what's

gonna come out of the samples.

You never know.

RICK: You never know.

NARRATOR: Although Rick,
Craig and the team are eager

to find out what might lie
buried beneath this feature,

Dr. Spooner will first
collect and analyze

a core sample of organic
materials in order to verify

that it truly could date back
more than eight centuries.

RICK: Not surprisingly, we have
found another construct and I think

it's an important,
uh, assessment.

Where do we go from here?

We're gonna have to
wait and let the data gather.

As the process
continues, certainly,

we will uncover it and...

we all look forward
to seeing what it is.

This is very curious.

The timeline here is
the most interesting thing

at this moment in time.

How long ago? How far back?

Try to determine a timeline

for this feature based
on Dr. Spooner's sample.

But there's still a
lot of work to do, so...

you guys stay here,
do a disciplined, uh,

dig over on this area.

There's work for everyone.

So let's split up

and finish out the day strong.

Divide and conquer, mate.

RICK: There you go.

NARRATOR: While the
investigation proceeds

near the stone
feature in the swamp...

later that afternoon
in the w*r room...

- Hey, everybody. -Hello.
- Hello.

-Hi. -RICK: So we...

talked about the,
the opportunities

of going overseas on a
historical research trip.

NARRATOR: Rick,
Marty and Craig

have reconvened with members

of the team for a video
conference with researchers

Emiliano Sacchetti, Corjan Mol

and Judi Rudebusch.

We talked with
Corjan and Emiliano

and asked them to
come up with some ideas

regarding the possibilities

of a trip to Europe:
where we might go,

who we might see,

and what our objectives are.

So, let's hear from Corjan.

- Corjan?
- CORJAN: Yeah.

After, uh, our
last conversation,

I think I-I've found

something, uh,
something amazing.

So we have some
places here that appear

to have served as hideouts

for Knights Templar.

You know, maybe on their way

east to west through Europe

to... who knows? North America.

One can be found in
a stone quarry system

that has been mined from
Roman times onwards.

There's tunnels 40 feet high

and there's a 14th
century section

that has hundreds
of charcoal drawings.

A second site is
the catacomb/crypt

of a ruined castle
in the Netherlands

that has a 30-meter-wide wall

that is full of
Templar inscriptions.

- It's quite something.
- [chuckling]

And the catacombs,

I found some symbols

that I recognized from, uh,

from our research,
uh, on the island.

RICK: That's really cool.

CORJAN: In the ruined castle
with the catacombs, I found

some symbols that I
recognize from the island.

Excellent.

NARRATOR: In the w*r room,

researcher Corjan Mol

has just informed Rick,

Marty and members of the team

that a castle in the Netherlands

may contain critical clues

connecting the medieval
order of the Knights Templar

to the Oak Island mystery.

What Corjan has just laid
out is exceedingly interesting.

So we almost have to go there.

Exactly. It's-it's
quite something.

RICK: So, Emiliano,
if you'd like to weigh in

where your research
has taken you.

EMILIANO: Yeah, of course.

Keeping in mind
what Gaspani said

about possible European
origin of the Nolan's Cross,

I found an interesting abbey.

It's called the Morimondo Abbey.

It's, uh, near Milan.

It was one of the first

that the Cistercians
established in Italy.

We're talking about 1134.

And it's interesting because
by the end of the 12th century,

that abbey produced
over 100 manuscripts,

among which there are
astronomical manuscripts.

- Oh, wow.
- EMILIANO: If we want

to start from the places

where that body of
knowledge was produced...

Astronomy, astrology,
sacred geometry...

I think we should start
with a Cistercian abbey.

Absolutely.

MARTY: Aren't the
Cistercians sort of fingered

as the kind of
the link between...

maybe the Templars
and modern-day Masons?

Yes.

There is a solid
connection there.

Interesting.

NARRATOR: Founded in 1098,

the Order of Cistercians was

a group of Catholic
monks and nuns

who constructed megalithic
abbeys throughout Europe

and made many
advancements in science,

including astronomy,

as well as agriculture,

architecture

and even hydraulic engineering,

such as underground
water passages.

One of their most
prolific leaders

was Bernard of Clairvaux,

who also helped establish

the order of the
Knights Templar.

EMILIANO: So I just talked
with Professor Gaspani today

and he confirmed me
that he would be available

to meet you guys because
he has some new information.

He has been studying
new alignments

and he would like to share

some of his analysis with you.

RICK: I love the idea.

Professor Gaspani's work, I
think is incredibly important.

And we need to affirm it.

This was all about east to west.

If there's no east to west,

there is no old-world
mystery here

and in order for it to
be an old-world treasure

on this tiny island
in the North Atlantic,

then there had to have been

transatlantic voyages from
the Old World to the New World.

- Yep.
- RICK: So I think

we go to Northern Italy and then

given what Corjan has expressed

in the places to go and see.

- So, the Netherlands...
- Yep.

I think that's the journey.

- Oh, that would be great.
- MARTY: Yeah.

So, Rick, I think

one old guy on the trip is
enough, so that'd be you.

Gee, thanks for that.

[laughter]

- You're not that far behind.
- MARTY: I know.

- That's why I can say it.
- Fair enough.

I mean, I think it's
important to continue

the search agenda here on
the island and I will do that.

But all of us here on the island

will be keenly interested
in your progress.

So let's talk as it evolves.

- Let's make it so.
- We will make it so.

- MARTY: Hear, hear.
- RICK: Well, then,

I think we have a
commitment around the table

to do this very thing.

I think there's a lot
of work to do and I,

again, I thank Corjan and
Emiliano and Judi and Doug

and everybody around the table

and those out back
for-for believing in it.

But we've got a lot
of homework to do.

And so I think we
need to get after it.

Thanks, everybody.
Appreciate it.

And we will be in touch.

EMILIANO: Thank you.

NARRATOR: For Rick, Marty,

Craig and their team,

a week that began with
a devastating setback

has now ended with renewed hope

that they are closer
to the ultimate answers

than ever before.

Could new discoveries
await them in Europe

that will help prove
beyond a shadow of a doubt

that something
of priceless value

really does lie
buried on Oak Island?

If so, then perhaps

the most critical question is...

can they evade the
shadow of a deadly curse

that is believed
to have protected it

for more than two centuries?

Next time on The
Curse of Oak Island...

- MOYA: I found something.
- MARTY: This is special.

How old does this go back?

There are examples
back in medieval times.

ALEX: We were looking for
connections to Oak Island here in Italy.

- Wow.
- PETER: Oh, wow.

DOUG: Templars
built this castle.

RICK: Those are symbols
we have on Oak Island.

DOUG: This is connected
to Nolan's Cross.

CORJAN: This would
have been an ideal hideout.

Here we are, guys.

RICK: Wow, look at that.

They took their treasure here,

on their way up to Oak Island.

Oh, wow. That is a lot.