02x08 - Peter Easton's Plunder

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR:
Tonight...

on Beyond Oak Island...

RICK: We have a site in
Newfoundland that we believe

might be associated
with pirate Peter Easton.

DUMOND: He had upwards
of 5,000 men working for him.

There was no navy in the world
that could stop them.

They were the pirates
of pirates...

Is that what was going on here?

There's cannon and there's
shipwrecks out there.

MATTY:
So, I guess the hope would be,

where there's cannon,
there may be treasure?

Exactly.

Oh, wow!

All the while
we were growing up,

my brother and I were fascinated
with finding treasure.

RICK:
Pirate treasure,

cursed treasure.

Civil w*r gold.

- (laughter) - Since then,
our work on Oak Island

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

- Whoa.
- Waiting to be explored.

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

X marks the spot, right there.
Brilliant.

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

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

- RICK: And who knows...
- GARY: I got it.

Maybe we can help them
with their search.

MARTY:
Not only in America.

Wow. That is gold.

- RICK: But all over the world.
- Yeah!

MARTY:
Beyond Oak Island.

♪ ♪

RICK: So, this is
a early birthday present,

- if you will, for you.
- Well, thank you.

Because these
two gentlemen are here.

This is,
I needn't introduce Tony.

MARTY:
No, no, not Salty Dog.

RICK:
This is Bill Smith.

- MARTY: Marty.
- Nice to meet you, man.

RICK:
And to be honest, Bill is

probably the foremost researcher

and historian who
is incredibly invested

in the search for answers
regarding Peter Easton.

- Oh, Peter Easton!
- Your pirate.

I love that guy,
I just love that guy.

So do I.

It's the greatest pirate story

that's yet untold.

NARRATOR:
Born in Somerset, England

in 1570, Peter Easton stood out

as a naval warfare prodigy

from his earliest days
as a sailor.

Peter Easton
rose through the ranks of

the Royal Navy very quickly,

rising to Admiral.

In 1602,
Queen Elizabeth commissioned

Peter Easton to be
a privateer in the Royal Navy

and sent him to Newfoundland

to protect their fishing fleets.

SIMON:
Privateers are essentially

mercenaries on the sea
that have been given a contract

called a letter of marque,
where they are plundering ships

specifically
for a certain government.

For example,
you had loads of sailors

who were charged by the English
to rob Spanish ships,

and they could keep 80%

of all the loot
that they would steal.

NARRATOR:
But on June 23, 1604,

when England's King James I

ended hostilities with Spain,

he also ended his
country's use of privateers.

Many experienced crews
soon turned to piracy.

Ships heading to Europe
from the New World,

loaded with
all manner of treasure,

usually sailed via
the North Atlantic current,

bringing them past New England,

Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.

This presented a lucrative
opportunity for piracy,

one that Easton used
to make himself

one of the most
feared men on the seas.

DUMOND: His fleet grew and grew
and grew to the point

that he had upwards of
5,000 men working for him,

over 40 ships.

There was no navy,
army in the world

that could
stop them at that time.

NARRATOR: With
Newfoundland's Harbour Grace

as his base of operations,

the former admiral
used his genius

for naval warfare strategy
and tactics

to capture ships
and treasure around the world.

In less than a decade,
he became one of the most

successful and wealthiest
pirates of all time.

When I heard you gentlemen
speak of Peter Easton,

my thought turned to my brother,
because Peter Easton is his guy.

Yeah, well, first of all,
I'd like to...

Peter Easton's my guy.
(laughs)

You're gonna have
to arm-wrestle over that.

MATTY:
I'm wondering, before we get

too much deeper into this,

how these two pirates
ended up together.

Yeah, I was gonna say,
the piracy's still,

is still here.

It was a book and a beer.

BILL:
We both knew

- Dan Blankenship.
- Oh, okay.

And I was on another
pirate quest about 15 years ago,

and he gave me a book
on 16th century Spanish mining.

So, I met up with Tony

to give it back to him,
and he asked,

"What are you doing with a book

on 16th century Spanish mining?"

And, uh, I said I was
into Peter Easton,

and then it started.

We haven't stopped talking
about Easton or pirates since.

NARRATOR:
A longtime collaborator

with Rick and Marty Lagina

on their search to unearth
all of the secrets

and treasure
related to Oak Island,

Tony Sampson is originally
from New Zealand, and has worked

as a paramedic and professional
diver throughout Canada.

TONY: I started diving
when I was 17 years old.

It's taken me all
over the world,

to all kinds of different sorts
of diving: shipwreck diving,

rebreather diving,
hard hat diving,

and I've ended up
here in Atlantic Canada,

shipwreck heaven of the world.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR:
Bill Smith grew up

in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland

and has been a chiropractor
in clinical practice

for more than 25 years.

But he has always held

an enduring passion
for the history

and legacy of Peter Easton.

Over the years,

he has studied numerous letters
and documents

related to the fabled
pirate and, at one point,

even traveled to Ireland to
conduct his extensive research.

I've read everything
that I can get my hands on

with respect to Easton.

And I started from everything in
the 1500s and came forward.

What attracted me
about the Peter Easton story

was a wonderful book that
I read about 20 years ago,

and it tells a story
of this infamous pirate

who was never caught.

So I've been involved
with studying Peter Easton

and pirates for
the better part of 20 years.

And it's my hope
that we'll be able

to learn more about
Peter Easton,

and see if that brings us
to the next step in the road.

The treasures are every
little find along the way.

RICK:
So, they have

a site in Newfoundland

that we believe might be
associated with Peter Easton.

You mentioned Harbour Grace.
Is that the hard target

that you've come here today
to talk about?

- Is that the operation?
- BILL: Uh, yes.

When Easton sailed
into Harbour Grace harbor,

in 1612,

he had four ships that were
a little bit tattered,

and there was
three French Basque ships

that came out to meet him.

Did the Basques think

they were gonna take
these ships?

They were, they were
the pirates of pirates...

Is that what was going on here?

Well, I don't think
they had any clue

- who they were going out to meet.
- (laughter)

NARRATOR:
In the early months of 1612,

with Easton plundering ships
far from Newfoundland,

rival French Basque pirates
crossed the Atlantic

from the Bay of Biscay,
and captured Easton's fortress

at Harbour Grace.

When Peter Easton returned,

a violent confrontation
quickly ensued.

Easton came
across the French ships

and immediately
engaged them in battle.

And this became
a very large battle.

DUMOND:
While they were fighting,

Easton was forcing them
to the side of the harbor.

This would have taken
them out two ways: one,

they go near the islands,
they run aground on the rocks,

and they sink.

Two, they go straight,
they get caught on

the sandbar, where they
would have been sitting ducks.

NARRATOR: Although
most records of the battle

have been lost to history,

it is known that Easton
was the victor,

and he retook his fortress.

There were, however, reports

that at least one of his ships

was sunk during the conflict,

resulting in a vast cache

of recently plundered treasure
being lost

at the bottom of the harbor.

Regardless, Easton was, by then,

an incredibly wealthy man.

Later that year,

seeking a new life to enjoy
his accumulated riches,

he disbanded his forces

and retired to the nation of
Savoy, just east of France,

with a fortune estimated
at £2 million.

Four centuries later, in 2016,

two cannons of unknown origin
were identified

in Conception Bay,

approximately ten miles east
of Harbour Grace.

They were quickly declared

a protected archaeological
dive site.

But Tony and Bill believe

they may have belonged
to Peter Easton,

and could mark the location

of the treasure
he reportedly lost in 1612.

So, there's sites out there

where we know there's artifacts.

So there's cannon and there's
shipwrecks out there.

What we don't know, and what
needs more investigation,

is, could these have been
linked to Peter Easton?

If we can target the area

where we know there is wrecks
and there is cannon,

maybe we can identify those
as part of that fleet.

MATTY: Wow, so I
guess the hope would be,

where there's cannon,
where there are ship parts,

- there may be treasure?
- BILL: Exactly.

How much you think
might be missing or to be found?

BILL:
We could find any amount,

and that could reveal itself
as gold doubloons,

pieces of eight.

TONY:
You know, you've got to think

that a treasure ship

in those days, you know, if you
put a dollar figure on it,

in today's money,
it could be anything from

$350 million

to almost a billion dollars.

MARTY:
Yeah,

I'd heard that number before,

a billion for a well-laden
Spanish galleon

returning from the New World,

a billion was
an easy number to reach.

And you're telling me
that Peter Easton took

- dozens of such ships, right?
- That's absolutely correct.

- Well, there you go.
- Yeah.

All right, so what's the plan?

So, what we're
looking at, Marty,

so we've got Harbour Grace here.

And then we're going to make
our way across

this bay, all the way over
to Bauline here.

We know of these
cannon around that rock.

And if we can have a look
at those, maybe we can work out

what period they fit in,

and maybe they were
part of this Basque fleet.

This location
where these cannon,

- they're known, right?
- Yeah.

Yeah, it's been dove before.

But, you know, with the icebergs

and with the violent storms,

stuff gets turned over
in the North Atlantic

every year,
and new stuff gets found.

But we've got
a world-class diver,

and we've got some very talented
marine archaeologists

who might be able to shed
a new perspective.

TONY: And, who knows,
you know, maybe when we're

swimming out there this time,
you might just get that glint

of the gold coins
started at $350 million.

MATTY:
I would love

to see that in person.
I don't know

if you need dive help or what,

but I, I volunteer.
(laughs)

Who wants to come...
Who wants an adventure?

- We both want to come.
- Oh, okay.

- But that's a problem.
- All three of us want to come.

Yeah, I mean both of us.

He's going to go for sure,
I mean.

(laughter)

Well, he's our man.

We send him on every
one of these missions.

I'll say this, Rick,
you take the first one,

and when they zero in...

(laughter)

I'll take the next one.

So, you go, big brother.

Excellent, I'm super excited!

(cheers)

Peter Easton, here we come.

♪ ♪

MATTY:
Man, this is beautiful.

RICK: It's more than beautiful,
it's stunning.

NARRATOR:
One week after the meeting

in the Oak Island w*r room...

- Look at that.
- That's gorgeous.

NARRATOR:
Rick Lagina and Matty Blake

have traveled to Harbour Grace,

Newfoundland... they're here
to help search for treasure

associated with the notorious
pirate Peter Easton.

MATTY:
We are as far east

as you can be

and still be
kind of in the Americas,

and you can see why
people who were

- trying to come over here would land here.
- Mm-hmm.

MATTY: I've only been
here a little while with you,

and I already am in love
with it.

RICK:
I don't know that

we've ever gone anywhere
that has a history

- like this place.
- Right.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Newfoundland
is a 156,000-square-mile island

that, together with Labrador,

make up Canada's
easternmost province.

Paleo-Eskimos
first inhabited the island

3,000 years before
Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson

visited Newfoundland
in the 11th century.

Although famed navigator
John Cabot

explored the island in 1497 on
behalf of Henry VII of England,

it was in 1583 that
Humphrey Gilbert claimed

Newfoundland as England's
first overseas colony.

The lucrative fishing industry
that emerged

prompted the French and English

to battle for control
of the region.

It was a conflict that first
drew Peter Easton to the area

in 1602, acting as a privateer
on behalf of England.

MATTY: Hopefully, you
know, we're going to be able

to actually trace
the footsteps of Peter Easton

and that battle where
he defeated the Basques.

We might be able to look upon
a piece of

one of these ships involved.

For me,
I'd like to see something

as you said:
irrefutable evidence.

It's what we seek on Oak Island,

- right?
- Yes.

One piece
of irrefutable evidence

that this is connected
to Peter Easton's activities

- up here in the area.
- Yes, sir.

- All right.
- Here we are.

MATTY:
I think Rick and I both have

really high hopes for this one.

We want to show Marty that

we're hot on
the trail of Peter Easton.

- Morning.
- BILL: Good morning.

- Hey!
- Welcome to Newfoundland.

BILL: I want to introduce
you to Scarlett,

- our marine archaeologist.
- Hey, Scarlett.

And Rick, our boat captain

and our leader on the water.

- Right on.
- Yup. All righty.

STANLEY:
Welcome, guys,

we got a two-hour journey
ahead of us,

so I think we should get
on the boat

and let's get going because

- it's going to be a long day.
- Perfect, let's go.

STANLEY:
Let's give her till we shiver,

- I like to say.
- (laughter)

(gulls squawking)

MATTY:
Oh, this is beautiful, Cap.

STANLEY: Yeah, weather
gods are looking after us today.

RICK: I was gonna say,
who ordered the weather?

NARRATOR: Today,
Matty, Rick and the team

will be using sonar
to map the seafloor

where they believe
a treasure ship sank

in the Battle
of Grace Harbour in 1612.

They'll mark the GPS
coordinates of any anomalies

and then dive on the most
promising targets tomorrow.

RICK:
The hope is that we can connect

Peter Easton to this site,

because if this was
a battle site,

there is a debris field
associated with it.

We need to be able
to connect the dots here,

and that's the hope, that

we can follow
the "Peter Easton trail."

MATTY: These cannons
have been seen before,

but we don't know
that they're there.

We don't know that we'll
be able to find them again.

There are huge storms
in this part of the world.

There's a lot of movement
under there.

There's no guarantee
they're visible any more.

BILL:
So, those cliffs right there

where you see
the red stone house?

- Yeah.
- That's where his fortification

was with 16 cannons
back in 1612.

MATTY:
Unbelievable.

RICK:
So, how much of the

"fortifications" remain?

- None.
- None?

- No.
- SCARLETT: You have to remember

the time period, about 1600,

there wasn't
a lot going on over here.

There weren't a lot of people
or a lot of populations,

there weren't foundries.

So, they're going to take
whatever they have and reuse it

and reuse it and reuse it,
and... and it's just a cycle,

because that's all they
have available to them.

MATTY: So, this is an
identification mission,

which is exciting

and worthwhile and,
and thrills both of us.

If, if Tony...

Or when Tony finds a piece

of Peter Easton's ship

and maybe a gold coin
next to it,

what can we keep, if anything?

What can we bring
to the surface?

This permit is strictly

for the sonar and for
observing the cannons

and possible
other associated wreckage.

But we cannot disturb
the bottom in

any way, shape, or form.

We can't remove any material.

We just basically have
to go out there

and first find it
and then go have a look at it,

and then we'll have a better
idea of exactly what's going on.

I always equate
that anything like this as

- the beginning of a book, right?
- SCARLETT: Yeah.

There's a lot of chapters

yet to be written,
but you have to start

a book somewhere, and
today's the start of that book.

STANLEY: All right, guys,
we're getting to Bauline here now.

So, let's go down

and start running that sonar,

see if we can pick up
some anomalies.

Hopefully it's the shipwreck

- we're going to find, right?
- (crew agreeing)

- RICK: That's the hope.
- MATTY: So we think this battle

happened right where we are
floating right now,

- basically?
- Yep.

- And one went down?
- One went down.

Let's go find that ship.

- RICK: Let's find it.
- (crew agreeing)

- TONY: Fins on the bottom.
- Let's go.

TONY:
Just going to lower

the transducer
into the water, guys.

And at the speed
we're traveling at,

it should give us a good image

on the sounder here.

NARRATOR:
Captain Rick Stanley

will pilot the boat
back and forth

in precise gridlines

to create a high-resolution
sonar image of the seabed below.

They'll be marking
any anomalous shapes for

further investigation
during tomorrow's dive.

This is a real-time
display, then?

TONY: This is
real-time display, Rick.

We've got a split screen here.

So you're looking
at traditional sonar,

and the second unit is
455 kilohertz,

gives you a truer image.

MATTY:
What might this look like

to an untrained eye like me,

where we know
we've got a target?

What are you scanning,
keeping your eye on?

Anything that's linear,
you don't get that in nature.

So that's one dead giveaway.

So anything off the bottom

that's standing
proud off the bottom,

is what we call it,
that has a shadow of any kind,

is going to present itself
on the sonar scan.

And as soon as we see
something like that,

we're going to mark it
as a target

so that we can
go back to it later.

You know, growing up,
I never liked

to do lawn mowing, but I do now.

(laughter)

Let's get going.
Let's start her up.

TONY:
You can see now,

we're actually getting
some sort of structure

on the bottom here.

So you see that linear
feature there?

You've got a ghost line
above it,

and then we can check on
the traditional...

There's no ghost line.

- I would say lobster trap.
- Oh!

♪ ♪

That's not natural, right?

Could that be one
standing on its end?

SCARLETT (laughing):
No, unlikely.

TONY:
Unlikely, yeah.

I mean, the violent storms
here, buddy...

- Yeah.
- Are, yeah, like...

SCARLETT: Yeah, those
are just rock outcrops.

BILL:
What's that?

♪ ♪

TONY:
This one here... Ooh.

BILL:
That's interesting, isn't it?

(crew agreeing)

- I-I like that guy.
- Yeah.

MATTY:
If that was a cannon,

that looks kind of like
the shape it would be to...

In my mind's eye, yeah?

(chuckling):
Yeah.

BILL:
25 years in the making,

I can't believe I'm here
right now.

NARRATOR: In Harbour Grace,
Newfoundland...

BILL:
That's interesting.

NARRATOR:
Rick Lagina and Matty Blake,

with diver Tony Sampson,

treasure hunter Bill Smith,
and his team,

have just discovered
what could prove to be

a very interesting
sonar anomaly.

Okay, now it's starting
to get a bit exciting.

NARRATOR: As they hunt
for evidence of treasure

associated with
the notorious 17th century

privateer and pirate
Peter Easton.

RICK:
If it were me, and I had

the qualities and capabilities
that you two gentlemen have,

- I'd be in the water right now.
- (crew laughs)

That's how impactful it is,
but...

But I can't contradict
my own self.

I always say increment
by increment, right?

Let's collect the data.

Yeah, all we're doing here

is we're giving ourselves
points of interest...

- Sure.
- And then it's,

it's going down
and eliminating them one by one.

And there's only one way
to do it, fins on the bottom.

- Eyes and fins.
- Eyes and fins.

Eyes and fins, there you go.

♪ ♪

TONY: So, there's
an interesting point.

- Right there, that one?
- Yeah.

We'll mark it as a target.

MATTY:
There's every chance that

you can run a tech like this
and not get any hits.

So, you see that
linear feature there?

That one's definitely
worth a jump.

- MATTY: All right, so that's marked.
- BILL: Yeah.

MATTY: When you start to see
multiple hits like this,

you could be
on a debris field of a ship.

So, the excitement meter
is going up and up and up.

Now, I've got my laptop with me,
so we can actually

grab those images
that have been recording here

and we can head over to
one of my favorite places,

and that's a bar,

and we can have
a look at what we got.

- I think that's a great idea.
- RICK: That'd be great.

- Let's do it.
- I'm not sure if

I'm going to manage
my expectations.

25 years and marrying folklore,

historical facts, and then
seeing this many hits on screen?

This is, this is a... this is
the perfect moment, right?

RICK:
It's a good day for you.

MATTY: Well, I'll be honest:
I stopped paying attention

after you said "bar,"
so let's go.

(crew laughing)

NARRATOR: Hours after their
sonar search has identified

some very promising targets...

MATTY:
I guess this is it.

NARRATOR: the team gathers
at the Stone Jug,

a local historic seaside pub,
to review the data

and discuss a plan
for tomorrow's dive.

So, this is a great place.

It's a fantastic bar, man.

BILL: So, boys, I have
one question for you:

have you ever been screeched in?

Since I don't know
what that means,

- I guess the answer's no?
- Me neither.

Bring it around, boys!

STUART: All right,
so there's a few fellas here

wants to be Newfoundlanders,
I understand.

That's an honorable thing.
Welcome to the Stone Jug,

the best pub
in all of Newfoundland.

So, there's a few little
procedures here

we're going to do
to get you guys to be

honorary Newfoundlanders.

Do we have any volunteers
to go first?

Age before beauty?

(laughter)

Rick, I'm going to ask you
a question.

Before I ask you,
I'm going to tell you what

the answer is to
give you a heads-up, okay?

- Okay, fair enough.
- Here's the answer

- to my question.
- Okay.

"Indeed I does, me old c*ck,

and long may
your big jib draw."

The question is,

"Does you want to be
a Newfoundlander?"

Indeed I does, me old c*ck,

and long may your big jib draw!

- (laughter, clapping)
- Nicely done, well said!

Excellent!

That's well said, sir.

Matty Blake, does you
want to be a Newfoundlander?

Indeed I is, my old c*ck,

and long may your big jib draw!

(group exclaiming, clapping)

Whoa, that is well-said!

Excellent.

Now that
you've said the words...

a shot of authentic
Newfoundland screech.

(crowd cheering, clapping)

- Two out of three.
- Woo-hoo!

Bottoms up, Matty Blake!

Santé!

(whoops)

(laughter)

STUART:
We've got a tradition

here in Newfoundland.

This province was
founded on the cod fishery.

Now, Rick,
I have for you a codfish

and I want you to
kiss him smack on the lips.

(laughter)

You couldn't have picked

a cuter one?

It doesn't mean
they're not tasty.

Pucker up, Lagina.

Here's to all.

(group laughs, claps)

(cheering)

STUART: Matty, do
you like kissing fish?

I've done worse in bars.

- Best of luck to you.
- Okay.

- Rick, this makes us very close.
- (group laughs)

RICK:
Go for it, go for it.

Hoo.

- Oh!
- (group cheering)

I name you, Matty Blake

and Rick Lagina,
honorary Newfoundlanders,

and long may your big jib draw.

Thank you, my fellow countryman.

Cheers, boys, yes.

RICK: You know, the fun
and games is over with now.

All of us need
to get round a table

and come up with a dive plan,

a proper dive plan
for, for tomorrow.

Okay, Scarlett and myself

have reviewed the data, guys,

and from what we saw
on the sounder,

we had linear features,
and, you know, God willing,

- it looks like a cannon.
- Wow.

We've got at least two

of those linear features,
so that's pretty exciting.

So, I've got them on the chart.

- So, see that little black mark?
- RICK: Yep.

TONY:
That's where we did our scan...

- Yep.
- TONY: And so, just on

the outward side of that rock

is where we had
these two linear targets.

SCARLETT:
I'm very positive that

this data is now showing us
at least

two or three cultural objects
as opposed to just natural.

So, if we get divers
in the water,

we're going to be able
to confirm that.

Are you bringing any other tech

to bear on the dive?

TONY:
We've got the ROV,

so you'll see
exactly what I'm doing

on the bottom, and so
that's great for Scarlett.

After we've gone down

and done the initial survey,
then I've also brought along

a Pulse 8X... an underwater
metal detector, as well.

So, I have high hopes
for tomorrow.

- MATTY: Yes.
- High hopes.

TONY: Okay, well, hopefully
the weather will play nice,

but everything going well,
I think we'll have a great day.

MATTY:
The dive plan is solid.

You can't get anyone with better
experience than Tony Sampson.

The guy's got over 8,000 hours

doing dives just like this.

BILL: I hope the cod
brings us good luck, guys.

ALL:
Cheers.

- To tomorrow.
- All right.

ALL:
To tomorrow.

MATTY: I guess we're
official Newfoundlanders now?

RICK:
I don't know about official.

- (both chuckle)
- But we've been screeched in.

Permission to come aboard,
Captain.

Hey, come aboard! Yes.

Permission to come aboard.

STANLEY: Another great
day, the sun is shining.

NARRATOR: In Harbour Grace, Newfoundland,
Rick Lagina and Matty Blake...

- Good morning, everybody.
- Morning.

TONY:
Hey, good to see you, brother.

NARRATOR:
once again join

diver Tony Sampson,

along with treasure hunter
Bill Smith and his team,

to resume their search

for a sunken treasure
related to the 17th century

privateer and pirate
Peter Easton.

MATTY:
It's dive day, and this is when

the butterflies get going,
but also the excitement.

I love watching
masters at their craft.

NARRATOR:
To help with today's dive

on the targets established
during yesterday's sonar search,

two additional members
have joined the team:

diver Allanah MacDonald

and ROV specialist Ken DeBoer.

So, I'd just like
to introduce you

to another couple
of people here.

Allanah, she's an underwater

- archaeologist as well.
- Hi.

And you've met Ken before.

MATTY:
Oh, yeah, I know Ken.

Last time I saw you,
we were freezing.

We were freezing indeed.
That was fun.

We were on a boat,
we were running that ROV,

but much different conditions.

I think today's
gonna be a little better.

I'm looking forward
to running it today.

Yeah, so we'll be
dropping in the water

and taking a look at what these
divers are, are doing,

and following them around.

Awesome.
Tony, let's talk

about the conditions
and what the plan is.

TONY: We're going
to go out to the site,

the potential area
that we're gonna look,

and then we're gonna drop
what we call a shot line.

So, the reason we do that is,

then we have a marker line
that me and Allanah can go down

and visually keep reference
until we get to the bottom.

And it also gives us
a point to tie off

so we can do a circular pattern

to hopefully locate
these artifacts.

RICK:
So we're on the boat,

and the plan is...

Discover the cannons
and any artifacts or

structures associated with them.

Is this wreck site associated
with Peter Easton,

or is it not?

Because that's
the whole goal here.

Well, it sounds
like we have a plan.

Uh, I know we have
a lot of experience diving

and a great team,

so let's do it.

Fins and eyes on the bottom,
buddy.

- (laughs)
- MATTY: Let's do it, I love it.

NARRATOR:
As the team nears

their target location,

they conduct final checks
of the dive gear and technology

that will assist in today's
search of an area they believe

could contain the wreckage
of a treasure ship,

once belonging to pirate
Peter Easton,

that was sunk during a battle
with French forces in 1612.

I'm tingling all inside,

because I've been at this
for a long time.

We've had years of history,
exploring of the folklore,

and we've got hits.

- This is it, man, this is what you've worked for.
- This is it.

Now it becomes real.

To help bring
Newfoundland's history

to life, I couldn't
be more excited.

RICK: All right, guys, we're
just trying to get her hooked in!

MATTY: So, Ken, looks like
we're getting close to position.

I just want to... I'm
a little bit of a gear geek,

so could you go over again

what this ROV can do,
how deep can it go?

KEN: The ROV is
rated for 300-plus feet.

MATTY:
All right, all right.

KEN:
So it's plenty enough

for what we're doing today,
that's for sure.

- MATTY: Yeah, definitely.
- Yeah.

So, I've got various screens set

up here, one will
be for the video screen.

What we'll be able to
see the divers down there

doing what they're doing.

I've got a
little mapping screen,

and I've got a sonar screen.

The ROV is
equipped with an imaging

sonar that it sweeps back
and forth as it looks forward.

Wow.

TONY: Okay, guys,
let's get geared up, mate!

♪ ♪

Good. (laughs)

All right, let's go.

- Plop her in.
- All right.

Three, two, one.

- Splash!
- MATTY: All right.

RICK: We don't know what
we're going to encounter.

The hope is, we orient
ourselves properly

in terms of being
able to discover

the cannon in
the water at depth.

We have to be able to connect

the dots here,
and that's the hope.

Tony will go down,

and the ROV will be his backup.

And as we look at the data,
as it comes in in real time,

Ken and Scarlett
will be looking at it

and inform us
of what they're seeing.

KEN:
We've got a good image,

we're ready to go.

♪ ♪

MATTY:
Go find that cannon, brother.

♪ ♪

Looks like they're doing
a surface dive to that target

and hopefully they'll be
able to get down there quick.

- How's Buzz looking, Kenny?
- So far, so good.

I'm just following
right behind them.

- That's the plan.
- Awesome.

- Good vis?
- KEN: Good vis here.

♪ ♪

Comms check, comms check.

Oh, there she is.

You have a clear look
at them now, Kenny?

- Yeah, we do.
- MATTY: Great!

Do you see a target yet or no?

Just still hard to say.

♪ ♪

This looks like
a possible target because

it's kind of long and narrow.

Let me take a closer
look at it, there we go.

See the shadow here?

Right there.

Yeah, it sticks out from
anything else around it.

MATTY:
Oh, wow, yeah,

that's cannon-like.

Sure looks like it.

MATTY:
Come on, baby, come on, baby.

We have a cannon,
we have a cannon.

- That's what he just said.
- Woo-hoo!

He just said, "We have
a cannon, we have a cannon!"

BILL:
Holy geez, look at that!

NARRATOR: Just offshore
from Bauline, Newfoundland...

(all exclaim)

MATTY:
We did it!

BILL:
Holy geez, look at that!

NARRATOR:
Rick Lagina and Matty Blake,

along with treasure
hunter Bill Smith,

have just been notified
by diver Tony Sampson

that he has found
the underwater remains

of an ancient ship's cannon.

- Well done, guys.
- MATTY: Wow.

NARRATOR: Could such an artifact
indicate that the team

has found evidence
of a treasure ship

that once belonged
to the legendary pirate

Peter Easton and was
believed to have been sunk

in this area during
a sea battle in 1612?

I mean, that's...
What else could that be?

That is a cannon, I'm sorry.

Rick, come on, baby!

(whoops) This is phenomenal.

They're measuring...
Scarlett, do you see

anything in that
cannon shape or design?

I know it's hard,
you're looking at a screen,

you're not down there,
but that could indicate

that is from
the Peter Easton era?

We've got the muzzle end
which is very clear,

and Tony is at the back end.

We're trying to find out where
the trunnion is on it right now.

NARRATOR: Beginning in the 15th
century, as larger and more powerful

cannons were developed
for use in warfare,

a new system was created
to mount and control

these massive weapons.

Trunnions were
a part of that system.

These metallic
cylinders protruded

from a cannon's sides,
secured it to a base,

and made it easier to raise
or lower its barrel.

Now, with today's discovery,
any discernible measurements

that can be taken from the
cannon's remaining trunnions

will offer the team some
very valuable information.

Measuring from the bore
of the cannon back

and measuring the distance
from the bore to the trunnion,

you can actually tell
what period of time

a cannon was from by
that measurement there.

KEN:
Oh, my God, that's gorgeous.

It just feels like Peter Easton
wanted us to tell a story today.

It's clear conditions,
it's sitting right up.

I mean, you can see
the whole cannon.

BILL: I imagine he knew
we were coming, right?

- MATTY: I think he did.
- RICK: Here's the thing, though.

If there's one,
there's probably more.

♪ ♪

KEN:
We're on to something else.

Hey, hey, hey, guys,
we got a second one.

- BILL: A second one?
- A second one what?

- A cannon.
- I don't see it, where is it?

See it right there.

- BILL: Oh, my gosh.
- MATTY: Whoa!

RICK:
Right in front of Tony.

Oh, wow.

♪ ♪

Look at that!

My goodness, look at that.

SCARLETT: Based on
what we're looking at, this is

actually a lot shorter than
the first cannon that we saw.

- Oh.
- Okay.

So, this might be a carronade,

although the width
of it also is a consideration.

♪ ♪

You found cannons, there's
going to be something else.

There's got to be
something else, yep.

TONY:
I'm really excited.

I'm down there,
I've got the metal detector

going around the bottom.

Just trying to go around
the area and see if there's any

other artifacts we can locate
on this reef line,

anything else
apart from the cannon.

♪ ♪

KEN: Knowing Tony, what
he'll do is he'll metal-detect

around all the crevices
in the rocks,

which is what he's doing now.

MATTY:
Where stuff could be hiding?

Exactly.

SCARLETT: He's working the
metal detector back and forth,

but it's not like
he's honing in on anything,

so he's not finding
anything at this point.

♪ ♪

Oh, he's being
attacked by a lobster.

(laughter)

MATTY:
Yeah, why don't you come on up?

See you on the surface.

Okay, I'm bringing the diver up.

Allanah's up.

Second diver coming up.

Yeah, mate...
Yeah, I can hear you!

I can hear you celebrating.

(whoops)

- Oh, my gosh.
- Well, well, well...

- Well done!
- (laughter)

- ALLANAH: Yay!
- Unbelievable!

- Well done, mate.
- Boom.

Spot on the money, guys,
absolutely brilliant.

I mean, I could hear you
yelling in mask from there.

I knew you were psyched.

TONY:
It was so unbelievable, buddy.

We got down there, we saw the
linear feature on the bottom,

and there she was, cannon.

So the trunnion were in
place, Scarlett.

SCARLETT:
Yeah, I saw that.

So, yeah, I'm pumped...
You'd never guess, eh?

MATTY:
Yeah, I love it.

Okay, guys, I'm just
going to get out of my suit,

and then we'll have
a proper debrief, okay?

- Sounds good, great.
- Okay, excellent.

RICK: I mean, how can you
not be excited about it, right?

Those are the types of clues
we're looking for.

Is this a battle?

Has a battle taken place here?

Is the battle
between Peter Easton

and the French Basques?

It's exciting because

it's real information.

♪ ♪

ALL:
Hey!

(friendly chatter)

RICK:
Question of the day is,

did you get any other hits?

Not another hit
on the metal detector.

It'd be nice to come back
and do a wider search,

you know, and just see if there
is anything past the perimeter

that we looked at today.

BILL:
We know it's here.

We know the history is here

and the archaeology is here,

and the rest has to be found.

I have immense appreciation
for what everyone did today,

and what we achieved,
and I think it was a success.

I really do, so, to everyone.

(laughter)

MATTY: Your brother is going to
freak out when he sees this footage.

(laughter)

MATTY:
I fell in love with this area.

I kept taking
pictures down the boat line.

And you could
have been in Greece.

You could have been in Ireland.

That little town Bauline
was absolutely picturesque.

I am a huge fan of
that part of the world,

and I want to go back bad...
I fell in love.

I think you fell
in love with that cod.

(laughter)

Well, we had
a moment, didn't we?

A couple of moments,
from what I saw.

- (laughter)
- MATTY: Kind of.

Well, guys,
Scarlett is standing by.

I think there's been
some analysis of the video, too,

so I'm really dying to see that.

- MARTY: Good.
- BILL: Nice.

- RICK: Good morning, Scarlett.
- Good morning.

It's nice to see you again.

RICK:
Good to see you again as well.

MARTY: So, Scarlett, I've had
an interest in Peter Easton

for a long time, and this
sounded like quite an adventure,

so I am really
keenly interested in this.

Yeah,

we found two cannon,
which was very exciting.

Do you have the footage there?

- Because I know Marty would like to take a look at it.
- Love to.

Sure, why don't we run that now?

MARTY:
That'd be great.

Okay, we can do
a screen share here,

and there's
the images right there.

TONY: We're actually very
fortunate, Marty, because there

was an infestation of
sea urchins, so the kelp

had been eaten away,
and so you can see the image

of the cannon between
the rocks wedged there.

MARTY:
I'll be. That is really cool.

SCARLETT:
It's a very small cannon,

about five feet,
three inches, that's all.

So this could be French,
it could be Spanish,

it could be British,

but we can't say a lot more

without doing a little
more investigative work,

maybe some X-rays of it,
and that would definitely show

any kind of emblems
that were on there.

How come equipment works so well
up there and doesn't down here?

- (laughter)
- No curse.

But Tony wasn't through yet.

That was not the only cannon.

I think you just... is that
you identifying it, Tony, there?

Yeah, so you can see now,

this side,
I'm actually looking from

the bottom end towards the bore.

You can see half way up
the bore here, the split,

and you'll see that there's
no trunnion on this one.

They've both been
snapped off as well.

SCARLETT: I actually think
there probably was a catastrophic

incident that
happened with that cannon.

It probably exploded internally

and caused it to
crack all the way down.

That must've been a bad day.

Yeah.

Whoever fired that g*n...
oh, boy.

RICK:
Can anything be dated?

Any understanding of that?

Sure,

the position of the trunnion,

it's less than halfway.

That shows
it's pre-18th century.

I think they're probably

early 17th century
or late 16th century.

Which certainly fits in

with Peter Easton's time.

- Well, that's right on.
- MATTY: There we go.

- That's what we wanted.
- That's right on.

MATTY:
That's a mission accomplished.

I'd call that
a successful mission.

- It was a successful mission.
- Absolutely.

Do you think this
could be another visit

and another permit, Scarlett?

I think it's an order.

I think there's a lot more
to learn from this site.

So, you'll be diving with me
on the next mission, Scarlett?

- You bet.
- (laughter)

TONY: And I think Marty might
want to come on this one, too.

- Yeah, I think so.
- Yeah.

Well, Scarlett,
we were all impressed

with your knowledge on site,
and the team you guys

put together was
the perfect team for

that mission,
so, well done, everybody.

Thank you, Scarlett.

Thank you very much.

It was great
working with everyone.

- Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye.

So, on the trail of
Peter Easton, what's next?

BILL: There are two or
three other hideaways

that Easton had that could hold

enormous significant
historical value,

let alone treasure or cannons.

And I think that
this-this one piece

just sets us on the trail.

Yeah, that's kind of what I
was hoping to hear, actually.

This is just a teaser
for what we think is a much

bigger stronghold
that Peter Easton had.

All right, well, when
you plan the next one,

keep us in the loop,
we want to be involved.

- We will, indeed.
- Absolutely.

Well, our big jibs did draw.

Our big jibs did draw.

See, I can't be
in on the secret.

But I'll pretend I did.

All right, guys, let's go
onto the next adventure.

- Let's go.
- Sounds good.