1
00:00:01,467 --> 00:00:04,967
[Kyle] Think of it
as the Pearl Harbor of Japan.
2
00:00:04,967 --> 00:00:07,100
It is their
most important base.
3
00:00:07,100 --> 00:00:08,467
[Josh] Take me back in time.
4
00:00:08,467 --> 00:00:10,266
What would've it
been like if I was standing
5
00:00:10,266 --> 00:00:12,467
on this dock
in February of 1944?
6
00:00:12,467 --> 00:00:13,567
You'd probably
be running for cover.
7
00:00:13,567 --> 00:00:14,767
That's when the US launched
8
00:00:14,767 --> 00:00:15,767
Operation Hailstone.
9
00:00:18,767 --> 00:00:19,767
[man] Wow.
10
00:00:19,767 --> 00:00:20,900
[Josh] We obviously routed
11
00:00:20,900 --> 00:00:22,100
the Japanese forces here
12
00:00:22,100 --> 00:00:23,567
but not without a cost.
13
00:00:23,567 --> 00:00:24,834
[explosion]
14
00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,667
[Kyle] We're talking about 200
who were killed and missing.
15
00:00:29,667 --> 00:00:32,000
Nobody has found
any of the US planes.
16
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:33,000
None of them?
17
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,133
[dramatic music playing]
18
00:00:37,567 --> 00:00:39,600
[Josh] We document the site
so that their human remains
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00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:41,100
can ultimately be recovered.
20
00:00:41,100 --> 00:00:44,233
[Josh speaking]
21
00:00:47,367 --> 00:00:48,567
-You have an eyewitness?
-Yes.
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00:00:48,567 --> 00:00:50,367
-[Josh] A living eyewitness?
-[Mason] Yes.
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00:00:50,367 --> 00:00:52,667
[Colin] They died here
in service to our country
24
00:00:52,667 --> 00:00:54,000
and we have
to keep looking for them.
25
00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:55,367
[Josh] There could be bones,
26
00:00:55,367 --> 00:00:56,500
dog tags, anything.
27
00:00:56,500 --> 00:00:57,867
[metal detector beeping]
28
00:00:57,867 --> 00:00:59,467
[Josh] Hey, guys, come here!
29
00:00:59,467 --> 00:01:01,266
Dive, dive, dive.
30
00:01:01,266 --> 00:01:02,600
Okay, she's down.
31
00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:03,800
Oh, wow.
32
00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,934
[Josh speaking]
33
00:01:17,166 --> 00:01:20,233
[dramatic music playing]
34
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,567
December 7th, 1941,
35
00:01:27,567 --> 00:01:29,767
a day that still
lives in infamy,
36
00:01:29,767 --> 00:01:32,000
the US Naval Base
at Pearl Harbor
37
00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,400
was blindsided
by Japanese forces.
38
00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,567
In only 90 tragic minutes,
39
00:01:36,567 --> 00:01:39,100
the course of history
was forever altered.
40
00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:41,300
[explosion]
41
00:01:41,300 --> 00:01:44,400
[Josh] The attack
killed over 2,400 American
42
00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,600
service members,
crippled our Navy
43
00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,266
and pulled the country
into World War II.
44
00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:51,367
Few, however,
45
00:01:51,367 --> 00:01:54,066
know of America's
ferocious counterattack.
46
00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,200
In February 1944,
47
00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,266
a fleet of aircraft carriers
launched Operation Hailstone,
48
00:02:01,266 --> 00:02:03,266
a daring offensive targeting
49
00:02:03,266 --> 00:02:05,367
a crucial Japanese base
50
00:02:05,367 --> 00:02:07,567
on a remote collection
of Pacific Islands
51
00:02:07,567 --> 00:02:09,367
called Truk Lagoon
52
00:02:09,367 --> 00:02:13,166
where US forces decimated
Imperial Japan's fleet.
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00:02:15,767 --> 00:02:19,367
It was a critical victory
but it came at a cost.
54
00:02:19,367 --> 00:02:22,900
More than 40 American planes
were lost in the assault,
55
00:02:22,900 --> 00:02:24,767
as well as 200 servicemen
56
00:02:24,767 --> 00:02:27,867
who went and remained
missing in action.
57
00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,100
Not a single lost US plane
58
00:02:33,100 --> 00:02:34,800
from Hailstone
has been located.
59
00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:36,800
But now, a group
of scientists
60
00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,367
and historians
called Project Recover
61
00:02:39,367 --> 00:02:42,000
is determined to find
our lost heroes
62
00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:43,800
and help bring them home.
63
00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,700
Using cutting edge
sonar technology
64
00:02:46,700 --> 00:02:49,066
and groundbreaking
artificial intelligence,
65
00:02:49,066 --> 00:02:51,467
they're scanning
the vast ocean floor
66
00:02:51,467 --> 00:02:52,867
for undiscovered wrecks.
67
00:02:52,867 --> 00:02:54,667
And on land, they're making
68
00:02:54,667 --> 00:02:56,000
major breakthroughs,
69
00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,200
locating actual eyewitnesses
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00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,266
who could lead them
to the remains
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00:03:00,266 --> 00:03:01,967
of American POWs.
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00:03:01,967 --> 00:03:04,867
So all hands
man your battle stations
73
00:03:04,867 --> 00:03:07,567
and join me
on a historic expedition
74
00:03:07,567 --> 00:03:09,967
into World War II's
Pacific theater,
75
00:03:09,967 --> 00:03:12,467
seeking warriors
who may be gone
76
00:03:12,467 --> 00:03:14,734
but must never be forgotten.
77
00:03:17,467 --> 00:03:19,300
[dramatic music playing]
78
00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:21,100
My name is Josh Gates.
79
00:03:21,100 --> 00:03:21,967
Hello.
80
00:03:21,967 --> 00:03:23,000
Explorer...
81
00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:23,767
Here goes nothing.
82
00:03:23,767 --> 00:03:25,066
Adventurer...
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00:03:25,066 --> 00:03:26,266
Woo-hoo-hoo!
84
00:03:26,266 --> 00:03:27,300
Oh, it's a long way down.
85
00:03:27,300 --> 00:03:28,467
And a guy who ends up
86
00:03:28,467 --> 00:03:30,467
in some
very strange situations.
87
00:03:31,100 --> 00:03:32,767
I'm alive, for now.
88
00:03:32,767 --> 00:03:34,467
With a degree in archeology
89
00:03:34,467 --> 00:03:36,200
and a passion
for the unexplained,
90
00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:38,767
I travel to the ends
of the Earth
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00:03:38,767 --> 00:03:41,567
investigating the greatest
legends in history.
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00:03:41,567 --> 00:03:43,166
Ready to rock and roll.
93
00:03:43,166 --> 00:03:45,533
This is Expedition Unknown.
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00:03:47,367 --> 00:03:50,533
[country music playing]
95
00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:55,266
[Josh] I begin my mission
96
00:03:55,266 --> 00:03:57,367
to find lost
World War II heroes
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00:03:57,367 --> 00:03:59,000
in an unlikely place,
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00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,066
a genteel Southern charmer,
99
00:04:01,066 --> 00:04:02,934
Charleston, South Carolina.
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00:04:04,500 --> 00:04:06,867
Well, we are obviously
a long way from the Pacific
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00:04:06,867 --> 00:04:09,500
theater and the waters
of Operations Hailstone,
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00:04:09,500 --> 00:04:11,000
but there's a reason for that.
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00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:12,467
I'm here
in Charleston to visit
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00:04:12,467 --> 00:04:14,567
with one of the great heroes
of that battle
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00:04:14,567 --> 00:04:16,467
who retired here
after completing
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00:04:16,467 --> 00:04:18,467
active service in 1970.
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00:04:18,467 --> 00:04:21,266
She is one America's
most decorated veterans,
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00:04:21,266 --> 00:04:23,900
her name, the USS Yorktown.
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00:04:23,900 --> 00:04:27,066
[dramatic music playing]
110
00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:31,967
[Josh] 872 feet long
111
00:04:31,967 --> 00:04:35,100
and weighing in
at 27,000 tons,
112
00:04:35,100 --> 00:04:37,667
even in retirement,
this aircraft carrier
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00:04:37,667 --> 00:04:39,233
is an imposing sight.
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00:04:40,467 --> 00:04:42,166
On the flight deck,
I meet professor
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00:04:42,166 --> 00:04:44,500
of military history,
Kyle Sinisi.
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00:04:44,500 --> 00:04:46,567
[Josh] Dr. Sinisi,
how are you doing?
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00:04:46,567 --> 00:04:48,700
-[Kyle] I'm doing fine.
-I'm Josh, nice to meet you.
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00:04:48,700 --> 00:04:50,467
-Pleasure.
-I gotta say,
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00:04:50,467 --> 00:04:52,467
this is an incredible ship.
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00:04:52,467 --> 00:04:54,200
This is an airport
on the water.
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00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,567
[Josh] And this was
purpose-built
for World War II?
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00:04:56,567 --> 00:04:58,100
They actually started
construction
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00:04:58,100 --> 00:05:01,200
on the Yorktown six days
before Pearl Harbor itself.
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00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:02,100
Wow.
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00:05:02,100 --> 00:05:03,467
[explosion]
126
00:05:03,467 --> 00:05:06,066
[reporter]
On December 7th, 1941,
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00:05:06,066 --> 00:05:08,300
Japan, like its infamous
Axis partners,
128
00:05:08,300 --> 00:05:11,066
struck first
and declared war afterwards.
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00:05:12,367 --> 00:05:13,900
[Josh] Everyone knows
that Japan attacked us
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00:05:13,900 --> 00:05:15,100
at Pearl Harbor.
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00:05:15,100 --> 00:05:16,300
I don't think
as many people know
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00:05:16,300 --> 00:05:18,400
why Japan attacked us
at Pearl Harbor.
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00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:19,700
Well, Japan had a destiny,
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00:05:19,700 --> 00:05:21,467
or at least they believe
they had a destiny,
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00:05:21,467 --> 00:05:24,266
and that was to rule
East Asia and Southeast Asia.
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00:05:24,266 --> 00:05:26,500
And what does taking us
out at Pearl Harbor do?
137
00:05:26,500 --> 00:05:29,066
They saw us an obstacle
to the conquest
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00:05:29,066 --> 00:05:32,100
of all those islands
between Japan and Australia.
139
00:05:32,100 --> 00:05:33,800
Right. 'Cause those
are full of resources?
140
00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:34,934
Yes.
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00:05:35,700 --> 00:05:37,567
[Josh] Six months
after Pearl Harbor,
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00:05:37,567 --> 00:05:40,567
Japan has control over
almost six million
143
00:05:40,567 --> 00:05:42,300
square miles of territory,
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00:05:42,300 --> 00:05:43,900
including The Philippines,
145
00:05:43,900 --> 00:05:46,000
Thailand and Korea.
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00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:47,667
I think we have
some understanding
147
00:05:47,667 --> 00:05:49,767
of what it takes
to fight a land war,
148
00:05:49,767 --> 00:05:51,367
but an ocean war
is entirely different.
149
00:05:51,367 --> 00:05:54,166
What do you need to be success
in the Pacific theater?
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00:05:54,166 --> 00:05:55,567
You need to be
able to project power.
151
00:05:55,567 --> 00:05:57,100
-Okay.
-You need a Navy,
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00:05:57,100 --> 00:05:58,567
you need battleships,
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00:05:58,567 --> 00:06:00,100
you need aircraft carriers,
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00:06:00,100 --> 00:06:02,100
something
like the USS Yorktown
155
00:06:02,100 --> 00:06:04,166
and the planes
that she carried aboard.
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00:06:04,166 --> 00:06:05,400
You wanna take go
take a look at it?
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00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:06,967
-Love to. Yeah, come on.
-All right.
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00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:10,600
[Josh]
Kyle takes me below deck
159
00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:12,867
to see some
of the legendary aircraft
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00:06:12,867 --> 00:06:15,166
that carried out
Operation Hailstone.
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00:06:15,166 --> 00:06:17,200
Wow, this is extraordinary.
Look at this.
162
00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,934
[dramatic music playing]
163
00:06:23,967 --> 00:06:26,000
[Josh] They were
high tech for their day,
164
00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,000
at a time when using aircraft
flown from carriers
165
00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,567
was a radical
new approach to warfare.
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00:06:31,567 --> 00:06:33,367
[Kyle] Josh, here,
I think we got an airplane
167
00:06:33,367 --> 00:06:34,867
-you're quite familiar with.
-[Josh] Yes, this is
168
00:06:34,867 --> 00:06:36,166
the Avenger, right? This...
169
00:06:36,166 --> 00:06:37,800
I actually had
a chance a few years ago
170
00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:38,867
to take a ride
in one of these,
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00:06:38,867 --> 00:06:40,033
which was a huge thrill.
172
00:06:41,367 --> 00:06:42,667
Unbelievable.
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00:06:42,667 --> 00:06:44,367
This is sick.
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00:06:44,367 --> 00:06:45,433
Oh.
175
00:06:45,867 --> 00:06:47,066
This thing's a beast.
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00:06:47,066 --> 00:06:49,000
It is a torpedo bomber
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00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,166
and one of the things
that really tips you off
178
00:06:51,166 --> 00:06:54,266
to how big this thing is
are the folding wings.
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00:06:54,266 --> 00:06:55,667
[Josh] Right. That's the only
way this thing could fit
180
00:06:55,667 --> 00:06:56,867
on an aircraft
carrier, right?
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00:06:56,867 --> 00:06:57,767
-[Kyle] Pretty much.
-[Josh] Incredible.
182
00:06:57,767 --> 00:06:59,200
[Josh]
Along with the Avenger,
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00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,100
Kyle shows me other planes
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00:07:01,100 --> 00:07:03,266
that flew at Truk Lagoon,
185
00:07:03,266 --> 00:07:05,867
including
the Hellcat, Corsair
186
00:07:05,867 --> 00:07:08,700
and the SBD Dauntless
dive-bomber.
187
00:07:08,700 --> 00:07:10,767
[Kyle] It was one heck
of a rugged
188
00:07:10,767 --> 00:07:13,166
and effective aircraft
during the war.
189
00:07:13,166 --> 00:07:14,767
Although many
of the air crew thought
190
00:07:14,767 --> 00:07:17,367
that SBD stood
for Slow But Deadly.
191
00:07:17,367 --> 00:07:19,200
It would eventually
wind up sinking
192
00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:21,400
more Japanese shipping
than anything else
193
00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:22,600
that we had in our inventory.
194
00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:24,367
Wow. So a very
successful plane?
195
00:07:24,367 --> 00:07:25,367
Absolutely.
196
00:07:26,266 --> 00:07:28,867
[Josh] From 1941 to 1943,
197
00:07:28,867 --> 00:07:31,266
American planes
launching from carriers
198
00:07:31,266 --> 00:07:32,300
like the Yorktown
199
00:07:32,300 --> 00:07:33,667
were used to roll back
200
00:07:33,667 --> 00:07:35,567
Japan's advance
across the Pacific
201
00:07:35,567 --> 00:07:38,467
in places
like Midway and Guadalcanal.
202
00:07:39,066 --> 00:07:41,300
By February of 1944,
203
00:07:41,300 --> 00:07:43,400
we're closing in
on Japan itself,
204
00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:45,166
but a major obstacle remains,
205
00:07:45,166 --> 00:07:48,634
the Japanese Naval Base
at Truk Lagoon.
206
00:07:49,567 --> 00:07:52,200
And let's talk about how this
and these other planes
207
00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:54,600
were used at this place, Truk,
208
00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:55,867
Operation Hailstone.
209
00:07:55,867 --> 00:07:59,200
Truk Lagoon,
it's hard to find on a map.
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00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:03,000
But think of it about 2,000
miles southeast of Japan.
211
00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:04,667
[Josh] How important was this
base to the Japanese?
212
00:08:04,667 --> 00:08:07,367
Oh, it is
their most important base.
213
00:08:07,367 --> 00:08:10,667
Think of it
as the Pearl Harbor of Japan.
214
00:08:10,667 --> 00:08:14,767
You could find up to 60%
of their combined fleet here.
215
00:08:14,767 --> 00:08:16,967
[Josh] So take me through it,
what happens?
216
00:08:16,967 --> 00:08:19,166
[Kyle] We put together
one of the largest
217
00:08:19,166 --> 00:08:21,467
naval forces ever assembled,
218
00:08:21,467 --> 00:08:23,100
nine aircraft carriers,
219
00:08:23,100 --> 00:08:26,100
seven battleships,
dozens of auxiliary vessels
220
00:08:26,100 --> 00:08:29,166
and ultimately, 560 aircraft.
221
00:08:29,166 --> 00:08:33,166
We fly in and we will sink
dozens of their ships.
222
00:08:33,166 --> 00:08:36,767
We will knock out
275 of their aircraft.
223
00:08:38,467 --> 00:08:43,000
And we will kill up
to 4,600 of their soldiers,
224
00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:44,100
sailor and airmen.
225
00:08:44,100 --> 00:08:46,166
Wow. And US losses?
226
00:08:46,166 --> 00:08:47,500
They were fairly minimal,
227
00:08:47,500 --> 00:08:49,700
we're talking
about 42 aircraft
228
00:08:49,700 --> 00:08:53,166
and about 200
who were killed or missing.
229
00:08:53,166 --> 00:08:54,400
We have a lot of these guys
230
00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,500
who are just simply MIA,
missing in action?
231
00:08:56,500 --> 00:08:59,166
That is a characteristic
of all of our causalities.
232
00:08:59,166 --> 00:09:02,567
And especially in the Pacific,
because we're there in planes,
233
00:09:02,567 --> 00:09:03,934
and then we're gone.
234
00:09:04,967 --> 00:09:06,266
[Josh]
Our nation made a promise
235
00:09:06,266 --> 00:09:07,367
to these missing servicemen,
236
00:09:07,367 --> 00:09:09,100
no man left behind.
237
00:09:09,100 --> 00:09:11,467
And now,
a new effort is underway
238
00:09:11,467 --> 00:09:13,767
to make good on that promise.
239
00:09:13,767 --> 00:09:15,100
Well, I'm headed out to Truk
240
00:09:15,100 --> 00:09:16,400
to meet with the group
that's trying
241
00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:18,200
to recover some
of these lost planes
242
00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,300
and hopefully bring some
closure to these MIA stories.
243
00:09:20,300 --> 00:09:23,300
Well, thank you and good luck.
It's a long flight out there.
244
00:09:23,300 --> 00:09:26,200
[dramatic music playing]
245
00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:27,567
[Josh]
This mission requires
246
00:09:27,567 --> 00:09:30,066
a journey
of more than 8,000 miles
247
00:09:30,066 --> 00:09:33,500
from Charleston
to the middle of the Pacific.
248
00:09:33,500 --> 00:09:36,400
It begins with a two-hour
flight through Chicago,
249
00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:38,667
and then nine hours
across the US,
250
00:09:38,667 --> 00:09:40,667
and thousands
of miles of ocean
251
00:09:40,667 --> 00:09:42,000
to a critical layover
252
00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,533
on the island
of O'ahu, Hawaii.
253
00:09:48,700 --> 00:09:51,000
It is a few minutes
before 8:00 AM
254
00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,667
on December 7th, 1941,
255
00:09:53,667 --> 00:09:55,400
just another sunny day
256
00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,867
here at the US Naval Base
in Pearl Harbor.
257
00:09:57,867 --> 00:10:00,967
And then,
the distant sound of engines.
258
00:10:00,967 --> 00:10:04,567
-[dramatic music playing]
-[airplane engine whirring]
259
00:10:04,567 --> 00:10:07,000
[Josh]
Hundreds of Japanese planes
260
00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,166
launched from
six aircraft carriers
261
00:10:09,166 --> 00:10:13,066
in one of the most audacious
surprise attacks in history.
262
00:10:13,066 --> 00:10:14,333
[explosion]
263
00:10:18,367 --> 00:10:20,367
Almost our entire
Pacific fleet
264
00:10:20,367 --> 00:10:22,567
is gathered here
and caught unaware.
265
00:10:22,567 --> 00:10:24,300
Our aircraft on nearby runways
266
00:10:24,300 --> 00:10:27,300
are also sitting ducks
and are quickly destroyed.
267
00:10:27,300 --> 00:10:29,767
In fact, only six US planes
268
00:10:29,767 --> 00:10:32,867
will make it the air
to repel the first wave.
269
00:10:32,867 --> 00:10:35,400
Nineteen American vessels
in the harbor
270
00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,000
are damaged or destroyed,
271
00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,266
including eight battleships.
272
00:10:39,266 --> 00:10:43,100
But the USS Arizona
takes the most lethal blow.
273
00:10:43,100 --> 00:10:45,266
An armor piercing
bomb penetrates
274
00:10:45,266 --> 00:10:46,767
the ship's ammunition stores,
275
00:10:46,767 --> 00:10:48,266
setting off an explosion
276
00:10:48,266 --> 00:10:52,066
that will kill 1,177 men.
277
00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:53,467
A day later,
278
00:10:53,467 --> 00:10:55,967
134,000 Americans
279
00:10:55,967 --> 00:10:57,934
would enlist in the military.
280
00:10:59,166 --> 00:11:02,467
[dramatic music playing]
281
00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,867
[Josh] In 1962,
a memorial was built
282
00:11:08,867 --> 00:11:11,233
over the ghostly
remains of the wreck.
283
00:11:15,166 --> 00:11:17,367
Today, it's a hollowed tomb.
284
00:11:18,567 --> 00:11:21,700
A lasting reminder
of the greatest sacrifice
285
00:11:21,700 --> 00:11:24,934
our servicemen and women
make for this country.
286
00:11:33,100 --> 00:11:36,867
The attack on Pearl Harbor
decimated our Pacific fleet,
287
00:11:36,867 --> 00:11:38,667
and yet, within two years,
288
00:11:38,667 --> 00:11:41,600
the US roared back
and turned the tables,
289
00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,700
striking Japan
at their most critical base.
290
00:11:44,700 --> 00:11:47,000
[dramatic music playing]
291
00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:48,600
[Josh] There's only
one way to get there,
292
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,600
aboard a famous route
that's considered
293
00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,600
the least
direct flight on Earth.
294
00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:55,934
Welcome to the Island Hopper.
Here we go.
295
00:11:57,166 --> 00:11:59,867
[Josh]
This is United Flight 154,
296
00:11:59,867 --> 00:12:03,166
originated
by Continental in 1968
297
00:12:03,166 --> 00:12:05,066
as a vital mail
and supply run.
298
00:12:05,066 --> 00:12:07,100
It's a great way
to earn those valuable
299
00:12:07,100 --> 00:12:08,867
frequent flyer miles.
300
00:12:08,867 --> 00:12:11,767
Coolest airplane route ever.
301
00:12:11,767 --> 00:12:14,700
[Josh] The 20-hour circuit
departs from Honolulu
302
00:12:14,700 --> 00:12:17,400
and hops across
the Marshall Islands,
303
00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,367
Micronesia,
the Caroline Islands,
304
00:12:20,367 --> 00:12:23,467
and onto Guam
before going back to Hawaii
305
00:12:23,467 --> 00:12:25,900
to start all over again.
306
00:12:25,900 --> 00:12:28,500
Four pilots
are aboard this 737,
307
00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:30,300
as well as,
and I'm not kidding,
308
00:12:30,300 --> 00:12:33,266
critical spare parts
and a dedicated mechanic
309
00:12:33,266 --> 00:12:35,400
since the islands
have neither.
310
00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:37,600
Oh, and there's even
an additional navigation
311
00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,233
instrument in the cockpit.
312
00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,934
[tropical music playing]
313
00:12:43,900 --> 00:12:45,867
[Josh] The first leg
is a jaunty little hop
314
00:12:45,867 --> 00:12:47,166
over a stretch of ocean
315
00:12:47,166 --> 00:12:49,000
nearly as wide
as the United States,
316
00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,300
which requires a slight
watch adjustment.
317
00:12:52,300 --> 00:12:54,767
All right. We are approaching
the International Date Line.
318
00:12:54,767 --> 00:12:57,700
It is about 10:00 AM
on Wednesday,
319
00:12:57,700 --> 00:12:59,100
wait for it.
320
00:12:59,100 --> 00:13:01,433
It is now 10:00 AM
on Thursday,
321
00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,567
we just lost 24 hours.
322
00:13:03,567 --> 00:13:06,000
The worst part is,
and this is true,
323
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,800
it's one of my camera
guy's birthdays on Wednesday.
324
00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:10,100
Oh.
325
00:13:10,100 --> 00:13:11,500
What a rip.
326
00:13:11,500 --> 00:13:13,500
[tropical music playing]
327
00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:15,367
[Josh]
The first speck of land
328
00:13:15,367 --> 00:13:18,567
is the 3.7 square mile
island of Majuro,
329
00:13:18,567 --> 00:13:20,367
capital
of the Marshall Islands
330
00:13:20,367 --> 00:13:21,600
where we're on the ground
331
00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:23,500
just long enough
to take in the sights.
332
00:13:23,500 --> 00:13:25,166
Welcome to Majuro!
333
00:13:26,667 --> 00:13:27,767
Beautiful here.
334
00:13:29,467 --> 00:13:30,634
Okay. Let's go.
335
00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:32,767
[Josh]
The next destination
336
00:13:32,767 --> 00:13:34,100
is only an hour away,
337
00:13:34,100 --> 00:13:36,233
the island of Kwajalein.
338
00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:39,400
It was one of the first
Japanese territories
339
00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:41,367
to fall to Allied Forces.
340
00:13:41,367 --> 00:13:43,800
Unfortunately,
I don't get to disembark here
341
00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:46,233
because it's now a top secret
missile test site.
342
00:13:50,100 --> 00:13:51,467
Okay. Moving on.
343
00:13:51,467 --> 00:13:54,567
[dramatic music playing]
344
00:13:56,967 --> 00:13:59,066
[Josh] Another hour
to the volcanic island
345
00:13:59,066 --> 00:14:01,100
of Kosrae, where we touchdown
346
00:14:01,100 --> 00:14:02,967
just long enough
to take off again
347
00:14:02,967 --> 00:14:04,467
for another hour in the air
348
00:14:04,467 --> 00:14:07,367
as we fly to the stunning
capital of Micronesia.
349
00:14:11,300 --> 00:14:12,266
[Josh] All right.
350
00:14:12,266 --> 00:14:13,667
We've got about 10 minutes
351
00:14:13,667 --> 00:14:15,000
to take in the beautiful
352
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,333
tropical island of Pohnpei.
353
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:19,867
[Josh]
Island hopper pro-trip,
354
00:14:19,867 --> 00:14:21,934
always keep
an eye on your pilot.
355
00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:23,667
Come on. Let's go.
356
00:14:23,667 --> 00:14:25,166
Time to take off.
357
00:14:25,166 --> 00:14:26,266
Coming.
358
00:14:27,066 --> 00:14:27,967
Jeez.
359
00:14:27,967 --> 00:14:29,100
Short one.
360
00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:30,367
We're almost there.
361
00:14:30,367 --> 00:14:32,567
-Hey.
-[Josh] Thank you.
362
00:14:32,567 --> 00:14:34,700
[Josh]
Next stop is where I get off,
363
00:14:34,700 --> 00:14:36,467
the remote Truk Lagoon,
364
00:14:36,467 --> 00:14:39,266
though today,
it's known as Chuuk.
365
00:14:39,266 --> 00:14:40,567
Turns out that in the '40s,
366
00:14:40,567 --> 00:14:42,867
we got the name wrong
and it stuck.
367
00:14:42,867 --> 00:14:46,300
The Chuuk Atoll
should be coming into view.
368
00:14:46,300 --> 00:14:49,367
[dramatic music playing]
369
00:14:51,967 --> 00:14:53,967
Wow. Look at that.
370
00:14:53,967 --> 00:14:55,367
[Josh] However,
you pronounce it,
371
00:14:55,367 --> 00:14:57,066
Chuuk is a stunner,
372
00:14:57,066 --> 00:15:00,467
a 145-mile diameter atoll,
373
00:15:00,467 --> 00:15:02,266
a circular barrier reef
374
00:15:02,266 --> 00:15:05,100
protecting
an 800-square mile lagoon
375
00:15:05,100 --> 00:15:07,333
with 16 tropical islands.
376
00:15:08,100 --> 00:15:09,667
We're landing on this one,
377
00:15:09,667 --> 00:15:10,634
Weno,
378
00:15:12,066 --> 00:15:14,400
on a runway built
by Imperial Japan,
379
00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,467
and it's here
that our tour of paradise
380
00:15:16,467 --> 00:15:17,834
gets a little bumpy.
381
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:20,266
[pilot] Okay.
Ladies and gentlemen,
382
00:15:20,266 --> 00:15:21,767
down straight ahead
is the airport.
383
00:15:21,767 --> 00:15:23,367
We'll be landing shortly.
384
00:15:24,567 --> 00:15:26,467
[Josh] The airfield
here is perfect
385
00:15:26,467 --> 00:15:28,367
for World War II
fighter planes,
386
00:15:28,367 --> 00:15:30,767
commercial airliners,
not so much.
387
00:15:30,767 --> 00:15:32,467
In fact, in 2018,
388
00:15:32,467 --> 00:15:34,467
an Air Niugini 737
389
00:15:34,467 --> 00:15:36,467
shorted the runway
and ended up
390
00:15:36,467 --> 00:15:38,367
in almost
a hundred feet of water.
391
00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,166
Now, it's my turn
to roll the dice.
392
00:15:45,467 --> 00:15:47,200
Next stop is either Truk...
393
00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:48,166
[tires screeches]
394
00:15:48,767 --> 00:15:50,266
...or Truk Lagoon.
395
00:15:50,266 --> 00:15:51,867
Brakes, brakes,
brakes, brakes, brakes.
396
00:15:55,567 --> 00:15:58,333
[dramatic music playing]
397
00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,667
[Josh] I'm flying
over the Pacific Islands
398
00:16:01,667 --> 00:16:03,066
of Micronesia,
399
00:16:03,066 --> 00:16:05,200
hunting for the remains
of missing in action
400
00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,166
servicemen from World War II.
401
00:16:07,166 --> 00:16:09,600
We're coming in to land
on a short air strip
402
00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:11,700
originally built
by the Japanese
403
00:16:11,700 --> 00:16:13,767
before the age
of jet airliners,
404
00:16:13,767 --> 00:16:16,333
which means
we need to slow down fast.
405
00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:19,233
[tires screeches]
406
00:16:21,467 --> 00:16:23,567
Brakes, brakes,
brakes, brakes, brakes.
407
00:16:30,667 --> 00:16:32,000
[exhales]
408
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:33,467
[flight attendant]
We hope you enjoy your time
409
00:16:33,467 --> 00:16:35,867
in Chuuk or wherever
your travels take you.
410
00:16:35,867 --> 00:16:37,166
Well, we're here.
411
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,166
[Josh] Happy to not
be in the water just yet.
412
00:16:41,166 --> 00:16:42,900
I disembark
from an awesome flight
413
00:16:42,900 --> 00:16:44,367
aboard the island hopper
414
00:16:44,367 --> 00:16:47,166
and am immediately
transported into the past.
415
00:16:48,567 --> 00:16:51,967
[dramatic music playing]
416
00:16:51,967 --> 00:16:54,467
[Josh] World War II
may have ended decades ago,
417
00:16:54,467 --> 00:16:57,300
but here,
the wounds are still fresh.
418
00:16:57,300 --> 00:16:59,467
Ghostly shells
of Japanese ships,
419
00:16:59,467 --> 00:17:01,166
derelict structures
420
00:17:01,166 --> 00:17:03,834
and rusted out artillery
batteries dot the shores.
421
00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:05,700
Hidden in the depths
422
00:17:05,700 --> 00:17:07,900
lie the remains
of American servicemen
423
00:17:07,900 --> 00:17:10,166
and their aircraft.
424
00:17:10,166 --> 00:17:13,266
I head down to a dock to meet
the team from Project Recover
425
00:17:13,266 --> 00:17:15,266
that aims
to find these heroes
426
00:17:15,266 --> 00:17:16,800
and help bring them home.
427
00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:18,767
-Hey, guys, how are you?
-[men] Hey, Josh.
428
00:17:18,767 --> 00:17:20,166
-What's going on?
-Good to see you again, man.
429
00:17:20,166 --> 00:17:21,600
Very good to see you
again as well.
430
00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:23,166
Last time I saw you,
we were on a different island,
431
00:17:23,166 --> 00:17:24,867
-off the coast California.
-Anacapa Island,
432
00:17:24,867 --> 00:17:25,967
-you got it.
-That's right.
433
00:17:25,967 --> 00:17:27,367
[Josh]
I first worked with Colin
434
00:17:27,367 --> 00:17:29,900
on the hunt for
a World War II torpedo bomber
435
00:17:29,900 --> 00:17:32,066
lost off
the Coast of California,
436
00:17:32,066 --> 00:17:33,867
and now, half a world away,
437
00:17:33,867 --> 00:17:37,166
I'm meeting more members
of this remarkable team.
438
00:17:37,166 --> 00:17:39,100
And Josh, I wanna
introduce you to Mark Moline,
439
00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:40,400
the co-founder
of Project Recover.
440
00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:41,667
-Nice to meet you, Josh.
-Great to meet you, Mark.
441
00:17:41,667 --> 00:17:42,867
[Colin] And Dan Davis,
442
00:17:42,867 --> 00:17:44,800
the lead archeologist
for this mission.
443
00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:46,066
-Nice to meet you, Josh.
-[Josh] Awesome.
444
00:17:46,066 --> 00:17:47,467
[Josh]
Project Recover's mission
445
00:17:47,467 --> 00:17:49,667
takes them
all over the world.
446
00:17:49,667 --> 00:17:51,467
To date, they have
helped repatriate
447
00:17:51,467 --> 00:17:53,166
more than 17 MIAs
448
00:17:53,166 --> 00:17:56,967
and located more than
65 World War II aircraft.
449
00:17:58,066 --> 00:18:00,967
And so, let's talk about
your mission here in Chuuk.
450
00:18:00,967 --> 00:18:03,100
This was once known
as Truk Lagoon
451
00:18:03,100 --> 00:18:04,767
and this island here
452
00:18:04,767 --> 00:18:06,367
and the other islands
we see out here,
453
00:18:06,367 --> 00:18:08,100
these were all occupied
by the Japanese.
454
00:18:08,100 --> 00:18:09,500
There would've been
Japanese ships
455
00:18:09,500 --> 00:18:11,066
and planes all over
the place here, right?
456
00:18:11,066 --> 00:18:13,667
Yeah, this was a major
Japanese naval base
457
00:18:13,667 --> 00:18:16,266
that we actually didn't
even know that much about.
458
00:18:16,266 --> 00:18:18,967
The guys who were flying
in here on 17th February
459
00:18:18,967 --> 00:18:21,300
were really flying
into a mystery.
460
00:18:21,300 --> 00:18:22,967
[Josh] That mystery
turned out
461
00:18:22,967 --> 00:18:25,567
to be the most formidable
Japanese naval base
462
00:18:25,567 --> 00:18:26,800
in the Pacific.
463
00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,100
Within the barrier reef
of the atoll,
464
00:18:29,100 --> 00:18:32,800
the Japanese transformed
the islands of Truk,
465
00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:35,166
along with dozens
of military buildings.
466
00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:37,367
They built five airfields
467
00:18:37,367 --> 00:18:39,400
supporting
hundreds of aircraft,
468
00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:43,000
including a vast fleet
of deadly Japanese Zeros.
469
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:44,667
There were also facilities
470
00:18:44,667 --> 00:18:46,667
for sea planes
and submarines.
471
00:18:46,667 --> 00:18:48,867
And the lagoon itself
often had
472
00:18:48,867 --> 00:18:50,800
as many as a thousand ships
473
00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:54,333
all defended by anti-aircraft
guns on shore.
474
00:18:55,567 --> 00:18:56,767
[Josh] Take me back in time.
475
00:18:56,767 --> 00:18:57,867
What would it have been like
476
00:18:57,867 --> 00:18:58,967
if I was standing on the dock
477
00:18:58,967 --> 00:19:00,600
in February of 1944?
478
00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,266
Yeah. If you were here
17th February 1944,
479
00:19:03,266 --> 00:19:04,867
you'd probably
be running for cover.
480
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,767
That's when the US launched
the Operation Hailstone,
481
00:19:10,767 --> 00:19:13,266
a major carrier-borne
attack on Truk Lagoon.
482
00:19:13,266 --> 00:19:15,166
[Josh] In a reverse
of Pearl Harbor,
483
00:19:15,166 --> 00:19:18,367
it was now the Japanese
who never saw it coming.
484
00:19:18,367 --> 00:19:20,066
An armada of carriers,
485
00:19:20,066 --> 00:19:22,767
battleships,
destroyers and subs
486
00:19:22,767 --> 00:19:25,867
descended on Truk
in a series of attacks.
487
00:19:25,867 --> 00:19:28,867
And our flyboys got
the drop on enemy forces,
488
00:19:28,867 --> 00:19:30,900
sinking more than 50 ships
489
00:19:30,900 --> 00:19:33,767
and destroying
over 400 planes.
490
00:19:34,266 --> 00:19:35,867
And in terms of the numbers,
491
00:19:35,867 --> 00:19:38,600
we obviously routed
the Japanese forces here,
492
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,567
but not without a cost, right?
493
00:19:40,567 --> 00:19:43,367
So between Hailstone
and the subsequent operations,
494
00:19:43,367 --> 00:19:46,066
how many US personnel
went missing here?
495
00:19:46,066 --> 00:19:49,000
We lost 42 planes
and around 200 people.
496
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,266
[Josh] Two hundred people
are missing here.
497
00:19:51,266 --> 00:19:53,166
And presumably,
many of those remains
498
00:19:53,166 --> 00:19:55,367
are sunk out here
in the atoll, yes?
499
00:19:55,367 --> 00:19:57,100
-[men] Yes.
-Now, there are of course
500
00:19:57,100 --> 00:19:58,600
known wrecks out here.
The Japanese lost
501
00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,266
a ton of ships in this attack,
502
00:20:00,266 --> 00:20:01,800
many of which
are plotted out here.
503
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:03,767
What about these American
planes though?
504
00:20:03,767 --> 00:20:05,500
Up until now, nobody has found
505
00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:06,767
any of the US planes.
506
00:20:06,767 --> 00:20:07,967
-[Josh] None of them?
-No.
507
00:20:07,967 --> 00:20:09,867
[Josh] Wow. That's incredible.
508
00:20:09,867 --> 00:20:11,600
That's remarkable.
509
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:13,066
[Josh]
Somewhere in these waters
510
00:20:13,066 --> 00:20:15,300
lie the lost heroes
of Hailstone,
511
00:20:15,300 --> 00:20:17,100
their stories untold
512
00:20:17,100 --> 00:20:20,867
and remains unclaimed
almost 80 years later.
513
00:20:22,166 --> 00:20:24,000
[Josh] It's a big mission.
Where do we begin?
514
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,000
We have over five years now
515
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,900
conducting archival research
of action reports,
516
00:20:29,900 --> 00:20:32,300
war diaries, you know,
declassified documents
517
00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:33,700
from World War II.
518
00:20:33,700 --> 00:20:35,600
And in fact,
we actually have some targets
519
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:36,767
to get started with already.
520
00:20:36,767 --> 00:20:38,100
-We have targets?
-[Mark] We do.
521
00:20:38,100 --> 00:20:39,767
And our mission today
is to go figure out
522
00:20:39,767 --> 00:20:40,867
what those are.
523
00:20:40,867 --> 00:20:42,000
Okay. Should we
get on the water?
524
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:43,000
-Sounds like a plan.
-Can't wait.
525
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:44,000
Lead the way, please.
526
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,166
[dramatic music playing]
527
00:20:48,567 --> 00:20:50,567
[Josh] While it may be
called a lagoon,
528
00:20:50,567 --> 00:20:53,367
the waters here are about
the size of Rhode Island.
529
00:20:53,367 --> 00:20:54,867
In 2019,
530
00:20:54,867 --> 00:20:57,066
the Project Recovery team
deployed cutting edge
531
00:20:57,066 --> 00:20:59,300
autonomous
underwater vehicles
532
00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:01,667
to sonar scan sections
of the lagoon
533
00:21:01,667 --> 00:21:03,266
that had never been searched.
534
00:21:03,867 --> 00:21:05,667
They got back promising data.
535
00:21:05,667 --> 00:21:08,667
Unfortunately, COVID
stopped their mission short.
536
00:21:08,667 --> 00:21:11,667
Now we have
an incredible opportunity
537
00:21:11,667 --> 00:21:15,867
to interrogate these targets
for the very first time.
538
00:21:15,867 --> 00:21:18,767
How many targets would you say
there are that are promising?
539
00:21:18,767 --> 00:21:20,000
[Mark] Ten, ten or twelve.
540
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:21,266
Can we take
a look at the data?
541
00:21:21,266 --> 00:21:22,500
-[Mark] Sure.
-[Josh] Yeah. Here?
542
00:21:22,500 --> 00:21:23,567
[Mark] Right here. Yup.
543
00:21:23,567 --> 00:21:24,867
This is the first one
544
00:21:24,867 --> 00:21:26,467
that we're thinking
about diving on today.
545
00:21:26,467 --> 00:21:27,900
[Josh] So something
there for sure,
546
00:21:27,900 --> 00:21:29,266
-very distinct shape.
-[Mark] Yeah.
547
00:21:29,266 --> 00:21:31,266
So, we call this rabbit ears
548
00:21:31,266 --> 00:21:33,000
based on previous experience.
549
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,266
Looks like a propeller
550
00:21:34,266 --> 00:21:36,300
where one
of the propeller's vertical.
551
00:21:36,300 --> 00:21:38,000
It's casting a vertical shadow
552
00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,567
and the other one sort of
casting this angular shape,
553
00:21:40,567 --> 00:21:42,900
and it definitely looks like
this sort of rabbit ear.
554
00:21:42,900 --> 00:21:44,867
-So looks like a propeller?
-[Mark] It does.
555
00:21:44,867 --> 00:21:46,200
Might not be
a propeller but...
556
00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:48,000
-Might not be.
-...that's what we hope it is?
557
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:49,166
-Yeah.
-Okay.
558
00:21:49,166 --> 00:21:50,333
-Let's go see what it is.
-Okay.
559
00:21:56,767 --> 00:21:58,300
[Josh] We motor
about a half a mile
560
00:21:58,300 --> 00:22:01,400
across the lagoon
toward our mystery sonar hit,
561
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,467
until we arrive
at the coordinates
562
00:22:03,467 --> 00:22:05,600
that Mark has waited
years to investigate.
563
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,000
-Yeah, we get... we get--
-To the right.
564
00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:08,233
Okay. Slow down.
565
00:22:09,166 --> 00:22:10,600
[Josh] When our vessel
is directly
566
00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:11,834
on top of the target...
567
00:22:12,166 --> 00:22:13,233
Now!
568
00:22:15,467 --> 00:22:17,867
[Josh] ...Colin tosses
a weighted shot line
569
00:22:17,867 --> 00:22:19,066
over the bow.
570
00:22:19,066 --> 00:22:20,100
This will be our guide
571
00:22:20,100 --> 00:22:21,300
down to the target
572
00:22:21,300 --> 00:22:23,367
and our lifeline
back to the boat.
573
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:30,867
Dan and I drop in
574
00:22:32,767 --> 00:22:35,433
while Mark monitors
the coms topside.
575
00:22:37,867 --> 00:22:41,033
[Josh speaking]
576
00:22:45,700 --> 00:22:47,667
[Josh] Hopefully
we nailed the position.
577
00:22:47,667 --> 00:22:49,166
As the saying goes,
578
00:22:49,166 --> 00:22:51,200
off by an inch,
off by a mile,
579
00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:53,667
and at this depth
over a hundred feet,
580
00:22:53,667 --> 00:22:55,300
our bottom time is limited
581
00:22:55,300 --> 00:22:56,667
to about fifteen minutes
582
00:22:56,667 --> 00:22:58,467
to avoid
decompression sickness.
583
00:22:59,266 --> 00:23:00,700
This is topside.
584
00:23:00,700 --> 00:23:03,033
What are the conditions
down there? Over.
585
00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:08,000
[Dan speaking]
586
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:09,967
[Josh] Time is tight.
587
00:23:09,967 --> 00:23:11,266
So we drop down fast
588
00:23:11,266 --> 00:23:13,567
making a beeline
to the ocean floor.
589
00:23:13,567 --> 00:23:16,734
[Josh speaking]
590
00:23:18,667 --> 00:23:22,367
[Dan speaking]
591
00:23:22,367 --> 00:23:25,900
[Josh speaking]
592
00:23:25,900 --> 00:23:27,233
Topside, copy.
593
00:23:28,266 --> 00:23:31,367
[Josh speaking]
594
00:23:31,367 --> 00:23:34,533
[dramatic music playing]
595
00:23:37,100 --> 00:23:40,233
[Josh speaking]
596
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,367
[dramatic music playing]
597
00:24:02,367 --> 00:24:05,266
[Josh speaking]
598
00:24:05,266 --> 00:24:07,700
All right.
What does it look like?
599
00:24:07,700 --> 00:24:10,200
[Josh speaking]
600
00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:11,800
[Josh]
I'm with Project Recover
601
00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:14,767
on a mission to find
missing World War II Airmen
602
00:24:14,767 --> 00:24:18,066
in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia,
100 feet down.
603
00:24:18,066 --> 00:24:20,867
We're investigating
a promising sonar target
604
00:24:20,867 --> 00:24:23,333
that looked like
a bent propeller.
605
00:24:33,567 --> 00:24:35,567
[Dan speaking]
606
00:24:35,567 --> 00:24:39,500
[Josh speaking]
607
00:24:39,500 --> 00:24:44,000
[Dan speaking]
608
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,166
[Josh speaking]
609
00:24:50,266 --> 00:24:53,367
[Dan speaking]
610
00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:00,567
[Josh speaking]
611
00:25:01,467 --> 00:25:03,467
[Josh] As the Allied
Armada descended
612
00:25:03,467 --> 00:25:06,367
on Truk Lagoon,
Japanese ships fled,
613
00:25:06,367 --> 00:25:08,867
cutting anchor to escape
the bombardment.
614
00:25:08,867 --> 00:25:09,967
That's great.
615
00:25:09,967 --> 00:25:11,867
Take as many photos
as you can and come back up
616
00:25:11,867 --> 00:25:12,834
to the surface.
617
00:25:16,266 --> 00:25:18,000
[Josh] The anchor
is an important find
618
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,066
giving battlefield
archeologists and historians
619
00:25:21,066 --> 00:25:22,266
another puzzle piece
620
00:25:22,266 --> 00:25:25,834
to reconstruct the story
of Operation Hailstone.
621
00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:35,367
[exhales sharply]
622
00:25:35,367 --> 00:25:36,667
Monster anchor down there.
623
00:25:36,667 --> 00:25:38,266
-Nice job.
-[Josh] Huge.
624
00:25:38,266 --> 00:25:39,800
We got one sonar target down.
625
00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:41,000
-[Mark] Yup.
-Several more to go.
626
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:41,800
That's right.
627
00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:43,500
[dramatic music playing]
628
00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:46,233
[boat engine whirring]
629
00:25:49,767 --> 00:25:50,667
[Josh] Back on the boat,
630
00:25:50,667 --> 00:25:52,900
we return
to our sonar targets
631
00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:54,900
with barely enough time
to dry off
632
00:25:54,900 --> 00:25:57,333
before we're on top
of another one.
633
00:25:58,467 --> 00:25:59,667
[Josh] So next target,
what do we got?
634
00:25:59,667 --> 00:26:02,000
Uh, for the next target
I think we should focus on,
635
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:03,667
uh, this debris field,
636
00:26:03,667 --> 00:26:05,467
looks to be about 25 feet
in length.
637
00:26:05,467 --> 00:26:06,800
[Josh] Now,
when you look at that,
638
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,166
-you don't immediately think
that's an airplane.
-[Dan] No.
639
00:26:09,166 --> 00:26:10,567
But sometimes that's what
this stuff looks like, right?
640
00:26:10,567 --> 00:26:13,000
Yeah. These planes
sometimes hit the surface
641
00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:14,066
at high speeds.
642
00:26:14,066 --> 00:26:16,800
And so what you have
is a distributed debris pile.
643
00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:17,967
[Josh]
That could be an aircraft.
644
00:26:17,967 --> 00:26:18,900
-[Dan] Yeah.
-[Mark] Yup.
645
00:26:18,900 --> 00:26:19,867
[Josh] And then
I can't help but notice,
646
00:26:19,867 --> 00:26:21,467
what's this weird thing
over here?
647
00:26:21,467 --> 00:26:22,467
[Dan] Yeah.
We have what looks like,
648
00:26:22,467 --> 00:26:25,266
uh, a manmade object
about 150 feet away
649
00:26:25,266 --> 00:26:26,500
from that debris pile.
650
00:26:26,500 --> 00:26:27,500
-Long shadow...
-[Josh] Yeah.
651
00:26:27,500 --> 00:26:28,600
[Dan] ...which means
it has some height.
652
00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:30,667
[Mark] And it's also
about 10 feet in diameter.
653
00:26:30,667 --> 00:26:31,800
[Josh] 10 feet
in diameter? Okay.
654
00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:33,500
So two for one,
we hit one target
655
00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:34,967
and then rush over
to the other.
656
00:26:34,967 --> 00:26:36,066
[Dan] Yes, we could.
657
00:26:36,066 --> 00:26:37,400
It'll have to be a quick swim,
but I think we can do it.
658
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:38,467
[Josh] Okay.
659
00:26:38,467 --> 00:26:41,634
[dramatic music playing]
660
00:26:42,767 --> 00:26:45,734
[Josh] We circle back
around to the coordinates...
661
00:26:51,667 --> 00:26:53,166
release another shot line...
662
00:26:55,967 --> 00:26:58,567
and waste no time
dropping down.
663
00:27:03,467 --> 00:27:05,834
[ominous music playing]
664
00:27:06,166 --> 00:27:09,567
[Josh speaking]
665
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,867
[Dan speaking]
666
00:27:41,867 --> 00:27:43,567
[Josh speaking]
667
00:27:43,567 --> 00:27:45,767
Is it wreckage?
It looked round on the sonar.
668
00:27:45,767 --> 00:27:47,200
Over.
669
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,433
[Josh speaking]
670
00:27:53,500 --> 00:27:54,800
[Dan speaking]
671
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,166
-[Josh speaking]
-[Dan speaking]
672
00:28:02,166 --> 00:28:04,567
[Josh speaking]
673
00:28:04,567 --> 00:28:07,634
[Dan speaking]
674
00:28:12,767 --> 00:28:17,467
[Josh speaking]
675
00:28:17,467 --> 00:28:18,667
[dramatic music playing]
676
00:28:18,667 --> 00:28:20,767
[Josh] One sonar mystery
is solved.
677
00:28:20,767 --> 00:28:23,266
Now we quickly swim
toward the target
678
00:28:23,266 --> 00:28:25,433
that looks
like a debris field.
679
00:28:27,100 --> 00:28:29,767
[Dan speaking]
680
00:28:29,767 --> 00:28:31,767
[Josh speaking]
681
00:28:31,767 --> 00:28:33,567
[Josh] Dan drags
the shot line behind us
682
00:28:33,567 --> 00:28:36,634
so we can quickly find
our way back to the boat.
683
00:28:38,367 --> 00:28:40,634
[Dan speaking]
684
00:28:42,300 --> 00:28:46,600
[Josh speaking]
685
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,333
Does it look manmade?
686
00:28:49,367 --> 00:28:53,000
[Josh speaking]
687
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,100
[Dan speaking]
688
00:28:55,100 --> 00:28:58,233
[Josh speaking]
689
00:29:02,166 --> 00:29:04,467
-[Dan speaking]
-[Josh speaking]
690
00:29:04,467 --> 00:29:06,300
[dramatic music playing]
691
00:29:06,300 --> 00:29:08,600
[Josh] The anchor and
the mooring paint a picture
692
00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:10,967
of where Japanese forces
were positioned
693
00:29:10,967 --> 00:29:12,367
during Hailstone
694
00:29:12,367 --> 00:29:14,834
and where American pilots
may have attacked.
695
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,000
This valuable intel
may ultimately aid
696
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,233
the search for MIAs.
697
00:29:21,467 --> 00:29:22,867
Okay. Two more targets down.
698
00:29:22,867 --> 00:29:24,166
All right.
699
00:29:24,166 --> 00:29:25,266
-Plenty more to go.
-[Mark] Nice job, guys.
700
00:29:25,266 --> 00:29:27,000
-Plenty more to go.
-Nice, guys.
701
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,767
When do the beers come out?
702
00:29:28,767 --> 00:29:30,266
-Uh, when we get back.
-Oh, okay.
703
00:29:30,266 --> 00:29:32,000
-[groans]
-I wasn't sure.
704
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,066
[dramatic music playing]
705
00:29:34,066 --> 00:29:36,000
[Josh] With the sun
setting, we motor back
706
00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,834
across the lagoon
and return to port.
707
00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,900
By the light of a new day,
we're back out on the water.
708
00:29:45,900 --> 00:29:48,166
To find missing planes,
Project Recover
709
00:29:48,166 --> 00:29:50,266
uses more than just sonar.
710
00:29:50,266 --> 00:29:53,400
They also rely on something
even more powerful,
711
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:54,734
local knowledge.
712
00:29:55,667 --> 00:29:57,600
Josh, I wanna introduce you
to Mason Fritz.
713
00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,400
-Mason. Hello?
-Yeah. Hello.
714
00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,467
Mason is our local
investigator here in Chuuk.
715
00:30:01,467 --> 00:30:04,467
He is an essential part
of the Project Recover team
716
00:30:04,467 --> 00:30:05,867
because there are more
than a dozen
717
00:30:05,867 --> 00:30:08,100
populated islands
here in Chuuk.
718
00:30:08,100 --> 00:30:10,867
And we need to be able
to liaise with local people
719
00:30:10,867 --> 00:30:13,900
in order to get local stories
about American aircraft
720
00:30:13,900 --> 00:30:15,867
or personnel who might
have washed as shore.
721
00:30:15,867 --> 00:30:16,700
Got it.
722
00:30:16,700 --> 00:30:18,100
So today we're heading
to Fana Panges,
723
00:30:18,100 --> 00:30:19,100
which is another island
in the...
724
00:30:19,100 --> 00:30:21,200
In the atoll here
where Mason has uncovered
725
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,467
a story that's connected
to an MIA.
726
00:30:23,467 --> 00:30:24,867
I found an eyewitness.
727
00:30:24,867 --> 00:30:26,533
-You found an eyewitness?
-[Mason] Yes.
728
00:30:26,867 --> 00:30:27,967
Okay.
729
00:30:27,967 --> 00:30:30,667
[Josh] An eyewitness
account of an American MIA
730
00:30:30,667 --> 00:30:33,967
would be a massive step
forward for Project Recover.
731
00:30:33,967 --> 00:30:36,100
Of course,
at the time of Hailstone,
732
00:30:36,100 --> 00:30:39,300
all of the people of Chuuk
were unwilling eyewitnesses
733
00:30:39,300 --> 00:30:42,467
to a war
they had no desire in waging.
734
00:30:42,467 --> 00:30:44,700
And the Japanese took control
of these islands
735
00:30:44,700 --> 00:30:45,967
in World War I, right?
736
00:30:45,967 --> 00:30:48,000
-Yes.
-And what was
that relationship like
737
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,300
between the Japanese
and the Chuukese people?
738
00:30:50,300 --> 00:30:51,967
There was a very good
relationship
739
00:30:51,967 --> 00:30:54,300
between the Japanese
and the Chuukese because
740
00:30:54,300 --> 00:30:57,367
the Japanese were here
not for military purpose.
741
00:30:57,367 --> 00:31:00,367
They were here
to turn this place
742
00:31:00,367 --> 00:31:01,767
into a commercial site.
743
00:31:01,767 --> 00:31:03,867
When the Japanese
start building up this area
744
00:31:03,867 --> 00:31:06,166
for military,
that's when the hardships
745
00:31:06,166 --> 00:31:08,166
start coming in
for the Chuukese.
746
00:31:08,166 --> 00:31:09,066
-Right.
-[Mason] You know?
747
00:31:09,066 --> 00:31:10,100
[Josh] And it was
very hard, right?
748
00:31:10,100 --> 00:31:11,667
[Mason] It was very hard.
749
00:31:11,667 --> 00:31:12,867
[Josh] As the war ramped up,
750
00:31:12,867 --> 00:31:15,600
many Chuukese were forced out
of their homes
751
00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:17,567
to make room for tens
of thousands
752
00:31:17,567 --> 00:31:19,300
of Japanese soldiers.
753
00:31:19,300 --> 00:31:21,567
Facing food shortages
and forced to work
754
00:31:21,567 --> 00:31:23,567
for the war effort,
it is estimated
755
00:31:23,567 --> 00:31:26,367
that more than a thousand
local islanders died,
756
00:31:26,367 --> 00:31:28,800
victims of a war
they were simply living
757
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:30,367
in the middle of.
758
00:31:31,300 --> 00:31:33,066
And so how did
the people of Chuuk
759
00:31:33,066 --> 00:31:35,166
look at Operation Hailstone
760
00:31:35,166 --> 00:31:38,567
and the American assault
on the Japanese forces here?
761
00:31:38,567 --> 00:31:41,100
They're really thankful
because a lot
762
00:31:41,100 --> 00:31:43,266
of the atrocities they faced
763
00:31:43,266 --> 00:31:44,700
during that buildup
764
00:31:44,700 --> 00:31:47,266
of military all the way
until the attack
765
00:31:47,266 --> 00:31:50,500
on the lagoon,
it's like freedom for them.
766
00:31:50,500 --> 00:31:53,467
You know, the attack
really liberates the locals.
767
00:31:53,467 --> 00:31:56,066
[Josh] Not only that,
but it forges a bond
768
00:31:56,066 --> 00:31:58,567
that continues
with many Micronesians
769
00:31:58,567 --> 00:32:01,266
now serving
in the US Armed Forces.
770
00:32:01,266 --> 00:32:03,700
We have more young men
and women from Micronesia
771
00:32:03,700 --> 00:32:07,367
are joining
the US military per capita
772
00:32:07,367 --> 00:32:09,100
than many other states...
773
00:32:09,100 --> 00:32:10,367
-[Josh] Wow.
-...in the United States.
774
00:32:10,367 --> 00:32:12,634
This relationship
has really endured.
775
00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:16,600
[Josh] We're hoping
that our eyewitness
776
00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,266
can continue
that spirit of cooperation.
777
00:32:19,266 --> 00:32:20,567
To talk to him,
we're motoring
778
00:32:20,567 --> 00:32:22,266
about 30 minutes from Weno
779
00:32:22,266 --> 00:32:23,967
to the western side
of the atoll
780
00:32:23,967 --> 00:32:26,333
in the island of Fana Panges.
781
00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,667
We arrive at the shores
of the lush island
782
00:32:31,667 --> 00:32:34,900
and tie up
at an old Japanese dock.
783
00:32:34,900 --> 00:32:37,166
For most of us World War II
is history,
784
00:32:37,166 --> 00:32:39,000
but for the people
living here,
785
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,367
it's still eerily present.
786
00:32:45,266 --> 00:32:47,567
Children play in the remains
of war machinery
787
00:32:47,567 --> 00:32:50,500
used three generations
before,
788
00:32:50,500 --> 00:32:52,767
but the people
of Fana Panges remember,
789
00:32:52,767 --> 00:32:55,867
including Mason's witness
Antaero Rawit.
790
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:57,467
Hi, I'm Josh.
791
00:32:57,467 --> 00:32:59,400
-Antero.
-Antero, nice to meet you.
792
00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:00,266
Colin.
793
00:33:00,266 --> 00:33:01,967
Antero, I understand
you've got a story
794
00:33:01,967 --> 00:33:04,367
about something that was
witnessed in World War II.
795
00:33:04,367 --> 00:33:07,266
I heard that there was
an American airman
796
00:33:07,266 --> 00:33:09,300
who came to
this island on a raft.
797
00:33:09,300 --> 00:33:11,066
-[Colin] Wow.
-My grandfather knew
798
00:33:11,066 --> 00:33:12,300
a little bit of English.
799
00:33:12,300 --> 00:33:14,400
That's why they brought
the airman to him.
800
00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:16,767
And those people
that brought him here,
801
00:33:16,767 --> 00:33:18,567
did they see a plane crash?
802
00:33:18,567 --> 00:33:22,300
They said that they saw
a crash between here and Udot.
803
00:33:22,300 --> 00:33:24,266
And, Mason,
Udot is this island?
804
00:33:24,266 --> 00:33:25,767
Yes. Udot is this island.
805
00:33:25,767 --> 00:33:28,567
[Josh] So somewhere
in between these two islands
806
00:33:28,567 --> 00:33:29,667
is a missing plane.
807
00:33:29,667 --> 00:33:31,000
I can't believe it.
808
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:32,066
This is incredible.
809
00:33:32,066 --> 00:33:35,734
[dramatic music playing]
810
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:40,767
[Antero] An American airman
811
00:33:40,767 --> 00:33:44,800
was brought to my grandfather
by some other native people
812
00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:46,400
from this island.
813
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,867
[Josh] I'm interviewing
the grandson of a local man
814
00:33:48,867 --> 00:33:52,767
who aided a downed American
airman during World War II.
815
00:33:54,100 --> 00:33:55,767
So your grandfather
was able to protect
816
00:33:55,767 --> 00:33:57,367
this guy for how long?
817
00:33:57,367 --> 00:33:58,567
For a couple of days.
818
00:33:58,567 --> 00:34:00,100
And then what,
the Japanese found out?
819
00:34:00,100 --> 00:34:03,100
The Japanese came
to my grandfather's house.
820
00:34:03,100 --> 00:34:05,567
They forced their way
inside the house
821
00:34:05,567 --> 00:34:07,300
and they beat up
my grandfather
822
00:34:07,300 --> 00:34:09,166
and took the American guy
823
00:34:09,166 --> 00:34:11,400
away from my grandfather's
house.
824
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:12,300
-Wow.
-[Colin] Wow.
825
00:34:12,300 --> 00:34:13,567
Incredible.
826
00:34:13,567 --> 00:34:15,367
And so considering
it was a risk,
827
00:34:15,367 --> 00:34:16,867
why do you think
your grandfather
828
00:34:16,867 --> 00:34:18,100
tried to protect him?
829
00:34:18,100 --> 00:34:20,567
During that time,
the Chuukese people
830
00:34:20,567 --> 00:34:24,767
were treated by the Japanese
very, very badly.
831
00:34:24,767 --> 00:34:27,266
The people of Chuuk,
they knew that the American
832
00:34:27,266 --> 00:34:28,367
would save them.
833
00:34:28,367 --> 00:34:30,100
Hmm. And what about a name?
834
00:34:30,100 --> 00:34:31,767
What did your grandfather
call him?
835
00:34:31,767 --> 00:34:33,867
The name of the airman
was Fredrick.
836
00:34:33,867 --> 00:34:35,066
-Frederick?
-Frederick?
837
00:34:35,066 --> 00:34:37,000
-Oh, my God.
-Is there a Frederick?
838
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:38,266
-Yes, there is definitely
a Frederick.
-There is?
839
00:34:38,266 --> 00:34:39,467
-[Colin] Oh, yes.
-Among the missing?
840
00:34:39,467 --> 00:34:40,667
Among the missing in Truk.
841
00:34:40,667 --> 00:34:42,567
I mean, we know these names
back and forth.
842
00:34:42,567 --> 00:34:44,567
-Uh, 199 of them.
-Right.
843
00:34:44,567 --> 00:34:46,367
And I know one of them
is definitely Frederick.
844
00:34:46,367 --> 00:34:47,367
There is a Frederick?
845
00:34:47,367 --> 00:34:49,200
There's a Frederick,
Frederick McKenzie.
846
00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:51,867
And I'm shocked to hear
that this was Frederick.
847
00:34:51,867 --> 00:34:53,266
It's the only Frederick
that's missing.
848
00:34:53,266 --> 00:34:55,266
Is it a single pilot
aircraft that he's in?
849
00:34:55,266 --> 00:34:56,900
No, it's actually,
it's an Avenger.
850
00:34:56,900 --> 00:34:59,100
It's a three-crewmen
torpedo bomber.
851
00:34:59,100 --> 00:35:00,800
-He's in an Avenger.
-Wow.
852
00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:03,500
And were there any other
crewmen on the life raft?
853
00:35:03,500 --> 00:35:05,300
-No. He was a alone.
-[Colin] Just a single guy?
854
00:35:05,300 --> 00:35:08,367
So that means that
in this strait
855
00:35:08,367 --> 00:35:10,200
between these two islands,
856
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:12,166
there may be an Avenger
and two crewmen.
857
00:35:12,166 --> 00:35:14,367
And to hear that possibly
he crashed in between
858
00:35:14,367 --> 00:35:16,867
these two islands,
it's a huge break.
859
00:35:21,900 --> 00:35:23,600
This is incredible.
860
00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:25,100
Thank you so much...
861
00:35:25,100 --> 00:35:26,667
-You're welcome.
-...for sharing this story,
862
00:35:26,667 --> 00:35:28,367
-really, it's incredible.
-Kinisou Chapur.
863
00:35:28,367 --> 00:35:29,900
Thank you.
864
00:35:29,900 --> 00:35:32,100
[Josh] Gunner Frederick
McKenzie was stationed
865
00:35:32,100 --> 00:35:33,800
on the USS Bunker Hill
866
00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:37,600
as part of the VT-17
Torpedo Squadron.
867
00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:40,467
Thanks to Antero
we now know how his story
868
00:35:40,467 --> 00:35:41,900
of service ends,
869
00:35:41,900 --> 00:35:43,800
not at the bottom
of Truk Lagoon,
870
00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,834
but as a POW
who never came home.
871
00:35:47,500 --> 00:35:48,767
As for the rest of the crew,
872
00:35:48,767 --> 00:35:51,166
radioman, Stanley S. Stump
873
00:35:51,166 --> 00:35:53,266
and Pilot Newton B. Birkes
874
00:35:53,266 --> 00:35:55,834
may still be out there
waiting to be found.
875
00:35:59,266 --> 00:36:02,166
To see if we can locate them,
we get back on the water
876
00:36:02,166 --> 00:36:04,567
and link up with Mark
and two other members
877
00:36:04,567 --> 00:36:07,166
of the Project Recover team
who are bringing
878
00:36:07,166 --> 00:36:10,500
cutting edge tech to scan
our new target area.
879
00:36:10,500 --> 00:36:12,900
Okay. So let's talk
about this sonar.
880
00:36:12,900 --> 00:36:14,000
I assume
that's this thing here?
881
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:15,066
[Mark] Yeah.
That's what we got.
882
00:36:15,066 --> 00:36:16,166
Can we see it?
883
00:36:16,166 --> 00:36:17,266
-Yeah, let's see it.
-Yeah. Let's go.
884
00:36:19,467 --> 00:36:21,400
[Josh] I feel like
a kid on Christmas
885
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,867
as Project Recover
breaks out their latest AUV.
886
00:36:24,867 --> 00:36:26,166
Look at this thing.
887
00:36:26,166 --> 00:36:27,266
This is insane.
888
00:36:27,266 --> 00:36:28,367
What are we looking at here?
889
00:36:28,367 --> 00:36:31,100
So this is an autonomous
underwater vehicle or an AUV.
890
00:36:31,100 --> 00:36:32,667
[Josh] I remember
the last time I worked
891
00:36:32,667 --> 00:36:35,166
with Project Recover,
you had an AUV named Barry.
892
00:36:35,166 --> 00:36:36,467
-[Mark] Yeah.
-What's this one called?
893
00:36:36,467 --> 00:36:37,767
This one's called Killer.
894
00:36:37,767 --> 00:36:39,467
And its partner is Hunter.
Hunter, Killer.
895
00:36:39,467 --> 00:36:41,567
Killer? Oh, you've really
stepped things up here.
896
00:36:41,567 --> 00:36:43,900
This is... You're not...
You're not fooling
around anymore.
897
00:36:43,900 --> 00:36:46,467
If I were to go online and
pick up one of these bad boys,
898
00:36:46,467 --> 00:36:48,000
this would set me back
about how much?
899
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:49,767
About 700K.
900
00:36:49,767 --> 00:36:51,200
-$700,000?
-Yes.
901
00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:52,266
You get free shipping, though.
902
00:36:52,266 --> 00:36:54,867
Oh, that's good.
I would hope so.
903
00:36:54,867 --> 00:36:56,767
[Mark] We have some amazing
innovation here.
904
00:36:56,767 --> 00:37:00,500
One of them is the INS here,
Inertial Navigation System,
905
00:37:00,500 --> 00:37:03,000
which is analogous to
a cruise missile underwater.
906
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:04,600
And by autonomous
we mean this thing
907
00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:06,700
is not attached
to the boat in any way.
908
00:37:06,700 --> 00:37:07,800
-It's on its own.
-Yeah.
909
00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:09,100
It's fully independent.
910
00:37:09,100 --> 00:37:10,667
It's basically a mini
submarine.
911
00:37:10,667 --> 00:37:11,567
[Leila] Yeah. Exactly.
912
00:37:11,567 --> 00:37:13,100
So we give it a pass
to follow,
913
00:37:13,100 --> 00:37:14,667
kind of like mowing the lawn
914
00:37:14,667 --> 00:37:17,567
and rows back and forth
and it follows those.
915
00:37:17,567 --> 00:37:20,367
And in terms of today's
mission, what's our plan?
916
00:37:20,367 --> 00:37:22,767
We're gonna scan the seafloor
between the two islands.
917
00:37:22,767 --> 00:37:24,300
Um, we'll be out
in about six hours
918
00:37:24,300 --> 00:37:26,800
and get about a mile,
square mile of coverage.
919
00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:28,767
And really, this is not
just you searching here.
920
00:37:28,767 --> 00:37:30,500
Probably nobody's searched
here before, right?
921
00:37:30,500 --> 00:37:32,467
It is... I think it's safe
to say that nobody's seen
922
00:37:32,467 --> 00:37:33,700
the seafloor here.
923
00:37:33,700 --> 00:37:34,834
-All right, let's get
this thing in the water.
-All right.
924
00:37:38,700 --> 00:37:39,867
You're going ahead there.
925
00:37:42,567 --> 00:37:44,467
And it's away.
926
00:37:44,467 --> 00:37:47,066
Look at that. There she goes.
927
00:37:47,066 --> 00:37:48,834
Dive, dive, dive.
928
00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:51,233
Okay. She's down.
929
00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:55,100
[Josh] The AUV,
affectionately known
as Killer,
930
00:37:55,100 --> 00:37:56,367
is in the water,
931
00:37:56,367 --> 00:37:58,367
and it begins
its six-hour program
932
00:37:58,367 --> 00:38:00,634
scanning through
our search zone.
933
00:38:01,567 --> 00:38:03,700
Normally, I take this time
to read
934
00:38:03,700 --> 00:38:05,367
or, let's not
kid ourselves, sleep,
935
00:38:05,367 --> 00:38:08,266
but instead Mark tells me
to suit up for a dive.
936
00:38:08,266 --> 00:38:10,367
I'm not sure
what's beneath us,
937
00:38:10,367 --> 00:38:13,066
but I'm certainly
intrigued to find out.
938
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:29,100
[Mark speaking]
939
00:38:29,100 --> 00:38:31,967
[Josh speaking]
940
00:38:34,166 --> 00:38:37,767
[Mark speaking]
941
00:38:37,767 --> 00:38:40,433
[Josh speaking]
942
00:38:42,967 --> 00:38:45,900
[Mark speaking]
943
00:38:45,900 --> 00:38:50,133
[Josh speaking]
944
00:39:03,567 --> 00:39:06,734
[Mark speaking]
945
00:39:10,567 --> 00:39:15,066
[Josh speaking]
946
00:39:18,500 --> 00:39:21,634
[Mark speaking]
947
00:39:26,066 --> 00:39:27,400
[Josh] Almost twice
as long
948
00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:29,400
as the Statue of Liberty
is tall,
949
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,467
this behemoth was sent
to the bottom of Truk Lagoon
950
00:39:32,467 --> 00:39:35,934
by two pairs of bombs
from American aircraft.
951
00:39:39,467 --> 00:39:41,533
[Josh speaking]
952
00:39:42,500 --> 00:39:45,166
[Mark speaking]
953
00:39:45,967 --> 00:39:48,100
[Josh speaking]
954
00:39:48,100 --> 00:39:52,367
[Mark speaking]
955
00:39:52,367 --> 00:39:55,467
[suspenseful music playing]
956
00:39:59,567 --> 00:40:01,767
[Mark speaking]
957
00:40:01,767 --> 00:40:04,133
[Josh speaking]
958
00:40:06,500 --> 00:40:10,934
[Mark speaking]
959
00:40:11,567 --> 00:40:13,333
[Josh speaking]
960
00:40:22,467 --> 00:40:24,667
[Josh] We swim along
a now sideways deck
961
00:40:24,667 --> 00:40:26,767
that stretches
the length of the ship.
962
00:40:26,767 --> 00:40:28,800
It's disorienting
as what feels like
963
00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:32,000
the floor below is a wall
dotted with windows
964
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:34,333
leading to
the ship's interior.
965
00:40:36,567 --> 00:40:39,166
[Mark speaking]
966
00:40:39,166 --> 00:40:41,000
[Josh speaking]
967
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,667
[Mark speaking]
968
00:40:44,667 --> 00:40:48,567
[Josh speaking]
969
00:41:04,467 --> 00:41:07,433
[Mark speaking]
970
00:41:10,767 --> 00:41:13,800
[Josh speaking]
971
00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:18,333
[Mark speaking]
972
00:41:22,100 --> 00:41:25,000
[Josh speaking]
973
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:29,266
[suspenseful music playing]
974
00:41:32,934 --> 00:41:34,400
[Josh] As the host
of Expedition Unknown,
975
00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:36,734
I've been to over a hundred
different countries.
976
00:41:36,734 --> 00:41:39,367
I've seen everything
from the base camp of Everest
977
00:41:39,367 --> 00:41:42,166
and the Moai
of Easter Island,
978
00:41:42,166 --> 00:41:43,934
to the Amazonian rainforest
979
00:41:43,934 --> 00:41:46,567
and the frozen tundra
of Siberia.
980
00:41:46,567 --> 00:41:48,767
But on the remote
island of Kosrae,
981
00:41:48,767 --> 00:41:52,233
I'm finally going someplace
I've never been.
982
00:41:56,567 --> 00:41:59,133
I've waited my whole life
to look in there.
983
00:41:59,133 --> 00:42:00,667
It's where the bags go.
984
00:42:02,066 --> 00:42:03,567
All right.
This one is all beer.
985
00:42:03,567 --> 00:42:06,166
Be careful with that one.
All right?
986
00:42:06,166 --> 00:42:07,500
You can have a few.
987
00:42:07,500 --> 00:42:09,400
Precious cargo.
988
00:42:11,934 --> 00:42:12,834
[dramatic music playing]
989
00:42:12,834 --> 00:42:16,100
[Josh speaking]
990
00:42:16,100 --> 00:42:18,066
[Mark speaking]
991
00:42:18,066 --> 00:42:20,867
[Josh speaking]
992
00:42:20,867 --> 00:42:22,934
[Josh] I'm in Micronesia's
Truk Lagoon
993
00:42:22,934 --> 00:42:25,166
searching for the wreckage
of American planes
994
00:42:25,166 --> 00:42:27,066
from World War II.
995
00:42:27,066 --> 00:42:30,266
A massive Japanese ship
called the Heian Maru
996
00:42:30,266 --> 00:42:32,667
has lain here since 1944
997
00:42:32,667 --> 00:42:35,266
along with its still
live ordnance.
998
00:42:35,266 --> 00:42:37,834
[Mark speaking]
999
00:42:37,834 --> 00:42:42,266
[Josh speaking]
1000
00:42:42,266 --> 00:42:46,433
[suspenseful music playing]
1001
00:42:48,100 --> 00:42:51,634
[Mark speaking]
1002
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:05,367
[Josh speaking]
1003
00:43:05,367 --> 00:43:07,100
[Mark speaking]
1004
00:43:07,100 --> 00:43:08,734
[Josh speaking]
1005
00:43:08,734 --> 00:43:11,834
[dramatic music playing]
1006
00:43:18,333 --> 00:43:20,467
[Josh] We return awestruck
to the vessel
1007
00:43:20,467 --> 00:43:22,367
where the AUV has finished
running
1008
00:43:22,367 --> 00:43:25,266
its long sonar sweep
through the search zone.
1009
00:43:25,266 --> 00:43:27,500
-[Mark] There it is.
-Oh, she's up. Okay.
1010
00:43:28,967 --> 00:43:31,066
[Josh] Now, it's time
to collect the drone
1011
00:43:31,066 --> 00:43:33,033
and review the data.
1012
00:43:33,033 --> 00:43:34,834
Okay. One, two, three.
1013
00:43:35,767 --> 00:43:37,166
Okay.
1014
00:43:37,166 --> 00:43:38,266
Hopefully we have some data.
1015
00:43:38,266 --> 00:43:39,667
Into the dock.
1016
00:43:39,667 --> 00:43:40,867
Nice job.
1017
00:43:40,867 --> 00:43:42,000
Nice work.
1018
00:43:44,433 --> 00:43:46,667
[Josh] Hours later,
back at Project Recover's
1019
00:43:46,667 --> 00:43:48,467
makeshift headquarters
on Weno,
1020
00:43:48,467 --> 00:43:50,266
I'm anxious to learn
if Killer
1021
00:43:50,266 --> 00:43:51,767
found the downed Avenger
1022
00:43:51,767 --> 00:43:53,834
reported by a local
eyewitness
1023
00:43:53,834 --> 00:43:56,333
or anything else
for that matter.
1024
00:43:56,333 --> 00:43:57,567
-Hey, guys.
-Hey, Mark. Hey Josh.
1025
00:43:57,567 --> 00:43:58,834
Hey. Hey. How's it going?
1026
00:43:58,834 --> 00:44:00,233
It's good.
We collected a lot of data.
1027
00:44:00,233 --> 00:44:01,367
That's the big question.
You got data.
1028
00:44:01,367 --> 00:44:02,967
Yeah. Yeah. Good data.
It looks really clean.
1029
00:44:02,967 --> 00:44:05,100
-Let's figure it out.
-So this footprint here
1030
00:44:05,100 --> 00:44:06,367
is what we've scanned today,
1031
00:44:06,367 --> 00:44:07,767
just about a square mile
1032
00:44:07,767 --> 00:44:09,033
with inch
to 2-inch resolution.
1033
00:44:09,033 --> 00:44:10,367
So cool.
1034
00:44:10,367 --> 00:44:12,934
So how do we unpack
this huge amount of data?
1035
00:44:12,934 --> 00:44:14,100
Traditionally,
we would go through it
1036
00:44:14,100 --> 00:44:16,967
line by line just like
the AUV ran the mission today.
1037
00:44:16,967 --> 00:44:19,867
And then we see about
250 feet on each side
1038
00:44:19,867 --> 00:44:21,100
of where the AUV is.
1039
00:44:21,100 --> 00:44:22,934
[Josh] The scanning
may be autonomous.
1040
00:44:22,934 --> 00:44:24,133
Thanks again, Killer.
1041
00:44:24,133 --> 00:44:27,333
But historically the analysis
has been very manual.
1042
00:44:27,333 --> 00:44:29,066
With researchers
needing to stare
1043
00:44:29,066 --> 00:44:32,800
at every inch of the ocean
floor as it scrolls by.
1044
00:44:33,500 --> 00:44:35,333
Long night.
Get my jammies on.
1045
00:44:35,333 --> 00:44:37,834
Well. Maybe not. I mean.
Leila brings a new tool
1046
00:44:37,834 --> 00:44:40,567
to the table and that
we're trying to try that out.
1047
00:44:40,567 --> 00:44:42,100
[Josh] While the rest
of the world is using
1048
00:44:42,100 --> 00:44:44,266
artificial intelligence
to cheat on their homework
1049
00:44:44,266 --> 00:44:46,100
and make trippy art projects,
1050
00:44:46,100 --> 00:44:48,266
Leila has found a purpose
for AI
1051
00:44:48,266 --> 00:44:50,000
that's incredibly useful.
1052
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:52,567
So I'm putting together
a machine learning model,
1053
00:44:52,567 --> 00:44:54,600
which is a type of artificial
intelligence
1054
00:44:54,600 --> 00:44:56,867
that's going to automatically
tell us
1055
00:44:56,867 --> 00:44:59,867
where planes and debris are
in the sonar
1056
00:44:59,867 --> 00:45:01,333
in two to three minutes.
1057
00:45:01,333 --> 00:45:02,834
That sounds like witchcraft.
1058
00:45:02,834 --> 00:45:03,867
How is that possible?
1059
00:45:03,867 --> 00:45:06,266
Over several months,
I've fed the model
1060
00:45:06,266 --> 00:45:08,233
previous data
from past missions
1061
00:45:08,233 --> 00:45:10,166
and it's learned what planes
look like
1062
00:45:10,166 --> 00:45:11,500
and what debris looks like.
1063
00:45:11,500 --> 00:45:14,133
So it's able
to discriminate between
1064
00:45:14,133 --> 00:45:15,667
what's a rock or a piece
of coral
1065
00:45:15,667 --> 00:45:16,600
and what could be wreckage?
1066
00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:18,500
-Exactly.
-And does it work?
1067
00:45:18,500 --> 00:45:20,567
Well, that's what
we're here to find out.
1068
00:45:20,567 --> 00:45:23,233
This is our first time
running it in the field.
1069
00:45:23,233 --> 00:45:24,867
And we legitimately
have no idea
1070
00:45:24,867 --> 00:45:25,967
what this is gonna find.
1071
00:45:25,967 --> 00:45:27,166
No, we have no idea.
1072
00:45:27,166 --> 00:45:29,433
[Josh] And so we decide
to cross our fingers
1073
00:45:29,433 --> 00:45:31,033
and power on Skynet.
1074
00:45:31,867 --> 00:45:32,867
Boom.
1075
00:45:32,867 --> 00:45:34,500
Faster than you can say,
"Good Lord,
1076
00:45:34,500 --> 00:45:36,500
we're all gonna be
replaced by machines,"
1077
00:45:36,500 --> 00:45:39,266
the AI has scanned thousands
of sonar images
1078
00:45:39,266 --> 00:45:41,667
and compiled the results.
1079
00:45:41,667 --> 00:45:43,333
-[Josh] So each of these dots
is a prediction?
-[Leila] Yes. Yeah.
1080
00:45:43,333 --> 00:45:45,166
So each of these dots
is where the model thinks
1081
00:45:45,166 --> 00:45:47,767
that there's something
associated with an aircraft.
1082
00:45:47,767 --> 00:45:51,166
[Josh] Wow. Item one.
1083
00:45:51,166 --> 00:45:52,467
Something down there.
1084
00:45:52,467 --> 00:45:54,266
You can see
the really rounded edges.
1085
00:45:54,266 --> 00:45:56,266
It could be a part
of a plane or a ship.
1086
00:45:56,266 --> 00:45:57,600
This is an anchorage area,
1087
00:45:57,600 --> 00:45:58,567
so there's a lot
of debris there.
1088
00:45:58,567 --> 00:46:00,667
Because it has this kind
of elongated shape.
1089
00:46:00,667 --> 00:46:02,467
It thinks
maybe that's a plane.
1090
00:46:02,467 --> 00:46:03,967
But you think it's not?
1091
00:46:03,967 --> 00:46:05,100
No. No way.
1092
00:46:05,100 --> 00:46:08,500
Okay. Well, all right,
next up.
1093
00:46:08,500 --> 00:46:09,767
[Dan] Yeah.
This is interesting.
1094
00:46:09,767 --> 00:46:11,767
It could be something
200 to 300 feet.
1095
00:46:11,767 --> 00:46:13,333
So I definitely don't think
it's aircraft.
1096
00:46:13,333 --> 00:46:16,667
So not necessarily a plane,
but could be manmade?
1097
00:46:16,667 --> 00:46:17,834
[Dan] Could be manmade.
1098
00:46:17,834 --> 00:46:19,467
[Josh]
The search continues.
1099
00:46:19,467 --> 00:46:23,367
One by one
we dismiss each hit as coral,
1100
00:46:23,367 --> 00:46:25,667
debris, or junk.
1101
00:46:25,667 --> 00:46:29,166
And then we see
something incredible.
1102
00:46:29,166 --> 00:46:31,967
-Oh, that is a plane.
-That's a plane.
1103
00:46:31,967 --> 00:46:33,600
That has to be a plane, right?
1104
00:46:33,600 --> 00:46:35,367
-[man] Yeah.
-Wait, can you go...
Can you go closer to that?
1105
00:46:35,367 --> 00:46:36,834
Yeah.
1106
00:46:36,834 --> 00:46:38,867
[Josh] Shut up, that...
That's a plane.
1107
00:46:38,867 --> 00:46:40,066
[Leila]
It's a lot like a plane.
1108
00:46:40,066 --> 00:46:42,467
That's a plane
for sure, right?
1109
00:46:42,467 --> 00:46:44,934
See the wings here,
that's the tail section.
1110
00:46:44,934 --> 00:46:45,967
I mean that's a plane.
1111
00:46:45,967 --> 00:46:47,500
-That's a plane.
-[Dan] Yeah.
That's a plane.
1112
00:46:47,500 --> 00:46:49,667
And I can tell you it looks
like a World War II plane.
1113
00:46:49,667 --> 00:46:50,600
[Josh] Could this be the plane
1114
00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:51,367
that we're looking for here?
1115
00:46:51,367 --> 00:46:52,467
[Dan] It's in the right area.
1116
00:46:52,467 --> 00:46:53,567
We are in the right spot.
1117
00:46:53,567 --> 00:46:54,600
-And there is a plane there.
-[man] Yeah.
1118
00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:56,500
I still can't believe
it's an actual plane
1119
00:46:56,500 --> 00:46:57,967
staring us in the face.
1120
00:46:57,967 --> 00:46:59,100
[Josh] We can dive that.
1121
00:46:59,100 --> 00:47:00,500
-[Colin] We can dive that.
-We can dive that tomorrow.
1122
00:47:00,500 --> 00:47:01,867
And based
on the location, too.
1123
00:47:01,867 --> 00:47:04,433
It's never been seen before.
1124
00:47:04,433 --> 00:47:05,467
[Josh] Right.
1125
00:47:05,467 --> 00:47:07,500
So whatever that is,
1126
00:47:07,500 --> 00:47:09,033
nobody's been down there
to look at it.
1127
00:47:09,033 --> 00:47:10,333
Not in 80 years.
1128
00:47:10,867 --> 00:47:11,867
Wow.
1129
00:47:11,867 --> 00:47:13,166
That's awesome.
1130
00:47:17,333 --> 00:47:19,834
[Josh] Next time on
Expedition Unknown.
1131
00:47:22,467 --> 00:47:26,133
The search for missing World
War II heroes continues.
1132
00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:28,834
On a group
of remote Pacific islands,
1133
00:47:28,834 --> 00:47:32,734
an eyewitness
reveals buried secrets.
1134
00:47:32,734 --> 00:47:35,734
[Mason] After they tied them,
he heard the explosion.
1135
00:47:36,333 --> 00:47:37,734
The men were dead.
1136
00:47:38,600 --> 00:47:40,667
[Josh] Our team
explores land...
1137
00:47:40,667 --> 00:47:42,333
Josh, there's a maze
of these tunnels
1138
00:47:42,333 --> 00:47:43,467
all throughout the mountains.
1139
00:47:43,467 --> 00:47:45,100
[Josh] This is crazy.
1140
00:47:45,100 --> 00:47:48,000
[Josh] ...and sea,
to find those who made
1141
00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:49,667
the ultimate sacrifice.
1142
00:47:49,667 --> 00:47:52,767
[Josh speaking]