1 00:00:01,501 --> 00:00:02,767 Black Bart Roberts. 2 00:00:02,934 --> 00:00:03,901 He is the most successful pirate 3 00:00:04,067 --> 00:00:05,767 in the Golden Age of Piracy. 4 00:00:05,934 --> 00:00:07,133 -Period. -Period. 5 00:00:08,767 --> 00:00:11,901 [Josh] He steals millions, and the world is after him. 6 00:00:12,067 --> 00:00:14,267 And like a shark, he has to keep swimming to evade 7 00:00:14,434 --> 00:00:16,467 these pirate hunters. -[Josh] It's like a Jack Sparrow movie. 8 00:00:18,567 --> 00:00:21,267 [Josh] Port Royal was the wickedest city on Earth, 9 00:00:21,434 --> 00:00:23,567 and you're telling me it's underwater. 10 00:00:23,734 --> 00:00:26,834 It's beneath the waves. 30 acres of submerged city. 11 00:00:29,300 --> 00:00:31,167 What would it mean to find these ships? 12 00:00:31,334 --> 00:00:32,667 It would be historic. 13 00:00:32,834 --> 00:00:36,300 It'd be a pirate ship on top of a pirate sunken city. 14 00:00:47,267 --> 00:00:49,801 He's calling this as the location of 15 00:00:49,968 --> 00:00:50,901 Black Bart's ship. 16 00:00:51,067 --> 00:00:52,300 Two wrecks side by side. 17 00:00:52,467 --> 00:00:53,801 That is a shipwreck. 18 00:00:55,667 --> 00:00:57,901 [Josh and man speaking] 19 00:01:04,901 --> 00:01:07,000 [orchestral music plays] 20 00:01:12,968 --> 00:01:15,367 It was known as the Golden Age of Piracy, 21 00:01:15,534 --> 00:01:18,267 a time when rogues, cutthroats, and bandits 22 00:01:18,434 --> 00:01:19,868 marauded the high seas, 23 00:01:20,033 --> 00:01:23,300 plundering ships and turning ports of call into 24 00:01:23,467 --> 00:01:25,567 hives of scum and villainy. 25 00:01:25,734 --> 00:01:28,467 Their names are legend -- Captain Morgan, 26 00:01:28,634 --> 00:01:30,868 Blackbeard, Captain Kidd. 27 00:01:31,033 --> 00:01:33,667 But those guys, well, they were just amateurs 28 00:01:33,834 --> 00:01:36,100 compared to Black Bart Roberts. 29 00:01:38,167 --> 00:01:41,767 For three bloody years, this Dread Pirate Roberts 30 00:01:41,934 --> 00:01:44,601 rules the oceans with violent impunity, 31 00:01:44,767 --> 00:01:46,667 raiding and capturing 32 00:01:46,834 --> 00:01:49,367 a staggering 400 ships 33 00:01:49,534 --> 00:01:51,400 and amassing a fortune worth 34 00:01:51,567 --> 00:01:54,501 nearly $50 million today. 35 00:01:54,667 --> 00:01:59,067 But in 1722, a pirate hunter catches up with Black Bart, 36 00:01:59,234 --> 00:02:02,000 killing him in a fierce battle and seizing 37 00:02:02,167 --> 00:02:06,100 his three treasure-laden ships, the Great Ranger, 38 00:02:07,167 --> 00:02:10,000 the Little Ranger, and his flagship, 39 00:02:10,167 --> 00:02:11,667 the Royal Fortune. 40 00:02:11,834 --> 00:02:15,367 The captured vessels are sent to the infamous pirate haven of 41 00:02:15,534 --> 00:02:16,968 Port Royal, Jamaica. 42 00:02:17,133 --> 00:02:19,868 But just after they arrive, a powerful hurricane 43 00:02:20,033 --> 00:02:21,400 tears through the harbor, 44 00:02:21,567 --> 00:02:24,200 sending all three to Davy Jones' locker, 45 00:02:24,367 --> 00:02:26,200 and they've been lost ever since. 46 00:02:27,367 --> 00:02:30,767 Identifying these wrecks could lead to lost treasure, 47 00:02:30,934 --> 00:02:34,367 but also, it would be nothing short of history-making, 48 00:02:34,534 --> 00:02:37,501 since only a handful of ships belonging to any pirate 49 00:02:37,667 --> 00:02:39,601 have ever been discovered. 50 00:02:39,767 --> 00:02:42,167 To tackle the case, a determined archaeologist 51 00:02:42,334 --> 00:02:45,601 is following a trail of clues in newly uncovered 52 00:02:45,767 --> 00:02:47,667 historical documents. 53 00:02:47,834 --> 00:02:50,868 But it won't be easy, because the city of Port Royal 54 00:02:51,033 --> 00:02:54,267 was half-swallowed by the ocean in a massive earthquake, 55 00:02:54,434 --> 00:02:58,000 and the ships are somewhere in the sunken ruins. 56 00:02:58,167 --> 00:03:01,000 By launching the first ever high-tech survey of this 57 00:03:01,167 --> 00:03:04,801 pirate Atlantis, experts hope to map the lost city 58 00:03:04,968 --> 00:03:07,767 and pinpoint the location of the wrecks. 59 00:03:07,934 --> 00:03:12,200 So join me in pursuit of a real-life pirate of the Caribbean 60 00:03:12,367 --> 00:03:15,400 as we set sail for Black Bart's fleet 61 00:03:15,567 --> 00:03:16,868 and his fortune. 62 00:03:21,100 --> 00:03:23,601 The past is all around us. 63 00:03:23,767 --> 00:03:24,968 Whoa! 64 00:03:25,133 --> 00:03:26,267 It's working! 65 00:03:26,434 --> 00:03:28,400 A world of mystery. 66 00:03:28,567 --> 00:03:31,167 This is the Thunderbolt! Yes! 67 00:03:31,334 --> 00:03:32,167 Danger. 68 00:03:32,334 --> 00:03:33,667 [man] Fire in the hole. 69 00:03:33,834 --> 00:03:35,467 Whoa! 70 00:03:35,634 --> 00:03:36,701 And adventure. 71 00:03:36,868 --> 00:03:38,300 That's gold! 72 00:03:39,767 --> 00:03:41,868 Oh! Look at this place. 73 00:03:43,701 --> 00:03:45,868 I travel to the far corners of the Earth 74 00:03:46,033 --> 00:03:49,000 to uncover where legends end... 75 00:03:49,167 --> 00:03:51,300 -[expert] The key! -It's the key -- whoo-hoo-hoo! 76 00:03:51,467 --> 00:03:52,567 ...and history begins. 77 00:03:52,734 --> 00:03:53,834 OK, let's punch it. 78 00:03:54,801 --> 00:03:59,367 I'm Josh Gates and this is "Expedition Unknown." 79 00:04:05,667 --> 00:04:09,601 My hunt for Black Bart's lost fleet begins in Jamaica, 80 00:04:09,767 --> 00:04:11,767 but thanks to some confusion at the rental counter, 81 00:04:11,934 --> 00:04:14,567 I have to search through another fleet first. 82 00:04:14,734 --> 00:04:16,801 No. No. 83 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,267 -[beeping] -[sea shanty plays] 84 00:04:22,467 --> 00:04:24,100 Hey, at least with the extra passenger, I can get into 85 00:04:24,267 --> 00:04:25,567 the carr-pool lane. 86 00:04:26,767 --> 00:04:28,300 I stand by that joke. 87 00:04:28,467 --> 00:04:31,267 ♪ I want to go to Kingston town ♪ 88 00:04:31,434 --> 00:04:34,067 ♪ Listen to reggae music ♪ 89 00:04:34,234 --> 00:04:37,567 I roll my scallywagon into Jamaica's modern capital 90 00:04:37,734 --> 00:04:41,300 of Kingston, epicenter of Rasta, Red Stripe, 91 00:04:41,467 --> 00:04:43,067 and of course, reggae. 92 00:04:43,234 --> 00:04:46,200 ♪ Jamaica's the place to be ♪ 93 00:04:48,667 --> 00:04:51,801 But long before Marley, it was pirates who put this island 94 00:04:51,968 --> 00:04:53,367 on the map. And it turns out, 95 00:04:53,534 --> 00:04:54,701 they're still here. 96 00:04:56,767 --> 00:04:59,467 I've come ashore during Kingston Pirates Week, 97 00:04:59,634 --> 00:05:02,400 a celebration of Jamaica's notorious past. 98 00:05:05,367 --> 00:05:06,400 -Hi. -[woman] Hi. 99 00:05:06,567 --> 00:05:08,400 Sorry, didn't see you there. 100 00:05:08,567 --> 00:05:11,000 This island has always been at the crossroads 101 00:05:11,167 --> 00:05:12,200 of the Caribbean. 102 00:05:12,367 --> 00:05:14,400 Columbus arrived here on his second voyage, 103 00:05:14,567 --> 00:05:17,300 kicking off nearly 500 years of Spanish 104 00:05:17,467 --> 00:05:19,667 and later British colonial rule 105 00:05:19,834 --> 00:05:23,567 until Jamaica finally won her independence in 1962. 106 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,400 Fifteen miles away from Kingston sits the old town 107 00:05:28,567 --> 00:05:33,100 of Port Royal, ground zero for the Golden Age of Piracy 108 00:05:33,267 --> 00:05:36,100 and inspiration for the original Pirates of the Caribbean, 109 00:05:36,267 --> 00:05:38,801 by which I mean the ride. 110 00:05:38,968 --> 00:05:42,300 This was once the stomping ground of Captain Henry Morgan, 111 00:05:42,467 --> 00:05:45,801 Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and, well, 112 00:05:45,968 --> 00:05:48,100 just about any other pirate you could think of. 113 00:05:48,267 --> 00:05:50,868 But the last and perhaps greatest chapter in 114 00:05:51,033 --> 00:05:54,767 the Golden Age of Piracy belongs to a guy with humble beginnings 115 00:05:54,934 --> 00:05:56,801 who becomes one of the deadliest names 116 00:05:56,968 --> 00:05:58,334 on the high seas. 117 00:06:00,868 --> 00:06:04,501 He begins his naval career as a sailor named John Roberts, 118 00:06:04,667 --> 00:06:08,000 until a pirate named Howell Davis captures his ship. 119 00:06:08,167 --> 00:06:11,467 As it happens, both he and Roberts are Welsh, so instead 120 00:06:11,634 --> 00:06:14,801 of killing him, Davis hires Roberts onto the crew, 121 00:06:14,968 --> 00:06:16,801 making him an official pirate. 122 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,467 When Roberts goes rogue, he ditches his given name. 123 00:06:22,634 --> 00:06:25,267 Nobody wants to be known as John the Pirate. 124 00:06:25,434 --> 00:06:27,868 He trades it in for something with a bit more panache, 125 00:06:28,033 --> 00:06:31,000 Bartholomew. I like the sound of that. 126 00:06:32,567 --> 00:06:36,200 The newly named Bartholomew Roberts quickly proves himself 127 00:06:36,367 --> 00:06:39,100 as a skilled navigator, fighter, and leader. 128 00:06:39,267 --> 00:06:41,901 When Davis is killed in a 1719 ambush, 129 00:06:42,067 --> 00:06:43,801 the crew elects Roberts 130 00:06:43,968 --> 00:06:45,701 as their new captain. 131 00:06:45,868 --> 00:06:48,868 In just three years, Roberts and his men take 132 00:06:49,033 --> 00:06:51,801 massive scores, like a Portuguese treasure ship 133 00:06:51,968 --> 00:06:56,868 in 1721, loaded with tens of thousands of gold coins. 134 00:06:57,033 --> 00:06:59,300 Most of the fortune Roberts raked in, though, 135 00:06:59,467 --> 00:07:00,567 has never been found. 136 00:07:04,868 --> 00:07:06,467 Which is what brings us here, 137 00:07:06,634 --> 00:07:10,167 to the great pirate capital of Jamaica. 138 00:07:10,334 --> 00:07:11,968 Welcome to Port Royal. 139 00:07:13,267 --> 00:07:16,000 Or, you know, at least what's left of it. 140 00:07:16,167 --> 00:07:19,767 In 1692, at the height of the Golden Age of Piracy, 141 00:07:19,934 --> 00:07:22,868 Port Royal gets hit by a cataclysmic earthquake, 142 00:07:23,033 --> 00:07:25,567 shivering a lot more than just its timbers. 143 00:07:25,734 --> 00:07:28,601 In minutes, more than 2,000 people are dead, 144 00:07:28,767 --> 00:07:31,200 and half the city has fallen into the sea. 145 00:07:31,367 --> 00:07:34,601 The pirate capital is now underwater, and the Port Royal 146 00:07:34,767 --> 00:07:39,000 left behind never returns to its former wicked self. 147 00:07:39,167 --> 00:07:41,968 But it turns out that the pirate Bartholomew Roberts 148 00:07:42,133 --> 00:07:44,467 never actually set foot in Port Royal. 149 00:07:44,634 --> 00:07:46,868 So why are we looking for his lost fleet here? 150 00:07:47,033 --> 00:07:49,000 Well, I'm about to meet the man who can hopefully 151 00:07:49,167 --> 00:07:50,334 break it all down for me. 152 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:54,767 In the last remnants of Port Royal's fortifications 153 00:07:54,934 --> 00:07:56,868 that aren't sitting on the ocean floor, 154 00:07:57,033 --> 00:08:00,567 I find marine archaeologist AJ Van Slyke. 155 00:08:00,734 --> 00:08:03,400 He's been researching Black Bart's fleet for years 156 00:08:03,567 --> 00:08:06,701 and is mounting a new expedition that he hopes will lead 157 00:08:06,868 --> 00:08:08,167 to the wrecks. 158 00:08:08,167 --> 00:08:09,767 -[Josh] I got a lot of questions for you. -Bring them on. 159 00:08:09,934 --> 00:08:12,100 We've got a sunken city out there, 160 00:08:12,267 --> 00:08:14,000 we've got a lost pirate fleet 161 00:08:14,167 --> 00:08:16,701 belonging to a pirate that wasn't here. 162 00:08:16,868 --> 00:08:18,501 -That's correct. -Explain that to me. 163 00:08:18,667 --> 00:08:20,868 Well, this guy right here is the key. 164 00:08:21,033 --> 00:08:22,501 That's Captain Chaloner Ogle. 165 00:08:22,667 --> 00:08:24,267 [Josh] Chaloner Ogle, what a name. 166 00:08:24,434 --> 00:08:26,100 [AJ] Yeah, he's a British Royal Naval captain, 167 00:08:26,267 --> 00:08:27,667 and importantly, a pirate hunter. 168 00:08:27,834 --> 00:08:30,567 And I would imagine that our boy Black Bart here is 169 00:08:30,734 --> 00:08:33,167 a pretty big target. -Yes, he is the target. 170 00:08:33,334 --> 00:08:34,367 He is the most successful pirate 171 00:08:34,534 --> 00:08:35,868 in the Golden Age of Piracy. 172 00:08:36,033 --> 00:08:37,167 -Period. -Period. 173 00:08:38,167 --> 00:08:41,100 [Josh] By 1722, Roberts and his crew 174 00:08:41,267 --> 00:08:43,300 have taken down astonishing 175 00:08:43,467 --> 00:08:45,367 400 ships. 176 00:08:45,534 --> 00:08:47,901 No other pirate even comes close. 177 00:08:48,067 --> 00:08:50,868 His raids add up to a fortune in treasure, 178 00:08:51,033 --> 00:08:54,567 as much as $50 million worth today. 179 00:08:54,734 --> 00:08:58,367 Bart even assembles his own fleet of three pirate ships, 180 00:08:58,534 --> 00:09:00,767 two French frigates taken near Senegal, 181 00:09:00,934 --> 00:09:04,767 which he renames the Great Ranger and the Little Ranger, 182 00:09:04,934 --> 00:09:08,100 and his flagship, the Royal Fortune, 183 00:09:08,267 --> 00:09:10,100 which he arms with 40 guns. 184 00:09:11,767 --> 00:09:13,767 So where is Black Bart Roberts at this time? 185 00:09:13,934 --> 00:09:16,000 Well, he's being hunted, and like a shark, he has to 186 00:09:16,167 --> 00:09:18,567 keep swimming to evade these pirate hunters. 187 00:09:18,734 --> 00:09:20,467 By the time Ogle catches up with him, Roberts is on 188 00:09:20,634 --> 00:09:21,868 the west coast of Africa. 189 00:09:22,033 --> 00:09:23,901 And we can read that in Ogle's own logbook. 190 00:09:24,067 --> 00:09:25,901 -[Josh] This is his log? -[AJ] Written in his hand. 191 00:09:26,067 --> 00:09:28,100 OK, this is going to be a tough read, here we go. 192 00:09:28,267 --> 00:09:30,901 Ogle says, "Saw three ships at anchor, 193 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:34,467 which we judged were the pirates. 194 00:09:35,567 --> 00:09:39,467 -We bore away northwest and west northwest." -"And west northwest." 195 00:09:39,634 --> 00:09:41,901 [AJ] And what you don't see here is Ogle's actually flying 196 00:09:42,067 --> 00:09:45,100 a false flag trying to lure in Roberts. 197 00:09:45,267 --> 00:09:48,100 [Josh] And one of the ships presently got under sail 198 00:09:48,267 --> 00:09:49,567 and gave chase. 199 00:09:49,734 --> 00:09:50,901 -[AJ] Yeah. -[Josh] So, wait a minute. 200 00:09:51,067 --> 00:09:52,601 The pirate chases the pirate hunter? 201 00:09:52,767 --> 00:09:54,167 That's like a Jack Sparrow movie. 202 00:09:54,334 --> 00:09:56,200 -[AJ] It is. -And so, does it work? 203 00:09:56,367 --> 00:09:58,000 Big time. 204 00:09:58,167 --> 00:09:59,467 [Josh] Once out of view of Roberts, 205 00:09:59,634 --> 00:10:02,267 Captain Ogle raises his true flag 206 00:10:02,434 --> 00:10:05,701 and attacks the Great Ranger, capturing it before 207 00:10:05,868 --> 00:10:09,167 resuming his pursuit of Black Bart's other two ships, 208 00:10:09,334 --> 00:10:12,067 the Little Ranger and the Royal Fortune. 209 00:10:12,234 --> 00:10:14,667 He catches up to them four days later. 210 00:10:14,834 --> 00:10:18,567 "When she came within pistol shot, I gave her a broadside... 211 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:22,267 which she returned." 212 00:10:22,434 --> 00:10:24,567 [AJ] Yeah, Roberts got too close. 213 00:10:24,734 --> 00:10:28,801 [Josh] Ogle trains 25 cannons on Roberts, loaded with grapeshot, 214 00:10:28,968 --> 00:10:31,868 a cannon shell that sprays like a shotgun. 215 00:10:32,868 --> 00:10:35,968 In one fateful volley, Black Bart is struck 216 00:10:36,133 --> 00:10:37,067 in the neck. 217 00:10:37,234 --> 00:10:39,000 So this is the end of Black Bart. 218 00:10:39,167 --> 00:10:41,767 The end of Black Bart, but more significantly, 219 00:10:41,934 --> 00:10:44,400 it's the end of the Golden Age of Piracy. 220 00:10:46,868 --> 00:10:47,968 Now let's talk about treasure. 221 00:10:48,133 --> 00:10:50,000 We know Black Bart amassed a lot of it. 222 00:10:50,167 --> 00:10:51,667 -[Josh] $50 million worth today. -[indistinct]. 223 00:10:51,834 --> 00:10:53,067 [Josh] What happens to all this wealth 224 00:10:53,234 --> 00:10:55,167 he gets from these ransoms of these ships? 225 00:10:55,334 --> 00:10:56,601 Some of it's mentioned in the documents, 226 00:10:56,767 --> 00:10:58,767 but the full amount is never accounted for. 227 00:11:00,067 --> 00:11:03,000 After the battle, Ogle and his men sail all three of 228 00:11:03,167 --> 00:11:04,901 Black Bart's ships to Jamaica 229 00:11:05,067 --> 00:11:06,767 and to the harbor of Port Royal, 230 00:11:06,934 --> 00:11:08,501 still recovering from the earthquake 231 00:11:08,667 --> 00:11:10,100 30 years earlier. 232 00:11:10,267 --> 00:11:13,667 But Mother Nature has another trick up her sleeve. 233 00:11:13,834 --> 00:11:15,767 Just days after they reach Jamaica, 234 00:11:15,934 --> 00:11:18,467 a powerful hurricane slams the harbor, 235 00:11:18,634 --> 00:11:22,167 wrecking over 50 ships, including the Royal Fortune, 236 00:11:22,334 --> 00:11:25,100 the Great Ranger, and the Little Ranger. 237 00:11:25,267 --> 00:11:28,167 And treasure aside for a second, the ships themselves 238 00:11:28,334 --> 00:11:29,567 are a huge treasure, right? -[AJ] Yes. 239 00:11:29,734 --> 00:11:32,501 What would it mean to find these ships and identify them? 240 00:11:32,667 --> 00:11:33,868 It would be huge. 241 00:11:34,033 --> 00:11:37,067 Only a few pirate ships have ever been found. 242 00:11:37,234 --> 00:11:39,200 [Josh] Only three that have been confirmed. 243 00:11:39,367 --> 00:11:43,067 And not to brag much, but I've dived on two of them, 244 00:11:43,234 --> 00:11:45,400 Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge off the coast of 245 00:11:45,567 --> 00:11:49,000 North Carolina and Black Sam Bellamy's Whydah Gally 246 00:11:49,167 --> 00:11:50,467 off of Cape Cod. 247 00:11:52,601 --> 00:11:55,400 -OK, so this would be huge. -It would be historic. 248 00:11:56,868 --> 00:11:58,167 [Josh] But where to start? 249 00:11:58,334 --> 00:12:00,567 Well, pirate hunter Chaloner Ogle himself 250 00:12:00,734 --> 00:12:03,300 gives us a vital clue in a detailed letter 251 00:12:03,467 --> 00:12:07,200 describing what happened to two of the ships in the storm. 252 00:12:07,367 --> 00:12:11,000 He says the Fortune, "the Royal Fortune, 253 00:12:11,167 --> 00:12:16,067 "and Little Ranger pirate prizes both drove ashore on the rocks 254 00:12:16,234 --> 00:12:19,400 under Salt Pan Hill." -[AJ] Also known as Salt Pond Hill. 255 00:12:19,567 --> 00:12:21,100 OK, and that's where? 256 00:12:21,267 --> 00:12:22,901 That's across the harbor from Port Royal. 257 00:12:23,067 --> 00:12:26,767 [Josh] "And was beat all to pieces in less than an hour." 258 00:12:26,934 --> 00:12:28,267 -[AJ] Yes. -So, two of these ships, 259 00:12:28,434 --> 00:12:30,367 the flagship, the Royal Fortune, 260 00:12:30,534 --> 00:12:33,100 and the Little Ranger, are pushed up onto the rocks 261 00:12:33,267 --> 00:12:36,000 there and never found again? -Never found again. 262 00:12:36,167 --> 00:12:37,334 They were splintered in pieces. 263 00:12:37,501 --> 00:12:39,400 There's no evidence that they were salvaged or anything 264 00:12:39,567 --> 00:12:41,167 like that. -And has that area, 265 00:12:41,334 --> 00:12:42,868 this Salt Pan Hill, 266 00:12:43,033 --> 00:12:44,567 has that been fully sonared over there? 267 00:12:44,734 --> 00:12:46,367 Nobody's ever towed a magnetometer 268 00:12:46,534 --> 00:12:48,067 or a side-scan sonar over there. 269 00:12:48,234 --> 00:12:50,267 Well, we should change that. 270 00:12:50,434 --> 00:12:51,767 And so we shall. 271 00:12:51,934 --> 00:12:53,667 AJ and I head down to the water 272 00:12:53,834 --> 00:12:55,467 where his colleagues are waiting. 273 00:12:55,634 --> 00:12:57,868 Remote sensing specialist Matt Hanks 274 00:12:58,033 --> 00:12:59,767 and archaeologist William Wilson. 275 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:02,467 -Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you. 276 00:13:02,634 --> 00:13:04,100 All right, we all got the khaki shirt memo? 277 00:13:04,267 --> 00:13:05,267 -Yeah. -Let's do this. 278 00:13:05,434 --> 00:13:06,400 You got it. 279 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,567 [Josh] Will hits the throttle, and we're on our way, 280 00:13:12,734 --> 00:13:16,100 hot on the trail of a lost fleet of pirate ships. 281 00:13:22,467 --> 00:13:24,801 [Josh] The fleet of the world's most prolific pirate, 282 00:13:24,968 --> 00:13:28,868 Black Bart Roberts, was destroyed in a 1722 hurricane 283 00:13:29,033 --> 00:13:30,767 off of Port Royal, Jamaica. 284 00:13:30,934 --> 00:13:33,767 Historic clues reveal that two of the vessels, 285 00:13:33,934 --> 00:13:36,200 the Little Ranger and the Royal Fortune, 286 00:13:36,367 --> 00:13:39,000 sank at a place called Salt Pond Hill. 287 00:13:39,167 --> 00:13:41,300 And when we arrive, it's easy to see why. 288 00:13:41,467 --> 00:13:43,667 All right, I can certainly believe that ships could wreck 289 00:13:43,834 --> 00:13:45,400 over here. -What would give you that idea? 290 00:13:45,567 --> 00:13:46,801 It's just a hunch, really, you know? 291 00:13:48,267 --> 00:13:50,868 These modern wrecks have me feeling hopeful. 292 00:13:51,033 --> 00:13:53,968 But how do we find two pirate ships that went down here 293 00:13:54,133 --> 00:13:56,267 more than 300 years ago? 294 00:13:56,434 --> 00:13:57,968 So these ships are going to be broken up 295 00:13:58,133 --> 00:14:00,767 and rotted away largely. What are we likely to see? 296 00:14:00,934 --> 00:14:02,167 The first thing that we're going to be looking for 297 00:14:02,334 --> 00:14:03,634 is ballast stones. 298 00:14:04,467 --> 00:14:07,467 [Josh] To stay stable at sea, ships' hulls were loaded with 299 00:14:07,634 --> 00:14:09,767 heavy stones called ballast. 300 00:14:09,934 --> 00:14:11,701 And since the rest of the wooden wreck 301 00:14:11,868 --> 00:14:13,868 quickly deteriorates in salt water, 302 00:14:14,033 --> 00:14:16,567 the stones are sometimes all that's left behind 303 00:14:16,734 --> 00:14:17,801 for us to find. 304 00:14:19,067 --> 00:14:20,901 All right, well, let's do science. 305 00:14:21,067 --> 00:14:22,200 -[Matt] Let's do it. -Come on. 306 00:14:23,467 --> 00:14:25,801 [Josh] We're hoping that the sonar can help us find 307 00:14:25,968 --> 00:14:29,167 the distinctive pattern of ballast stone piles, 308 00:14:29,334 --> 00:14:32,901 while the magnetometer can find iron items like cannons, 309 00:14:33,067 --> 00:14:35,567 spikes, and other fixtures that would have been part of 310 00:14:35,734 --> 00:14:37,167 Black Bart's fleet. 311 00:14:37,334 --> 00:14:38,267 All right, mag is away. 312 00:14:38,434 --> 00:14:40,200 Here we go. 313 00:14:42,667 --> 00:14:45,667 This back-and-forth scanning is frequently referred to as 314 00:14:45,834 --> 00:14:46,968 mowing the lawn. 315 00:14:47,133 --> 00:14:49,501 But honestly, it's about as interesting as watching 316 00:14:49,667 --> 00:14:51,501 grass grow. 317 00:14:51,667 --> 00:14:53,767 This is the most boring ocean floor I've ever seen. 318 00:14:53,934 --> 00:14:55,367 -Good. -What do you mean, good? 319 00:14:55,534 --> 00:14:56,701 If it was a super rocky bottom, 320 00:14:56,868 --> 00:14:58,767 a ballast pile is not going to be as prominent. 321 00:14:58,934 --> 00:15:00,367 -Right. -[Matt] That is ideal. 322 00:15:00,367 --> 00:15:01,767 -[AJ] It's a blank canvas. -[Matt] Yeah, that's what we like. 323 00:15:03,367 --> 00:15:05,067 If it was easy, everybody would be finding 324 00:15:05,234 --> 00:15:06,801 pirate shipwrecks, right? -That's right. 325 00:15:08,801 --> 00:15:10,467 [Josh] Of course, when you get a hit, 326 00:15:10,634 --> 00:15:11,767 it's worth the wait. 327 00:15:11,934 --> 00:15:14,167 -Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. -Hey, wait a minute. 328 00:15:14,334 --> 00:15:15,467 -Yo, yo. -What is that? 329 00:15:15,634 --> 00:15:16,534 Right in the middle of the nadir. 330 00:15:16,534 --> 00:15:17,901 Look at the nadir squeeze like that. 331 00:15:18,067 --> 00:15:19,501 -[AJ] That's a mound. -[Will] Oh, yeah, you see those little -- 332 00:15:19,667 --> 00:15:20,901 -[Josh] Is that a rock pile? -[AJ] Yeah. 333 00:15:21,067 --> 00:15:22,801 [Matt] That could be ballast, boys. 334 00:15:22,968 --> 00:15:24,667 Look, I got a little blip on the mag, too. 335 00:15:24,834 --> 00:15:26,167 -[AJ] OK. -[Matt] Dude, how big is it, man? 336 00:15:26,334 --> 00:15:29,901 -Uh, 20, 40, 60, 50-60 feet. -[Josh] Yeah? 337 00:15:31,067 --> 00:15:32,701 -I mean, that's a huge -- -That's... 338 00:15:32,868 --> 00:15:34,400 [Josh] If that was a ballast pile, that's a pretty huge 339 00:15:34,567 --> 00:15:36,000 ballast pile. -[Matt] That's big, man, yeah. 340 00:15:36,167 --> 00:15:37,501 OK, so we'll mark that. That's a, that's 341 00:15:37,667 --> 00:15:38,968 a potential target. -[AJ] Yeah, yeah, yeah. 342 00:15:39,133 --> 00:15:40,334 Let's see what else we got out here. 343 00:15:42,167 --> 00:15:45,901 We stick with the back and forth for hours more until... 344 00:15:46,067 --> 00:15:47,801 What's the mag doing? Mag's jumping. 345 00:15:47,968 --> 00:15:48,968 -[Josh] Absolutely. -[AJ] That is... 346 00:15:49,133 --> 00:15:50,033 Oh, that is a wreck. 347 00:15:50,033 --> 00:15:51,167 -[Matt] Look at that. -[Will] Whoa. 348 00:15:51,334 --> 00:15:52,200 [Josh] Two wrecks side by side? 349 00:15:52,367 --> 00:15:53,801 [AJ] A big one and a small one. 350 00:15:53,968 --> 00:15:56,200 Dude, that's a shipwreck. 351 00:15:56,367 --> 00:15:57,801 This is nuts, man. 352 00:15:57,968 --> 00:15:58,901 [Josh] These are two shipwrecks. 353 00:15:59,067 --> 00:16:01,868 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120. 354 00:16:02,033 --> 00:16:04,000 120 feet. 355 00:16:04,167 --> 00:16:05,667 How big was the Royal Fortune? 356 00:16:05,834 --> 00:16:07,167 130 feet long. 357 00:16:07,334 --> 00:16:10,000 -I mean, in the money. -[Matt] Yeah. 358 00:16:10,167 --> 00:16:11,501 -I'm speechless. -Yeah, yeah, yeah. 359 00:16:11,667 --> 00:16:14,100 [Josh] Like, that looks like it could be a mast. 360 00:16:14,267 --> 00:16:15,767 Could it be that easy? 361 00:16:15,934 --> 00:16:18,067 Could they be sitting side by side like that? 362 00:16:18,234 --> 00:16:20,567 -That we have to dive on. -Yeah, we have to dive on. 363 00:16:20,734 --> 00:16:21,968 That's the only way we know for sure. 364 00:16:22,133 --> 00:16:24,167 Unbelievable! 365 00:16:24,334 --> 00:16:26,868 Along with our first hit that looked like a mound, 366 00:16:27,033 --> 00:16:30,167 we have solid sonar and mag hits to investigate. 367 00:16:30,334 --> 00:16:32,901 Now it's time to determine if these targets could be 368 00:16:33,067 --> 00:16:35,601 the Little Ranger or the Royal Fortune. 369 00:16:38,067 --> 00:16:40,267 AJ's team arrives with a dive boat. 370 00:16:40,434 --> 00:16:42,300 We transfer aboard, where we meet up with 371 00:16:42,467 --> 00:16:44,601 marine archaeologist Josh Marano. 372 00:16:46,167 --> 00:16:48,667 [Josh M.] All right, guys, we have several anomalies in this area. 373 00:16:48,834 --> 00:16:50,000 Because of the bay that we're in, 374 00:16:50,167 --> 00:16:52,167 the sediment's being pushed in. 375 00:16:52,334 --> 00:16:54,400 The visibility is going to be very, very poor. 376 00:16:54,567 --> 00:16:56,100 We know there's animals down there we need to be 377 00:16:56,267 --> 00:16:58,601 concerned of. Urchins, lionfish. 378 00:16:58,767 --> 00:17:00,300 -Saltwater crocodiles. -Yeah. 379 00:17:00,467 --> 00:17:02,467 That's in the mangroves, but watch where you put your hands out here. 380 00:17:02,634 --> 00:17:03,834 You don't want to get hit by [indistinct]. 381 00:17:03,834 --> 00:17:05,100 Wait, there are saltwater crocodiles in the mangroves? 382 00:17:05,267 --> 00:17:07,100 -Oh, yeah. -Oh, I was kidding. 383 00:17:07,267 --> 00:17:08,767 I didn't realize that was a real thing here. 384 00:17:08,934 --> 00:17:10,100 -Oh, they're there. -Yeah, they're there. 385 00:17:10,267 --> 00:17:11,167 Perfect! 386 00:17:11,334 --> 00:17:13,400 [suspenseful music plays] 387 00:17:25,367 --> 00:17:26,467 It's lousy visibility, 388 00:17:26,634 --> 00:17:28,767 so we drop a weighted shot line 389 00:17:28,934 --> 00:17:30,767 to follow down to our first target, 390 00:17:30,934 --> 00:17:33,167 one of the two side-by-side wrecks. 391 00:17:34,968 --> 00:17:36,267 [diver speaking] 392 00:17:37,868 --> 00:17:39,000 [Josh speaking] 393 00:17:40,167 --> 00:17:42,701 [Josh] In water this cloudy, we stay close together 394 00:17:42,868 --> 00:17:45,567 so we don't get lost amidst whatever's down here. 395 00:17:58,767 --> 00:18:00,968 The visibility is next to nothing. 396 00:18:01,133 --> 00:18:02,567 About the only way I can see the wreckage 397 00:18:02,734 --> 00:18:04,767 is by slamming my face into it. 398 00:18:04,934 --> 00:18:07,267 -Literally. -[clanking] 399 00:18:13,667 --> 00:18:20,067 [diver speaking] 400 00:18:24,767 --> 00:18:25,801 [Josh speaking] 401 00:18:29,167 --> 00:18:30,601 [diver speaking] 402 00:18:31,367 --> 00:18:35,300 [Josh] This iron belongs to a ship too modern to be Black Bart's. 403 00:18:35,467 --> 00:18:36,868 We mark it for further study 404 00:18:37,033 --> 00:18:39,501 and move on to the other nearby sonar hit 405 00:18:39,667 --> 00:18:41,000 from our scan. 406 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:44,567 [diver speaking] 407 00:18:46,367 --> 00:18:48,100 [Josh speaking] 408 00:18:58,767 --> 00:19:00,167 [diver speaking] 409 00:19:07,968 --> 00:19:10,467 [divers speaking] 410 00:19:19,767 --> 00:19:22,100 [Josh] I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure that 411 00:19:22,267 --> 00:19:24,400 pirate ships don't have propellers. 412 00:19:24,567 --> 00:19:28,100 Clearly, this is another wreck, which is an exciting find, 413 00:19:28,267 --> 00:19:29,901 but one from the wrong century. 414 00:19:34,467 --> 00:19:37,667 [divers speaking] 415 00:19:39,300 --> 00:19:40,467 [Josh] Two targets down, 416 00:19:40,634 --> 00:19:43,100 but we still have one left to investigate. 417 00:19:43,267 --> 00:19:45,601 The sonar hit that looked like a strange mound. 418 00:19:57,100 --> 00:19:59,100 [suspenseful music plays] 419 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:13,801 [diver speaking] 420 00:20:16,267 --> 00:20:18,267 [Josh] Off the coast of Port Royal, Jamaica, 421 00:20:18,434 --> 00:20:20,701 we're on the hunt for the treasure-laden vessels 422 00:20:20,868 --> 00:20:23,000 that once belonged to the infamous 423 00:20:23,167 --> 00:20:26,467 dread pirate Black Bart Roberts, and we just found 424 00:20:26,634 --> 00:20:29,567 something that looks hugely promising. 425 00:20:29,734 --> 00:20:31,367 [divers speaking] 426 00:20:35,267 --> 00:20:37,868 [Josh] Ballast stones are the primary calling cards of 427 00:20:38,033 --> 00:20:39,567 an old, wooden sailing ship, 428 00:20:39,734 --> 00:20:41,701 so they're the first clue that we could be 429 00:20:41,868 --> 00:20:44,968 dealing with one of Black Bart's missing vessels. 430 00:20:59,868 --> 00:21:01,801 [diver speaking] 431 00:21:07,567 --> 00:21:11,200 [Josh] The Royal Fortune was Black Bart's flagship, so if he was 432 00:21:11,367 --> 00:21:13,701 still carrying treasure at the time of his death, 433 00:21:13,868 --> 00:21:15,767 it may have been aboard. 434 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,267 [Josh] We fan out, each of us slowly passing over the mound of 435 00:21:35,434 --> 00:21:37,868 stones, looking for anything man-made. 436 00:21:38,901 --> 00:21:40,901 [divers speaking] 437 00:21:57,367 --> 00:22:00,067 [Josh] A rudder gudgeon is a metal fitting that holds 438 00:22:00,234 --> 00:22:01,534 the rudder in place. 439 00:22:01,701 --> 00:22:05,167 But with the wooden rudder long ago disintegrated, this is what 440 00:22:05,334 --> 00:22:08,701 survives, like the hinge of a door long after the house 441 00:22:08,868 --> 00:22:09,868 is gone. 442 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:26,100 [cheering] 443 00:22:27,367 --> 00:22:29,367 -Holy crap. -That's a wreck. 444 00:22:29,534 --> 00:22:32,801 -[man] I see that. -[Josh] That is a wreck. 445 00:22:32,968 --> 00:22:35,100 -Yeah, dude. -Huge ballast pile. 446 00:22:35,267 --> 00:22:37,567 Yeah, that rudder gudgeon, the thing was bowing 447 00:22:37,734 --> 00:22:38,868 to the rocks. -[Josh] That's right. 448 00:22:38,868 --> 00:22:40,400 So that rudder gudgeon obviously marks the stern of 449 00:22:40,567 --> 00:22:43,000 the ship, and the bow is right into those rocks. 450 00:22:43,167 --> 00:22:45,868 Yep, like the documents say, splintered in pieces. 451 00:22:46,033 --> 00:22:50,667 -So we're in the ballpark. -Yeah, that's a huge contender. 452 00:22:50,834 --> 00:22:53,467 I guess the question is, could that be it? 453 00:22:53,634 --> 00:22:57,167 Could we have just dived on Black Bart's flagship? 454 00:22:57,334 --> 00:22:58,467 [Josh M.] I think so, man. 455 00:22:58,634 --> 00:23:00,100 Definitely need to do some more investigation 456 00:23:00,267 --> 00:23:01,167 to tell definitively, 457 00:23:01,334 --> 00:23:02,601 but that's definitely our candidate. 458 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:05,767 -[laughing] -[Josh] Oh, man! 459 00:23:05,934 --> 00:23:08,067 [Josh] AJ's excitement is understandable. 460 00:23:08,234 --> 00:23:10,667 We have strong indicators that this could be 461 00:23:10,834 --> 00:23:13,901 the Royal Fortune, one of the most notorious vessels 462 00:23:14,067 --> 00:23:16,567 to sail the high seas. 463 00:23:16,734 --> 00:23:19,767 It'll take more excavation to be sure, but if it's what 464 00:23:19,934 --> 00:23:22,701 we think it is, the shockingly short list of 465 00:23:22,868 --> 00:23:26,968 identified pirate shipwrecks just got a little bit longer. 466 00:23:28,367 --> 00:23:31,501 We steam back to what remains of Port Royal, but instead of 467 00:23:31,667 --> 00:23:34,767 grabbing the nearest bottle of rum to celebrate our dive, 468 00:23:34,934 --> 00:23:37,467 AJ has already set his sights on the third of 469 00:23:37,634 --> 00:23:39,868 Black Bart's ships, the Great Ranger. 470 00:23:41,701 --> 00:23:44,367 And as the sun sets behind us, he's already got 471 00:23:44,534 --> 00:23:46,200 a plan to find it. 472 00:23:46,367 --> 00:23:48,667 It'd be right here on this side of the bay 473 00:23:48,834 --> 00:23:50,167 atop the sunken city. 474 00:23:50,334 --> 00:23:52,000 Why do you think one of them is still sitting here? 475 00:23:52,167 --> 00:23:54,267 Because I have a map that says so. 476 00:23:54,434 --> 00:23:55,601 -You got a map? -Yep. 477 00:23:55,767 --> 00:23:56,701 You're holding out on me, dude. 478 00:23:56,868 --> 00:23:58,667 -Check this out. -[Josh] What is this? 479 00:23:58,834 --> 00:24:02,367 -[AJ] This is Port Royal in 1724. -[Josh] What is this map? 480 00:24:03,467 --> 00:24:06,767 [Josh] Port Royal, Jamaica, 1724. And this map is made by who? 481 00:24:06,934 --> 00:24:09,100 Lieutenant John Gascoigne, a cartographer in 482 00:24:09,267 --> 00:24:11,901 the Royal Navy. -And where was this thing? 483 00:24:12,067 --> 00:24:14,868 My mentor Donny Hamilton found it during his excavations 484 00:24:15,033 --> 00:24:17,000 of Port Royal in the 1980s and 90s. 485 00:24:18,300 --> 00:24:22,100 [Josh] Dr. Donny Hamilton conducted extensive underwater studies of 486 00:24:22,267 --> 00:24:24,167 the sunken city of Port Royal. 487 00:24:24,334 --> 00:24:27,467 And the map he unearthed in the Jamaican National Library 488 00:24:27,634 --> 00:24:31,467 was drawn by celebrated marine surveyor John Gascoigne, 489 00:24:31,634 --> 00:24:34,667 known for his accuracy and attention to detail. 490 00:24:34,834 --> 00:24:37,868 So on his map here, we see the part of Port Royal 491 00:24:38,033 --> 00:24:39,567 that's still above water. -[AJ] Mm-hmm. 492 00:24:39,734 --> 00:24:41,968 Most importantly, he has three wrecks on here. 493 00:24:42,133 --> 00:24:44,000 N, O, 494 00:24:44,167 --> 00:24:45,467 and P. 495 00:24:46,467 --> 00:24:50,801 [Josh] Gascoigne drew this map in 1724, only two years after 496 00:24:50,968 --> 00:24:53,601 the hurricane that wrecked Black Bart's fleet, 497 00:24:53,767 --> 00:24:57,000 meaning that his estimation of wreck locations was based on 498 00:24:57,167 --> 00:24:59,167 eyewitness accounts from the time. 499 00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:03,000 And a legend that says P, 500 00:25:04,267 --> 00:25:06,100 the wreck of the Ranger. 501 00:25:06,267 --> 00:25:09,000 [AJ] A pirate ship taken by Captain Ogle. 502 00:25:09,167 --> 00:25:10,868 He's calling this as the location 503 00:25:11,033 --> 00:25:12,567 of Black Bart's ship? 504 00:25:12,734 --> 00:25:13,968 Yes, and importantly, 505 00:25:14,133 --> 00:25:16,100 it's the only one pointing to shore. 506 00:25:17,868 --> 00:25:21,000 [Josh] The other two wrecks are pointed relatively north, 507 00:25:21,167 --> 00:25:23,167 so we know that the wreck we're looking for is 508 00:25:23,334 --> 00:25:26,868 the only one sitting on an east-west axis. 509 00:25:27,033 --> 00:25:29,100 So to be clear, though, this is also where 510 00:25:29,267 --> 00:25:31,267 the submerged section of Port Royal is, right? -Yeah. 511 00:25:31,434 --> 00:25:32,767 So if this is a wreck, 512 00:25:32,934 --> 00:25:35,000 it's sitting on top of Port Royal. 513 00:25:35,167 --> 00:25:38,868 It'd be a pirate ship on top of a pirate sunken city. 514 00:25:39,033 --> 00:25:42,968 [Josh] But Gascoigne's map obviously doesn't have GPS coordinates. 515 00:25:43,133 --> 00:25:45,200 So how do we figure out if there is a wreck here 516 00:25:45,367 --> 00:25:46,601 and if it is the Ranger? 517 00:25:46,767 --> 00:25:49,000 First, we want to do a full comprehensive survey of 518 00:25:49,167 --> 00:25:51,567 the entire sunken city. -It's not been done before? 519 00:25:51,734 --> 00:25:53,767 It's never been done with remote sensing equipment. 520 00:25:53,934 --> 00:25:55,701 Wow. OK. 521 00:25:55,868 --> 00:25:58,100 Once the city is surveyed, we can reference 522 00:25:58,267 --> 00:26:01,801 whatever we find against this historic map. 523 00:26:01,968 --> 00:26:04,467 All right, so, X marks the spot? 524 00:26:04,634 --> 00:26:06,100 -P marks the spot. -[Josh] P. 525 00:26:06,267 --> 00:26:08,234 Let's see what's there. 526 00:26:10,701 --> 00:26:13,667 The next day, we're back on the boat and steaming toward 527 00:26:13,834 --> 00:26:17,267 our mysterious target and a pirate Atlantis. 528 00:26:17,434 --> 00:26:20,000 OK, so we're hooking around into the harbor here. 529 00:26:20,167 --> 00:26:21,901 Yeah, we're entering the sunken city now. 530 00:26:24,367 --> 00:26:26,767 [Josh] You wouldn't know it, but beneath us is the remains 531 00:26:26,934 --> 00:26:29,767 of the richest pirate port in the Caribbean. 532 00:26:29,934 --> 00:26:32,868 34 acres of warehouses, streets, 533 00:26:33,033 --> 00:26:37,067 taverns, and fortifications all sitting on the ocean floor. 534 00:26:37,234 --> 00:26:40,501 And if a 300-year-old map is accurate, there's also 535 00:26:40,667 --> 00:26:42,567 the remains of the Great Ranger. 536 00:26:42,734 --> 00:26:46,701 Back in the 1960s, shipwreck hunter Bob Marx 537 00:26:46,868 --> 00:26:50,000 conducted the first exploration of Port Royal. 538 00:26:50,167 --> 00:26:52,267 Somewhere beneath us, he discovered a coin 539 00:26:52,434 --> 00:26:55,267 dated 1721, the year before 540 00:26:55,434 --> 00:26:57,567 the Great Ranger went down. 541 00:26:57,734 --> 00:27:01,267 To find out if our wreck is indeed here, Matt and Will 542 00:27:01,434 --> 00:27:04,901 deploy the side-scan sonar and a marine magnetometer, 543 00:27:05,067 --> 00:27:06,968 sweeping the seabed for ballast piles 544 00:27:07,133 --> 00:27:10,300 and anything else resembling a ship. 545 00:27:10,467 --> 00:27:12,868 -[Josh] OK, sonar is up and running. -[AJ] Yep. 546 00:27:13,033 --> 00:27:15,367 Mag is magging? 547 00:27:15,534 --> 00:27:17,167 So we should be seeing all sorts of stuff 548 00:27:17,334 --> 00:27:19,501 down here, right? -Yep. 549 00:27:19,667 --> 00:27:23,000 [Josh] We're getting unprecedented data on Old Port Royal. 550 00:27:23,167 --> 00:27:25,801 And as it rolls in, the ruins below 551 00:27:25,968 --> 00:27:27,033 reveal themselves. 552 00:27:29,067 --> 00:27:31,367 -Wow, look at this. -Look, there's a building. 553 00:27:31,534 --> 00:27:33,100 -[Josh] Oh! -[AJ] Right there, the corners of it. 554 00:27:33,267 --> 00:27:36,467 [Josh] Oh, God, look at that. That is absolutely a building. 555 00:27:36,634 --> 00:27:38,467 We run the sonar back and forth, 556 00:27:38,634 --> 00:27:41,100 scanning the submerged structures and marking 557 00:27:41,267 --> 00:27:43,300 various targets that could be a wreck. 558 00:27:44,300 --> 00:27:45,801 -Oh, is that a building? -Yeah. 559 00:27:45,968 --> 00:27:47,267 [Josh] Got a hit there. That's good. 560 00:27:47,434 --> 00:27:49,100 We should be coming up on the spot where P was 561 00:27:49,267 --> 00:27:51,067 on that map. -[Josh] So there's something here. 562 00:27:51,234 --> 00:27:53,267 -[AJ] Yeah. -Looks like a, is that 563 00:27:53,434 --> 00:27:55,000 maybe a rock pile there? 564 00:27:55,167 --> 00:27:56,367 Yeah, it could be a rock pile. 565 00:27:56,534 --> 00:27:58,100 [Josh] Could that be a wreck? 566 00:27:58,267 --> 00:28:00,400 -[AJ] Yeah. -[Josh] So hard to say. 567 00:28:00,567 --> 00:28:03,167 -Is that fair? -That's fair because it's fallen walls. 568 00:28:03,334 --> 00:28:04,767 It's bricks with coral on them. 569 00:28:04,934 --> 00:28:06,200 It's building structures. 570 00:28:06,367 --> 00:28:09,000 But we've seen some stuff in here that looks like 571 00:28:09,167 --> 00:28:11,000 a ballast pile of the shipwreck. -[Josh] Right. 572 00:28:11,167 --> 00:28:12,801 We have to dive it to investigate it, 573 00:28:12,968 --> 00:28:14,267 and know what it really is. 574 00:28:14,434 --> 00:28:16,000 Right, could be part of the sunken city, 575 00:28:16,167 --> 00:28:17,167 could be the remains of a ship. 576 00:28:17,334 --> 00:28:19,300 Could be the remains of the Great Ranger. 577 00:28:20,667 --> 00:28:23,501 To find out, AJ and I head ashore along with 578 00:28:23,667 --> 00:28:26,067 archaeologist Josh Marano. 579 00:28:26,234 --> 00:28:28,467 We stroll through the ruins of the centuries-old 580 00:28:28,634 --> 00:28:31,167 abandoned naval hospital, established by 581 00:28:31,334 --> 00:28:33,300 the British after the pirate era ended. 582 00:28:35,367 --> 00:28:37,701 Here, at the edge of where Port Royal sank, 583 00:28:37,868 --> 00:28:41,100 we prepare to walk out onto the underwater streets 584 00:28:41,267 --> 00:28:43,267 of a sunken pirate city. 585 00:28:49,701 --> 00:28:52,367 All right, so let's talk about where we are here. 586 00:28:52,534 --> 00:28:54,100 This old naval hospital behind us. 587 00:28:54,267 --> 00:28:56,000 The rest of the city is out here in the water. 588 00:28:56,167 --> 00:28:58,367 [AJ] 30 acres of submerged sunken city. 589 00:28:58,534 --> 00:29:02,667 [Josh] This is where old Port Royal, Jamaica, fell into the sea. 590 00:29:02,834 --> 00:29:05,667 Somewhere out there are the remains of a pirate ship 591 00:29:05,834 --> 00:29:08,067 belonging to Black Bartholomew Roberts. 592 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:11,267 And the roads in the old city 593 00:29:11,434 --> 00:29:12,567 would have gone right out there. 594 00:29:12,734 --> 00:29:14,467 Straight out until they met each other. 595 00:29:14,634 --> 00:29:16,767 Oh, so the streets literally just go underwater here. 596 00:29:16,934 --> 00:29:19,100 The people of Port Royal paved our way. 597 00:29:19,267 --> 00:29:20,534 I love that. 598 00:29:20,701 --> 00:29:22,467 [Josh M.] We have to differentiate between the wreckage from 599 00:29:22,634 --> 00:29:24,868 the city and the wreckage from an actual shipwreck. 600 00:29:25,033 --> 00:29:26,267 If we go out there and find a ballast pile, 601 00:29:26,434 --> 00:29:27,367 we'll be on the right track. 602 00:29:27,534 --> 00:29:28,467 OK, so we're looking for ballast. 603 00:29:28,634 --> 00:29:29,501 -What else? -I would love to find 604 00:29:29,667 --> 00:29:31,167 articulated wooden structure. 605 00:29:31,334 --> 00:29:33,167 The ship is the biggest artifact itself. 606 00:29:33,334 --> 00:29:35,467 And can the wood be diagnostic in terms of 607 00:29:35,634 --> 00:29:37,868 identifying the Ranger? -[Josh M.] Absolutely. 608 00:29:38,033 --> 00:29:40,167 The Ranger was originally a French-built vessel, 609 00:29:40,334 --> 00:29:41,801 and it was stolen, right? 610 00:29:41,968 --> 00:29:43,868 So it could be that we find different units of measure 611 00:29:44,033 --> 00:29:45,167 on this one. 612 00:29:45,334 --> 00:29:46,801 [Josh] French shipbuilders didn't use 613 00:29:46,968 --> 00:29:48,868 British imperial measurements. 614 00:29:49,033 --> 00:29:51,667 Instead, their timber was cut to the French foot, 615 00:29:51,834 --> 00:29:54,300 which was closer to 12.8 inches, 616 00:29:54,467 --> 00:29:55,868 something that would be 617 00:29:56,033 --> 00:29:58,267 reflected on the Great Ranger. 618 00:29:58,434 --> 00:30:00,801 All right, what do you say we walk down a sunken road? 619 00:30:00,968 --> 00:30:01,901 -Let's do it. -Let's go. 620 00:30:08,868 --> 00:30:10,267 [Josh] No splash this time. 621 00:30:10,434 --> 00:30:14,000 Instead, we simply wade into Port Royal like we're walking 622 00:30:14,167 --> 00:30:16,467 down a street, which we are. 623 00:30:16,634 --> 00:30:18,968 And then we descend into the past. 624 00:30:30,167 --> 00:30:31,901 [diver speaking] 625 00:31:08,601 --> 00:31:10,100 [Josh] We move deeper into the ruins 626 00:31:10,267 --> 00:31:13,000 where the remains get bigger. 627 00:31:13,167 --> 00:31:14,868 [diver speaking] 628 00:31:26,567 --> 00:31:29,400 [Josh] These taller walls are what's left of Fort James, 629 00:31:29,567 --> 00:31:32,968 one of the key British defenses of Port Royal. 630 00:31:33,133 --> 00:31:36,601 It once had 26 guns trained across the harbor, 631 00:31:36,767 --> 00:31:39,901 every one of which was useless during an earthquake. 632 00:31:47,567 --> 00:31:50,267 [Josh] We leave the fort behind and continue towards what 633 00:31:50,434 --> 00:31:51,968 we hope is the Ranger. 634 00:31:52,133 --> 00:31:53,901 [diver speaking] 635 00:31:54,067 --> 00:31:55,300 [Josh speaking] 636 00:31:56,501 --> 00:31:59,767 [Josh] We finally approach the spot where Point P appears 637 00:31:59,934 --> 00:32:02,601 on Gascoigne's map, a clear marker 638 00:32:02,767 --> 00:32:05,000 of a ship that on the chart is 639 00:32:05,167 --> 00:32:07,801 pointed towards shore on an east-west axis. 640 00:32:09,667 --> 00:32:12,167 [divers speaking] 641 00:32:38,267 --> 00:32:40,667 [Josh] The ballast stones confirm that we're exploring 642 00:32:40,834 --> 00:32:44,000 the remains of a ship, and the ballast seems to be 643 00:32:44,167 --> 00:32:47,000 mixed in with some other material. 644 00:32:47,167 --> 00:32:49,567 [diver speaking] 645 00:32:55,701 --> 00:32:58,267 [Josh] These nine-inch mortar balls were ammunition for 646 00:32:58,434 --> 00:33:02,267 land-based mortar, so they're here strictly for weight. 647 00:33:02,434 --> 00:33:05,167 We keep looking for anything else that can be tied to 648 00:33:05,334 --> 00:33:06,367 this wreck. 649 00:33:06,534 --> 00:33:08,801 [divers speaking] 650 00:33:29,167 --> 00:33:32,868 [Josh] Intact deck planking from a 300-year-old shipwreck 651 00:33:33,033 --> 00:33:37,267 would be a rare discovery that could help identify the vessel. 652 00:33:37,434 --> 00:33:40,367 There's fragile history here resting in the sand. 653 00:33:41,467 --> 00:33:43,467 [AJ speaking] 654 00:33:48,367 --> 00:33:50,767 [Josh speaking] 655 00:33:50,934 --> 00:33:53,267 We get out our ruler to measure the plank, 656 00:33:53,434 --> 00:33:55,367 using its widest point to determine 657 00:33:55,534 --> 00:33:57,100 the board's original span. 658 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:00,200 [AJ speaking] 659 00:34:01,701 --> 00:34:04,601 [divers speaking] 660 00:34:25,067 --> 00:34:26,601 [divers speaking] 661 00:34:53,868 --> 00:34:55,767 [Josh speaking] 662 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:00,367 [AJ speaking] 663 00:35:02,601 --> 00:35:04,167 [Josh] This wreck's orientation, 664 00:35:04,334 --> 00:35:07,667 pointed towards shore, is lined up precisely with how 665 00:35:07,834 --> 00:35:09,767 the Gascoigne map shows the Ranger. 666 00:35:11,467 --> 00:35:14,567 The evidence is piling up that this could be a real, 667 00:35:14,734 --> 00:35:18,200 honest-to-God sunken pirate ship, one of only a few 668 00:35:18,367 --> 00:35:20,667 confirmed to exist anywhere. 669 00:35:20,834 --> 00:35:22,868 It's so exciting, I could use a drink. 670 00:35:31,868 --> 00:35:34,300 Nothing says pirate like an onion bottle, 671 00:35:34,467 --> 00:35:36,667 the thick, heavy vessels common on ships 672 00:35:36,834 --> 00:35:38,701 of the 17th and 18th centuries, 673 00:35:38,868 --> 00:35:41,767 carrying all sorts of potent potables. 674 00:35:45,868 --> 00:35:48,367 To preserve the discovery here, potentially 675 00:35:48,534 --> 00:35:51,400 the Great Ranger itself, we do photogrammetry 676 00:35:51,567 --> 00:35:53,667 on the wreck, taking a comprehensive 677 00:35:53,834 --> 00:35:55,801 photo array that will be stitched together 678 00:35:55,968 --> 00:35:57,501 by computer software 679 00:35:57,667 --> 00:36:00,868 to create a three-dimensional model of the site. 680 00:36:01,033 --> 00:36:02,901 [AJ speaking] 681 00:36:06,868 --> 00:36:08,767 [Josh speaking] 682 00:36:15,501 --> 00:36:17,667 [AJ speaking] 683 00:36:22,968 --> 00:36:26,367 [Josh] Once we've finished, AJ and I finally come up for air, 684 00:36:26,534 --> 00:36:29,167 and I follow the flooded streets of Port Royal 685 00:36:29,334 --> 00:36:30,267 back to shore. 686 00:36:34,767 --> 00:36:38,000 Later that evening, we reconvene by the dock. 687 00:36:38,167 --> 00:36:42,100 AJ's team has processed the data from our survey. 688 00:36:42,267 --> 00:36:44,400 We're going to start with this old map of Port Royal 689 00:36:44,567 --> 00:36:45,767 from 1772. -[Josh] Uh-huh. 690 00:36:45,934 --> 00:36:49,467 [AJ] It shows Old Port Royal sunk in 1692. 691 00:36:49,634 --> 00:36:51,868 [Josh] And for a long time, this is kind of all there was. 692 00:36:52,033 --> 00:36:53,667 This was the best map of the Sunken City. 693 00:36:53,834 --> 00:36:54,968 Right. OK. 694 00:36:55,133 --> 00:36:56,968 And now let's talk about what we've added to this. 695 00:36:57,133 --> 00:36:59,400 He brings up bathymetric maps... 696 00:36:59,567 --> 00:37:01,601 [AJ] It works from dark red being the most shallow 697 00:37:01,767 --> 00:37:03,300 out to blue, the deepest. 698 00:37:03,467 --> 00:37:06,367 And look at how the contours of this match this map 699 00:37:06,534 --> 00:37:08,167 from 1772. 700 00:37:08,334 --> 00:37:09,767 ...sonar surveys... 701 00:37:09,934 --> 00:37:12,367 [AJ] That's Fort James, really sticking proud out of 702 00:37:12,534 --> 00:37:14,868 the muddy bottom. -...and magnetometer readings. 703 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,367 That is so cool. Look at that! 704 00:37:18,534 --> 00:37:20,000 -Yeah. -That's incredible. 705 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,467 [Josh] These scans give archaeologists the most complete picture of 706 00:37:23,634 --> 00:37:27,267 Old Port Royal since the earthquake of 1692. 707 00:37:27,434 --> 00:37:29,567 But we're just getting started. 708 00:37:29,734 --> 00:37:31,767 And now let's talk about the wreck we're looking for. 709 00:37:31,934 --> 00:37:33,267 We have the best view of that from that 710 00:37:33,434 --> 00:37:34,701 photogrammetry data you collected. 711 00:37:34,868 --> 00:37:36,868 -That's been stitched. -[AJ] Yeah. 712 00:37:37,033 --> 00:37:38,267 [Josh] Oh, come on! 713 00:37:39,267 --> 00:37:40,868 That is insane! 714 00:37:41,033 --> 00:37:44,000 I mean, we can see that entire wreck. 715 00:37:44,167 --> 00:37:45,868 Look at all this. We can see the timbers. 716 00:37:46,033 --> 00:37:48,267 We can see all the ballast pile. 717 00:37:48,434 --> 00:37:51,367 It is so much clearer than what I could see down there 718 00:37:51,534 --> 00:37:53,467 with my own two eyes. -[AJ] Yeah. 719 00:37:53,634 --> 00:37:55,701 And look at the size of this ballast pile. 720 00:37:55,868 --> 00:37:57,567 You can literally see the shape of a ship. 721 00:37:57,734 --> 00:38:00,167 -[AJ] Exactly. -[Josh] So no question this is a ship. 722 00:38:00,334 --> 00:38:04,100 But does it line up at all with Gascoigne's map? 723 00:38:04,267 --> 00:38:06,601 Well, in the digital age, we can now overlay that. 724 00:38:06,767 --> 00:38:10,167 1724 chart like no other archaeologist has done before. 725 00:38:10,334 --> 00:38:11,767 [Josh] OK, so let's see Gascoigne's map. 726 00:38:11,934 --> 00:38:13,033 [AJ] Right here. 727 00:38:13,868 --> 00:38:15,901 OK, so here's the Great Ranger, which he labels P 728 00:38:16,067 --> 00:38:17,667 on his map. -Yeah, and what's really important 729 00:38:17,834 --> 00:38:19,000 about this is that P 730 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:21,767 is the only wreck pointed to shore, and we know from 731 00:38:21,934 --> 00:38:24,767 our dive that that matches the orientation of 60 degrees 732 00:38:24,934 --> 00:38:27,601 that we found on the site. -So we had similar orientation. 733 00:38:27,767 --> 00:38:29,367 Are we anywhere near his drawing? 734 00:38:29,534 --> 00:38:30,667 Yes. 735 00:38:30,834 --> 00:38:33,467 This drawing is hundreds of years old, but we are 736 00:38:33,634 --> 00:38:35,701 within 100 feet of that wreck. 737 00:38:35,868 --> 00:38:39,467 [Josh] So almost the same orientation and really close to each other. 738 00:38:39,634 --> 00:38:41,400 That's pretty damn good. 739 00:38:41,567 --> 00:38:44,667 Our wreck sits in the vicinity of the last charted position 740 00:38:44,834 --> 00:38:46,300 of the Great Ranger. 741 00:38:46,467 --> 00:38:50,968 It also shares its size, both in length and width. 742 00:38:51,133 --> 00:38:54,567 Its orientation, not to mention it has timbers that match those 743 00:38:54,734 --> 00:38:57,868 of an 18th-century French-built ship. 744 00:38:58,033 --> 00:39:00,801 So what do you think? Is that the Great Ranger? 745 00:39:03,267 --> 00:39:05,501 I'm about 90% sure that's the Great Ranger. 746 00:39:05,667 --> 00:39:08,467 I mean, that's pretty damn good. 747 00:39:08,634 --> 00:39:10,200 It doesn't get much better than that. 748 00:39:10,367 --> 00:39:11,801 I think we're looking at a pirate ship. 749 00:39:11,968 --> 00:39:13,601 On top of a pirate sunken city. 750 00:39:13,767 --> 00:39:15,167 How about that? 751 00:39:15,334 --> 00:39:16,567 -That is sensational, man. -Yeah, man. 752 00:39:16,734 --> 00:39:18,367 -Really. -Yeah. 753 00:39:18,534 --> 00:39:21,400 [Josh] It seems like the Great Ranger is ready to re-enter 754 00:39:21,567 --> 00:39:24,567 the history books no longer lost, 755 00:39:24,734 --> 00:39:26,968 a page of pirate lore that AJ 756 00:39:27,133 --> 00:39:28,968 will be studying for years to come. 757 00:39:32,467 --> 00:39:34,601 [sea shanty plays] 758 00:39:35,868 --> 00:39:38,701 We head out into the streets to celebrate on the last 759 00:39:38,868 --> 00:39:41,801 raucous night of the Kingston Pirate Festival. 760 00:39:44,267 --> 00:39:45,767 This is just labeled grog. 761 00:39:45,934 --> 00:39:48,200 First of all, your eye patch is not on correctly, sir. 762 00:39:48,367 --> 00:39:49,868 Yeah, I need to see. 763 00:39:50,033 --> 00:39:52,901 I have great news for you. You have two eyes. 764 00:39:55,367 --> 00:39:58,567 The authentic grog here is not for land lovers. 765 00:39:58,734 --> 00:39:59,567 -It's good. -[man] Good. 766 00:39:59,734 --> 00:40:00,667 It's really good. 767 00:40:00,667 --> 00:40:02,467 Though it does have a rich aftertaste. 768 00:40:03,801 --> 00:40:04,868 -Oh, wow! -[man] Oh, wow! 769 00:40:05,033 --> 00:40:06,000 -That's amazing! -That's treasure! 770 00:40:06,167 --> 00:40:07,267 [Josh] Wow! 771 00:40:09,667 --> 00:40:12,567 And after a week of chasing Black Bart's legend, 772 00:40:12,734 --> 00:40:15,100 I find myself faced with the same choice 773 00:40:15,267 --> 00:40:17,467 he made 300 years ago. 774 00:40:17,634 --> 00:40:20,100 [yelling] 775 00:40:20,267 --> 00:40:22,367 No, no, no, guys, no, no, no, no. 776 00:40:22,534 --> 00:40:26,701 You have two choices. You either join us or die. 777 00:40:26,868 --> 00:40:28,067 [Josh] Hold on, I'm thinking. 778 00:40:28,234 --> 00:40:30,167 Treasure, rum, copious eyeliner? 779 00:40:30,334 --> 00:40:32,367 -OK, I'm in! -Yeah! 780 00:40:32,534 --> 00:40:33,567 Joining. 781 00:40:35,868 --> 00:40:37,000 Let's go! 782 00:40:38,901 --> 00:40:40,467 Jamaica! 783 00:40:41,868 --> 00:40:45,501 [Josh] The Golden Age of Piracy was not a long one, lasting only 784 00:40:45,667 --> 00:40:49,267 about 80 years, and its end was marked by the death of 785 00:40:49,434 --> 00:40:53,267 Bartholomew Roberts on the deck of the Royal Fortune. 786 00:40:53,434 --> 00:40:56,701 Those 80-short years birthed legends that have endured 787 00:40:56,868 --> 00:40:58,467 four times that long. 788 00:40:58,634 --> 00:41:01,501 I've circled the globe to investigate those stories, 789 00:41:01,667 --> 00:41:05,000 but there's no doubt that this one is special. 790 00:41:05,167 --> 00:41:08,400 History was made here in Jamaica as not one, 791 00:41:08,567 --> 00:41:11,667 but two ships belonging to the most successful pirate of 792 00:41:11,834 --> 00:41:15,000 the Golden Age have likely been discovered. 793 00:41:15,167 --> 00:41:17,868 It's a stunning victory, which puts this team of 794 00:41:18,033 --> 00:41:21,267 archaeologists in rare company with pirate hunter 795 00:41:21,434 --> 00:41:25,067 Chaloner Ogle as the only people to capture the ships 796 00:41:25,234 --> 00:41:27,667 of Black Bartholomew Roberts.