1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:03,167 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:03,375 --> 00:00:04,208 (screaming) 3 00:00:04,333 --> 00:00:05,833 WILLIAM SHATNER: Brazen buccaneers 4 00:00:06,042 --> 00:00:07,833 -who terrorized the Seven Seas. -(grunting) 5 00:00:08,042 --> 00:00:09,583 Vast riches 6 00:00:09,750 --> 00:00:12,042 left hidden around the world. 7 00:00:12,208 --> 00:00:15,000 And stories of adventures so outrageous, 8 00:00:15,125 --> 00:00:18,083 they rival our imagination. 9 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,083 Say the word "pirate" 10 00:00:21,208 --> 00:00:23,500 and immediately it conjures up images 11 00:00:23,667 --> 00:00:27,125 of swashbuckling adventure, brutish behavior 12 00:00:27,333 --> 00:00:30,458 and wooden chests filled with priceless treasure. 13 00:00:31,500 --> 00:00:35,625 300 years ago, thousands of pirates roamed the Seven Seas, 14 00:00:35,792 --> 00:00:39,792 and their rum-soaked exploits became enduring legends. 15 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,417 But in reality, 16 00:00:42,583 --> 00:00:45,458 many of these dangerous marauders left a bloody trail 17 00:00:45,625 --> 00:00:49,167 of pillage and plunder that, quite frankly, 18 00:00:49,333 --> 00:00:51,208 is nothing to celebrate. 19 00:00:52,833 --> 00:00:54,333 What do we really know 20 00:00:54,542 --> 00:00:57,542 about the mysterious seafaring criminals we call pirates, 21 00:00:57,708 --> 00:01:00,042 as well as the lost treasures they left behind, 22 00:01:00,208 --> 00:01:03,042 still hidden and just waiting to be found? 23 00:01:04,042 --> 00:01:06,750 Well, that is what we'll try and find out. 24 00:01:06,875 --> 00:01:09,042 ♪ ♪ 25 00:01:25,042 --> 00:01:26,958 Founded in 1565 26 00:01:27,125 --> 00:01:30,042 and considered to be the oldest town in the U.S., 27 00:01:30,208 --> 00:01:32,500 this former Spanish colony 28 00:01:32,708 --> 00:01:35,917 was an important nautical gateway to North America 29 00:01:36,083 --> 00:01:38,750 and what was called the New World. 30 00:01:38,917 --> 00:01:41,167 And here, 31 00:01:41,333 --> 00:01:43,792 at the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum, 32 00:01:43,958 --> 00:01:47,125 fascinating artifacts offer a glimpse 33 00:01:47,292 --> 00:01:49,750 into one of the most captivating chapters 34 00:01:49,875 --> 00:01:51,708 in maritime history-- 35 00:01:51,875 --> 00:01:55,333 a time long ago 36 00:01:55,542 --> 00:02:00,458 known as the Golden Age of Piracy. 37 00:02:02,208 --> 00:02:03,417 KEVIN McDONALD: So, the Golden Age of Piracy 38 00:02:03,583 --> 00:02:05,625 was this extraordinary time in-in history 39 00:02:05,833 --> 00:02:08,500 where you have these competing European empires-- 40 00:02:08,667 --> 00:02:11,208 competitors like England, France and the Netherlands-- 41 00:02:11,333 --> 00:02:13,958 and they are challenging Spain and Portugal 42 00:02:14,125 --> 00:02:15,208 throughout the world. 43 00:02:16,208 --> 00:02:19,125 They had established their New World territories 44 00:02:19,292 --> 00:02:20,792 in the East Indies, 45 00:02:20,958 --> 00:02:22,917 which was South Asia, 46 00:02:23,083 --> 00:02:25,500 as well as the West Indies or the Caribbean. 47 00:02:25,625 --> 00:02:28,375 It is the time of flourishing maritime trade, 48 00:02:28,542 --> 00:02:30,667 where you have these trade networks 49 00:02:30,792 --> 00:02:31,792 moving out of the Americas. 50 00:02:31,958 --> 00:02:33,458 There's silver moving, 51 00:02:33,625 --> 00:02:35,750 there's commodities, there's gold. 52 00:02:36,708 --> 00:02:39,333 And all these things were very lucrative and very valuable. 53 00:02:40,583 --> 00:02:43,042 SHATNER: But before there were pirates as we've come to know them, 54 00:02:43,208 --> 00:02:45,167 there were privateers-- 55 00:02:45,375 --> 00:02:48,167 the paid mercenaries of the sea. 56 00:02:48,375 --> 00:02:50,667 These ship captains and their crews 57 00:02:50,833 --> 00:02:52,500 were hired by European empires 58 00:02:52,667 --> 00:02:57,167 to steal the goods and valuables from other warring nations 59 00:02:57,292 --> 00:03:00,333 as their colonial ships crossed the ocean. 60 00:03:01,375 --> 00:03:03,375 MATT FRICK: A lot of people that were pirates 61 00:03:03,583 --> 00:03:05,708 had started out as a privateer. 62 00:03:05,875 --> 00:03:08,750 They had a commission called a letter of marque 63 00:03:08,917 --> 00:03:10,583 that allowed them to operate 64 00:03:10,750 --> 00:03:12,750 under the protection of a government. 65 00:03:12,875 --> 00:03:15,000 Every country had these, because, 66 00:03:15,208 --> 00:03:17,958 as the New World colonies expanded, 67 00:03:18,125 --> 00:03:20,333 they didn't have, uh, the naval assets 68 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:21,917 to, uh, continue their fights, 69 00:03:22,125 --> 00:03:23,583 so they used privateers. 70 00:03:24,625 --> 00:03:28,250 SHATNER: From around the mid-1600s to the early 1700s, 71 00:03:28,375 --> 00:03:29,875 privateers made their living 72 00:03:30,083 --> 00:03:32,292 from the sizeable rewards they received 73 00:03:32,375 --> 00:03:34,833 after capturing enemy ships. 74 00:03:35,875 --> 00:03:39,042 But as many privateering contracts began to expire, 75 00:03:39,167 --> 00:03:44,125 these now wealthy marauders were not willing to retire, 76 00:03:44,292 --> 00:03:48,542 but instead were ready to work for themselves. 77 00:03:50,875 --> 00:03:53,667 Privateers were paid in the goods that they take. 78 00:03:53,792 --> 00:03:56,500 About 80%. They can keep about 80% of that. 79 00:03:56,625 --> 00:03:59,250 And so, as a result, we've got loads of sailors 80 00:03:59,417 --> 00:04:00,750 becoming privateers. 81 00:04:00,917 --> 00:04:03,208 But then when the letter of marque expires, 82 00:04:03,375 --> 00:04:04,958 a lot of them just kind of continue on, 83 00:04:05,167 --> 00:04:06,125 and they're people who are operating 84 00:04:06,250 --> 00:04:07,458 completely outside the law. 85 00:04:07,625 --> 00:04:09,333 They're not working for a government. 86 00:04:09,500 --> 00:04:11,375 They're working only for themselves. 87 00:04:11,542 --> 00:04:13,833 And they're going to rob any ship they come across 88 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,958 that they feel could actually bring them a lot of money, 89 00:04:17,125 --> 00:04:18,792 and they continued on into piracy. 90 00:04:19,917 --> 00:04:23,083 SHATNER: Piracy was a profession that gave sailors an opportunity 91 00:04:23,250 --> 00:04:25,125 to live by their own rules 92 00:04:25,292 --> 00:04:28,000 and potentially make a quick fortune. 93 00:04:28,083 --> 00:04:30,542 But there was one major catch. 94 00:04:30,708 --> 00:04:35,125 Piracy was not only a capital offense punishable by death-- 95 00:04:35,292 --> 00:04:39,333 it was also a life of extreme violence. 96 00:04:40,667 --> 00:04:42,917 I think we should never forget 97 00:04:43,083 --> 00:04:45,167 just how brutal piracy is. 98 00:04:45,375 --> 00:04:46,667 It is about violence. 99 00:04:46,875 --> 00:04:48,667 It is about theft. It is about killing people. 100 00:04:48,792 --> 00:04:53,625 And some of these pirates take that to such extremes, 101 00:04:53,792 --> 00:04:56,167 probably to make a reputation for themselves 102 00:04:56,375 --> 00:04:58,833 -and even to make their own lives easier. -(yelling) 103 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,667 Because if you capture a ship and everyone on that ship 104 00:05:01,875 --> 00:05:04,208 is terrified of you, they're gonna surrender. 105 00:05:05,250 --> 00:05:08,042 RUSSELL SKOWRONEK: They'd have captured a vessel and they say, 106 00:05:08,208 --> 00:05:09,667 "Give up your treasure. 107 00:05:09,833 --> 00:05:11,708 Tell us where it is hidden on the ship." 108 00:05:11,875 --> 00:05:14,458 Because people would hide the materials on the ship. 109 00:05:14,625 --> 00:05:17,708 And one way they would do it is they would basically 110 00:05:17,875 --> 00:05:19,500 force someone over the side of the ship. 111 00:05:19,667 --> 00:05:21,500 They'd have them walk the plank. 112 00:05:22,458 --> 00:05:24,042 And they'd be pushed over the side 113 00:05:24,250 --> 00:05:26,458 so that they would drown in the water. 114 00:05:26,583 --> 00:05:28,167 -It's a great motivator. -(yelling) 115 00:05:28,375 --> 00:05:30,292 And we know from some of the accounts 116 00:05:30,417 --> 00:05:33,167 that they would cut off people's noses, 117 00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:34,917 people's ears. 118 00:05:35,083 --> 00:05:36,500 -They would whip them. -(whip cracks) -(groaning) 119 00:05:36,708 --> 00:05:38,167 If there were women, they would rape them. 120 00:05:38,333 --> 00:05:40,500 So lots of different things that would be used 121 00:05:40,667 --> 00:05:42,042 -for intimidation... -(chains jangling) 122 00:05:42,208 --> 00:05:43,708 -(gunshot) -...to get people 123 00:05:43,875 --> 00:05:46,500 to turn over where their treasure was hidden. 124 00:05:46,708 --> 00:05:48,333 (cannon blast) 125 00:05:48,458 --> 00:05:50,792 SHATNER: Pirates became the scourge of the Seven Seas. 126 00:05:52,042 --> 00:05:54,542 Stories of the exploits of these notorious criminals 127 00:05:54,708 --> 00:05:57,292 -circulated all over the world. -(yelling) 128 00:05:57,458 --> 00:05:59,542 And in 1724, 129 00:05:59,708 --> 00:06:02,333 a book was published that would forever transform 130 00:06:02,542 --> 00:06:06,583 these lawbreakers into legends 131 00:06:06,708 --> 00:06:11,333 called A General History of the Pyrates. 132 00:06:12,458 --> 00:06:14,417 The General History of the Pyrates 133 00:06:14,542 --> 00:06:16,000 is one of the most important books 134 00:06:16,125 --> 00:06:18,083 about piracy ever published. 135 00:06:19,500 --> 00:06:21,917 It appears in 1724, 136 00:06:22,042 --> 00:06:25,625 and it's published by a number of publishers in London. 137 00:06:25,833 --> 00:06:28,667 It's an enormous success. It goes through many editions. 138 00:06:28,792 --> 00:06:32,417 There's clearly a demand for stories about pirates. 139 00:06:32,625 --> 00:06:36,833 And it's really a rogues' gallery of all of the pirates-- 140 00:06:37,042 --> 00:06:38,208 every pirate who's famous, 141 00:06:38,417 --> 00:06:40,750 every pirate who's got a reputation. 142 00:06:40,875 --> 00:06:44,750 It's drawing on pirate trial records, on newspapers, 143 00:06:44,917 --> 00:06:47,542 but they're also inventing stories. 144 00:06:47,708 --> 00:06:49,500 And in-in many ways, this is the book 145 00:06:49,625 --> 00:06:51,750 that creates the idea of piracy 146 00:06:51,875 --> 00:06:54,417 that we have in our heads still today. 147 00:06:54,542 --> 00:06:56,333 SHATNER: For 300 years, 148 00:06:56,500 --> 00:06:58,292 The General History of the Pyrates 149 00:06:58,417 --> 00:07:01,000 has been the primary resource 150 00:07:01,167 --> 00:07:04,833 on not only the lives of the world's most notorious robbers 151 00:07:05,042 --> 00:07:09,500 but also their rumored vast treasures. 152 00:07:10,917 --> 00:07:12,750 SKOWRONEK: During the Golden Age of Piracy, 153 00:07:12,875 --> 00:07:16,667 3,000 ships clearly were taken by pirates. 154 00:07:16,875 --> 00:07:20,333 Sometimes that ship is fabulously wealthy-- 155 00:07:20,542 --> 00:07:23,458 all kinds of treasure on it and everything. 156 00:07:24,458 --> 00:07:27,500 Silver, gold, diamonds, emeralds. 157 00:07:27,708 --> 00:07:29,333 When those came through, 158 00:07:29,542 --> 00:07:32,042 those are the stories that kept being told 159 00:07:32,208 --> 00:07:34,125 and retold through time. 160 00:07:34,292 --> 00:07:36,167 Because the idea of treasure 161 00:07:36,375 --> 00:07:39,917 captures the imagination of everyone. 162 00:07:40,958 --> 00:07:44,500 SHATNER: Yet just as mysterious as the marauders themselves 163 00:07:44,708 --> 00:07:48,417 is the whereabouts of all the valuable loot they stole. 164 00:07:49,042 --> 00:07:51,125 Remarkably, shipwrecks 165 00:07:51,208 --> 00:07:53,167 and battles at sea may have claimed 166 00:07:53,333 --> 00:07:55,833 the vast majority of hundreds of years 167 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,833 of pirates' treasure. 168 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,083 SKOWRONEK: When we hear stories that here was this vessel 169 00:08:01,250 --> 00:08:05,500 that contained these great riches and we hear it was lost, 170 00:08:05,667 --> 00:08:07,500 it makes people think, "Oh, my gosh, 171 00:08:07,667 --> 00:08:10,167 "maybe it's not so lost that we couldn't ever find it. 172 00:08:10,375 --> 00:08:12,125 Perhaps we can find it again." 173 00:08:13,625 --> 00:08:16,292 FRICK: There is likely a lot of money 174 00:08:16,458 --> 00:08:18,708 sitting on the bottom of the ocean. 175 00:08:18,875 --> 00:08:20,333 There could be 176 00:08:20,542 --> 00:08:22,833 untold, uh, millions of dollars under there, 177 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,375 because there's thousands of shipwrecks 178 00:08:25,542 --> 00:08:26,542 and they're still being discovered 179 00:08:26,750 --> 00:08:28,458 by treasure hunters today. 180 00:08:30,333 --> 00:08:33,000 SHATNER: April 26, 1717. 181 00:08:33,167 --> 00:08:37,458 Just off the coast of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. 182 00:08:38,542 --> 00:08:40,625 One of the wealthiest pirates in history, 183 00:08:40,792 --> 00:08:42,708 Captain "Black Sam" Bellamy, 184 00:08:42,875 --> 00:08:47,500 sails his treasure-laden galleon the Whydah to Cape Cod, 185 00:08:47,708 --> 00:08:50,958 where his ship is destroyed in a violent storm. 186 00:08:51,125 --> 00:08:53,417 Of the 146 crew aboard, 187 00:08:53,542 --> 00:08:55,333 only two survive. 188 00:08:55,500 --> 00:08:59,500 And the vessel is lost for centuries. 189 00:09:02,458 --> 00:09:04,917 Until, in 1984, 190 00:09:05,042 --> 00:09:09,792 underwater archaeologist and explorer Barry Clifford 191 00:09:09,917 --> 00:09:13,417 discovers the long-lost ship rumored 192 00:09:13,583 --> 00:09:17,750 to contain Black Sam Bellamy's legendary treasure. 193 00:09:19,792 --> 00:09:21,792 Now, the Whydah lay at the bottom of the ocean 194 00:09:21,917 --> 00:09:23,833 undiscovered for centuries 195 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,500 until Barry Clifford ended up discovering it. 196 00:09:26,708 --> 00:09:28,542 And this was really, really important. 197 00:09:30,042 --> 00:09:34,875 The Whydah has tons of what we would call treasure on it. 198 00:09:35,042 --> 00:09:38,000 There's coins, doubloons, pieces of eights, 199 00:09:38,208 --> 00:09:39,750 guineas. Tons of guineas. 200 00:09:39,958 --> 00:09:41,750 There's gold and silver bars. 201 00:09:41,917 --> 00:09:45,917 We've got jewels such as pearls and rubies and diamonds. 202 00:09:46,083 --> 00:09:49,208 It's full of really expensive silks and other textiles. 203 00:09:49,333 --> 00:09:51,208 It's got medicinal supplies. 204 00:09:51,375 --> 00:09:54,000 It's got all kinds of different wines and rums and sugars. 205 00:09:54,125 --> 00:09:56,333 It's been estimated that, in today's currency, 206 00:09:56,542 --> 00:09:57,833 the Whydah probably carried 207 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,792 about $4 billion worth of merchandise. 208 00:10:01,708 --> 00:10:02,875 This is really significant, 209 00:10:03,042 --> 00:10:05,542 because this is the first instance 210 00:10:05,708 --> 00:10:09,042 where we've been able to find an actual pirate ship 211 00:10:09,208 --> 00:10:11,958 laden with legendary goods 212 00:10:12,083 --> 00:10:13,708 that we've only heard about in stories. 213 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:16,667 SHATNER: The discovery of Bellamy's treasure 214 00:10:16,833 --> 00:10:20,583 turned a pirate's lore from fiction to fact. 215 00:10:21,542 --> 00:10:23,833 Could there be other legendary treasures 216 00:10:24,042 --> 00:10:26,500 just waiting to be uncovered? 217 00:10:26,708 --> 00:10:28,583 And what will it take 218 00:10:28,750 --> 00:10:31,875 to figure out where "X" marks the spot? 219 00:10:40,792 --> 00:10:42,458 SHATNER: Located between Long Island's North 220 00:10:42,667 --> 00:10:43,875 and South Forks, 221 00:10:44,042 --> 00:10:46,167 it's the oldest privately owned island 222 00:10:46,292 --> 00:10:47,667 in the United States. 223 00:10:47,833 --> 00:10:51,292 Today, there is a curious marker 224 00:10:51,500 --> 00:10:52,750 that tells the story 225 00:10:52,875 --> 00:10:55,000 of an infamous pirate that came ashore 226 00:10:55,208 --> 00:10:59,250 in 1699 to bury some of his treasure. 227 00:10:59,375 --> 00:11:00,542 His name was 228 00:11:00,708 --> 00:11:03,208 Captain William Kidd. 229 00:11:04,208 --> 00:11:06,000 William Kidd's career was-was quite interesting. 230 00:11:06,208 --> 00:11:08,292 He began as a legitimate privateer. 231 00:11:08,417 --> 00:11:11,208 English officials hired him 232 00:11:11,375 --> 00:11:12,667 to go hunt pirates 233 00:11:12,875 --> 00:11:14,708 up in the Red Sea region. 234 00:11:14,917 --> 00:11:16,333 And when he gets over there, 235 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:18,167 his men are anxious. 236 00:11:18,292 --> 00:11:20,833 They think they're gonna be getting some treasure in this, 237 00:11:21,042 --> 00:11:23,333 and they really haven't been doing anything of the sort. 238 00:11:23,458 --> 00:11:24,833 His gunner, in fact, 239 00:11:25,042 --> 00:11:28,083 allegedly was inspiring a mutiny against Kidd. 240 00:11:28,250 --> 00:11:31,000 And Captain Kidd murdered his gunner 241 00:11:31,167 --> 00:11:33,167 by smashing him in the head with a wooden bucket. 242 00:11:34,833 --> 00:11:36,417 He does then become a pirate. 243 00:11:37,625 --> 00:11:39,958 SHATNER: According to A General History of the Pyrates, 244 00:11:40,125 --> 00:11:44,708 Captain Kidd turns to piracy to appease his disgruntled crew. 245 00:11:44,875 --> 00:11:47,333 And together, they capture many ships. 246 00:11:48,583 --> 00:11:49,833 And in 1698, 247 00:11:50,042 --> 00:11:53,125 they seized their greatest prize, 248 00:11:53,292 --> 00:11:57,333 a wealthy Armenian ship named the Quedagh Merchant. 249 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,750 Captain Kidd's most successful and gruesome raid 250 00:12:02,917 --> 00:12:05,958 was the 400-ton Quedagh Merchant. 251 00:12:06,125 --> 00:12:10,542 This was a simply enormous vessel 252 00:12:10,708 --> 00:12:14,625 that was carrying gold, silver, treasure, 253 00:12:14,792 --> 00:12:18,042 and actually a huge quantity of sugar, 254 00:12:18,208 --> 00:12:22,750 which was actually an incredibly expensive commodity at the time. 255 00:12:22,917 --> 00:12:26,458 Not only did they take the treasure, 256 00:12:26,583 --> 00:12:29,375 but they also took the ship as well. 257 00:12:29,542 --> 00:12:32,250 So, this was an enormous haul. 258 00:12:33,375 --> 00:12:36,625 SHATNER: In July of 1699, Captain Kidd was arrested 259 00:12:36,792 --> 00:12:39,583 in Boston for piracy and murder. 260 00:12:39,708 --> 00:12:41,583 His buried treasure on Gardiner's Island 261 00:12:41,792 --> 00:12:43,750 was recovered by authorities, 262 00:12:43,917 --> 00:12:46,875 and Kidd was sent to England to stand trial. 263 00:12:47,875 --> 00:12:49,792 Facing a death sentence, 264 00:12:49,958 --> 00:12:53,250 Captain Kidd tried to barter for his very life. 265 00:12:53,417 --> 00:12:57,042 SULLIVAN: The buried treasure that was recovered on Gardiner's Island 266 00:12:57,208 --> 00:13:00,292 was only worth about a million dollars in today's money. 267 00:13:00,458 --> 00:13:03,208 As they were about to execute him in London, 268 00:13:03,375 --> 00:13:05,833 he was trying to bargain with the crown by saying, 269 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:07,917 "I've got another buried treasure worth--" 270 00:13:08,125 --> 00:13:10,667 what today would be like $150 million. 271 00:13:10,875 --> 00:13:12,667 "Spare my life and I will lead you to it." 272 00:13:12,833 --> 00:13:15,250 They didn't buy it, and it was more advantageous 273 00:13:15,375 --> 00:13:18,083 to them to execute him. 274 00:13:18,250 --> 00:13:22,125 But word of it spread shortly after his death. 275 00:13:22,250 --> 00:13:25,250 And his buried treasure became hugely popular. 276 00:13:26,375 --> 00:13:28,542 SHATNER: The hidden location of Captain Kidd's lost treasure 277 00:13:28,750 --> 00:13:31,167 has been sought out for centuries. 278 00:13:31,333 --> 00:13:34,167 And many believe that the confession 279 00:13:34,333 --> 00:13:39,833 of a crew member holds the key to the treasure's whereabouts. 280 00:13:40,042 --> 00:13:41,750 SULLIVAN: 50 years after Kidd's death, 281 00:13:41,917 --> 00:13:44,750 an old sailor was on his deathbed 282 00:13:44,917 --> 00:13:46,833 and said he'd been part of Kidd's crew, 283 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:51,208 and that they had buried a treasure somewhere 284 00:13:51,375 --> 00:13:53,417 around Nova Scotia 285 00:13:53,583 --> 00:13:55,333 on an island covered with oaks. 286 00:13:56,750 --> 00:13:58,875 And that story spread like wildfire, 287 00:13:59,083 --> 00:14:02,208 and it started the idea that there was a buried treasure 288 00:14:02,333 --> 00:14:05,042 of Captain Kidd, possibly on Oak Island 289 00:14:05,208 --> 00:14:08,125 because there's no other island that's covered with oak trees. 290 00:14:09,083 --> 00:14:10,792 And that area was known for being infested 291 00:14:10,958 --> 00:14:12,083 with pirate crews. 292 00:14:12,250 --> 00:14:14,167 SHATNER: Oak Island, Novia Scotia, 293 00:14:14,333 --> 00:14:17,833 is one of the 300-plus islands that dot Mahone Bay. 294 00:14:18,042 --> 00:14:20,667 Just what would lead treasure hunters 295 00:14:20,875 --> 00:14:23,833 to point specifically to this location 296 00:14:24,042 --> 00:14:27,958 as a possible resting place for a notorious pirate's stash? 297 00:14:29,042 --> 00:14:33,167 Some believe clues can be found in treasure maps 298 00:14:33,375 --> 00:14:36,917 that were allegedly drawn by Captain Kidd himself. 299 00:14:37,875 --> 00:14:41,000 There are maps that identify Oak Island 300 00:14:41,125 --> 00:14:42,792 as the location of Kidd's treasure. 301 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,833 One in particular appears in the book 302 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,333 Captain Kidd and His Skeleton Island. 303 00:14:48,542 --> 00:14:50,917 There's a lot of things about it that are compelling 304 00:14:51,083 --> 00:14:52,958 because of the remarkable similarity 305 00:14:53,042 --> 00:14:55,208 to landmarks on the island. 306 00:14:57,500 --> 00:14:59,333 SHATNER: Could the map's striking resemblance 307 00:14:59,500 --> 00:15:02,333 to Oak Island indicate that Captain Kidd's treasure 308 00:15:02,542 --> 00:15:04,542 might really be buried here? 309 00:15:06,792 --> 00:15:09,750 Many believe the answer came in 1795, 310 00:15:09,917 --> 00:15:13,000 when a teenage boy named Daniel McGinnis 311 00:15:13,208 --> 00:15:17,333 noticed a curious man-made depression in the ground. 312 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:20,417 SULLIVAN: It was a perfect circle and quite large, 313 00:15:20,542 --> 00:15:22,000 and he realized 314 00:15:22,208 --> 00:15:24,333 this didn't happen naturally, somebody did this. 315 00:15:24,500 --> 00:15:27,292 And then immediately thought this could be Kidd's treasure. 316 00:15:28,958 --> 00:15:30,917 And he recruited a couple of friends 317 00:15:31,083 --> 00:15:33,542 to come out to the island with him and dig. 318 00:15:33,708 --> 00:15:36,125 PICKNETT: The boys dug and they dug and they dug. 319 00:15:36,250 --> 00:15:40,833 And about 90 feet down, they found 320 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,917 a very intriguing stone 321 00:15:44,083 --> 00:15:46,167 with a mysterious inscription on it, 322 00:15:46,375 --> 00:15:50,708 which-- translated-- said, "40 feet below 323 00:15:50,833 --> 00:15:53,042 two million pounds are buried." 324 00:15:53,208 --> 00:15:56,417 SHATNER: Two million pounds. 325 00:15:56,542 --> 00:15:58,667 40 feet below. 326 00:15:58,875 --> 00:16:00,708 To many, the peculiar inscription 327 00:16:00,875 --> 00:16:03,083 can only mean one thing: 328 00:16:03,208 --> 00:16:07,292 it marks the lost treasure of Captain William Kidd. 329 00:16:07,417 --> 00:16:09,708 That's two million English pounds, 330 00:16:09,875 --> 00:16:11,625 a vast amount of money. 331 00:16:11,833 --> 00:16:14,000 So why didn't they just go down and get it? 332 00:16:14,167 --> 00:16:16,500 Well, the boys dug down, 333 00:16:16,708 --> 00:16:19,000 but the whole pit flooded. 334 00:16:19,208 --> 00:16:22,333 And that's been pretty much the case to this day. 335 00:16:22,542 --> 00:16:26,542 So, whether Kidd's treasure is there or not, we don't know. 336 00:16:27,917 --> 00:16:30,333 SHATNER: The potential site of Captain Kidd's buried treasure 337 00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:33,500 has remained filled with water for over two centuries. 338 00:16:33,708 --> 00:16:35,542 And while many treasure hunters 339 00:16:35,708 --> 00:16:38,417 have launched expeditions in search of this prize, 340 00:16:38,583 --> 00:16:43,583 at least six have lost their lives in the process. 341 00:16:43,750 --> 00:16:46,292 Centuries of treasure hunters 342 00:16:46,417 --> 00:16:47,625 have come thinking they're the ones 343 00:16:47,792 --> 00:16:48,958 who are finally going to solve 344 00:16:49,125 --> 00:16:50,167 the secret of Oak Island. 345 00:16:50,292 --> 00:16:52,125 A number of them, many of them, 346 00:16:52,208 --> 00:16:54,292 have sunk everything they had into it. 347 00:16:54,417 --> 00:16:57,000 It's cost them their lives, their reputations, 348 00:16:57,167 --> 00:16:59,167 but they haven't been able to pull out 349 00:16:59,375 --> 00:17:02,000 because there's always the sense that, if you stop now, 350 00:17:02,208 --> 00:17:03,792 it might be just right around the corner, 351 00:17:03,958 --> 00:17:05,750 and somebody else will come and get it. 352 00:17:08,083 --> 00:17:10,500 It's intriguing to think that treasure hunters 353 00:17:10,667 --> 00:17:13,667 have been digging on Oak Island for over 200 years, 354 00:17:13,833 --> 00:17:17,333 hoping to find the lost riches of Captain William Kidd. 355 00:17:17,917 --> 00:17:19,333 But not far from Nova Scotia, 356 00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:22,458 an astonishing discovery of silver coins 357 00:17:22,625 --> 00:17:25,417 has launched a search of a different kind, 358 00:17:25,542 --> 00:17:27,167 not just for treasure, 359 00:17:27,167 --> 00:17:28,583 but for an elusive pirate 360 00:17:28,583 --> 00:17:31,667 who became the most wanted fugitive in the world. 361 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:41,583 SHATNER: Armed with a metal detector, 362 00:17:41,708 --> 00:17:44,667 treasure hunter Jim Bailey hunts for hidden pieces of history, 363 00:17:44,833 --> 00:17:47,833 one step at a time. 364 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:49,667 (metal detector beeping) 365 00:17:49,833 --> 00:17:52,708 And in May of 2014, 366 00:17:52,875 --> 00:17:55,917 he makes a remarkable discovery. 367 00:17:56,083 --> 00:18:00,333 He finds a peculiar object in the ground 368 00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:02,667 that seems to have no business 369 00:18:02,833 --> 00:18:06,292 being in a strawberry orchard in New England. 370 00:18:08,042 --> 00:18:09,750 JIM BAILEY: In 2014, 371 00:18:09,958 --> 00:18:12,333 I recovered a-a very odd, 372 00:18:12,500 --> 00:18:14,083 uh, silver coin. 373 00:18:14,208 --> 00:18:18,458 I saw this-this bold, clear, crisp Arabic script 374 00:18:18,625 --> 00:18:19,875 on the coin, 375 00:18:20,042 --> 00:18:22,833 and I was amazed. 376 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:26,250 It turned out to be a 17th century coin, 377 00:18:26,417 --> 00:18:30,667 and the coin predates direct trade 378 00:18:30,792 --> 00:18:34,833 between the American colonies and the Red Sea, 379 00:18:34,917 --> 00:18:38,000 the East Indies by over a century. 380 00:18:38,167 --> 00:18:41,542 So, I knew the coin could've not come through trade. 381 00:18:42,542 --> 00:18:44,583 SHATNER: Just how did such an exotic coin 382 00:18:44,750 --> 00:18:47,708 make its way to a small town in New England? 383 00:18:48,750 --> 00:18:51,250 Jim Bailey believes the silver piece he found 384 00:18:51,417 --> 00:18:53,583 is connected to one of the most dangerous 385 00:18:53,792 --> 00:18:56,458 and wily seafarers in maritime history, 386 00:18:56,625 --> 00:19:00,125 an English captain named Henry Avery, 387 00:19:00,250 --> 00:19:02,542 whose exploits in the Indian Ocean 388 00:19:02,708 --> 00:19:06,917 earned him the nickname "The King of Pirates." 389 00:19:08,042 --> 00:19:12,875 Captain Avery's legendary status can be traced back to 1695 390 00:19:13,042 --> 00:19:16,375 and a bloody heist heard around the world. 391 00:19:17,375 --> 00:19:19,833 Henry Avery sails north in the Indian Ocean 392 00:19:20,042 --> 00:19:21,667 to the Strait of Aden, 393 00:19:21,833 --> 00:19:25,458 which is part of the long-established pilgrim route 394 00:19:25,583 --> 00:19:28,333 for Muslims from India traveling to Mecca. 395 00:19:28,542 --> 00:19:31,208 And this is an extremely valuable trade route. 396 00:19:31,375 --> 00:19:34,375 The ships traveling from Western India to Mecca and back 397 00:19:34,542 --> 00:19:37,792 are carrying passengers of all kinds of social ranks 398 00:19:37,958 --> 00:19:39,542 and lots of wealth. 399 00:19:39,750 --> 00:19:43,333 So Henry Avery goes looking for the pilgrim fleet 400 00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:45,833 sailing from Mecca to Western India, 401 00:19:46,042 --> 00:19:47,792 known as the Mughal fleet. 402 00:19:49,042 --> 00:19:52,375 SHATNER: The Mughal fleet was owned by the Mughal dynasty, 403 00:19:52,542 --> 00:19:54,208 a powerful and wealthy empire 404 00:19:54,417 --> 00:19:57,167 that ruled large portions of India 405 00:19:57,375 --> 00:20:00,667 from the 16th to the 18th century. 406 00:20:00,875 --> 00:20:04,417 Along with carrying pilgrims to and from Mecca, 407 00:20:04,583 --> 00:20:07,375 this armada contained treasure ships 408 00:20:07,542 --> 00:20:10,417 owned by the Grand Mughal of India himself. 409 00:20:11,375 --> 00:20:14,333 And the crown jewel of this royal fleet 410 00:20:14,417 --> 00:20:17,292 was a ship named the Ganj-i-Sawai. 411 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,292 So, Avery and his confederates pursue that ship, 412 00:20:21,458 --> 00:20:23,833 and they find it. 413 00:20:24,875 --> 00:20:27,000 A cannon explodes. 414 00:20:27,208 --> 00:20:29,167 The mast is hit and collapses. 415 00:20:29,375 --> 00:20:31,125 And so, Henry Avery and his fellows 416 00:20:31,292 --> 00:20:32,583 sweep aboard the ship 417 00:20:32,750 --> 00:20:36,125 and spend days plundering, torturing, 418 00:20:36,292 --> 00:20:38,833 doing all kinds of horrible things to the crew 419 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:40,333 and the passengers. 420 00:20:40,542 --> 00:20:42,292 And the cargo they have seized 421 00:20:42,458 --> 00:20:44,542 is one of the most valuable 422 00:20:44,708 --> 00:20:46,750 crossing the Indian Ocean at that time. 423 00:20:46,917 --> 00:20:49,500 And so, Henry Avery became known 424 00:20:49,583 --> 00:20:51,958 as the King of the Pirates, as a figure who appears 425 00:20:52,167 --> 00:20:55,583 in ballads and plays and in books that appear 426 00:20:55,750 --> 00:20:58,417 very, very quickly after his capture of the Ganj-i-Sawai. 427 00:20:58,542 --> 00:21:00,958 SHATNER: Henry Avery's huge score 428 00:21:01,125 --> 00:21:03,208 made him a legend. 429 00:21:03,333 --> 00:21:06,083 But when word got back to the Mughal emperor 430 00:21:06,208 --> 00:21:08,167 that an English pirate was responsible 431 00:21:08,292 --> 00:21:10,000 for these atrocities, 432 00:21:10,208 --> 00:21:13,417 Avery became public enemy number one 433 00:21:13,625 --> 00:21:18,667 and triggered the first global manhunt in human history. 434 00:21:18,792 --> 00:21:20,958 SIMON: The capture of the Ganj-i-Sawai 435 00:21:21,125 --> 00:21:23,333 infuriated the Mughal Empire 436 00:21:23,500 --> 00:21:25,167 to the point where they threatened to cut off 437 00:21:25,375 --> 00:21:28,708 all trade and declare war against the British. 438 00:21:28,875 --> 00:21:32,833 Especially because Henry Avery and his crew had gotten away. 439 00:21:33,833 --> 00:21:36,583 So, it's very, very important for Britain to maintain 440 00:21:36,750 --> 00:21:38,833 this good relationship with the Indian Mughals. 441 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:43,167 So the British government stages this huge manhunt 442 00:21:43,375 --> 00:21:45,833 going after Henry Avery. 443 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,042 McDONALD: The idea that 444 00:21:48,167 --> 00:21:49,667 the manhunt for Avery 445 00:21:49,875 --> 00:21:51,917 was the first global manhunt is factual. 446 00:21:52,042 --> 00:21:55,292 That there are authorities all over the world 447 00:21:55,417 --> 00:21:57,750 literally looking out for this man, 448 00:21:57,875 --> 00:21:59,500 and he becomes one of the most infamous, 449 00:21:59,708 --> 00:22:01,708 notorious pirates of all time. 450 00:22:01,833 --> 00:22:04,667 SHATNER: Despite the entire world looking for him, 451 00:22:04,833 --> 00:22:09,833 Captain Avery manages to elude authorities. 452 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:11,667 And to this day, 453 00:22:11,875 --> 00:22:14,708 the legend of his heist and his ability to hide out 454 00:22:14,875 --> 00:22:20,000 has forever made Henry Avery the King of Pirates. 455 00:22:20,208 --> 00:22:22,125 McDONALD: No one knows exactly 456 00:22:22,292 --> 00:22:23,417 what happened to Henry Avery, 457 00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:26,167 and he escaped into legend and mystery. 458 00:22:26,333 --> 00:22:29,250 And that's why he becomes one of these key enduring figures. 459 00:22:29,417 --> 00:22:32,167 Basically every pirate that came after him 460 00:22:32,292 --> 00:22:35,500 wanted to emulate that huge hit, that big score, 461 00:22:35,667 --> 00:22:41,208 and then disappear and presumably spend the riches. 462 00:22:41,375 --> 00:22:43,792 The big mystery here is what happened to Henry Avery. 463 00:22:43,875 --> 00:22:46,792 Maybe he went into hiding somewhere in the Caribbean, 464 00:22:46,958 --> 00:22:49,500 or it's possible he went back to England. 465 00:22:49,667 --> 00:22:52,458 He may have actually, also, been able to kind of 466 00:22:52,583 --> 00:22:54,333 blend into colonial American society, 467 00:22:54,542 --> 00:22:56,000 maybe change his identity 468 00:22:56,208 --> 00:22:58,708 and just set himself up somewhere. 469 00:22:58,875 --> 00:23:03,375 SHATNER: Is it possible that this Houdini of the High Seas 470 00:23:03,542 --> 00:23:06,333 ultimately escaped to a life of anonymity 471 00:23:06,542 --> 00:23:08,833 in the American colonies? 472 00:23:09,042 --> 00:23:12,667 Jim Bailey believes the coins he's found might hold the answer 473 00:23:12,875 --> 00:23:16,167 to where the King of Pirates may have come ashore. 474 00:23:16,375 --> 00:23:17,667 I found the first complete coin, 475 00:23:17,833 --> 00:23:19,833 but other coins started to follow. 476 00:23:19,958 --> 00:23:23,250 There's been 27 Arabic silver coins 477 00:23:23,458 --> 00:23:26,125 that have been found throughout New England. 478 00:23:26,333 --> 00:23:27,292 Now, here's the thing, 479 00:23:27,458 --> 00:23:29,292 the coins, they're all silver, 480 00:23:29,458 --> 00:23:30,667 they're all Arabic, 481 00:23:30,875 --> 00:23:33,458 they all circulated in the Red Sea. 482 00:23:33,583 --> 00:23:36,500 They all correlate perfectly 483 00:23:36,625 --> 00:23:40,500 with the date for the capture of the Ganj-i-Sawai. 484 00:23:40,708 --> 00:23:43,833 And in the course of my research, 485 00:23:44,042 --> 00:23:45,833 I found Henry Avery's ship 486 00:23:46,042 --> 00:23:50,833 by the name of the Seaflower arriving in Newport 487 00:23:51,042 --> 00:23:54,583 around April of 1696. 488 00:23:54,708 --> 00:23:56,750 So, Henry Avery's men, 489 00:23:56,917 --> 00:23:59,500 they've been on the run for a long time, 490 00:23:59,708 --> 00:24:04,167 so maybe it was best to stay in the American colonies. 491 00:24:04,333 --> 00:24:05,958 When I started researching the coin, 492 00:24:06,083 --> 00:24:09,667 Henry Avery was the farthest thing from my mind. 493 00:24:09,833 --> 00:24:13,333 But the evidence was far stronger 494 00:24:13,500 --> 00:24:14,833 than I could have ever imagined. 495 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:19,167 I think these coins were carried by Henry Avery's men 496 00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:23,250 upon coming to the American colonies 497 00:24:23,417 --> 00:24:27,083 to seek new lives of comfortable obscurity. 498 00:24:28,625 --> 00:24:30,208 The King of Pirates' disappearing act 499 00:24:30,333 --> 00:24:31,667 made him a legend. 500 00:24:31,875 --> 00:24:34,208 And while Henry Avery vanished without a trace, 501 00:24:34,375 --> 00:24:36,458 another famous marauder 502 00:24:36,667 --> 00:24:39,708 chose to publicly celebrate his infamy 503 00:24:39,875 --> 00:24:44,042 by creating a clever code that is said to lead 504 00:24:44,208 --> 00:24:48,125 to one of the greatest pirate treasures in history. 505 00:24:55,708 --> 00:24:57,833 SHATNER: This remote, tropical paradise 506 00:24:58,042 --> 00:25:02,750 is home to lush forests and white sandy beaches, 507 00:25:02,917 --> 00:25:05,583 as well as a curious gravestone 508 00:25:05,750 --> 00:25:08,333 adorned with a skull and crossbones. 509 00:25:08,458 --> 00:25:11,542 It's a historic monument 510 00:25:11,708 --> 00:25:13,875 to mark the resting place of the man who pulled off 511 00:25:14,042 --> 00:25:16,250 one of the most lucrative pirate heists 512 00:25:16,417 --> 00:25:18,750 in recorded history. 513 00:25:18,917 --> 00:25:22,333 His name was Olivier Levasseur, 514 00:25:22,458 --> 00:25:26,625 otherwise known as The Buzzard. 515 00:25:26,792 --> 00:25:28,625 SIMON: Captain Olivier Levasseur 516 00:25:28,792 --> 00:25:32,250 was a French pirate who was born sometime around 1690. 517 00:25:33,125 --> 00:25:36,250 He ended up sailing with some of the infamous British pirates, 518 00:25:36,375 --> 00:25:38,500 including Samuel Bellamy. 519 00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:41,000 He quickly gained a reputation for himself 520 00:25:41,125 --> 00:25:44,167 and was known as La Buse, or The Buzzard, 521 00:25:44,333 --> 00:25:48,333 because of the viciousness in which he attacked his victims, 522 00:25:48,542 --> 00:25:51,167 physically and verbally. 523 00:25:53,167 --> 00:25:55,583 McDONALD: Levasseur had a spectacular hit 524 00:25:55,792 --> 00:25:58,792 at Mauritius, just east of Madagascar. 525 00:25:58,958 --> 00:26:01,792 He captured a very large Portuguese carrack 526 00:26:01,958 --> 00:26:03,625 that was filled with treasure. 527 00:26:03,792 --> 00:26:07,625 The Portuguese were traveling from Goa in India 528 00:26:07,750 --> 00:26:10,667 back to Lisbon, and they're bringing all kinds of treasure. 529 00:26:10,833 --> 00:26:12,792 So, it was an extraordinary target 530 00:26:12,958 --> 00:26:14,833 for this French pirate to hit. 531 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,500 SHATNER: Levasseur's capture of the wealthy Portuguese vessel 532 00:26:18,625 --> 00:26:20,542 named Our Lady of the Cape, 533 00:26:20,708 --> 00:26:24,000 is considered one of the greatest pirate heists 534 00:26:24,208 --> 00:26:25,792 in history. 535 00:26:26,875 --> 00:26:29,250 One remarkable firsthand account of the robbery 536 00:26:29,417 --> 00:26:31,333 comes from a man who was, for a time, 537 00:26:31,458 --> 00:26:33,833 captured by The Buzzard, 538 00:26:33,958 --> 00:26:36,833 and he describes a wondrous treasure of gems, 539 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:42,375 gold and silver unlike anything he'd ever seen before. 540 00:26:42,542 --> 00:26:44,083 PICKNETT: Our Lady of the Cape 541 00:26:44,208 --> 00:26:47,083 was just one floating treasure chest. 542 00:26:47,208 --> 00:26:51,542 It was packed to the seams with, at least, 543 00:26:51,708 --> 00:26:54,583 three million dollars' worth of loot. 544 00:26:54,750 --> 00:26:56,625 Which is worth, in today's money, 545 00:26:56,750 --> 00:26:59,625 something like $4 billion. 546 00:26:59,750 --> 00:27:04,667 But its greatest piece of absolute treasure 547 00:27:04,833 --> 00:27:07,833 was the Fiery Cross of Goa. 548 00:27:09,542 --> 00:27:14,125 And this was a seven-foot tall, solid gold cross 549 00:27:14,250 --> 00:27:18,833 encrusted with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 550 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:20,542 It was called the Fiery Cross 551 00:27:20,708 --> 00:27:23,667 because when the sunlight hit it, it blazed. 552 00:27:23,875 --> 00:27:25,083 "Come and get me, come and get me." 553 00:27:25,250 --> 00:27:27,000 That's certainly what Levasseur thought, 554 00:27:27,083 --> 00:27:28,375 and he did get it. 555 00:27:29,417 --> 00:27:31,500 SHATNER: The riches stolen from Our Lady of the Cape 556 00:27:31,708 --> 00:27:34,833 made Levasseur a billionaire. 557 00:27:35,042 --> 00:27:39,625 But ultimately, The Buzzard could not outrun his own infamy. 558 00:27:40,833 --> 00:27:43,792 In 1730, he was apprehended for his crimes 559 00:27:43,958 --> 00:27:46,250 near Fort-Dauphin in Madagascar 560 00:27:46,417 --> 00:27:50,333 and was taken to the nearby island of Réunion 561 00:27:50,500 --> 00:27:52,042 to be executed. 562 00:27:52,208 --> 00:27:56,250 Upon capture, his treasure was nowhere to be found. 563 00:27:56,417 --> 00:27:58,875 In fact, it's still missing. 564 00:27:59,042 --> 00:28:01,375 Yet, many believe that clues 565 00:28:01,542 --> 00:28:03,708 to where this pirate's bounty hides 566 00:28:03,875 --> 00:28:07,167 were shared by The Buzzard himself. 567 00:28:07,333 --> 00:28:09,583 As he was about to hang, 568 00:28:09,708 --> 00:28:11,667 he shouted at the crowd, 569 00:28:11,875 --> 00:28:14,083 "My treasure for he who can understand," 570 00:28:14,250 --> 00:28:18,792 and he reached for a necklace and he threw at them 571 00:28:18,875 --> 00:28:21,792 this parchment that he'd worn around his neck. 572 00:28:24,708 --> 00:28:28,708 This was an encoded message, a cryptogram, 573 00:28:28,875 --> 00:28:31,833 which he was saying had the secret 574 00:28:32,042 --> 00:28:33,875 of the location of his treasure. 575 00:28:34,083 --> 00:28:35,833 The cryptogram, 576 00:28:36,042 --> 00:28:39,500 with its 17 lines of mysterious script, 577 00:28:39,667 --> 00:28:42,750 looks completely confusing. 578 00:28:42,917 --> 00:28:47,333 It's this very kind of blocky gibberish that makes no sense. 579 00:28:48,875 --> 00:28:50,333 At some point in the 20th century, 580 00:28:50,542 --> 00:28:53,792 the cryptogram was eventually decoded, possibly. 581 00:28:53,917 --> 00:28:55,875 But what's interesting about it 582 00:28:56,042 --> 00:28:58,417 is that it didn't actually have any instructions 583 00:28:58,583 --> 00:29:01,667 of how to find any goods that he may have stashed away. 584 00:29:01,792 --> 00:29:04,292 It actually contained recipes. 585 00:29:05,333 --> 00:29:07,250 SHATNER: When decoded, The Buzzard's message 586 00:29:07,417 --> 00:29:09,167 appeared to be instructions 587 00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:12,250 for concocting bizarre folk remedies. 588 00:29:12,417 --> 00:29:15,292 For example, "To stop a woman from snoring, 589 00:29:15,375 --> 00:29:18,167 "you just have to whip together some oranges 590 00:29:18,375 --> 00:29:23,083 and oily olives to then spread just the oil on the pillow." 591 00:29:24,208 --> 00:29:26,167 Either Levasseur had a great sense of humor 592 00:29:26,375 --> 00:29:30,917 or there is another layer of clues hidden within his cypher. 593 00:29:31,042 --> 00:29:35,000 To this day, no one knows. 594 00:29:36,750 --> 00:29:39,000 By the mid-20th century, and over 200 years 595 00:29:39,167 --> 00:29:42,833 since The Buzzard's death, a modern-day treasure hunter 596 00:29:42,958 --> 00:29:45,625 discovered a very different kind of clue, 597 00:29:45,792 --> 00:29:48,542 one that led to an island in the Indian Ocean 598 00:29:48,708 --> 00:29:51,583 known as Mahé. 599 00:29:51,750 --> 00:29:53,125 PICKNETT: After World War II, 600 00:29:53,250 --> 00:29:55,500 an Englishman called Reginald Cruise-Wilkins 601 00:29:55,667 --> 00:30:01,417 became utterly obsessed with Levasseur's missing treasure. 602 00:30:01,583 --> 00:30:05,500 And he did believe that the haul 603 00:30:05,708 --> 00:30:09,000 was probably on Bel Ombre beach, 604 00:30:09,125 --> 00:30:11,833 Mahé Island in the Seychelles. 605 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,000 There was some evidence. 606 00:30:14,125 --> 00:30:17,958 A local notary sometime before had found an old pirate's will, 607 00:30:18,125 --> 00:30:20,125 in which he said that a portion of the land, 608 00:30:20,292 --> 00:30:24,708 including Bel Ombre Beach, had belonged to-- drumroll-- 609 00:30:24,875 --> 00:30:27,167 Olivier Levasseur. 610 00:30:27,333 --> 00:30:30,833 It's not a huge stretch to think that Levasseur 611 00:30:31,042 --> 00:30:34,083 might have buried his haul on his own land. 612 00:30:34,250 --> 00:30:35,833 Unfortunately, before Reginald 613 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,208 could actually solve the mystery, he passed away. 614 00:30:39,250 --> 00:30:42,042 But to this day, his son has taken up the mantle 615 00:30:42,208 --> 00:30:45,250 and he has actually found a cave where it's very possible 616 00:30:45,417 --> 00:30:48,583 that Levasseur could have stashed some of his goods, 617 00:30:48,750 --> 00:30:50,417 but there are a lot of obstacles with it. 618 00:30:50,625 --> 00:30:54,542 SHATNER: Today, giant boulders and government restrictions 619 00:30:54,750 --> 00:30:57,833 block access to the cave that Wilkins believes 620 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:01,917 might hold the world's greatest pirate treasure. 621 00:31:02,042 --> 00:31:05,125 Could the priceless bounty of Our Lady of the Cape 622 00:31:05,250 --> 00:31:09,875 be stashed deep inside an impenetrable island cave? 623 00:31:10,042 --> 00:31:12,750 Perhaps, but what's certain 624 00:31:12,917 --> 00:31:16,458 is that, just like a dead man, 625 00:31:16,625 --> 00:31:19,250 a hidden treasure tells no tales. 626 00:31:19,417 --> 00:31:22,250 Whatever happened to the Cross of Goa? 627 00:31:22,417 --> 00:31:23,625 Who knows? 628 00:31:23,792 --> 00:31:25,708 That's a tantalizing thing. 629 00:31:25,875 --> 00:31:28,292 That's the reason why people will keep looking 630 00:31:28,458 --> 00:31:30,042 for La Buse's treasure. 631 00:31:30,208 --> 00:31:32,833 These are the kinds of mysteries that, hopefully, 632 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,833 future researchers are gonna be able to reveal for us. 633 00:31:39,250 --> 00:31:40,833 It's fascinating to consider 634 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,333 just how many priceless artifacts are hidden 635 00:31:43,542 --> 00:31:44,917 in the Caribbean Islands 636 00:31:45,083 --> 00:31:47,958 or buried at sea in sunken ships of long ago. 637 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,833 But what if I told you that it's not just treasure 638 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:55,958 that's captivating to the imagination 639 00:31:56,125 --> 00:31:59,833 and that there is a place where pirates once gathered 640 00:31:59,833 --> 00:32:01,250 that was so scandalous, 641 00:32:01,250 --> 00:32:05,250 it was known as the wickedest city on Earth. 642 00:32:15,167 --> 00:32:18,167 SHATNER: England launches a full-scale invasion... 643 00:32:19,167 --> 00:32:22,125 ...on this valuable Caribbean island... 644 00:32:23,167 --> 00:32:25,667 ...and successfully captures it from Spain. 645 00:32:26,708 --> 00:32:31,042 The English construct imposing forts in Port Royal 646 00:32:31,208 --> 00:32:34,667 a key strategic location in Jamaica, 647 00:32:34,833 --> 00:32:38,000 to protect their new territory. 648 00:32:38,958 --> 00:32:41,083 Soon, the town of Port Royal grows 649 00:32:41,208 --> 00:32:45,333 into the most economically valuable English town 650 00:32:45,500 --> 00:32:47,417 in all of the Americas. 651 00:32:48,417 --> 00:32:52,333 And its unrivaled success can be credited... 652 00:32:52,500 --> 00:32:53,458 to piracy. 653 00:32:57,250 --> 00:32:58,667 SIMON: England gave pirates 654 00:32:58,833 --> 00:33:00,000 a bit of free reign. 655 00:33:00,125 --> 00:33:01,667 They asked pirates, 656 00:33:01,875 --> 00:33:03,667 you know, "Please bring in goods, 657 00:33:03,875 --> 00:33:04,958 it'll help our economy." 658 00:33:06,042 --> 00:33:07,833 This is how pirates were actually able to make 659 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:09,917 Port Royal their major stronghold. 660 00:33:10,083 --> 00:33:11,292 One of the really 661 00:33:11,458 --> 00:33:12,917 infamous people to come out of Port Royal 662 00:33:13,083 --> 00:33:14,583 was the pirate Henry Morgan. 663 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,417 He goes to Port Royal and he orders 664 00:33:18,542 --> 00:33:21,792 all of the pirates to spend your money here, 665 00:33:21,917 --> 00:33:25,250 spend it for the crown in this English colony. 666 00:33:25,375 --> 00:33:27,875 He's actually made the lieutenant governor 667 00:33:28,083 --> 00:33:31,333 of all of Jamaica because he knows pirates, 668 00:33:31,500 --> 00:33:34,583 and he was able to bring loads of wealth to the island. 669 00:33:35,583 --> 00:33:38,833 Handing over Port Royal to the pirates was described, 670 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:42,500 quite rightly, as doing a pact with the devil. 671 00:33:43,792 --> 00:33:45,625 And the devil came in the form 672 00:33:45,792 --> 00:33:48,458 of many leading pirates of the time, 673 00:33:48,625 --> 00:33:50,500 including Blackbeard, 674 00:33:50,667 --> 00:33:52,125 Calico Jack, 675 00:33:52,250 --> 00:33:56,375 but also female pirates like Anne Bonny. 676 00:33:57,917 --> 00:33:59,292 SHATNER: While pirates made Port Royal 677 00:33:59,458 --> 00:34:02,292 the most successful English colony at that time, 678 00:34:02,458 --> 00:34:06,292 they also transformed it into a den of sin. 679 00:34:06,375 --> 00:34:12,000 In fact, it became known as the wickedest city on Earth. 680 00:34:13,375 --> 00:34:15,750 PICKNETT: According to the Dutch-born writer 681 00:34:15,958 --> 00:34:18,208 Alexandre Exquemelin and his book, 682 00:34:18,375 --> 00:34:21,167 Buccaneers of America, 683 00:34:21,292 --> 00:34:24,333 Port Royal had a worldwide reputation 684 00:34:24,500 --> 00:34:29,292 as being this hub of complete debauchery and degeneration. 685 00:34:30,417 --> 00:34:32,500 It was said that every fourth building was 686 00:34:32,667 --> 00:34:34,000 a brothel or a tavern. 687 00:34:34,208 --> 00:34:37,625 It was a hub of violence and booze and sex. 688 00:34:38,667 --> 00:34:40,375 McDONALD: At the height of its wickedness, 689 00:34:40,542 --> 00:34:41,958 we might consider Port Royal to be 690 00:34:42,167 --> 00:34:43,792 Las Vegas on steroids. 691 00:34:44,875 --> 00:34:47,333 It was gambling, drinking, 692 00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:49,500 prostitution, 693 00:34:49,583 --> 00:34:51,333 and then in 1692... 694 00:34:52,542 --> 00:34:55,042 ...it all came crashing down with this extraordinary event. 695 00:34:56,125 --> 00:34:58,958 SHATNER: At midday on June 7, 1692, 696 00:34:59,125 --> 00:35:02,833 a disaster of cataclysmic proportions 697 00:35:03,042 --> 00:35:05,167 tore through the seaside colony. 698 00:35:05,333 --> 00:35:06,667 (people screaming) 699 00:35:06,875 --> 00:35:08,167 Port Royal is struck 700 00:35:08,333 --> 00:35:10,417 by an enormously destructive earthquake. 701 00:35:12,208 --> 00:35:15,000 Buildings collapse. People are sucked down. 702 00:35:15,167 --> 00:35:17,250 Ships in the harbor are swept across 703 00:35:17,417 --> 00:35:19,625 into the marketplace because of a tidal wave 704 00:35:19,792 --> 00:35:21,333 that strikes the town. 705 00:35:21,500 --> 00:35:24,708 The tidal wave sank 60% of the city into the ocean... 706 00:35:26,333 --> 00:35:27,292 ...and killed almost half the people 707 00:35:27,375 --> 00:35:29,208 that were living there. 708 00:35:30,417 --> 00:35:33,208 Ships were moved all the way from the water 709 00:35:33,375 --> 00:35:37,083 and dropped right down into the center of town. 710 00:35:39,042 --> 00:35:40,208 SHATNER: Within minutes, 711 00:35:40,375 --> 00:35:42,792 Port Royal was crushed by destruction 712 00:35:42,917 --> 00:35:44,167 on a biblical scale, 713 00:35:44,333 --> 00:35:46,167 leading many to wonder, 714 00:35:46,250 --> 00:35:49,000 did the so-called 'Wickedest City on Earth' 715 00:35:49,083 --> 00:35:52,333 fall victim to divine punishment? 716 00:35:52,542 --> 00:35:55,500 Many of the writers, and especially the religious writers 717 00:35:55,667 --> 00:35:58,792 commenting on this earthquake and its effect on Port Royal... 718 00:36:00,042 --> 00:36:01,417 ...see it as a judgment of God 719 00:36:01,583 --> 00:36:05,208 driven by the reputation for sinful behavior 720 00:36:05,375 --> 00:36:08,417 and also attitudes about plunder and piracy. 721 00:36:08,583 --> 00:36:11,667 This is a very providential belief system 722 00:36:11,833 --> 00:36:13,375 where God actually strikes down 723 00:36:13,542 --> 00:36:15,208 people who are misbehaving. 724 00:36:16,583 --> 00:36:18,333 SHATNER: Was the demolition of Port Royal 725 00:36:18,542 --> 00:36:21,417 the work of Mother Nature or that of a higher power? 726 00:36:22,292 --> 00:36:24,000 While it sounds far-fetched 727 00:36:24,125 --> 00:36:26,125 a series of catastrophes 728 00:36:26,208 --> 00:36:28,833 continued to plague the fallen city... 729 00:36:29,917 --> 00:36:32,417 ...even after it was sent to the bottom of the sea. 730 00:36:34,250 --> 00:36:36,167 There were many efforts for decades 731 00:36:36,375 --> 00:36:37,833 to try to rebuild Port Royal. 732 00:36:39,042 --> 00:36:40,667 But catastrophes just kept happening 733 00:36:40,875 --> 00:36:42,000 every few years. 734 00:36:42,208 --> 00:36:43,875 These would be things like fires, 735 00:36:44,042 --> 00:36:46,417 heavy drought, hurricanes, 736 00:36:46,542 --> 00:36:48,292 floods, other earthquakes. 737 00:36:48,458 --> 00:36:50,250 And so, eventually, 738 00:36:50,417 --> 00:36:53,542 the money and resources just weren't really worth it. 739 00:36:53,708 --> 00:36:55,333 It was known as Sodom of the Sea, and so 740 00:36:55,542 --> 00:36:58,042 there were religious populations who very much believed 741 00:36:58,208 --> 00:37:00,458 that God was punishing the region 742 00:37:00,625 --> 00:37:04,458 so that nobody could ever set it up as a port town again. 743 00:37:05,458 --> 00:37:07,500 SHATNER: Today, scuba divers visit 744 00:37:07,708 --> 00:37:09,833 the crystal clear waters off the coast of Jamaica... 745 00:37:10,875 --> 00:37:12,375 ...to explore 746 00:37:12,583 --> 00:37:16,333 the only sunken city in the western hemisphere. 747 00:37:16,542 --> 00:37:20,042 And just like the treasure-laden shipwrecks 748 00:37:20,208 --> 00:37:23,708 that lie buried on the ocean's floor, 749 00:37:23,833 --> 00:37:25,667 it seems only fitting 750 00:37:25,792 --> 00:37:28,000 that the sea also claims 751 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:28,708 that the sea also claims 752 00:37:29,125 --> 00:37:32,583 the pirate paradise of Port Royal. 753 00:37:32,750 --> 00:37:34,708 ♪ ♪ 754 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:46,833 SHATNER: A search team locates the remains 755 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:51,333 of an early 18th-century vessel in Beaufort Inlet. 756 00:37:52,375 --> 00:37:54,542 After analyzing artifacts pulled from the wreck, 757 00:37:54,708 --> 00:37:57,750 experts realize they've discovered 758 00:37:57,917 --> 00:38:00,333 the Queen Anne's Revenge. 759 00:38:00,542 --> 00:38:03,708 It is the flagship of Captain Edward Teach, 760 00:38:03,875 --> 00:38:07,792 one of the most feared figures from the Golden Age of Piracy, 761 00:38:07,958 --> 00:38:10,667 forever known as Blackbeard. 762 00:38:11,667 --> 00:38:14,667 Blackbeard is probably the most famous pirate. 763 00:38:14,833 --> 00:38:18,458 Blackbeard was, uh, six foot four, 220 pounds. 764 00:38:18,625 --> 00:38:22,167 A long beard, black beard, obviously, 765 00:38:22,375 --> 00:38:24,167 braided and then tied with ribbons. 766 00:38:24,375 --> 00:38:26,167 And when he would go into battle, 767 00:38:26,333 --> 00:38:29,500 he would put burning fuses underneath his tricorn 768 00:38:29,708 --> 00:38:33,542 so that the smoke and the glow would add to the fear. 769 00:38:33,708 --> 00:38:35,042 People thought he was the devil himself. 770 00:38:36,625 --> 00:38:38,417 SIMON: And Blackbeard was very successful. 771 00:38:38,583 --> 00:38:41,167 There was one period, in about 42 hours, 772 00:38:41,333 --> 00:38:44,083 he captured dozens of ships. 773 00:38:45,125 --> 00:38:48,333 SHATNER: While the ruins of Blackbeard's ship have been recovered, 774 00:38:48,542 --> 00:38:51,583 his treasure has not. 775 00:38:51,750 --> 00:38:53,333 But that may be because it's rumored 776 00:38:53,542 --> 00:38:56,792 that the terrifying pirate buried millions 777 00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:01,292 in gold and jewels somewhere in Savannah, Georgia. 778 00:39:02,708 --> 00:39:04,333 McDONALD: Blackbeard was active 779 00:39:04,542 --> 00:39:06,333 off the southeast coast of North America, 780 00:39:06,458 --> 00:39:08,208 including Georgia. 781 00:39:08,375 --> 00:39:11,542 He would come back into port places like Savannah. 782 00:39:11,750 --> 00:39:14,167 Savannah, it seemed to have been another base. 783 00:39:14,375 --> 00:39:16,542 There are stories about caves 784 00:39:16,708 --> 00:39:18,667 or tunnels in and around the river, 785 00:39:18,833 --> 00:39:21,875 and it's possible that he would've been able 786 00:39:22,042 --> 00:39:23,167 to use these tunnels 787 00:39:23,375 --> 00:39:25,333 to either store goods 788 00:39:25,542 --> 00:39:28,167 or perhaps move in and out from the port 789 00:39:28,375 --> 00:39:30,500 to their ship under cover of darkness 790 00:39:30,667 --> 00:39:32,250 without being spotted by any authorities 791 00:39:32,417 --> 00:39:33,792 who might be looking for them. 792 00:39:33,958 --> 00:39:37,333 Did pirates use these tunnels in Savannah? 793 00:39:37,500 --> 00:39:38,417 I don't think we'll ever know. 794 00:39:38,583 --> 00:39:40,083 They're sealed off 795 00:39:40,208 --> 00:39:41,500 and it becomes a mystery. 796 00:39:41,708 --> 00:39:43,917 And it is exciting, so perhaps they did, 797 00:39:44,125 --> 00:39:45,167 perhaps they didn't. 798 00:39:45,292 --> 00:39:46,333 We'll just never know. 799 00:39:47,375 --> 00:39:50,292 SHATNER: Has Blackbeard's lost treasure remained sealed for centuries 800 00:39:50,458 --> 00:39:54,000 somewhere in the tunnels below Savannah, Georgia? 801 00:39:54,167 --> 00:39:56,000 It's a fascinating thought. 802 00:39:58,833 --> 00:40:00,500 And while it's been over 300 years 803 00:40:00,708 --> 00:40:03,333 since the Golden Age of Piracy, 804 00:40:03,542 --> 00:40:06,500 time has not diminished our curiosity 805 00:40:06,667 --> 00:40:09,375 about the countless tales of treasure, 806 00:40:09,542 --> 00:40:11,125 larger-than-life characters, 807 00:40:11,333 --> 00:40:13,125 and harrowing adventures 808 00:40:13,333 --> 00:40:16,500 of the world's most notorious pirates. 809 00:40:16,625 --> 00:40:18,667 I think there are a lot of reasons 810 00:40:18,875 --> 00:40:20,917 why these figures are still so popular 811 00:40:21,125 --> 00:40:22,500 and still so famous today. 812 00:40:23,542 --> 00:40:24,875 The stories are very dramatic. 813 00:40:25,042 --> 00:40:28,167 They escape from the confines of society. 814 00:40:28,333 --> 00:40:30,167 They break out of the rules, 815 00:40:30,333 --> 00:40:32,250 they go to exotic locations, 816 00:40:32,375 --> 00:40:34,333 to distant oceans and desert islands. 817 00:40:34,500 --> 00:40:36,625 The mystery around them, 818 00:40:36,750 --> 00:40:38,625 and especially around buried treasure, 819 00:40:38,750 --> 00:40:40,417 which appears very, very quickly 820 00:40:40,625 --> 00:40:43,333 after the deaths of certain pirates, 821 00:40:43,500 --> 00:40:45,542 becomes a key part of that legend, 822 00:40:45,708 --> 00:40:48,125 of that story, I think drives people in. 823 00:40:49,458 --> 00:40:51,708 SKOWRONEK: Pirates were dangerous characters. 824 00:40:51,875 --> 00:40:54,375 Pirates knew they had nothing to lose. 825 00:40:54,542 --> 00:40:56,833 If they were captured, they would die. 826 00:40:57,833 --> 00:40:59,583 That said, there are lots of questions. 827 00:40:59,750 --> 00:41:02,000 The biggest thing about pirates is 828 00:41:02,208 --> 00:41:04,500 we know about a handful of them. 829 00:41:04,667 --> 00:41:08,167 If it wasn't for A General History of Pyrates, 830 00:41:08,333 --> 00:41:10,125 we wouldn't know very much about them. 831 00:41:10,208 --> 00:41:14,292 And it's one reason why people study pirates today, 832 00:41:14,458 --> 00:41:18,333 archaeologically and in the historical record, 833 00:41:18,500 --> 00:41:21,833 to try to make what is the unexplained explained. 834 00:41:22,042 --> 00:41:23,958 ♪ ♪ 835 00:41:25,583 --> 00:41:28,167 Pirates hold a truly unique 836 00:41:28,333 --> 00:41:33,333 and notorious place in history, folklore and popular culture. 837 00:41:33,542 --> 00:41:37,625 They robbed and killed for gold and treasure, and yet, 838 00:41:37,750 --> 00:41:40,667 we're fascinated by these legendary characters 839 00:41:40,750 --> 00:41:42,708 and the stories of their dangerous encounters. 840 00:41:44,208 --> 00:41:46,542 Perhaps most intriguing is 841 00:41:46,667 --> 00:41:50,375 where on Earth the stolen riches these scoundrels left behind 842 00:41:50,542 --> 00:41:51,833 might be hidden? 843 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,833 Well, just exactly where X marks the spot 844 00:41:56,042 --> 00:41:57,833 may forever remain... 845 00:41:59,125 --> 00:42:00,292 ...unexplained. 846 00:42:00,458 --> 00:42:02,125 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS