Expedition Unknown

1 00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:08,960 I am walking on the edge of a volcanic island deep 2 00:00:09,130 --> 00:00:10,236 in the pacific. 3 00:00:10,260 --> 00:00:14,600 But despite being 3,700 miles west of Hawaii 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,660 and nearly 6,000 miles west of the mainland United States, 5 00:00:18,830 --> 00:00:21,636 I'm actually standing on U.S. soil. 6 00:00:21,660 --> 00:00:24,200 Welcome to the Mariana archipelago 7 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:26,760 and the exotic shores of saipan. 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:34,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 9 00:00:36,460 --> 00:00:37,736 During world war ii, 10 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,960 saipan is part of the empire of Japan's absolute defense zone, 11 00:00:42,130 --> 00:00:45,136 protecting essential shipping and supply routes 12 00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:47,400 and acting as a crucial air base. 13 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:51,660 In June of 1944, the U.S. invades. 14 00:00:54,100 --> 00:00:56,736 The battle of saipan becomes one of the bloodiest 15 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:58,160 in the pacific. 16 00:00:58,330 --> 00:01:00,500 After 24 days and a loss 17 00:01:00,660 --> 00:01:03,560 of more than 40,000 soldiers and civilians, 18 00:01:03,730 --> 00:01:05,560 the Americans capture the island 19 00:01:05,730 --> 00:01:09,260 in a critical victory that leaves Japan shocked. 20 00:01:09,430 --> 00:01:12,400 Their defense perimeter has been breached. 21 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,800 The U.S. begins building massive airstrips on saipan 22 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:17,636 and her neighboring islands. 23 00:01:17,660 --> 00:01:20,960 Soon, mainland Japan will be within striking distance 24 00:01:21,130 --> 00:01:23,260 of U.S. b-29 bombers. 25 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:30,000 Flash forward, less than a year later, may 6th, 1945. 26 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:31,800 Tomorrow, Germany will surrender, 27 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:34,460 and the war in Europe will end. 28 00:01:34,630 --> 00:01:37,900 But here in the pacific, the battles rage on. 29 00:01:38,060 --> 00:01:41,536 Japanese forces and supply ships continue to mobilize 30 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,500 at an island stronghold known as truk lagoon. 31 00:01:45,660 --> 00:01:49,536 Located 700 miles southeast of saipan is the atoll 32 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:51,100 of truk lagoon. 33 00:01:51,260 --> 00:01:54,300 Truk has been the Japanese Navy's main supply depot 34 00:01:54,460 --> 00:01:56,976 and operational center, but U.S. forces 35 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,336 had devastated the bases at truk in 1944 36 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,660 in an offensive known as "operation hailstone." 37 00:02:03,830 --> 00:02:06,160 And while their stronghold there is crippled, 38 00:02:06,330 --> 00:02:10,336 Japan continues to rebuild and operate air bases in truk 39 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,760 to help repel the advancing American fleet. 40 00:02:13,930 --> 00:02:17,836 In response, the U.S. deploys 36 state of the art 41 00:02:17,860 --> 00:02:23,260 p-47n thunderbolts on a daring raid to neutralize the threat. 42 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,300 The thunderbolt is one of the toughest planes 43 00:02:28,460 --> 00:02:31,660 in world war ii with unmatched firepower. 44 00:02:31,830 --> 00:02:35,400 Now, a squadron of them flies over the vast, empty ocean 45 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:36,860 to strike truk lagoon. 46 00:02:37,860 --> 00:02:41,736 The planes hit Japan's sea base and airfield on the island 47 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,760 of weno before strafing nearby dublon island. 48 00:02:45,930 --> 00:02:49,100 The attack goes off as planned, but not for everyone. 49 00:02:50,260 --> 00:02:53,060 American pilot lieutenant Gordon beecroft 50 00:02:53,230 --> 00:02:55,300 is hit by anti-aircraft fire 51 00:02:55,460 --> 00:02:57,900 and is forced to bail out at high speed. 52 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:03,136 His chute turns to shreds in the wind, and both beecroft 53 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,160 and his thunderbolt vanish into the pacific 54 00:03:06,330 --> 00:03:08,760 and have never been recovered. 55 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,336 Now, 80 years later, the historians 56 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,436 at project recover have taken up beecroft's case 57 00:03:20,460 --> 00:03:24,560 and are determined to find his lost thunderbolt. 58 00:03:24,730 --> 00:03:27,636 Recent testimony from an American hero is narrowing 59 00:03:27,660 --> 00:03:30,300 down the search zone, and a next generation 60 00:03:30,460 --> 00:03:33,336 autonomous sonar vehicle could finally pinpoint 61 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:34,660 the plane's location. 62 00:03:35,660 --> 00:03:38,060 So, join me on a historic mission 63 00:03:38,230 --> 00:03:40,760 to honor an American Mia hero 64 00:03:40,930 --> 00:03:44,260 by searching for the lost thunderbolt. 65 00:03:49,460 --> 00:03:53,260 - The past is all around us. - My god! 66 00:03:53,430 --> 00:03:56,400 - It goes on forever! - A world of mystery. 67 00:03:57,860 --> 00:04:00,400 Come on! Look at that! 68 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:02,560 Danger. Hang on! 69 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,260 And adventure. It's just straight down. 70 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:10,760 I gotta get a new job. 71 00:04:12,130 --> 00:04:15,600 I travel to the far corners of the earth to uncover 72 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,100 - where legends end... - We got it! 73 00:04:19,260 --> 00:04:21,260 - Yes! - And history begins. 74 00:04:21,430 --> 00:04:23,236 - Whoo-hoo! - Here we go! 75 00:04:23,260 --> 00:04:28,060 I'm Josh gates, and this is "expedition unknown." 76 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,300 My search for the thunderbolt begins where its mission ended, 77 00:04:35,460 --> 00:04:38,236 in the remote Micronesian islands of chuuk, 78 00:04:38,260 --> 00:04:40,500 formerly known as truk lagoon. 79 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,600 This is the island of to now as. 80 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:50,560 Today, it is an utterly overgrown wilderness. 81 00:04:50,730 --> 00:04:53,536 But back in world war ii, it was something else entirely. 82 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:55,136 Back then, it was known as dublon, 83 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:56,600 and it was one of the most important 84 00:04:56,730 --> 00:05:00,200 Japanese military installations in the pacific. 85 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,260 Truk was once a hive of military activity. 86 00:05:04,430 --> 00:05:06,900 These islands are where the Japanese constructed five 87 00:05:07,060 --> 00:05:10,636 airfields that supported 500 planes, not to mention 88 00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:13,436 facilities for seaplanes and submarines. 89 00:05:13,460 --> 00:05:17,000 And the lagoon itself housed as many as 1,000 ships, 90 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,336 including gunboats, minesweepers, 91 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,200 and supply vessels, all defended from the islands 92 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,360 with anti-aircraft guns, pillboxes, bunkers, and caves. 93 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,700 Eighty years later, the lagoon is quiet. 94 00:05:30,860 --> 00:05:34,000 The crumbling remnants of war are slowly being absorbed 95 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:35,200 by the jungle. 96 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,400 To start my mission I'm linking up with an old friend, 97 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,000 and while I do love a reunion, he's asked me to meet him 98 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,300 at the highest point on the island. 99 00:05:49,460 --> 00:05:50,460 Let's do it. 100 00:05:56,300 --> 00:05:59,736 It's 400 feet from sea level to the top of to now as, 101 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,660 and I get to see every one of them the hard way. 102 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:07,760 Up, up, up. 103 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:12,100 Should be almost there. 104 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:17,300 Ok, where is this guy? 105 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,736 - Hey, Colin! - Hey, down here, Josh! 106 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:25,200 - Where you at? - Down here! 107 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,260 Man, look at this thing! 108 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:33,360 My word! Where are you? 109 00:06:33,530 --> 00:06:34,700 All the way around here. 110 00:06:34,860 --> 00:06:35,976 Dude! 111 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:37,400 Hey, what's going on? 112 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,600 What's up? Look at this place! 113 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,136 Colin colbourn is the lead historian with project recover, 114 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:47,960 which is dedicated to locating and documenting the over 115 00:06:48,130 --> 00:06:51,360 80,000 American servicemen who are missing in action. 116 00:06:51,530 --> 00:06:53,100 I've joined them on investigations 117 00:06:53,260 --> 00:06:56,200 in California's channel islands, the Ivory Coast, 118 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:59,460 and we even located the very first U.S. plane 119 00:06:59,630 --> 00:07:01,460 ever found in this lagoon. 120 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:06,800 Dude, look at this thing. 121 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:07,976 Yeah, this is a Japanese 122 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,760 127-millimeter anti-aircraft gun. 123 00:07:10,930 --> 00:07:13,436 Basically, like a five-inch gun, taken off probably 124 00:07:13,460 --> 00:07:15,536 a Japanese destroyer, and hauled all the way up here 125 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:17,260 - into the jungle. - Dude. 126 00:07:17,430 --> 00:07:19,300 This is like something out of "star wars." 127 00:07:19,460 --> 00:07:21,436 It is. And like "star wars," 128 00:07:21,460 --> 00:07:22,960 this is guarding the "death star." 129 00:07:23,130 --> 00:07:26,560 Every peak, every mountain had these guns shielding the area. 130 00:07:26,730 --> 00:07:29,460 This was the epicenter of Japanese power in world war ii. 131 00:07:29,630 --> 00:07:31,736 Incredible. This place... 132 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:33,760 First of all, I just can't believe I'm back here. 133 00:07:33,930 --> 00:07:36,000 Like, this place is so far flung. 134 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,360 Yeah, this is about as far as you can be flung. 135 00:07:38,530 --> 00:07:40,900 Totally. But for as remote as this place 136 00:07:41,060 --> 00:07:42,800 feels, you can't overstate 137 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:44,800 the importance of truk lagoon in world war ii. 138 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:45,976 No, absolutely you can't. 139 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,436 This was the largest forward operating naval base 140 00:07:48,460 --> 00:07:49,900 for the Japanese Navy. 141 00:07:50,060 --> 00:07:52,836 There were hundreds of ships, hundreds of aircraft, 142 00:07:52,860 --> 00:07:55,536 submarine, cruisers, anything you could think of, 143 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:57,660 and we absolutely needed to take it out. 144 00:07:59,060 --> 00:08:03,060 In 1944, the U.S. launches "operation hailstone" 145 00:08:03,230 --> 00:08:06,260 in an attempt to cripple the Japanese naval force. 146 00:08:06,430 --> 00:08:09,136 Two waves of bombers converge on truk, 147 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,076 successfully weakening Japan at a critical point in the war, 148 00:08:13,100 --> 00:08:17,960 while sacrificing 40 planes and 200 crewmen in the process. 149 00:08:18,130 --> 00:08:21,636 Even after hailstone, the U.S. launches additional follow-up 150 00:08:21,660 --> 00:08:23,160 bombing missions to prevent 151 00:08:23,330 --> 00:08:26,736 Japan from reconstituting their bases in the lagoon. 152 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:28,960 And that's what brings us here today. 153 00:08:29,130 --> 00:08:31,136 So tell me about this new case you're working on. 154 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,900 Well, it centers around first lieutenant Gordon beecroft. 155 00:08:34,060 --> 00:08:35,236 Take a look at this news clipping. 156 00:08:35,260 --> 00:08:38,076 Ok, so here he is, Gordon b. Beecroft. 157 00:08:38,100 --> 00:08:40,660 - He's 22? - He's 22 years old, 158 00:08:40,830 --> 00:08:42,336 young guy from Bakersfield, California. 159 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:43,400 Wow. 160 00:08:43,560 --> 00:08:46,836 And he's a fighter with the "vampires squadron." 161 00:08:46,860 --> 00:08:48,060 - Yeah. - Cool name. 162 00:08:48,230 --> 00:08:50,360 Very cool name. 333rd fighter squadron. 163 00:08:50,530 --> 00:08:52,200 A unit still in existence to this day. 164 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:53,836 Wow. And it says here that beecroft 165 00:08:53,860 --> 00:08:56,160 is awarded the air medal, 166 00:08:56,330 --> 00:08:58,976 "decorated for low-level dive bombing, rocket, 167 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:04,060 and strafing attacks against Guam, tinian, pagan, and rota." 168 00:09:04,230 --> 00:09:05,836 So this guy's 22 years old, 169 00:09:05,860 --> 00:09:08,500 and he is a decorated fighter pilot. 170 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,800 In early 1940, lieutenant beecroft was given the keys 171 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,900 to a brand new aircraft, right off the assembly line, 172 00:09:16,060 --> 00:09:19,460 the republic p-47 thunderbolt. 173 00:09:19,630 --> 00:09:22,200 This was the largest and heaviest single-engine 174 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:24,436 fighter plane of world war ii. 175 00:09:24,460 --> 00:09:26,536 Weighing in at roughly eight tons, 176 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:30,076 this beast could carry 2,500 pounds of bombs. 177 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:32,500 Then there are the wings, which sported eight 178 00:09:32,660 --> 00:09:35,300 .50 caliber guns, capable of spitting out 179 00:09:35,460 --> 00:09:38,100 3,400 rounds of ammunition. 180 00:09:38,260 --> 00:09:40,736 Despite its toughness, the thunderbolt was capable 181 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:44,536 of flying at a blistering 473 miles an hour. 182 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:48,060 And a first-of-its-kind turbo supercharger forced more air 183 00:09:48,230 --> 00:09:51,060 into the engine, generating incredible power. 184 00:09:52,660 --> 00:09:54,076 So what happens to beecroft? 185 00:09:54,100 --> 00:09:56,336 Well, the reason why I brought you up here is because beecroft 186 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:58,800 gets hit by one of truk's anti-aircraft guns. 187 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,076 In fact, it could even be this one. 188 00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:02,360 It could literally be this one? 189 00:10:02,530 --> 00:10:03,860 - Literally, this one. - Wow. 190 00:10:05,100 --> 00:10:08,136 The date is may 6th, 1945. 191 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,100 To tamp down the activity at truk lagoon, beecroft 192 00:10:11,260 --> 00:10:14,100 and his squadron take off in their brand new thunderbolts 193 00:10:14,260 --> 00:10:17,100 from saipan, over 700 miles away. 194 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:21,900 The daring plan was for the squadron to fly into 195 00:10:22,060 --> 00:10:25,800 the heavily defended lagoon, bombing first the seaplane base, 196 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,836 and then an airfield, before swinging around to bomb 197 00:10:29,860 --> 00:10:33,860 this island, once called dublon, and exiting the lagoon 198 00:10:34,030 --> 00:10:37,600 to the northwest, back to the safety of saipan. 199 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,600 But sometime after strafing dublon, beecroft is hit 200 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,300 and crashes into the lagoon. 201 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,836 Where exactly is a mystery, and one that might have been 202 00:10:47,860 --> 00:10:50,836 forgotten, were it not for project recover. 203 00:10:50,860 --> 00:10:52,960 Colin and his colleagues do the crucial work 204 00:10:53,130 --> 00:10:56,636 of interviewing world war ii vets to preserve their memories, 205 00:10:56,660 --> 00:10:59,076 an increasingly challenging task. 206 00:10:59,100 --> 00:11:03,360 In fact, less than 1% of the 16 million Americans who served 207 00:11:03,530 --> 00:11:04,900 in world war ii are still living. 208 00:11:05,060 --> 00:11:08,200 There's this huge legacy from this greatest generation 209 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:11,100 that is just kinda going quiet, right? 210 00:11:11,260 --> 00:11:12,860 Absolutely. But in this case, 211 00:11:13,030 --> 00:11:15,200 I actually managed to find a living 212 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:16,536 witness to the incident. 213 00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:18,500 Someone who saw him get shot down? 214 00:11:18,660 --> 00:11:21,000 Not just saw him, but was actually a part of this mission, 215 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:23,836 in the same squadron, and was a wingman 216 00:11:23,860 --> 00:11:27,336 to Gordon beecroft, a guy named colonel durwood Williams. 217 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:30,136 And so, what did colonel Williams recollect 218 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:31,860 about this mission? 219 00:11:32,030 --> 00:11:33,836 Well, colonel Williams can actually tell you himself, 220 00:11:33,860 --> 00:11:35,180 because I recorded the interview. 221 00:11:35,330 --> 00:11:36,330 - You did? - Yeah. 222 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:38,500 - Amazing! - Let's watch. 223 00:11:38,660 --> 00:11:40,000 Incredible. 224 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:44,760 I'm Colin colbourn interviewing colonel durwood Williams. 225 00:11:44,930 --> 00:11:48,060 Can you tell me a little bit about lieutenant beecroft? 226 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:05,636 These guys flew together for a while. 227 00:12:05,660 --> 00:12:09,100 They were buddies. 228 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:28,236 So he's right there. 229 00:12:28,260 --> 00:12:30,960 He actually sees the moment when beecroft gets hit. 230 00:12:31,130 --> 00:12:33,760 Yeah, he sees the wing get hit, the fire starts. 231 00:12:33,930 --> 00:12:36,460 He gets everyone to fly in formation underneath beecroft 232 00:12:36,630 --> 00:12:38,460 in order to sort of assess the damage 233 00:12:38,630 --> 00:12:39,660 and see what to do next. 234 00:12:41,060 --> 00:12:42,660 Amazing. 235 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:00,360 Wow, so this doesn't happen in an instant. 236 00:13:00,530 --> 00:13:01,600 Like, he's on fire. 237 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:03,536 He's literally flying in a ticking time bomb. 238 00:13:03,560 --> 00:13:05,160 - Absolutely. - Wow. 239 00:13:23,460 --> 00:13:26,200 "Altitude means time," and the goal is to 240 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:27,237 get out of the lagoon. 241 00:13:27,261 --> 00:13:29,260 You do not wanna go down in this lagoon. 242 00:13:29,430 --> 00:13:31,236 - This is enemy territory. - Enemy territory 243 00:13:31,260 --> 00:13:33,600 and a lot of the guys that went down in this lagoon 244 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:35,100 - ended up executed. - Right. 245 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,660 Beecroft isn't receiving his wing man's pleas to climb 246 00:13:39,830 --> 00:13:42,136 because their radios are jammed. 247 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,960 To make matters worse, the thunderbolt isn't equipped 248 00:13:45,130 --> 00:13:46,336 with an ejector seat. 249 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,300 Beecroft has to physically slide back the canopy 250 00:13:49,460 --> 00:13:52,960 and bail out, a terrifying prospect given the speed 251 00:13:53,130 --> 00:13:55,860 with which his burning plane is flying. 252 00:13:56,030 --> 00:13:57,860 So beecroft's going how fast at this point? 253 00:13:58,030 --> 00:13:59,336 Well, they're coming out of their dive. 254 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:01,076 - Right. - And so they're about as fast 255 00:14:01,100 --> 00:14:02,960 as that p-47 thunderbolt can go 256 00:14:03,130 --> 00:14:05,560 at this point, which is about 400 miles an hour. 257 00:14:05,730 --> 00:14:07,850 Not the speed you wanna be going to pull a parachute? 258 00:14:07,930 --> 00:14:09,160 No, absolutely not. 259 00:14:39,860 --> 00:14:42,076 Boy, it's just watching that, you get choked up. 260 00:14:42,100 --> 00:14:45,500 It's like you can see him in that moment, 261 00:14:45,660 --> 00:14:47,076 like he's in the past. 262 00:14:47,100 --> 00:14:49,060 And you can see him, kinda, check himself. 263 00:14:49,230 --> 00:14:52,500 And it's especially hard because you can tell he thinks 264 00:14:52,660 --> 00:14:55,742 he could have done something to save beecroft in that moment. 265 00:14:55,766 --> 00:14:56,160 Yeah. 266 00:14:56,330 --> 00:14:57,336 If he could have talked to him. 267 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:58,800 He could have gotten through. 268 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,760 And he had to watch that parachute split. 269 00:15:03,100 --> 00:15:05,260 Do you remember where in the lagoon 270 00:15:06,500 --> 00:15:08,200 you were flying when that happened? 271 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:10,400 Where he bailed out and where his aircraft 272 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:11,960 ultimately ended up? 273 00:15:15,700 --> 00:15:19,436 Do you remember if his aircraft went much further 274 00:15:19,460 --> 00:15:21,300 after he bailed out of the aircraft? 275 00:15:26,460 --> 00:15:29,100 This is potentially critical information. 276 00:15:29,260 --> 00:15:30,436 Absolutely. 277 00:15:30,460 --> 00:15:33,336 Hearing beecroft's story told from the perspective 278 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:37,000 of a pilot who was there and who has carried this memory 279 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,336 to literally his 100th birthday makes finding 280 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,000 the thunderbolt feel even more essential. 281 00:15:43,900 --> 00:15:46,500 Do you think this plane can be found? 282 00:15:46,660 --> 00:15:48,076 I absolutely think it can be found, 283 00:15:48,100 --> 00:15:49,760 but we have to be honest with ourselves. 284 00:15:49,930 --> 00:15:52,100 - This is a huge search area. - Right. 285 00:15:52,260 --> 00:15:53,336 There's a lot of water out there, 286 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:54,900 and it's gonna take a lot of work. 287 00:15:55,060 --> 00:15:56,800 Ok, should we try to find this plane? 288 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:58,306 - Let's do it. - Come on, man, after you. 289 00:15:58,330 --> 00:15:59,330 All right. 290 00:16:09,660 --> 00:16:12,736 Now, I think a lot about how these guys are flying in here, 291 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,976 young guys, seeing these huge exotic islands. 292 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:16,907 Totally, right? 293 00:16:16,931 --> 00:16:18,760 I mean, how about beecroft, 22 years old? 294 00:16:18,930 --> 00:16:21,160 This is a long way from Bakersfield. 295 00:16:21,330 --> 00:16:24,076 In the remote waters of Micronesia's truk lagoon, 296 00:16:24,100 --> 00:16:26,836 I've rejoined the team from project recover 297 00:16:26,860 --> 00:16:29,836 to locate the plane of a missing-in-action pilot 298 00:16:29,860 --> 00:16:32,960 and decorated hero from world war ii. 299 00:16:33,130 --> 00:16:36,260 Recent eyewitness testimony from the pilot's wingman could 300 00:16:36,430 --> 00:16:39,560 tell us where his p-47 thunderbolt crashed, 301 00:16:39,730 --> 00:16:43,360 and help us close the book on an 80-year-old mystery. 302 00:16:43,530 --> 00:16:45,500 And I think about their families too, 303 00:16:45,660 --> 00:16:47,900 who got that letter you never wanna receive. 304 00:16:48,060 --> 00:16:50,160 - Right. - It said, "your son lost in" 305 00:16:50,330 --> 00:16:51,237 - truk lagoon." - Right. 306 00:16:51,261 --> 00:16:52,476 - "Where is that?" - "Where is that?" 307 00:16:52,500 --> 00:16:54,860 Most people in america today don't even know where this is. 308 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:56,760 That's right. Imagine losing a loved one, 309 00:16:56,930 --> 00:16:57,936 half a world away, in a place 310 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:01,160 - you've never heard of. - It really builds trauma. 311 00:17:01,330 --> 00:17:04,300 And that's why we're trying to provide closure, 'cause even 312 00:17:04,460 --> 00:17:06,760 80 years on, those families are still feeling that. 313 00:17:06,930 --> 00:17:08,100 That's right. 314 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:13,160 Truk lagoon is roughly 40 miles in diameter and contains 315 00:17:13,330 --> 00:17:15,060 almost 50 islands. 316 00:17:15,230 --> 00:17:17,660 It's a hell of a haystack in which to find a needle. 317 00:17:17,830 --> 00:17:20,200 But if anyone is up to it, it's the co-founder of 318 00:17:20,360 --> 00:17:23,136 project recover, my old friend Mark moline, 319 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:25,976 and the team's engineer, Erik white. 320 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,436 So I got the lowdown from Colin here on the new mission. 321 00:17:28,460 --> 00:17:30,436 - Lieutenant beecroft. - Yep, beecroft. 322 00:17:30,460 --> 00:17:32,560 And it sounds like from colonel Williams' testimony, 323 00:17:32,730 --> 00:17:34,900 he goes down somewhere in the middle of the lagoon. 324 00:17:35,060 --> 00:17:36,136 Yeah, and that's where we are. 325 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:38,460 Right, ok. So let's home in on it. 326 00:17:38,630 --> 00:17:41,736 So this is the wartime map of truk lagoon, 327 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:43,536 - the whole atoll here. - Yep. 328 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:47,076 And based on the wartime action reports, 329 00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:51,760 Colin's been able to recreate the flight path of beecroft. 330 00:17:51,930 --> 00:17:53,600 Wow, look at this. That's awesome. 331 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:56,136 So this is where we think his mission flew. 332 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:58,700 Yeah, I mean, essentially, in this after-action report, 333 00:17:58,860 --> 00:18:00,700 they call out that the aircrafts, 334 00:18:00,860 --> 00:18:02,906 they started strafing at the seaplane base, which is 335 00:18:02,930 --> 00:18:04,976 - actually just right over here. - Got it. 336 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:06,976 Then they flew up north to the bomber base. 337 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,100 And then they swung around through the east lagoon 338 00:18:09,260 --> 00:18:10,560 to attack dublon. 339 00:18:10,730 --> 00:18:13,000 And then this line that carries on is where they're 340 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:14,936 meant to go, right? They're gonna exit the lagoon. 341 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:16,000 Exit. Try and get the heck 342 00:18:16,060 --> 00:18:16,977 - out of here. - Yeah, that's 343 00:18:17,001 --> 00:18:19,336 our projection of where they went. 344 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:22,760 And based on the eyewitness testimony of colonel Williams, 345 00:18:22,930 --> 00:18:24,136 the team from project recover 346 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,160 has narrowed down the search zone 347 00:18:26,330 --> 00:18:28,536 to the estimated exit path of the squadron 348 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:30,600 in the middle of the lagoon. 349 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:33,136 So this projected line we need to search along 350 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,300 - is roughly how long? - About 15 miles. 351 00:18:36,460 --> 00:18:37,536 Fifteen miles. 352 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:39,976 And we need to search how far on either side of it? 353 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,060 Because we don't actually know where he was flying. 354 00:18:42,230 --> 00:18:45,076 Let's say about a mile on each side of the flight path. 355 00:18:45,100 --> 00:18:47,000 So we gotta search 30 square miles? 356 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:48,436 That's what we're planning to do. 357 00:18:48,460 --> 00:18:49,900 Ok. 358 00:18:50,060 --> 00:18:52,460 To cover that absurdly large search zone, 359 00:18:52,630 --> 00:18:54,600 we're not using masks and fins. 360 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,160 The team has brought along their newest member, 361 00:18:57,330 --> 00:19:01,136 an advanced auv, or autonomous underwater vehicle. 362 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:05,200 This sonar drone will scan the 30 square miles entirely 363 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:09,100 on its own, finding targets that we can then dive on. 364 00:19:09,260 --> 00:19:12,600 Because it's already been to both the arctic and antarctic, 365 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:14,600 they've lovingly named it "bipolar." 366 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:16,036 All right, should we get it in the water? 367 00:19:16,060 --> 00:19:16,977 - Yes. - Yeah. 368 00:19:17,001 --> 00:19:18,800 - Let's do it. - Let's do it. 369 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:21,976 We load out the vehicle, and because it retails just shy 370 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,600 of a million dollars, we do it carefully. 371 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:25,860 - Coming down? - Yep. 372 00:19:26,900 --> 00:19:28,136 - Take off. - We are in the water. 373 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:29,160 Here we go. 374 00:19:29,300 --> 00:19:30,620 Can you push it out a little bit? 375 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:33,336 - All right. - And she's away. 376 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:35,660 - Send the "run" command. - Roger that. 377 00:19:35,830 --> 00:19:39,700 Three, two, one. "Run" command sent. 378 00:19:39,860 --> 00:19:42,360 - Acknowledged. - Ok, vehicle's underway. 379 00:19:42,530 --> 00:19:43,830 And we're off. 380 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:49,160 The auv begins its work, scanning the vast seabed along 381 00:19:49,330 --> 00:19:52,200 beecroft's flight path, something that was literally 382 00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:54,860 unthinkable in 1945. 383 00:19:55,030 --> 00:19:58,500 For as space age and high tech as this is, 384 00:19:58,660 --> 00:20:00,100 the one thing it doesn't do, though, 385 00:20:00,260 --> 00:20:02,636 is give you that sonar data in real time. 386 00:20:02,660 --> 00:20:04,460 You've gotta collect all that afterwards. 387 00:20:04,630 --> 00:20:06,600 Correct. 388 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,100 The sub runs through its pre-programmed route, 389 00:20:09,260 --> 00:20:11,700 covering 30 square miles of ocean, 390 00:20:11,860 --> 00:20:15,460 while leaving us with little to do except wait. 391 00:20:17,860 --> 00:20:18,960 And wait, 392 00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:22,636 and wait. 393 00:20:22,660 --> 00:20:23,676 We're getting there. 394 00:20:23,700 --> 00:20:25,976 Yeah, we're about half done with our total area. 395 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:27,560 - Halfway done. - Half done. 396 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,300 'Kay, things are not looking up. 397 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,830 I use the remaining hours to work out a little jet lag. 398 00:20:39,300 --> 00:20:40,400 Until finally. 399 00:20:41,860 --> 00:20:43,560 Looks like we're about to finish up. 400 00:20:43,730 --> 00:20:45,536 We're gonna go pick up the vehicle and be done 401 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:47,030 - with this mission. - Here we go. 402 00:20:49,500 --> 00:20:52,700 The auv, having completed its route, returns to us 403 00:20:52,860 --> 00:20:55,400 alongside the boat, so we can pull it aboard 404 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:57,300 for a well earned rest. 405 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:00,136 - And that is it. - That's it. 406 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:01,736 Thirty square miles done and dusted. 407 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:02,760 That's right. 408 00:21:02,930 --> 00:21:04,336 That's a lot of data to review. 409 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:06,160 - To the dock? - To the dock. 410 00:21:06,330 --> 00:21:07,330 - Let's do it. - Let's go. 411 00:21:07,460 --> 00:21:08,460 Let's go. 412 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,736 We return to project recover's home away from home on dry land 413 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:25,260 to download the auv's data and analyze the results. 414 00:21:28,660 --> 00:21:29,760 Ok. 415 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,860 Well, what do we got, Erik? How we looking? 416 00:21:34,030 --> 00:21:36,860 Well, Josh, we have terabytes and terabytes of data. 417 00:21:37,030 --> 00:21:38,760 That's better than zero data, I guess. 418 00:21:38,930 --> 00:21:41,636 Because there's so much data, you remember last time you were 419 00:21:41,660 --> 00:21:43,500 here, we used a machine learning model. 420 00:21:43,660 --> 00:21:44,660 That's right. 421 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:45,936 Brought some AI to bear on this. 422 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:46,976 Yeah, to go through all. 423 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,336 We've done that for the 30-square-miles of data. 424 00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:51,100 And this is, like, witchcraft to me. 425 00:21:51,260 --> 00:21:56,060 This is basically the computer is able to distinguish between 426 00:21:56,230 --> 00:21:58,800 man-made wreckage that's down there and just natural 427 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:00,120 - undersea formations. - Yep. 428 00:22:00,260 --> 00:22:01,706 Now, Erik, it would take you how long 429 00:22:01,730 --> 00:22:02,637 to go through this data? 430 00:22:02,661 --> 00:22:04,000 A week -a week. 431 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:05,636 And it will take the AI how long? 432 00:22:05,660 --> 00:22:08,460 - A couple of minutes. - It's crazy. 433 00:22:08,630 --> 00:22:11,560 The many anomalies seen in the sonar data can lead to 434 00:22:11,730 --> 00:22:15,000 hundreds of potential targets. Let's turn it on. 435 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:20,136 Whoa! My, those are all targets? 436 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:21,376 Yes. 437 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:24,860 Now, specially designed AI is about to use a powerful 438 00:22:25,030 --> 00:22:27,860 algorithm to discriminate and keep only targets 439 00:22:28,030 --> 00:22:30,360 with a high likelihood of being wreckage. 440 00:22:31,460 --> 00:22:33,836 - And just like that. - It's done. 441 00:22:33,860 --> 00:22:35,100 It's insane. 442 00:22:35,260 --> 00:22:37,860 What do you need humans for anymore? 443 00:22:38,030 --> 00:22:41,076 Lucky for us and our jobs, humans are still required 444 00:22:41,100 --> 00:22:44,076 to review the targets and investigate them. 445 00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:45,960 Ok, so how many targets we got? 446 00:22:46,130 --> 00:22:48,300 We have about four solid targets. 447 00:22:48,460 --> 00:22:49,536 Four targets. 448 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:52,260 So, four targets out of 30 square miles is not much. 449 00:22:52,430 --> 00:22:54,360 No, but these are the high scores from 450 00:22:54,530 --> 00:22:57,100 - the machine learning model. - Ok, let's see the first one. 451 00:22:58,200 --> 00:22:59,300 Wow! 452 00:22:59,460 --> 00:23:01,560 All right, so we got something there for sure. 453 00:23:01,730 --> 00:23:05,660 Yeah, that's a definite debris field right there. 454 00:23:05,830 --> 00:23:08,136 Right, we have these very weird angular things 455 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:09,400 sitting down there in the sand. 456 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:11,236 So that's almost certainly man-made, right? 457 00:23:11,260 --> 00:23:14,960 Yeah, because they're casting shadows, they're above 458 00:23:15,130 --> 00:23:16,336 - that sand layer. - Right. 459 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:18,200 And Josh, take a look at the shadow over here. 460 00:23:18,230 --> 00:23:19,336 - These two lines? - Yeah, it kinda looks 461 00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:20,920 like two lines. We call it rabbit ears. 462 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:22,306 - Yep. - It's something we see a lot 463 00:23:22,330 --> 00:23:23,860 - that could be propellers. - Right. 464 00:23:24,030 --> 00:23:25,406 Plane goes down, the engine's down there, 465 00:23:25,430 --> 00:23:26,936 and then maybe there's two propellers just sticking up 466 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:28,060 - from the sand. - Ok. 467 00:23:28,230 --> 00:23:29,736 At first blush, you look at this target, 468 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:31,760 you don't immediately think, "that's an airplane." 469 00:23:31,930 --> 00:23:33,200 - No. - No. 470 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:35,006 And, in fact, that's what we deal with a lot here. 471 00:23:35,030 --> 00:23:37,960 When an airplane hits the water at high speed, it breaks into 472 00:23:38,130 --> 00:23:39,210 - a lot of pieces. - Right. 473 00:23:39,260 --> 00:23:40,960 And think of beecroft, right? 474 00:23:41,130 --> 00:23:43,800 He was last seen going 300 plus miles an hour. 475 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:45,600 - Plane's on fire. - Plane's on fire. 476 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:46,860 - He bails out. - Yep. 477 00:23:47,030 --> 00:23:48,860 And that plane's just uncontrolled going 478 00:23:49,030 --> 00:23:50,800 into the lagoon at high speed. 479 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:52,536 Chances are it could be in 100 pieces. 480 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,760 Right, so that may be a plane. Absolutely, it could be. 481 00:23:55,930 --> 00:23:57,076 So that's going on our list for sure. 482 00:23:57,100 --> 00:23:58,900 What else we got? 483 00:23:59,060 --> 00:24:00,860 That looks like wreckage. 484 00:24:02,100 --> 00:24:03,136 Two pieces, there. 485 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:04,360 It's definitely man-made. 486 00:24:04,530 --> 00:24:06,660 I could believe that's part of a fuselage. 487 00:24:06,830 --> 00:24:09,976 I mean, I would love it if we saw something wing shaped 488 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,600 there, but whatever it is, it's a mystery. 489 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:14,006 - Yes. - And it shouldn't be there. 490 00:24:14,030 --> 00:24:15,006 It definitely should not be there. 491 00:24:15,030 --> 00:24:15,877 No, it shouldn't be there. 492 00:24:15,901 --> 00:24:17,160 Ok, so we gotta see what it is. 493 00:24:17,330 --> 00:24:19,060 - We'll document it. - Ok, next up. 494 00:24:20,860 --> 00:24:23,800 Look at that! That's an airplane! 495 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,136 That's 100% -that is an airplane! 496 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:27,680 - Yeah, that's an airplane. - For sure. 497 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:29,736 I mean, it's intact. You can see the shape. 498 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,336 Dude, that's amazing. 499 00:24:32,360 --> 00:24:34,460 That's a well intact plane right there. 500 00:24:34,630 --> 00:24:36,636 Can we measure this one wing that's showing? 501 00:24:36,660 --> 00:24:41,060 - How long is that? - It's about 18 feet. 502 00:24:41,230 --> 00:24:44,160 And the full wingspan for the thunderbolt is how long? 503 00:24:44,330 --> 00:24:46,000 - It's 40 foot. - So we're in the money. 504 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:47,560 Yeah, we're not far off right now. 505 00:24:47,730 --> 00:24:49,636 I mean, that could be it, right? 506 00:24:49,660 --> 00:24:50,760 Absolutely could be. 507 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:53,976 That's really promising, beyond promising. 508 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:57,236 - Well, we'll put this one up... - Yes. - ...To dive. 509 00:24:57,260 --> 00:24:59,536 For sure. Ok, last target. 510 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:01,060 Wow! 511 00:25:01,230 --> 00:25:02,236 What is that? 512 00:25:02,260 --> 00:25:03,976 I don't know what I'm looking at there. 513 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,360 Does that look like aviation to you? 514 00:25:06,530 --> 00:25:08,706 You can't tell on the surface, but what you can see is that 515 00:25:08,730 --> 00:25:12,000 there are scour marks, like halos around 516 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:13,600 the individual pieces. 517 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,300 And a lot of times we see that with fish living 518 00:25:16,460 --> 00:25:18,660 - around wreckage. - Right. 519 00:25:18,830 --> 00:25:21,536 Wrecks in truk turn into artificial reefs, 520 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:24,260 supporting sea life, including sharks, which are 521 00:25:24,430 --> 00:25:26,760 known to cruise the deep waters of the lagoon. 522 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:29,636 That's a promising hit right there. 523 00:25:29,660 --> 00:25:31,236 It's hard to tell if that's a plane or not. 524 00:25:31,260 --> 00:25:33,076 No, it's a very concentrated site. 525 00:25:33,100 --> 00:25:34,460 I mean, there's definitely 526 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:38,400 everything's gonna be kinda compacted in together. 527 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:39,976 - Right. - Which is indicative 528 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,136 of a plane that might have hit the water 529 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:43,600 - at high speed. - Sure. 530 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:45,336 We have to eliminate a target like this. 531 00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:46,560 - Absolutely. - Right. 532 00:25:46,730 --> 00:25:48,860 Ok, so that goes on our list. So we got 533 00:25:49,030 --> 00:25:50,590 - four compelling targets here. - We do. 534 00:25:50,730 --> 00:25:53,136 And remember, whatever these targets are, nobody's seen it 535 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:56,000 - in 80 years. - Well, let's change that. 536 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:57,760 - Let's do it. - Come on, let's go, guys. 537 00:26:00,630 --> 00:26:02,836 The next morning, we load back out onto the boat 538 00:26:02,860 --> 00:26:05,660 and motor out to dive on our targets. 539 00:26:05,830 --> 00:26:08,060 Not surprisingly, everyone wants to start 540 00:26:08,230 --> 00:26:09,107 with this one. 541 00:26:09,131 --> 00:26:10,606 All right, let's talk about this target. 542 00:26:10,630 --> 00:26:12,800 This is as promising as it gets, right? 543 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:14,860 It is. It's a fully intact plane. 544 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,300 We approach the target coordinates and prep 545 00:26:18,460 --> 00:26:19,800 a weighted shot line. 546 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,260 It's critical that we throw this marker as close 547 00:26:22,430 --> 00:26:25,300 to the coordinates as possible to give us the best chance 548 00:26:25,460 --> 00:26:27,800 of finding the target on the bottom. 549 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,600 Three, two, one, drop. 550 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:34,660 Neutral, neutral. 551 00:26:36,100 --> 00:26:38,136 Once we're hovering over the first target, 552 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:41,300 Mark, Colin, and I suit up and dive in. 553 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:40,560 A hundred feet below the surface 554 00:27:40,730 --> 00:27:42,500 of Micronesia's truk lagoon, 555 00:27:42,660 --> 00:27:45,160 the team from project recover is searching 556 00:27:45,330 --> 00:27:48,000 for the downed plane of missing American pilot 557 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:49,960 lieutenant Gordon beecroft. 558 00:27:50,130 --> 00:27:53,700 His p-47 thunderbolt was shot down over these waters 559 00:27:53,860 --> 00:27:55,760 in may of 1945. 560 00:28:02,900 --> 00:28:05,460 I quickly consult laminated schematics from 561 00:28:05,630 --> 00:28:08,060 the thunderbolt's manual to see if we can match 562 00:28:08,230 --> 00:28:10,460 any of the parts from the wreck. 563 00:28:47,460 --> 00:28:51,000 Torpedo bombers are large and designed to fly low, 564 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:53,536 releasing torpedoes which glide through the water 565 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:54,976 to their targets. 566 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:58,100 Since lieutenant beecroft's thunderbolt was a high-speed 567 00:28:58,260 --> 00:29:01,360 one-man fighter, this is clearly not his plane. 568 00:29:02,860 --> 00:29:06,460 However, there were other American torpedo bombers lost 569 00:29:06,630 --> 00:29:10,300 at truk, like the avenger, which have never been found 570 00:29:10,460 --> 00:29:13,600 meaning this could still be an enormous find, 571 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:15,700 perhaps an undiscovered casualty 572 00:29:15,860 --> 00:29:18,700 from "operation hailstone" in 1944. 573 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:49,360 The nakajima b6n tenzan was a carrier-based torpedo bomber 574 00:29:49,530 --> 00:29:52,000 with the allied code name "Jill." 575 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:54,960 The Japanese started using them in 1943, 576 00:29:55,130 --> 00:29:58,976 replacing the older b5n known as "Kate." 577 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,760 This was the plane armed with 500-pound torpedoes that was 578 00:30:02,930 --> 00:30:05,976 responsible for destroying several American battleships 579 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,700 on December 7th, 1941, 580 00:30:08,860 --> 00:30:11,700 a day which still lives in infamy. 581 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:40,136 This moment right now is the first time anyone has seen 582 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:43,700 this plane since the day she crashed in world war ii. 583 00:30:58,260 --> 00:31:01,300 Project recover will notify the local and Japanese 584 00:31:01,460 --> 00:31:04,536 governments of our discovery so that they have the opportunity 585 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,860 to catalog the wreck and repatriate any remains 586 00:31:08,030 --> 00:31:10,300 that may still be inside. 587 00:31:10,460 --> 00:31:13,260 In the meantime, to preserve the find in its place, 588 00:31:13,430 --> 00:31:16,436 Mark carefully takes hundreds of photographs to be stitched 589 00:31:16,460 --> 00:31:20,160 together digitally in a process known as photogrammetry. 590 00:31:20,330 --> 00:31:23,860 The resulting three-dimensional image offers us a stunning view 591 00:31:24,030 --> 00:31:26,360 of a plane unseen for 80 years. 592 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,336 And it reveals a seam in the wing, barely visible 593 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:33,660 to the naked eye, folding points that saved space when 594 00:31:33,830 --> 00:31:37,860 these planes were placed side by side on aircraft carriers. 595 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:46,636 Our first sonar target turned out to be truly historic, 596 00:31:46,660 --> 00:31:49,200 but our mission is to find another aircraft. 597 00:31:51,500 --> 00:31:53,300 We make our way back to the surface 598 00:31:53,460 --> 00:31:57,000 to keep narrowing down our list of sonar suspects. 599 00:31:59,460 --> 00:32:02,400 Once aboard, we motor to an area of the lagoon 600 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:05,200 where two anomalies mapped by the auv 601 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:06,860 were grouped closely together. 602 00:32:07,860 --> 00:32:10,260 The pilot navigates the boat toward the coordinates 603 00:32:10,430 --> 00:32:12,136 of one of the hits. 604 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:13,600 Ok, here we go. 605 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:17,300 And we endeavor to throw a shot line at the exact right moment 606 00:32:17,460 --> 00:32:19,436 to put us on top of the target. 607 00:32:19,460 --> 00:32:22,600 Three, two, one, drop, drop. 608 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:25,900 Then we splash in. 609 00:33:26,860 --> 00:33:29,660 At the end of world war ii, some military equipment 610 00:33:29,830 --> 00:33:33,060 was viewed as too expensive to bring home to the U.S. 611 00:33:33,230 --> 00:33:36,360 And so much of it was scuttled in the pacific. 612 00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:05,436 My Jeep doesn't wanna start. 613 00:34:05,460 --> 00:34:08,260 And in fact, it's hard to ignore just how creepy 614 00:34:08,430 --> 00:34:10,260 this auto boneyard really is. 615 00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:41,800 I've joined the team from project recover as we search 616 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:45,700 for the p-47 thunderbolt of lieutenant Gordon beecroft, 617 00:34:45,860 --> 00:34:48,800 which was shot down here in Micronesia's truk lagoon 618 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,560 in the closing days of world war ii. 619 00:34:51,730 --> 00:34:54,636 We're investigating a series of sonar readings that we're 620 00:34:54,660 --> 00:34:56,600 hoping could be the missing plane, 621 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:59,300 but hovering between them is this. 622 00:35:06,300 --> 00:35:09,400 Whitetip reef sharks often cruise near the seabed 623 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:12,560 and do not usually attack unless provoked. 624 00:35:12,730 --> 00:35:15,460 Still, since this one isn't used to seeing humans, 625 00:35:15,630 --> 00:35:17,660 we decide to give him some space. 626 00:35:30,100 --> 00:35:32,236 We start swimming over to the second grouping 627 00:35:32,260 --> 00:35:35,076 of sonar hits we found in this area. 628 00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:38,236 One thing you learn diving in truk lagoon is to always 629 00:35:38,260 --> 00:35:41,960 expect the unexpected. First a shark, now this. 630 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:54,360 These jellyfish have tentacles that fire barbed stingers, 631 00:35:54,530 --> 00:35:57,636 which cause intense pain, so we cautiously 632 00:35:57,660 --> 00:35:59,300 swim past them. 633 00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:10,136 Soon, we reach our target zone. 634 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,660 Our eyes peeled for a large engine, propellers, 635 00:36:13,830 --> 00:36:16,000 or the aluminum skin of an airplane. 636 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:20,200 With our bottom time up, we ascend to the surface, 637 00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:21,760 admittedly disappointed. 638 00:37:27,700 --> 00:37:30,700 We are left with a single target to investigate, 639 00:37:30,860 --> 00:37:32,336 one final chance to find 640 00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:34,436 lieutenant beecroft's thunderbolt. 641 00:37:34,460 --> 00:37:37,900 So we hit the throttle and motor to its coordinates, 642 00:37:38,060 --> 00:37:41,076 crossing our fingers that this might be it. 643 00:37:41,100 --> 00:37:44,360 The trouble is, this is also our most challenging dive. 644 00:37:46,260 --> 00:37:47,406 Ok, so let's talk through this. 645 00:37:47,430 --> 00:37:48,636 We're in pretty deep water here, yeah? 646 00:37:48,660 --> 00:37:50,660 - It is deep, 120 feet. - Ok. 647 00:37:50,830 --> 00:37:53,160 Yeah. We only have about 14 minutes 648 00:37:53,330 --> 00:37:54,736 of bottom time, so around 10, 649 00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:57,100 we should be kind of wrapping up the dive. 650 00:37:57,260 --> 00:37:59,000 We gotta be fast and efficient here. 651 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:00,137 Very much so. 652 00:38:00,161 --> 00:38:01,860 This target is a bit of a mystery, right? 653 00:38:02,030 --> 00:38:05,076 I mean, if this is an airplane, it's gotta be in pretty bad 654 00:38:05,100 --> 00:38:07,136 shape because it doesn't scream aviation. 655 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:09,960 Yeah, pretty mangled up, but it is isolated 656 00:38:10,130 --> 00:38:12,336 and it has a number of chunks around it. 657 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:13,600 We have to investigate. 658 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:15,236 We have a couple of scooters on board. 659 00:38:15,260 --> 00:38:17,420 Josh, you, and I are gonna take those, try to maximize 660 00:38:17,530 --> 00:38:19,800 our bottom time, and get down as fast as possible. 661 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:21,360 Ok, let's see what it is. 662 00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:26,060 We splash in, anxious to get our eyes on the last viable 663 00:38:26,230 --> 00:38:27,760 sonar target that we've got. 664 00:38:36,300 --> 00:38:39,136 The scooters are small but mighty, propelling us 665 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:41,500 toward the sea floor in under 30 seconds. 666 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:21,136 Now we need to look for clues to determine if this is 667 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:22,500 the plane we're searching for. 668 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:39,760 The scooters we brought aren't just for getting around. 669 00:40:39,930 --> 00:40:42,900 By directing their force downward, we can gently blow 670 00:40:43,060 --> 00:40:46,536 sand away from the seabed, exposing whatever's beneath 671 00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:49,160 the years of built up sediment. 672 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:30,660 Three months to the day after beecroft and his squadron flew 673 00:42:30,830 --> 00:42:32,760 from saipan to attack truk lagoon, 674 00:42:32,930 --> 00:42:34,560 another mission was launched 675 00:42:34,730 --> 00:42:37,460 from saipan's neighboring island of tinian. 676 00:42:37,630 --> 00:42:39,260 It's hard to believe, but at the time, 677 00:42:39,430 --> 00:42:41,900 this was the largest airport in the world 678 00:42:42,060 --> 00:42:43,736 built by the U.S. military. 679 00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:46,900 Today, very little remains, but there is this 680 00:42:47,060 --> 00:42:50,660 a bomb loading pit where a top secret weapon was hoisted 681 00:42:50,830 --> 00:42:54,400 into the belly of a waiting b-29 super fortress. 682 00:42:54,560 --> 00:42:57,460 The pilot, colonel Paul w. Tibbets Jr. 683 00:42:57,630 --> 00:43:00,600 Named the plane after his mother, "enola gay." 684 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:05,336 This is runway able at tinian's north field, 685 00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:08,200 and under cover of darkness, at 2:45 am. 686 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:12,336 On August 6, 1945, the "enola gay" roared down 687 00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:15,076 this runway and took off toward Hiroshima 688 00:43:15,100 --> 00:43:17,200 and into the pages of history, 689 00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:19,600 ultimately ending world war ii 690 00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:21,660 and igniting the atomic age. 691 00:43:56,100 --> 00:43:58,976 In the remote waters of Micronesia, we've just found 692 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:02,000 the lost airplane, of Mia American pilot 693 00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:04,760 lieutenant Gordon beecroft, who was shot down 694 00:44:04,930 --> 00:44:07,460 in the closing days of world war ii. 695 00:44:09,060 --> 00:44:12,136 From that moment, no one in the world knew exactly where 696 00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:15,900 his plane crashed until right now. 697 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:46,736 We don't have enough air to stay, 698 00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:50,060 so we head topside for a well-earned celebration. 699 00:44:53,460 --> 00:44:55,760 My god! 700 00:44:55,930 --> 00:44:56,976 That's it! 701 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:59,460 - That's it! - See that? 702 00:44:59,630 --> 00:45:01,600 General tire. Made in america. 703 00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:04,636 - General tire made in usa. - Yeah. 704 00:45:04,660 --> 00:45:05,706 How about that? 705 00:45:05,730 --> 00:45:08,100 You just don't get those kind of clues that often. 706 00:45:08,260 --> 00:45:08,515 No. 707 00:45:08,539 --> 00:45:11,160 What an unbelievable mission to be a part of. 708 00:45:11,330 --> 00:45:12,460 - Yeah. - What a win. 709 00:45:12,630 --> 00:45:15,336 I wish colonel Williams could be here to see this. 710 00:45:15,360 --> 00:45:18,136 Well, he shared his story, and you guys ran with it, 711 00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:19,500 and it led to this. 712 00:45:19,660 --> 00:45:21,420 You think about, you know, you can float out 713 00:45:21,460 --> 00:45:23,660 here in this lagoon, and you just think about what 714 00:45:23,830 --> 00:45:25,736 it must have been like on that day. 715 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:27,000 - Yeah. - And the noises, 716 00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:29,500 and the smoke, and the gunfire, 717 00:45:29,660 --> 00:45:33,136 you know, and that flight path ended right here, literally, 718 00:45:33,160 --> 00:45:35,060 right underneath us. 719 00:45:35,230 --> 00:45:38,436 So, here's to lieutenant Gordon b. Beecroft 720 00:45:38,460 --> 00:45:40,900 and his missing thunderbolt, missing no more. 721 00:45:41,060 --> 00:45:42,636 We got it, -we got it. 722 00:45:42,660 --> 00:45:43,700 - Thanks, Josh. - Amazing. 723 00:45:43,860 --> 00:45:44,860 Thanks for being here. 724 00:45:44,930 --> 00:45:47,000 Amazing! Woo! 725 00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:51,900 Mission accomplished. 726 00:45:52,060 --> 00:45:54,336 We have found the p-47 thunderbolt 727 00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:57,760 that lieutenant Gordon beecroft flew into truk lagoon 728 00:45:57,930 --> 00:46:00,200 on may 6th, 1945. 729 00:46:02,200 --> 00:46:03,660 He gave what Lincoln called 730 00:46:03,830 --> 00:46:05,960 "the last full measure of devotion 731 00:46:06,130 --> 00:46:08,536 to the cause of freedom." 732 00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:09,860 Only three months later, 733 00:46:10,030 --> 00:46:12,100 the war in the pacific would end, 734 00:46:12,260 --> 00:46:15,200 and men like durwood Williams would return home 735 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:18,836 to live with what they had seen and lost. 736 00:46:18,860 --> 00:46:21,200 Colonel Williams never forgot his friend, 737 00:46:21,360 --> 00:46:25,236 keeping beecroft's story alive for 80 years, keeping it, 738 00:46:25,260 --> 00:46:29,076 in fact, until the day he died, only months after talking 739 00:46:29,100 --> 00:46:32,000 to project recover at age 101. 740 00:46:32,900 --> 00:46:34,336 It is this urgency, 741 00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:36,900 the fading voices of the greatest generation, 742 00:46:37,060 --> 00:46:38,800 that has fueled project recover, 743 00:46:38,960 --> 00:46:42,436 driving them to find the forgotten and make sure 744 00:46:42,460 --> 00:46:44,960 that no man is left behind. 745 00:46:48,260 --> 00:46:50,076 Before we leave Micronesia, 746 00:46:50,100 --> 00:46:53,760 we return one last time to hallowed ground. 747 00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:27,600 This wreck is also a reminder of the more than 200 Americans 748 00:47:27,760 --> 00:47:31,560 who gave their lives here at truk lagoon and to the more 749 00:47:31,730 --> 00:47:36,860 than 400,000 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice 750 00:47:37,030 --> 00:47:39,260 in world war ii. 751 00:47:39,430 --> 00:47:40,700 May they rest in peace. 751 00:47:41,305 --> 00:48:41,549 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm