Original subtitles

Na

Narr

Narrat

Narrator

Narrator:

Narrator: Fo

Narrator: Four

Narrator: Four s

Narrator: Four sub

Narrator: Four subma

Narrator: Four submari

Narrator: Four submarine

Narrator: Four submarines

Narrator: Four submarines my

Narrator: Four submarines myst

Narrator: Four submarines myster

Narrator: Four submarines mysterio

Narrator: Four submarines mysterious

Narrator: Four submarines mysteriously

Narrator: Four submarines mysteriously v

Narrator: Four submarines mysteriously van

Narrator: Four submarines mysteriously vanis

Narrator: Four submarines mysteriously vanish

without a trace.

James Ellis: Four submarines, each from a different nation,

vanish, killing a combined

318 sailors.

Narrator: The location of the tomb, of one of history's

most feared rulers remains a mystery.

Amma Agbedor: His burial was designed to be an

act of erasure, ensuring that no one,

not even his closest followers,

could reveal the location

of his final resting place.

So where is it?

Narrator: The treasure of one the world's most

infamous pirates is lost to time.

Adam Bunch: Blackbeard's fearsome image included

his infamous Jolly Roger flag.

A chilling symbol of inevitable death.

Anthea Nardi: With this heavily armed ship,

he unleashed terror on the high seas,

amassing a fortune that, legend has it,

remains hidden to this day.

But if that's true, where did he hide the treasure?

♪ (show theme music) ♪

Narrator: The chain of history has many missing links.

Prominent people.

Priceless treasures.

Extraordinary artifacts.

Their locations still unknown.

Lost to the fog of time.

What happens when stories of the past

become...

Vanished History.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: The great Genghis Khan,

who ruled over millions and reshaped the course of history,

left behind one of the world's greatest mysteries:

the location of his tomb.

James Ellis: Genghis Khan wasn't just a conqueror,

he was a force of nature.

Born as Temujin around 1162,

he unified the Mongol tribes

and carved out an empire that spanned around

12 million square miles at its peak,

from the Pacific Ocean to Eastern Europe.

Adam Bunch: Surprisingly, there are actually still debates

about the exact cause of Khan's death.

Some say he died from injuries after falling from his horse,

from the plague, from an infection,

after being shot with an arrow.

Some have even claimed a Tangut princess

from northwestern China

stabbed or even castrated him.

Anthea Nardi: Legend has it that his soldiers buried him

and killed anyone in their path.

Then they rode a thousand horses over the ground

to erase any sign of his grave

and the 2,000 slaves who took part in the burial

were executed to keep the tomb's location a secret forever.

Amma Agbedor: His burial was designed to be

an act of erasure, ensuring that no one,

not even his closest followers,

could reveal the location of his final resting place.

So where is it?

Narrator: The search for the tomb of Genghis Khan

has become as vast as the empire he once commanded,

fueling speculation that his final resting place

lies deep within the lands he once ruled.

Anthea Nardi: There are countless stories

about Genghis Khan's death,

but most agree that he died in August 1227,

in modern-day Yinchuan,

which is in northern China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Amma Agbedor: During his conquests in Northwestern China,

Khan spent considerable time on the Ordos Plateau,

a huge, windswept stretch of desert

bordered by the Yellow River

and the southern edge of the Great Wall.

Narrator: The theory that the Ordos Plateau

was Gengis Khan's resting place gained currency

in the early 20th century

when European explorers publicized photographs

of an ancient Mausoleum

20 miles east of Yinchuan.

Adam Bunch: The Western Xia Mausoleums cover

almost 20 square miles

with nine beehive shaped imperial mausoleums.

More than 250 other tombs

for Tangut royals and officials.

So it's an obvious place to wonder about,

whether Genghis Khan could be buried somewhere

in the vast complex, especially given the connection

between the Mongols and Western Xia.

But no one seems to have found any evidence to support it.

Amma Agbedor: While the Ordos theory is intriguing,

it's unlikely Mongolia's greatest leader

would be buried in China.

It's more likely that Genghis Khan's grave is closer to home,

hidden in plain sight,

concealed by the land,

just as he intended.

Narrator: Mongolia is a land of vast, untamed wilderness,

spanning over 600,000 square miles

of mostly uncharted, undeveloped terrain,

with few roads and a sparse population.

James Ellis: In 1990, a Japanese Mongolian project

called the Three Rivers Expedition

focused on Genghis Khan's birthplace

in the Khentii Province, where the Onon,

Kherlen and Tuul rivers flow.

Using ultrasound technology,

1380 ancient graves were discovered

spread across the landscape.

Anthea Nardi: Most historians believe that Genghis Khan

was born and raised on the Onon River,

so it makes sense that he might have chosen this area

as his final resting place.

Adam Bunch: The graves they discovered there

likely belonged to Mongol nobles.

The expedition was also very controversial.

There were public protests by people who believed

Khan's wishes should be respected.

The people shouldn't go looking for his tomb.

And in the end, they put a stop to it.

Narrator: While excavations were prohibited

in the Khentii Province,

further west, the same researchers studied

a 2,000-year-old cemetery of Xiongnu Kings,

in the Arkhangai Province of Mongolia.

Amma Agbedor: Historians believe the Xiongnu

were the ancestors of the Mongols.

If that's true, they might have had similar burial practices,

and unearthing their graves would give us a better picture

of what we're searching for.

Adam Bunch: Those excavations tell us that at least

some Xiongnu Kings were buried more than

65 feet underground

in log chambers, often marked by

only a small square of stones.

So if Khan was buried like that,

the main chamber would be hidden deep underground

and incredibly hard to find

in all of the sprawling Mongolian wilderness.

Narrator: In 2001, an amateur archaeologist

who spent 40 years searching for Khan's tomb,

discovered a walled burial site in Batshireet,

a town nestled in northern Khentii Province,

about 200 miles northeast of Ulaanbaatar.

Amma Agbedor: Perhaps his biggest breakthrough

came at 'Chinggis' Castle' or 'Red Rock',

where he uncovered at least 20 unopened rectangular tombs

atop a hill, each marked by standing stones.

At the base of the hill, they found an additional 40 graves.

The upper area was enclosed by an imposing stone wall

standing 9 to 12 feet tall

and stretching for 2 miles around.

James Ellis: The sheer scale of the burial grounds

and a roadway connecting the two

suggests a site of tremendous importance,

and it's only a few miles

from Genghis Khan's probable birthplace,

where he was also declared emperor of the Mongols in 1206.

But there's no concrete proof

that Khan might be buried there.

Narrator: In 2004, a Japanese-Mongolian team

uncovered Genghis Khan's palace,

reigniting the search for his final resting place.

Anthea Nardi: The palace, a square tent-like structure

supported by wooden columns,

was uncovered alongside porcelain fragments

dated to Khan's era.

The most exciting part, though, is that ancient Chinese texts

describe court officials making daily journeys from this palace

to a nearby mausoleum, possibly where Khan was buried.

Amma Agbedor: But it seems unlikely

that he would have chosen somewhere as obvious

as his palace for his final resting place,

especially if he was determined to keep the location a secret.

Maybe the better place to look for Khan's tomb,

is where his epic journey first began.

Narrator: Burkhan Khaldun, nestled in the rugged peaks

of Khentii Province,

is revered as Mongolia's most sacred mountain

and deeply intertwined with the legacy of Genghis Khan.

James Ellis: Burkhan Khaldun isn't just a mountain,

it's the spiritual core of Genghis Khan's story,

and a turning point in his journey to power,

and a place he went for refuge.

According to legend, the mountain saved his life

as he escaped from the Merkid tribe, and in gratitude,

he declared it the most sacred mountain in Mongolia

and promised to offer daily prayers and sacrifices.

Adam Bunch: Burkhan Khaldun, became a symbol

of Genghis Khan's survival and strength,

and he had a deep spiritual bond with it.

So lots of people think he might have chosen it

for his final resting place.

It became one of the most popular theories.

Amma Agbedor: High-status figures like Khan

were buried in elevated places,

far from the reach of ordinary people.

In the 1200s, the first Mongol rulers of Persia

were laid to rest on mountain peaks, in off-limits areas.

Khan likely received the same honor.

Narrator: After Genghis Khan's death,

a "Great Taboo", known as Ikh Khorig in Mongolian,

was pronounced over a 92 square mile area

around Burkhan Khaldun,

sealing the region in secrecy.

Adam Bunch: For centuries, the Ikh Khorig was off limits

to outsiders, a sacred place.

Only the Khan's family were allowed to enter.

It was guarded by the Darkhad,

a group of elite warriors and their descendants,

who protected its secrecy for more than 700 years.

So it's no surprise that many people think

Genghis Khan's tomb is probably hidden there.

A. Nardi: According to legend, around 500 Darkhad families

were chosen to safeguard the secret location of Khan's tomb.

To this day, they are considered the custodians

not only of Burkhan Khaldun,

but of Khan's eternal legacy.

Amma Agbedor: The mystery deepens at the summit,

where Tengeriin Ovoo, or 'Heavenly Hill,' stands.

While it may look like a simple pile of stones,

some think this unassuming site could hide Khan's tomb.

But any attempt to explore or search the area

is virtually impossible.

Narrator: Some historians believe the focus

on Burkhan Khaldun might have been a masterful diversion,

a way to lead us away from his true burial site.

James Ellis: Perhaps this was his final act of control,

disappearing from history

just as he had commanded during his life.

Adam Bunch: In the end, all signs point to the fact

that Khan didn't want his final resting place to be known.

So maybe we should respect his wishes

and stop looking for it.

But of course, it's not surprising that people do,

since it's human nature to be curious

and try to solve mysteries,

especially when it comes to a larger than life

historical figure like Genghis Khan.

Narrator: Khan's tomb remains one of history's

greatest enigmas, hidden by time, tradition,

and the vast expanse of Mongolia.

Whether it's ever uncovered, his legacy lives on,

etched into the land he once conquered.

♪♪

Narrator: He was a terror on the seas,

a name spoken in fear across the Atlantic.

Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard,

was one of the most notorious pirates of his time.

With a ship armed to the teeth

and a crew as ruthless as their captain,

Blackbeard carved a path of destruction

from the Caribbean, to the American coastline.

Alison Leonard: Blackbeard was the most infamous pirate

in the Golden Age of Piracy.

But his reputation wasn't built on violence alone.

Intimidation was his greatest weapon.

He rarely killed unless absolutely necessary,

instead relying on his fearsome appearance

to break his enemies' will.

James Ellis: He wore black ribbons in his beard,

carried six pistols, and lit fuses

beneath his hat before battle,

dangling some of them down the sides of his face

to surround it with a halo of smoke and fire.

He created a terrifying spectacle

that often caused his opponents

to surrender without a fight.

Adam Bunch: Blackbeard's fearsome image included

his infamous Jolly Roger flag.

A skeleton holding an hourglass

and a spear aimed at a bleeding heart,

a chilling symbol threatening inevitable death.

Anthea Nardi: In 1717, Blackbeard captured

the French slave ship La Concorde off Martinique

and quickly transformed the vessel,

adding 26 guns to its existing 14

and renaming it Queen Anne's Revenge.

With this heavily armed ship,

he unleashed terror on the high seas,

amassing a fortune that, legend has it,

remains hidden to this day.

But if that's true, where did he hide the treasure?

Narrator: Blackbeard's journey to piracy began

as a privateer during Queen Anne's War,

when Britain and other imperial powers

fought for control of North America.

James Ellis: Privateers like Blackbeard were authorized

to plunder enemy ships and seize valuable cargo

under what were called "letters of marque" from the Crown.

During that time, he honed skills

that would later propel him to infamy,

as the scourge of the Atlantic Ocean.

Alison Leonard: Queen Anne's War gave Blackbeard his

first taste of raiding, but when the war ended,

so did the opportunities for legal privateering.

Like many former privateers, Blackbeard turned to piracy.

Narrator: As Blackbeard's legend grew,

so did the legends surrounding his hidden fortune.

One of the most enduring stories centers on the place

where his reign of terror came to an abrupt halt.

Anthea Nardi: In May 1718, Blackbeard launched

one of his boldest moves,

blockading the Port of Charleston, South Carolina.

Over the course of a week, he captured at least eight ships,

took hostages, and struck fear in the heart of the colony.

But as he later sailed towards North Carolina, disaster struck.

Adam Bunch: The Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground

on a sandbank near Beaufort Inlet,

and though Blackbeard escaped, his ship was lost.

Alison Leonard: Interestingly, some have suggested

the wreck was no accident.

Blackbeard wasn't just a pirate, he was a strategist.

Evidence suggests that the grounding

of the Queen Anne's Revenge was a 'nonviolent wreck event',

meaning it may have been a deliberate, calculated move

to offload his treasure before abandoning the ship.

Narrator: Years of exploration have revealed

fascinating artifacts from Blackbeard's pirate life,

including many of the ship's 40 cannons.

but there has been no sign of the vast wealth

the legend suggests.

Anthea Nardi: Extensive excavations at the site

of Queen Anne's Revenge have uncovered

thousands of artifacts, but only a sprinkling of gold dust,

nothing close to the immense treasure

Blackbeard is said to have buried.

It's possible that the real treasure may have been hidden

long before the shipwreck

or he never stored valuables

aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge at all.

Narrator: While Beaufort Inlet may have marked the end

of Blackbeard's flagship, some believe

the notorious pirate's treasure lies much closer to home.

Alison Leonard: After the Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground,

Blackbeard took command of a smaller vessel,

allowing him to continue his piracy with a more agile crew.

He soon sailed to North Carolina,

where he promised to give up piracy

in exchange for a pardon from Governor Charles Eden.

Adam Bunch: He even attempted a respectable life there,

in the town of Bath, marrying a local woman,

said by some to be his 14th wife.

Some people like to say that during

that brief moment of peace,

Blackbeard could have hidden his greatest treasure

along the eastern shores of Bath Creek at Plum Point.

Anthea Nardi: Bath wasn't just a quiet colonial town

for Blackbeard, it was his chance to reinvent himself.

Under the protection of the Governor,

he saw an opportunity to go straight,

and distance himself from his life of crime.

James Ellis: The royal pardon, issued under King George I,

was designed to grant amnesty to pirates

willing to give up their lawless ways.

For Blackbeard, this was a chance to settle down

and enjoy the wealth he had amassed over the years,

but rumors persisted that his pirating days

were far from over.

Narrator: One particular site of interest was a field

where Blackbeard reportedly set up a tar pit or 'kettle',

which was used to make wood tar in the early eighteenth century,

to seal the hulls of ships.

Anthea Nardi: According to residents and researchers,

the field once held a brick structure,

believed to have been used by Blackbeard

to render wood tar for his ships.

It's possible that while building it,

he also dug a perfect hiding spot for his treasure.

Adam Bunch: A frustrated farmer who owned the land,

eventually demolished the kettle

to keep the treasure hunters away.

The site has still continued to attract them,

one of whom claimed to have unearthed a brick vault

buried eight feet beneath the sand,

containing a chest of Spanish gold.

James Ellis: But with no authentication,

and the chest never found again,

the mystery of Blackbeard's fortune

remains as elusive as ever.

The question is, if it's not in Bath,

could it be hidden somewhere far more remote,

in a place only Blackbeard knew?

Narrator: It wasn't long before Blackbeard returned to the seas.

His quest for power ultimately brought him to a new refuge,

a remote island where he would make his last stand.

Alison Leonard: By the end of August 1718,

Blackbeard had resumed piracy,

and after stealing several French ships,

the Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania

issued a warrant for his arrest.

He eventually made his way to Ocracoke Island,

a remote, windswept stretch of land

off the coast of North Carolina.

Adam Bunch: For Blackbeard and his men,

Ocracoke was the ideal hideout.

It was isolated, surrounded by treacherous waters,

and far from prying eyes.

Blackbeard regrouped there,

knowing the British Royal Navy was closing in.

So if you believe in the treasure,

you might think he used this time to stash it,

somewhere on the island

before his final battle.

Narrator: Ocracoke was a famous pirate haven,

offering easy access to British shipping lanes

coming to the New World, but remote enough that

authorities did not have control over it during colonial times.

James Ellis: Ocracoke wasn't just a random hideout.

Blackbeard knew these waters well.

The shallow inlets made it impossible

for larger ships to follow,

giving him a strategic advantage.

Its isolation allowed him to evade

the growing threat of the Royal Navy,

while secretly continuing his operations.

During this period of calm,

it's likely he secured whatever treasure he had

before the final confrontation.

Anthea Nardi: Blackbeard's prior unchecked presence in Bath

had infuriated Virginia's Governor Alexander Spotswood,

especially after the siege on Charleston.

Spotswood suspected collusion between Blackbeard

and North Carolina's Governor Eden,

whose pardon of the pirate only fueled the tension.

Alison Leonard: Governor Spotswood would not stand

for piracy in his waters.

He summoned Captains of the British Royal Navy

to discuss a strategy for bringing Blackbeard to justice

and, as an additional incentive,

Spotswood offered a bounty for the pirate's capture.

100 pounds, dead or alive.

Narrator: Ocracoke Island became the stage for one of the most

legendary confrontations in pirate history.

In November 1718, British forces led by

Lieutenant Robert Maynard, ambushed Blackbeard

in the treacherous waters off the coast.

Anthea Nardi: It was a fierce, bloody battle.

Blackbeard was shot and slashed multiple times

before he finally fell.

In a brutal display, his head was severed

and mounted on the bowsprit of Maynard's ship,

a grim warning to anyone who dared follow

in Blackbeard's notorious footsteps.

Adam Bunch: After Blackbeard's death,

Maynard's men scoured the island,

searching through the difficult terrain,

hidden coves, for any trace of the pirate fortune.

But they found nothing of any unusually great value.

Just sugar, coca, indigo and cotton.

James Ellis: There's an enduring legend

that when Blackbeard's crew was questioned after his death,

they famously said,

'Only he and the Devil know where the treasure is.'

This cryptic remark has driven treasure hunters for centuries.

The island's history and Blackbeard's reputation

make it one of the most intriguing possible locations.

But so far, nothing has been found.

Narrator: Another theory, one that's most likely

closest to the truth, maintains that the idea of

Blackbeard's hidden treasure, is nothing more than legend.

Anthea Nardi: The myth of buried pirate treasure

often overshadows the reality.

In truth, pirates like Blackbeard likely spent

their wealth quickly after plundering it.

Another issue is that even a small sea chest

filled with gold, would weigh nearly 5,000 pounds.

That's a lot of weight for pirates

to lug around a sandy beach.

Alison Leonard: At the time of Blackbeard's death,

his possessions were valued at only 2,500 pounds sterling.

It's hardly the grand fortune we associate

with legendary pirates like Captain Kidd or Henry Every,

whose plunder reached tens of thousands of pounds.

James Ellis: This raises an intriguing question:

Did Blackbeard use the myth of untold riches

to fuel his power and influence?

Perhaps there was never a vast treasure at all,

just a clever illusion that kept his crew loyal

and his enemies at bay.

Narrator: The legend of Blackbeard's hidden riches

has captivated treasure hunters for centuries.

Even without hard evidence, the search continues,

fueled by the possibility that somewhere out there,

the rumored fortune of the world's most feared pirate,

awaits discovery.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: In the mid-first century BCE, the Ninth Legion,

more than 5,000 of Rome's fiercest fighters,

stormed into Britain, establishing the region

as its base for generations.

They quashed rebellions and left their indelible mark

everywhere they went.

Alison Leonard: The Ninth was one of Rome's oldest

and most respected elite legions.

Disciplined, loyal, experienced.

They fought in just about every major Roman conflict,

and it's all traceable.

Adam Bunch: Evidence of the Ninth Legion and its exploits

are all over the historical and archaeological records.

Until, suddenly, it's just not.

The entire Legion seems to disappear from history.

More then 5,000 living, breathing men,

their weapons, their armor...gone!

Amma Agbedor: The Ninth's fate has been a point

of intensive investigation and fierce debate,

among historians for centuries.

But the one thing everyone agrees on

is that something is not right.

So what happened to Rome's legendary Ninth Legion?

Narrator: The Legion began its storied career

close to home, establishing itself as a force

for putting down insurrections.

James Ellis: The first historical mention

of the Ninth Legion is regarding their participation

in what's known as the Social War,

a rebellion in the South of Italy

that they crushed in 90 BCE.

Alison Leonard: Within a couple of generations,

the Ninth Legion fought in the Gallic Wars,

under Julius Caesar, and were so trusted by him,

that they became known as "Caesar's Legion."

A few years later, in 55 BCE,

Caesar used them for Rome's first invasion of Britain.

Adam Bunch: But then something odd happened in 45 BCE.

After they were sent to fight in a civil war back home,

and then put down a rebellion in Africa,

Caesar retired the Legion.

He disbanded it and pensioned off all its veterans.

Amma Agbedor: The very next year,

Caesar was assassinated and his heir, Octavian,

reformed the Ninth Legion.

They proved themselves to be so effective

in the conquest of part of Spain,

that from that point forward,

"Hispana" was added to their name,

becoming "Legio Nine Hispana."

Ultimately, they returned to Britain,

one of four Roman legions needed

to quell a resistance by Celtic tribes.

Narrator: By 71 CE, the Ninth Legion

was stationed in Eboracum,

and it was their responsibility to oversee

and secure Britain's northern territories,

including Caledonia - ancient Scotland.

James Ellis: Caledonia was considered dangerous,

volatile and unpredictable.

Most of Rome's legions were based

in the southern part of Britain

and made forays into Caledonia only when necessary.

The Ninth was the go-to legion for that hazardous work,

for at least the next two generations.

Alison Leonard: We know that the Ninth was still present

in northern Britain in 108 CE

because in the mid-19th century, workers digging a drain

near what's now York, in northern England

found a square stone slab over three feet across,

with an inscription. It reads:

"The Ninth Hispana Legion rebuilt the fort,

for the Emperor." It's dated to 108 CE.

So we know the Ninth Legion was there at that time.

Adam Bunch: By 122 CE, things were going poorly enough

for the Romans in Caledonia

that reigning Emperor Hadrian

traveled to Britain in person,

taking another legion, the Sixth Beatrix with him.

He was building a wall.

And not just any wall.

Hadrian's Wall was going to divide

the island of Britain in two, separating the Romans

and the so-called barbarians to the north.

Amma Agbedor: All military units were needed to build the wall,

thousands of soldiers, working for at least six years.

Each Legion 'signed' the wall

with engraved plaques and stamped bricks:

The Second Legion,

the Sixth Victrix, and the 20th.

Yet no part of the wall bears the mark of the Ninth Legion.

So we know the Ninth was there in 108 CE,

but by 122 CE, they were gone.

What happened to them?

Narrator: Marcus Cornelius Fronto, an historian of the day,

wrote that during Emperor Hadrian's reign,

"the Britons could not be kept under Roman control,"

and that large numbers of Roman soldiers

had been killed by them.

James Ellis: Given that Hadrian and the Sixth Legion

took up residence at Eboracum as soon as they arrived in 122 CE,

when Fronto wrote about "large numbers" of casualties,

could he have been talking about the Ninth Legion?

Had the Ninth Legion been wiped out,

before Hadrian and the Sixth got there?

Alison Leonard: If the Ninth Legion had been attacked

and decimated, it would've been a pretty compelling reason

for Hadrian to want to build a wall,

to prevent a devastating attack from happening again.

The Ninth had a reputation for being unbeatable.

However, there is evidence

that they weren't entirely invincible.

Narrator: In 61 CE, there was a revolt by the Iceni tribe,

in Eastern Britain and a large number of Roman soldiers

died in the bloody conflict.

Roughly half the Ninth Legion was wiped out,

which earned the battle the name,

"The Massacre of the Ninth."

Adam Bunch: They could also have been sent somewhere else

and been wiped out there.

In the Roman Parthian war near Armenia,

fought a bit later, between 161 and 165 CE,

there are records of a Roman Legion being annihilated.

Their commander even chose to die by suicide,

which they sometimes did after a humiliating defeat.

While the event was documented,

the Legion itself wasn't named.

Amma Agbedor: At that time there was a seldom-used sanction

called "damnatio memoriae",

where anyone perceived to be a traitor to Rome,

or an "enemy of the state",

might have their memory officially condemned.

Their name would be erased from public record,

so an event they took part in, such as a battle,

would still be recorded of course,

but they would be unnamed in that record.

So could the Ninth have done something worthy

of damnatio memoriae?

Narrator: There is one little-known chapter

in the Ninth Legion's otherwise spotless history,

as loyal soldiers of the Empire

that could have resulted in damnatio memoriae.

James Ellis: Back when Julius Caesar was leading them,

in northern Italy, the Ninth threatened mutiny

over not getting enough pay or a cut of the 'spoils of war'.

Alison Leonard: Caesar could have "decimated" the Ninth

for that, meaning, that he executed

every tenth soldier, as a lesson to all.

But he ended up allowing a 'plea deal',

where the Ninth abandoned its mutiny

and just an even dozen of the ring leaders were executed.

Amazingly, the Ninth went back to being

one of Caesar's favourite Legions after that.

But the incident proves they were willing

to defy orders... or worse.

Adam Bunch: One possible hole in the damnatio memoria theory,

is that many of the records back then

were literally chiseled in stone.

And while there's evidence of senators

and even disgraced emperors

having their names chiseled away and erased,

there doesn't seem to be any sign of that happening

to the Ninth Legion's name.

So it's an interesting theory,

but with no hard evidence to back it up.

Narrator: After centuries of searching all over Britain

for any trace of Rome's Ninth Legion,

a surprise discovery led some researchers to believe

that they would never be found there.

Amma Agbedor: An archaeological dig hundreds of miles away,

across the sea, in what is now the Netherlands,

turned up three building tiles,

stamped with the Ninth's unit number.

And more than that; a bronze pendant from a harness

that would have been worn by one of the Ninth's war horses

was also found.

So how could these have ended up here?

James Ellis: In 132 CE, the Bar Kokhba Revolt broke out

in Judea, part of modern Israel and the West Bank.

The Romans put the rebellion down ruthlessly,

but it took about three years to do it.

Some believe that the artifacts discovered in the Netherlands

are proof that Rome's Ninth Legion

was sent to fight in Judea,

and stopped in the Netherlands, en route.

Alison Leonard: This would prove that the Ninth Legion

was still in existence in 132 CE

much later than what previous evidence had suggested.

And it also opens up a possibility.

Is that when and where the Ninth finally met its end,

during the bloody three-year battle in Judea?

Adam Bunch: But if the entire Ninth Legion was wiped out

in Judea, you might expect to find physical evidence of it,

maybe their skeletal remains,

damaged armor, shields, helmets...

none of which seems to have been found so far.

We do know that lots of Roman soldiers died

putting down the revolt,

but we don't have any concrete evidence

to convince historians that any of them

belonged to the Ninth Legion.

Narrator: Rome's Ninth Legion had a long history

and a mysterious end

but left a lasting legacy.

Amma Agbedor: Hadrian's Wall stood for over 300 years,

and during that time, the cultures of the people

to the north and south of it

had time to develop quite differently,

into England and Scotland.

Some say the wall never would have been built,

if the Ninth Legion hadn't allowed itself to be beaten

by the Caledonian tribes,

and that it's responsible

for Britain being divided.

James Ellis: As it stands, the last irrefutable,

concrete evidence we have that the Ninth Legion was still

in existence is the fort building inscription

from 108 CE, in what was then Eboracum.

There are so many theories as to what became of them

after that, but what every one of them lacks

is evidence to back it up.

Narrator: It's still very possible that one day soon,

Rome's lost Ninth Legion will march back

into the history books,

and the mystery of their disappearance

can finally be put to rest.

♪♪

Narrator: 1968, a year when the world teetered

between peace and nuclear catastrophe.

As tensions rose on land, something darker

unfolded beneath the ocean's surface.

Alison Leonard: In January of 1968, the INS Dakar,

a newly acquired Israeli submarine,

disappeared without a distress signal.

Only two days prior, the French Minerve

vanished during a routine patrol.

In March, the Soviet K-129, a nuclear-armed sub,

sunk in the Pacific, and in May,

the USS Scorpion went missing.

James Ellis: Four submarines, each from a different nation,

vanished without a trace,

killing a combined 318 sailors.

Amma Agbedor: The odds of four subs going missing

within less than six months of each other

must be astronomical.

In that geopolitical climate,

any explanation seemed possible.

Covert attacks, technical sabotage,

cold war cover-ups.

So what happened to these subs?

And why were authorities so desperate

to keep it under wraps?

Narrator: In early 1968,

the Soviet K-129 left the naval base

at Petropavlovsk, Russia,

for a routine patrol in the Pacific Ocean

northeast of Hawaii.

For weeks, it traveled in silent mode,

running on battery power, to avoid detection.

Adam Bunch: The K-129 wasn't the most modern sub.

A fairly old model,

but it was 330 feet long,

and thought to have been armed with three

one megaton nuclear missiles,

each with more than 65 times the explosive power

of the bomb that leveled Nagasaki.

Alison Leonard: On March 8, 1968,

the K-129 failed to transmit a scheduled radio signal.

The sub, and its crew of 98 men, had suddenly vanished.

The Soviet Admiralty quickly launched a massive search,

covering over 800,000 square miles.

But after two months of unsuccessful efforts,

they ultimately had to abandon the operation.

Narrator: In the 1960s, Israel agreed to buy

three World War II-era T-class submarines

from Great Britain,

including the Dakar, which would be refurbished

and modernized before joining their fleet.

Throughout 1967,

the Dakar underwent extensive sea trials

and the sub set out on its maiden voyage from the UK,

bound for Haifa, Israel,

with a crew of 69 on January 9, 1968.

Adam Bunch: The last time anyone heard from Dakar

was just after midnight on January 25th, 1968,

as it traveled through the waters of the eastern

Mediterranean between Crete and Cyprus.

Some people immediately suspected it had been attacked.

The Six-Day war had ended just months earlier,

and relations between Israel and Egypt

were still on a knife's edge.

James Ellis: Search efforts by sea and air began immediately

after the DAKAR's transmissions went silent,

but nothing was found.

Narrator: On January 27, 1968,

just days after the disappearance of the INS Dakar,

France's Minerve suffered the same fate.

The Daphne class, diesel- electric powered submarine,

and its 52 crew members disappeared

during a routine training mission

near the port of Toulon,

on the south coast of France.

Amma Agbedor: Once the alarm was raised,

the French admiralty threw everything into the search,

around 20 boats, helicopters, aircraft,

and even a diving vessel from Jacques Cousteau's team.

But despite all that, they found nothing.

James Ellis: There was speculation over

what caused the disaster.

They ranged from a problem with the sub's rudder,

a collision with another boat,

the explosion of a missile or torpedo,

or a fault with its oxygen supply systems.

We know it went down in less than four minutes,

but there's just no evidence to explain exactly why.

♪♪

Narrator: Spring, 1968,

the USS Scorpion, a nuclear- powered attack submarine,

slipped quietly into the Mediterranean

on a classified mission.

On May 21, during the return voyage to Norfolk, Virginia,

the Scorpion's radioman reported that she was 250 miles

southwest of the Azores Islands,

and would arrive at her home port on May 27 as scheduled.

Amma Agbedor: Six days later, families gathered

at Pier 22 in Norfolk,

waiting for the return of the sub and the 99 men aboard.

They never arrived.

The Navy had secretly been searching for the USS Scorpion

since May 24, after calls to the sub went unanswered.

Alison Leonard: There was a Soviet flotilla in the area

near the Canary Islands at the time,

and the Scorpion had been re-routed

from her original mission to keep an eye on them.

Some people think the Soviets discovered the Scorpion

and sank it in retaliation for spying,

which is a tantalizing theory, but the Soviets

didn't have the capability to hunt down the Scorpion.

Amma Agbedor: At that time, the Soviets were still relying

on their slow, outdated diesel-powered submarines,

the Whiskey class.

The Scorpion, with its advanced technology,

would've easily outpaced them.

Adam Bunch: Plus, no Soviet or Warsaw Pact vessels

were known to be even within 1,000 miles

of the Scorpion's last known location.

There doesn't seem to be any direct evidence

of a Soviet ambush.

And if the Soviets had sunk the Scorpion,

it could have escalated into something

neither side wanted, a nuclear war.

Narrator: In October 1968,

a U.S. Navy research ship made a shocking discovery.

400 miles off the Azores,

nearly 11,000 feet down,

the shattered hull of the USS Scorpion

lay twisted on the ocean floor,

almost torn in half.

Amma Agbedor: One of the earliest possibilities

explored by the U.S. Navy

was the idea that a 'hot run' torpedo

had destroyed the Scorpion.

A 'hot run' is when a torpedo's engine activates

while it's still inside the submarine.

And six months earlier,

the Scorpion had a near-disaster

with a Mark 37 torpedo

that accidentally armed itself.

James Ellis: In its 8 years of service,

the Scorpion had been plagued by so many technical issues,

that it had earned the nickname "The Scrapiron."

There were a staggering 109 unfulfilled work orders

on the sub during its last deployment,

and crew members reported that the sub was already showing

significant signs of wear and tear.

It's not a stretch to think that

this could have created huge problems, like a hot-run.

Adam Bunch: But when investigators examined

the photos of the wreckage, they couldn't find

any torpedo damage to the hull.

No sign of the kind of

cataclysmic explosion it would have sparked.

No fragments of the torpedo room in the debris field.

Narrator: When the Scorpion disappeared,

it produced acoustic signals detected by underwater sensors

on both sides of the Atlantic.

A reanalysis of this data in recent years,

combined with the conclusions drawn

in a 1970 government inquiry,

points to an onboard catastrophe.

James Ellis: It's possible the Scorpion experienced

a hydrogen explosion while charging

its lead-acid batteries, which were prone to leaks.

At the time the sub went down,

it was at periscope depth with watertight hatches closed.

This could have trapped explosive hydrogen

in the battery area.

Alison Leonard: A spark could have ignited the gas,

causing an explosion that led to a second battery explosion.

This matches two small blasts that were detected

by hydrophones half a second apart.

And really, this is the only concrete evidence that we have

that might explain how the Scorpion was lost.

But we may never know what happened to her.

Narrator: In 2012, the U.S. Submarine Veterans Organization

requested a new investigation

into the Scorpion's sinking,

but it was denied.

The wreckages of the other three submarines

were ultimately located after varying lengths of time.

France's Minerve lay undiscovered on the ocean floor

for a full 51 years.

No connection has been made between the disasters,

and authorities have offered no 'official' explanation

as to what caused the destruction

of any of the four subs in 1968.

♪♪

♪♪