1 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:07,080 The Abrolhos Islands... 2 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:09,720 it's wild, but beautiful. 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,200 I spend a lot of time out here. 4 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:17,840 I've got a little aquaculture business. 5 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,960 And I just love this wild isolation, I suppose. 6 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,800 When it gets rough here, it's so rough, mate. 7 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,280 You don't want to hit this reef in a boat. 8 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,600 No way. Good luck in surviving. 9 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:45,280 Over the last 400 years, 10 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,080 there's a lot of ships that have come to peril on this reef. 11 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:50,680 It was a ship trap. 12 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:52,320 Still is today. 13 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,040 I still hold hope that there is some hidden wrecks and hidden gems 14 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:00,600 beneath the seas around here. 15 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,480 One of them's called the Ridderschap van Holland, 16 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:06,480 a very important historic Dutch ship. 17 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:09,360 It left Holland, was never found. 18 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,040 Like, not even a trace of it was found. 19 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,840 So, this is the one that some believe might be on this island. 20 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:20,120 It's gonna be awesome to find. 21 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,760 In the unpredictable waters of the infamous Abrolhos Islands... 22 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,040 If they get caught in one of those breakers, 23 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,000 they're just going to be high and dry, smack into the reef. 24 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:37,760 ...the shipwreck hunters are chasing 25 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:39,560 one of the greatest maritime mysteries. 26 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,160 This reef is so low-lying they would never see it at night. 27 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,560 So there's a very good chance we could find a wreck. 28 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:49,520 And a discovery could make history. 29 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:51,800 This whole mission's coming down to this moment. 30 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:53,000 That... Oh! 31 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:54,400 What is it, Al? 32 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:55,560 They look like cannons. 33 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,000 Andre, you know what "Abrolhos" means in Portuguese? 34 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,720 No. "Watch out. Keep your eyes open." 35 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:36,600 -Makes sense. -Big time. 36 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,960 You haven't been to the Abrolhos until you hit the bottom. 37 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:43,600 The Abrolhos Islands sit 60 kilometers 38 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,600 off the Western Australian coast. 39 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:50,160 The web of 122 low-lying atolls and hidden reefs 40 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:52,320 has been a shipping hazard for centuries. 41 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:56,600 It's also the location of the shipwreck hunters' next mission. 42 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,360 But first, they're diving the known wreck, Ben Ledi, 43 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:02,320 to check their equipment and procedures. 44 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,360 We've just pulled up at Long Island and we're gonna go for a test dive. 45 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:10,600 Here, on the shore, there's a beautiful wreck. 46 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,440 So this kind of training will help dial us in. 47 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:18,040 The team, they're gonna absolutely love it because they can see the rib structures 48 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:19,720 all camouflaged in all the coral. 49 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,360 And it's good for future searches so they know what to look for. 50 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,000 We're going in on scuba. Gives us more time on the bottom 51 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,040 and the opportunity to be really meticulous. 52 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,000 We've got all of our camera gear as well. 53 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:33,800 I'm actually really excited. 54 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,680 The water down here is so clear. 55 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:48,160 It's so crazy, Nushy. 56 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:50,680 Plenty of fish. 57 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:51,880 Beautiful structure. 58 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,240 Right. Big ribs and... 59 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:56,320 So good. 60 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:58,120 So much amazing fish life. 61 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:01,000 It's surreal down here. 62 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:04,480 How are those big admiralty anchors in the guts? 63 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:07,680 Nice, beautiful sharks. 64 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,400 Between the three of us, we should have heaps of data. 65 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:12,800 That's great, good work. 66 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,440 We'll see you back on the surface shortly. 67 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:21,160 Here they are now. 68 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:24,960 So sick! 69 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,600 That was just crazy. 70 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,880 -Didn't want to get out. -So many fish? 71 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,200 That was pretty epic. 72 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:34,280 It's amazing. 73 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,120 Let's get moving, get back to camp. 74 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,200 The Abrolhos Islands are home to a lobster fishing community. 75 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,880 For part of the year, Ash also lives here, 76 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,800 tending to his sustainable seaweed farm. 77 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,160 For the next 10 days, it'll also be home for the shipwreck hunters... 78 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:56,800 -Coming in hot! -...while they search 79 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,440 for one of history's great missing ships. 80 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:00,640 There you go, mate. 81 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,480 So, this is the ship that vanished. The Ridderschap. 82 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:09,800 "Ridderschap" means "knighthood" in Dutch. 83 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,120 And it left Holland back in the 17th century. 84 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,200 And we're in the small pocket where it could be. 85 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,320 Mate, it's been my dream to find it. 86 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,440 In 1693, Ridderschap van Holland, 87 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:28,040 one of the largest ships of the powerful Dutch East India Company, 88 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:30,680 set sail for a distant trading outpost. 89 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,560 On board was one of the most important men of the time, 90 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,520 Admiral Sir James Couper, the new Consul Extraordinaire to Batavia. 91 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:42,600 After resupplying at the Cape of Good Hope, 92 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:46,080 the next stop should have been the spice capital of Batavia. 93 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,400 When approaching the little-known southland, 94 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,000 Ridderschap van Holland had orders to turn north 95 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,800 and track parallel to modem-day Western Australia. 96 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,200 But somewhere along this route, 97 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,920 the ship and its 300 crew vanished. 98 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:07,560 One theory is that it disappeared in the waters of the Abrolhos Islands. 99 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,360 The Abrolhos is sticking out here as a trap off the coast. 100 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,680 And so, you might be sailing up the coast thinking you're in clear water 101 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:16,440 and suddenly you're on the reefs. 102 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:20,120 It's a mystery that has fascinated geologist and shipwreck hunter, 103 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,320 Alasdair Cooke, for decades. 104 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:25,360 The Ridderschap's a really important ship, 105 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:26,800 has just an incredible story. 106 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,480 Alasdair has shipwreck hunting in his blood. 107 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,920 In the 1960s, here in the Abrolhos Islands, 108 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,440 one of his relatives co-discovered another historic Dutch wreck, Batavia. 109 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,800 As a kid, I just remember thinking, "What a cool thing to do," 110 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,080 you know, like, what a great interest to have in your life, 111 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:47,960 researching these missing wrecks. 112 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,080 Alasdair has combined historical records 113 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,880 and geophysical surveys of the Abrolhos Islands, 114 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,080 trying to find telltale signs of a shipwreck. 115 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:00,800 If it's on the West Australian coast, 116 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:02,520 it's a big area to cover. 117 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,400 However, there are ways you can narrow down the odds. 118 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:07,360 -Let me show you. -Awesome. 119 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:10,760 -The Abrolhos... -Here you go. 120 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:11,840 Good on you, thanks. 121 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:18,600 So, we've been looking for 25 years up and down the West Australian coast. 122 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:21,600 And the way we're doing it that's different 123 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:23,800 is we're using a airborne magnetometer, 124 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:26,200 like a metal detector strapped to a helicopter. 125 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,480 And fly along the coast right on the reef line. 126 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,200 We get anomalies when there's some kind of steel object on the reef. 127 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:38,160 So any wreck that's got cannons or anchors is going to show up. 128 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,680 When flown close to the surface, 129 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,240 a magnetometer will detect objects that are dense in iron 130 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:46,000 and could be part of a shipwreck. 131 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,240 Alasdair has scanned a section of the Abrolhos Islands 132 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:51,960 with some intriguing results. 133 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,520 So if there's two locations where there's strong anomalies 134 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,160 that'd mean there's definitely steel there 135 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,680 and they don't correlate with any known wrecks. 136 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:02,840 And we've tried to dive this area, 137 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,000 but we just couldn't get out 138 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:07,240 with the swell conditions the way they were. 139 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,720 But that's where you guys come in. 140 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,480 We'll give you the exact coordinates of where these magnetic anomalies are 141 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:16,520 and then you'll need to run in between the waves, 142 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,520 get right over the top of those coordinates 143 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:21,240 or as close as you can, and see what's on the bottom. 144 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:25,440 And, Al, how do you know that the way that you read the data actually works? 145 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,480 We know it works because all of the things that we've flown over, 146 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:30,560 all of the known wrecks show up really well. 147 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,840 And we found quite a lot of wrecks already using that data. 148 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:37,040 One of them's up here in the Easter group. We've dived on it once 149 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,920 and we've found things that suggest it's definitely a wreck, 150 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:41,600 it looks like it's an old wreck. 151 00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:44,920 It doesn't look like it's Dutch, but it looks like it's interesting. 152 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:46,840 -Wow. -That's super-exciting. 153 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,080 We've shown the museum what we'd found up there, 154 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,560 and they think it's a boat that went missing in the 1860s 155 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:54,000 called the Cochituate. 156 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,680 And so the museum have asked if we have the opportunity, 157 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:59,400 go and have a look at it, film it in more detail. 158 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,480 That might help them positively identify this as the Cochituate, 159 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:03,720 and as a new discovery. 160 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:05,720 -That's wicked. -That's so cool. 161 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,160 All right, so the two main jobs that we want to do, 162 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,240 we want to get out on to the potential Cochituate site 163 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:12,880 and see what we can find, 164 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,680 and then the other is to come down here onto Half Moon Reef, 165 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:17,680 get out there amongst the swell, 166 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,760 and look at these targets that we haven't been able to get onto. 167 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,040 Hopefully, find a Dutch wreck that's been missing 168 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,120 -for hundreds of years. -Pretty keen. 169 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:26,920 -All right, let's go. -Can't wait. 170 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,160 The shipwreck hunters now have 171 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:33,520 an incredible double mission ahead of them, 172 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,680 help Alasdair find the famous Ridderschap van Holland, 173 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:40,720 but first, discover evidence to confirm the identity of another wreck, 174 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,080 the 160-year-old Cochituate. 175 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:45,960 -I wish we'd get going. -Well... 176 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,600 And everyone's going back for more cereal. It's like... 177 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:50,440 One more trip and we'll be ready. 178 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:52,400 Another trip? Okay. 179 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,880 Cochituate was captained by American George Bangs. 180 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,760 The 347-ton barque smashed into a reef 181 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:03,440 at 3:00 a.m. on June 14, 1861. 182 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:07,720 Although they would endure weeks of great hardship, 183 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:10,240 the crew lived to tell the tale. 184 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:12,760 And so we've really got our work cut out for us today. 185 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,880 We've got to try and positively identify that this wreck site is the Cochituate. 186 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:18,720 There's still a few missing pieces, 187 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:20,800 but it's really about gathering more evidence 188 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:22,720 to try and fill in those gaps. 189 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:26,000 With local lobster fisher, Jesse Liddon, at the helm, 190 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,840 the team is heading 12 nautical miles northwest 191 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:31,680 to the outer edge of the notorious West Reef, 192 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:33,680 where Cochituate is said to have sunk. 193 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,680 Here, they'll be exposed to the full force of the Indian Ocean. 194 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,920 It's such a remote place, the Abrolhos. 195 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,840 It's miles offshore on the coast of Western Australia, 196 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:51,320 plus, on the west side, 197 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:55,720 it's, like, thousands of nautical miles to South Africa, 198 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,320 thousands of nautical miles to Antarctica. 199 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,800 Got such a massive expanse of ocean. 200 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:04,920 The first thing it hits is Abrolhos Islands. 201 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:09,760 All that energy from the waves coming from such a huge distance. 202 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:14,040 So, that's always a massive danger for the divers. 203 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,480 Alasdair has two locations for the team to dive. 204 00:11:20,560 --> 00:11:23,560 One, in dangerous surf breaking on the reef, 205 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:26,920 the other in the calmer waters of the lagoon. 206 00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:29,920 We're now moored just in the lagoon here. 207 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,560 If we start off running along the inside here, see if we can pick up 208 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,400 any signs of the wreckage that might've come over the reef. 209 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,440 So, the ship we're trying to identify was wooden? 210 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,200 It's one of the biggest ships lost in the Abrolhos and never found. 211 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:44,840 So if we can get good photographs, 212 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,760 we should get enough information to positively identify it. 213 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,920 For three months, Cochituate was stuck on this remote reef. 214 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,080 After removing anything of value, 215 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:57,760 a salvage team bunt the ship to the waterline 216 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:01,320 to expose valuable metals such as copper, used for nails. 217 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:04,280 Cochituate then disappeared into history, 218 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:06,720 its exact location lost forever. 219 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,200 Alasdair believes evidence in this spot 220 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,680 will finally identify the long-lost shipwreck. 221 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,160 If it's the Cochituate, it was a wooden wreck fastened with copper. 222 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:22,120 So the things you'll see will be the stuff that the algae doesn't grow on. 223 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,880 So the copper should be the easy thing to find, 224 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:26,480 but there might be some ceramics, 225 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:30,160 and there might be other paraphernalia off the wreck, potentially. 226 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:32,320 So the team will be equipped with all cameras, 227 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:33,840 we'll document the whole thing, 228 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,320 try and get some real evidence of what's laying here. 229 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:38,440 It will be a methodical search. 230 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,600 The team will capture evidence on camera 231 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:43,000 for the Western Australian Museum to examine. 232 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:44,560 Any time we dive on a wreck site 233 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,640 we're following cultural heritage guidelines, 234 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:49,080 which really means everything stays in situ. 235 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,440 You can't actually touch or affect the site at all. 236 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,240 And that's the reason with photography and videography, 237 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:57,160 if we can take the stills, take the video, bring that back 238 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:00,400 and review it over periods of time to piece it all together, 239 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,280 and get a really good understanding of what's on the seafloor. 240 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,400 That's the treasure, really. 241 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:06,960 Cool. Let's get in the water. 242 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:13,720 All right, bye, bye. 243 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:24,280 On the inside of the reef, 244 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:28,120 Alasdair has already found evidence of possible shipwreck debris. 245 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:33,600 The team quickly finds more. 246 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,920 These stones, they don't look at home here, 247 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,480 so it's another clue that there's a shipwreck. 248 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:42,160 It's a really good sign. 249 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,880 So it's called a ballast trail. It's a really good indicator 250 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,320 that we're on a shipwreck of a wooden sailing boat. 251 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:54,040 Ballast is a heavy material, often bricks or rocks, 252 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:56,400 placed in a ship's hull to increase stability. 253 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,640 The site soon reveals more secrets. 254 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,640 There's this huge copper nail just sitting there in the sand, 255 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:06,120 it's in really good condition. 256 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,360 Much bigger than normal nails we see every day, 257 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,800 so it stuck out really well, and it means we're definitely on the right site. 258 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,280 Looks like the wrecks just hit the wall here, 259 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:20,040 and then all the artefacts have just been splayed out 260 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,440 hundreds of meters all over this reef in the middle of nowhere. 261 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,040 The ballast trail and the copper nails 262 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,960 are part of a plume of debris washed in from the wreck. 263 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,360 It lines up with Alasdair's aerial magnetometer hit 264 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:34,840 on the outside of the reef. 265 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:37,920 Whatever's there could be significant enough 266 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,440 to confirm the ship's identity. 267 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:43,520 I reckon it could be anchors, mate. Hopefully. 268 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,440 We got to get out there while the swell's good. 269 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,320 Hold on, Johnny. 270 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,200 We saw some fastenings, so it's definitely a wreck site. 271 00:14:58,280 --> 00:14:59,840 The wrecks come over the reef. 272 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:02,520 I reckon maybe there's an anchor or something out there, 273 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:04,120 or the main bit of structure. 274 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:05,440 You can see 275 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:07,240 we're coming into the gutter now. 276 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:10,640 There's a lot more swell and surge coming over that area, 277 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:12,640 so it's gonna be harder to dive there. 278 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:15,800 We'll just free dive it. It's easier, we're more agile in the water, 279 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,800 and if it all goes pear-shaped, we can get out quick. 280 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,640 Andre drops a marker in the middle of the target zone 281 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,360 to focus diving operations. 282 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:26,000 -Back on the money there? -We're on the money! 283 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:30,320 With a dangerous swell building, the team must work quickly. 284 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:31,960 Whoo-hoo! 285 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:37,760 It's one of the favorite parts of shipwreck hunting, 286 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:39,840 the anticipation before you get in the water. 287 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:43,240 Everyone's going as fast as they can, and the conditions are good. 288 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,640 -Andre's already down there. -Small fear of dying, too. 289 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:48,760 Just to keep you on your toes. 290 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,560 It's almost a race to get in the water, to be honest, 291 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,560 and I'm losing, so I better get in. 292 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:01,280 To thoroughly search the area, 293 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:05,640 the divers work together to cover a 200-meter zone around the marker buoy. 294 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,960 Skipper, Jesse Liddon, and his brother, Sam, 295 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:13,480 who know the dangers of this reef well, 296 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:15,280 are ready for any emergency. 297 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,200 Slowly, shapes from the wreck emerge. 298 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,960 Alasdair uses a detector to confirm they're made of metal. 299 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,240 The team fights the swell and current, 300 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:02,480 determined to capture evidence on camera. 301 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:11,320 Hopefully, it's enough to identify this as the Cochituate wreck site. 302 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:22,280 There's a few bits of metal. 303 00:17:22,360 --> 00:17:24,560 Couldn't find any wood. 304 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:26,400 -No. -Just steel... 305 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:29,640 ...just sitting in the holes in the reef. 306 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,520 I'd say it's been there a long time, there's not much left of any structure. 307 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:34,720 I guess not. 308 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,080 It's as if the captain didn't even deploy any anchors, 309 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,360 and just hit the reef and kept going. 310 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,400 You're literally at the mercy of the ocean in there. 311 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,120 Like, I couldn't even really move with these giant fins against the current. 312 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,240 There's so much water movement. 313 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:55,960 But it just makes you think about, you know, those guys, 314 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:57,320 if they're wrecking here, 315 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:01,400 they've just got this constant push up against shallower and shallower... 316 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,000 And this is a good day. 317 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,040 Imagine in the storm on a big day. 318 00:18:06,120 --> 00:18:08,400 And they're fully clad in clothes and overboard. 319 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,400 -Might not have known how to swim. -Makes you feel for them, 320 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:13,600 if you think about what they went through. 321 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,920 To find out why Cochituate hit the reef and what happened next, 322 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:30,280 Johnny has discovered a newspaper report from 1861. 323 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:34,160 The human story is so wild, and it says, 324 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,560 "The Cochituate had experienced heavy gales 325 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,000 "for some days previous to the accident, 326 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,640 "but at the time it occurred, it was about 3:00 a.m." 327 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,480 Obviously, it was a massive cold front that they were stuck in. 328 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:46,680 It'd be horrendous. 329 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:48,360 Sleepless nights. 330 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:52,840 -Heaps of broken rigging and repairs. -Cold, always wet, right? 331 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,040 You can't get dry when you're working on a deck 332 00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:56,720 -in a storm. -No, no. 333 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,440 "At the time it occurred, there was a light wind. 334 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:04,000 "And when the breakers were first seen, the ship was close upon them. 335 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,080 "And when attempted to be put about, she misstays, 336 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,080 "when the man at the helm had his shoulder bone broken 337 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:11,640 "by the spokes of the wheel." 338 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:13,760 -Oh, my God. -It's crazy. 339 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:18,320 The wheel would've just got flicked out of his hands when the rudder hit reef. 340 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:20,240 -Yes. -It would be chaos. 341 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:23,440 Imagine the noise, the timber cracking up. 342 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:24,560 Oh, my God. 343 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:27,280 And then it'd get pushed over with the breaker. 344 00:19:27,360 --> 00:19:29,680 The waves smashing it against the reef, 345 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:32,640 the screaming of everyone, like, a lot of them couldn't swim. 346 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,680 Like, it doesn't get scarier than that as a sailor, does it? 347 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:37,440 Middle of the night, hitting a reef. 348 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,480 You can only just imagine it. It'd be horrible, mate. 349 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:45,040 In the chaos of the wreck, 350 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:47,360 the crew somehow managed to abandon ship, 351 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:50,040 scramble into two small lifeboats, 352 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:51,960 find their bearings, 353 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:55,720 and sail for the mainland 60 kilometers to the east. 354 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:00,680 Two days later, they landed on a remote stretch of coastline. 355 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:02,760 With few provisions, 356 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:07,000 Captain Bangs, an American, and his crew of various nationalities 357 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,280 were now in a desperate situation. 358 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:13,520 "The second mate and party 359 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,080 "started to walk along the beach to Fremantle, 360 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:20,520 "each man living on dead fish and birds which they picked up along the beach." 361 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:23,040 That's like 400 Ks away. 362 00:20:23,120 --> 00:20:24,240 By foot. 363 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:26,680 "The captain was said to be very sickly 364 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:30,680 "and having a very old man in his party, too infirm to travel. 365 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,120 "The weather continuing unfavorable, 366 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,520 "they left following the route of their companions." 367 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,800 So you've got an old bloke that's slowing you down. 368 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:42,200 -Keeping you back. -Bring him or leave him to die? 369 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:46,040 What would you have done, Ash, if there was an old boy keeping you? 370 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:50,320 You mean you'd leave him to die? 371 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:51,520 Go ahead, Johnny. 372 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:54,000 -I don't wanna get stranded with you. -No. 373 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,800 The rest of the article goes on. "On Saturday evening, 374 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,280 "the town of Fremantle was thrown into a state of great excitement 375 00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:04,640 "by the arrival of a man in a state of starvation 376 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:06,560 "who stated that he was a Dutchman 377 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,760 "belonging to the barque Cochituate, of Boston, United States. 378 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,840 "Mounted police and search parties were sent out, 379 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,800 "and fairly quickly, the rest of the survivors were found. 380 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,760 "They were in poor condition but alive, including Captain Bangs. 381 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:23,720 "We were informed that the captain was not aware 382 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:28,000 "that Champion Bay was settled, nor did he know of such a place." 383 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:30,720 Champion Bay, where there was a settlement. 384 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:32,320 -Geraldton. -Geraldton. 385 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:37,680 So basically, they've hiked 400-odd kilometers over around two weeks, 386 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:40,440 when they could've walked 60 kilometers 387 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:41,800 -in the other direction. -No... 388 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:43,720 That is brutal. 389 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:45,760 -They could've walked within a day... -Oh... 390 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:47,000 ...and been within safety, 391 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:48,440 but they've done two weeks. 392 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,440 -Oh, God. -But they'd be rightly furious. 393 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:53,480 -Great story. -It is a brilliant story. 394 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,400 Without knowing there was a settlement just to the north, 395 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,800 the crew of Cochituate instead walked south, 396 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,600 all the way to the port town of Fremantle. 397 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:07,640 While the crew's survival is documented, 398 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,240 the team need to confirm if they've found the wreck of Cochituate. 399 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:14,200 So this is some of the ballast stones. 400 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,480 And we also saw some other little things. 401 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:18,840 Like, we saw some of the copper nails as well. 402 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:20,640 That really narrows it down. 403 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:23,400 At the very minimum, it shows it was a sailing vessel, 404 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:26,680 and the copper nails show that it was a wooden sailing vessel. 405 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:29,320 And, you know, that'll put kind of a age wrap around it. 406 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:31,960 -That's awesome. Super cool. -Amazing. That's so cool. 407 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,880 And you can see these long iron ingots here. 408 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:37,760 It's really hard to tell what they are, 409 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:42,240 but they're immediately outside the reef from where the ballast trail is. 410 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:45,480 So they're in the right position for where the ship must've broken up. 411 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:49,480 We've just gotta find somebody who knows about how they built ships in the 1860s. 412 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,280 Do you think that we should send this imagery to the W.A. Museum? 413 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:54,360 Absolutely. 414 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,360 Those images are so clear. That's gonna be a big help to identifying what they are. 415 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,480 Get it to the museum and on to the next one. 416 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:02,680 On to the Ridderschap. 417 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,600 The next day, a big swell makes it too dangerous 418 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:16,800 to launch the second phase of the mission, 419 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:21,600 diving targets Alasdair hopes could be the wreck of a mighty Dutch ship. 420 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:27,040 Ridderschap van Holland was a flagship of the Dutch East India Company, 421 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:29,760 which ruled the waves, if not the world, 422 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:31,480 throughout the 17th century. 423 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:34,480 The ship's failure to arrive at Batavia, 424 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,400 now Jakarta in modern-day Indonesia, 425 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,280 with Admiral Couper and its much-needed treasury, 426 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:42,080 was a huge blow to the Company. 427 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:46,440 In response, three ships commanded by Willem de Vlamingh 428 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,320 were sent to search the West Australian coastline, 429 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,280 rescue Admiral Couper, and secure the treasure. 430 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:55,320 De Vlamingh found nothing. 431 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:59,920 Many believe Ridderschap van Holland lies here on the Abrolhos islands, 432 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,160 and for good reason. 433 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:04,160 As soon as they left Cape Town, all the Dutch ships were directed 434 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:06,160 to sail due east to a certain distance 435 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:09,560 and stay well clear of the mainland of Australia. 436 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:11,760 -Yep. -And you can just imagine, like, 437 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:14,000 this is, like, the coast of... 438 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,320 They'd come towards Western Australia, 439 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:18,440 chosen a path northwards, 440 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:20,360 but what they didn't know was 441 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,400 there's this group of islands further north called Abrolhos, 442 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:24,720 where we are now. 443 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,320 There's no moon, it's so dark, 444 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,160 there's no way you're gonna see these low-lying islands. 445 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:31,240 -They would have no idea. -Absolutely. 446 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:35,280 That's why there's been a couple of found wrecks, Dutch wrecks, 447 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:37,400 let alone all the other shipwrecks. 448 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:41,440 The Ridderschap van Holland was instructed to sail on the same route. 449 00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:47,040 If the wreck site is in the Abrolhos Islands, 450 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:50,800 any survivors would have experienced pristine waters 451 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:52,760 and extraordinary wildlife. 452 00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:14,480 Right now, surrounded by some Australian sea lions. 453 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:17,640 They just decided to come out and have a little swim. 454 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:21,960 They're so playful to swim with, they're so interactive. 455 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,960 But unfortunately, Australian sea lion numbers are in decline 456 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,480 and we've lost 60% over the last 40 years. 457 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:32,480 They're coming to say hi. 458 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,640 It's so interesting because the sea lions that we see here, 459 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:57,760 their colonies only ever stick to the same islands and beaches, 460 00:25:57,840 --> 00:25:59,640 so they probably have some stories 461 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,240 that were passed down through generation and generation. 462 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:04,400 Might know what happened with the Ridderschap, 463 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,480 probably where it is and everything. 464 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,280 If only they could talk to us. 465 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:11,280 -Can you speak seal? -Nah. 466 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:15,120 -Well, they'd have some good answers. -Definitely. 467 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,320 While Captain de Vlamingh searched the Western Australian coast, 468 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:25,760 a new rumor began circulating. 469 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,440 Johnny has found a 300-year-old letter 470 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,240 about de Vlamingh's search for Ridderschap van Holland. 471 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,560 It says, "The subject of this voyage was to get intelligence 472 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,840 "of a ship having on board Sir James Couper with 300 men, 473 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:43,800 "which we thought to be stranded there. 474 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:47,760 "But since we have understood that the ship has been taken 475 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:50,040 "by some pirates near Madagascar, 476 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:52,760 "and Sir James was by them killed." 477 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,080 In their mind, it's over there. 478 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:00,280 It's been taken by pirates, and it's never made it over here. 479 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,920 There's still people here in Western Australia 480 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,680 that think it's here, that's why we're doing the search. 481 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,320 Like, "Where is it?" It still needs to be found. 482 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:17,160 A new day, and the conditions have finally improved. 483 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,120 Just so happy we've got good swell, 484 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:20,840 like, a 1.4-meter swell, 485 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:22,920 which is, like, couple of days a year 486 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,480 we get that chance to dive this particular spot. 487 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,680 It'd just be amazing to find this missing Dutch wreck. 488 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,320 The team races to Alasdair's magnetometer hits. 489 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,880 This is their opportunity to find Ridderschap van Holland. 490 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,640 So we're just coming in on the ocean side of Wreck Point. 491 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:52,920 There's a few other wrecks that were wrecked along here over the years. 492 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,200 It's a super wild place. 493 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,840 There's thousands of kilometers of ocean that way, 494 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:01,360 and just swell rolling in, smashing in against the reef. 495 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:03,680 Super powerful. Super raw. 496 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:05,480 Lot of big sharks around here. 497 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:10,040 So it's about as wild as you get for places to look for shipwrecks. 498 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:14,400 This reef is so low-lying they would never see it at night, 499 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:19,080 so it's a perfect place to catch on these Dutch ships all that time ago. 500 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:21,760 So there's a very good chance we could find a wreck. 501 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,920 We've never had a day like this where you can get on top of the target 502 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:38,000 and see what it is. 503 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,320 There's gonna be something there that has created a magnetic anomaly, 504 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:43,480 so it's not... it's not natural. 505 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:46,440 It has to be something. Bit of anchor, you know, something. 506 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:52,320 Alasdair's targets are on the edge of Half Moon Reef 507 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:53,880 near Wreck Point, 508 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:55,920 where many ships continue to be lost. 509 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:01,520 Everyone knows it can be really dangerous here. 510 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:04,240 We're up against the big swells because of currents, 511 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:07,160 a lot of white water, and a lot of breakers. 512 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:11,280 And, of course, there's marine life here that can cause a fair few injuries, too. 513 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:14,120 So, we've just got to be real cautious of our surroundings, 514 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:16,520 and hopefully everything's gonna go well, 515 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:18,080 and we'll come back. 516 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,840 But, it always causes a little bit of nerves before you jump in. 517 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,200 I reckon we're gonna find it, that's for sure. 518 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:29,280 Let's go. 519 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:35,440 So they're just gonna drop the markers exactly where we think the anomaly is, 520 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,240 and then they'll come back and pick me up, very soon I hope. 521 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,440 Hopefully they don't find it while I'm over here. 522 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,560 For this difficult and dangerous phase of the mission, 523 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:50,320 Alasdair will direct operations from the boat. 524 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:53,360 There must be something that caused the anomaly, but... 525 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:58,440 it's possible that it's so overgrown with coral that they can't identify it. 526 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,040 In which case, it'd have to be pretty old. 527 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,240 This is where local knowledge just comes into it, 528 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:10,000 so now Jesse's holding us about five meters 529 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:12,240 from the edge of the reef, in the safe zone. 530 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,200 But if you go just a little bit too far that way, 531 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:17,080 you go over the waterfall. 532 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:20,800 -Oh, Jesus. -Far out. 533 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:22,000 Oh, my God. 534 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:24,240 The sharpest cheese-grating reef you'll ever have. 535 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:31,000 Looks like they're on the right spot, just inside the edge of the reef line, 536 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:33,600 so right where the waves are rolling over. 537 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:38,440 To find the targets, 538 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:42,280 the team will have to swim right into the impact zone. 539 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,000 We've got a couple of big sets coming through. 540 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:26,000 We've got some ski support. 541 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:28,680 We've got the drone in the sky watching us as well. 542 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:31,080 Just got to find something now. 543 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:39,320 Ash returns to update Alasdair on the search so far. 544 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:41,960 What'd you find, Ash? 545 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:46,400 Look, the waves have worn away these big daggers of limestone walls. 546 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:50,440 So, if our boat was to hit it, it's just all over. 547 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:53,720 There's some holes and cracks as well, 548 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:56,360 but you can distinctly see what's in the bottom of those. 549 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:00,440 And we had a good pair of eyes looking everywhere. 550 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:02,240 Well, that's all you can do. 551 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:07,120 Nothing abnormality-shaped down there. 552 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:12,200 I just don't want 'em to say they can't find anything, 553 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:16,160 'cause there's got to be something there that produces the magnetic anomaly. 554 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:17,680 It's a really clear target. 555 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:22,600 The worst thing is when you can't explain it 556 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:26,640 and you're just left wondering whether, you know, what you've missed. 557 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:35,840 What'd you see, fellas? 558 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,400 It looks like the perfect place for a shipwreck. 559 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:40,240 Jagged rocks off turbulent water. 560 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:41,480 Except no shipwreck. 561 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:45,040 -No. -Jesse, how close to the actual target? 562 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:46,640 Could you get shallow enough? 563 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:49,480 We got as close to the back edge as we could, 564 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:51,880 but I think that target is on top of the reef. 565 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:55,160 We gotta get up on top of the platform. Have a look... 566 00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:58,000 So maybe we'll go around on the lagoon side and come in. 567 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:00,760 And there is another distinctive magnetic anomaly 568 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:02,800 about 200 meters in the lagoon. 569 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:05,560 But I think we go back inside there and do that. 570 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:06,880 -Okay. -Yup. 571 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:12,120 Struggling to get close enough to the target 572 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:13,760 from the outside of the reef, 573 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:18,400 the team relocates to approach through the calmer waters of the lagoon. 574 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:20,360 On the way in, 575 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:23,840 there's an additional magnetometer target to investigate. 576 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,080 This whole mission's coming down to this moment. 577 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:36,280 We've got two more anomalies to check out. 578 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,560 This is our last chance to find the Ridderschap. 579 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:53,040 While the conditions are calmer here, 580 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:56,040 Mother Nature has thrown up another challenge. 581 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:04,000 It's, like, a big clump of coral right where the mark is. 582 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:05,720 -A foot. -Right over the top. 583 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:08,200 -Probably got a foot of coral on it. -Big clump. 584 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,440 So there probably is something under it. We just don't know what it is. 585 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,840 So, that anomaly is right in the middle of some huge staghorn coral gardens. 586 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,720 If something's beneath it, there's no way we're gonna see it. 587 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,680 Staghorn coral is made up of living animals, 588 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:27,320 little, tiny polyps that can often attach to wreckage, 589 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:30,480 and then just start excreting this calcareous substance 590 00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:32,240 and creates that outer skeleton, 591 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:35,440 and then over hundreds of years, it just keeps building up 592 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:38,400 and whatever it first attached to is pretty much buried. 593 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:42,400 We don't want to damage the marine environment, 594 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,280 so we're just gonna have to leave whatever wreckage might be buried beneath, 595 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:48,720 and the ocean will keep its secrets under the coral. 596 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:53,640 One more spot. 597 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:56,720 One more spot. 598 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:01,760 The team moves to the final magnetometer target, 599 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,080 the one they tried to reach earlier from the ocean side of the reef. 600 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:12,720 Far out, it's right on the reef, whatever it is. 601 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:16,520 Just somewhere... 602 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:20,040 at the bottom here. 603 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:24,160 Down here. 604 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:27,360 -On this inside of this ledge, Dre. -Under there, all that. 605 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:28,880 In this whole... 606 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:30,280 Right here. 607 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:32,080 There's stuff here and back there. 608 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:33,920 So, there's a lot of structure around. 609 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:36,120 -Look. -That... Oh! 610 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:38,720 Look, there's a cannon here, look. 611 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:40,600 -What? -Change in depth... 612 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:43,200 Here it is. It could be even this big black... 613 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:45,480 -Really? -We're right over it. 614 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,240 -You're right. -Look at that! 615 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:49,240 -You kidding? -They look like cannons? 616 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:51,440 Just have a look. Might be underwater. 617 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:55,840 Under there. All that. 618 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:05,560 Hey, Al. 619 00:36:07,240 --> 00:36:08,520 Al! Al! 620 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:12,480 What is it, Al? Anything, mate? 621 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:14,880 Looks like Nush's coming over. 622 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:20,720 Any cannons? 623 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:26,680 They look like cannons? 624 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,080 Oh, my gosh, I just got so excited. 625 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:46,600 I thought I saw, like, three or four cannons sitting on the bottom. 626 00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:50,560 And then I went and swam 'round the front, and I realized that they were gas bottles. 627 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:57,000 I was so disappointed. I was, like, "We're onto a wreck." 628 00:36:57,080 --> 00:36:58,840 We're onto something. And then, no. 629 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:02,800 -They look similar from the back. -From the back, they look similar. 630 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:06,000 But when you swim around the front, you feel like, "No, what's this?" 631 00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:08,000 -A gas bottle. -Spewing. It's a letdown. 632 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:09,080 It is. 633 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:20,680 Despite not finding Ridderschap van Holland, 634 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:24,280 for Alasdair, the mission has been a success. 635 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:28,440 Well, we've closed off a lot of the loose ends we've had from the past. 636 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:32,400 We've managed to get onto all the targets we've never been able to look at before. 637 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:35,560 And one day, we'll go up to one of those magnetic anomalies, 638 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:36,920 find what we're looking for. 639 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,600 But in the meantime, we've just got to work through them. 640 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:44,800 Still searching for answers, 641 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:48,040 Johnny has taken a closer look at the story of pirates 642 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:51,360 capturing Ridderschap van Holland off the coast of Africa. 643 00:37:52,160 --> 00:37:56,280 So, I know the VOC did do a search of Madagascar. 644 00:37:56,360 --> 00:37:59,760 They sent two ships there to search and they didn't find anything. 645 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:01,680 -Really? -Not a trace. 646 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:04,240 So, they've hit up all the locals around Madagascar. 647 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:06,760 They probably chased pirates around the sea for a bit. 648 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:08,920 And you know how ruthless they'd have been. 649 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:10,640 -They'd have found evidence. -Oh. 650 00:38:10,720 --> 00:38:15,520 So, I feel like that kind of shuts out that pirate story. Do you? 651 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:17,200 Be hard to pirate it. 652 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,640 So, there was like hundreds of men 653 00:38:19,720 --> 00:38:21,680 and army soldiers on that boat. 654 00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:24,800 -I don't know... -I mean, it's a massive ship. 655 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:26,800 There'd be signs of it, 656 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:29,720 if it was salvaged or turned into a pirate boat 657 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:32,320 -or scrapped for timber, and cannons... -100%. 658 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:34,800 -...and they'd find. -You can't just disappear 659 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:38,440 -with something like that. -It's gotta be underwater somewhere. 660 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:45,200 -It's a pretty cool mystery. -It is very cool, and it's crazy to think 661 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:49,760 that it's just sitting there underwater somewhere in the world, 662 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:53,880 like, it could be between here and Africa, or it could be, I don't know. 663 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:56,880 It could be a kilometer off there sitting under our noses, 664 00:38:56,960 --> 00:38:59,480 but maybe we'll never find it. 665 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:00,760 Maybe someone else will. 666 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:09,320 In the search for Ridderschap van Holland, 667 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:12,760 the team found evidence of a more recent wreck. 668 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:17,400 But the large, old gas bottles inside the reef have them stumped. 669 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:22,200 I first come up to these gas bottles, I'm like, "Oh, my God, it's cannon." 670 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:25,480 They looked a lot like they could have been the real thing. 671 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:27,760 Generations of Jesse Liddon's family 672 00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:29,400 have worked these waters. 673 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,000 He thinks he might know the answer. 674 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:34,920 I've never seen the gas bottles 'cause they blend in, 675 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,120 but I always fished around those railway irons, 676 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:38,960 and we were always told this story 677 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:42,080 about this massive freezer boat, the Atlantic Ocean, 678 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:44,120 and it's run aground on that reef, 679 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:47,320 and it's just sitting up there on its side. It's rolled over. 680 00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:51,520 They've brought in a team to re-weld the boat, refloat the boat. 681 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:53,600 For three months, they're living on the boat, 682 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,000 -and they at some point ripped it off... -Oh, my God. 683 00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:57,480 ...and left a few things behind. 684 00:39:57,560 --> 00:39:59,480 What a job, mate. 685 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:02,080 Jesse, what were the gas bottles for, then? 686 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:03,560 Well, we don't really know, 687 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:06,280 but my mum reckons it was as rollers to float it out 688 00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:07,920 and rip it off the back edge. 689 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:10,000 And then it was that spot 690 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:11,720 we always called the Atlantic Ocean. 691 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:15,880 But, and they corresponded exactly. So, at least your magnetometer works. 692 00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:18,920 The magnetometer picked them up, they looked like the distribution 693 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,280 you get from a wreck with cannons scattered around. 694 00:40:21,360 --> 00:40:23,760 And then you hear a story like that, and you go, 695 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:27,280 "Well, who would ever dream that up?" How could you ever expect that? 696 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:30,200 That's how it works. You gotta get out and look at everything, 697 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,720 and eventually you get onto one that's the real thing. 698 00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:35,400 So, we've covered it fairly thoroughly, I think. 699 00:40:35,480 --> 00:40:37,720 Unless you have more spots you'd like us to check, 700 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:40,760 that, you know, passed down in the family history. 701 00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:43,600 There's a couple of other wrecks out there. 702 00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:45,400 Maybe next trip. 703 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:47,400 At the start of the mission, 704 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,440 Alasdair and the shipwreck hunters discovered copper nails, 705 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,880 ballast and iron objects at West Reef. 706 00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:57,800 Hoping it might be the wreck site of the 160-year-old Cochituate, 707 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,160 they sent vision to the Western Australian Museum. 708 00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:05,960 Maritime archaeologist Dr. Deb Shefi is about to deliver the verdict. 709 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:07,800 -Hi, Deb. -Hey, team, how are you? 710 00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:09,000 Good to see ya, mate. 711 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,360 But first, she has news about the gas bottles. 712 00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:14,360 Thanks a lot for sending footage of the gas bottles. 713 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:15,720 This is an exciting find. 714 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:17,960 We had absolutely no idea that it was there. 715 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:20,200 Look, I've done some digging in our records. 716 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:23,040 And here, look, this is Atlantic Ocean. 717 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:27,400 Now, you have found the salvage site of this vessel that was built in 1961. 718 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:29,080 -That's great, Deb. -That's awesome. 719 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:31,640 What's even more exciting, I think, is, look here. 720 00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:34,760 So, here's a picture of the vessel on the reef itself, 721 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:38,320 taken after it wrecked in 1964, just three years later. 722 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:40,720 -So good. -So, pretty exciting 723 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:45,880 that we now have this footprint left of a wrecking event from 1964, 724 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:47,400 which we had no idea was there. 725 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,080 -And this means... -That's so exciting. Awesome. 726 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:52,600 -It's pretty exciting. So, thanks so much. -Mate. 727 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:56,800 Now onto that first site, the one you think is Cochituate. 728 00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:58,320 I've had a look at the footage. 729 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:00,560 I don't know the site, but what you've shown me, 730 00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:02,000 that iron structure, 731 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:05,320 those copper fasteners which clearly are part of a wooden vessel, 732 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:07,480 the ballast which doesn't belong there 733 00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:10,560 and the lack of evidence of any other material 734 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,000 suggests a heavily salvaged vessel. 735 00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:15,000 So, I'm happy to say 736 00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:17,600 that we can confirm that this is Cochituate. 737 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:20,480 So good, Al. That's awesome, that's very good. 738 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:22,280 -Congratulations, Al. -Amazing. 739 00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:23,880 -That's so cool. -Well done, team. 740 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:26,680 Really exciting that we get to add another known shipwreck 741 00:42:26,760 --> 00:42:28,240 off the coast of W.A. 742 00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:29,880 -Tick one off. -We have more to go, 743 00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:31,920 so keep up the good work. 744 00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:37,480 Cheers. 745 00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:38,600 Thanks, you guys. 746 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:43,400 It's been a fantastic week. We've made a positive ID on the Cochituate 747 00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:46,680 so we could tick that box and make sure that we did know what it was. 748 00:42:46,760 --> 00:42:50,840 And we'll all get to say, "Well, we've found a historic wreck," 749 00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:53,920 and I hope one of many to come, I hope. 750 00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:02,920 It's been a successful expedition. 751 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:07,120 The shipwreck hunters have made two remarkable breakthroughs. 752 00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:09,480 They've confirmed the wreck site of Cochituate, 753 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:13,640 and they've also discovered the salvage site of Atlantic Ocean. 754 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:20,440 But the ultimate prize of finding the missing 17th century Dutch trader 755 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:24,440 and solving one of history's great maritime mysteries 756 00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:26,880 remains elusive for now. 757 00:43:28,440 --> 00:43:31,400 The Ridderschap van Holland, that was the one I was eager to find, 758 00:43:31,480 --> 00:43:32,920 and we had a good search. 759 00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:34,600 You must get in the water 760 00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:37,640 and investigate these magnetic lumps that have been spotted. 761 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:40,360 I reckon it's in deep water somewhere. 762 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,840 Just sitting there, encrusted in coral on the bottom of the ocean. 763 00:43:45,520 --> 00:43:47,440 I think someone's gonna come across it 764 00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:49,160 and go, "What the heck is this?" 765 00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:51,160 Amazing.