All language subtitles for S02 E01 - Curse of the Carrier _ ENG

narrator: Tonight on

"The Bermuda Triangle:
Into Cursed Waters"...

- On top of the spike
right now.

[dramatic music]

- If you want to make
discoveries,

sometimes you gotta push
the edges of the envelope

just a little bit.

narrator: What caused
these Cold War jets

to crash
off the coast of Florida?

- Right there. There he is.

- Oh, there was somebody
trying to get out.

narrator:
Did they fall prey to a curse

that plagued an unlucky
aircraft carrier?

- If this bears out,
there's an unexploded

atomic weapon
sitting off Florida.

narrator:
The team hits the water...

narrator:
And makes a historic find.

- This just provides
what we've been

trying to figure out
with this mystery wreck.

[dramatic music]

narrator:
There is a place that evokes

fear and fascination.

Bounded by Florida,
Bermuda, and Puerto Rico,

the Bermuda Triangle
has swallowed

countless ships, planes,
and people.

♪ ♪

Now an elite team
is on the hunt...

- Dive, dive, dive.

narrator:
And making big finds.

- We've discovered
"Challenger."

narrator: Their secret weapon,

a wreck map
decades in the making.

- These are dangerous dives.

- Ah!

- Any sane person
would not be doing this.

narrator: Their mission,

solve the mystery
of the Bermuda Triangle

one wreck at a time.

- Dude, are you seeing this?

- Mother Nature is gonna take
these wrecks away.

The clock is ticking.

♪ ♪

[water burbling]

[tense music]

- Good morning.

- How are we doing?

- I have friends that are
commercial fishermen,

and they're pursuing the fish,

not the story, not the history.

But they can guide us
to find the wrecks.

♪ ♪

We were made aware of this
wreck called Chang's Wreck,

named after Jimmy Chang,

who was the commercial
fisherman that first found it.

♪ ♪

narrator: Shipwreck hunters

Mike Barnette
and Jimmy Gadomski

often find their best
mysteries from local hearsay.

Today, they're sailing
to the underwater object

known locally
as Chang's Wreck.

It lies 57 nautical miles
off the coast of Florida,

just north
of the Bermuda Triangle.

Rumor has it that
it's an aircraft wreck.

- Commercial spearfisherman
had been on it,

and they saw it was
obviously an aircraft.

They saw the wings.

They saw the fuselage.

So we had that information.

They didn't know
what kind of aircraft it was,

but word quickly got out
about this new wreck site.

♪ ♪

- So we're going down 240 feet.

Uh, we're gonna plan
25-30 minutes on the bottom.

We're gonna try and put
a shot line in the water.

Once the shot line's
in the water,

hopefully we don't have
too much current,

and we'll be able
to follow that shot line

straight down to the wreck.

- We don't really know
what exactly is down there.

So to actually go down
and discover for yourself,

not to be told about it,
but you actually

looking into it and uncovering
that lost history,

that's the passion
that drives us.

♪ ♪

[propellers whirring]

narrator:
The waters in and around

the Bermuda Triangle

have claimed over 50 aircraft,

many lost without explanation.

The team is hoping that
Chang's Wreck is the answer

to a series of plane crashes
that happened here

over 60 years ago.

In July 1960,
a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier,

the USS "Saratoga,"
entered these waters

and experienced
a run of bad luck.

- When you look at the history
on the USS "Saratoga,"

they did a lot of patrols
off the coast of Florida

in the area that is known
as the Bermuda Triangle,

and so it started getting this
reputation as an unlucky ship

around about 1959, 1960,

because of some accidents
that were documented

from that aircraft carrier.

♪ ♪

- July 1960, you have
to remember that

we're at the part
of the Cold War that is now

really starting to heat up.

USS "Saratoga"
is actually on patrol

in the Bermuda Triangle area,

and this area is
pretty much a hotbed.

In 1959, you have
the Cuban Revolution,

which brings Castro to power,

and now you have an entry
point for the Soviet Union.

They could bring in missiles.

They could bring in aircraft.

They may even be able
to bring in their own navy.

And so this became the most
hotly contested environment

in the entire Cold War.

♪ ♪

narrator: July 26, 1960,

a strategic bomber
on a practice run

is approaching the "Saratoga."

A mile from the flight deck,
it crashes into the waves,

killing the pilot,
William N. Collier,

and his two crewmen.

Three days later,
another plane of the same type

hits the flight deck briefly

before careening
over the side,

killing three more men.

♪ ♪

The pilot of the second plane

was Commander
Charles T. Frohne.

- Dad was always a hero.

In World War II, my dad flew

over 11 different
types of aircraft.

He had 162 missions.

- He was also awarded
the Flying Cross

and a number of air medals.

♪ ♪

narrator:
Both the "Saratoga's"

ill-fated jets
were A-3 Skywarriors,

new aircraft
capable of carrying

nuclear bombs.

They crashed in water so deep,

they were written off
as unsalvageable.

Their precise location
is not recorded,

but in the general vicinity
of Chang's Wreck.

- Being a military aviator,

we're taught from day one that

we're not all guaranteed to--
to make it back.

It's extremely sobering
when we're able

to bring additional details
to that family

so that they understand
what really happened

in those last moments
of their loved ones

so they can hopefully rest
a little bit easier.

[dramatic music]

narrator: Captain Will Hinton
navigates to the coordinates

for Chang's Wreck.

Then he and Jimmy locate
the submerged structure.

- The target's almost
microscopic on our radar.

It's almost just
a tiny blip with a few--

luckily some fish
swimming around it.

Can see some
of the discolorations

in the pattern.

- You notice any current,
any push to the north?

- I am seeing already
a push to the north.

- Oh, yeah.
I can see it right there.

- Yeah.
It pushed me way off already.

- That sucks.

♪ ♪

narrator: Stronger
than expected currents

mean Jimmy needs a new plan.

♪ ♪

- All right, guys.
This is a little different.

We're going to hot drop
onto the wreck.

So we have a lot
of current today.

We need to get in and get down
as quick as possible.

♪ ♪

- We have a very, very strong
surface current.

We're hoping that the current
doesn't go all the way down,

but we're assuming that it is.

- All right.
On top of the spike right now.

700 feet.

- We're also trying
to factor in

how much further away we should
be dropping the divers,

considering the depth.

The visibility isn't great.

They could easily lose
each other on the way down.

So there's kind of
a lot going on

in the hopes that
this dive goes well.

It's actually
a lot of pressure.

[laughs]

- Neutral.

Dive, dive, dive!

♪ ♪

- Because
the current's so strong,

they're trying to go down
as fast as they can.

That's why they have
the scooters.

[whirring]

You are essentially going
full throttle.

If you turn your head
the wrong way,

your mask actually might fly
off your face.

They're literally going
into the abyss.

Like, they don't know
what's in front of them.

♪ ♪

narrator:
The strong current has created

a blizzard
of biological matter,

and visibility is
less than 20 feet.

At 240 feet down,
they only have 25 minutes

to explore before
they must resurface.

♪ ♪

narrator: Finally,
the sharp edges of a plane

emerge from the depths.

♪ ♪

narrator: What appears to be
a wing comes into view.

♪ ♪

narrator:
And then the engine mount,

with no trace of the engine.

♪ ♪

narrator:
Not far from the wing,

they see what appears to be
the cockpit,

split off from
the rest of the wreck.

♪ ♪

narrator: There are no signs
of human remains.

With the dive clock
running out,

the divers must return
to the surface.

♪ ♪

- The bags just came up.

Uh, that means that
they're leaving the bottom.

They're leaving
the 220, 240 range,

and they're starting
their slow ascent.

narrator: If the divers come
to the surface too quickly,

they'll suffer
a potentially deadly condition

called the bends.

They must spend at least an
hour at depth to decompress.

Unfortunately, they have

a fast-moving visitor
circling them.

[dramatic music]

narrator: Mike Barnette
and Jimmy Gadomski

have just discovered
an airplane

240 feet underwater
in the Bermuda Triangle.

It may be one of two
missing Navy jets

that crashed off an
aircraft carrier in 1960.

Now they must spend an hour
halfway to the surface

so that nitrogen can leave
their bodies.

- So it's not uncommon
when we're on decompression

that sharks appear.

But you have to keep in mind,
these are wild animals,

and they're not predictable.

narrator: Silky sharks are
large, with cutting teeth,

and can be dangerous
to divers.

♪ ♪

[laughter]

narrator: After the dive
on Chang's Wreck,

Captain Will Hinton is
running his sonar

on the way back to port
in St. Augustine.

It's a standard practice
for wreck hunters

always on the lookout
for new targets.

[beeping]

The sonar pings
something down below.

- Hey, Jimmy.

Come check this out real quick.

♪ ♪

I noticed there's a bit
of a spike right here.

- It's about the size of, uh--
of what we were just on.

Let's, um, circle back around.

Let's see if we can ping it
from a different direction.

- All right.

♪ ♪

- Look at that.

It's holding fish.

We have structure for sure.

- I'm gonna go ahead
and remark this location,

just to show that
it's an active site.

- Yeah.

narrator:
It looks like another plane,

similar in size and shape
to the one they just dove on.

Have they accidentally found
both A-3 Skywarriors

that crashed off
the USS "Saratoga" in 1960?

Last year, the team made
its biggest find

with a similar happy accident.

They found a piece of
the space shuttle "Challenger"

while looking for
a lost World War II plane.

- We should come back out
in the next couple days.

We should have
some good weather,

and let's--let's jump on it.

♪ ♪

narrator: Once ashore,
Jimmy and Mike

meet with pilot and combat
veteran Jason Harris

and military historian
David O'Keefe

to review their dive footage.

- Right here,
we're seeing the wing.

- Oh, wow.

- Uh, the wreck sits
upside down.

Uh, you see the two pylons
with the engines,

but the engines have
just ripped loose,

and they're probably
several hundred feet away

in the distance.

You can see where
they were originally

mounted under the wing.

It's definitely
a large aircraft,

twin jet engines
slung under the wings.

- Based on its size

as well as where
the engines were hung at,

it becomes pretty clear that
this is the A-3 Skywarrior.

narrator: The most
telling clue is the cockpit.

♪ ♪

The A-3 Skywarrior cockpit
had a unique configuration

with three crewmen
crammed in together,

making them vulnerable.

- The A-3 Skywarrior was
such a large aircraft,

they had to lighten as much
weight as they could,

so they took out
the ejection seats

on this particular aircraft.

And so if they had
an issue in the aircraft,

the air crew members,
they were not able

to get out by way
of ejection seat.

And so that was part of why
they nicknamed it

the A3D, "all three dead."

[dramatic music]

narrator: This is probably
one of the two

Skywarriors lost off
the cursed carrier "Saratoga."

But is it the jet flown
by Captain Collier

or the one flown
by Commander Frohne?

- I find it's important
to tell the stories

of these lost aviators,

because while
it might not have been

an incident in wartime,

they were training in
their defense of this country,

and I think they should be
remembered as well.

narrator: Mike and Jimmy
prepare for another dive

while Jason and David
will gather details

to help identify
whose plane is now

lying at Chang's wrecksite.

They head
to Jacksonville, Florida,

to meet a renowned expert
on historic aircraft.

Roy Stafford served
as a Marine fighter pilot

flying off aircraft carriers,

and he knows the A-3 well.

- Good to see you again,
brother.

How you been?
- It's nice to see you.

- Likewise.
- How you doing?

- Coming to have
a conversation with Roy,

that's literally like coming
to talk to Yoda.

Roy is so knowledgeable.

He has so much experience,
so much background.

- So was the A-3 specifically
designed for carrier ops?

- Oh, absolutely.
- Or did they--really?

- Absolutely.

And it's the largest
operational airplane

to ever operate
off an aircraft carrier.

- Was this a challenging
airplane to fly, Roy?

- Yeah, carrier aviation is--

I don't think the public
ever really understands

or appreciates what
a dangerous environment it is.

- The impression I'm getting
is next to combat--

and correct me if I'm wrong--

this is the most
dangerous thing

that you could possibly do.
- I think so.

- We know we have
a Skywarrior down there,

and the question is, what type?

- Yeah, the airplane was
a very adaptable aircraft.

It served initially
as a bomber,

and then later on it was
converted to surveillance.

It had the camera mounts,

which you could see
through the portals.

Then later on,
the transport version had

passenger windows, you know,
along the bomb bay area.

- So what you're telling us is,

in each one of these versions,

there is a unique signature.
- Yes.

narrator:
These unique configurations

could help ID the wreck,

but Roy says there's something
else the team needs to know.

- There was a rumor
going around

there was an A-3 crashed
off Mayport

and that it may have had
a nuclear device on board.

[dramatic music]

- So right in the area
where this was found?

- Yeah.

♪ ♪

- If this bears out,
there's an unexploded

atomic weapon
sitting off Florida.

♪ ♪

narrator:
The team went looking

for two missing Skywarriors.

Now there's a third one,
lost in 1957,

that they now need
to consider.

And this one might have gone
down with a nuclear bomb.

- We thought
everything was benign,

but there was an occasion
where there might have been a--

what they call
a "Broken Arrow."

- When you hear
the term Broken Arrow,

that essentially means that
there was an unexpected event

with a nuclear weapon.

That unexpected event
could have been

an accidental firing,
an accidental detonation.

It could have been

the potential loss
of a weapon,

or in certain cases
where they actually had to

ditch the weapon out at sea.

narrator: The American
government has publicly

acknowledged there are
32 possible nuclear weapons

accidents since 1950.

The accident Roy is referring
to happened in 1957.

♪ ♪

- The interesting part was
that this was not

reported publicly
for a couple of months,

and likely because
the United States government

wanted to keep it
under wraps until they could

figure out what was going on.

As a matter of fact,
it was only in August

when President Eisenhower
stated

one of the planes off
Jacksonville on June 19th

had to jettison
an atomic bomb.

There doesn't seem to be
any subsequent report

or follow-up on this.

narrator: The White House said
there was no danger,

but that wasn't the word
among sailors.

- So what you're saying is,
is that there was an accident

with an A-3 Skywarrior
that jettisoned a weapon,

and then it also went
down in the water.

- Yeah.

The indications
were something was dropped

that caused it to be listed
as a--as a Broken Arrow.

- I think, you know, our number
one priority that we need

to make certain that
everyone understands

is that there is
a potential that there

could be a nuclear weapon
somewhere in that vicinity.

- Yeah.

I mean, odds are
it's gonna be very slim

that this is gonna be it,
but better safe than sorry.

- Absolutely.

[line ringing]

- Hey, David.

- Look, Jason and I are here,

and we got some stuff
you gotta hear.

- Hey, guys.

We had a chance to chat
with Roy recently,

and definitely identified this
as an A-3 Skywarrior.

But one of
the interesting things

he shared with us is that
there was another potential

A-3 Skywarrior aircraft
that might have been carrying

a nuclear weapon,
and they might have had

to ditch that nuclear weapon
in the water.

♪ ♪

- Wow. Okay.
That's, uh, important news.

[chuckles]
- Yeah.

So you're saying
there could potentially be

a nuke on board?

- We just aren't sure,
and we just want

to make certain that
we alert you guys so that

you can be safe
on that next dive.

- Yeah, just make sure
you keep Jimmy on a leash.

Don't let him go poking around
with anything, okay?

- Roger that.

- Be safe on that next dive,

and definitely let us know
what you guys find out.

narrator: Mike Barnette
and Jimmy Gadomski

have been investigating
a mystery wreck

in the Bermuda Triangle.

Most likely, they've found
one of two A-3 Skywarriors

that crashed off
the USS "Saratoga" in 1960.

♪ ♪

But they've also learned
of a third jet

that crashed in 1957

while carrying a nuclear bomb
that was rumored

to be capable of exploding.

♪ ♪

They've decided to seek
some advice.

Captain Bill Toti served
as weapons officer

and second in command
of nuclear armed submarines,

later commanding
USS "Indianapolis."

♪ ♪

- So, Bill, we know we have
a A-3 Skywarrior back in 1957,

with a nuclear weapon on board,
running drills.

How often was that
occurring back then?

- Fairly often.

I mean, this was pretty common.

You had to be certified
to employ nuclear weapons,

whether you were a submarine
or a bomber squadron

or an aircraft carrier.

So there was a certain
number of times

you would need to fly
with nuclear weapons

to retain certification.

- How dangerous is it to dive
on a wreck site like that?

- There's this thing
in the Navy that we call

operational risk management,

which is probability
times consequence.

Now, the probability that
this particular plane was

carrying a nuke is low,
but the consequence if it were

would be high.

♪ ♪

I hasten to point out,
from the radiation standpoint,

water is a great moderator
of nuclear radiation.

So if there were a nuclear core
down there somewhere,

it's gonna be moderated
significantly

simply by the water.

You honestly--the depth
you guys are diving,

the depth poses
a much greater risk for you

than any risk
from potential radiation

off of a weapon
that's probably not there.

- Very useful information.

And I mean,
it put my mind at ease,

and now we can focus
on the job at hand.

We need to identify
which A-3 Skywarrior

we actually are diving on.

♪ ♪

narrator: The next day,
Mike and Jimmy

are back at sea.

♪ ♪

After their first dive, where
they found an A-3 Skywarrior,

they were heading back
to shore when sonar

picked up
another mystery plane.

It's the right size,
shape, and location

to be another one
of the planes.

But the Bermuda Triangle's
unpredictable weather

is making it difficult
to get to the location.

- We've got a cell approaching
within the next 4 miles.

That essentially means
we've got a pretty good storm

right in front of us.

♪ ♪

narrator: Storms pop up
frequently in these waters,

but it won't stop them
from diving.

- When you want
to make discoveries,

sometimes you gotta push
the edges of the envelope

just a little bit.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- Right on top of it.

- All right, Will. Throw it.

♪ ♪

narrator: Mike and Jimmy feel
okay about this upcoming dive,

but safety diver
Kiki Dee is nervous.

- When things change,
they're out of my control,

and I have no idea
what's going on with them--

they could have
a ripping current,

we could get a weird squall--

- Neutral.

- It does stress me out
a little bit.

We are in the Bermuda Triangle,
so anything can happen.

♪ ♪

[tense music]

narrator: Meanwhile,
Jason and David

have made a breakthrough.

They've found a witness
named Phil Wilcoxson.

He served
on the accident-prone

USS "Saratoga,"

and he has information
that may help answer

whether the plane
the team found

is the A-3 flown
by Captain Collier

or the one piloted
by Commander Frohne.

- We are really excited
about talking to you today,

because of course,
we understand that

you were serving on
the "Saratoga" in 1960.

- Yes.

I went aboard the "Saratoga"
in June of 1959.

I was on the flight deck
as a plane captain.

- What exactly is
a plane captain?

- That's your bird.

It's your place
to look after it,

make sure it's got
the right amount of fuel,

all the oils
and everything are

where they're supposed to be,

and then when it finally gets
flight time,

you put the pilot in the seat,
and then you turn it over.

♪ ♪

- If you take us back
to July 1960

when this accident happened,

you were on deck
ready to perform your duty,

and I guess we're trying to get
a picture of what happened.

So that's why we're trying
to get as much detail

as possible from you.

- Okay.

narrator:
Phil saw Frohne's plane crash

and recently came
into possession

of film shot that day.

- The guy that's president
of the "Saratoga" Association

enlightened me about a video of
the last part of the accident.

- Video?
- Wow.

- Yeah.
- There's film footage of this?

- Yeah.

- You're kidding me.

- And--

- When was this shot?
This was shot on the day?

- It was shot
as it was going on.

- Okay. So look.

Let's play it
right through first,

and then we'll come back,
and we'll dissect it.

♪ ♪

- Evidently,
his tailhook broke.

- Yeah, it looks like

the tailhook did
catch briefly.

- Yeah.

- Slowing him down enough
or too much.

You can see--look,
he's trying to climb, right?

But he has no speed whatsoever.

- He's trying to get
some air under his wings.

- Gotcha. Okay.

Wingtip in. Nose in.

- Yeah.

- And then it cuts,
and then we see...

♪ ♪

- That right there.
- Yeah.

- The white spot.

That's a guy's helmet.

- Right there.
There he is.

Oh, there was somebody
trying to get out.

- Yeah.
That's a guy's flight helmet.

- Whoa.

♪ ♪

- And you're 90 foot
above the water.

- Yeah.

- You're not gonna jump off
that carrier and get to him.

- Wow.
- It just ain't gonna happen.

♪ ♪

- You know,
watching Phil relive it

was really emotional.

You know, you can still see
he's haunted by it.

- And now we have
a lot more information

to give to the dive team
to go on and to work with.

- Yeah.

We're so close to solving this.

It's just gonna take
one more dive.

narrator: In stormy waters,

Mike Barnette
and Jimmy Gadomski

are searching for three
missing A-3 Skywarriors

lost near
the Bermuda Triangle.

They've already found one A-3
in the water north of here.

The target they're diving now
was located

by chance on sonar.

One of the missing planes also
jettisoned a nuclear weapon.

It could still be
sitting down below.

[dramatic music]

- Neutral.

♪ ♪

- We saw the water get
more and more turbid

from all the sediment
and biological matter

in the water column.

♪ ♪

narrator:
The team hits the bottom.

The strong southern current

has stirred up
clouds of sediment,

and the divers can barely see
each other.

- When you have
a big video light

trying to illuminate
the bottom,

it's like driving
with your high beams on

in a snowstorm.

♪ ♪

- We have a fixed point.
That's the anchor.

That's the grapple hook.

So I basically tied
a line off to that

and ran some line out
from it on the reel,

and basically,
that's the radius.

So now I'm just running
a radius around

in a circle
from that central point,

hoping to intersect
into wreckage.

♪ ♪

narrator: Mike completes one
circle, but finds nothing.

♪ ♪

narrator:
So he extends his search

another 10 feet
from the anchor

and circles it again,

feeling his way
along the murky seafloor.

♪ ♪

There it is.

It's not a bomb.

♪ ♪

narrator: It's an airplane.

♪ ♪

- A lot of wiring,
a lot of components.

Uh, like,
stainless steel plumbing.

Like, thin, like,
high-pressure lines.

Then moving
a little bit farther away,

you start seeing
a turbine engine,

seeing the fan blades,
and then on the opposite side,

you see the intake for that.

♪ ♪

narrator: It's definitely
a jet aircraft,

but what kind?

♪ ♪

- We're gonna have to go back
and review the footage,

uh, bring it
to the rest of the team

and kind of go over some stuff.

But I think we might be able
to get some kind

of an identification from it.

- Looking around
on the bottom,

we didn't see any signs that
there was a nuclear weapon

here at any point in time.

♪ ♪

narrator: Jimmy and Mike
return to St. Augustine

to evaluate their dive footage
with the rest of the team.

♪ ♪

- All right, guys.

So we got out there
and we were able to get

on that second site that
we had run over

on the way in that last time.

And uh, we ended up coming
across a couple engines

and metal debris
from this--this plane wreck.

- We got some footage
to show you here.

- Okay.

- We have a very compact site.

We have the two engines
side by side.

♪ ♪

Basically almost on top
of the landing gear,

which is very petite.

Small wheels. Uh, very squat.

- So it turns out
it was a plane,

but it was not an A-3.

- Really?
- Yeah.

♪ ♪

- When comparing that
to archival images

of naval aircraft,

we were able to identify it.

We realized
this is an S-3 Viking.

♪ ♪

- The S-3 Viking was

actually designed
and designated

specifically as an
anti-submarine aircraft,

operating off
of aircraft carriers.

- What happened
to the crew in this?

- So what was interesting
about this,

I was able to track down
the pilot of this aircraft,

and he relayed
the whole incident to me

of what happened.

They basically lost control,
and they all

had to eject
from the aircraft.

And unlike
other aircraft crashes

that we typically come across,
everyone survived on this.

So it was a very happy ending.

- Sounds like
they were fortunate.

They got pretty lucky.

narrator: The team can
cross off one target.

Now they shift their attention
back to Chang's Wreck,

which they know is an A-3.

But is it
Captain Collier's jet?

Is it Commander Frohne's?

Or is it the bomb-carrying
jet from 1957?

♪ ♪

David shares the footage
of Frohne's crash.

- I think if you take
a look at this,

you guys are gonna get
a better handle on the kind of,

you know, fingerprints,
if you will,

that you're gonna need when
you're down on your next dive.

- Sounds good.
Let's take a look at it.

♪ ♪

- Yeah, you can see he's--
he's dropping down,

and he gets just a bit
too close to the water.

As that wing dips
and it catches the water,

that's when
things become fatal

for that particular pilot
that day.

You know, when that aircraft
actually impacted the water,

it's possible that the gear
weren't fully retracted,

'cause it takes some time
for that gear

to get retracted fully
into the wheel well.

- So when we're down there,
we're gonna be looking

for potentially
partially-retracted

landing gear.
- Yeah.

You have some good clues
here for sure.

You can see it here
that there is

one of the crew members
trying to get out,

and apparently there was
a rescue diver

from a following ship
that went in

and tried to cut them
out of their parachutes.

Unfortunately, he failed,

and sadly, they perished
in the accident.

- So some parachute rigging,
we could find that down there,

unfortunately, as well.

narrator:
When Mike and Jimmy dive,

partially-retracted wheels
and parachute materials

would be telltale signs
the wreck is Frohne's.

Not seeing any of that
could mean it's Collier's,

or the 1957 nuclear bomber.

Either way,
they're hoping for an answer.

narrator: As a new day begins,

Mike and Jimmy make
final preparations.

They're going to dive
Chang's Wreck again.

They know it's likely
one of three Navy planes

lost for 60 years,

but they want to find out
which one.

41 miles away,
David O'Keefe and Jason Harris

hope to uncover
a few final clues

to help with
an identification.

They're meeting with the sons
of one of the planes'

lost pilots, Commander Frohne.

♪ ♪

- The amazing thing is that
they both became pilots.

- Really?
Following Dad's footsteps.

- Yeah.
I can't even imagine.

They lost their father
at such a young age,

and the likelihood is that
they wanted to create

some kind of connection.

And they probably have been
searching for details,

for information,
searching for something

that would provide them
closure.

- That's a great idea.

You know,
sometimes the families can

have more insights than
you can find anywhere else.

♪ ♪

[knocking]

Take us back
to that day in 1960.

- It's like, 6:00
in the evening on a Friday.

Um, I looked out,

and I saw two guys
in dress blues.

I went,
I don't think this is good.

And I was what, 14?

And I opened the door,

and they wanted to talk
to my mother.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

- So tell us a little bit
about the role of the A-3

that he was flying
in the squadron.

- My dad's mission in 1960 was
as a surveillance aircraft.

♪ ♪

His final squadron was
a photographic squadron,

and they were the ones,
quite frankly,

that were doing
the photo recon of Cuba.

- So his aircraft was
surveillance,

not dropping ordnance?

- That's correct.
- Wow. That's--

- So he's--he's flying
reconnaissance missions.

- Yes.

- I mean, look.

If this aircraft is rigged
for reconnaissance,

then odds are they're gonna
have cameras on board,

and that means portholes.

That means
distinctive features,

and if the wreck has those,

then we know
what we're looking for.

- We can definitely have
a positive identification

of the aircraft.

- Yeah, the A3D-2P,

which was the plane
that he was flying,

definitely had portholes
on the sides.

♪ ♪

narrator: Captain Collier was
flying a bomber,

and Commander Frohne
a surveillance model.

This and other clues
will be the deciding factors

for identification
on the next dive.

♪ ♪

- Based on what we know,
the location of the wreck,

the additional information--

when the dive team goes
back down there,

if they can actually identify
that part of the aircraft,

that it has these portholes,

that it's a reconnaissance
type of airplane,

we're gonna pretty much
be able to know

that this is exactly
the aircraft

that we've been looking for.

[tense music]

narrator: Nearly 60 miles
off the Florida coast,

Mike and Jimmy are
ready to go.

- Dive, dive, dive!

♪ ♪

narrator: As they make
their 240-foot descent,

natural light fades
to an eerie darkness.

Flashlights barely
illuminate the sandy bottom.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

narrator: Almost immediately,

they find the long span
of the wing...

♪ ♪

With the tip broken off.

♪ ♪

Then another clue:

port windows.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

And then they spot
a tattered parachute

silently dangling
in the current.

♪ ♪

narrator: Elite divers

Mike Barnette
and Jimmy Gadomski

have just returned
from their second dive

on the wreck
of an A-3 Skywarrior.

They're eager to share
their findings

with aviation expert
Jason Harris

and military historian
David O'Keefe.

- All right, guys.

So uh, we had another dive

on the A-3 Skywarrior,

and um, everything that
we talked about last time...

- Yeah?
- We found.

- Oh, wow.
- Like, to a T.

- Tell us
a little bit more, Mike,

about what you guys saw
down there on this dive.

- Well, Jimmy's gonna cue up
the footage here.

We can show you what we saw.

[dramatic music]

We knew it was
an A-3 Skywarrior

resting upside down.

Knowing we wanted
to key in on it

and see if it was
a reconnaissance version,

we did see all the windows,

the ports on the side
of the fuselage

as well as on the ventral
surface on the bottom.

Uh, we saw
on the right wingtip,

uh, damage on the--basically
the outer edge of it.

It just ripped off.

So that matches
the crash footage.

You can actually see

there's all the parachute
rigging wire

all over the perimeter
of the cockpit.

I mean, that just--
seeing that

tells the story
of what happened.

- Yeah.

- This just provides so many
pieces of the puzzle

and fully paints
the picture of what

we've been trying to figure out
with this mystery wreck.

narrator: There's no doubt.

The wreck is from the plane

of Commander Frohne
and his crew.

- That's really amazing,
because you know,

Jason and I were fortunate
to sit down with the sons,

and you gotta think about it
from their perspective.

They were kids.

I think one was 12,
and the other one was 14?

- Something around that.

- Yeah, something
like that time.

And then, you know,
next thing you know,

their dad's off,

and then he just
doesn't come home.

And that has haunted them
for their entire life.

And the amazing part is, guys,

you've now found that last
little piece of evidence.

We could bring these men
some serious closure.

- You know, I always feel--
being able to talk

to family members
and to provide answers

they may have
about the incident

or the wreck site,
just to let them know

that their lost loved one
is not forgotten,

we remember them--

I think that's one
of the most important services

I can do as a diver.

It brings meaning to what I do.

♪ ♪

narrator: Mike and Jason
make the trip to Jacksonville

and reveal
the final resting place

of Navy Commander
Charles T. Frohne to his sons.

- Well, gentlemen,
we really appreciate you guys

having us to come back.

The divers, they went down,
and they took another look

and got some footage

that Barnette would like
to show you guys.

- Well, guys, yeah.

We saw some really key
diagnostic features

that helped us identify
the aircraft.

Combined with
the archival research,

we're 100% certain
this is your father's aircraft.

♪ ♪

This is the top
of the cockpit.

You can see the windows
and the framing there.

♪ ♪

There's the landing gear.

You can see it's almost
pulled back in the fuselage.

♪ ♪

- So he was trying
to get the gear up, huh?

- Yeah.

♪ ♪

- Your father was clearly
thinking very fastly,

trying to figure out,
how do I rescue?

How do I save the aircraft?

How do I save everyone?

And in that moment, likely,
he's trying to figure out,

how do I get off this aircraft
carrier as quick as I can,

as soon as I come off?

Let me get the gear up,
because that's gonna give me

a fighting chance to survive.
- Make airspeed, yeah.

- Now we're looking
at the fuselage.

We're looking in.

And this is all
the parachute material

draped around the wreckage.

As we know from the event,

when they put
the rescue diver in the water,

they're trying to get
everyone out.

- Right.

- And the parachute
had deployed,

and that was part
of the problem.

♪ ♪

- I can't believe
the parachute existed

as long as it has there.

And it really tells
a pretty horrific story.

- Yeah.

You know, I'm--I'm sad
my wife never got to meet him.

I'm sad.

- Yeah.

I never got to fly with him.

- Yeah. Yeah, ever.

- That's my really sad point.
- Yeah.

- I would--I think
I could have learned

some things from my dad.

- People talk about closure.

Guys, you know, some things
you never get closed.

I mean, it's, um--

- You know, I appreciate that.

You're absolutely spot-on.

You all are still cherishing
the memory of your father,

and so why would you want
to close the memory

of your father,
such a great man?

- Thank you so much
for sharing this with us.

- Really. I mean--

- It's--yeah.

It's always fulfilling
and gratifying

when you give meaning
to your dives,

and this had a lot
of meaning for me.

When you actually find
an aircraft

and you get to know
the relatives,

it's no longer abstract.

It's very much very real,
very emotional.

Uh, it gives purpose
to what I do.

- Bringing perspective
to that aircraft

that's laying at the bottom,
that is a final resting place

for military aviators,
that's really, really special,

and it's really significant.

♪ ♪

narrator:
Lost with Commander Frohne

were crew members
Roger Paganessi

and Raymond Schomer.

Their plane has been found,

but some questions remain.

Where is Captain
William Collier's Skywarrior?

And what about that
Skywarrior lost in 1957?

Is the nuclear bomb
it jettisoned

as non-hazardous
as President Eisenhower said?

Those Bermuda
Triangle mysteries

require further investigation.

This season on

"The Bermuda Triangle:
Into Cursed Waters"...

- All right, drop it!

- It's that thrill
of discovery.

- Look at that!

- The idea of the unknown...
- Holy [bleep]!

That's the hull.

- We have no idea what it is.

- Ahh!
- That was a nightmare.

- How do you lose two
500-foot-plus ships?

- Don't know what else
could be that big.

- One more Bermuda Triangle
mystery solved.

- Holy [bleep].