If you didn't get to see some of the Wreck Detctive Series I filmed. Here are a few Episodes from the 8 parts series..
The Hope
Just off the shores of Dorset's notorious Chesil Beach lies the wreck of the Hope, an 18th century Dutch merchant ship. She was carrying 20 000 pounds worth of gold and silver which is valued at more than £4 million pounds today. Locals plundered some of this cargo at the time of the wrecking, but legend has it more remains hidden on the seabed. More than 150 ships have been wrecked along this 18-mile pebble bank, but in the Eighties local divers Dave Spiller and Mike House found a wreck they believed to be the Hope. The Wreck Detectives join them as they scour the shifting pebbles of Chesil Beach in search of this fabled ship and it’s sunken treasure.Watch Here.
Sunderland
For this investigation the Wreck Detectives are on virgin territory – this mystery doesn’t involve a ship or a submarine, but, for the first time, the wreck of an aircraft. Pembroke Dock in Wales was, during World War Two, the largest military flying boat station in the world and was the home to squadrons of the most famous of them all, the giant Sunderland. The Sunderland’s crews flew daring missions to protect convoys from U-boat attack and played a vital role in winning the Battle of the Atlantic. Now, sixty years after the war ended, the wreck of a giant Sunderland flying boat has been found yards from its former moorings in the dock.
There are only three surviving Sunderlands in the world. Could ours turn out to be the oldest of them all? With the RAF’s permission we lift one of the plane’s rare engines and organise for it to be housed in a local museum in Pembroke Dock -the Sunderland’s spiritual home.Watch Here
Bronze Bell
More than 40 blocks of marble lie mysteriously under the sea just yards from shore in Barmouth Bay, North Wales. Local divers believe it’s the remains of a cargo from an Italian trading ship – lost in the 18th century. But where did it come from and where was it headed?
Some think it was destined for St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The Wreck Detectives dive this beautiful site in search of clues, scour the archives in Britain and Italy and travel to the Carrara quarries in Tuscany in a bid to discover the truth about this valuable and intriguing cargo.Watch Here
Sub The Resurgam
In the 1870s the race was on to build the first seaworthy submarine to strengthen the might of the British navy. With many eccentric and bizarre designs crashing on their first water tests, all hopes lay with two accomplished inventors, John Holland and Reverend George Garrett. In 1879, Garrett built his steam-powered submarine, the Resurgam, which was 13 metres long, 3 metres in diameter and weighed 30 tonnes.
Early water trials went well, so Garrett planned to pilot the Resurgam to Portsmouth for it to be evaluated by the British Admiralty. He left the dock of his base in Liverpool and headed for the south coast of England. However, navigation was hampered by an unforgiving blanket of fog covering Liverpool Bay, which forced the crew to dock in the coastal town of Rhyl, north Wales to rest. There it was decided that the best way to continue the journey was under tow. They set out, but the weather worsened. The Resurgam was swamped by high seas and sank.
Garrett's hopes and financial funds sank with the vessel. He later migrated to the US, leaving his rival John Holland to successfully produce the British navy's first fighting underwater submersible, the Holland, during Queen Victoria's reign. Wales. Watch Here
Waterford Wreck
During the dredging of the entrance to Waterford Harbour archaeologists discovered the remains of what they believe to be a 17th century English warship. They think it’s the wreck of the Great Lewis - an English warship sunk by cannon fire at a defining moment in Irish history. If they are right it would be one of Ireland’s oldest and most important shipwrecks. The Wreck Detectives join the Irish government’s top archaeologists in a bid to discover if this is the wreck of the Great Lewis. Wreck Detective diver Miranda Krestovnikoff faces appalling diving conditions, while historian Jeremy Seal searches the archives and talks to ship structure experts.Watch Here
Lelia
A 19th century paddle steamer lies almost 30 metres down in the middle of Liverpool Bay. The Lelia sank on her maiden voyage - only 16 miles from the city docks where she was built. It’s believed she was heading to America carrying much needed supplies to the southern Confederacy. But the secrets of her cargo have never been revealed. Local divers believe she was crammed full of munitions. Wreck Detectives’ diver Miranda Krestovnikoff dives the wreck with the man who discovered it – Professor Chris Michael. They launch a search for munitions at the wreck site, which still features engines and one of the enormous paddle wheels. Meanwhile, historian Jeremy Seal searches the archives in both Britain and America for evidence of what the ship was carrying.Watch Here
Pylades
06:50, July the 8th, 1944. Off the coast of Normandy two explosions suddenly strike a British minesweeper. Minutes after the second hit HMS Pylades sinks with the loss of 11 lives. Nearly 60 years after her sinking the Wreck Detectives go to Normandy to find out what sank HMS Pylades. Returning for the first time is survivor Stan Parker: his questions about what sank the ship and killed his shipmates remain unanswered. The Captain's report is the only official record of the event. He thought the Pylades had been struck by two mines, but a tantalising hand-written note at the bottom of the account casts doubt on his conclusion. It leaves open the possibility that she was attacked by an outlandish new weapon: the German Human Torpedo.Watch Here
HMS Lawford
During the invasion of France on D-Day in 1944, the HMS Lawford was hit by enemy fire and sank. Thirty-seven of her crew died. The Navy's explanation that the ship was downed by a torpedo had never been fully accepted. The Wreck Detectives have gone to Normandy, taking two survivors, to try and solve this personal mystery.Watch Here
HMS Hazardous
After 20 years of studying a wreck off the south coast, divers think they might have found HMS Hazardous, the highly prized French navy warship Le Hazardeux captured and renamed by the English in 1703 and lost in a storm three years later. The Wreck Detectives have gone to help find out whether it is the Hazardous prize and what technological secrets she held. Watch Here
Gordon Ramsay King Crab Diving
Click here to see the film
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