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  • History

Billion Dollar Wreck

  • 2016
  • Returning Series
  • Documentary
  • 1 season
  • 4.5/10

Fifty miles off the coast of Nantucket, 250 feet beneath the Atlantic, lies the RMS Republic and her secret treasure. A famed White Star liner, Republic, set sail three years before her sister-ship Titanic. Like Titanic, she met a similar fate at the bottom of the ocean. As soon as Republic sank, rumors spread of a precious cargo, but Republic has kept her secrets intact for over a century. Until now. Life-long treasure hunter Martin Bayerle has devoted the past 35 years of his life researching the Republic and proving the existence of her reputed cargo of 150,000 American Eagle gold coins–a bounty worth a billion dollars in today’s economy. The quest to recover the gold is a siren’s call he’s answered before. In 1987, Martin raised millions of dollars for an expedition to recover her gold, but searched the wrong section of the massive vessel and came home empty-handed. The failure left Martin broke, embroiled in lawsuits, estranged from his wife and, eventually, landed him in prison. Despite this, Martin’s obsession with Republic only grew stronger. Now, with the help of his estranged son, Grant, Martin is returning to Republic for one last shot at the gold. Armed with three decades worth of new research, Martin is convinced he now knows the precise location of the gold. Together, Martin and Grant will lead a team of salvage divers down the deep, dark and dangerous waters that have held Republic’s bounty hostage for a century.

Latest: Season 1 · 2016

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  1. E1. The Mysterious Treasure of the Republic

    Feb 8, 2016

    Martin Bayerle and his estranged son, Grant, return to the wreck that nearly destroyed their family, and begin an expedition which could be their last chance to solve the mystery of the RMS Republic and recover over a billion dollars of treasure.

  2. E2. Diver Down

    Feb 15, 2016

    Martin unravels more of the mystery behind the Republic's treasure. And, during an attempt to recover the gold a panicking diver has an accident that puts his life in jeopardy and threatens to shut the mission down.

  3. E3. Doomed to Repeat

    Feb 22, 2016

    When the ship's generator fails, and diver Mark's condition worsens, the crew must head back to port. And a devastated Martin recalls his failed 1987 Republic dive and the crushing effect it had on his life.

  4. E4. The Gold Chamber of Secrets

    Feb 29, 2016

    Martin follows the money trail through history and identifies a mysterious transaction with a Russian banker that may prove the gold is aboard the RMS Republic, while he and the salvage crew return to the wreck and zero in on her bounty.

  5. E5. How It Went Down

    Mar 7, 2016

    When a diver gets tangled in the wreck, and another line compromises the ship's propeller, Tim suits up and dives into harm's way. Martin quarrels over the location of the gold chamber. Plus, the shooting that landed Martin in prison is finally revealed.

  6. E6. The Price of Gold

    Mar 14, 2016

    A dive on the port side of the wreck yields a piece of the past, and a suspicious boat is spotted nearby.

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