Plot Synopsis

Executive produced by Michael Bay, BILLION DOLLAR WRECK is a one-hour reality series that follows treasure hunter Martin Bayerle as he and his estranged son Grant return to the wreck of a mysterious sunken cruise liner, RMS Republic, that nearly destroyed their family. One of the largest and most luxurious ocean liners of its time, the Republic sunk shortly after its departure from New York Harbor in the early hours of January 24, 1909. Considered unsinkable, the White Star ship collided with another vessel and now sits at the bottom of the Atlantic. Martin, a life-long treasure hunter, has spent the past 35 years researching Republic and her reputed cargo of 150,000 American Eagle gold coins, a bounty worth billions today. Bayerle's exhaustive investigation has turned up evidence that points to a deep-rooted cover-up which may involve some of the era's biggest historical figures, from the Tsar of Russia to Theodore Roosevelt. This is Bayerle's second attempt to find what could be the largest sunken treasure in history. In 1987, he raised millions of dollars for an expedition to recover Republic's gold, but came home empty-handed. The tragic fallout from the failed attempt destroyed his family, left one person dead, and culminated in a prison sentence for a shocking crime. Through the years Martin's obsession with solving the Republic's mystery only grew. Now, reunited with his son Grant, Martin is returning to the Republic seeking redemption and one last shot at what might lie beneath. Armed with three decades worth of new research, he is convinced he now knows the precise location of this elusive treasure. Together, Martin and Grant lead a team of salvage divers down the deep, dark and dangerous waters that have held Republic's secrets hostage for a century. History premiered a sneak peek of BILLION DOLLAR WRECK on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Monday April 4, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT, History premiered the season finale of BILLION DOLLAR WRECK. In the season ender, "The Gold Rush," the crew makes a run at Republic's treasure, and faces down a destructive storm.