DEEP SEA DETECTIVES on The History Channel(R)

DEEP SEA DETECTIVES on The History Channel(R)

Shedding New Light on Mysterious Shipwrecks

New Episodes Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK, Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The daring duo of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler returns this winter in search of answers long hidden at the bottom of the ocean, in the fifth season of DEEP SEA DETECTIVES on The History Channel. Fresh from their recent, ground-breaking exploration of TITANIC (TITANIC'S FINAL MOMENTS: MISSING PIECES airs 2/26), our underwater experts plunge the cavernous depths of the deep blue, reconstructing old shipwrecks long confined to watery graves. Join us for a brand-new set of intrepid, thrilling investigations that takes you under water and back in time Mondays at 10 p.m. starting February 27th, 2006.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO )

Using a combination of modern forensic and diving technology, dramatic re-enactments, and expert interviews, each episode of DEEP SEA DETECTIVES is a rousing mix of history, mystery, and outdoor adventure. Chatterton and Kohler, focus of the New York Times bestseller SHADOW DIVERS, use their unparalleled expertise and courage to approach sites that most divers wouldn't dare, in search of the REAL story of what happened to so many forgotten vessels of the past.

This season, they shed new light on eight mysterious nautical catastrophes from as far back as 290 B.C. Episodes include:

PHARAOH'S LOST TREASURE (February 27th at 10 p.m. ET/PT)

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was built by the Pharaohs nearly three centuries before Christ. It guided ships for sixteen centuries, until it was toppled by an earthquake, lost in Alexandria Harbor, and forgotten for hundreds of years more. Now, Chatterton and Kohler dive to explore what some believe are the remains of that ancient beacon, and take viewers along on their undersea adventure. Joining their investigation into Egyptian history is special guest, Josh Bernstein, Host of The History Channel hit series Digging For The Truth.

TRAIN WRECK IN LAKE MICHIGAN (March 6th at 10 p.m. ET/PT)

The SS Milwaukee was one of the railroad car ferries known to be among the safest vessels on the Great Lakes. But on November 9, 1929, the Milwaukee sailed into a force 9 gale wind and disappeared. Chatterton and Kohler compare the official report of the accident with the wreck itself and re-write history.

MYSTERY OF THE CHANNEL COLLISION (March 13th at 10 p.m. ET/PT)

In March 1899, two ships collided with deadly but surprising results. The iron steamer Duke of Buccleugh sank quickly, while the wooden sailing ship Vandalia limped ashore, its captain claiming that his ship was rammed by the steamer. Evidence of the wreck suggests a different story. Is it possible that a wooden ship rammed and sunk an iron freighter?

BLACKBEARD'S MYSTERY SHIP (March 20th at 10 p.m. ET/PT)

The Queen Anne's Revenge, the flagship commandeered by the legendary pirate Blackbeard, raided British supply routes to and from America until it ran aground in 1718, soon after Blackbeard had agreed to give up piracy in exchange for a pardon. But did the ship really run aground, or was this another of Blackboard's notorious schemes? Are the remains of the ship discovered off Beaufort, North Carolina really Blackbeard's vessel?

GREAT LAKES GHOST SHIP (March 27th at 10 p.m. ET/PT)

When the Cornelia B. Windiate was lost on a late-season run from Milwaukee to Buffalo in 1875, it was assumed that the ship was the victim of a storm in Lake Michigan. But when the schooner was discovered more than 100 years later, it was in another lake, and in pristine condition, with no crew remains and no sign of what caused it to sink. Chatterton and Kohler take viewers for a firsthand look and develop a new solution to this baffling mystery.

DISASTER OF NAPOLEON'S FLEET (April 3rd at 10 p.m. ET/PT)

In August 1798, the powerful French warship L'Orient, of the fleet under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, exploded and sank after battling a fleet commanded by British Admiral Horatio Nelson. The L'Orient went down quickly, taking an estimated $20 million in gold and silver to the bottom of Aboukir Bay, Egypt. Chatterton and Kohler discover firsthand that history's telling of the battleship's demise is far from the truth.

CAUGHT IN A KILLER STORM (April 17th at 10 p.m. ET/PT)

Two identical Coast Guard cutters, Bedloe and Jackson, went down on the same day in 1944 off the coast of North Carolina. Chatterton and Kohler uncover the story of a risky rescue mission, a failed attempt to outrun a killer storm, and an epic ordeal of survival and courage.

CAPTAIN'S LAST STAND (April 24th at 10 p.m. ET/PT) - On August 30, 2005, the hosts made their deepest dive of the series, plunging more than 280 feet below the English Channel in search of the SS Flying Enterprise. The American cargo ship was damaged in a storm in 1951 and foundered at sea for 14 days until sinking 43 miles off of Falmouth, England. The ship's captain Kurt Carlsen, won international praise for his steadfast refusal to abandon ship as he stayed aboard alone for much of the harrowing journey. Now, Chatterton and Kohler investigate age-old rumors that Carlsen may have stayed aboard to protect top-secret cargo.

DEEP SEA DETECTIVES is produced for The History Channel by Lone Wolf Pictures. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Carl H. Lindahl.

Now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel(R), "Where the Past Comes Alive(R)," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. The History Channel has earned six News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History(R)" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at http://www.history.com/. Press Only: For more information and photography please visit us on the web at http://www.historychannelpress.com/.

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Source: The History Channel

CONTACT: Jenna Farkas, +1-212-210-9184, or Jenna.farkas@aetn.com, for
The History Channel

Web site: http://www.history.com/
http://www.historychannelpress.com/

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