B$W was underfunded. 21 forty-minute surface dives were planned, only 7 dives occurred. So the show had to fill-in with a back story. Using saturation diving, with a team on the wreck - and the first dive alone will give us more underwater footage than we acquired during the entire B$W - that's what the audience wants!
B$W was only a dog-and-pony show. Saturation diving with appropriate crane, hydraulic grab, cutting and other tools are required to excavate several thousand tons of debris, the overburden, collapsed decks, detritus and debris, which must be removed to reach the gold chamber.. But, we didn't even have a anchor winch!
B$W was entertainment only, and new TV shows are budget-limited. Our audience was interested in actual underwater work, as can be seen from the other comments. We lacked the capability to achieve our stated goal: to recover Republic's gold.
As for the existence of RMS Republic's cargoes, my 2013 book The Tsar's Treasure covers two identified cargoes, a US Navy coin-monies shipment, and a Russian State Bank shipment.
We have since proven the US Navy shipment, conservatively appraised at $200 million today. And we have increased the Russian State Bank shipment from a 1909 $3 million shipment (which my book describes and which gave the show its Billion Dollar Wreck title) to a $25 million shipment, 45 tons of double-gold-eagles. You can do the extrapolation. Billion Dollar Wreck was a significant under-valuation.
We are moving forward, this time with the right platform, personnel and tools. Of course, we will be filming it all. So, the story continues ... and you'll be able to see it.
Capt. Martin Bayerle
B$W was only a dog-and-pony show. Saturation diving with appropriate crane, hydraulic grab, cutting and other tools are required to excavate several thousand tons of debris, the overburden, collapsed decks, detritus and debris, which must be removed to reach the gold chamber.. But, we didn't even have a anchor winch!
B$W was entertainment only, and new TV shows are budget-limited. Our audience was interested in actual underwater work, as can be seen from the other comments. We lacked the capability to achieve our stated goal: to recover Republic's gold.
As for the existence of RMS Republic's cargoes, my 2013 book The Tsar's Treasure covers two identified cargoes, a US Navy coin-monies shipment, and a Russian State Bank shipment.
We have since proven the US Navy shipment, conservatively appraised at $200 million today. And we have increased the Russian State Bank shipment from a 1909 $3 million shipment (which my book describes and which gave the show its Billion Dollar Wreck title) to a $25 million shipment, 45 tons of double-gold-eagles. You can do the extrapolation. Billion Dollar Wreck was a significant under-valuation.
We are moving forward, this time with the right platform, personnel and tools. Of course, we will be filming it all. So, the story continues ... and you'll be able to see it.
Capt. Martin Bayerle