Mahogany Ship

**Mahogany Ship** is the 5th episode in Season 5 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

Josh goes down under to search along Australia's infamous Shipwreck Coast for the missing Mahogany Ship. Confirming the vessel's existence could rewrite Australia's history.

## Historical Context

"In 1836, marooned seal hunters on Australia's Shipwreck Coast come across an incredible sight. A wrecked vessel made of dark wood trapped in the sand dunes. It becomes known as the Mahogany Ship. And as the centuries tick by its legend continues to grow. To some, it's an ancient Chinese vessel to others a Spanish Galleon. And to many, a Portuguese treasure ship loaded with gold. Eyewitness descriptions suggest that it may be older than the earliest known ships to explore Australia. Which means it could rewrite maritime history. "

~ Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh goes to Melbourne, Australia and then drives the Great Ocean Road to Shipwreck Coast. He goes to Warrnambool and meets John Sherwood and Pat Connelly, Mahogany Ship Committee members, who tell him about the history of eyewitness sightings of the ship and that the ship may have belonged to Portuguese captain, Cristovao de Mendonca. They go to the Flagstaff Hill museum and see a European map from the 1500s with a landmass that looks like Australia, but no Europeans were recorded as having been there before.

Josh meets Rob Simpson and Michael Constable, researchers, and Richard Cirillo, a LIDAR specialist, at the Warrnambool Airport. They use LIDAR to scan the area and detect a strange formation in the sand dunes. They meet up with Johnathon Fitzgerald, a GPR specialist, and use the GPR to find disturbances in the area in a distinct ship-like shape. However, they find mostly tree roots and Josh finds an old wood barrel except it's not from the wreck.

Josh goes to Tower Hill and meets Ross Poulter, a researcher, who believes the ship is underwater instead of on land. They go to the beach and battle the difficult surf to find probes Ross previously placed where he struck timber. Josh finds a spike and wood from a ship nearby. He then goes to Port Fairy and boards a boat and meets Wayne Dalton, a captain, Peter Taylor, a maritime historian, and Carl von Stanke and Aaron Mitchell, divers. They dive out to see if they can find the rest of the wreck that Ross has found. They find a previously non-discovered intact shipwreck from the early 1800s but it's not the Mahogany Ship.

## Final Words

"As we steam home, I reflect on my quest that has taken me from the eclectic streets of Melbourne, to the majestic limestone cliffs of the Great Ocean Road, and the heart of the infamous and feared Shipwreck Coast. Today, in charming coastal towns like Warrnambool and Port Fairy, people not only remember the story of the Mahogany Ship, they celebrate it ... but does the Mahogany Ship really exist? My hunch is that it did and that the more than 40 accounts of its existence make this story more than just a legend. The vast sand dunes here are certainly capable of swallowing history, and we've discovered important artefacts in the waves and a stunning wreck off-shore. One thing is certain: as historians, researchers, and treasure hunters continue the search, they're illuminating the brave and often tragic history of the exploration of Australia's southern coast. A land, and a people, every bit as tough as mahogany."

~ Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* *This is where you can put notes and trivia, anything that is interesting or strange can be included here*

## Quotes

* "Working on my Australian accent and let me tell you something, at the moment it's raining, but, normally it's so ridiculous how beautiful it is in Melbourne. Okay, it's awful but you know, I'm trying, Australia, I'm really trying."
* "This is a ground-penetrating radar unit on top of a snowboard?"
* "Hashtag snowdar. I own 10% of the company now.

## References

1. ↑ https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/go/shows/e/expedition-unknown/400/mahogany-ship.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.336.252.suffix/1588683665575.jpeg