Josh Gates travels to Micronesia on a mission to locate a lost P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane that vanished during the final days of World War II. Armed with fresh eyewitness testimony and advanced underwater detection technology, Gates and his team dive into the Pacific waters searching for the aircraft piloted by an American hero who took part in a daring raid. The quest combines historical detective work with cutting-edge exploration as Gates works to pinpoint the crash site of this wartime relic and honor the sacrifice of its pilot.
The P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the war's most formidable fighter-bombers, serving primarily in the European and Pacific theaters from 1942 onward. Hundreds of these aircraft were lost in combat, and many crash sites remain undiscovered in remote Pacific locations where recovery efforts were impossible during wartime. What makes this episode compelling is the convergence of newly surfaced eyewitness accounts—rare finds seventy-five years after the war—with modern sonar and dive technology that can finally pinpoint wreckage in challenging ocean conditions. The search isn't just about finding metal and machinery; it's about documenting a specific moment of wartime courage and potentially identifying remains or artifacts that can bring closure to families still seeking answers about their loved ones who never came home.
Church of San Nicolò al Lido, Venice
Italy · historical
Gates sends a camera crew inside the church on the Lido, which reportedly houses bone fragments of Saint Nicholas taken by Venetian sailors from Myra in 1100. Gates is not permitted to film inside himself but obtains rare footage of the high altar sarcophagus.
Italy (St. Nicholas sites)
Italy · historical
Josh continues the investigation into St. Nicholas, following clues and gathering DNA evidence to identify the saint's remains that may have been moved to Italy.
Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice
Italy · historical
Gates meets historian Alessandro Trabucco at the famous high-tide bookshop to review Dr. Luigi Martino's 1992 report on the Venice bone fragments, learning that they appear to complement the remains in Bari and may belong to the same individual.
Micronesia Pacific dive site
Micronesia · historical
Josh dives the Pacific waters of Micronesia to find a lost P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft piloted by an American hero during a daring WWII raid.
Shrine of All Saints, Morton Grove, Illinois
United States · historical
Gates visits Father Dennis O'Neill's shrine housing over 3,100 relics and examines a bone fragment certified as belonging to Saint Nicholas — specifically identified as a left pubic bone, which is the exact bone missing from both the Bari and Venice collections.
Turkey (St. Nicholas sites)
Turkey · historical
Josh investigates the true history of St. Nicholas, the real-life saint who became known as Santa Claus, gathering DNA evidence to identify the saint's missing remains.
University of Chicago Clean Laboratory
United States · scientific
Gates and Professor Tom Higham extract a 208mg sample from the purported Saint Nicholas relic for ancient DNA analysis, following strict contamination protocols in a sterile clean room, with the sample sent to the University of Vienna for sequencing.