History Debuts Original New Series BILLION DOLLAR WRECK Tonight

HISTORY will premiere the new eight-part series BILLION DOLLAR WRECK from Original Productions in association with executive producer Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes Productions. The hour-long series follows famed treasure hunter Martin Bayerle and his son Grant as they embark on a complex expedition in pursuit of both personal redemption and a billion dollars' worth of treasure aboard the renowned and mysterious sunken cruise liner, RMS Republic. "Billion Dollar Wreck" premieres tonight, February 8 at 10:00 PM ET/PT.

One of the largest and most luxurious ocean liners of its time, 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. Life-long treasure hunter Martin Bayerle 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 will lead a team of salvage divers down the deep, dark and DANGEROUS WATERS that have held Republic's secrets hostage for a century.

"Billion Dollar Wreck" is produced for HISTORY by Original Productions and Platinum Dunes Productions. Philip D. Segal, Sarah Whalen and Jarrod Harlow are executive producers for Original Productions along with Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form for Platinum Dunes Productions. Paul Cabana, Michael Stiller and Jim Pasquarella are executive producers for HISTORY.

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