Bering Sea Gold

Narrator: LAST WINTER...

Shawn: WOO-HOO!

Narrator: ...ON "BERING SEA GOLD"...

Shawn: WHOO! MR. GOLD STRIKES AGAIN.

WHOO.

Narrator: ...DISCOVERY OF NEW, RICH GROUND...

WE'VE GOT GOLD!

Narrator: ...SPARKED A MODERN-DAY GOLD RUSH.

Emily: THE GOLD BELONGS TO WHOEVER MINES IT FIRST.

LOAD THE RIFLES, BOYS, THE OLD WEST RULES ARE IN EFFECT.

DID YOU FIND THIS?!

WHOO!

Narrator: NOW, AS THE SUMMER MINING SEASON BEGINS...

ANOTHER HUGE DREDGE IN TOWN.

Narrator: ...A NEW BERING SEA TITAN ENTERS THE FRAY.

WOO-HOO, YEAH, WE'RE DIGGING.

THE BIGGEST RIG IN NOME RIGHT HERE.

GIVE OL' POMRENKE A RUN FOR HIS MONEY.

Shawn: I'M NOT BACKING DOWN FROM ANY OF THESE FOOLS.

I'M GONNA REMIND EVERYBODY WHY THEY CALL ME "MR. GOLD."

ONE ANGRY BERING SEA.

Kris: HIT THE BLUFFS, THERE'S BIG GOLD.

I HAVE THE BEST PLAN IN THE BERING SEA.

I'VE CREATED A LIGHT DREDGE ON WHEELS.

I CAN TAKE THAT BOAT ANYWHERE

AND GET GOLD EVERY SINGLE DAY.

FOUND GOLD! WOO-HOO!

Emily: I'VE BARELY BROKE EVEN EVERY YEAR.

SOMETIMES NOT EVEN THAT.

THIS SEASON I HAVE THE BOAT, THE CREW,

AND THE GROUND FOR IT.

THERE'S REALLY NO EXCUSE.

NO!

CHASE!

Shawn: HOLY

Narrator: THIS SEASON...

Ken: YEE-HAW! WHOO!

...A NEW ERA BEGINS.

I AIN'T PUSHING YOU OUT, I AIN'T WITH YA.

Shawn: THE MEGA DREDGE NEEDS TO HAPPEN THIS SUMMER.

Narrator: AND THE BATTLE FOR GOLD...

THIS IS THE SPOT!

...WILL CHANGE NOME...

Kris: I'VE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH GOLD.

Narrator: ...FOREVER.

THE NEW KELLY'S RIGHT HERE.

Shawn: IT'S GONNA BE A FIGHT THE WHOLE WAY.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: NOME, ALASKA -- IT'S THE HEART

OF THE GOLD-MINING UNIVERSE.

AND THE HEART OF NOME IS THE AMERICAN MINER.

SINCE 1898, THESE FREEDOM-LOVING TREASURE SEEKERS

HAVE PULLED OVER THREE AND A HALF MILLION OUNCES OF GOLD

FROM THIS ISOLATED SHORE.

143 MILES BELOW THE ARCTIC CIRCLE,

AND CLOSER TO SIBERIA THAN THE LOWER 48,

NOME HAS TAKEN ALL COMERS FOR A CENTURY.

THIS SEASON, THE DREDGERS ARE BRAVING DEEPER WATERS

THAN EVER BEFORE AND GAMBLING MILLIONS

TO FIND THE GOLD... THAT'S NEVER BEEN FOUND.

IT'S TIME TO REDEFINE THE LIMITS...

WHOO!

Narrator: ...OR GET LEFT BEHIND IN A CLOUD OF GOLD DUST.

8 MILES WEST OF NOME...

Shawn: MAYBE WE'LL GET SOME NUGGETS TODAY.

Narrator: ...ON THE TOMCOD CLAIM.

CHRISTINE ROSEIS A GOLD-GETTING MACHINE.

Narrator: MR. GOLD HIMSELF, CAPTAIN SHAWN POMRENKE

AND CHRISTINE ROSE FOREMAN CODY MOEN...

KIND OF TOUGH AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER,

THIS WEATHER'S BEEN REAL

Narrator: ...ARE LOOKING TO THE PAST

TO SECURE THE FUTURE.

BEFORE I GO DOWN THE BLUFF, I GOT TO MAKE SURE

THE CHRISTINE ROSE IS PRODUCING GOLD.

AND THE TOMCOD'S THE KEY.

Narrator: SETTING UP THE 80-FOOT,

80-TON EXCAVATOR BARGE ON THE RICHEST PROVEN GROUND

IN NOME'S HISTORY.

Shawn: A LOT OF FIRE'S BURNING,

KEEP THE CHRISTINE ROSEWORKING,

NUMBER-ONE PRIORITY.

Narrator: IT'S GROUND THAT SHAWN'S WORKED EXTENSIVELY

OVER THE YEARS,

MINING EVERY INCH HE COULD REACH WITH THE CR.

BUT THIS SUMMER, A NEW PART OF THE CLAIM HAS BEEN OPENED

TO HIM, AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT TRUMPS ALL OTHERS.

THERE'S MILLIONS OF DOLLARS LEFT AT THE TOMCOD.

I'VE KNOWN IT FOR YEARS, AND I'M GONNA GET IT.

IT'S JUST, I HAVEN'T HAD THE MEANS TO GET TO IT.

HEAD IN THE BLUFFS A PRIORITY, NUMBER TWO,

AND BUILDING THE MEGA DREDGE.

SO HOPEFULLY THERE'S A NICE BIG FAT

PAY STREAK UNDERNEATH US.

Man: THIS THING IS MASSIVE.

Narrator: FOR SIX YEARS, SHAWN HAS SET HIS SIGHTS

ON BUILDING HIS $6 MILLION MEGA DREDGE.

Shawn: MAN, I SEE THE POTENTIAL.

Narrator: A 165-FOOT LONG, 600-TON EXCAVATOR BARGE.

Shawn: I THINK WE COULD DO 75,000 A DAY.

Narrator: HE'S ALREADY SPENT $3 MILLION

AND HE NEEDS $1.5 TO BEGIN BUILDING HIS BESPOKE BEHEMOTH.

TAKING THIS BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL,

BLUFF IS THE KEY TO THAT.

Narrator: LAST SEASON, HE LEFT NO STONE UNTURNED...

Shawn: THERE'S SOME GOLD HERE

BUT NOT AS MUCH AS I WANT TO FIND.

Narrator: ...IN HIS QUEST TO BUILD THE DREDGE.

Shawn: MEETING SOME INVESTORS TODAY,

THAT'S GONNA BE VERY PROFITABLE

FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED IN IT.

Narrator: BUT IN THE END, THE DEAL FELL THROUGH.

Shawn: THE MEGA DREDGE IS A HUGE UNDERTAKING.

AND WITHOUT FUNDS, IT'S KIND OF SLOWED THE PROCESS

DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT IT HASN'T STOPPED IT BY ANY MEANS.

WE'RE STILL MOVING FORWARD,

AND I WILL BUILD IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

Narrator: SHAWN HAS A TWO-PRONGED PLAN

TO MINE ENOUGH GOLD TO START CONSTRUCTION

AT THE END OF THE SEASON.

WELL, THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA FUND IT

IS BY PILING UP THE GOLD.

Narrator: THE FIRST PRONG

IS THE CHRISTINE ROSE ON THE TOMCOD.

EVERY OUNCE NOW COUNTS MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.

Narrator: AND THIS YEAR, MR. GOLD IS ON THE RECEIVING END

OF AN ASSIST FROM MOTHER NATURE.

WE'RE AS DEEP AS THE CHRISTINE ROSECAN DIG.

BUT THE NORTH WIND STOPS, WE'LL BE SCREWED.

WHEN THE NORTH WIND BLOWS,

IT PUSHES THE WATER OFF THE COAST

AND DROPS IT DOWN THREE OR FOUR FEET,

SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT IN A LITTLE DEEPER WATER

AND GET THAT GOLD THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET

IN THE PAST YEARS.

Narrator: THE CHRISTINE ROSE CAN EXCAVATE

TO A DEPTH OF 10 FEET.

ACCORDING TO MR. GOLD, THE NORTH WIND

IS A LOCALIZED WEATHER PHENOMENON

THAT PUSHES THE LEVEL OF THE OCEAN DOWN

BY THREE OR FOUR FEET,

CREATING A PERPETUAL LOW TIDE.

THIS OPENS UP A 600-YARD SWATH

OF PRIME VIRGIN GROUND FOR SHAWN TO MINE.

Shawn: GO AHEAD AND SEE WHAT KIND OF GOLD

THIS COMBO'S HOLDING.

WOW.

THERE'S SOME GOLD IN THERE.

OH, NICE. YEAH!

LOOKS LIKE THIS IS THE SPOT.

THERE'S HUNDRED OF THOUSANDS OF OUNCES

LEFT IN THIS OCEAN.

NOW WE'RE JUST GONNA DIG IT UP,

PUT IT IN THE SLUICE BOX.

Narrator: 8 MILES EAST...

...IN NOME HARBOR...

KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING.

YEAH, KEEP GOING.

Narrator: ...THERE'S A NEW BEAST IN TOWN.

Ken: SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST DREDGE IN NOME

ONCE THIS GOES IN THE WATER.

Narrator: WHAT COULD BE SHAWN'S WORST NIGHTMARE

IS HEADING FOR THE BERING SEA.

WE NEED AIR BAG UP HERE SOMEWHERE, LET'S GO.

Narrator: OVERSEEING THE OPERATION...

Ken: CHECK ALL THE BAGS, GET 'EM ALL GOING,

MAKE SURE THEY ALL GOT AIR.

Narrator: ...CO-OWNER OF ARCTIC SEA MINING COMPANY,

VETERAN MINER, CAPTAIN KEN KERR...

I'M THE BEST GOLD MINER NOME'S EVER SEEN.

BETWEEN ME AND SHAWN, I'M A WAY BETTER MINER THAN HE IS.

I GOT WAY MORE EXPERIENCE THAN HE DOES.

I WAS MINING WHEN I WAS 4 YEARS OLD.

PAIR IT UP!

MY DAD WAS A MINER, PROSPECTOR, KIND OF TREASURE HUNTER.

PLAYED AROUND IT WHEN I WAS YOUNG,

AND LATER ON IN LIFE GOT MARRIED,

WORKED IN THE OIL FIELDS,

TOOK MY KIDS OUT MINING AND DREDGING

IN THE RIVERS OF CALIFORNIA.

MY DREAM THE WHOLE TIME TO GO TO ALASKA,

SO WE WENT UP TO NOME, BUILT A DREDGE,

AND SHIPPED IT UP THERE.

ME AND MY SON DREDGED, LIKE, 5 DAYS AND DID 120 OUNCES.

EVER SINCE THEN, WE'VE LIKED NOME.

WE'VE BEEN THERE EVER SINCE, NINE YEARS.

Narrator: ...AND BUSINESS PARTNER...

HEY, LET'S GO AHEAD ANOTHER FIVE FEET.

Narrator: ...DAVE YOUNG.

THIS IS THE MOST CRITICAL POINT OF THE WHOLE INSERTION.

JUST A TOUGH ONE.

Ken: WE HIT IT OFF RIGHT AWAY.

HE BROUGHT IN JUST HIMSELF AND HIS CHECKBOOK.

THAT'S HOW WE STARTED ARCTIC SEA MINING.

AND IT'S KIND OF -- ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER,

FROM DREDGING TO A BIG BARGE.

MYRTLE IRENE'SGONNA BLOW EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WATER,

PERIOD, BAR NONE.

WE'RE GONNA DIG ALL THE GOLD IN NOME WITH IT.

Narrator: 140 FEET LONG, 40 FEET WIDE,