Bering Sea Gold

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

Shawn: TODAY I'M GONNA FOCUS ON THE MEGA DREDGE,

GET IT OUT OF THE WATER.

IT'S A HUGE STEP.

I'M STARTING TO GET EXCITED.

PULLING A 445-BY-165-FOOT BARGE UP A 13-FOOT INCLINE.

THAT THING GETS LOOSE,

IT'LL ANNIHILATE EVERYTHING IN THE HARBOR.

Ken: WE'VE BEEN KICKED IN THE HEAD PRETTY HARD,

BUT THE GOAL NOW IS TO KEEP MINING AND BE SUCCESSFUL.

FAILURE'S NOT IN MY GENES.

SHAKER'S RUNNING GOOD, THE GRIZZLY'S WORKING GOOD.

NOW WE'RE GONNA WORK 24 HOURS A DAY,

SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Kris: WITH ANDY DOWN, I HAVE TO DO ALL THE DIVING,

WHICH MEANS THAT WE'RE GONNA GET HALF THE GOLD.

SO I'M GONNA DO THIS FAST.

LIGHTNING PROSPECTING.

I DON'T LIKE THIS WEATHER.

I WANT TO GO.

IF THIS BOAT SINKS, I SINK.

Daryl: I DON'T WANT TO COME UP.

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!

Kris: EVERY TIME I MOVE MY HOSE,

I CAN HEAR THE CHA-CHING OF CASH.

Ken: SHAWN, NEW MR. GOLD IN TOWN.

Kris: THE LAST MAN STANDING WINS.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: A DISTINCT CHILL IN THE AIR

CAN MEAN ONLY ONE THING.

IT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE END

OF THE SUMMER MINING SEASON.

WITH EVERY DEGREE THE THERMOMETER DROPS,

THE WINTER FREEZE TICKS CLOSER.

FOR THE FLEET, THERE'S STILL TIME.

BUT HOW MUCH?

EVERY CAPTAIN MUST ASK WHAT THEY'RE WILLING TO RISK

TO STAY IN THE GAME TO THE BITTER END.

HOW HARD YOU PUSH, HOW LONG YOU ENDURE,

WILL DETERMINE WHO GOES HOME EARLY

AND WHO GOES HOME RICH.

Shawn: TIME TO GET TO WORK.

AT NOME HARBOR...

WE'RE GONNA HAVE THIS THING OUT TODAY.

WHOO!

COMING IN HOT.

PULLING A BARGE OUT.

Narrator: MR. GOLD,

CAPTAIN SHAWN POMRENKE IS ON A MISSION

TO RIVAL KEN KERR'S MASSIVE MYRTLE IRENE

BY BUILDING AN EVEN LARGER, 825-TON MEGA DREDGE.

Shawn: NOW WE'RE GETTING THE RIGGING SET UP

GETTING THE 992 HOOKED UP TO THIS THING

AND GET IT OUT OF THE WATER.

IT'S TIME TO PULL THE MEGA DREDGE NOW,

BECAUSE IF THE GROUND FREEZES AND IT TURNS TO ICE,

WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE TRACTION

AND WE WILL NOT GET THIS THING OUT.

JUST HOPING WE'VE GOT ENOUGH BAGS AND ENOUGH HORSEPOWER

TO GET THIS THING UP AND ON DRY LAND.

Narrator: WITH HIS EXCAVATOR BARGE, THE CHRISTINE ROSE,

AND HIS SUCTION DREDGE, THE HAVILAH,

WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK,

SHAWN IS GRINDING HIS WAY TO THE 1,200 OUNCES HE NEEDS

TO COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION OF HIS GOLD-GOBBLING BEHEMOTH.

WE BREAK THESE CHAINS, WE'RE, UH,

DEFINITELY DOING SOMETHING WRONG.

WE GOT IT.

Narrator: AFTER SUSSING OUT

THE RICHEST PAY DIRT OF THE SEASON...

THEY ALL COME TOGETHER RIGHT HERE.

...AT THE INTERSECTION

OF THREE HISTORICAL BEACH STRIKES...

Shawn: I'M SEEING A BIG CLUTTER OF GOLD, STEADY.

Narrator: ...SHAWN MAY FINALLY HAVE THE KEY TO SATISFYING

HIS MEGA DREDGE'S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET.

Shawn: THIS IS THE KIND OF GOLD

THAT WILL PAY FOR THE MEGA DREDGE.

BACK UP A LITTLE, LOU.

Narrator: IT'S LATE IN THE SEASON

AND WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING,

THE $200,000 BARGE IS AT RISK OF GETTING STUCK

WHEN THE HARBOR FREEZES.

THE EXPANDING OCEAN ICE COULD LITERALLY CRUSH IT

INTO A PILE OF SCRAP METAL,

ALONG WITH SHAWN'S MEGA-DREDGE DREAM.

SO THE TIME TO PULL THE BARGE IS NOW.

Shawn: LET'S GET THAT BAG.

PULL IT UP ON THE BAG.

AIR UP ONE BAG.

PULL IT UP A LITTLE BIT MORE,

GET ANOTHER BAG UNDER IT

AND WE'LL KEEP ADDING BAGS AS WE GO.

THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BARGE THIS SIZE PULLED OUT OF NOME...

EVER.

SO THERE'S NO BLUEPRINT TO SAY,

THIS IS HOW FAR YOUR BAGS ARE APART,

THIS IS WHAT ANGLE THE RAMP NEEDS TO BE.

I MEAN, THIS IS A LEARN AS YOU GO.

45-BY-165-FOOT BARGE UP A 13-FOOT INCLINE.

THAT THING GETS LOOSE AND TAKES OFF,

IT'LL ANNIHILATE EVERYTHING IN THE HARBOR.

Narrator: THE PLAN IS FOR 2 100-TON 992 LOADERS

TO PULL THE DREDGE ONTO GIANT AIRBAGS

THAT WILL ACT LIKE A CONVEYOR BELT

MOVING THE BARGE TO ITS RESTING PLACE FOR THE WINTER.

BUT ONE MISCUE IN THE TIGHTLY PACKED HARBOR

AND THE 633-TON BARGE

WILL DESTROY ANYTHING IN ITS PATH.

Shawn: GET THAT BAG UNDER HERE.

WE'RE GONNA BRING 'EM AND PUT THEM IN THE MIDDLE HERE.

RIGHT HERE.

THE TRICK IS TO GET THE BARGE UP ONTO THE FIRST BAG.

IT'S ALWAYS A PAIN IN THE ASS.

WE'RE GONNA PUT SOME AIR INTO IT AND SEE HOW THIS WORKS.

THESE THINGS ARE SO HEAVY,

YOU CAN'T JUST DRAG THEM OUT IN THE DIRT.

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE 'EM OFF THE GROUND.

AND THESE BAGS ARE SPECIFICALLY MADE

TO PULL BIG BOATS OUT OF THE WATER,

SO THEY'RE REAL EXPENSIVE.

Shawn: THERE WE GO.

I THINK WE'RE READY TO ROLL.

THERE, SHE'S ROLLING FORWARD.

I THINK WE CAN KEEP GOING.

GOOD. EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD.

LET'S KEEP ROLLING.

THINGS ARE GOING REALLY SMOOTH.

SET OUR SECOND BAG.

LET'S GET A BAG IN THE ASS END HERE.

WANT TO KEEP GOING.

GETTING THERE, GETTING THERE.

PERFECT, JUST LIKE PLANNED.

GET MOVING, CODY, GO!

GO, GO, GO!

THERE WE GO.

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! HEY! HEY!

WHOA.

WE'VE HIT THE GROUND IN THE BACK.

WE GOT TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON THE ASS-END.

WE AIN'T GETTING IT UP. IT DON'T WANT TO COME UP.

WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH HORSEPOWER.

I'VE GOT TO PROCESS AND FIGURE OUT

WHAT'S GONNA BE THE BEST SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.

OTHERWISE, WE WON'T GET THE BARGE OUT.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GONNA GET THIS OUT.

Narrator: TWO MILES AWAY, OFF THE COAST OF NOME...

WHOO. IT'S A LOT OF FUN OUT HERE

WHEN EVERYTHING'S GOING SMOOTH AND EVERYTHING'S WORKING.

Narrator: ...CAPTAIN KEN KERR'S 600-TON BERING SEA BEAST

THE MYRTLE IRENE IS ON A HOT STREAK.

Ken: WE'LL TRY TO FINISH OFF THIS SEASON STRONG.

KEEP THIS BARGE RUNNING.

IT'S NICE TO BE ABLE TO PAY THE BILLS.

Narrator: THE CAPTAIN IS STILL FAR

FROM HIS 2,000-OUNCE SUMMER GOAL.

AND WITH THE COST OF CREW AND FUEL AT 8 GRAND A DAY,

THEY'LL NEED TO MINE 700 OUNCES

JUST TO BREAK EVEN ON THE SEASON.

Ken: WE'VE BEEN KICKED IN THE HEAD PRETTY HARD,

BUT THE GOAL NOW IS TO JUST KEEP MINING

AND BE SUCCESSFUL.

WE'VE GOT MILLIONS TIED UP IN THE MYRTLEIN THIS PROJECT

AND WE NEED TO HAVE THAT MONEY BACK.

Narrator: BUT LAST WEEK...

Ken: A LOT OF GOLD IN THE BERING SEA.

WE'VE GOT TO FIND IT.

Narrator: ...THE MYRTLE MINED DEEP-WATER GROUND.

George: THAT'S THE SPOT.

...FOUND BY OPERATIONS MANAGER GEORGE YOUNG.

IT'S LOOKING REALLY GOOD.

AND AN INITIAL 15-HOUR RUN

PROVED THE SPOT'S GOLDEN POTENTIAL.

29.

BADOW!

Ken: SO WE'RE GONNA GET BACK TO WORK.

FOR THE DIG TIME WE HAD,

YOU KNOW, FOR 15 HOURS, WE'RE PRETTY HAPPY WITH IT.

IT'S AN AVERAGE OF TWO OUNCES AN HOUR,

SO THAT'S OVER 2,000 BUCKS AN HOUR.

WE'RE JUST ALL ABOUT KEEPING THINGS RUNNING.

Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME ALL SEASON,

CAPTAIN KEN HAS MANAGED AN UNINTERRUPTED

FOUR-DAY MINING STREAK.

Ken: YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN ATTITUDE THAT YOU CAN DO IT.

AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN'T GET DONE,

NOTHING THAT YOU CAN'T FIX.

BIGGEST, BADDEST BOY ON THE BERING SEA

RIGHT HERE.

OLD MR. GOLD, HE AIN'T GOT NOTHING OVER ON US.

I'VE BEEN A GOLD MINER ALL MY LIFE AS WELL.

I ALWAYS HAD THE DREAM.

I WAS PANNING GOLD IN COLORADO

WHEN I WAS LIKE 6 YEARS OLD.

MY OLD MAN WAS A PROSPECTOR.

YEE-HAW.

MY DAD TOOK ME TREASURE HUNTING WITH HIM

AND PANNING GOLD.

AND WHEN YOU'RE A LITTLE KID, IT WAS JUST COOL, YOU KNOW.

I COULD TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOOL'S GOLD