EPISODE 4

The Curse of Oak Island

Season 7 Episode 4

Recap: Season 7 Episode 4

"The Lucky Thirteen"



  • Opens @ Smith Cove, looking for money pit flood tunnel, "another piece of the puzzle"

    • goes back to 1897 TNT blasting to stop flood tunnels

    • Paul Troutman and Terry Matheson reviewing core samples, locate wood, hand hewn? at 51ft.

  • WAR ROOM- artifact review of wood uncovered, similar to wood found at slipway in Smith's Cove? wood at Smith's Cove dated to 1770s?

    • Steve Guptill readings draw a line from Smiths Cove Box Structure, under cave in pit, to near money pit

  • Peter Fornetti and Alex Lagina join Terry and Charles for core samples at Smiths Cove

  • Rick, Craig, and Tom Nolan discussion back in War Room- time to dig in the swamp

    • Concern from Tom Nolan of vegetation build up of 3-6 feet from when Tom Nolan was in swamp, must remove the cover material in swamp

      • Two ways to stop water in swamp?

        • Bladder System

        • Fabric Material to make a dam?

        • They bring in Jack Nichols from Dam It Dams- HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HOLD BACK JUNK IN SWAMP?

  • Gary Drayton and Charles Barkhouse on Lot 21 metal detecting, same Lot where swages were unearthed

    • "Rainy Days Metal Conducive" quote from Gary, loves detecting in rain (look at Charles Barkhouse reactions when getting out of the vehicle to start detecting

      • finds a coin!! A COIN!!! dated & guess was Young Victorian 1840s?

      • Next Find: a broach, braided? Leaf design, jewelry? "A KILLER FIND:

        • GO BACK TO EPISODE AT 23 MINUTES AND CAPTURE THAT AUDIO-- ITS BOBBY DAZZLER TIME

          • Gary guesses 1500 to 1700 French Uniform?

          • 1746 Jean-Baptiste Louis Frederic de La Rochefoucauld de Roye, the Duc d'Anville

      • Alex and Laird to to conservator Kelly Bourassa at Acadia University to clean, glass fiber brush

        • maritime look, No Maker's Mark

  • Mug and Anchor Pub meeting---aka Crown TIME per Dave Blakenship---shared broach cleaning

    • Marty counts 13 branches on broach, 2 ropes mean marriage?

    • An Appeal To Heaven Battle Flag

      • Mason connection? G. Washington

      • Lot 21- Laird wants noninvasive ground penetrating radar, but you know Gary wants to be the metal detecting ninja and dig in

  • Last Scene: C14 analysis (show image from show) dated 97% accuracy for 1735 to 1784 for wood discovery from beginning if episode

    • Steve Guptill quite excited

    • Jack Begley ready to dig by hand and is flipping out...(as Charles Barkhouse looks on to his Sith candidate with pleasure)

The Duc d'Anville



Coat of arms: ducs de La Rochefoucauld

Interpretation of Halpern's map


The ties to Nova Scotia

Jean-Baptiste Louis Frederic de La Rochefoucauld de Roye, the Duc d'Anville

The 1746 expedition

(11,000 men on 64 ships) NOTE - this numbers vary depending on the source.

  • The expedition was funded by France to protect their claims and interests

  • They were to recapture Louisbourg and take peninsular Acadia (present day Nova Scotia

  • Expedition = the largest military force ever to set sail for the New World prior to the American Revolution.

  • Along with recapturing Acadia from the British, d'Anville was ordered to "consign Boston to flames, ravage New England and waste the British West Indies." At the time, that would have been an attack on Britan remember, not against the founding fathers

  • Failure, storms and sickness scattered the fleet

  • After 3 harrowing month, 44 vessels finally anchored in Nova Scotia

  • They spent 5 weeks, dealing with the devastation and rampant sickness

  • Duc d’Anville dies shortly after reaching Novia Scotia

Historian Doug Crowell explained to the team that he found evidence in a library that the fleet, led by Rochefoucauld, was carrying treasure. Zena Halpern’s map mentions Rochefoucauld, and a ship’s log purportedly mentioned burying the vessel’s treasure in a pit.

  • Now – some theories suggest the Money Pit was a red herring, a fake, a psych out. The idea is the money pit is just a rouse attempting to lead future treasure seekers away from the actual prize, which lay under the hatch. Supposedly, real site is just adjacent to the Money Pit, based on the placement of stones. Some feel this could very well be the hatch

  • American founding fathers Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson both had connections to Rochefoucauld's son, Louis Alexander Rochefoucauld. Some speculate that the Duc’s son shared info with the founding fathers about this treasure. Remember, the entire expedition was an attempt to essentially fight the British. France helped the founding fathers as they funded much of the revolution against Britan. Both Franklin, Jefferson, and the Rochefoucauld ties to Templars and Free Masons


Technology

The Founding Fathers

Appeal to Heaven symbol

Odds and Ends

In and around the area

Gary Drayton - the Metal Detecting Ninja

Laird Niven

5 Things You Didn't Know

Charles Barkhouse

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