Audience/Chorus (2:40)

Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or History. Listen up everyone. We make smarting lots of fun, but who's smartass?

Trusty Narrator (3:01)

Okay, Bryce, I just noticed one of the deckhands lowering a heavy cable with a huge hook on the end down into the water. What exactly are they doing?

Bryce (3:12)

Good question, Trusty. Maybe your smarty pants friends want to take a guess?

Trusty Narrator (3:16)

Sure, go ahead smarty pants. Shout out what you think is going on here. I heard someone say to lift up really heavy stuff. That's an excellent guess. Indeed it is.

Bryce (3:28)

Even better, it's quite accurate. Here, check out the underwater view screen. What do you see?

Trusty Narrator (3:39)

It's pretty cloudy down there. I see something kinda square shaped, covered in barnacles. No, it's not that. It sorta looks like a big trapdoor with a large handle on top.

Bryce (3:51)

Bingo.

Trusty Narrator (3:54)

I see. So they're trying to position that large hook so that it can lift open the door.

Bryce (4:04)

Yep.

Trusty Narrator (4:05)

Ooh, could there be something valuable inside? Like perhaps sunken treasure?

Bryce (4:11)

Well, maybe not the way you're thinking of it, but we hope there's something of value down there.

Trusty Narrator (4:20)

Me too. Me too. But wait, how did you know where this particular wreck went down and what it was carrying?

Bryce (4:27)

Well, trusty, to find out this information we had to do lots of research. But the more we dug into it, the more intrigued we became. And by we, I meant my crew.

Deckhand (4:42)

And I. Oh yeah, this could be the big one.

Trusty Narrator (4:45)

Now I'm intrigued. So what did you learn?

Bryce (4:48)

Well, do you remember the names of the three ships the famous Italian explorer Christopher Columbus used in 1492 when he set out from Spain to cross the Atlantic Ocean in search of India and China?

Trusty Narrator (5:06)

I do, but let's see if the smarty pants know true or false. Smarty pants? The names of those three ships were the Titanic, the Queen Mary, and the SS Minnow. If you said false, you're right. Go ahead, shout out the names of Columbus's ships. I heard you smarties. They are of course, the Neenah, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.

Bryce (5:29)

Very nice. But I bet you didn't know what happened to each of them.

Trusty Narrator (5:36)

Uh, you're right, I don't. But something tells me I'm about to.

Bryce (5:41)

Legend has it the Santa Maria, which was primarily a cargo ship, was the slowest of the three vessels. Fortunately, it performed well during the crossing of the Atlantic. That is, until on all days Christmas Eve, Columbus decided to hand over the steering duties to a trusted crewman in order to get some well needed sleep.

Trusty Narrator (6:08)

Uh oh. I have a feeling something bad happened.

Bryce (6:13)

Oh yeah. With the seas being calm that evening, that skilled Crewman decided to catch some Z's themself and pass the wheel to a lonely cabin.

Trusty Narrator (6:27)

Boy, oh boy.

Bryce (6:30)

The ocean currents carried the ship way off course, stranding her on a beach in a place once called Hispaniola that's now part of Haiti.

Trusty Narrator (6:43)

Wait, so you think the shipwreck below us right now is the famous Santa Maria that Columbus sailed on?

Bryce (6:50)

Yep. Or at least part of it.

Trusty Narrator (6:53)

What do you mean, part of it?

Bryce (6:54)

Well, when Christopher Columbus and his men were unable to dislodge the Santa Maria, they decided to strip down much of the boat's still functioning parts to use elsewhere. Supposedly, most of the timber was used to build a fort on the island. So unfortunately, we're not talking a fully intact sunken vessel here. Far from it.

Trusty Narrator (7:23)

Gotcha.

Bryce (7:24)

Anything remaining would be spread out in all directions by now, assuming it hadn't already decayed. After all, it's been over 500 years since she ran aground.

Trusty Narrator (7:38)

Rights. But wouldn't other teams have already salvaged everything from that wreck?

Bryce (7:43)

One would think that's why we never really know until we've gotten up close and begin the salvaging process.

Trusty Narrator (7:57)

I see. So what are the most common reasons why ships sink in the first place? Smarty pants, what do you think are the most common reasons ships sink? Go ahead, shout out your answers. I heard pirates overtaking the ship.

Bryce (8:16)

Poor.

Trusty Narrator (8:16)

Maintenance or faulty equipment. Oh, and some of you said human error. Like giving the wheel to a lowly cabin boy.

Audience/Chorus (8:24)

Uh oh, whoops.

Bryce (8:27)

All good answers. And yes, many shipwrecks are caused by those. But the most common reason for shipwreck is flooding from grounding or collision.

Trusty Narrator (8:39)

Look out.

Audience/Chorus (8:39)

Iceberg straight ahead.

Trusty Narrator (8:43)

I take it shipwrecks have been happening since the invention of boats.

Bryce (8:49)

For sure. I was just doing research on a vessel that was recovered in 1975 near the Greek island of Dokos. That dates back to around 2200 BCE. Whoa.

Trusty Narrator (9:03)

And logically, I assume the deeper the water, the more difficult it is to recover the contents of the ship.

Bryce (9:09)

Right again. I believe the deepest recovery up to this point has been the USS Samuel B. Roberts. Also known as the Sammy B. She was a naval destroyer that went down in battle in the Philippine Sea, nearly 23,000ft, or 7 kilometers below the surface.

Trusty Narrator (9:36)

When I think of shipwrecks, I typically imagine they happen out on the open sea or near tropical islands. But I take it that's not always the case.

Bryce (9:44)

Nope. Believe it or not, some 2,000 wrecks have occurred on Lake Erie alone, with only 400 or so actually salvaged.

Trusty Narrator (9:57)

Is that because it's such a vital transportation route for so many years?

Bryce (10:03)

That's right. Schooners, freighters, steamships, you name it, they were all used to transport something from point A to point B and everywhere between.

Trusty Narrator (10:17)

I bet. And more ships means the probability of more shipwrecks.

Bryce (10:22)

The waters along the coast of North Carolina have the distinction of being known as the graveyard of the Atlantic due to the unusually large number of ships lost there. They attribute it to the constantly shifting sands that caused the vessels to run agrounds.

Trusty Narrator (10:48)

That's not good for them.

Bryce (10:52)

For me, it doesn't stink.

Trusty Narrator (10:57)

Where else do ships go down a lot?

Bryce (11:00)

Bermuda is pretty much considered the shipwreck capital of the world with over 300 wrecks known to have occurred in the waters off of that beautiful island.

Trusty Narrator (11:11)

That's a lot of wrecks for one small area.

Bryce (11:14)

Yep, and the cause is something scientists are still trying to figure out. Not me. I'm just trying to find them and see what I can find on them.

Trusty Narrator (11:27)

So tell me, what are some of the most valuable sunken treasures ever discovered on a wrecked ship?

Bryce (11:33)

I knew you were going to ask that.

Trusty Narrator (11:36)

The answer is coming up right after this quick break. This show is sponsored by ixl. You know that as the trusty narrator, I'm always eager to learn new things, even if I prefer to do it from the comfort of my own home. That's why I'm excited to share a fantastic resource for homeschool families looking to start the new year with confidence. Ixl. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that adapts to each child's level, making it the perfect companion for homeschooling. With interactive practice across math, language arts, science and social studies. From Pre K through 12th grade, IXL offers a personalized and flexible learning experience. What I love most about IXL is how it keeps kids motivated with challenges, awards and moments of celebration. Plus, the real time feedback and progress tracking give parents peace of mind knowing their children are learning effectively. My niece used it to stay on top of subjects that she found challenging and it was incredibly helpful to her. So if you're looking to make an impact on your child's learning this year, get IXL now. And as a special offer for our listeners, you can get an exclusive 20% off an IXL membership when you sign up today at ixl.com smarted. That's 20% off an IXL membership at ixl.com smartEd now back to who smarted. So what are some of the most.

Bryce (13:09)

Valuable shipwrecks ever discovered in terms of value. Some of the largest hauls of recovered treasure have reached into the hundreds of millions of dollars. And yes, they often consist of gold and silver coins.

Trusty Narrator (13:26)

Amazing.

Bryce (13:27)

Hey, do you still have your teleportation app handy?

Trusty Narrator (13:32)

Of course. I never narrate without it.

Bryce (13:34)

Great. Set it to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.

Trusty Narrator (13:41)

Sure thing. Here we go.

Bryce (13:47)

Check it out. We're at one of the coolest places for kids and adults called the Pirate Treasure Museum. It's a shipwreck museum featuring the finds from deep ocean discoveries conducted by the Odyssey Marine Exploration.

Trusty Narrator (14:06)

Interesting. I'm seeing lots of different coins, bottles, and exotic jewelry. Oh, they even have an awesome wooden replica of a pirate from back in the day.

Bryce (14:16)

That's Captain Thomas Tew. And much of what you see right here is the bounty stowed safely aboard his famous pirate ship known known as the Amity.

Trusty Narrator (14:28)

I see. And what happened to the Amity?

Bryce (14:31)

It took one too many cannonballs during a battle along the Mandab Strait. A lot of valuables were recovered. Of course, they all belong to other people. Pirates are really just robbers and thieves on the high seas.

Trusty Narrator (14:46)

Gotcha. People tend to romanticize pirates, but a lot of what they did was not cool. But being able to find, explore, and salvage or recover the items from shipwrecks is very cool.

Bryce (14:58)

It's a living. Hey, I've got a few questions for you and the smarty pants. How many shipwrecks are believed to be on the ocean floor right now?

Trusty Narrator (15:10)

Oh, that's an interesting question, smarty pants. What do you think? Is it 5240-003001-68000, or 3 million shipwrecks on the ocean floor?

Bryce (15:22)

Well, the national oceanic and atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has mapped out 4,300 shipwrecks, but there are many, many more to be found. By some estimates, there are as many as 3 million shipwrecks currently on the ocean floor.

Trusty Narrator (15:45)

Wow, that should keep you pretty busy, Bryce.

Bryce (15:48)

Oh, yeah. But here's the crazy part, smarty pants. There's about 100,000 ships sailing on the ocean right now, this vessel being one of them. Which means there are 30 times as many ships under the sea as above it.

Trusty Narrator (16:09)

That's a lot of accidents, pirates, naval battles, bad weather, and other nautical nonsense.

Bryce (16:14)

Yep, but in the salvage business, one ship's pain is another ship's gain.

Audience/Chorus (16:21)

Jackpot.

Trusty Narrator (16:22)

Um, does that get split up among, you know, everyone on board?

Bryce (16:30)

No.

Trusty Narrator (16:31)

Looks like someone just sunk our friendship. A super shout out to a pair of smarty fans, Scarlet and Maverick Wong. In Calgary, Alberta. I hear you listen every night before bed and that you love learning along with me, the trusty narrator. Aw, we love that you're part of our Smarty family. Thanks. This episode, Shipwrecks, was written by Dave Down With a Ship Davis and voiced by Sheffield SOS Chastain. Max Crash Kamasky, Adam Rex Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Iceberg. Ahead Han, who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Salvaged Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis, who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colber. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.