The Last Frontier: Shipwrecks: Graveyards of the Deep

Naturalist and underwater filmmaker John Stoneman leads his team from the Foundation for Ocean Reasearch on a dangerous mission to raise toxic chemicals from a recently sunken ship. He then examines the need for more protection of the rich but fragile inshore areas, which are found on the coral reefs of the world and the means by which sanctuaries help preserve these areas and benefit all concerned.

Upon discovering a mystery shipwreck off the coast of Venezuela , the Foundation divers learn that it is the Loralie, a vessel said to have left Germany during World War II with a fortune in gold aboard her.

To attract fish to areas that have depleted by over fishing, various countries are now seeking old ships to act as artificial reef structures. These wrecks subsequently attract coral and fish, as would a normal reef and they allow fish to reproduce and repopulate undersea areas that would otherwise have very little marine life at all.

While working on a deepwater coral project near Central America, John Stoneman and members of the Foundation for Ocean Research are led to the site of an old shipwreck. Here they find cannons, ballast stones and various 18th century artifacts. As they begin to excavate the site, they come across a silver ingot from the Spanish Fleet of 1726. A massive search begins to find what might be a fortune in silver.