The Hunt for Eagle 56

History | War

Station:
Smithsonian Channel (US)

Status:
Ended

Start:
2019-09-22

Rating:
0/10 from 0 users

On April 23, 1945, the U.S. Navy warship USS Eagle 56 exploded off the coast of Portland, Maine due to a malfunction of the ship's boilers...or so the official report said. For decades, questions and confusion about the tragedy have plagued its survivors and their families. Some believe the sinking was actually the result of an attack by a rogue German U-boat. A civilian-led dive expedition attempts to discover the lost wreckage and find out what really happened, uncovering fresh clues, startling eyewitness accounts, and a possible cover-up.

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S1E1 - Lost to History

The sinking of the U.S. Navy warship Eagle 56 off the New England coast in April 1945 has long been a mystery. The Navy's official report concluded it was a mechanical failure, while others pointed to a startling killer: a Nazi U-boat hunting within sight of American shores. For the last four years, a team of civilian investigators has been trying to solve this 75-year-old whodunit. Now, aided by another amateur sleuth, they've found evidence that could finally solve this cold case and rewrite history.

Air Date: 22 Sep 2019 20:00 (CDT)

S1E2 - The Mystery Deepens

After the U.S. warship Eagle 56 exploded off the coast of Maine in April 1945, some of its surviving crewmembers claimed they were attacked by a Nazi U-boat. But an official Navy inquiry dismissed their account, blaming it on a boiler explosion. Because of that report, none of the crew or families received a Purple Heart. Now, a team of investigators has found a new piece of physical evidence--the bow of the sunken ship. In order to prove the official history is wrong and that 49 sailors died in combat, they need to find the rest of the ship.

Air Date: 29 Sep 2019 20:00 (CDT)

S1E3 - History Rewritten

After four years and countless dead ends, a team of civilian investigators has found pieces of the sunken Eagle 56, the Holy Grail of New England shipwrecks. They want to reveal their discoveries to both the Navy and the families of the warship's crew, but their case is not yet complete. They still need the last and most important piece of the wreckage: the ship's boilers. With winter quickly approaching, time is running out to find the final clue, solve the 75-year-old case, and honor the sailors who died in the disaster.

Air Date: 06 Oct 2019 20:00 (CDT)