Season 5

In 1939, the state of the art USS Squalus submarine sank to the ocean floor during a routine test dive. Trapped 240 feet below the surface in freezing darkness, 33 survivors faced a ticking clock of dwindling oxygen. Discover the harrowing true story of agonizing life-or-death decisions, incredible heroism, and the unprecedented 40-hour rescue mission that made naval history.

Survival turned to slaughter on Beacon Island. When the Batavia sank in 1629, over 300 souls were left stranded. Left unsupervised, a ruthless official began a systematic purge, murdering 109 innocent people. This gripping episode unpacks the terrifying descent into madness, the heroic soldiers who built a crude coral fortress, and the ultimate, gruesome punishments dealt to the mutineers.

On a crisp May morning in 1897, 35 miners descended into the Snaefell mine, unaware they were stepping into a lethal trap. A forgotten candle had ignited a smoldering fire, filling the deep shafts with invisible, deadly carbon monoxide. Discover the harrowing true story of the desperate rescue mission, the heroic use of chemical oxygen, and the tragic loss of 20 men in this chilling documentary style episode.

In 1933 a Russian cargo ship was making a groundbreaking trip across northern russia, through the arctic, in hopes of establishing a permanent trade route known as the northeast passage. Like so many ships before, it got stuck in the increasingly thick winter ice and was trapped for months at the mercy of the ocean currents below. Then, one day in February, there was a deep groaning from the ship’s hull. Immediately afterward, the captain yelled for everyone to abandon the ship. This is the story of the maiden voyage of the Chelyuskin

In this video, we’re going to examine three of the worst disasters in human history. Frustratingly, two of these seem to have been entirely preventable, if not for a series of mistakes made by the people involved. Then, in contrast, the third story required a once-in-a-lifetime natural event to occur for what eventually transpired. Either way, in each of them, the effects were beyond devastating.

Explore the darkest, most unforgiving corners of the earth. In this harrowing documentary, we investigate three cave disasters. A wrong turn leads to a suffocating squeeze. A YouTube video inspires a fatal underwater dive. And a midnight flood in a claustrophobic Polish cavern ends in an unsolved race against hypothermia. Viewer discretion is advised.

This is the Barnes Hecker Mine. It was first opened in 1923 and would eventually reach 1000 feet into the earth, in an area littered with surface and underground lakes. But despite the great caution taken by the owners, something unforeseen would happen deep in one of the tunnels that would have catastrophic consequences. This is the story of the Barnes Hecker Mine Disaster.

Explore three terrifying true stories of cave exploration gone wrong. A group home field trip to a dynamited Utah cave ends in a tragic 150 foot fall in the dark. In Ireland, three college students are swept away by a violent underground river. Finally, a dive into Italy's claustrophobic "Intestine" tunnel leaves three experts trapped in a blinding cloud of silt. Viewer discretion is advised for these heartbreaking subterranean nightmares.

Greed and negligence lead to unimaginable horrors in this chilling episode. In 1995, a runaway locomotive plunged down a South African mine shaft, crushing an elevator and instantly killing 104 miners in a horrific freefall. Then, travel back to 1919 Boston, where a faulty, towering tank burst open, unleashing a 40-foot tsunami of deadly molasses that flattened a neighborhood. Discover the dark history of two preventable catastrophes.

Danger lurks where you least expect it. This episode uncovers three horrifying mysteries. Follow the frantic search for a missing RAF airman swallowed by a garbage truck. Step into the claustrophobic terror of a man trapped for days in a mall's hidden fire stairs. Lastly, unravel the shocking forensic failures of the Lindy Chamberlain dingo case.