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Josh Gates Joins Hōfuku Maru POW Search in the New Season of Expedition Unknown
- TalkTeaV
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Josh Gates explores the waters of the Philippines on a traditional bangka boat for the Expedition Unknown Season premiere. Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery
For nearly two decades, Josh Gates has built a career searching for historical mysteries, lost treasures, and the paranormal. Since Destination Truth premiered in 2007, he has traveled to more than 120 countries, helping viewers understand what was lost and why it still matters.
Now Gates returns with a new season of Expedition Unknown, premiering Wednesday, June 24, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel. The Emmy Award-winning adventure series opens with a two-part investigation off the coast of the Philippines, where Gates joins a mission tied to one of the darkest chapters of World War II.
The season premiere follows Gates, the Hellships Memorial Foundation, underwater imaging specialist Evan Kovacs, and maritime experts as they search for the Hōfuku Maru, a Japanese "Hellship" used to transport Allied prisoners during the war.
The Hellships Memorial Foundation is dedicated to preserving the history of the World War II "Hellships," Japanese transport vessels that carried Allied prisoners under brutal conditions. Through research, historical records, and memorial efforts, the organization works to ensure the experiences of those prisoners are not forgotten.
According to Discovery, new leads from Japanese archives helped the team narrow possible coordinates before divers found the wreck. More than 1,000 Allied prisoners were aboard when the ship sank in 1944, making the site one of the largest remaining mass graves of missing POWs from World War II.
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Josh Gates stands with members of the Hellships Memorial Foundation, Dr. Calvin Mires, Evan Kovacs, Randy Anderson, and Tim Beckensall at the Hellships Memorial in Subic Bay, Philippines, in Expedition Unknown.
The second part of the premiere brings Gates into another recovery effort, this time with the U.S. government and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The episode follows work connected to the Ōryoku Maru, another Japanese prison ship, as military divers use underwater recovery and identification methods to help account for the fallen.
"This season takes us to the farthest reaches of the globe - but it's not just about the thrill of adventure," said Gates. "These expeditions aim to uncover the lost chapters of vital stories from our shared past and to shine a light on mysteries that connect us all. We have incredible discoveries ahead, and I can't wait to take viewers along for the ride."
Beyond the Hōfuku Maru investigation, the new season sends Gates across several continents in search of answers to long-standing historical mysteries. In Laos, he investigates the origins of massive stone "death jars" linked to an ancient civilization while working in areas still affected by unexploded ordnance left behind by the Vietnam War.
In Jamaica, he examines the ruins of Port Royal, the former pirate stronghold destroyed by an earthquake in 1692, searching for evidence of lost treasures.
Other expeditions take Gates beneath the former Inca capital of Cuzco, where legends persist about hidden tunnels and missing riches, and into the American South to investigate reports of Confederate gold connected to a notorious robbery.
The season also follows Gates into a remote cave system in Mexico, where a search for traces of a vanished civilization leads to the discovery of thousands of ceremonial offerings, a find Discovery describes as one of the most significant in the history of Expedition Unknown.
