The Curse of Oak Island preview: More evidence suggests Fred Nolan was correct all along

The Curse of Oak Island returns to our TV screens tonight with more evidence that 1950s explorer and treasure hunter, Fred Nolan, was correct in his theory about the island.

After missing out on our Oak Island fix last week, the team is hopefully back with a bang this week. So far, this season has seen the guys brimming with optimism, bar a few setbacks. Despite terminating the majority of their archaeological program, the guys seem closer than ever to uncovering treasure at the Money Pit.

At the end of last year, the guys uncovered a shaft that they believe is shaft 6. Constructed in 1861, this shaft is thought to be a mere 18 feet away from the actual Money Pit, and there should be a tunnel leading from the shaft directly to the treasure. Fingers remain firmly crossed that this really is shaft 6.

Oak Island team continue search at the swamp

However, it looks like this week’s episode may be concentrating on the swamp and the team’s ongoing efforts to uncover a mysterious ship buried in the marshy land.

The History Channel’s episode descriptor reads:

“While evidence on an ancient Portuguese presence piles up, a mysterious artifact discovered deep in the swamp may tell us that the theory Fred Nolan proposed half a century ago may be correct.”

Fred Nolan had a couple of theories about the island, but we can probably assume that the one referenced here is the Sunken-Ship theory. He argued that a merchant or pirate vessel was deliberately sunk/hidden and that the swamp was artificially created for that purpose.

The Oak Island team has been searching for this ship for a couple of years now and they have regularly pulled nautical-themed artifacts out of the swamp. Last year Billy Gerhardt’s digger even hit an object that the guys thought may have been the hull of a ship. Unfortunately, it has proved notoriously difficult to excavate the swamp, but that won’t stop the guys from continuing to try.

Fred Nolan also believed Templar Knights had visited Oak Island

Fred Nolan’s other theory speculated that medieval Templar Knights had hidden a vast treasure on the island. He believed that various markings and stone carvings actually formed a symmetrical cross on Oak Island, which was meant as a sort of marker for ancient Christian relics hidden underground. It’s possible that the team has unearthed more evidence relating to this theory.

The Curse of Oak Island airs at 9/8c on History.