Everything you need to know about the Expedition Unknown season 12 finale

Expedition Unknown’s 12^th season has concluded with an episode which featured everything ranging from the Spruce Goose to a Skyraider.

Among all of Discovery’s many history- and treasure-focused shows, few shows have proved to be as popular as Expedition Unknown, the part informative, part death-defying treasure-hunting adventure show hosted by the renowned explorer Josh Gates.

In case you missed it, Expedition Unknown started airing back in 2015 (at this point in time, it still aired on the Travel Channel).

Through the years, Gates and his incredible team of researchers, historians, experts, and explorers have tackled some of the world’s greatest mysteries, myths and legends. What is more, they have also contributed to some incredible finds.

The “Hunt for the Secret Seaplane” episode

More recently, Expedition Unknown (which now airs on Discovery) has entered its 12th season. And though this season covered everything from long-lost Pearl Harbor plane wrecks to lost Viking treasures, it seems like Gates and the rest of his team may just have saved the best for last.

The Expedition Unknown season 12 finale episode, titled “Hunt for the Secret Seaplane” follows Gates and a team of experts as they hunt for the super top-secret XP5Y prototype plane.

This plane disappeared somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of San Francisco near the end of World War II.

And while this episode ended with quite a few unanswered questions and the legendary XP5Y still lost at sea, it certainly did not disappoint.

Between a (literal) edge-of-the-seat Coast Guard escorted helicopter ride, an emotional exchange with Donald Germeraad’s son, and a myriad Top Gun references, this episode was certainly chocked-full of uniquely Expedition Unknown entertainment and antics.

Expedition Unknown season 12

Season 12 of Expedition Unknown, just like most of the other seasons of the series, concluded with eight total episodes.

But, in case you missed a few episodes along the way, or if you simply want to re-watch the entire thing from the beginning, the 12^th season can be summarized as follows:

Episode eight’s cast

In classic Expedition Unknown fashion, the “Hunt for the Secret Seaplane” episode ended up being about much more than a deep-sea wreck recovery.

And during the course of the episode, Gates not only travels to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum (where the other great American aviation prototype, the ‘Spruce Goose’ is on display), but he also visits the famous Kansas City Barbeque restaurant.

Along the way, Gates enlisted the help of several experts, not to mention, members of the San Diego Coast Guard, as outlined below:

Episode eight’s impressive finds

If you were tempted to change the channel after (spoiler alert for the information to follow) you realized that the plane the team found near the end of this finale episode was not the elusive XP5Y, you may have missed the details about the two planes that Gates and the team did find during their investigations.

This includes the wreck of Grumman F8F Bearcat, which Gates and Eldridge found on their first low-visibility dive. They also found the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, which the team found with the help of the Orca Maritime team and their impressive unmanned systems.

Will Expedition Unknown return for a 13^th season?

While long-time Expedition Unknown fans are likely already experiencing withdrawal symptoms now that this most recent season has ended, it is still too early for Discovery to announce the show’s renewal.

However, the most recent 2024 viewership numbers do indicate that season 12 was Expedition Unknown’s most successful run in more than three years. So there is really no reason to believe that the series will not return for a 13^th season, very soon.

And since Gates has never shied away from returning to his favorite mysteries in the past, we may even see another investigation into the XP5Y’s disappearance at some point in the future.