Sea remains the keeper of many dark secrets. Despite the fact that maritime safety standards have risen sharply over the past century, every year there are mysterious disappearances of five to ten large ships, from which there are no traces, and no one finds the reasons for their disappearance. Among the thousands of mysteries of the sea, only a few cause such a huge amount of gossip among sailors as the unexpected disappearance of the American cargo ship "Cyclops" with a displacement of 20 thousand tons, which mysteriously disappeared along with a cargo of manganese ore at the end of March 1918
Three hundred on board
The loss of the Cyclops, aggravated by the loss of three hundred and four people on board, was a heavy blow to the American fleet, which was then participating in the world war. Moreover, it was not at all like that the ship fell victim to enemy mines or torpedoes. With a length of five hundred feet, this powerful freighter was quite capable of withstanding any Atlantic storm. And he disappeared in calm weather. Very few of the facts of the last voyage of the Cyclops can claim to clarify the mystery of the strange disappearance of the ship. Twenty-four hours after leaving Barbados, where the ship was loaded with 10,000 tons of manganese ore used in the manufacture of shells, the Cyclops passed the Vestris liner, which was making a voyage from Buenos Aires to New York, and transmitted a message. The message from the cargo ship said that the ship was in perfect order in everything. However, no one else met either the ship or any of the people sailing on it ... The sea vessel mysteriously disappeared.
Only God knows
When the ship was reported missing, a belated order was received to survey the area of the proposed route. The wreckage was not found, and the command of the US Navy could not offer a satisfactory explanation of why, in fact, the ship sank. There were no mines in that part of the Atlantic, and the activity of German submarines at that time was limited to more northerly waters.
Over the years that have passed since the tragedy, a whole bunch of scenarios for the death of the ship have been proposed: a sudden local hurricane, a bomb planted by saboteurs, and even a riot among the crew. But no confirmation of these theories appeared, and the investigation of this strange disappearance, conducted by the commission of the fleet after the conclusion of peace, established that during the last voyage of the Cyclops, there were no enemy ships or submarines near its route. The fact that the ship was swallowed up by the agitated sea seemed the most improbable option, for it had already managed to show itself as strong in resisting the Atlantic storms.
In any case, as the investigation found out, during March - early April there were no reports of storms in the sea off the east coast of Central America. Joseph Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, wrote of the tragedy: “In the annals of the US Navy, there is no more disconcerting mystery than the mysterious disappearance of the Cyclops. President Woodrow Wilson, who himself had gone to great lengths to find any facts that might suggest a solution to the mystery, finally backed down, saying, "Only the sea and God know what happened to that ship."
Disappearance of the Carrier
On June 17, 1984, the Panamanian "Arctic Carrier" (cargo ship, 17 thousand tons displacement) left Brazil with holds full of various goods. The last time the ship made itself known was three hundred miles northeast of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. The ship then disappeared without a trace. It is difficult to say what fate befell him, although it is known for sure that no SOS signal was sent from him, and no bodies or wreckage were ever found. The ship disappeared without a trace.
Everything looked as if the ship had never existed. The following wording in Lloyd's registry brings the mystery to its logical conclusion: "The true reasons for his so strange disappearance will probably forever remain a mystery."
At the crossroads
At the end of October 1979, a ship four times the size of the Arctic Carrier, the Norwegian ore carrier Berge Vanya, also mysteriously disappeared, six hundred miles east of Cape Town, in fine weather, at the intersection of the busiest highways on the planet. It's hard to imagine how the sea could swallow up the Berge Vanya so soon that people didn't have time to give an SOS or even fire a flare gun. But even if this happened, then why did no one see how this floating giant went to the bottom, despite the fact that there were practically no opportunities to cause him any harm.
Lost "Treasure"
The disappearance of the “Treasures of the East” (28 thousand tons displacement), a cargo ship under the Panamanian flag, is another maritime story of the strange disappearance of the ship. Picking up a cargo of chromium from Mazinlok in the Philippines on January 12, 1982, the Oriental Treasure successfully made its way to Port Said before disappearing forever.
Surprisingly, members of the commission of inquiry concluded that the ship must have been a victim of pirates, although they had not been heard of in these waters for more than a century. How such a brilliant conclusion without the slightest hint of evidence arose in the minds of respectable experts, one can only guess. One journalist put it this way: “They just clutched at straws” ...
Twice as big as the Titanic
Meanwhile, the list of mysteriously missing ships is updated annually, and now each maritime power can provide its own national registry of disappearances.
One of the most impressive losses that hit the English merchant fleet is associated with the last voyage of the cargo ship Derbyshire (170 thousand tons). Built in British shipyards in 1980, it sailed from the American port of San Lawrence to Kawasaki (Japan). Its mass was twice that of the Titanic, and in length it contained three football fields. The Derbyshire was generally one of the largest ships that ever sailed under the flag of English merchants. Designed specifically for the transport of oil and iron ore, on that voyage, before its last journey, it was loaded very thoroughly - 157 thousand tons. The huge ship was operated by a crew of 42 under the command of an experienced captain Joffrey Underhill, so in terms of navigation problems could not arise. However, some problems still arose, and why - we will never know. The ship has mysteriously disappeared.
Last session
The last radio contact with the Derbyshire was on September 8, when she was seven hundred miles southwest of Tokyo. The ship was supposed to arrive in Kawasaki in the early evening of the 11th. And this optimistic message turned out to be final. As one English newspaperman wrote, "There was an everyday radio message - and eternal rest." Why such giant ships disappear in clear weather, without sending calls for help and leaving no traces, is beyond the understanding of maritime specialists.
The current ships are built better than their predecessors. It was in the era of early shipping that most of the disasters happened only because of design flaws. The current ones are dressed in metal, built with the strictest observance of all safety standards. Before going to sea, ships go through a lot of checks.
There are no more filibuster flotillas roaming the oceans, and the possibility of a sudden change in the weather has been greatly reduced with the introduction of satellite weather tracking systems and reliable radio communication equipment. And yet ships of all sizes, including the most massive ships, continue to disappear for no reason and without a trace.
There have been many cases in history when large and reliable ships disappeared into the seas and oceans without a trace. They simply disappeared without a trace and were never found again. Is it any wonder that a South Korean passenger liner just recently disappeared and no one can find it? Look how many ships have disappeared, even today no one knows where they all went.
Mysterious disappearances. Lost ships. Even today no one knows where they are now.
1. USS Wasp - the missing escort
In fact, there were several ships that were called USS Wasp, but the strangest was the Wasp, which disappeared in 1814. Built in 1813 for the war with England, the Wasp was a fast square-sail sloop with 22 guns and a crew of 170 men. Wasp participated in 13 successful operations. On September 22, 1814, the ship captured the British merchant brig Atalanta. As a rule, the Wasp crew simply burned enemy ships, but Atalanta was deemed too valuable to destroy. As a result, an order was received to escort Atalanta to the allied harbor, and Wasp set off towards the Caribbean Sea. He was never seen again.
2. SS Marine Sulfur Queen - a victim of the Bermuda Triangle
This vessel was a 160m tanker originally used to transport oil during World War II. The ship was later rebuilt to carry molten sulfur. Marine Sulfur Queen was in excellent condition. In February 1963, two days after leaving Texas with a cargo of sulfur, a conventional radio message was received from the ship saying that everything was in order. After that, the ship disappeared. Many assume that it just exploded, while others blame the "magic" of the Bermuda Triangle for the disappearance. The bodies of 39 crew members were not found, although a life jacket was found, and a piece of board with a piece of the inscription "arine SULPH".
3. USS Porpoise - killed in a typhoon
Built in the golden age of sailing, the Porpoise was originally known as the "hermaphrodite brig" because two different types of sail were used on its two masts. She was later converted to a traditional brigantine with square sails on both masts. At first, the ship was used to pursue pirates, and in 1838 it was sent on an exploratory expedition. The team managed to travel around the world and confirm the existence of Antarctica. After exploring a number of islands in the South Pacific, the Porpoise sailed from China in September 1854, after which no one heard from her. It is likely that the crew encountered a typhoon, but there is no evidence of this.
4. FV Andrea Gail - a victim of the "perfect storm"
The Andrea Gai fishing trawler was built in Florida in 1978 and subsequently acquired by a company in Massachusetts. With a crew of six, Andrea Gail sailed successfully for 13 years and disappeared on a voyage to Newfoundland. The Coast Guard launched a search, but could only find the ship's emergency beacon and a few pieces of wreckage. After a week of searching, the ship and its crew were declared missing. Andrea Gail is thought to have been doomed when a high-pressure front crashed into a massive area of low-pressure air, the nascent typhoon merged with the remnants of Hurricane Grace. This rare combination of three separate weather systems eventually became known as the "perfect storm". According to experts, Andrea Gail could collide with waves over 30 meters high.
5. SS Poet - the ship that did not send a distress signal
At first, this ship was called "Omar Bundy" and was used to transport troops during the Second World War. It was later used to transport steel. In 1979, the ship was purchased by the Hawaiian Eugenia Corporation of Hawaii, who named it "Poet". In 1979, a ship left Philadelphia for Port Said with a cargo of 13,500 tons of corn, but never made it to its destination. The last communication with the Poet happened just six hours after leaving the port of Philadelphia, when one of the crew members spoke to his wife. After that, the ship did not reach the scheduled 48-hour communication session, while the ship did not send a distress signal. Eugenia Corporation did not report the loss of the ship for six days, and the Coast Guard did not respond for another 5 days after that. No trace of the ship was ever found.
6. USS Conestoga - the missing minesweeper
USS Conestoga was built in 1917 as a minesweeper. After the end of the First World War, it was converted into a tugboat. In 1921, the ship was transferred to Samoa, where it was to become a floating station. March 25, 1921 the ship set sail, nothing more is known about it.
SourcePhoto 7Witchcraft - the pleasure boat that went missing at Christmas
In December 1967, Miami hotel owner Dan Burak decided to watch the city's Christmas lights from his personal luxury boat, the Witchcraft. Accompanied by his father Patrick Hogan, he went to sea for about 1.5 km. It is known that the boat was in perfect order. At about 9 pm, Burak requested a towing back to the pier by radio, saying that his boat had hit an unknown object. He confirmed his coordinates to the Coast Guard and specified that he would launch a flare. Rescuers got to the scene in 20 minutes, but Witchcraft disappeared. The Coast Guard combed over 3,100 square kilometers of the ocean, but neither Dan Burak, nor Patrick Hogan, nor Witchcraft were ever found.
8. USS Insurgent: the mysterious disappearance of a warship
The US Navy frigate "Insurgent" was captured by the Americans in a battle with the French in 1799. The ship served in the Caribbean, where it won many glorious victories. But on August 8, 1800, the ship sailed out of Virginia Hampton Roads and mysteriously disappeared.
9. SS Awahou: boats did not help
Built in 1912, the 44m Awahou cargo steamer went through many owners before eventually being bought by the Australian Carr Shipping & Trading Company. On September 8, 1952, the ship sailed from Sydney with a crew of 18 and sailed to the private island of Lord Howe. The ship was in good shape when it left Australia, but within 48 hours a fuzzy, "crunchy" radio signal was received from the ship. The speech was almost unintelligible, but it looked like Awahou was caught in bad weather. Although the ship had enough lifeboats for the entire crew, no signs of the wreck or bodies were found.
10. SS Baychimo - arctic ghost ship
Some call it a ghost ship, but the Baychimo was actually a real ship. Built in 1911, the Baychimo was a huge steam cargo ship owned by the Hudson's Bay Company. The ship was mainly used to transport fur from northern Canada. The first nine flights were relatively quiet. But during the last voyage of the ship, in 1931, winter came very early. Completely unprepared for bad weather, the ship was trapped in the ice. Most of the crew were rescued by plane, but the captain and a few Baychimo crew members decided to wait out the bad weather by camping on the ship. A severe snowstorm began, which completely hid the ship from sight. When the storm subsided, Baychimo disappeared. However, over the course of several decades, Baychimo has allegedly been seen drifting aimlessly in Arctic waters.
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Those who worked as a seafarer know how romantic and… boring it is. How easy it is sometimes to earn an order of magnitude more in the ocean than on land, and how difficult it is sometimes to endure the vagaries of Neptune, from natural storms to unexpected ship arrests in inhospitable ports of the fifth and seventh worlds. Like for weeks on the endless horizon nothing happens and does not change, and then suddenly you meet something that makes your eyes sparkle and your skin tremble. For example, in the middle of the Atlantic, a catamaran is found with no signs of life on board, but with freshly caught fish. Or a buoy that was lost 100 years ago, and has been floating somewhere for some reason since then.
To visit a ghost ship is a pleasure for everyone. No matter how brave a Sinbad the sailor is, stepping on the deck of the Flying Dutchman, the old sea dog can easily, excuse me, crap out of fear. In the age of GPS and genetic engineering, most people, even shamelessly brave, are still.
Most of the "meetings" with ghost ships are fiction, but we can't get away from real meetings either. At the same time, everything is quite understandable and necessarily decorated with sentimental stories and epithets. Without which our unusual world would be too boring.
Losing a ship or a ship in the infinity of the oceans is not so difficult. And it's even easier to lose people.
1. "Carroll A. Dearing"
The five-masted schooner Carroll A. Dearing was built in 1911. The vehicle was named after the shipowner's son. "Deering" carried out cargo flights, the last of which started on December 2, 1920 in the port of Rio de Janeiro. Captain William Merritt and his son, who served as chief mate, had a team of 10 Scandinavians. Merrita's father and son suddenly fell ill, and a captain named W.B. Wormell had to be hired as a replacement.
Leaving Rio, the Deering reached Barbados, where it stopped to replenish provisions. Temporary XO McLennan got drunk and began to vilify Captain Wormell in front of the sailors, provoking a riot. When McLennan yelled that he would soon take the place of captain, he was arrested. But Wormell forgave him and bought him out of jail. Soon the ship set sail and ... the last time it was seen "non-ghostly" on January 28, 1921, when a sailor from a lightship was hailed by a red-haired man standing on the forecastle of a passing schooner. Ginger reported that the Deering had lost anchors. But the lighthouse worker could not contact the emergency service, because. his radio was out of order.
Three days later, Deering was found aground near Cape Hatteras.
When the rescuers arrived, it turned out that the ship was completely empty. No crew, no logbook, no navigation equipment, no lifeboats. In the galley, undercooked naval borscht froze on the stove. Unfortunately, the schooner was blown up out of harm's way with dynamite, and there was nothing more to explore. It is believed that the Deering crew disappeared without a trace in the Bermuda Triangle.
2. Baichimo
The Baichimo trading ship was built in 1911 in Sweden for the Germans and is designed to transport the skins of northern animals. After the First World War, the German skin carrier passed under the British flag and cruised along the polar coasts of Canada and the United States.
The last voyage of Baichimo (with a live crew and a cargo of fur on board) took place in the autumn of 1931. On October 1, off the coast, the ship fell into an ice trap. The crew left the steamer and went to seek shelter from the cold. Not finding people, the sailors built a makeshift hut on the shore, hoping to wait out the cold and continue sailing when the ice thawed.
On November 24, a storm broke out. And when it calmed down, the sailors saw with amazement that the ship had disappeared. At first they thought that the transport with furs sank during a storm, but after a couple of days the walrus hunter told that he had seen Baichimo 45 miles from the camp. The sailors decided to save the precious cargo, and to abandon the steamer would not survive the winter anyway. The team and furs were delivered deep into the mainland by plane, and the Baichimo ghost ship was met by sea workers here and there, in the waters of Alaska, repeatedly over the next 40 years. The last fact was documented in 1969, when the Eskimos saw Baichimo frozen in the Arctic ice of the Beaufort Sea. In 2006, the Alaska government announced an official search for the legendary ghost steamer, but the operation was unsuccessful. Unfortunately or fortunately?
3. Eliza Battle
The Eliza was launched in 1852 in Indiana. It was a luxury river steamer, which was ridden only by the rich and statesmen - with their wives and children. On a cold night in February 1858, cotton bales ignited on the deck of the ship, a wooden steamer caught fire, fanned by a strong frosty wind. The Eliza Battle was on the Tombigbee River. In the smoke and fire, 100 people died, another 26 were missing. The ship sank at a depth of 9 meters and rests at the crash site to this day.
It is said that during the spring floods, with a full moon at night, you can see how a river steamer emerges from the bottom and walks along the river back and forth. Music is playing on board and a fire is burning. The fire is so bright that the name of the ship is easily read - "Eliza Battle".
4. Yacht "Joita"
The Joita was a luxury "unsinkable" yacht owned by Hollywood film director Roland West from 1931 until the war, then converted into a patrol boat and served off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands until 1945.
October 3, 1955 "Joita" sailed to Samoa with 25 souls on board and a not quite serviceable engine. The yacht was expected on the islands of Tokelau, 270 miles from Samoa. The voyage was supposed to last no more than two days, but on the third day the Joita did not arrive at the port. And no one signaled SOS. Planes were sent to search, but the pilots did not find anything either.
5 weeks passed, and on November 10 the yacht was found. She was still swimming, but it was not clear where, with the engine running at half power and a strong roll. 4 tons of cargo disappeared, as well as the crew and passengers. All clocks stopped at 10-25. Despite the fact that the yacht, lined with a crust, was unsinkable, all life rafts and life jackets disappeared from the Joita. The investigation found that the ship's hull was unharmed, but the fate of the crew and cargo remained unclear.
Someone put forward a lovely version. Say, this is the work of the surviving Japanese militarists, who dug in on a lonely island and make pirate attacks.
The Joita was repaired, the engine was replaced, but no one wanted to go out to sea on a ghost ship, and in the mid-1960s the unsinkable riddle was sawn into pins and needles.
The most famous of the ghostly sea vehicles is the Flying Dutchman, the eternally evil wanderer who was promoted in Pirates of the Caribbean. Before the Hollywood fairy tale, the “Flying Dutchman” met us on the pages of books, in the music of Wagner and the songs of the Rammstein group. It's time to see you face to face. We continue our nightmarish sea voyage and right on our course it is the most ...
5. "VolatileDutchman»
Not everyone knows that the “flying Dutchman” is not the nickname of the ghost ship itself, but of its captain.
"Flying Dutchmen" refers to several different ghost ships from different centuries. One of them is the real owner of the brand. The one with whom trouble happened at the Cape of Good Hope.
The legend says: “The captain of the ship, Hendrik van Der Decken, rounded the Cape of Good Hope on his way to Amsterdam. Rounding the cape was difficult because of the monstrous winds, but Hendrik vowed to do it (yes-yes-yes!), Even if it required to fight the elements until the Day of Judgment. The team also asked to be protected from the storm and turn the ship back. Nightmarish waves pounded the ship, and the brave captain sang obscene songs, drank and smoked some herbs. Realizing that the captain could not be persuaded, part of the team revolted. The captain shot the main rebel and threw his body overboard. Then the heavens opened up, and the captain heard the voice “You are too stubborn a person”, to which he replied: “I never looked for easy ways and did not ask for anything, so dry up before I shot you too!”. And he tried to shoot into the sky, but the gun exploded in his hand.
The voice from heaven continued: “Damn you and sail the oceans forever with the ghostly crew of the dead, bringing death to everyone who sees your ghost ship. In no port can you land and not know peace for a moment. Bile will be your wine, and red-hot iron your meat.”
Among those who subsequently met the "Flying Dutchman" are such experienced and non-superstitious persons as Prince George of Wales and his brother, Prince Albert Victor.
In 1941, on the beach in Cape Town, a crowd of people saw a sailboat that went straight for the rocks, but disappeared into the air at the moment when the crash was supposed to occur.
6. "Young Teaser"
This nimble corsair schooner was built in 1813 for the sole purpose of robbing British Empire merchant ships that ply the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia. At that time, what we call Canada belonged to the British, who were resented after the 1812 between the United Kingdom and the United States.
From Nova Scotia, the fast Teaser brought good trophies. In June 1813, corsairs of the English administration were chasing the schooner, but the Young Teaser managed to escape in a magically thickened fog. A few days later, the schooner was cornered by the 74-gun British battleships La Hog and Orpheus. It was decided to board the Young Teaser. As soon as the five boarding boats approached the ship, the Teaser exploded. Seven Britons survived and told how a corsair in the rank of lieutenant ran to the arsenal of a schooner with a burning piece of wood and looked crazy. Most of the dead privateers found peace in unsigned graves in the Anglican cemetery at Mahone Bay.
Soon, eyewitnesses of strange phenomena began to appear one after another. Allegedly saw "Young Teaser" afloat on fire. In the summer of the following year, curious locals organized a boat cult trip to the place of the schooner's death in order to see the ghost closer. And a ghost the size of a ship, having allowed itself to be admired, disappeared in clouds of fire and smoke. Since then, tourists from all over the country have been gathering in Mahone Bay every year. And "Young Teaser" explodes in their eyes again and again. The ghost especially likes to appear on foggy nights with a full moon.
It is believed that the ghost ship Octavius was discovered by whalers off the western coast of Greenland in October 1775. On board the Octavius was a dead crew, each of the sailors seemed to have been frozen at the moment of death. The captain paused with a pencil in his hand over a magazine, next to him stood a frozen woman, a boy wrapped in a blanket and a sailor with a keg of gunpowder in his hands.
The terrified whalers grabbed the ghost ship's logbook and found out that the last entry dates back to 1762. That is, "Octavius" has been in a frozen state for 13 years.
In 1761 the ship left England for South Asia. To save time, the captain decided not to go around Africa, but to lay a short but dangerous Arctic route along the northern coast of America. Recall that neither the Suez nor the Panama Canal existed in the project yet. Apparently, the ship was frozen in the ice in the waters of the north and was the first to dare to travel along the northwestern route long before the appearance of icebreakers.
More "Octavius" did not catch anyone's eye.
8. "Lady Lovibond"
In February 1748, Captain Simon Reed took his young wife Annette aboard the Lady Lovibond to honeymoon in Portugal. At the time, the presence of a woman on a ship was considered bad luck.
The captain did not know that his first mate, John Rivers, was head over heels in love with Reed's wife and was going crazy with jealousy. In a fit of rage, Rivers stalked back and forth on the deck, then pulled out a coffee nail and killed the helmsman. The bad first officer took the helm and led the schooner to Goodwin Sands, in the southeast of England, on the banks of Kent. "Lady Lovibond" ran aground, the entire crew and passengers of the schooner died. The verdict of the investigation was "carried special case».
50 years later, a phantom sailboat was seen sailing along the shallows of the Goodwin Sands from two different ships. In February 1848, local fishermen observed the remains of a shipwreck and even sent out lifeboats, but they returned empty-handed. In 1948, the ghost of "Lady Lovibond" in a green glow caught people's eyes again.
A ghost ship makes itself felt every 50 years. Therefore, if you don't have specific plans for February 13, 2048 yet, you can make a note on the calendar. Goodwin Sands has destroyed almost more ships than the Bermuda Triangle. Two warships lie at the bottom next to the Lady.
"Mary Celeste" is the greatest mystery in the history of navigation. To this day, there are disputes about the reasons for the mysterious disappearance of 8 crew members and two passengers from the ship.
In November 1872, the brigantine "Maria Celeste" set off with a cargo of alcohol from New York to Genoa under the command of Captain Briggs. Four weeks later, the ship was discovered near Gibraltar by the captain of the Dei Gracia, who was friends with Briggs and was not averse to drinking with him. Approaching the Mary Celeste and boarding the brigantine, Captain Morehouse found the ship abandoned. There were no living or dead people on it. The cargo of alcohol was intact and, apparently, the brigantine did not fall into a strong storm, it was afloat. There were no signs of crime or violence. What could have caused the brave Captain Briggs to evacuate so hastily is unclear.
The ship was transferred to Gibraltar and repaired. After the repair, "Mary Celeste" worked for another 12 years and ran into a reef in the Caribbean Sea.
Versions of the sudden devastation of the brigantine are different, and there are many of them. For example, an explosion of alcohol vapors in the aft hold. Or the collision of the Mary Celeste with a floating island of sand. Or the conspiracy of Captains Briggs and Morehouse. Someone even seriously talked about the intrigues of aliens.
10. Gian Sen
The list of ghost ships is replenished even today.
An Australian patrol aircraft spotted an 80m tanker of unknown origin in the Gulf of Carpentaria in 2006. The name of the ship, "Jian Sen", was blacked out, but quite legible on all the documents that the customs officers managed to find on the empty tanker. There was no evidence that Gian Sen was illegally fishing or transporting illegal immigrants. There was quite a lot of rice.
It is assumed that the ship was towed without a team, but the cable broke. The drift of the ghost ship continued for more than one day, so the engines of the Gian Sen could not be started. The ship was sunk in deep water. Down there, it's beautiful and peaceful. Politicians spoke out that on such tankers, Indonesians illegally deliver migrants to drugs.
Sailing is a dangerous job, given the number of ships that are wrecked each year, but more often than not, ships in distress are found and bodies identified. But some ships simply disappear without a trace. Sometimes it is still possible to find some parts of the ship, but often there are no traces at all.
10. USS Wasp.
In fact, there have been several ships named Wasp, but the most famous is the one that disappeared in 1814. Built in 1813 to protect US interests in the ongoing war with Great Britain, the Wasp was a fast, square sail ship with 22 guns and a crew of approximately 170 men. Obviously, it was considered a rather beautiful ship.
Under the successful command of veteran naval officer Johnston Blakely, Wasp was involved in 13 successful operations and was a valuable asset to the United States Navy. On September 22, 1814, she captured the British merchant brig Atalanta. Usually the Waspa crew would just burn enemy ships, but Atalanta was considered too valuable to destroy (possibly because Atalanta was a prize for the US - after all, she was previously an American ship called Siro). Instead, the crew was ordered to escort the ship to a friendly harbor.
After Atalanta's departure, Blackley and the rest of the crew reportedly moved towards the warm waters of the Caribbean. After that, the ship simply disappeared and was never seen again. In all likelihood, Wasp was caught in a storm and wrecked, leaving no trace behind.
9. American ship Marine Sulfur Queen.
The ship, known as the Marine Sulfur Queen, was a 160m tanker originally used to carry oil aboard during World War II. It was later rebuilt to carry molten sulfur, a task that required the storage tanks to be kept at high temperatures. Sulfur leaks were fairly common, and fires broke out near the storage tanks so often that the crew began to simply ignore them. The ship itself was in rather poor condition, but continued to carry sulfur until 1963.
In February, two days after leaving Texas with a cargo of sulfur, Marine Sulfur Queen sent out the usual radio message saying everything was fine on board. After that, no one else could contact him. The Marine Sulfur Queen just disappeared.
There are many theories regarding its fate - many believe that the ship simply exploded. Others blame the mysterious Bermuda Triangle for the disappearance, while more sober minds think the ship simply capsized and sank. The bodies of 39 crew members were never found, although a life jacket and part of a ship marked "arine Sulph" were found.
8. USS Porpoise.
Built during the golden age of seafaring, the Porpoise was first known as the "hermaphrodite brig" because its two masts used two different types of sail. She was later converted to a traditional brigantine with square sails on both masts. It was originally used to hunt pirates, but was eventually sent on a long exploratory mission in 1838.
Under the command of Ringgold Cadwallader, Porpoise helped confirm the existence of Antarctica and sailed around the globe, but the crew's actions became the subject of an international scandal after they refused to come to the aid of a damaged French vessel. In his defense, Ringgold argued that there had been a mutual misunderstanding and misunderstanding. In 1853 Porpoise was sent on another important exploratory mission, again with Ringgold Cadwallader at the helm.
After exploring a large number of the South Pacific Islands, the Porpoise departed China in September 1854. But he was never heard from again. The crew probably encountered bad weather (possibly a typhoon) and the ship was wrecked, but no one has found evidence of this.
7. US fishing boat Andrea Gail.
The fishing trawler Andrea Gail was built in Florida in 1978 and bought by a Massachusetts company. With a crew of six, it successfully sailed the ocean for 13 years before disappearing on a voyage to Newfoundland. The Coast Guard launched a search, but could only find a signal beacon and some wreckage. After a week of searching for Andrea Gail and her crew, all were reported missing.
Andrea Gail is now thought to have been doomed when high pressure collided with low pressure and joined with the remnants of a tropical storm. This rare combination of three separate weather events eventually became known as the "Perfect Storm". The storm formed a hurricane and Andrea Gail is believed to have hit waves over 30 meters high. The captain's last radio broadcast simply said: "It's starting guys, it's going to be strong..."
The story of Andrea Gail was made famous by Sebastian Junger's book The Perfect Storm, which was later made into a movie.
6. US steamer Poet.
It was first named General Omar Bundy and carried troops during World War II. He later transported steel. In 1979, he was acquired by the Eugenia Corporation of Hawaii, who gave him the name Poet.
There was nothing unusual about the last trip. In 1979, her holds were filled with 13,500 tons of grain, which was supposed to come to Port Said, Egypt. But Poet did not reach Port Said.
In fact, he was last contacted just six hours after leaving Philadelphia, when one of the crew members spoke to his wife. After that, the ship did not communicate for 48 hours and did not give distress signals. The Eugenia Corporation did not report him missing for another six days after the ship last made contact. Even after that, the Coast Guard did not dare to look for him for another five days. No trace of the ship or crew members was ever found.
5. USS Conestoga.
The small ship Conestoga served as a minesweeper in 1917. When the First World War ended, she was converted into a tugboat and operated in Norfolk Harbor, Virginia.
In 1921, Conestoga was significantly modified and sent to American Samoa, where the ship was supposed to perform its functions, which the crew was very happy about.
Unfortunately, the sailors' dreams did not come true. After being modified in Norfolk, the Conestoga arrived in Mar Island, California, where she underwent minor repairs. The ship set sail again on March 25, 1921 and this was the last voyage of this ship.
Two months later, the remains of a lifeboat marked with a bronze "C" were found. There was an assumption that the boat was from Conestoga, and a search began on the neighboring islands, but no one was found. There was no doubt - Conestoga sank. A sturdy little tugboat is believed to be buried somewhere in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
4. Boat US Witchcraft.
In December 1967, Miami hotel owner Dan Burak decided to view the city's Christmas lights from his luxurious Witchcraft boat. Accompanied by Father Patrick Hogan, he sailed about a mile and anchored. The boat was in good condition.
At approximately 21:00, Burak radioed ashore requesting to be towed to the marina, reporting that his ship had hit an unknown object. Despite the incident, Burak didn't seem thrilled - after all, he had personally built the Witchcraft with a special hull resistant to bullet holes. He confirmed his location to the Coast Guard and assured them that he would fire a flare when they arrived.
It only took the Coast Guard about 20 minutes to reach Burak's location, which he reported, but by that time the Witchcraft had already disappeared. The Coast Guard eventually searched over 3,100 square kilometers of ocean. But Dan Burak, Father of Patrick Hogan and Witchcraft, was never found.
3. USS Insurgent.
The frigate, known as the USS Insurgent, was originally a French vessel. In 1799, the French L'Insurgente lost a battle that lasted more than an hour, the Americans outwitted the L'Insurgente team and forced them to surrender. Renamed the Insurgent, she was sent to serve in the Caribbean, where she scored many victories under Captain Alexander Murray, capturing five more ships before returning to the United States in 1800.
Led by Patrick Fletcher, the Insurgent was sent to defend American shipping routes in the Caribbean. On August 8, 1800, the ship left Virginia's Hampton Roads, Virginia and disappeared forever. It is assumed that all members of the team died in the storm, but no one can say for sure.
2. Australian steamer Awahou.
Built in 1912, the 44m Awahou cargo steamer went through many owners before it was finally bought by Carr Shipping & Trading Company of Australia. On September 8, 1952, he sailed from Sydney with a crew of 18 to land on Lord Howe Island. The ship was believed to be in good condition when it left Australia.
But for 48 hours, a fuzzy, crackling radio signal came from the ship. Although it was difficult to make out, the message indicated that the ship had fallen into bad weather conditions. This was the last time anyone heard from Awahou. Although the ship, logically, should have been close to Lord Howe Island, no signs of the wreck or bodies were ever found. There were enough lifeboats on Awahou for the entire crew, but it is now assumed that there are no survivors.
Awahou is believed to have encountered severe winds or other bad weather conditions, or perhaps even hit a mine. But the truth is, no one really knows what happened. Awahou just disappeared.
1. US Baychimo Pass.
Some would call it a ghost ship, but Baychimo was real - and it may still be.
Built in 1911, Baychimo was a huge steam-powered cargo ship owned by the Bay Company of Hudson. It was mainly used to transport furs from northern Canada, and Baychimo's first nine trips were relatively uneventful. But on his last trip in 1931, winter came early enough. Completely unprepared for bad weather, the ship ended up trapped in the ice.
Most of the crew members were rescued by plane, but the captain and a few others decided to wait out the bad weather by setting up camp on the ship. One day, a fierce snowstorm began, completely hiding the ship under the snow. When the storm subsided, Baychimo disappeared. According to assumptions, the captain alerted the rest of the team. They did their best to set the ship adrift, fearing that it would not hold up all winter in the thick ice.
It turned out that Baychimo was stronger than anyone expected. Over the next few decades, it was sighted repeatedly in the Arctic, often drifting aimlessly across the sea. The last sighting was in 1969, 37 years after the disappearance.
In 2006, the Alaska government launched a project to track down the "ghost ship" Baychimo. Despite their best efforts, the ship was never found. Baychimo disappeared without a trace.
The material was prepared by GusenaLapchataya - according to the article of the site listverse.com
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Are you looking for this? Perhaps this is what you could not find for so long?
On Earth, everything that can be lost regularly disappears. These are planes, trains, cars, river and sea vessels, people. AT this case we will touch on such a topic as missing ships without a trace. There have been a lot of such cases in the history of human civilization. But it makes no sense to list everything, since many of them are extremely similar. The ship sailed, disappeared, and was never seen again. Therefore, we will dwell only on individual tragic episodes that give a general idea of the problem.
"Evredika"
In July 1881, the training warship of the British Navy, the Eurydice, disappeared without a trace in the Irish Sea. That day was extremely calm. But suddenly a storm broke out. It is assumed that it began so suddenly that the ship's crew could not react in any way to a sharp change in weather conditions. The ship with raised sails suffered in an unknown direction, and no one else heard anything about it.
There were 358 people on board. But subsequently, neither lifeboats nor people were found. The ship seemed to have vanished into thin air. A few years later, rumors spread that the Eurydice had become a ghost ship. The silhouette of the ship was seen several times in the fog. But the strange ship did not respond to the signals and disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared.
"Mary Celeste"
In December 1887, the British ship Mary Celeste vanished without a trace. He went towards the Azores and disappeared into the waters of the Atlantic. The crew consisted of 29 people. The ship was carrying a large amount of alcohol in barrels. A year later, a boat was discovered near Cape Roca in Portugal. Judging by the inscription on board, it belonged to the missing ship. But neither "Mary Celeste" herself nor the people have ever been found. Hypotheses were put forward about a mutiny on a ship, about an attack by pirates, about an infectious disease, about an attack by mysterious sea monsters.
10 years have passed, and the sailors suddenly started talking about a terrible ghost ship cruising near the Portuguese coast. Someone claimed to have clearly seen the name of this vessel. It was called Mary Celeste. The crew consisted of the dead, who considered it their duty to greet passing ships. After a few years, the conversations died down, and the authorities attributed this phenomenon to the rich imagination of the sailors.
Considering such a topic as missing ships, one cannot fail to mention the Danish sailing ship Copenhagen. In December 1928, the aforementioned ship sailed from the coast of Uruguay and headed for Australia. It was a sailing ship with 5 masts, was equipped with radio communications, an auxiliary engine and boats. The ship was considered a training ship and was manned by 60 cadets. Some of them belonged to rich Danish families. The last time the ship made contact was on December 22, and after that no one heard anything about it.
There were a variety of theories regarding the disappearance of "Copenhagen". The prevailing version was that he hit an iceberg and sank. In 1931, a message appeared that supposedly sailors from time to time see a ghost ship with 5 masts in the coastal waters of Australia. At the beginning of the 21st century, the wreckage of an old ship was found on the island of Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic Ocean. Experts suggested that they belong to the missing Copenhagen.
Erebus and Terer
In May 1846, the two ships Erebus and Terer set sail from the coast of England and headed north. They set themselves the goal of crossing the Northwest Strait and getting from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Both crews numbered 134 people. The expedition was led by John Franklin. Not a single person returned from this voyage. It was suggested that the ships were stuck in the ice, and people tried to get to the continent, but died. Already in our century, the sunken wreckage of one of the ships was discovered. A logbook was also found. It stated that Franklin died in June 1847.
In 1979, the Poet left Philadelphia, heading for Port Said. On board were about 14 tons of wheat. But people did not wait for this valuable product, since the ship did not arrive at the port of destination. Communication with him was maintained for many hours, but then suddenly broke off. The ship did not give an SOS signal, and its owners did not report the loss for a whole week. "Sings" and the team members were never found. The ship seemed to have dissolved in the boundless ocean waters.
"Witchcraft"
Another case of missing ships happened in the autumn of 1968 in the waters of Miami. During the party, the owner of the hotel with two guests wanted to admire the city lights from the side of his personal yacht. The company went to sea about 2 km from the coast. At the same time, the yacht was completely serviceable. But after 2 hours, a radio message was received from her to send a tugboat, as the ship broke down. The Coast Guard requested coordinates and fired a flare. The tugboat reached the indicated place in 25 minutes, but did not find the broken "Witchcraft". Rescuers combed the coastal waters for several days, but neither the yacht nor the people on it were found.
