THE MYSTERY OF BERMUDA TRIANGLE!
The "Bermuda Triangle" or "Devil's Triangle" is an imaginary area located off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States of America, which is noted for a supposedly high incidence of unexplained disappearances of ships and aircraft. The apexes of the triangle are generally believed to be Bermuda; Miami, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The US Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name. The US Navy does not believe the Bermuda Triangle exists. It is reported that Lloyd's of London, the world's leading market for specialist insurance, does not charge higher premiums for vessels transiting this heavily traveled area.
The most famous US Navy losses which have occurred in the area popularly known as the Bermuda Triangle are USS Cyclops in March 1918 and the aircraft of Flight 19 in December 1945. The ship probably sank in an unexpected storm, and the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean -- no physical traces of them have ever been found. Another well known disappearance is the civilian tanker SS Marine Sulphur Queen carrying bulk molten sulfur which sank in February 1963. Although the wreck of Marine Sulphur Queen has not been located, a life preserver and other floating artifacts were recovered. These disappearances have been used to provide credence to the popular belief in the mystery and purported supernatural qualities of the "Bermuda Triangle."
Since the days of early civilization many thousands of ships have sunk and/or disappeared in waters around the world due to navigational and other human errors, storms, piracy, fires, and structural/mechanical failures. Aircraft are subject to the same problems, and many of them have crashed at sea around the globe. Often, there were no living witnesses to the sinking or crash, and hence the exact cause of the loss and the location of the lost ship or aircraft are unknown. A large number of pleasure boats travel the waters between Florida and the Bahamas. All too often, crossings are attempted with too small a boat, insufficient knowledge of the area's hazards, and a lack of good seamanship.
To see how common accidents are at sea, you can examine some of the recent accident reports of the National Transportation Safety Board for ships and aircraft. One of the aircraft accident reports concerns an in-flight engine failure and subsequent ditching of a Cessna aircraft near Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas on 13 July 2003. This is the type of accident that would likely have been attributed to mysterious causes in the Bermuda Triangle if there had been no survivors or other eyewitnesses of the crash.
A significant factor with regard to missing vessels in the Bermuda Triangle is a strong ocean current called the Gulf Stream. It is extremely swift and turbulent and can quickly erase evidence of a disaster. The weather also plays its role. Prior to the development of telegraph, radio and radar, sailors did not know a storm or hurricane was nearby until it appeared on the horizon. For example, the Continental Navy sloop Saratoga was lost off the Bahamas in such a storm with all her crew on 18 March 1781. Many other US Navy ships have been lost at sea in storms around the world. Sudden local thunder storms and water spouts can sometimes spell disaster for mariners and air crews. Finally, the topography of the ocean floor varies from extensive shoals around the islands to some of the deepest marine trenches in the world. With the interaction of the strong currents over the many reefs the topography of the ocean bottom is in a state of flux and the development of new navigational hazards can sometimes be swift.
It has been inaccurately claimed that the Bermuda Triangle is one of the two places on earth at which a magnetic compass points towards true north. Normally a compass will point toward magnetic north. The difference between the two is known as compass variation. The amount of variation changes by as much as 60 degrees at various locations around the World. If this compass variation or error is not compensated for, navigators can find themselves far off course and in deep trouble. Although in the past this compass variation did affect the "Bermuda Triangle" region, due to fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field this has apparently not been the case since the nineteenth century.
We know of no US Government-issued maps that delineate the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle. However, general maps as well as nautical and aviation charts of the general area are widely available in libraries and from commercial map dealers.
Missing, Presumed Missing & the Unknown
One significant factor with regard to missing vessels in the Bermuda Triangle is the Gulf Stream. This strong ocean current is extremely swift and turbulent and can quickly erase evidence of any poten
The Coast Guard reports, US Navy reports, National Archives, Records Administration, and Merchant Vessels of the United States Registry has created a partial list of the many missing vessels believed to be consumed by the Bermuda Triangle. The missing boats and ships were all cruising in what would be considered fair weather and all of the vessels and people aboard them are thought to be victims of the countless sea of lost ships and lives that the Bermuda Triangle so easily swallows up without mercy.
Missing Ships
Between 1780 and 1824, numerous ships were listed as missing by the U.S. Navy. Included on the list are the General Gates, Hornet, Insurgent, Pickering, Wasp, Wildcat and Expervier, whose disappearance in 1815 delayed the closing of the War of 1812.
Storm warnings had already been hauled down before the Cotopaxi sent her last enigmatic message. The ship vanished without trace on December 1, 1925.
Ethel C, Callista III, and Evangeline are only a few boats that vanished in 1960, 1961, and 1962. Ethel C left Virginia, Callista III was en route to the Bahamas, and Evangeline was off Florida.
Witchcraft is a classic mystery because she was deemed unsinkable. Yet she vanished within 19 minutes between her call to the Coast Guard and their arrival on scene in 1967.
The S.S. Poet was 11,000 tons of mystery, and she gone without trace in 1980.
From 1999 through 2001 a host of missing, presumed missing, and unknown circumstances involved the disappearance of approximately 75 ships, schooners, yachts, and fishing vessels that all had been in the area of the Bermuda Triangle at the time that they vanished.
Mystery at Sea
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Also known as the Devil’s Triangle, the Bermuda Triangle is located off the Southeastern coast of the United States in the Atlantic Ocean, with its apexes in the vicinities of Bermuda, Miami, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. It covers roughly 500,000 square miles. The area may have been named after its Bermuda apex since Bermuda was once known as the "Isle of Devils." Treacherous reefs that have ensnared ships sailing too close to its shores surround Bermuda, and there are hundreds of shipwrecks in the waters that surround it.
So, what’s behind the supposed mysterious disappearances? Let’s take a look at some of the theories that are floating around.
Farfetched Theories
The Lost City of Atlantis
Some people believe that the Bermuda Triangle area is home to the lost city of Atlantis and remnants of its advanced technologies. In fact, famous psychic Edgar Cayce predicted that researchers would discover the western edge of Atlantis near the coast of Bimini, in the Bahamas. Researchers did find a "road" of stones there in 1968. The initial scientists and archeologists who studied the site, known as the "Bimini Road," immediately regarded it as naturally occurring. However, recent investigations have found evidence that appears to support the idea that the stones were shaped and placed there as a wall. The additional finding of a possible underwater city near Cuba adds fuel to the fire for those supporting the Atlantis idea.
So how can the lost city of Atlantis cause ships and planes to disappear? According to legend and speculation, the city of Atlantis relied on the power of special energy crystals that were extremely powerful. The speculation is that these energy crystals are in an altered state of some kind and send out rays of energy that either confuse navigational instruments or disintegrate vehicles all together.
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Magnetic Abnormalities and the Fog
"The Fog: A Never Before Published Theory of the Bermuda Triangle Phenomenon," by Rob MacGregor and Bruce Gernon include reports of an "electronic fog" that both men experienced while flying in the Bermuda Triangle. Furthermore, Gernon believes that the electronic fog has time travel qualities. Reportedly, many other pilots have had similar experiences in the area. Gernon believes that powerful electromagnetic storms from within the Earth break through the surface and come into the atmosphere where they soon disappear, leaving electronic fog. According to Gernon, a Swedish scientist has found that magnetism is weaker in the triangle than anywhere else on Earth, which may be why the fog happens more there than anywhere else.
Plausible Theories
Most rational explanations for the incidents in the Bermuda Triangle, including the explanations given by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, include human error and environmental effects. The area is one of the most highly trafficked for amateur pilots and sailors, so more traffic leads to more accidents and disappearances.
Weather Patterns and Topography
The area is subject to violent and unexpected storms and weather changes. These short but intense storms can build up quickly, dissipate quickly, and go undetected by satellite surveillance. Waterspouts that could easily destroy a passing plane or ship are also not uncommon. A waterspout is simply a tornado at sea that pulls water from the ocean surface thousands of feet into the sky. Other possible environmental effects include underwater earthquakes, as scientists have found a great deal of seismic activity in the area. Scientists have also spotted freak waves up to 100 feet high.
The underwater topography of the area may also be a factor. It goes from a gently sloping continental shelf to an extremely deep drop-off. In fact, some of the deepest trenches in the world are found in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. Ships or planes that sink into these deep trenches will probably never be found.
The Gulf Stream, where the Triangle is located, is extremely swift and turbulent. It can pose extreme navigational challenges, especially for inexperienced sailors. The Gulf Stream has been reported to move faster than 5 mph in some areas – more than fast enough to throw sailors hundreds of miles off course if they don't compensate correctly for the current. It can also quickly erase any evidence of a disaster.
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Methane Gas Hydrates
This theory appears to hold promise for at least some of the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. Scientists at Cardiff University have discovered the presence of large concentrations of methane gas trapped in the ocean floor. This gas is due to dying and decomposing sea organisms. The sediment contains bacteria that produce methane, which accumulates as super concentrated methane ice, called gas hydrates. The layer of ice traps the methane gas, and scientists are studying it as a potential energy source.
It's possible that these methane concentrations exist over portions of the seabed within the Bermuda Triangle, although some question how much is actually there. Landslides that often occur along the North American continental shelf to the north of the Bermuda Triangle could bring down boulders and debris, rupturing the layer of gas hydrate beneath the sea floor and freeing the trapped gas.
Within seconds of a methane gas pocket rupturing, the gas surges up and erupts on the surface without warning. If a ship is in the area of the blowout, the water beneath it would suddenly become much less dense. The vessel could sink and sediment could quickly cover it as it settles onto the sea floor. Even planes flying overhead could catch fire during such a blowout.
The Bermuda Triangle is, reportedly, an area with one of the highest incidences of UFO sightings. So, it's no wonder that alien abductions have been a popular explanation for disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. Some believe that aliens use the Bermuda Triangle as a collection station of sorts. When planes and ships disappear, it is because aliens have taken them away for thorough examination. But abductions aren't the only theory; some also have theorized that the Bermuda Triangle is a sort of portal to other planets or acts as a magnetic field that allows people (and their modes of transport) to travel to other dimensions. |
Centuries of Strange
The Bermuda Triangle has a long history of weird happenings. Let's take a look at some of them.
1492 - Christopher Columbus reports strange lights and strange compass readings.
1609 - The Sea Venture wrecks during the first attempt to colonize Bermuda.
1814 - The USS Epervier and her crew disappear while carrying the peace treaty to end the war between America and the North African Barbary States.
1855 - The schooner James B. Chester is found floating in the ocean. The crew is missing but there is no sign of struggle, and the lifeboats are still in place.
1918 - One of the largest ships of the time -- the 19,000-ton Navy supply ship USS Cyclops, and its crew of 300, vanishes without a trace.
1941 - The USS Proteus and the USS Nereus vanish, just as their sister ship the USS Cyclops had previously done along the same route.
1945 - Flight 19, five USN Avenger aircraft disappear after reporting compass malfunctions. A search-and-rescue plane sent to find them is never seen again.
1971 - Sting-27, a USAF Phantom jet, vanishes without a trace. Official reports indicate it may have suffered an impact, but the details are never revealed.
1976 - The Sylvia L. Ossa, a 590-foot ore carrier with a crew of 37 disappears 140 miles from Bermuda.
1991 - The pilot of a Grumman Cougar jet makes a routine radio request to increase altitude. During the ascent, the aircraft fades from radar and vanishes.
1999 - The cargo freighter Genesis radios a nearby vessel, indicating a problem with the bilge pump. Despite extensive searches by the Coast Guard, the ship and crew are never seen or heard from again.
Why do ships and aircraft disappear in the Bermuda Triangle?
Has the Bermuda Triangle mystery been solved?
What is the Bermuda Triangle? The Bermuda Triangle is an area in the Atlantic Ocean bounded by imaginary lines that run from Bermuda down to Puerto Rico, over to south-east Florida, and back up to Bermuda. (See map below.)
It is not a clearly defined area, but has become famous because many ships and aircraft have either disappeared or come to grief in this region. One side of the debate believes there are logical explanations for most of the disasters, just as there are logical explanations for the Loch Ness monster and the Shroud of Turin. The other side suggests the explanation may involve paranormal forces such as UFOs.
To include more disasters, Bermuda Triangle proponents have at times extended the region to a much larger area of the Atlantic known as the Limbo of the Lost. This area is shaped like a dented trapezium, and extends west to include the Gulf of Mexico, north to New Jersey, and north-east to the Azores. (See map below.)
What's the mystery?
Berlitz and Kusche
It depends on whose version you read whether there is a mystery or not. Legends can build up until people don't know what is true any more (such as the claim that Charles Darwin was converted on his deathbed, or that because God took a rib from Adam to create Eve, then men today have fewer ribs than women).
Until the early 1960s there was little discussion about the Bermuda Triangle and little public information. To fill this gap, two authors produced separate books in 1974 and 1975. Both are landmark references for discussion on the Bermuda Triangle, even today.
Berlitz
The 1974 book was titled simply The Bermuda Triangle. It was a best-seller for author Charles Berlitz, and became a film. Publishers re-released the book almost untouched in the 1990s.
In his book, Berlitz summarized many incidents in which ships and planes disappeared or struck tragedy in the Triangle. He gave many theories of what could have caused these, including natural explanations such as storms, and supernatural causes such as extraterrestrial involvement.
Kusche
In the following year (1975), the other landmark book took a different line. Author Lawrence David Kusche was a reference librarian at Arizona State University in 1972 when he realized there was almost no information to give to people researching the Bermuda Triangle. He decided to examine as many disappearances and disasters in the Triangle as he could find, and made a bibliography of his sources (which was referred to, but didn't appear in, at least some of the versions of his book).
Kusche contacted shipping companies, government agencies, and libraries. He researched journals, Coast Guard reports, and newspaper stories for information about the missing vessels. The result was a well-written book titled The Bermuda Triangle Mystery — Solved.
This too was republished in the 1990s, partially to take advantage of the interest Berlitz's book was expected to re-create, and partially because there was no better material published about the Bermuda Triangle since these two books from the 1970s.
Many reasons for disasters
Kusche gave details about a large number of the disasters and disappearances, and concluded that no single theory could explain them all. He found that many of the craft were victims of natural causes, such as storms, compass failures, hurricanes, lack of radio on board, and structural weaknesses. Some were not even in the Bermuda Triangle, and others had reached “legend” status only because important details were wrong or left out.
Kusche said that with only a few exceptions, “the mishaps that remain unsolved are those for which no information can be found.”
We must point out that not everyone accepts Kusche's work. A savage article against Kusche appears at Bermuda-Triangle.org.
Explanation and confirmation
Kusche believed that the explanation for the disasters and disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle does not lie in a single theory. It lies in looking at the incidents individually. He concluded on the second-last page of his book: “It is no more logical to try to find a common cause for all the disappearances in the Triangle than, for example, to try to find one cause for all the automobile accidents in Arizona.”
The Bermuda Triangle has many storms (Hurricane Katrina formed there), and many of the disasters that supposedly happened in clear weather did not. Many disappearances and disasters did not even happen in the Bermuda Triangle. Others happened before the days of ship-to-shore radio, and the further back they happened the more difficult it is to find reliable information.
A Wikipedia article (at April 2006 and still there at April 2008) said: “The marine insurer Lloyd's of London has determined the 'triangle' to be no more dangerous than any other area of ocean, and does not charge unusual rates for passage through the region. Coast Guard records confirm their conclusion.”
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