There are many mysteries in the world. For example, what happens when we die? Are aliens real? Or what really happens in the Bermuda Triangle? Why are so many people going missing? While there is now the show myth busters who set out to prove whether or not myths or real, people are still curious. Something that has always caught my interest was the fear people have towards the Bermuda Triangle. Due to the many planes and ships which just disappeared suddenly, there is an aura surrounding it.
What is the Bermuda Triangle?
Now a part of me thinks that the Bermuda Triangle is not as talked about as it used to be. For the ones who do not know, it is a part of the Atlantic Ocean which triangulates from Miami, Florida Bermuda and San Juan, Puerto Rico. However in this triangle there have been more than one strange things. All of these things includes something, or someone going missing. Making this triangle not famous, but infamous.
People have many ideas as to why people and ships or planes go missing, like aliens. But it does not end there. The Bermuda Triangle is also theorized to be the lost city of Atlantis which is another idea. Though, Ocean Services gives other more scientific explanations for what the cause of these mysteries are. Either way it would be a fun experience to go over some of the most famous, stories from the Bermuda Triangle.
Throughout the years
People going missing in the Bermuda triangle has been going on for centuries. It started with Christopher Columbus and his journey to the new world. They claimed to see fire crashing into the sea. There could be many explanations as to what the fire was. But when paired with other people the coincidences are hard to ignore.
The Bermuda Triangle did not get its reputation until the mid 1900s. That was when there was a surge in missing ships, airplanes and people as well. Let’s dive in to some examples.
Missing Airplanes
The First ever missing Airplane
By this I mean the first missing airplane in the Bermuda Triangle. Also it was not one plane, but a couple, they were a part of a squadron. On December 5th, 1945 in the afternoon the U.S navy had a 3 hour flight training session leaving from Florida, otherwise known as Flight 19. It was a flight that the captain had done before but by the second hour something happened to their compass followed by other problems within the plane. The other planes also reported similar problems.
They took off a little after 2 p.m that day and by 7:30 that night another flight, the Mariner with 13 men went out to search. The Mariner followed Flight 19 and was never heard from again. There was a large search party for both flights and the searched through the Ocean. Neither were ever found. Though in 1991, there were planes found in the Ocean which were mistaken for the squadron. This was shown later to not be the case. There are many explanations to what possibly happened to these two flights. But because there are other reports of this happening in this area makes it questionable and a mystery.
G-AHNP Star Tiger
Two years after Flight 19, the British plane “Star Tiger” went missing without a trace. This is another piece that was able to help formulate the legend, myth and mystery that is the Bermuda Triangle. The flight itself had some problems and even faced a lay over due to expected weather. I can’t help but think of the irony in avoiding and fixing problems, but still reaching a mysterious fate.
There was a crew and passengers on board. Different from that of Flight 19. Star Tiger had great communication with Radio Towers all throughout the flight. In the messages from the crew of the Star Tiger nothing seemed weird. The crew did not report anything wrong and their tone of voice seemed normal. The pilot asked for a bearing which was denied. They acknowledged the messages received from the radio tower after the second time they got it and that was the last it was heard from. Messages from the radio to the Star Tiger kept coming in to try and make contact with it, but they all failed.
The weather report that conditions were fine for flight. The pilot had experience flying and there were no problems with the plane. It had passed inspection, there is no reasonable explanation as to why it all of the sudden went missing. But the Star Tiger went dark on January 30th 1948 and the 31 people that were on it, passengers and crew all went mysteriously missing.
Mitsubishi MU-2B-40
The last reported disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle was as soon as 2017. So this was just not a past problem, but people very recently are still falling victim to this “curse” in the Bermuda Triangle. In May of 2017 the plane was flying from Puerto Rico to Florida where they would be going over the Bermuda Triangle. It was a small plane which only held four passengers including a CEO from New York City, her two children and her boyfriend was flying the plane. Three hours into the flight contact was lost, similar to others, three hours into the flight. They were also 30 minutes away from landing.
ane was flying from Puerto Rico to Florida where they would be going over the Bermuda Triangle. It was a small plane which only held four passengers including a CEO from New York City, her two children and her boyfriend was flying the plane. Three hours into the flight contact was lost, similar to others, three hours into the flight. They were also 30 minutes away from landing.
The weather that day appeared to be less than favorable. There were thunderstorms which is not ideal for flying and can explain what happened to the aircraft. Unlike the other examples from before, this one has an ending. A few days after disappearing pieces of a plane were found. Even though their bodies are still missing along with the plane, the pieces that surfaced were from the wreck.
Missing Ships
USS Cyclops
Not only do thing mysteriously vanish over the Bermuda Triangle, but they also vanish in it. There have been multiple ship that have gone missing. The USS Cyclops was a Navy ship, the largest navy ship at 550 feet long. In March of 1918 there were troops and cargo on board traveling to Barbados and set to end in Baltimore.
It was a nine day trip, until it was not a nine day trip anymore. The last message from the ship was “Weather Fair, All Well. If that was the case then what happened? There was not an SOS signal, and no trace has been left behind. Even over a century later there is still not much about known about what happened. 309 people vanished from that voyage. Considering this was early in the start of the Bermuda Triangle myth, the eerie disappearance helped further create the narrative. Just now, instead of planes going missing, very big ships are also able to vanish without a trace.
USS Proteus and the USS Nereus
While the Ocean scares me and I highly fear the next cruise that my parents book. I do not know much about how this works, but the USS Proteus and USS Nereus are the sister ships to the USS Cyclops. It seems strange that it did meet the same fate as tree Cyclops. The USS Proteus went missing on November 23rd 1941 and not long after did the USS Nereus go missing on December 10th. While this was a time of unrest in the world with World War II, nobody ever took credit for sinking these ships.
People believe that what happened to both the Proteus and Nereus was they suffered from liquefaction. Which is the process of turning something into a liquid. This would explain why the ships are still missing today and there is no chance of actually finding them. Also the flood season in the Virgin Islands is around November. Another reasonable explanation for what could have happened. They both went missing at the time of flooding season, so they were more likely to sink. But it is very hard to ignore all the coincidences that continuously happen in the Bermuda Triangle.
SS El Faro
It seems that missing ships do not meet the same fate as the missing planes. In 2015 the ship El Faro, that traveled between Florida and San Juan went missing. It is now a famous story of a doomed ship that fell to Hurricane Joaquin. When it first left Florida, Joaquin was still a Tropical Storm but as time went on and the storm grew stronger, the Captain did not change route and relied on outdated information. Even though he was told three separate times that he was heading straight into the storm.
The El Faro is no longer missing unlike others. Since it was no longer missing, people were now able to gain a better understanding to what happened leading up to its end. There is a picture of the ship found underwater as seen to the right.
Not only is the mystery of what happened to the ship solved, but there is recordings of its last moments. The captain, Micheal Davidson sounds calm when he is asking for help and reporting that the ship is retaining water. The operator also did not believe the ship was close to sinking. Though the transcripts from the recordings found on board show that the crew did try to warn the Captain to change course, Davidson did not listen. They also go on to show that the crew did abandon ship and people said “help me”. The recorder shuts off after a few minutes of yelling. The voice recordings found on the ship after sinking chills me to the bone.
Pop Culture Examines Missing Planes and Ships
There are many instances of things going missing in the Bermuda Triangle that it has become hard for people to ignore it. People have come up with their own theories for what happens. Kids show, reddit threads and other shows have examined it as well.
Buzzfeed Unsolved
Buzzfeed has made many series for different things. The Unsolved Series have three spin offs, “Supernatural”, “True Crime”, and “Sports Conspiracies”. The hosts, Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara examine different events and then discuss theories on what happened. They have opposite personalities making it an entertaining dynamic.
In their Bermuda Triangle episode they discuss a few of the planes and ships mentioned above and even a few others. Then they go on to explain theories. The most ridiculous theory being that the people who have gone missing are now a part of the lost city of Atlantis. Some included involve actual science. For example the reason for the disappearances are due to the fact the Bermuda Triangle is a hotspot for storms. You can watch the episode here.
What is the Bermuda Triangle Really?
There is no argument, the Bermuda Triangle has strange stories where people have gone missing. Many theories have been made on many blogs, reddit threads and even just personal opinions. But what is the truth? The truth is hard to come by. Maybe it really was just storms, but if that was the case why are there not more transcripts from the Captains reporting a storm.
In some cases I do believe that some ships and planes fell victims to storms, like El Faro. Though in the instant of flight 19, that leaves me speechless. It really is shocking, there was no panic or distress in the pilots voice. There were reports of confusion and disorientation. In the buzzfeed episode they mention how it could have been a malfunctioning compass which led to their downfall. But rest assured we may never know the answer. It’s nice thinking that maybe it could be a blackhole where people are taken to live in the lost city of Atlantis. But the realist in me knows better.
I hope those that have lost people have found piece in knowing people are interested in their stories. All I know is that I will not be cruising from Florida to Bermuda anytime soon. I mean it is better safe than sorry.
