From the day man first figured out how to travel on the
water, it's been an accepted fact that some ships would leave port and never
return. On occasion these lost ships are seen again and again,
often minus their crew, seemingly traveling the seas randomly. These wandering vessels are often referred to
as ghost ships.
MARY CELESTE
One of the most famous of the ghost ships, the Mary Celeste (pictured above) was a brigantine with a
history of minor accidents, crew illnesses, and embarrassing mishaps. Suspicious sailors considered it an unlucky
ship. Those sailors were proven right
when the ship was found on December 4, 1872, drifting unmanned in the middle of
the Atlantic approximately 600 miles from the nearest port.
A popular enhancement to the story, but not true, says the
boarding party found still warm and untouched meals when they entered the
galley. In reality, they found nothing
amiss except some slight damage to the sails and pumps and the loss or
destruction of much of the ship's navigational equipment and documentation. And the ship's only lifeboat was gone. The captain's intact log book gave no hint of
what happened. When the vessel was finally
steered into Gibraltar, its entire cargo was intact except for 9 mysteriously
empty barrels that had contained alcohol.
Modern explanations have fixed on those 9 barrels. It's theorized that the porous wood allowed
the alcohol to evaporate, filling the hold with noxious and explosive
vapors. Fearing an explosion and fire,
everyone evacuated the ship in panic.
SS BAYCHIMO
There isn't any mystery concerning the initial loss of the Baychimo, but its continual reappearance
is a mystery of its own. In 1931, the Baychimo became irretrievably mired in
pack ice off the coast of Alaska where the crew was able to walk to safety
after determining the ship was a write off.
But that didn't stop it from being seen again and again over the next 38
years. Every attempt by salvage crews to
board her were thwarted by freak storms and encroaching ice floes. The last confirmed sighting was from the air
in 1969 showing the wandering ship again mired in heavy pack ice. To this day the location of the Baychimo is unknown.
SCHOONER JENNY
The Antarctic Circle is known as a dangerous place to sail,
spawning many tales of death and tragedy.
One of the most disturbing is the story of the schooner Jenny.
On September 22, 1860, the crew of the whaler Hope sighted a battered ship sailing out from a gap between 2
icebergs with 7 men appearing to be standing at attention on the main
deck. As the Hope drew closer, its crew saw that the men were actually frozen
solid. When they boarded the schooner,
the Hope's captain found the Jenny's captain apparently in the middle
of writing a log entry. He, too, was
frozen solid. The last entry in the log
book was dated May 4, 1823—almost 40 years earlier.
BOUVET ISLAND ROWBOAT
Bouvet Island is one of the most isolated places on the face
of the planet. The closest land of any
kind is the uninhabited coast of Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, 1100 miles away. It's not on any shipping routes, has no
interesting or precious resources, and its sole purpose today is the location
of a weather station on one of the few stretches of ground where boats can
land. In 1964 the British and South
African government went to Bouvet Island to establish a weather station. They found a 20 foot boat of a lifeboat or
whaler type, a single set of oars, a 40 gallon drum, and a "copper
flotation or buoyancy tank" that had been cut open for some unknown
reason. No human remains or traces of
habitation were found. The life
threatening weather and aggressive wildlife allowed them only 45 minutes to
determine if the area was suitable for the weather station. The worsening weather forced the crew to
return to Cape Town. Two years later, a
follow up expedition found no trace of the rowboat or the damaged equipment.
LADY LOVIBOND
On February 13, 1748, Simon Reed took his new bride,
Annette, aboard his ship, Lady Lovibond. They were going on a cruise to Portugal. At the time, it was considered bad luck to
bring a woman on a ship. Unfortunately
for all on board, the first mate was in love with the captain's wife. In a fit of jealous rage, he took control of
the wheel and steered the Lovibond towards the notorious Goodwin Sands resulting
in the death of everyone onboard. Fifty
years later to the day, in 1798, 2 separate ships saw a phantom ship sailing
the Goodwin Sands. Then on February 13, 1848, another 50 years later, local
fisherman saw a vessel wreck in the area and lifeboats were sent to investigate,
but no sign could be found of a ship on the sands. In 1948, another 50 year increment, the
Lovibond was seen again and was described as having an eerie green glow.
And finally, probably the most famous ghost ship of all…
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
What most people probably don't know (and I'm in that group)
is that The Flying Dutchman refers to
the captain of the vessel and not to the ship itself. Several ghost ships have been referred to as The Flying Dutchman, but there was one
original candidate.
As the story goes:
Captain Hendrick Van Der Decken was sailing around the Cape of Good Hope
headed for Amsterdam. Even though a
terrible storm raged around them, the captain refused to turn back despite the
pleadings of the frightened crew. As
monstrous waves attacked the ship, the captain passed the time by singing
obscene songs, drinking beer, and smoking his pipe. Finally, out of desperation, some of the crew
mutinied. The captain, in a drunken
stupor, shot the leader and threw his body overboard. At that time, the clouds overhead parted and
a booming voice came down from the heavens. "You're a very stubborn
man."
The captain replied, "I never asked for a peaceful
voyage. I never asked for anything, so
clear off before I shoot you, too."
Van Der Decken aimed his pistol toward the sky but before he could fire,
the pistol exploded in his hand.
"You are condemned to sail the oceans for eternity,
with a ghostly crew of dead men, bringing death to all who sight your spectral
ship and to never make port or know a moment's peace. Furthermore, gall shall be your drink, and
red hot iron your meat."
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