7 Unexplained Disappearances In The Bermuda Triangle
More ships and planes have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle than anywhere else on earth, check out 7 of the weirdest.
Over the years, no one has been able to explain the Bermuda Triangle with any certainty. The Bermuda Triangle is defined as the area in the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. While it has become part of popular culture to link the Bermuda Triangle to paranormal activity, most investigations indicate bad weather and human error are the more likely causes. The fact remains, though, more ships and planes have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, also knows as the Devil’s Triangle, than anywhere else on earth. Let’s explore some notable disappearances that have occurred there:
7. USS CYCLOPS
[Image Source: Wikipedia]
The USS Cyclops, carrying a full load of manganese went missing without a trace with a crew of 309 sometime after March 4, 1918, after departing from the island of Barbados. Although there exists a number of theories to explain why the ship sank, it is thought that overloading the ship with a much denser material was the most likely cause. In addition, two of Cyclops‘s sister ships, Proteus and Nereus were also lost in the North Atlantic during World War II. These ships were also carrying heavy ores. No trace of the USS Cyclops was ever found and it makes for one of the largest losses of life in The Triangle.
6. Flight 19
[Image Source: Bermuda Attractions]
Flight 19 was a training flight of five torpedo bombers that disappeared on December 5, 1945, while over the Atlantic. Each plane was a three-seater, so there were 14 men who disappeared. The squadron’s flight plan was scheduled to take them east from Fort Lauderdale for 141 miles, north for 73 miles, and then back over a final 140-mile leg to complete the exercise. The flight never returned to base. US Navy investigators believe the cause to be navigational error causing the aircraft to run out of fuel.
5. Star Tiger
[Image Source: Bermuda Attractions]
Star Tiger was a passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways which disappeared without a trace over the Atlantic Ocean while on a flight between Azores and Bermuda on January 30, 1948. There were a total of 31 passengers aboard the Star Tiger. The loss of the aircraft along with that of BSAA Star Ariel in 1949 remains unsolved to this day. The disappearance of these two planes helped create and solidify the Bermuda Triangle legend which continues on even today.
4. Flight DC-3
[Image Source: Bermuda Attractions]
The flight Douglas Dakota DC-3 took off from San Juan airport of Puerto Rico heading for Miami on December 28, 1948. While it was just 50 miles south of Florida, it sent the last message to indicate its position. Only 20 minutes to go, the flight was never seen or heard of again. It disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle area with all its 28 passengers and 3 crew members. The Douglas Dakotas are propeller driven aircraft, not jet planes. This was the first instance of a DC-3 aircraft disappearing. There were two more cases of DC-3 aircraft disappearing and all of them happened within 50 miles of the Florida Keys.
3. Flight 441
[Image Source: The Richest]
Flight 441 was a huge carrier that belonged to US Navy. It was on October 30, 1954 with 42 passengers on board that Flight 441 took off. It was only 400 miles from the coast when it completely vanished. Same with other incidents, Flight 441 suddenly disappeared after regular communication and it completely disappeared from radar. The plane had sufficient flotation devices that should have survived, but nothing was ever found.
2. Witchcraft
[Image Source: Em Esber]
A 23-foot cabin cruiser went missing in the Bermuda Triangle area on the night of December 22, 1967. Burrack, the owner took it offshore only to watch the lights of Miami shoreline with his friend. They went out little ways from the shore and all was well until 9 pm when the Coast Guard received a call from Burrack. Burrack mentioned that his boat may have hit something but he did not express any alarm. The Coast Guard arrived at the approximate location of the boat 19 minutes later, but the boat had by then completely disappeared. The boat contained life jackets and flotation devices, but nothing was ever found on the boat or the two men.
1. Trislander
[Image Source: Britten-Norman]
A 3-engine Trislander took off from Santiago for New York on December 15, 2008, with 12 people on board. After about 35 minutes from take off, the aircraft disappeared from radar. A massive search operation was launched by US Coast Guard, but the aircraft was never traced again. Its last known location was about 4 miles west of West Caicos Island. This disappearance was the last one to take place in the Bermuda Triangle.
Leah Stephens is the author of Un-Crap Your Life: Navigating Life’s Crappiest Situations.
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