The mysterious Bermuda Triangle, located off the southern coast of Florida, continues to baffle with its unexplained disappearances of ships, planes, and more than a thousand people. Despite numerous theories, there is no consensus on the perplexing phenomenon that surrounds the Bermuda Triangle.
The Bermuda Triangle is an expansive region in the Atlantic Ocean, covering about 440,000 square miles. It is characterized by a line that begins near Melbourne, Florida, extends south to Bermuda, then heads west towards Puerto Rico before turning north back to Florida.
From 1972 to 1999, more than 100 planes and ships vanished under mysterious circumstances within this area. These incidents resulted in the tragic loss of over 1,000 lives. The persistent occurrence of these disappearances only adds to the eerie reputation surrounding the Bermuda Triangle.
The Sargasso Sea, a part of the Bermuda Triangle, is renowned for its abundant Sargassum seaweed. This seaweed is thought to be remnants of a once flourishing forest on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Legend has it that the island sank suddenly, causing both the forest and its vegetation to vanish.
Flight 19, which included five Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bomber planes, is a notable case of disappearance. These aircraft underwent thorough examination and were officially registered, confirming their airworthiness. There was no indication that the crew would face anything other than a routine mission. Additionally, the weather conditions were as predicted – clear skies and gentle winds.
Flight 19 departed from Fort Lauderdale Airport at 2:10 p.m. on December 5, 1945. Approximately 90 minutes later, at 3:40 p.m., Lieutenant Robert Cox received crackling sounds through his radio. The message was intended for Powers and the sender identified themselves as FT-28, which is Flight 19’s call sign. FT-28 communicated problems with their compasses and their ongoing search for land.
At 4:26 p.m. Fort Everglades Rescue intercepted a transmission from FT-28, requesting assistance to locate the lost flight. The rescue team contacted several coastal stations and urged them to activate their radar in order to aid in the search. Lieutenant Taylor communicated with his flight crew at 6:04 p.m., informing them that they were off course and needed to redirect towards the east. Surprisingly, this adjustment only caused them to move even farther away from land. At 7:04 p.m., all radio communication abruptly ceased.
In an effort to find the missing flight, a Martin Mariner PBM-5 flying boat was dispatched for search purposes. Departing from Fort Lauderdale Airport at 7:27 p.m., the flying boat experienced a radio malfunction at 7:30 p.m., causing the flight to vanish without any evidence.
On the morning of December 6, 1945, a large-scale search and rescue operation commenced to locate Flight 19. More than 240 planes and 18 ships were deployed for this mission. Additionally, the Royal Air Force joined the effort later in the morning. On land, teams scoured the Bahamas and the Florida Keys with hopes of discovering survivors or debris washed ashore. Despite their diligent efforts, no signs of wreckage or survivors were found. However, at 7:50 p.m., flames reaching a height of one hundred feet were reported by the S.S. Gaines Mills for ten minutes. Ships and planes swiftly responded but uncovered no evidence of survivors or wreckage in that specific area.
Despite an extensive five-day search, the rescue mission had to be cancelled as no wreckage, survivors, or explanations were found regarding the disappearance of Flight 19. However, on May 8, 1991, forty-six years later, the crew of the Deep Sea used a computer-controlled submarine to scan the ocean floor in search of sunken galleons. Regrettably, their efforts proved unsuccessful as they were unable to locate any galleons. Nevertheless, at a depth of 750 feet below the ocean surface, they discovered a distinct outline of a Navy Avenger airplane. In close proximity was another plane and ultimately a total of five aircrafts were accounted for. Considering their evident abandonment with open canopies and some bent back propellers, it was speculated that these planes could potentially be Flight 19. Interestingly enough, one of the planes bore the marking FT which coincided with Fort Lauderdale’s designation. Additionally, this specific plane exhibited the number 28 which matched Lieutenant Taylor’s plane number.
Various theories concerning the disappearance of this flight have been presented to the Navy, civilian government officials, and newspapers. A New York engineer submitted a series of highly detailed drawings depicting a large mid-air collision involving the five planes and the flying boat. Regrettably, these drawings failed to address numerous unanswered questions. Numerous theories proposed that the planes were blown off course by the wind, but the Navy maintained that the prevailing winds during that night were insufficient to support such a hypothesis.
Several science doctors provided suggestions regarding the enigmatic occurrences in the Bermuda Triangle. Dr. Manson Valentine suggested that a magnetic occurrence, potentially originating from a UFO, might clarify these mysterious events. Conversely, Dr. Stanley Krippner hypothesized the existence of a vortex resembling a space black hole within the Triangle, which resulted in planes and ships vanishing without leaving any evidence behind.
The Bermuda Triangle is notorious for the disappearance of airplanes, large ships, and tankers. Approximately twenty heavy vessels have vanished in this region. One notable incident involves the U.S.S. Cyclops, a colossal ship measuring over five hundred feet long and weighing more than nineteen thousand tons. It embarked on its journey during World War I on March 4, 1918. The ship had an unconventional crew comprising a mentally unstable German captain who frequently roamed around wearing only long underwear and a derby hat. Other individuals onboard included the former U.S. Consul to Brazil, three naval prisoners accused of murder, and two marines who were absent without leave (AWOL). Despite extensive efforts, the U.S.S. Cyclops mysteriously disappeared without any trace left behind. No distress signals were recorded from that location, leading to speculation that neither adverse weather conditions nor wreckage played a role in its vanishing.
There have been suggestions about the fate of the U.S.S. Cyclops. One theory suggests that a tidal wave hit the ship, causing it to overturn but not sink. However, the Navy dismisses this idea due to the absence of reported storms at that time and lack of discovered wreckage. Another speculation proposes that a German captain commandeered the ship and its crew during the war. Nevertheless, after conducting further investigation, the government finds no supporting evidence for this claim.
Ships have not only disappeared in the Triangle, but also many ships have been discovered abandoned. The Mary Celeste is a particularly enigmatic case. In November 1972, a ship encountered the Mary Celeste and attempted to communicate with her. However, there was no response. Consequently, the captain of the encountering ship boarded the Mary Celeste only to find it deserted. Despite all sails being set and cargo casks untouched, the crew of ten was nowhere to be found. Surprisingly, there was an abundance of food and water onboard along with intact money, personal belongings, and even the captain’s log. The most peculiar aspect was that the captain’s quarters were barricaded as if for defense against attackers. The discovering captain claimed possession of the boat; nevertheless, until today, there remains no explanation for what happened to the missing crew.
The Bermuda Triangle has been the location of numerous disappearances of industrial and commercial airliners. British South American Airways, a short-lived airline in relation to the Triangle, lost three large planes within this time. The Star Tiger and Star Ariel vanished without explanation, leaving no trace behind. Similarly, the Star Dust mysteriously disappeared near Santiago, Chile with no logical reason. On January 17, 1949, while en route to Chile after making a brief stop in Bermuda, the pilot of the Star Ariel contacted the command center to report radio frequency changes caused by static interference. Unfortunately, neither the plane nor its passengers were ever heard from again. Interestingly enough,this incident occurred close to where the Star Tiger had also gone missing about one year earlier.
In 1969, a National Airlines 727 passenger plane was approaching the Miami Airport in anticipation of landing, closely tracked by the Miami Air Control Center. However, the plane suddenly vanished from the radar screen, only to reappear ten minutes later and land safely. Upon reaching the terminal, the flight crew was astonished to learn about the temporary and unexplained disappearance. The accuracy of the flight instruments was examined, but no abnormalities were found. Then, one of the crew members noticed that his watch was ten minutes behind that of a ground crew member. Soon after, the rest of the flight crew discovered that their watches were also ten minutes slow. This was particularly strange because just twenty minutes prior to the incident, the flight crew had conducted a routine time check with no differences observed.
Despite the loss of numerous lives, there have been instances of survival in the Bermuda Triangle. One such occurrence happened in December 1944 involving Dick Stern, an Air Force pilot during World War II.
Stern’s mission was to fly a plane from the United States to Italy with a refueling stop in Bermuda. After a brief layover, he continued his journey. However, shortly after takeoff, his plane unexpectedly flipped over and was violently propelled through the air at high velocity.
Only after engaging in a fierce struggle against an unknown force did Stern manage to regain control of the aircraft. Upon returning to Bermuda, Stern discovered that five out of seven bombers in his squadron had vanished at sea without explanation.
Nearly seventeen years later, Stern was on a passenger flight with his wife from Europe to Miami with scheduled stops in Bermuda and Nassau. While having lunch with the pilot, Stern shared the story of his previous encounter in the Triangle. Coincidentally, as they conversed, the plane suddenly shook violently without any turbulence or bad weather. After fifteen terrifying minutes, the shaking ceased, and the rest of the flight proceeded without incident. The cause of this incident remains unknown, leaving us to wonder if it was related to Stern’s previous experience. Regardless, Stern has decided to never return to the Bermuda Triangle.
People from different backgrounds have put forward various theories about these anomalies. The idea of a massive octopus existing seems too unrealistic. Scientists researching the phenomena in the Triangle concur that it could be caused by atmospheric, gravitational, or electromagnetic disruptions. According to Dr. Manson Valentine’s suggestion, there may be different and occasionally hostile groups of extraterrestrial visitors, some of whom might have a connection to us. Ivan Sanderson proposed that the escalating danger to our ocean ecosystem could also affect highly advanced life forms living in the ocean.
Captain Dan Delmonico, a skilled sailor with sharp observation abilities, had two similar encounters in April 1973. At approximately four o’clock in the afternoon, he observed unidentified gray objects entering and exiting both the ocean and the sky. One of these sightings involved a gray object swiftly traversing through the water directly ahead of his boat. Captain Delmonico approximated its dimensions to be between 150 and 200 feet long and its velocity to be at least sixty to seventy miles per hour. Surprisingly, rather than causing any disturbance or disruption, the object smoothly maneuvered around the boat as if it possessed full awareness of its surroundings.
Despite modern technological advancements, scientists have been unable to solve the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. This area, also known as the Triangle of Terror, has caused over one hundred planes and more than one thousand lives to be lost, leading to various theories. However, instead of providing answers, the discoveries made from Flight 19 have only raised further questions. The enigmas surrounding the Bermuda Triangle continue to remain a mystery and it remains uncertain if we will ever uncover them.
Works Cited
Baumann, Elwood D. The Devils Triangle. Franklin Watts: New York, 1976
Berlitz, Charles. The Bermuda Triangle: An Incredible Saga of Unexplained Disappearances. Doubleday and Company, Inc.: New York, 1974
Bermuda Triangle. Encarta Encyclopedia. 1999 ed.
Jeffrey, Kent Thomas authored the book “Triangle of Terror and Other Eerie Areas” published by Warner Books in New York in 1975.
