MYSTERY OF BERMUDA TRIANGLE Facts and Myths Bermuda Triangle is a strange triangular area on the Atlantic ocean where many ships sailing through it or planes passing over it have disappeared without a trace. In few of such cases where wrecks could be found, the crew had vanished. And such incidents have been happening since centuries. So looking for the facts behind the mystery of Bermuda Triangle? More than 1000 ships and planes have disappeared in the triangle area over the past five centuries and continue to do so. And all these happen when apparently there are no human errors, equipment failures or even natural disasters. Strangely, the ships and aircraft just vanish when everything seems to be okay. Many believe that Devil is at play here and therefore call the area also as Devils Triangle. The facts however are quite far from what is generally known or believed to be true. There are many stories and myths created through sheer imagination by writers who have used them rampantly to draw publicity to their books. In many cases, the facts got blurred. But one thing which is beyond doubt is, far too many incidents have taken place in this area for it to be ignored casually or interpreted to be just another normal ocean area. This section is an account of those findings. Bermuda Triangle So where is Bermuda Triangle located and how large is the area? Is there a map? And do you get to know when exactly you cross the line and enter the area? By the simplest of all definitions, Bermuda Triangle is located off the South-Eastern coast of the United States and in the Atlantic Ocean. The three corners of the triangle are: Miami (in Florida); San Juan (in Puerto Rico); and Bermuda (a north-Atlantic island).The disappearances have mostly taken place near the southern boundary of the triangle between Florida and Puerto Rico. One can always argue that its obvious because thats where the area of the triangle is widest and therefore such possibilities should be more anyway! But the area is not as simple as it appears in the picture below. So the next question is why the nameBermuda Triangle? At the time of coining the term, the first name that came up wasMiami Triangle. But Florida objected saying that they would lose visitors to Miami with such name as people would fear to come there. So the next name taken up was Puerto Rico Triangle. Puerto Rico too raised objections. Then it was the turn for the 21 square mile tiny island Bermuda which forms the third corner of the triangle. And no one seems to have bothered. Bermuda was then also known as the Isle of the Devils which fitted to the triangle concept quite well and therefore the final name Bermuda Triangle was coined. Lost Planes & Ships in Bermuda Triangle. Here are some of the most amazing stories of planes and ships that disappeared while crossing the triangle area. In several cases, Flight 19: The Avenger planes of Flight-19 took off from the U.S Naval Base of Florida for a routine training session on an afternoon of December 1945, but strangely this time they never returned.PBM Martin Mariner: When all hopes for the above Flight-19 planes were quickly fading, two Martin Mariner planes (flying boats) were sent by US Navy to search them out. One came back, but the other didnt. Read the full story to know what happened.Tudor Star Tiger: Star Tiger, a Tudor Mark-IV aircraft disappeared in Bermuda Triangle shortly before it was about to landat the Bermuda airport. Fight DC-3: The flight DC-3 NC16002 disappeared when it was only 50 miles south of Florida and about to land in Miami.Flight 441: A Super Constellation Naval Airliner disappeared in October 1954.C-54 Skymaster: Apparently it seemed to be a sudden thunderstorm that had disintegrated the plane. But there was much more to the story. Mary Celeste - The Ghost Ship: Known as one of the ghost ships of Bermuda Triangle, Mary Celeste had many misadventures even before her mystery voyage in 1872. But this time, although the ship could be salvaged, none on board could ever be traced. Carroll A. Deering: This is another ghost ship of Bermuda triangle which created one of the biggest maritime mysteries of all times. While returning from Rio de Janeiro of Brazil to Portland in Maine in January 1921, it was found abandoned and derelict at Diamond Shoals, off Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. But all the 11 crewmen including the captain were missing. They vanished for ever and never to be found again. Marine Sulphur Queen: This 524-foot carrier of molten sulphur started sail on Feb 2, 1963 from Beaumont, Texas with 39 crew. It was reported lost in Florida Straits on February 4, and lost for ever. Ellen Austin: The Ellen Austin, an American schooner, met with another ship in Bermuda Triangle. The other ship was moving in full speed but strangely had nobody on board. USS Cyclops: Disappearance of the carrier ship U.S.S. Cyclops in Bermuda Triangle has been one of the greatest mysteries of the sea. USS Scorpion: USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was a Nuclear powered submarine of United States Navy that disappeared in Bermuda Triangle area in May 1968. Those were only few cases. Check out Bermuda Triangle Incidents for a list of all the major indents in the triangle area alongwith fascinating stories for many. Popular theories solving the mystery So what caused the ships and aircraft to disappear mysteriously? There have been many research and explorations done to uncover the mystery. There is no single theory that can explain all the incidents of disappearances. The ships and aircraft have been victims of different circumstances and situations. Things happened quickly and unexpectedly. While many theories have come out, there are few that come close to solving the Bermuda Triangle Mystery. Here are some of the top and most popular theories that try to explain and solve the mysteries. Methane Gas Theory : Large amount of methane gas is known to exist below the ocean floor trapped in the sediments in form of methane hydrates. If such gas finds its way out and starts rising through the water, it can significantly reduce the density of water in that area. And ships passing over that area can sink in no time. Such gas release can also create explosions and saturate the atmosphere with methane gas causing planes to crash. The Sargasso Sea : Sargasso sea is a strange area within Bermuda Triangle that has no shores but bounded by ocean currents on all sides. This has been the trap for many sailing vessels in the past. Many sailing boats and ships are believed to have become completely motionless while passing through this area and later found in derelict conditions without a soul on them. Dense sea weed on water surface and exceptionally low winds have been the main cause of making vessels motionless in this area. Gulf Stream : The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, and then moves through the Straits of Florida, into the North Atlantic and passes through Bermuda Triangle area. It is like a river within an ocean and can easily carry floating objects along its flow. A small plane making a water landing or a boat having engine trouble will be easily carried away. It happened to the cabin cruiser Witchcraft on December 22, 1967, when it reported engine trouble near the Miami buoy marker one mile from shore, but was not there when a Coast Guard cutter arrived. Electronic Fog: A Hutchison effectIt has been heard several times that ships and aircraft get engulfed in some kind of electronic fog and the fog keeps moving along with the ship or the plane. And eventually, all the electronic equipment and other instruments start malfunctioning. Then the ships and airplanes either disintegrate or disappear without a trace. Vancouver based scientist John Hutchison through his experiments has shown occurrence of Electronic Fog that causes some strange phenomena. Compass Variation : As you know that magnetic and absolute North are not the same. Which means that the north where a compass points and the absolute geographic north which is the north pole are different. So ships need to make adjustment for this difference to keep to the right direction. But in Bermuda Triangle, there is a narrow strip where both these Norths become the same. Some claim that such Compass Variation could have been the cause for fatal accidents as ships failed to determine the correct direction. Strange Weather & Hurricanes : At times there are violent storms in the Bermuda Triangle area. These short but intense storms can build up quickly and go away so fast that even a satellite cant detect them properly. But these storms are strong enough to destroy ships or planes completely. There are also waterspouts seen in this area. A waterspout is like a tornado at sea that sucks water from the ocean thousands of feet into the sky.Hurricanes are extremely powerful swirling storms that sometimes appear in the Atlantic near the equator. They usually originate from south eastern Atlantic and pass through the Bermuda Triangle area towards the south eastern coast of the US. June to November is the time when possibility of such hurricane occurring is the most. Such hurricanes have historically been the cause for loss of many lives and extensive damage. The sinking of Francisco de Bobadillas Spanish fleet in 1502 was the first recorded instance of such destructive hurricane. Hurricanes have in the past caused a number of fatal damages to the sailing vessels passing through the area. Freak Waves : Very large waves can appear suddenly even in calm seas. One such rogue wave caused the Ocean Ranger, then the worlds largest offshore platform to capsize in 1982. Research has shown that freak waves up to 30m high & capable of sinking a large ship within moments, can and do happen. Although these are very rare, in some areas ocean currents indicate that they happen more often than normal. Unusual Seafloor : The seafloor in Bermuda Triangle area is also found to be quite strange. There are some unusual formations. From a gentle slope it takes a sudden deep drop. In fact, some of the deepest trenches in the world are found in this area. Ships or planes that sink into these deep trenches will probably never be found. Human Error : Human mistakes can not be ruled out in this area. More so because the vast water area in Bermuda Triangle has so many islands that look so similar. It is easy to make a mistake confusing one with another. And in such confusion if the captain takes a wrong turn or direction, then he can slowly but surely get to such water area where it would be too late to turn back and reach a land to refuel. And then eventually itll be a question of how long the ship can sustain the foul weather. Source : unknown
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 10:28:33 +0000