According to world statistics, one person goes missing every three minutes. At the same time, about half of the missing can be found, alive or dead, within the first year. The fate of the rest remains unknown. It is clear that most of the disappearances have a completely rational explanation, but there are enough cases in history when the "rationality" ingloriously retreats.
Ghost ship
One of the most mysterious and ominous events in the history of navigation is the disappearance of the crew of the brigantine "Maria Celeste" ("Mary of Heaven").
On December 4, 1872, the brigantine was found drifting 400 miles from Gibraltar. There was not a single person on board. But the strangest thing is that the situation on board the Maria Celeste looked as if the crew, led by 37-year-old captain Benjamin Briggs, left the ship in a hurry.
The hatch covers leading to the hold were removed. The sextant and chronometer could not be found, indicating that the team had been evacuated. The compass was damaged. In the captain's cabin, the jewelry box and wads of money remained intact. The toys of the captain's daughter Sophia were scattered on the floor of the cabin. Captain's wife Sarah Briggs's sewing machine was unfinished. The location of the belongings indicated that the brigantine did not fall into a strong storm. The “Maria Celeste” set sail with one lifeboat, the second was handed over for repair. And this single boat, apparently, was launched, and not torn off by the elements. The cargo of 1,700 barrels of rectified cognac alcohol was intact. The food supply was also intact. All papers, with the exception of the ship's log, disappeared. The last entry in the logbook is dated November 24th.
Despite many years of investigation, it was not possible to establish the fate of the disappeared crew, and the Maria Celeste became one of the iconic legends of its time. Her mystery is still being discussed today. What versions have not been put forward! Crew mutiny, pirate or sea serpent attack, Bermuda Triangle impact, and even alien intervention from space. However, even such exotic versions could not bring together all the known facts. For example, the "pirate" version does not explain why a very attractive cargo, jewelry and money remained intact. The version of attack or mutiny contradicts the absence of signs of fighting on board. Etc.
The most convincing is the version put forward by James Winchester - one of the owners of "Maria Celeste". He suggested that the crew was faced with a problem of eaux-de-vie leaking from barrels made of red oak (these barrels, nine in number, were found empty). Vapors formed in the hold, which could explode from the slightest spark. To prevent danger, the captain ordered to open the hold for ventilation. The crew then quickly got into the boat, tying it to the brigantine with a long derrick halyard. The wind picked up sharply and the halyard snapped. As a result, the overloaded boat fell behind the brigantine and was lost in the ocean.
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The explanation is quite rational, but how true it is, we will never know. "Maria Celeste" has become a symbol of the phenomenon of the sudden disappearance of people. The history of navigation knows several similar cases: the merchant ship Octavius, the sailing ship Seabird, the barque Freya, the schooner Carroll Deering, the motor ship Holchu, the fishing schooner Hai Em 6, the tanker Yan Seng were found without crews ", Yacht" Kaz II ". In each case, the reasons for the disappearance of the team were not established.
Roanoke Island mystery
Even more intriguing is the disappearance of the inhabitants of the English colony of Roanoke, located on the island of the same name in North Carolina. The first group of colonists settled there in the summer of 1585, but could not find a common language with the local tribes and returned to England a year later. The second group of 121 people landed on the island on July 22, 1587.
After some time, skirmishes began with the natives, who did not forget past grievances. One of the colonists was killed. The rest feared for their lives and convinced the head of the colony, John White, to return to England to explain the situation and ask for help. The complicated negotiations took two years. On August 18, 1590, White finally arrived on the island, but found the settlement abandoned. He organized a search, but the newcomers could not find any trace of the colonists. Ninety men, seventeen women and eleven children disappeared; there were no signs of struggle or battle.
The only clue was the word "Croatoan" carved into the fence. All houses and fortifications were dismantled by logs. Two buried skeletons were also found. It became difficult to continue searching: a strong storm was approaching, and the new arrivals refused to go inland. The next day, White left Roanoke with the expedition. All further searches, which have been conducted for a total of 14 years, have not yielded the slightest results.
The most popular hypothesis regarding the fate of the disappeared colonists is that they were scattered throughout the area and absorbed by local tribes. It is also possible that the colonists were killed by the Indians who demanded proof of loyalty when the British moved to the mainland, but were refused. Or, the colonists, without waiting for help, tried to return to England on a passing ship, but died while sailing. All these versions, despite the rational grain, are refuted by the facts collected later. The secret of the Roanoke colonists and the mysterious inscription "Croatoan" (the name of the neighboring island and at the same time the local deity, sacrifices to which, according to the stories of the Indians, were dissolved in the air right before our eyes) remains unsolved.
Lost Boeing
Nowadays, when the entire planet has been explored up and down, ships and airplanes are monitored from spacecraft, and travelers use GPS navigators and electronic maps, it would seem that mysterious disappearances in the spirit of "Maria Celeste" or Roanoke should not occur. Nevertheless, very mysterious incidents do occur periodically.
On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777 flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Onboard there were 12 crew members and 227 passengers, most of whom were Chinese. Communication with the aircraft was lost over the South China Sea. After that, he significantly deviated from the course (he was seen over the Strait of Malacca south of Phuket Island, at a point that is five hundred kilometers west of the last known location) and was in the air for at least another seven hours. According to the official version, the Boeing Flight 370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean. However, no traces of the fall, aircraft wreckage or other material evidence confirming the version have been found to this day.
The discussion of the details of the incident prompted me to recall other similar cases. For example, the circumstances of the Boeing-707 disappearing without a trace, which was flying on January 30, 1979, from Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro with a cargo of paintings by the Japanese-Brazilian artist Manabu Mabe, has not been established.
Abnormal zones
When it comes to the inexplicable disappearances of people, ships and planes, you can often hear the hypothesis that there are anomalous zones on Earth that serve as a kind of portals to parallel worlds. One of the supporters of this hypothesis was the famous American writer Ambrose Bierce. He put forward a theory according to which there are something like "holes" and "voids" in the surrounding world. “Our space is like a knitted sweater: you can wear it, although if you look closely, the sweater consists of holes. Let's say an ant gets on the sleeve. He can accidentally fall between the loops and find himself in a completely different world for him, where it is dark and stuffy, and instead of the usual spruce needles - warm, soft skin."
It is noteworthy that Ambrose Bierce himself became such an "ant" - on December 26, 1913, he sent a letter to his friend, which ended with the words: "As for me, I am leaving here tomorrow in an unknown direction." Since then, no one has seen him, and Bierce's disappearance was included in the list of the most mysterious events in US history …
Anton Pervushin