For centuries, sailors have passed from mouth to mouth the story of a huge black ship that moved at an uncanny speed, despite the torn sails. Many claimed that they had seen the legendary "Flying Dutchman" with their own eyes, after which tragic misfortunes and blows of fate awaited them. And for some, the meeting with this mysterious vessel was completely fatal. Some modern researchers seriously believe that they really solved the mystery of the "Flying Dutchman".
The Flying Dutchman is a mysterious ship from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. | Photo: ru.pirates.wikia.com
The Manuscript Found in a Bottle (1833) by Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a man who, after a shipwreck, finds himself on a mysterious ship. His first encounter with the formidable ship is described in a tragic scene typical of Poe:
“Raising my gaze upward, I saw a spectacle from which the blood froze in my veins. At a great height directly above us, on the very edge of a steep water cliff, a giant ship with a displacement of at least four thousand tons reared. Although he hung on the crest of a wave a hundred times his own height, his true dimensions were still greater than any existing battleship or East India Company vessel. Its colossal dull black hull was not enlivened by the carvings common to all ships. […] But a special horror and amazement inspired us that, disdaining the sea raging with indomitable fury, this ship was rushing in full sail towards a completely supernatural hurricane wind."
Flying Dutchman. Albert Pinkham Ryder, 1896 | Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Flying Dutchman. Charles Dix, 1860s. | Photo: ru.wikipedia.org
Most likely the American writer was inspired by the stories about The Flying Dutchman. According to legend, this is a huge ship that was cursed and doomed to sail at sea for ages. Among the sailors, they said that the captain of the ship, returning from the East Indies, killed a couple in love. Passing the Cape of Good Hope, the ship was caught in a storm. The blasphemous captain vowed that none of his crew would step on the ground, which caused disaster. And now a gloomy ship with an immortal crew plows the ocean. Only once every ten years can the captain go ashore to find a wife and thus remove the spell.
Davy Jones is the captain of the legendary ship. | Photo: vseamoesamoe.rf
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Usually "The Flying Dutchman" was seen from afar, when he swiftly sailed under all sails against the wind, which could not but frighten experienced sailors. Only sometimes a strange ship approached, and its sailors asked to convey letters to their relatives. In any case, a meeting with the "damned" ship was considered a bad omen by superstitious sailors.
"The Flying Dutchman" from the famous pirate movie saga. | Photo: masterok.livejournal.com
Many nautical legends and fables about the ship have been invented, but there is no real confirmation of the story of the "Flying Dutchman". There is only one theory that explains the appearance of a ghost ship that can glide along the waves against the wind and even fly in the air. It's all about optical illusion.
Diagram explaining how the Fata Morgana effect works. | Photo: en.wikipedia.org
Optical illusion or fata morgana (named after the fairy Morgana, a witch from the tales of King Arthur) occurs due to the formation of several layers of air with different temperatures. They become a kind of "mirrors" through which the "picture" is transmitted very far. In this case, the image of the ship is reflected several times. Thus, you can see ships or islands far beyond the horizon. It will seem that they are "floating" right through the air.
Fata Morgana "The Flying Dutchman". 19th century illustration. | Photo: en.wikipedia.org
The ghost ship "The Flying Dutchman" in the series of computer games "Corsairs 3". | Photo: ru.corsairs.wikia.com
Set design for the first act of the opera The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner. Bavarian State Opera, 1950. | Photo: de.wikipedia.org