Legends of the seas excite the imagination. Lost ships, which were then seen without a crew, ships that died for unknown reasons … This is just the beginning of the list, which can be continued endlessly. What is causing all these disasters? Is there a rational explanation for accidents happening at sea, or are mysterious mystical forces to blame?
Drowned and resurrected
Everyone knows the legend of the Flying Dutchman. But the sailors claim: in fact, there are many such ships. Some of them appear quite often, others have only met once.
Ghost ships can be roughly divided into several categories. The first includes real visions that leave no trace of their presence. However, they look frighteningly real.
A similar ghost is the ship "Violetta" - a paddle steamer that almost a century and a half ago tried to cross the strait in the Goodwin Sands. However, due to the ensuing storm, the ship sank. None of the crew survived.
Some time later, just before the outbreak of World War II, people working at East Goodwin Lighthouse noticed a ship that was wrecked. A lifeboat was sent to help the sinking ship, which, however, having arrived at the site of the alleged wreck, was unable to find either the wreckage of the ship or the surviving people. A little later, comparing the testimony of witnesses who observed the catastrophe and the known descriptions of the ships that died in this area, the researchers of the phenomenon came to the conclusion that the description of the ship fully fits the description of "Violetta". Does this mean that the lighthouse workers observed a disaster that happened many years ago? Unfortunately, it is impossible to find out this fact.
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Lost and Found
The second category of ghost ships are real ships that disappeared from radar and do not communicate. After some time, they are found drifting on the high seas with no signs of life on board. Sometimes it is possible to find the remains of the team that died under unknown circumstances, in other cases, the crew and passengers disappear without a trace.
Throughout the history of sea travel, a large number of disappearances and sudden appearances of ships have been recorded after many years. However, a few cases are particularly perplexing to the marine community.
The most famous among these ships is the Mallboro sailing ship, which followed the New Zealand-Glasgow route. He disappeared without a trace along with 23 crew members and several travelers who were on his deck. Despite the undertaken large-scale searches, it was not possible to trace the path of the ship near Cape Horn, and, in fact, to find the ship.
23 years later, "Mallboro" was found in a bay off the coast of Argentina. The rotten ship was examined by the captain and several members of the crew of the ship sailing by. A terrifying sight awaited them: moldy decks and sides, scattered human skeletons. It was not possible to find out the cause of the death: the logbook completely decayed.
Could the ship safely drift in the ocean for several decades? Seasoned sailors are unanimous: it must have been broken on the reefs, of which there are a great many in this place. But perhaps the mystical forces that killed the team were invisibly guarding the lost ship? For what purposes only?
Forgotten and reappeared
Not only ghosts of ships can be found at sea. Sometimes their teams, once killed under unclear circumstances, appear in completely unexpected places. Thus, several fishermen who went out to sea on the schooner Charles Heskell witnessed the appearance of the ghosts.
This ship was considered cursed from the moment it was built. Many incomprehensible incidents are associated with it - from the incomprehensible death of a worker to being caught in a sudden storm. The latter almost became fatal for the ship: due to loss of control, "Charles Heskell" crashed into a ship passing by. The crew barely managed to escape and swim to the nearest port. The "unlucky" schooner was repaired and re-launched. But her misfortunes were just beginning …
The Charles Heskell headed for Newfundland. The first 5 days, no strange phenomena were noticed: the fishermen were calmly engaged in fishing, the weather was conducive to sea travel. However, on the sixth day, or rather the night, inexplicable things began to happen.
It was deep night. The entire crew was in their cabins, only two shift workers were bored on the deck of the ship. Suddenly they noticed strange movements on the deck. A little closer, they witnessed a truly incredible sight: several dozen ghosts with empty eye sockets, dressed in half-rotten rags, climbed onto the deck.
The ghosts, like living sailors, threw the net into the sea, and pulled it back after some time. After that, they slowly left the deck. Frightened sailors, who witnessed a mystical phenomenon, immediately informed the captain of what had happened, presenting as evidence wet nets, in which several fish were entangled. The captain of the ship gave the order for an immediate return to port. The arrival of the ghosts was repeated once more before arriving at their destination. After that, the ship no longer went out to sea.
Later it turned out that during the repair of Charles Heskell, some details of the vessel were used, on which the entire crew of the Saint Anne perished under unknown circumstances. Maybe the ghosts thought they were on their own ship? Alas, it will no longer be possible to find out.
Do ghost ships really exist, or are they just maritime superstitions? If we take into account the testimony of the crews of various ships observing such phenomena, then we can say with confidence: the ghosts of the seas do exist. Empty ships found in the sea are also proof. But what exactly caused the death of ships and crews, which later returned to our world?
