Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle is an area of approximately 500,000 square miles in the Atlantic Ocean, often associated with the mysterious disappearances of planes and ships. Its boundaries are typically defined by a triangle connecting points in Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Reports of unusual occurrences in the area date back to the time of Christopher Columbus, who noted strange lights and compass anomalies during his voyages. Although numerous media accounts in the 20th century fueled public fascination, the phenomenon is met with varying explanations, ranging from scientifically backed theories—such as methane gas pockets causing ships to sink—to more fantastical ideas involving aliens or lost civilizations.
Notable incidents include the USS Cyclops, which vanished in 1918 with over 300 crew members, and the infamous Flight 19 incident in 1945, where five Navy bombers disappeared during a training mission. Despite the lore surrounding these events, researchers, including librarian Larry Kusche, have suggested that many of the supposed disappearances are exaggerated or misreported. Official sources like the U.S. Coast Guard and maritime insurance companies assert that the Bermuda Triangle is not statistically more dangerous than other heavily trafficked areas of the ocean. Thus, while the Bermuda Triangle remains a topic of intrigue, evidence suggests that its reputation may not align with the realities of maritime safety.
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle is a roughly 500,000-square-mile area of the Atlantic Ocean where a number of planes and ships have disappeared, supposedly under mysterious circumstances. The section of ocean, also called the Devil's Triangle, is loosely defined by a triangular shape running from points in Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. While strange occurrences and disappearances have been reported in the area from the time of Christopher Columbus, it was a number of media accounts in the twentieth century that heightened public interest in the region. Theories as to the cause of the disappearances vary from the scientifically plausible (methane gas pockets or rogue waves) to the fantastic (alien spacecraft or the lost city of Atlantis). Despite the disappearances in the area, research into the phenomenon suggests that the Bermuda Triangle is no more dangerous than any other section of ocean.
History and Notable Disappearances
Tales of bizarre occurrences in the region began as soon as the first Europeans set sail across the Atlantic. During his first voyage to the New World in 1492, Christopher Columbus reported seeing a strange light on the horizon and a large flame crash into the sea. He also claimed to have encountered unusual compass readings as he sailed through the area. In 1609, the Virginia-bound Sea Venture became the first wreck tied to the region when it foundered on the shores of Bermuda. In the centuries that followed, other vessels disappeared in the area; some were found, but with no sign of their missing crew.
In 1872, the Mary Celeste was discovered floating in the Atlantic with no one aboard, but its cargo was intact and the crew's personal belongings were untouched. The story of the Mary Celeste became fodder for popular authors of the day and led to it being dubbed the "Ghost Ship." In 1909, a ship helmed by Joshua Slocum, the first person to circumnavigate the globe solo, disappeared on its way from Massachusetts to Venezuela. A U.S. Navy cargo ship, the USS Cyclops, disappeared in March of 1918 shortly after leaving the island of Barbados. The Cyclops was carrying a load of manganese ore and a crew of more than 300. No distress call was ever sent and no wreckage was ever found. The incident remains the single largest non-combat loss of life in U.S. Navy history.
One of the most famous disappearances occurred on December 5, 1945, when five Navy bombers carrying fourteen men on a training mission went missing off the coast of Florida. The leader of the group, referred to as Flight 19, radioed to base and said the planes' compasses were malfunctioning, and they had become lost. To further deepen the mystery, a rescue plane with thirteen men on board also disappeared during the search effort.
By the 1950s, these and other tales of missing ships and planes in the region began to draw some attention. In 1964, author Vincent Gaddis first used the term Bermuda Triangle in an article about the disappearances in the pulp magazine Argosy. Gaddis claimed that more than 1,000 lives had been lost in the region. Limbo of the Lost, a book published in the late 1960s, also discussed the Bermuda Triangle. In 1974, Charles Berlitz, a noted language teacher and paranormal enthusiast, wrote a book called The Bermuda Triangle, in which he made the sensational claim that the lost city of Atlantis was somehow responsible for the disappearances. The book became a best seller and catapulted the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle into the public consciousness. Soon, dozens of books on the subject hit the market and a documentary film called The Devil's Triangle was released in theaters in 1974. Director Steven Spielberg even used the mystery of Flight 19 as an element in his 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Theories and Skepticism
Berlitz's theory was just one of many proposed to explain the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. Other believers expanded on the Atlantis idea and claimed denizens of the undersea kingdom were channeling energy through the use of mystical crystals and bringing down the planes and ships. Still other fanciful theories involved the presence of time warps, inter-dimensional gates, and alien abductions.
More scientifically minded theories were also proposed. One idea suggested pockets of undersea methane gas may bubble up to the surface, altering the density of the ocean and causing ships to sink immediately. Another theory holds that a phenomenon known as electromagnetic fog could envelop a vessel, rendering navigational equipment useless. Other theories include rogue tidal waves or variations in Earth's magnetic field. Despite the plausibility of these theories, no scientific evidence exists proving that they occur in the area or are responsible for the disappearances.
In 1975, a librarian from Arizona State University named Larry Kusche began investigating the Bermuda Triangle. In his book The Bermuda Triangle Mystery—Solved, Kusche found that many accounts of mysterious vanishings were based on inaccurate information or arrived at through sloppy research. Ships that were said to have disappeared in "calm" weather actually sank during storms; tales of "missing" vessels often ignored the fact that the wreckage was later found miles away; and some incidents never occurred at all or happened far outside of the Bermuda Triangle.
Kusche's conclusion was supported by the maritime insurance carrier Lloyds of London and the U.S. Coast Guard. Both entities claim that this section of the Atlantic is not an unusually dangerous area, and the number of accidents in the region is proportional to its status as a highly traveled shipping route.
Bibliography
"Bermuda Triangle." History.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/bermuda-triangle
Bhattacharya, Raj. "Bermuda Triangle Famous Incidents of Disappearances." Bermuda-Attractions.com. Bermuda Attractions. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2‗000051.htm
Bhattacharya, Raj. "Bermuda Triangle Theories." Bermuda-Attractions.com. Bermuda Attractions. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2‗000061.htm
"The 'Mystery' of the Bermuda Triangle." The Museum of Unnatural History. Lee Krystek. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. http://www.unmuseum.org/triangle.htm
Radford, Benjamin. "Bermuda Triangle: Where Facts Disappear." Livescience.com. Purch. 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2015. http://www.livescience.com/23435-bermuda-triangle.html
Upton, Emily. "The Truth About the Bermuda Triangle." TodayIFoundOut.com. Today I Found Out. 23 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2015. http://www.livescience.com/23435-bermuda-triangle.html