Report on Bermuda Ttr

8/8/2019 Report on Bermuda Ttr

1/21

This is to certify that report on BERMUDA TRIANGLEis a

bonafide

Record of the project done by,

GUDAPARTHI SUMANTH

(2/4, BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY ,ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS

ENGINEERING)

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRNICS

GITAM INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

GITAM UNIVERSITY

Visakhapatnam

He did this report under my supervision and guidance in partial

fulfillment of the required for award of grade point in

COMMUNICATION SKILLS LAB

Dr.K.S.LINGA MURTYMr.SAMUEL PRADEEP

Head of the department, assistant.proffessor,

Dept. of EEE, Dept.of BASIC SCIENCES

GITAM UNIVERSITY GITAM UNIVERSITY


2/21

COVERING LETTER

Visakhapatnam,

29 SEPT 2010.

From

GUDAPARTHI SUMANTH,

2/4 EEE-B,

1210509244

To

Asso.prof.P. Samuel Pradeep,

Basic Sciences and Humanities Department,

GITAMUNIVERSITY.

Subject:BERMUDA TRIANGLE.

Sir,

I thank you for giving me this opportunity to present a report on

*********. I am grateful for your invaluable support and

guidance, which helped me in accomplishing this task. I would love

to take opportunity to thank various faculty members and in

particular our HOD Prof.K.S.Linga Murthygaru for helping me with

my report.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

GUAPARTHI SUMANTH


3/21

AKNOWLEDGEMENT

We express our profound and sincere thanks to our report guide

Asst. Prof. SAMUEL PRADEEP, Dept. of basic sciences & humanities

who has made the atmosphere so easy to work .His constructive

suggestions and constant encourage helped me in successful

completion of this report

We are greatly thankful to ***************,head of the

department and Dr.D.PRASAD RAO principle ,GITAM INTITUTEOF

TECHNOLOGY,for providing able guidance and full co-operation

for culmination of this report

Last but not the least,we are thankful to one and all that helped me

directly or indirectly for the successful completion of this report.

REPORT ASSOCIATE

GUDAPARTHI SUMANTH

2/4 B.TECH EEE-B,

1210509224

GITAMUNIVERSITY


4/21

Abstract:

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil''s Triangle, is a region of the northwestern

Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels have disappeared in what

are said to be circumstances that fall beyond the boundaries of human error or acts of nature

History of the Triangle story According to the Triangle authors, Christopher Columbus wasthe first person to document something strange in the Triangle, reporting that he and his crew

observed "strange dancing lights on the horizon", flames in the sky, and at another point he

wrote in his log about bizarre compass bearings in the area. From his log book, dated October

11, 1492 he wrote: The land was first seen by a sailor (Rodrigo de Triana), although the

Admiral at ten o'clock that evening standing on the quarter-deck saw a light, but so small a

body that he could not affirm it to be land; calling to Pero Gutirrez, groom of the King''s

wardrobe, he told him he saw a light, and bid him look that way, which he did and saw it; hedid the same to Rodrigo Snchez of Segovia, whom the King and Queen had sent with the

squadron as comptroller, but he was unable to see it from his situation. The Admiral againperceived it once or twice, appearing like the light of a wax candle moving up and down,

which some thought an indication of land. But the Admiral held it for certain that land was

near... Modern scholars checking the original log books have surmised that the lights he sawwere the cooking fires of Taino natives in their canoes or on the beach; the compass problems

were the result of a false reading based on the movement of a star. The first article of any

kind in which the legend of the Triangle began appeared in newspapers by E.V.W. Jones on

September 16, 1950, through the Associated Press. Two years later,Fate magazine published"Sea Mystery At Our Back Door", a short article by George X. Sand in the October 1952

issue covering the loss of several planes and ships, including the loss of Flight 19, a group offive U.S. Navy TBM Avenger bombers on a training mission. Sand''s article was the first to

lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place. Flight 19 alone would becovered in the April 1962 issue ofAmerican Legion Magazine. The article was titled "The

Lost Patrol", by Allen W. Eckert, and in his story it was claimed that the flight leader hadbeen heard saying "We are entering white water, nothing seems right. We don''tknow where

we are, the water is green, no white." It was also claimed that officials at the Navy board ofinquiry stated that the planes "flew off to Mars." "The Lost Patrol" was the first to connect

the supernatural to Flight 19, but it would take another author, Vincent Gaddis, writing in the

February 1964Argosy Magazine to take Flight 19 together with other mysterious

disappearances and place it under the umbrella of a new catchy name: "The Deadly Bermuda

Triangle";[6] he would build on that article with a more detailed book, Invisible Horizons, the

next year. Others would follow with their own works: John Wallace Spencer (Limbo of the

Lost, 1969); Charles Berlitz (The Bermuda Triangle, 1974); Richard Winer (The Devil''s

Triangle, 1974), and many others, all keeping to track some of the same supernatural

elements inherited by the bermuda triangle.


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Introduction:

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part

of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number ofaircraft and surface vessels allegedly

disappeared mysteriously. Popular culture has attributed these disappearances to the

paranormal or activity by extraterrestrial beings.

[1]

Documented evidence indicates that asignificant percentage of the incidents were inaccurately reported or embellished by later

authors, and numerous official agencies have stated that the number and nature of

disappearances in the region is similar to that in any other area of ocean.


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Contents

y 1 The Triangle areay 2 History

o 2.1 Originso 2.2 Larry Kuscheo 2.3 Further responses

y 3 Supernatural explanationsy 4 Natural explanations

o 4.1 Compass variationso 4.2 Deliberate acts of destructiono 4.3 Gulf Streamo 4.4 Human erroro 4.5 Hurricaneso 4.6 Methane hydrateso 4.7 Rogue waves

y 5 Notable incidentso 5.1 Flight 19o 5.2 Mary Celesteo 5.3 Ellen Austino 5.4 USS Cyclopso 5.5 Theodosia Burr Alstono 5.6 Sprayo 5.7 Carroll A. Deeringo 5.8 Douglas DC-3o 5.9 Star Tiger and Star Arielo 5.10 KC-135 Stratotankerso 5.11 SS Marine Sulphur Queeno 5.12 RaifukuMaruo 5.13 Connemara IVo 5.14 Carolyn Cascioo 6.1 Newspaper articles

6.1.1 Flight 19 6.1.2 RaifukuMaru 6.1.3 SS Cotopaxi 6.1.4 USS Cyclops (AC-4) 6.1.5 Carroll A. Deering 6.1.6 Wreckers 6.1.7 S.S. Suduffco 6.1.8 Star Tiger and Star Ariel 6.1.9 DC-3 Airliner NC16002 disappearance 6.1.10 Harvey Conover and Revonoc 6.1.11 KC-135 Stratotankers 6.1.12 B-52 Bomber (Pogo 22)


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6.1.13 Charter vessel Sno'Boy 6.1.14 SS Marine Sulphur Queen 6.1.15 SS Sylvia L. Ossa

y 7.1 Summary


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T T i l

The area ofthe Triangle varies by author

The boundaries ofthe triangle covertheStraits of Florida, the Bahamas and the entire

Caribbeanisland area and the Atlantic eastto the Azores. The more familiartriangular

boundary in most written works has as its points somewhere on the Atlantic coast ofMiami,

San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the mid-Atlantic island ofBermuda, with most ofthe accidents

concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits.

The area is one ofthe most heavily traveled shipping lanes in the world, with ships crossingthrough it daily for ports in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean Islands. Cruise ships are

also plentiful, and pleasure craft regularly go back and forth between Florida and the islands.Itis also a heavily flown route for commercial and private aircraft heading towards Florida,

the Caribbean, and South America from points north.

i

O i i

The earliest allegation of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in a

September 16, 1950 Associated Press article by Edward Van Winkle Jones.[2] Two yearslater,Fat magazine published "Sea Mystery At OurBack Door",

[3]a short article by George

X. Sand covering the loss of several planes and ships, including the loss ofFlight 19, a group

of five U.S. NavyTBM Avengerbombers on a training mission. Sand's article was the firstto

lay outthe now-familiartriangular area where the losses took place. Flight 19 alone would be

covered in the April 1962 issue of

i an Legi nMagazine.[4]

It was claimed thatthe

flightleader had been heard saying "We are entering white water, nothing seems right. Wedon't know where we are, the wateris green, no white." It was also claimed that officials at

the Navy board ofinquiry stated thatthe planes "flew offto Mars." Sand's article was the firstto suggest a supernatural elementto the Flight 19 incident. In the February 1964 issue of

Argosy, Vincent Gaddis's article "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" argued that Flight 19 andother disappearances were part of a pattern of strange events in the region.[5] The next year,

Gaddis expanded this article into a book,Invisi

le Hori ons.[6]

Others would follow with their own works, elaborating on Gaddis's ideas: John WallaceSpencer (Li

o oft

e Lost, 1969, repr. 1973);[7]Charles Berlitz (

e Bermuda Triangle,

1974);[8]

Richard Winer(The Devils Triangle, 1974),

[9]and many others, all keeping to some

ofthe same supernatural elements outlined by Eckert.[10]

Larry Kusche


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Lawrence David Kusche, a research librarian from Arizona State University and author ofThe Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved(1975)[11] argued that many claims of Gaddis and

subsequent writers were often exaggerated, dubious or unverifiable. Kusche's researchrevealed a number of inaccuracies and inconsistencies between Berlitz's accounts and

statements from eyewitnesses, participants, and others involved in the initial incidents.

Kusche noted cases where pertinent information went unreported, such as the disappearance

of round-the-world yachtsman Donald Crowhurst, which Berlitz had presented as a mystery,despite clear evidence to the contrary. Another example was the ore-carrier recounted by

Berlitz as lost without trace three days out of anAtlantic port when it had been lost three days

out of a port with the same name in thePacific Ocean. Kusche also argued that a large

percentage of the incidents that sparked allegations of the Triangle's mysterious influence

actually occurred well outside it. Often his research was simple: he would review period

newspapers of the dates of reported incidents and find reports on possibly relevant events like

unusual weather, that were never mentioned in the disappearance stories.

Kusche concluded that:

y The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantlygreater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean.

y In an area frequented by tropical storms, the number of disappearances that did occurwere, for the most part, neither disproportionate, unlikely, nor mysterious;furthermore, Berlitz and other writers would often fail to mention such storms.

y The numbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat'sdisappearance, for example, would be reported, but its eventual (if belated) return to

port may not have been.y Some disappearances had, in fact, never happened. One plane crash was said to have

taken place in 1937 offDaytona Beach, Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses; a

check of the local papers revealed nothing.

y The legend of the Bermuda Triangle is a manufactured mystery, perpetuated bywriters who either purposely or unknowingly made use of misconceptions, faulty

reasoning, and sensationalism.[11]

Further responses

When the UK Channel 4 television program "The Bermuda Triangle" (c. 1992) was being

produced by John Simmons of Geofilms for the Equinox series, the marine insurerLloyd's of

London was asked if an unusually large number of ships had sunk in the Bermuda Triangle

area. Lloyd's of London determined that large numbers of ships had not sunk there.[12]

United States Coast Guard records confirm their conclusion. In fact, the number of supposeddisappearances is relatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft that

pass through on a regular basis.[11]

The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect andpublish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents

written about by the Triangle authors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and

sinking of the tankerSS V. A. Foggin the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard photographed the

wreck and recovered several bodies,[13]

in contrast with one Triangle author's claim that all

the bodies had vanished, with the exception of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin

at his desk, clutching a coffee cup.[7]


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TheNOVA/Horizon episode The Case of the Bermuda Triangle, aired on June 27, 1976, washighly critical, stating that "When we've gone back to the original sources or the people

involved, the mystery evaporates. Science does not have to answer questions about theTriangle because those questions are not valid in the first place... Ships and planes behave in

the Triangle the same way they behave everywhere else in the world."[14]

David Kusche pointed out a common problem with many of the Bermuda Triangle storiesand theories: "Say I claim that a parrot has been kidnapped to teach aliens human language

and I challenge you to prove that is nottrue. You can even use Einstein's Theory of Relativity

if you like. There is simply no way to prove such a claim untrue. The burden of proof should

be on the people who make these statements, to show where they got their information from,

to see if their conclusions and interpretations are valid, and if they have left anything out."[14]

Skeptical researchers, such as Ernest Taves[15]

and Barry Singer,[16]

have noted how mysteries

and the paranormal are very popular and profitable. This has led to the production of vast

amounts of material on topics such as the Bermuda Triangle. They were able to show that

some of the pro-paranormal material is often misleading or inaccurate, but its producers

continue to market it. Accordingly, they have claimed that the market is biased in favor of

books, TV specials, and other media that support the Triangle mystery, and against well-researched material if it espouses a skeptical viewpoint.

Finally, if the Triangle is assumed to cross land, such as parts of Puerto Rico, the Bahamas,

or Bermuda itself, there is no evidence for the disappearance of any land-based vehicles or

persons.[citation needed]

The city ofFreeport, located inside the Triangle, operates a major

shipyard and an airport that handles 50,000 flights annually and is visited by over a million

tourists a year.[17]

Supernatural explanations

Triangle writers have used a number of supernatural concepts to explain the events. Oneexplanation pins the blame on leftover technology from the mythical lost continent of

Atlantis. Sometimes connected to the Atlantis story is the submerged rock formation known

as the Bimini Road off the island ofBimini in the Bahamas, which is in the Triangle by some

definitions. Followers of the purported psychic Edgar Cayce take his prediction that evidence

of Atlantis would be found in 1968 as referring to the discovery of the Bimini Road.Believers describe the formation as a road, wall, or other structure, though geologists

consider it to be of natural origin.[18]

Other writers attribute the events to UFOs.[19]

This idea was used by Steven Spielberg for hisscience fiction filmCloseEncounters of the Third Kind, which features the lost Flight 19

aircrews as alien abductees.

Charles Berlitz, author of various books on anomalous phenomena, lists several theories

attributing the losses in the Triangle to anomalous or unexplained forces.[8]

Natural explanations

Compass variations


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Compass problems are one ofthe cited phrases in many Triangle incidents. While some havetheorized that unusuallocal magnetic anomalies may existin the area,

[20]such anomalies

have not been shown to exist. Compasses have naturalmagnetic variationsin relation to themagnetic poles, a fact which navigators have known for centuries.Magnetic (compass) north

and geographic (true) north are only exactly the same for a small number of places - forexample, as of 2000 in the United States only those places on a line running fromWisconsin

to the Gulf ofMexico.[21]Butthe public may not be as informed, and thinkthere is somethingmysterious about a compass "changing" across an area as large as the Triangle, which it

naturally will.[11]

Deli erate acts of destruction

Deliberate acts of destruction can fallinto two categories: acts of war, and acts of piracy.

Records in enemy files have been checked for numerous losses. While many sinkingshave

been attributed to surface raiders or submarines during theWorld Wars and documented invarious command log books, many others suspected as falling in that category have not been

proven. Itis suspected thatthe loss of USS Cyclopsin 1918, as well as her sister shipsProteus andNereusin World War II, were attributed to submarines, but no such link has been

found in the German records.

Piracythe illegal capture of a craft on the high seascontinues to this day. While piracy forcargo theftis more common in the western Pacific and Indian oceans, drug smugglers do

steal pleasure boats for smuggling operations, and may have been involved in crew and yachtdisappearances in the Caribbean.Piracy in the Caribbean was common from about 1560 to

the 1760s, and famous pirates included Edward Teach (Blackbeard) and Jean Lafitte.[citation

needed]

False-colorimage ofthe Gulf Stream flowing north through the western Atlantic Ocean.

(NASA)

Gulf Stream

The Gulf Streamis an ocean currentthat originates in theGulf ofMexico and then flows

through the Straits of Floridainto the North Atlantic. In essence, itis a river within an ocean,and, like a river, it can and does carry floating objects. It has a surface velocity of up toabout

2.5 metres per second (5.6 mi/h).[22]

A small plane making a waterlanding or a boat having

engine trouble can be carried away from its reported position by the current.

Human error


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One ofthe most cited explanations in officialinquiries as to the loss of any aircraft or vesselis human error.

[23]Whether deliberate or accidental, humans have been known to make

mistakes resulting in catastrophe, and losses within the Bermuda Triangle are no exception.For example, the Coast Guard cited a lack of propertraining forthe cleaning of volatile

benzene residue as a reason forthe loss ofthe tanker SSV.A. Foggin 1972[citation needed]

.Human stubbornness may have caused businessman Harvey Conoverto lose his sailing

yacht, theRevonoc, as he sailed into the teeth of a storm south of Florida on January 1,1958.[24]

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are powerful storms, which form in tropical waters and have historically cost

thousands oflives lost and caused billions of dollars in damage. The sinking ofFrancisco de

Bobadilla's Spanish fleetin 1502 was the first recorded instance of a destructive hurricane.

These storms have in the past caused a number ofincidents related to the Triangle.

Methane hydrates

Main article: Methane clathrate

Worldwide distribution of confirmed orinferred offshore gas hydrate-bearing sediments,

1996.

Source:USGS

An explanation for some ofthe disappearances has focused on the presence of vast fields of

methane hydrates (a form of natural gas) on the continental shelves.[25]

Laboratory

experiments carried outin Australia have proven that bubbles can, indeed, sink a scale model

ship by decreasing the density ofthe water;[26]

any wreckage consequently rising to the

surface would be rapidly dispersed by theGulf Stream. It has been hypothesized that periodic

methane eruptions (sometimes called "mud volcanoes") may produce regions of frothy water

that are no longer capable of providing adequatebuoyancy for ships. Ifthis were the case,

such an area forming around a ship could cause itto sink very rapidly and without warning.

Publications by the USGS describe large stores of undersea hydrates worldwide, including

the Blake Ridge area, offthe southeastern United States coast.[27]

However, according toanother oftheir papers, no large releases of gas hydrates are believedto have occurred in the

Bermuda Triangle forthe past 15,000 years.[12]

ogue waves

In various oceans around the world,rogue waves have caused ships to sink[28]

and oil

platforms to topple.[29]

These waves, until 1995, were considered to be a mystery and/or a

myth.[30][31]


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Notable incidents

Main article:ListofBermuda Triangle incidents

Flight 19

US Navy TBF Grumman Avenger flight, similarto Flight 19. This photo had been used by

various Triangle authors to illustrate Flight 19 itself. (US Navy)

Flight 19 was a training flight ofTBM Avengerbombers that went missing on December 5,

1945 while overthe Atlantic. The squadron's flight path was scheduled to take them due eastfor 120 miles, north for 73 miles, and then back over a final 120-mile leg that would return

them to the naval base, butthey never returned. The impression is given[citation needed]

thattheflight encountered unusual phenomena and anomalous compass readings, and thatthe flight

took place on a calm day underthe supervision of an experienced pilot, Lt. Charles CarrollTaylor. Adding to the intrigue is thatthe Navy's report ofthe accident was ascribed to "causes

or reasons unknown."

Adding to the mystery, a search and rescueMariner aircraft with a 13-man crew wasdispatched to aid the missing squadron, butthe Marineritself was never heard from again.

Later, there was a report from a tanker cruising offthe coast of Florida of a visible

explosion[32]

at aboutthe time the Mariner would have been on patrol.

While the basic facts ofthis version ofthe story are essentially accurate, some important

details are missing. The weather was becoming stormy by the end ofthe incident, andnaval

reports and written recordings ofthe conversations between Taylor and the other pilots of

Flight 19 do notindicate magnetic problems.[33]

Mary Celeste

The mysterious abandonmentin 1872 ofthe 282-tonbrigantineMary Celesteis often but

inaccurately connected to the Triangle, the ship having been abandoned offthe coast of

Portugal. The eventis possibly confused with the loss of a ship with a similar name, the Mari

Celeste, a 207-tonpaddle steamerthat hit a reefand quickly sank offthe coast ofBermuda on

September 13, 1864.[34][35]

Kusche noted that many ofthe "facts" aboutthis incident were

actually aboutthe Marie Celeste, the fictional ship from ArthurConan Doyle's short story "J.

HabakukJephson's Statement" (based on the realMary Celesteincident, but fictionalised).


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Ell n Au tin

The Ellen Austin supposedly came across a derelict ship, placed on board a prize crew, and

attempted to sail with it to New York in 1881. According to the stories, the derelict

disappeared; others elaborating further that the derelict reappeared minus the prize crew, then

disappeared again with a second prize crew on board. A check fromLloyd's of London

records proved the existence of theMeta, built in 1854 and that in 1880 the Meta wasrenamedEllen Austin. There are no casualty listings for this vessel, or any vessel at that time,

that would suggest a large number of missing men were placed on board a derelict that laterdisappeared.

[36]

USSC clop

The incident resulting in the single largest loss of life in the history of the US Navy not

related to combat occurred when USS Cyclops, under the command ofLt CdrG.W. Worley,

went missing without a trace with a crew of 309 sometime after March 4, 1918, after

departing the island ofBarbados. Although there is no strong evidence for any single theory,many independent theories exist, some blaming storms, some capsizing, and some suggesting

that wartime enemy activity was to blame for the loss.[37][38]

Theodosia Burr Alston

Theodosia Burr Alston was the daughter of formerUnited States Vice PresidentAaron Burr.

Her disappearance has been cited at least once in relation to the Triangle.[39]

She was a

passenger on board thePatriot, which sailed from Charleston, South Carolina toNew York

City on December 30, 1812, and was never heard from again. The planned route is well

outside all but the most extended versions of the Bermuda Triangle. Both piracy and the Warof 1812 have been posited as explanations, as well as a theory placing her in Texas, well

outside the Triangle.

Sp

S.V.Sp was a derelict fishing boat refitted as an ocean cruiser by Joshua Slocum and used

by him to complete the first ever single-handed circumnavigation of the world, between 1895and 1898.

In 1909, Slocum set sail from Vineyard Haven bound for Venezuela. Neither he nor

Spraywere ever seen again.

There is no evidence they were in the Bermuda Triangle when they disappeared, nor is there

any evidence of paranormal activity. The boat was considered in poor condition and a hard

boat to handle that Slocum's skill usually overcame.[11]


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SchoonerCarrollA. Deering, as seen from the Cape Lookoutlightship on January 29, 1921,

two days before she was found deserted inNorth Carolina. (US Coast Guard)

Carr ll A. Deeri g

A five-masted schooner builtin 1919, theCarrollA. Deeringwas found hard aground andabandoned at Diamond Shoals, nearCape Hatteras,North Carolina on January 31, 1921.

Rumors and more atthe time indicated theDeeringwas a victim of piracy, possibly

connected with the illegal rum-running trade during Prohibition, and possibly involving

another ship, S.S.Hewitt, which disappeared at roughly the same time. Just hours later, an

unknown steamer sailed nearthe lightship along the track oftheDeering, and ignored all

signals from the lightship. Itis speculated thattheHewittmay have been this mystery ship,

and possibly involved in theDeeringcrew's disappearance.[40]

Douglas DC-3

On December 28, 1948, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, numberNC16002, disappeared while on aflight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami. No trace ofthe aircraft orthe 32 people onboard

was ever found. From the documentation compiled by the Civil Aeronautics Board

investigation, a possible key to the plane's disappearance was found, but barely touched upon

by the Triangle writers:the plane's batteries were inspected and found to be low on charge,

but ordered backinto the plane without a recharge by the pilot while in San Juan. Whether or

notthis led to complete electrical failure will never be known. However, since piston-engined

aircraft rely upon magnetosto provide sparkto their cylinders ratherthan a battery powered

ignition coil system, this theory is not strongly convincing.[41]

Star Tigerand Star Ariel

G-AHNP Star Tigerdisappeared on January 30, 1948 on a flight from the Azores toBermuda;G-AGRE Star Arieldisappeared on January 17, 1949, on a flight from Bermuda to

Kingston, Jamaica. Both were AvroTudor IV passenger aircraft operated byBritish SouthAmerican Airways.[42]Both planes were operating atthe very limits oftheir range and the

slightest error or faultin the equipment could keep them from reaching the smallisland. Oneplane was not heard from long before it would have entered the Triangle.[11]

KC-135 Stratotankers

On August 28, 1963 a pair ofUS Air ForceKC-135 Stratotankeraircraft collided and crashed

into the Atlantic. The Triangle version (Winer, Berlitz, Gaddis[5][8][9]) ofthis story specifies

thatthey did collide and crash, butthere were two distinct crash sites, separated by over

160 miles (260 km) of water. However, Kusche's research[11] showed thatthe unclassifiedversion ofthe Air Force investigation report stated thatthe debris field defining the second

"crash site" was examined by a search and rescue ship, and found to be a mass ofseaweedand driftwoodtangled in an oldbuoy.

SSMari

e Sul hur Quee


16/21

SS Marine Sulphur Queen, a T2 tankerconverted from oil to sulfurcarrier, was last heardfrom on February 4, 1963 with a crew of 39 near the Florida Keys. Marine Sulphur Queen

was the first vessel mentioned in Vincent Gaddis' 1964Argosy Magazine article,[5]

but he leftit as having "sailed into the unknown", despite the Coast Guard report, which not only

documented the ship's badly-maintained history, but declared that it was an unseaworthy

vessel that should never have gone to sea.[43][44]

aifukuMaru

The Japanese vessel

aifukuMaru (sometimes misidentified asRaikukeMaru) sank with all

hands in 1925 after sending a distress signal which has never been fully understood. She leftBoston for Hamburg, Germany, on 21 April and was caught in a severe storm in the North

Atlantic, nowhere near the Triangle. RMSHomeric unsuccessfully attempted a rescue,[45]

anda photograph of the vessel sinking appeared in the New York Times. Nonetheless, some

writers speculated that a waterspout was the likely cause of the sinking (Winer).

Conn mara IV

A pleasure yacht was found adrift in the Atlantic south of Bermuda on September 26, 1955; itis usually stated in the stories (Berlitz, Winer[8][9]) that the crew vanished while the yacht

survived being at sea during three hurricanes. The 1955 Atlantic hurricane season lists onlyone storm coming near Bermuda towards the end of August, hurricane "Edith"; of the others,

"Flora" was too far to the east, and "Katie" arrived after the yacht was recovered. It wasconfirmed that the Connemara IVwas empty and in port when "Edith" may have caused the

yacht to slip her moorings and drift out to sea.[11]

Carolyn Cascio

Allegedly, a Cessna piloted by Carolyn Cascio, on June 6, 1969, with one passenger,

attempted to travel fromNassau, Bahamas to Cockburn, Grand Turk Island. The plane waswitnessed by many air traffic controllers in Cockburn's airport to circle the island for 30

minutes, after which, it flew away apparently for another island. All attempts from the ground

to raise Cascio on the radio failed. A search ofNational Transportation Safety Board reports

contains no record of this incident. The database includes 7 incident involving Cessna 172's

during the 1960's; two of which were fatal. The two fatal crashes involved older men, one of

whom ditched at sea after running out of fuel.

ther sources

Newspaper articles

Proquest[3] has newspaper source material for many incidents, archived in .pdf format. The

newspapers include the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Atlanta Constitution. To access

this website, registration is required, usually through a library connected to a college or university.

Flight 19

y "Great Hunt On For 27 Navy Fliers Missing In Five Planes Off Florida," New York Times,December 7, 1945.


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y "Wide Hunt For 27 Men In Six Navy Planes," Washington Post, December 7, 1945.y "Fire Signals Seen In Area Of Lost Men," Washington Post, December 9, 1945.

RaifukuMaru

y "Japanese Ships Sinks With A Crew Of 38; Liners Unable To Aid," New York Times, April 22,1925.

y "Passengers Differ On Homeric Effort To Save Sinking Ship," New York Times, April 23, 1925.y "Homeric Captain Upheld By Skippers," New York Times, April 24, 1925.y "Liner Is Battered In Rescue Attempt," New York Times, April 25, 1925.

SSCotopaxi

y "Lloyd's posts Cotopaxi As "Missing," New York Times, January 7, 1926.y "Efforts To Locate Missing Ship Fail," Washington Post, December 6, 1925.y "Lighthouse Keepers Seek Missing Ship," Washington Post, December 7, 1925.y "53 On Missing Craft Are Reported Saved," Washington Post, December 13, 1925.

USSCyclops (AC-4)

y "Cold High Winds Do $25,000 Damage," Washington Post, March 11, 1918.y "Collier Overdue A Month," New York Times, April 15, 1918.y "More Ships Hunt For Missing Cyclops," New York Times, April 16, 1918.y "Haven't Given Up Hope For Cyclops," New York Times, April 17, 1918.y "Collier Cyclops Is Lost; 293 Persons On Board; Enemy Blow Suspected," Washington Post,

April 15, 1918.

y "U.S. Consul Gottschalk Coming To Enter The War," Washington Post, April 15, 1918.y "Cyclops Skipper Teuton, 'Tis Said," Washington Post, April 16, 1918.y "Fate Of Ship Baffles," Washington Post, April 16, 1918.y "Steamer Met Gale On Cyclops' Course," Washington Post, April 19, 1918.

CarrollA. Deering

y "Piracy Suspected In Disappearance Of 3 American Ships," New York Times, June 21, 1921.y "Bath Owners Skeptical," New York Times, June 22, 1921. pieraantonellay "Deering Skipper's Wife Caused Investigation," New York Times, June 22, 1921.y "More Ships Added To Mystery List," New York Times, June 22, 1921.y "Hunt On For Pirates," Washington Post, June 21, 1921y "Comb Seas For Ships," Washington Post, June 22, 1921.y "Port Of Missing Ships Claims 3000 Yearly," Washington Post, July 10, 1921.

Wreckers

y "'Wreckreation' Was The Name Of The Game That Flourished 100 Years Ago," New YorkTimes, March 30, 1969.

S.S.Suduffco

y "To Search For Missing Freighter," New York Times, April 11, 1926.y "Abandon Hope For Ship," New York Times, April 28, 1926.


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StarTigerandStarAriel

y "Hope Wanes in Sea Search For 28 Aboard Lost Airliner," New York Times, January 31, 1948.y "72 Planes Search Sea For Airliner," New York Times, January 19, 1949.

DC-3AirlinerNC16002 disappearance

y "30-Passenger Airliner Disappears In Flight From San Juan To Miami," New York Times,December 29, 1948.

y "Check Cuba Report Of Missing Airliner," New York Times, December 30, 1948.y "Airliner Hunt Extended," New York Times, December 31, 1948.

HarveyConoverandRevonoc

y "Search Continuing For Conover Yawl," New York Times, January 8, 1958.y "Yacht Search Goes On," New York Times, January 9, 1958.y "Yacht Search Pressed," New York Times, January 10, 1958.y "Conover Search Called Off," New York Times, January 15, 1958.

KC-135Stratotankers

y "Second Area Of Debris Found In Hunt For Jets," New York Times, August 31, 1963.y "Hunt For Tanker Jets Halted," New York Times, September 3, 1963.y "Planes Debris Found In Jet Tanker Hunt," Washington Post, August 30, 1963.

B-52Bomber(Pogo 22)

y "U.S.-Canada Test Of Air Defence A Success," New York Times, October 16, 1961.y "Hunt For Lost B-52 Bomber Pushed In New Area," New York Times, October 17, 1961.y "Bomber Hunt Pressed," New York Times, October 18, 1961.y "Bomber Search Continuing," New York Times, October 19, 1961.y "Hunt For Bomber Ends," New York Times, October 20, 1961.

ChartervesselSno'Boy

y "Plane Hunting Boat Sights Body In Sea," New York Times, July 7, 1963.y "Search Abandoned For 40 On Vessel Lost In Caribbean," New York Times, July 11, 1963.y "Search Continues For Vessel With 55 Aboard In Caribbean," Washington Post, July 6, 1963.y "Body Found In Search For Fishing Boat," Washington Post, July 7, 1963.

SSMarineSulphurQueen

y "Tanker Lost In Atlantic; 39 Aboard," Washington Post, February 9, 1963.y "Debris Sighted In Plane Search For Tanker Missing Off Florida," New York Times, February

11, 1963.

y "2.5 Million Is Asked In Sea Disaster," Washington Post, February 19, 1963.y "Vanishing Of Ship Ruled A Mystery," New York Times, April 14, 1964.y "Families Of 39 Lost At Sea Begin $20-Million Suit Here," New York Times, June 4, 1969.y "10-Year Rift Over Lost Ship Near End," New York Times, February 4, 1973.


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SSSylvia L. Ossa

y "Ship And 37 Vanish In Bermuda Triangle On Voyage To U.S.," New York Times, October 18,1976.

y "Ship Missing In Bermuda Triangle Now Presumed To Be Lost At Sea," New York Times,October 19, 1976.

y "Distress Signal Heard From American Sailor Missing For 17 Days," New York Times, October31, 1976.

Summary:

The Bermuda Triangle is located inside the segment of the Atlantic Ocean

bordered by Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Florida.

It did not receive its famous nickname until 1964. Reports of bizarrehappenings there, or nearby, have been recorded for centuries. In fact, many

claim that already Christopher Columbus bore witness to the BermudaTriangle's weirdness.

As the Nia, the Pinta and the Santa Maria sailed through the area in 1492,

supposedly Columbus' compass went haywire and he and his crew saw weird

lights in the sky. These events have mundane explanations: Columbus'

compass slight inaccuracy stemmed from nothing more than the discrepancy

between true north and magnetic north. Columbus' "great flame of fire" that

crashed into the ocean was probably a meteor. He saw lights in the sky again

on October 11, which, of course, was the day before his famous landing. Thelights, brief flashes near the horizon, were spotted in the area where dry land

turned out to be.

Another historical event attributed to the Bermuda Triangle is the discovery of

the Mary Celeste. The vessel was found abandoned on the high seas in 1892,about 400 miles off its intended course from New York to Genoa. There wasno sign of its crew. Since the lifeboat was also missing, it is quite possible that

they abandoned the Mary Celeste during a storm that they wrongly guessed

the ship could not weather. What makes it hard to call this a Bermuda

Triangle mystery is the fact that the ship was nowhere near the Triangle - it

was found off the coast of Portugal.

The Bermuda Triangle legend really began in earnest on December 5, 1945,

with the famed disappearance of Flight 19. Five Navy Avenger bombers

mysteriously vanished while on a routine training mission, as did a rescue

plane sent to search for them -- six aircraft and 27 men, gone without a trace.

Or so the story goes.

When all the facts are laid out, the tale of Flight 19 becomes far less puzzling.All of the crewmen of the five Avengers were inexperienced trainees, with the

exception of their patrol leader, Lt. Charles Taylor. Taylor was perhaps not at

the height of his abilities that day, as some reports indicate that he had a

hangover and failed in his attempts to pass off this flight duty to someone else.


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With the four rookie pilots entirely dependent on his guidance, Taylor foundthat his compass malfunctioned soon into the flight. Taylor chose to continue

the run on dead reckoning, navigating by sighting landmarks below. Beingfamiliar with the islands of the Florida Keys where he lived, Taylor had

reason to feel confident in flying by sight. But visibility became poor due to a

brewing storm, and he quickly became disoriented.

Flight 19 was still in radio contact with the Fort Lauderdale air base, although

the weather and a bad receiver in one of the Avengers made communication

very spotty. They may have been guided safely home if Taylor had switched

to an emergency frequency with less radio traffic, but he refused for fear they

would be unable to reestablish contact under these conditions.

Taylor ended up thinking they were over the Gulf of Mexico, and ordered the

patrol east in search of land. But in reality, they had been heading up the

Atlantic coastline, and Taylor was mistakenly leading his hapless trainees

much further out to sea. Radio recordings indicate that some of them

suggested to Taylor that Florida was actually to the west.

A search party was dispatched, which included the Martin Mariner that many

claim disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle along with Flight 19. While it is

true that it never returned, the Mariner did not vanish; it blew up 23 seconds

after takeoff, in an explosion that was witnessed by several at the base. This

was unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence, because Mariners were

known for their faulty gas tanks.

No known wreckage from Flight 19 has ever been recovered. One reasonable

explanation is that Taylor led the planes so far into the Atlantic that they were

past the continental shelf. There the ocean abruptly drops from a few hundred

feet deep to several thousand feet deep. Planes and ships that sink to suchdepths are seldom seen again. The deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean, the

30,100-foot-deep Puerto Rico Trench, lies within the Bermuda Triangle.

Combining the circumstances of the failing compass, the difficulty of radiotransmissions, and the absence of wreckage, tales of mysterious intervention

befalling Flight 19 began to take form. Theories involving strange magneticfields, time warps, Atlantis, and alien abduction began to appear. Even an

official Navy report intimated that the Avengers had disappeared "as if theyhad flown to Mars."

About 200 prior and subsequent incidents have been attributed to the inherent

strangeness of the area, which was forever christened the Bermuda Triangleby writer V. Gaddis in a 1964 issue of Argosy, a fiction magazine. Publicinterest in the "phenomenon" was whipped into a frenzy by Charles Berlitz's

1974 bestseller The Bermuda Triangle, a sensationalized and thoroughlyinaccurate account that shunned the facts in favor of mysterious excitement.

There are two major obstacles to taking the Bermuda Triangle legend

seriously. The first is that most of the associated mishaps can be explained byrational means. The second is that most of the associated mishaps did not


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occur within the Bermuda Triangle. If you plot all of the alleged instances ofthe area's malevolent influence on a map, you find that only a handful have

actually happened within the Triangle's borders. Sea disasters as distant asPortugal, Ireland and the Pacific and Indian Oceans have been blamed on the

Bermuda Triangle. We might then just as well rename it as "The Worldwide

Curse of All Seas." Some have turned this fact on its head by proposing this as

evidence that the Devil's Triangle is expanding in scope.

Report on Bermuda Ttr

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