The Devil’s Triangle Unnatural events will always pique anyone’s interest; it is human nature. If something seems supernatural, anyone would want to believe it. People seem to love the idea of strange things happening without an explanation. The Bermuda Triangle is an area of interest for these enthusiasts, as over 1,000 ships and planes have disappeared over the past 500 years without a trace. Theories have been created since then, ranging from pirates to aliens to methane gas; the question asked almost has too many possible answers to keep track of. So, how does all of this happen?
The Triangle Bermuda is a small island in the Gulf Stream. Its most notorious claim to fame is the infamous Bermuda Triangle, a strip of sea connecting Bermuda, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Though you will not see it on any maps or official borders, the region is home to what some believe is the deadliest water on the planet. More than 70 ships and planes have disappeared in the area over the past century only. But what really goes on in the Devil’s Triangle? The Bermuda Triangle is a loosely defined region; if a ship or plane vanishes in the Mid-Atlantic, that area is usually written off as the Triangle. It is thought to be anywhere between 500,000 miles and 1.5 million miles large. Being one of the only places on Earth that compasses point to “true north” rather than “magnetic north,” people are obsessive over it. The Triangle is located in the Gulf Stream, which, in certain places, moves faster than most bodies of water (about 5 miles per hour). Some places in the Bermuda Triangle go from a mostly shallow floor to a drop off of some of the deepest trenches in the world. The area is also noted for its strange weather habits, including waterspouts, earthquakes, and unusually high waves. With all of these things kept in mind, it would not be unusual to think that nothing strange happens in this range, but, surprisingly, more people believe in something a bit more paranormal.
Riley Sapp
The Mary Celeste A very well-noted case that you may have already heard of is the Mary Celeste. It is said that there was a 282-ton ship carrying eleven people from New York Harbor all the way to Genoa, Italy in November of 1872. Less than a month later, a crew on a British ship known as Dei Gratia spotted the ship. When they approached it, they found that it was full sail about 400 feet off course, in what people claim was near Bermuda. Upon further inspection, they saw that the boat was abandoned, with no sign of the captain, his family, or any other person on board. The hold was full of seawater, and, other than a missing lifeboat, nothing was out of place. There was six months worth of food and water left unharmed. This name was really knocked into the spotlight when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer of the
Sherlock Holmes stories, created a short story called J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement. It was a fictional first-person account of a survivor of the Marie Celeste. Sound familiar? With all of this in mind, it is easy to be a bit sceptical. Why would the captain leave a perfectly sound ship? No one can say for sure. Some theorize that sea monsters attacked them, or that pirates assaulted them. Others say that the alcohol in the ship’s hold blew them up. A large percentage of people blame the Triangle, and all that it does with ships destined to pass by; in reality, it was found that the Mary Celeste was a few hundred miles from the Bermuda Triangle at the time of its disappearance!
Other Famous Cases While the Bermuda Triangle is not responsible for the Celeste, there are even more insane cases. The disappearance of the U.S.S. Cyclops is responsible for 309 deaths. In March, 1918, during World War I, the warship vanished with no evidence of how, why, or exactly when. The Cyclops set sail on January ninth, with 9,960 tons of coal for English ships in the South Atlantic. It also carried about 11,000 tons of manganese ore. On February twenty-second, she left for Maryland, with no stops scheduled. Rather than arriving on time, she was found on the third of March in Barbados, an independent island nation. Flight 19 is also an important case. A patrol of five experienced aviators set out on a sunny day. The tower in charge of the plane began receiving transmissions from the flight leader that they were lost, compasses were not working, and everything felt off. They were never seen again, and though extensive Navy investigations were sent off, no clues were found to explain the disappearance. A similar experience was Flight 680. Over 40 years ago, a patrol of ten experienced pilots and expert maintenance workers set off on a clear night, through a highly travelled course: The Yankee Route. When they didn’t arrive at their destination, radio traffic communicators
attempted
to
contact
them, but no one answered. Because of the people on board, people highly doubt that the problem could have been a mechanical problem. Only a few scraps of debris that could have easily fallen out of a cargo plane have been recovered, and the reason of failure remains unsolved.
Theories With all of these seemingly unsolvable mysteries, there has to be an answer as to why these aircrafts are disappearing. The biggest problem was deciding which of the thousand choices is true. While some believe “pirates,” or drug smugglers, roam the sea, others have more creative ideas. One of the most plausible theories was that of which concerns methane gas. Methane is a gas that breaks down in the atmosphere and creates CH3, which means that methane creates a part of the Methyl group. The oxidation of the group gives protons and carbon dioxide. Because of this, when combined with oxygen, it creates fire and combusts. There is a large concentration of methane gas in the ocean floor of the Bermuda Triangle because of decomposing organisms. If a gas pocket erupts, the gas blows up and could potentially catch planes on fire and sink ships, covering them with sediment. A personal favorite is the myth of Atlantis, The Lost City. Plato, a Greek philosopher, told the story of a city that sunk underwater “in a night and a day.” Sometime, lost in translation, ancient Greeks were torn over whether the story should be taken as history or a metaphor. Some people still believe this today. They think that the people of Atlantis were highly advanced, and the remnants of a death ray that ultimately destroyed the city takes down those who travel in the Bermuda Triangle. Some even say that the people who lived there were an alien race from the Pleiades star cluster. According to legend and speculation, the city of Atlantis relied on the power of special energy crystals that were extremely powerful. In the 1970’s, Dr. Ray Brown, a naturopathic practitioner, claimed to find a massive, reflective pyramid while scuba diving. He entered the pyramid and saw a brassy rod with a red gemstone hanging at the apex of the room. Below this was a stand with bronze hands holding a small, crystal sphere. He stated that when looking into the crystal, you can see three images: pyramids one in front of the other, each decreasing in size. Some people have reported to have seen a fourth pyramid in front of the other three after entering deep meditative states.
What Really Happens? Even though countless theories have been developed, and however fun it may be to believe something paranormal is going on, there has been an answer discovered. As a recap, the Bermuda Triangle is partly located in the Gulf Stream, which can move faster than most bodies of water. This means that it can quickly wipe out any evidence. The Triangle has some deep dropoffs from a sandbar to extreme trenches. The area is also in “hurricane alley,” a warm marine region where hurricanes frequently occur. Because it is in the Caribbean-Atlantic zone, storms can easily create enormous waves, and strong currents over reefs are just begging for disaster. The district is a big tourism spot, and inexperienced boaters are a hazard to themselves in these waters. Taking all of this into account, it makes sense that these disappearances would happen. According to records, there is not anything unnatural about the amount of vanishings in the area. So, how does this
happen? The answer is: it doesn’t. However, it is still possible that somewhere, there is a place full of mysterious disappearances, or the Lost City Of Atlantis!
Works Cited: Brennan, Lawrence B. "The Unanswered Loss of USS Cyclops." Na val Historical Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. Gaddis, Vincent H. "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle." N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2016. Mayell, Hillary. "Bermuda Triangle: Behind the Intrigue." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. Milton, Giles. "The Bermuda Triangle." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. "The ‘Mystery’ of the Bermuda Triangle." The UnMuseum. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. "What Happened to the Mary Celeste?" History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.