1 Kinsman Gwendolyn Kinsman English 112 27th November, 2007 Do You Want To Hear A Ghost Story?

Why is the sea such a mystery? Maybe it is the fact that more is known about the surface of the moon than is known about the surface of the sea floor. The earth is covered with seventy percent of water, making it virtually impossible for us to know what is covering every inch of the seas floor. According to Angus Konstam, author of c Many of the mysteries of the seas, the legends of ghost ships, and the tales of vanishing ships are made all the more fascinating and unbelievable because they are set against an environment which we will never fully understand. (Konstam 11). Author, Richard Winer, in his book, Ghost Ships: True Stories of Nautical Nightmares, Hauntings, and Disasters, concurs with Konstam when he writes, Most stories of the seas, especially those with a strange and fateful twist, have been so distorted that they fall well into the realm of the unbelievable. But for every thousand or so contrived or totally distorted tales of the sea, there is at least one story, one happening, with enough document facts to be completely believable believable, even for the biggest skeptic. Along with mystery and intrigue come legends, myths, and tales. One such enigma that haunts the seas, ports, and maritime legends is that of the ghost ship. According to AgeofSail.Net, a ghost ship is, A ship that appears as a ghostly apparition such as the Flying Dutchman, a ship that is said to be haunted such as the RMS Queen Mary, a ship that simply disappear such as the USS Cyclops, or a ship which is found floating at sea with no sign of the crew such as the Mary Celeste. (AgeofSail.Net). However, many of these definitions are taken from legends, tales of the sea, and folklore. They have never been proven true.

The most famous ghost ship in the world today is the Flying Dutchman. Brenda Guiberson in her book, Tales of the Haunted Deep, had this to say about the Dutchman, Its captain, Vanderdecken, [] is an arrogant man who will do anything to get what he wants. He tried to sail around the Cape of Good Hope during terrifying weather, ignoring his crews request to stop. In their next run against the wind the ship went down and the entire ship and crew were doomed to sail the seas forever. (Guiberson 11). Author, Bradley Sheard in his book, Lost Voyages: Two Centuries of Shipwrecks in the Approaches to New York, parodies Guiberson report of the Flying Dutchmans captain as well. The legend recounts how the ancient marine Captain Vanderdecken [] is condemned to perpetually sail the seas until Judgment Day. Vanderdecken recklessly swore to round the Cape of Good Hope despite a terrible storm, putting his passengers and crew at risk. For his poor judgment he was condemned to his eternal fate. (Sheard 49). Other ships over the years have claimed to have seen the ship appear to warn of impending doom, or sailing on the open seas; however, this has never been verified. While the Flying Dutchman at one time had been real, the legends and folklore were created to teach a life lesson about greed and putting others needs before your own. There is another such story, that of the Lady Lovibond, she was a ship that sailed near the Goodwin Sands in the British Aisle. On February 13th, 1748, the captain, Simon Peele decided to get married on his boat and have a large celebration on board with all his family and friends. Unbeknownst to him and the people aboard the ship, his first mate had fallen madly in love with his new bride. In a fit of jealous rage, the first mate drove the ship onto the sands and rocks killing everyone on board himself included. Sailors have claimed that every fifty years on the night of the tragic event, the ship reappears as an apparition. If you happen to get close enough you can supposedly hear singing and merriment on board as if the party from so long ago was still going strong. However, in 1948 and 1998, there were no reports of seeing the Lady. These stories of

ghost ships are folktales and legends, made up to tell the story of a tragic event, or to teach a lesson. The next type of ships we will be looking at are the ships that are said to be haunted by ghosts. While not as far fetched and unbelievable as the first definition of ghost ship, this definition is met with skepticism and disbelief. The ship that is usually thought of when you mentioned haunted ships is the RMS Queen Mary. It was originally built to be a luxury liner and cruise ship for celebrities and royalty. However, it was needed to transport military personnel during World War II. In an article in the Daily Forty-Niner, an independent student newspaper for California State University at Long Beach, author Bradley Zant reported, Long Beach is haunted. Or at least, the Queen Mary is. Dont believe me? Dont believe there are restless spirits there, stranded souls still lingering on board the haunted ship docked in the this citys very own harbor? Then take an hour and find out for yourself. Nothing compares to the kind of feelings youre likely to experience when touring decks and bowels of the Queen Mary, as if you were intruding. (Zant 1-3). Jeff Belanger author of The Worlds Most Haunted Places, interviewed a medium and psychic. When asked about the haunting on the ship they psychic agreed with Zants statement when he said, The RMS Queen Mary is the most haunted place Ive ever investigated. And Ive literally been around the globe with hauntings. This is number one as most haunted place in the world. There are at least 600 active residents on the RMS Queen Mary. (Belanger 21-28). Why so many ghosts you ask? Apparently the ship did not have air conditioning, and while transporting over 16,000 troops, one sailor would die every seven minutes. After serving her time in the war and crossing the ocean many times for cruises, she was brought to Long Beach, California. She is now resting in the harbor as a restaurant and major tourist attraction. Many people have toured her, and some claim that you can hear faint screams of soldiers who have died, and can see the apparitions of the ghosts

who are apparently haunting the ship. While a haunted ship makes a great story, there have never been any pictures, video, or proof that there is any paranormal activity going on in the ship; in fact, many claim that when they toured the ship they felt nothing at all. As we look at other definitions to describe ghost ships, the type that comes to mind and has been a major puzzle and mystery for many years is the ship that simply set sail and is never heard from again. Literally thousands of ships over the past two hundred years have left their ports and were never seen or heard from again. Some of these ships disappeared in times when the technology was not as advanced as it is now, and that could explain some of the disappearances. However, what explains the ships that have advanced technology on board? Believe it or not, even with advanced multimillion dollar ships with the newest technology have disappeared as well. The USS Cyclops was one of those ships. The USS Cyclops, a collier went missing with 309 men on board, both crew and passengers. She set sail from Rio de Janeiro on February 19th, 1918. After making a quick stop in Barbados on the 3rd and 4th of March, she set sail. March 5th, 1918 was the last time anyone saw the USS Cyclops and her men still alive, even though she was equipped with a radio. That was the single largest loss of life in the Navy not including a ship involved in combat. Gian Quasar says in his book, Into the Bermuda Triangle, She is the greatest mystery of the sea. In 1918 she sailed into the Triangle with 309 sailors aboard, and never was seen or heard from again. In the article, Strange Mystery of The Vanished Sister Ships, author David Grover shares Quasars enthusiasm for this topic by stating, The USS Cyclops, the fleet collier who disappeared in 1918 has become on of the greatest of modern sea mysteries. (Grover). Since 1918 ships have continued to disappear, ships outfitted with advanced multimillion dollar technology. Why are so many ships still disappearing? Is the Bermuda Triangle at fault here? Some would like to think so. The thought of a conspiracy and paranormal activity going on is both exciting and fascinating. However, as

enticing as this theory might seem, scientists have started to uncover some of the mystery surrounding these strange disappearances. Scientists in Germany were the first to discover a phenomenon that had never been heard of. The phenomenon they saw was what is now known as rogue waves. Rogue waves are unpredictable and intense; some waves can get as tall as a 10-story building. In his USA Today article titled, Ship- Devouring Waves, Once Legendary, Common Sight on Satellite, Robert Britt expounds on this by explaining, Windows of luxury liners get broken. Supertankers are disabled and left vulnerable to the whim of the next wave. Many ships disappear. (Britt). Scientists now believe that rogue waves account for more than half of the ships that have disappeared in the last twenty years. The rest of the ships disappearing are attributed to mutiny, piracy, and other bad weather. The fifth type of ghost ship according to AgeofSail.net is the ship that is found aimlessly sailing the open sea with no sign of life. The most famous ship to have ever been found this way was the Mary Celeste. The Mary Celeste was found on December 4th, 1872 sailing peacefully on the North Atlantic Ocean; however, there was no one on board. There was no sign of struggle, no damage to the ship, and no stolen or ransacked cargo. What happened to the captain, his wife, and daughter? It is still a mystery that haunts the world over 130 years later. While the Mary Celeste is by far the most famous of these ships found, Sharon West tells of a ship in her article, Ghost Ships Blowin in the Wind. The ship called the Dundee Star ran aground off Midway Island. In four years time, the abandoned ship drifted completely around the earth and came to rest in 1891 back at Midway Island, the very spot she had started her lonely journey. (West). While the previous two ships that were found sailing the seas happened over a hundred years ago, there are ships that have been found recently in the same position. In fact, in February of 2007, a yacht was found floating off the coast of Queensland, Australia. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, in the article,

Mystery of Kaz IIs missing crew reported, An unmanned yacht found drifting off the north Queensland coast had computers running and even found food on a table ready to eat- but no crew. (Yarushima). While these stories are mystifying and captivating, there is a story of one ship that was found that has helped shed some light on what may have happened in a few of these cases. The story is that of the MV Joyita. Author David Wright, in his book Joyita: Solving the Mystery writes, Although it is a sad tale, the story of the Joyita remains a fascinating one, bringing together a classic unsolved marine mystery, and various kinds of intrigue. (Wright 4). The MV Joyita was commissioned by the United States Navy to be a patrol boat during World War II in 1931. She served twenty four years until the fateful day came when she disappeared. On October 3rd, 1955, Joyita left Samoa for the Tokelau Islands loaded with medical supplies, lumber, and food. She never reached port so a search party was dispatched to look for her. Over a month later and 600 miles off course she was found half submerged. Her crew and cargo was missing, and her radio was tuned to the international marine distress signal. What happened to Joyita? That is where the intrigue Wright talked about earlier comes into play. The majority of the theories that have arisen from this particular wreck are that of paranormal activity; however, of the theories that have been raised, historians believe that in this case, she was a victim of piracy. The way in which the ship was left, the things taken, and the missing crew led them to believe that they had come across pirates or an illegal fishing operation. Historians believe that her crew was murdered; she was ransacked, and partially sunk to cover up any sign of their wrongdoing. With the five defined types of ghost ships, another definition arose after the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor in 1947. The military decided that it would be in the nations best interest to form a reserve fleet. They nicknamed it the ghost fleet, and called all the ships within, ghost ships. The United States quickly began pulling all the rusting and decaying destroyers out of

retirement to do some quick renovations. These ghost fleets were placed in various areas around the country. As of right now according to HistoryLink.Org, There are currently five reserve fleets in the United States; one in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, California, and Washington. These ships are used for marine museums and tourist attractions, but are equipped and ready to be deployed at any time. (HistoryLink.Org). The United States also created the ghost fleet to preserve its reputation. Based on the five definitions given above, the United States has had many ghost ships. In fact, the United States has lost over two hundred ships, found three ships sailing on the open sea without a crew, three of it ships are believe to be haunted, and one has appeared as an apparition. (Winer 3668). The ship I am referring to in this case is the USS Stewart. The USS Stewart was in enemy waters on March 2nd, 1942, when she found herself with only one torpedo left, and no allies near to help. The commanding officer made the only decision he could. After evacuating his men he gave the order to blow the ship up and sink it on site. The Us Navy wrote her off as a total loss as explained in this article, The Phantom Destroyer by Mal Wright, For all intents and purposes the old Stewart was finished. (Wright). Author Robert Parkin put it another way when he said in his book Blood on the Sea: American Destroyers Lost in World War II, Her name was stricken off every Navy record and list on March 25th, and four months later, her name was assigned to a new destroyer escort. (Parkin 48). The ship laid at rest off the coast of Japan for over a year before United State Air Force pilots started reporting they saw what looked like a United States World War I destroyer in the Japanese Imperial Navy. The Air Force had never been known for their ability to recognize American ships; and despite multiple reports over a period of two years, authorities believed it to be a mirage or illusion. Air Force Pilots were adamant however that they were in fact seeing an apparition of the USS Stewart. Rumors spread throughout the sea that

perhaps they had seen the apparition of the Flying Dutchman or some other ship that had been lost at sea. On October 15th, 1945, about a month after having dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a group of naval inspectors noticed an odd vessel moored at Hiroshima Bay. After boarding her and scouring through her compartments, they realized this ship was indeed none other than the old USS Stewart! (Parkin 48). The United States had underestimated Japans tenacity and determination. After lying a full year partially submerged, the Japanese in a desperate attempt to gain the momentum in the war on the seas raised the damaged destroyer and renovated her into an escort ship. They removed all signs of her former United States armament, refitted her, and renamed her Patrol Boat II. The ship the air force had seen was not an apparition at all; it was in fact, the ship they had thought all along. On November 3rd, the United States commissioned her with her old number and was nicknamed RAMP. The initials standing for, Recovered Allied Military Personnel. In other words, she was a freed prisoner of war. Once she arrived in San Francisco, she was met with amazement and wonder. However, much bigger ships were being scrapped for metal, and she had no future in the Navy. The Navy however, recognizing her good service, and her amazing heroics against all odds, decided to give her a proper farewell. This ship that had been bombed, blown up, sunk, raised, repaired, recaptured, and survived an atomic bombing all in the matter of three years was recognized for her outstanding endurance. On May 24th, 1946, the Navy gave her a Vikings Funeral, and sent her out to sea. She was used for target practice for the Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Air Force. She went down somewhere off the West Coast, where to this day she lies. The USS Stewart has been documented in many books and articles over the years; she is quite possibly the only true ghost ship story, and one of the greatest maritime mystery stories of all time.

The sea in all its glory can be a cruel and fickle mistress, kind and gentle in one moment and terrifying and unsympathetic the next. The sea has caused many ships to disappear, has killed many seafarers and sailors, and has provided countless tales, legends, and folklore. Are ghost ships real? The USS Stewart was certainly real, as are the ghost fleets. What about the Flying Dutchman and the Lady Lovibond? Is the RMS Queen Mary haunted, what really happened to Mary Celeste, MV Joyita, and the USS Cyclops? Perhaps these questions will never be answered. One thing is certain however, as long as the sea remains a mystery, stories of ghost ships, whether they be true or not will live on forever.